Recession Safe Career: Virtual Assistant

The news is full of doom and gloom in the economy and work world. Even conversations with friends turn to stories of layoffs and reduced paychecks, and the dreaded R-word: recession. Although it may seem that everyone is being affected in a negative way by the economy, virtual assistants continue to thrive.

Virtual assistants, also known as VAs, provide administrative assistance to a handful of clients, and work from home rather in their clients’ office. They do anything from basic secretarial duties to more advanced functions like project management, online marketing assistance, or bookkeeping. VAs primarily serve entrepreneurs and small business owners, although larger companies are also choosing to work with them in increasing numbers.

During a down economy, individuals who cannot afford to work with a fulltime employee anymore are choosing to work with a virtual assistant. They get a talented professional to produce high quality work, and they do not have the extra costs of providing supplies or technology, of paying for payroll tax and benefits, or of even guaranteeing a certain number of hours per week. VAs bill only for the time they work directly on their client’s projects, and knows the work load may fluctuate.

The businesses that will continue to flourish during tight economic times are the ones that focus on increasing income, rather than just cutting costs. Virtual assistants allow that to happen. VAs take care of the important but time consuming details of a business, and let the owner to spend time on the activities that will generate income. Sure, scheduling appointments, formatting documents, and weeding through email are important, but if a VA takes care of those types of responsibilities, the business owner is free to make more sales and increase revenue. Virtual assistants can also directly assist with generating income for their clients by creating online shopping carts, finalizing e-books and other products to sell, and in assisting with marketing campaigns.

There has already been a rise in the number of small businesses working with a virtual assistant since the economy has become more difficult, and with over 26 million small businesses in the U.S. that will continue to grow. Virtual assistants are starting to be mentioned more frequently in the media, and business books reference their value.

Once a functioning home office is in place, being a virtual assistant has very low start up costs. Most people find they already have skills that will be demand, and they enjoy deciding who they want to work with and what services they want to offer. The average hourly rate for virtual assistants is about $30, and that can increase with advanced skill or industry knowledge.

If you are interested in being a virtual assistant, take the time to learn from successful ones who have come before you. Although there is enough work to go around, without knowing the keys to finding clients, keeping them happy, and structuring your finances, a virtual assistant will not succeed as easily. Consider being mentored by an established virtual assistant, or take part in a Virtual Assistant training program that will prepare you to have a booming business. With the right preparation and actions, being a virtual assistant can be a very lucrative and enjoyable career in any financial climate.

Article Source: http://www.freetextarticles.com

Katie Gutierrez created the Virtual Assistant Quickstart program to provide VAs with the information and support to succeed. She is the founder and CEO of Assistant Match, which was recenlty recommended on NBC’s Today Show. Visit www.vaquickstart.com or www.assistantmatch.com.

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