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What is a Virtual Assistant?

Virtual Assistants have climbed to within the top five home-based businesses in 2005.  So what is a Virtual Assistant?  Here's a quick description from Wikipedia:

A virtual assistant (VA) is a business owner providing professional level administrative, technical, or sometimes creative assistance to clients--usually to other independent entrepreneurs and solo and small business practices. Virtual assistants work from their own office (hence "virtual"), thus making it a fairly popular (and growing) profession. 

Common modes of communication and data delivery include the Internet, conference calls, online work spaces, and fax. Professionals in this business work on a contractual basis; long-lasting cooperation is common. Typically, at least five years of administrative experience in an office is expected at such positions as executive assistant, office manager/supervisor, secretary, legal assistant, paralegal, legal secretary, or real estate assistant.

A virtual assistant is an independently contracted business owner, not an employee. They work out of their own offices, manage the work from their clients and how it is carried out, set their own rates, as well as operating standards and policies, and pay their own self-employment taxes.

Good reasons to contract with a Virtual Assistant:

• More economical than hiring your own employee or a temp.  You're not paying for benefits or taxes.
• You do not need to provide space, equipment, or software (which is also economical).
• You pay only for time on task.  (How cool is that?)
• You're hiring someone with experience--no training necessary.
• You can concentrate on pursuing your creative ideas and running your business.