virtual assistant venture

Hi,

Sorry I've posted a new message instead of a reply to your post. See below.


Hi,

I have just cast a vote. I would hire the service but depends on the quality of the services being offered and the prices too. I think its a competitive market but if your customer service excel than others then you'll gain a lot of customers. Especially for start-ups and homeworkers this service is very useful.

Good luck.

In my experience, there is a demand but far fewer businesses want it than you would imagine. People I know who offer this have ended up with only a few clients, maybe only twenty max, and really doing most of their work for one or two companies.

They make an OK living from it, but will never make a fortune.

The biggest drawback is that it is difficult to get start ups and home businesses to see that if they outsource this type of work it gives them more time to do what they are good at. Their focus is too often on saving costs.

The web designers, bookkeepers, and marketing consultants (to name just a few) out there would probably agree with me on this.

I'm just wondering whether the virtual route is the way to go. If you have and can get the high quality personnel, is there a better way of utilising their skills? Serviced offices, for example.

Regards


Graham

Maybe a personal point of view but I wouldn't use the services of anyone who types like the poster - no capital letters and bad punctuation. Please yourself if you want to use "TXT-SPK" in a public forum but many people of my age (50+) won't entrust you with their business.

I would use the services of a VA as I did this for a while but unless you are really proactive by networking and really getting your name out there, then it doesnt really pay. However I use the services for my business occasionally as I have found one who is realiable and professional and always gets work done in the time scales, I have set. Although everyone I have spoken to says they find it really hard to get clients as businesses especially start-ups see paying someone 12.00 an hour as quite alot!

As a VA I read the various comments with interest!

I would agree that it is hard to find enough clients prepared to pay for a secretarial service, as most people are PC literate and have access to their own computer and are compentant enough to type their own letters etc.,

The area I found better to assist people in is the PA side of things, helping out with tasks that successfull people don't have the time to do.

You will never be a millionaire as a VA, but you can with hard work and plenty of networking and advertising find enough good regular clients to keep you in business.

Good luck with your venture.

Julie

Unfortunatley, I think the kind of businesses most in need of a virtual assistant type of service are the least likely to use it! Small business and start-up companies tend to (not always) be run by driven entrepreneurial types who boarder on control freakery. As a small business owner it is difficult to let someone else hold the baby and it sometimes takes a while to realise that is exactly what is necessary to grow a business. I would imagine the best way to aid your sales process as a VA is by client recommendation or some sort of 'money back guarantee' thus giving the prospect far fewer reasons to say no. Also, if the pain of employing someone is spelt out in technicolour to a prospect they will be perhaps more likely to buy a VA service. Personally, I think most would want to be able to 'touch' and 'feel' (i.e. control) what is going on and thus a VA is not the way to go.

However, I do know a few private medical people who use VA's and these work very well. Maybe because doctors and surgeon's are in control of life changing decisions already?!

I am a VA myself, its a growing business, as large corporates are looking to us to provide pay for what you need service if you will, the days of having a PA and the overheads, holiday/sickness pay agency when they are on holdiay etc are quickly dissapearing. Although people may be PC literate, unless they have had secretarial training their speed and presentation can leave a lot to be desired. In essence how much is your time worth, think about the tasks that take up your time, how many hours does that equate to? Times that by your hoursly rate, you will find having a VA is very cost effective. We are here to ensure that clients meet their maximum potential by taking away the tasks that cost them time. I became a VA so that I am in control, I choose who I work for, do the things I enjoy doing, and how many hours I want to work.

I agree with pollyanderson, most self employed/small businesses are run by driven entrepreneurial types that are in a word control freaks!! They know their business inside out and back to front as well as knowing what their customers/clients want! That is what makes them sucessful after all!

These are the people who would really benefit from using a VA and yet they are the least likely to do so not realising what a huge benefit it would be to them and their business. I have one client who is that person to a tee and I know how she ticks because I am exactly the same. That's how I've managed to be sucessful. She has built a truly unique business that has grown beyond her to the point where she was in trouble for not doing the administration/paperwork and book keeping because she was so busy servicing her hunderds of extremely happy customers and looking after 11 staff members.

In the end she called me and honestly she will tell you she has never looked back. She has now expanded enormously and has 3 Ltd companies and all three businesses are growing and growing every single day.

She was sucessful before and she was doing it all herself but allowing me to come in and assist her has freed her time to expand her businesses beyond her wildest dreams!

I think from a business point of view you've got to take a look at where your business is going, what you do within that business on a daily and weekly basis i.e. when you do your paper work etc and really think about what you could be doing instead of that paper work etc. If the answer is something that is going to benefit your business and help it to grow, then perhaps you need to take a look at a VA to assist. Yes you could employ someone but who wants the hassle of employment contracts, PAYE, NI, holidays, sick pay... need I go on?

Ok some are more expensive than others but if you look at other freelancers in other fields you will find that VA's are quite conservatively priced and when you only need a couple of hours here and there I would say it's a no brainer!!

Sharon
Shanic Administration & PA Services

I'd be interested in why the pollsters who voted "No" did so? Is it mainly cost? Or, as others have suggested, a fear of lack of control?

Using a VA is very cost effective for certain types of business:
- those who have flexible workloads themselves and therefore can't guarantee set hours/permanent employment
- those who are too busy doing the work to worry about the "adminis-trivia" as I call it
- *big ideas* people who aren't great at implementation or practical considerations

It's not cost effective for:
- people who are starting a business and have no income at all
- people who aren't computer literate at all (as in, can't even switch it on!)
- the control freaks (but then they wouldn't be very good at having employees either, so they are forever doomed to do their own admin!!)
- when you are doing something very simple and endlessly repetitive - offshore it!

I agree small biz owners/startups probably need a VA more than other people, but the fact is, they usually can't afford it. VAs aren't expensive when you consider having to hire a member of staff and all the extra costs that incurs and the inflexibility it locks you into. They are also cost effective when you compare the actual cost of a job sent offshore @ $10/hour and which takes them 10 hours to do, compared to a domestic assistant who charges £25/hour but manages to do the task in an hour.

In fact, I know of VAs who specialise in the niche area of checking and micromanaging offshore work for clients. Great growth area!

Caroline