Like most entrepreneurs I've met, on a typical day I spend way too much time doing a range of tasks that I shouldn't. While it's important stuff--following up on networking leads, contacting people I've met at my workshops or cold calling speaking resources--these critical to-do's were getting out of control, and my office piles were starting to spill out onto my dining room table.
So the timing could not have been better when I got this assignment.
With a budget of $100, I set out to find and hire at least two different virtual assistants (VAs), to help me gain control of the burgeoning piles. I approached this like any other time-challenged business owner; I wanted to retain someone with an established track record, at a fair rate. I have a decent amount of experience hiring independent contractors, so I started off with high expectations, despite a tight turnaround time.
1) Virtual assistant This is a field with much potential, in part because the title description covers many things. "You can fit your offerings to what you know how to do," says Stephanie Foster of Poway, Calif., a former medical transcriptionist who runs the website Homewiththekids.com. One can own a virtual assistant business or work from home for a company that makes you available to other employees or clients.
You're a valuable, trustworthy office assistant or administrator. You're successful at your job because you complete tasks in a way that makes your boss look good and feel better. But you'd rather work for yourself and be in charge of your own time. Maybe you want to be at home when your kids arrive from school, or maybe you're just tired of commuting. Maybe you dream of living in the mountains or your rural hometown, but you still want to produce an income.
The good news is, the explosion of the Internet and the global economy has produced not only the virtual organization, but also a new business opportunity: the virtual assistant.
