FEATURED ARTICLE:
Virtual Assistant Represents The
Dream of Many to Work From Home
By Karen Fritscher-Porter
Virtual assistant Kathie Goldsmith enjoyed her
job in the corporate world. She was devoted to her career and its cause
which entailed writing environmental documents for civil engineering
companies. But when she chose to become "Mom" at a typically nontraditional
age, she changed her priorities. Wanting to spend more time raising her
young daughters (as well as with her husband and two teenage step children),
she began researching home based businesses.
Like many people looking for a work at home opportunity, Goldsmith stumbled
around. "None of the multi-level marketing opportunities were right for me,"
Goldsmith recalled. "I dabbled in real estate as a landlord and had to deal
with every rent crisis in the book. And I sifted through a gazillion
business scams on the Net."
FINDING REPUTABLE WORK AT HOME JOBS
In fact, if you search the Web for work at home opportunities, you'll find
some questionable ones. Those are the ones that suggest they can put you to
work on "easy street" from within your home and do so practically overnight
too (for a small investment, of course).
But as Goldsmith eventually discovered not all work at home business
opportunities spell scam. Many work at home professions are reputable and
offer fulfilling work. That is, they are not the elusive, mindless, and
unreal, stuff envelopes from home type job that unwary work at home job
seekers "stumble" upon. Goldsmith realized this when she began to read about
virtual assistance.
WHAT IS A VIRTUAL ASSISTANT
Virtual assistants like Goldsmith are entrepreneurs and independent
contractors who work from their homes or offices. VAs (as they're often
called for short) handle administrative support or other specialized
business tasks outsourced to them, often from other home based or small
business owners. For example, Goldsmith specializes in doing research for
businesses as well as writing, editing, handling phone or email customer
service, making travel arrangements and coordinating events.
Some virtual assistants even handle specialized tasks such as helping
clients to draft and distribute press releases. Yet others specialize with
working with particular subsets of clients such as realtors or freelance
writers. Sometimes the tasks performed by virtual assistants evolve along
with the needs of their home based and small business clients.
For instance, not many non-technical folk predicted years ago that their
would be a profession called Internet marketing. Yet there is one. And some
really savvy Internet marketers outsource tasks vital to their business
success, including to virtual assistants who are stepping in to corner this
niche market that needs their administrative and specialized support.
VIRTUAL ASSISTANCE ARRIVES
The virtual assistant profession service industry actually started forming
about a decade ago. However, it is still being discovered by many
people--from the home based or small businesses who utilize virtual
assistants to aspiring virtual assistants. But the word is out about the
virtual assistance business and it is snowballing. Virtual assistant
Goldsmith did not come early or late to the virtual assistant industry. But
she is glad she came.
"The moment I read about virtual assistance I knew I had found the home
based business of my dreams," Goldsmith said.
And she is not alone. If you enter the phrase "virtual assistant" in your
web browser, you'll turn up hundreds of virtual assistants. Some own
established virtual assistance businesses and others are striving to make
their new virtual assistant business a success. But they all are part of the
"virtual" world that can reach anywhere.
VIRTUAL ASSISTANTS GO GLOBAL
Goldsmith operates as a virtual assistant in Austin, Texas, under the
business name Life Balance Virtual Assistance. But like all virtual
assistants she actually has the potential to reach clients nationally, even
globally. Virtual assistants can do this because they operate and work with
clients using communication tools such as the Internet, telephone, fax
machine, courier service and postal mail.
About the only limit in regard to client outreach for virtual assistants is
how many languages they do (or don't) speak. A VA obviously can't work with
someone halfway across the world if they don't speak the language.
Otherwise, the world truly is the limit for virtual assistants seeking
clients. Likewise, the world is the limit for home based business owners and
small based business owners seeking a virtual assistant. And Goldsmith does
indeed represent the fulfilled dream of many who seek to work from home,
whether they live in the United States or abroad.
###
More Virtual Assistant Resources:
(Links below open in a new window)
►Already a Virtual Assistant?
Boost your
income, not your hours by expanding your marketing efforts and marketing
budget with a listing in GetYourAssistant.com. Attracting a wider pool
of qualified potential clients is what allows you to boost your income but
not necessarily your hours. Don't chase work! Choose your jobs and clients
with care. Advertising and marketing your VA business is what brings you a
wider pool of targeted potential clients. This global
virtual
assistant directory is brought to you by the publisher of The Effective
Admin.
►Read more articles
about virtual
assistance.- whether you're seeking to hire a virtual assistant or want
to be a
virtual assistant, or if you already are a VA.
►For aspiring, new and established
VAs: Get the 100% FREE 17 page information-packed "Guide to Creating an
Effective Website for a Virtual Assistant" here:
http://www.getyourassistant.com/GetTheGuide.htm created by the
publisher of TheEffectiveAdmin.com and GetYourAssistant.com .
|
|
Go To:
►Home
Get Top Notch Professional Development and Training PRODUCTS for Administrative Professionals
including:
►Become An Effective
Admin VIP Self-Study Package (best
value offer for savvy admins)
►How
to Set Administrative Assistant Goals and Executive Assistant Goals
(especially useful when
writing goals in performance appraisal evaluations)
►How
to Take Meeting Minutes (Learn
to actually take minutes, not transcribe he said, she said style.)
►The Effective
Admin Newsletter (You
get 8 issues per year.)
►Plus view the latest
products featured
PRODUCTS for Managers and Executives of
Administrative Professionals:
►Tips for Managers or Executives Who Work
With Administrative Professionals
(87 Ways to work
effectively with your administrative professional)
Do you have
a question, problem, or dilemma related to your administrative
professional job or career? Get help
and answers here.
ARTICLES AND COLUMNS:
►Articles
for Admins
►Advice
for Admins by OfficeTeam
►Books
for Administrative Assistants & Executive Assistants
►Administrative
Professionals Day & Week
ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT JOBS AND INTERVIEW ADVICE
►Get
an Administrative Job
►Administrative
Job Descriptions
►Administrative
Professional Job Titles
►Administrative
Assistant Resume and Cover Letter
►Job
Search and Interview Advice Articles
|
Karen Porter, The Administrative Professional Job Performance and Career Success Coach™