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The potential to be the one you need!
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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.
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