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"Spouse With a Mouse™":
A Truly Portable Career in Virtual Assistance
So What Exactly is a Virtual Assistant?
What Types of Services Do Virtual Assistants Offer?
Who Hires VAs?
Portability
FAQ
Am I VA Material?
Where To Begin
Of Bewilderment and Foreign Service Careers
If you had to sum up the lifestyle of many Foreign Service spouses in one word, what would that word be? Perhaps "nomadic"-with frequent moves leading to locations overseas, high cost areas, and places where the prospects for employment may be poor. Or maybe "unsettled"-never knowing when the next, "Honey, it's time to move," will come or where you will call home. Then, of course, you have to take into account the self-esteem issues that can arise when you are married to someone who is "important" while you may be regarded as superfluous "fluff." All things considered, perhaps the one word summation of a Foreign Service spouse is "bewildering".
A Foreign Service spouse's career progression can come to a sudden halt because of the demands of the lifestyle. In some cases salary levels are so low that a job outside of the home nets just about enough income to cover the expenses of going to work. Factor in work permit and licensing restrictions and bewilderment is quickly joined by her cousin, frustration.
Thanks to the growth of the Internet and the emerging Virtual Assistance industry, spouses who have skills that can be performed virtually are finding it much easier to stretch their entrepreneurial wings, finding gratification and importance as the CEOs of their own businesses.
So What Exactly Is a Virtual Assistant?
Virtual Assistants (hereafter referred to as "VAs"), first and foremost, are independent contractors (i.e., self-employed). Many of them are highly skilled in their profession, and offer a powerful accelerant to the productivity and success of those they work with. When the VA industry was born in 1995, the primary focus was on the types of business support services that would have been provided in the "traditional" workplace by executive assistants, personal assistants, bookkeepers, and other on-site administrative support staff. With an increasing number of professionals deciding to seek self-employment, the growing acceptance of "virtual" business relationships, and an onslaught of tools for managing virtual teams, the VA industry has grown to include a seemingly limitless menu of service offerings.
The VA's work assignments are communicated through email, phone, fax, mail, diskette transfer, and real-time online messaging. In other words, in an age where technology has changed the way we work, the former "assistant" has become "virtual"-and thanks to the Internet, global.
What Types of Services Do Virtual Assistants Offer?
The types of services VAs offer their clients are as varied as the VAs themselves. Here's a sampling:
Academic Writing, Accounting Services, Architectural Design, AudioVisual Production, Benefits Management, Business Coaching, Business Plan Writing, Business Writing, Collection Services, Competitive Research, Concierge Services, Consulting, Database Management, Desktop Publishing, Document Scanning, Editing/Proofreading, Entertainment Industry Support, Event Planning, File Conversion, Fundraising, General Transcription, Gov't. Procurement Expertise, Grant Proposals, Graphic Design, Graphic Scanning, Growth Advisory Services, HR Expertise, Insurance Broker/Agent Support, Internet Research, Interpreting, Import/Export Support, Intranet Development & Management, Legal Secretarial, Legal Transcription, Litigation Support, Live Phone Answering, Mailing Services, Marketing & Advertising, Market Research, Medical Transcription, Multimedia Presentation, Nonprofit Support Services, Office Management, Paralegal Services, Payroll Services, Phone-in Transcription, Private Investigation Support, Programming, Public Relations, Realtor Support, Resume Writing, Spreadsheets, Statements/Billing, Systems Management, Technical Writing & Editing, Translating Services, Voice Services, Voicemail for Clients, Website Design, Word Processing
Virtual Assistants are being hired by a wide range of clients: consultants, lawyers, import-export businesses, real estate professionals, freelance writers and authors, professional speakers, human resource managers dealing with work overflow, and small businesses seeking to expand while maintaining flexibility and keeping overhead low. The increasing numbers of small businesses in the U.S. and abroad provide opportunities that have never before been possible for so-called "trailing spouses" with an entrepreneurial spirit. Two out of three new businesses being started today are based in the owner's home. Most of these SOHOs (small office/home office) will reach an impasse very quickly. They will be spending so much time on administrative tasks that they can no longer concentrate on growing their business. In short, they're going to need help.
Traditionally, the need for assistance has left the small business owner with several bleak options: hire an expensive "temp" for a bandaid-style solution, take on a great deal of expense and responsibility with a permanent employee, or-perhaps worst of all-turn away work. Enter the Virtual Assistant-the ultimate SOHO growth partner!
The online community has embraced the Virtual Assistant movement with gusto. There are now Virtual Assistant practices all around the world. With articles about virtual assistance appearing in publications such as The Wall Street Journal, Business Week, and Time Magazine, the demand for Virtual Assistants is increasing globally. Business owners realize the VA/SOHO relationship is a win-win in the truest sense. Without having to hire staff, bring in extra equipment, or share their space, the SOHO gets the support they need so that they can concentrate on growing their business and the VA (also a SOHO) has an opportunity to stretch their entrepreneurial wings as CEO of their own company.
