By Dan Boudreau
Ask any entrepreneur bootstrapper and you’ll find that time and money are always stretched in the early stages of a business. Even when the business is up and running, owners are challenged to do as much as possible with the resources available.
One increasingly popular way to save time is to outsource tasks to Virtual Assistants or VA’s. The VA niche is picking up momentum as more and more people use the Internet. Not only does this emerging service solve a growing number of problems for business owners, it also offers an attractive full or part-time business opportunity for anyone with the right skills, a computer, and an Internet connection.
For the most part, you won’t see Virtual Assistants on-site at business locations. That’s because they typically work from home offices and provide their services remotely via the Internet.
With a little research you can easily find professional VA’s to handle a variety of administrative functions, such as paperwork, scheduling, billing, bookkeeping, accounting, event coordination, enrollments, subscription management, research, copywriting, editing, publishing, data entry, website management, search engine optimization, and social media marketing.
Aside from the actual work done, VA’s bring a number of benefits for the cyber-savvy business owner. You don’t need to provide office space or equipment, and you don’t incur the ongoing costs or liabilities that come with hiring employees. VA’s earn their income by working on contract and they provide their own workspace and equipment.
Here are ten websites where you can learn more about obtaining or providing Virtual Assistant services.
1. International Virtual Assistant Association – www.ivaa.org
2. International Association of Virtual Assistants – www.iava.org.uk
3. Canadian Virtual Assistants Connection – www.cvac.ca
4. Canadian Virtual Assistants Network – www.canadianva.net
5. VA Classroom – www.vaclassroom.com
6. Virtual Assistants for You – www.va4u.com
7. Champion Assistants – www.championassistants.com
8. Get Friday – www.getfriday.com
9. Tana Woodward & Associates – www.virtualofficeservices.ca
10. SMAC To the Rescue – www.totherescue.ca
Almost unheard of a decade ago, Virtual Assistants are now providing solutions to a growing variety of problems for entrepreneurs everywhere. Picking the right VA will enable you to delegate time consuming tasks or jobs you’re less skilled at, and free up time to focus on your priorities and the things you prefer to be doing. And if you’re interested in providing a VA service, a world of opportunity awaits with just a few clicks of your mouse.
Whether your goal is to grow your business, free up time to explore new markets, or to spend more time with your family—hiring a Virtual Assistant might just be the key to taking control of your work and getting where you want to be.
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