The virtual nature of these relationships lends itself easily to the transient lifestyle that is so much a part of Foreign Service life. What makes a Virtual Assistant's business portable? Essentially, his or her website. While VAs may market themselves "off-line" just as any other businessperson might-brochures, local or regional networking, seminars, etc.-their "storefront" is an address on the World Wide Web, and much of their marketing will be done via the Internet, through mailing lists or "listservs," newsletters, direct email, and the plethora of other marketing vehicles available online. Since there is rarely any need for the Web address to change, the VA's principle "location" remains constant wherever they go. The typical VA client, too, is flexible on the physical location of the VA, since the work rarely depends on the street address of the Virtual Assistant's business.
Virtual Assistants bill by the hour (though occasionally by the project), at rates ranging from $25-$35 for general support and considerably more for "high-expertise" services. The hourly arrangements makes VAs especially attractive to smaller businesses, since they can more easily control their expenditures, and needn't worry that salaries will be payable when the workflow ebbs.
Q. Is there a minimal skill set I must have to be a Virtual Assistant?
A. Every Virtual Assistant comes to the table with their own unique skills. There is no "right" or "wrong" skill set for a Virtual Assistant, although naturally the broader their skills, the more marketable a Virtual Assistant will be.
We find that Virtual Assistants who have solid core skills are quite successful. These skills include working knowledge of the Internet, computer usage, and software. Basic word processing and spreadsheet capabilities are a definite plus!
Skills range from the basics listed above to highly-specialized areas like web design, graphic arts, foreign market expertise and/or language translation ability, technical writing, and more.
Q. What equipment do I need to launch a Virtual Assistant practice?
A. A Virtual Assistant should look at equipment acquisitions as investments
of valuable capital that will be made only after a careful analysis of
the practice's needs. It is possible to launch a successful practice with
very little equipment. Start with: a computer with Internet access (a
dedicated line for the modem is best, if possible); a telephone with voicemail
or an answering machine; a fax machine or computer-based fax capability;
basic software applications (Microsoft, Corel, and Lotus are sound investments
for most).
Individuals providing specialty services will know which tools of the trade are necessary.
Q. Can I transition to a Virtual Assistant practice gradually and keep my present job until my practice "flies"?
A. ABSOLUTELY! It is said that every great journey starts with a single step-you simply need to decide how large or small that first step will be for you. Financial, lifestyle, or other considerations often dictate that we make a gradual change.
Easing into your Virtual Assistant practice on a part-time basis is one of the safest and least painful ways to make the transition. Many new VAs keep their regular employment while building their practice "after hours." Both jobs can coexist peacefully; however, it will require some careful planning.
Make sure that your clients understand the limitations of your hours from the start, and be certain that you take into consideration the effect this transitional period will have on the significant others in your life. You are sure to be working long hours as you establish your practice, but it is a sound way to make the transition from employee to entrepreneur.
To help determine if you have what it takes to succeed as a VA, ask yourself these questions:
Am I a self-starter?
Do I like to work with dynamic people?
Am I confident about my ability to get the job done?
Am I trustworthy and honest?
Am I creative?
Can I adapt to rapid change?
Do I have good problem-solving skills?
Can I set goals and follow them to completion?
Marketing can be tough - are you good at "blowing your own horn"?
If you can answer "Yes" to most of these questions, and you've got solid skills and lots of motivation, you are indeed "Virtual Assistant Material."
Due to their increasing popularity, it is quite easy to find information about VAs on the Internet. A quick search for "virtual assistant" in your favorite search engine will give you a good sense of the territory the industry covers. Reviewing the sites of people who are practicing as VAs is an excellent place to start your research.
Staffcentrix also offers two in-depth self-assessments:
- The Entrepreneurial Self-Assessment: 15 Questions Every Would-Be Entrepreneur Should Ask (and Answer Honestly).
- The VA Readiness Self-Assessment: A series of questions that will help the reader identify her relevant strengths, weaknesses, and potential trouble spots.
These assessments are available at no charge to those who refer to this article. Simply send an email to "selfassessments@staffcentrix.com" with "AAFSW" in the subject line. Staffcentrix will send the assessments to you via reply email and you will NOT be added to a mailing list nor will any attempts be made to sell you anything.
© 2003, Christine Durst
The author is the founder of the Virtual Assistance industry and the CEO & co-founder of Staffcentrix, LLC. Her company designed the "Portable Career & Virtual Assistance Training Program™" that is now being delivered to military spouses (who also face extreme career challenges due to frequent moves) across the United States and abroad. As an international authority on Virtual Outsourcing, Chris has appeared often in the media, including Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, Business Week, Inc. Magazine, Fast Company, the Singapore Straits Times, The Australian, and the London Times.