What is a Virtual Assistant
A VA CAN DO Anything That any other Support Staff Does

A Virtual Assistant (VA) is a person who provides support services to other businesses from a remote location. The term originated in the 1990s as the ability to work virtually due to technology improvements, such as high-speed Internet, document sharing, and other advancements, made working remotely a reality.

Virtual assistants are especially in demand by entrepreneurs and online businesses that need help but don't want to bring on staff in their location. However, many small and mid-size businesses use virtual support, especially for specific tasks such as social media management.

What do Virtual Assistants do?

Theoretically, a VA can do anything any other support staff does, except bring the coffee. (Although when home-delivery coffee is created, the VA will be able to do that too!). However, virtual support duties are not limited to clerical work. Many VAs provide marketing, web design and other services.


Most virtual assistants run their own home-based virtual assistant business. This allows them to earn more (usually $25 per hour or more depending on the tasks offered) and have greater control over the duties they perform. However, many small businesses hire virtual assistants in an employment or contract position. These VAs usually earn $10 to $15 per hour depending on the skill set required. Finally, many VAs use freelance sites or microwork sites to find quick, time-limited projects. These don't usually pay well, but they can offer a start to a new VA.

How to Hire a VA?

While virtual support is a great home business idea, getting virtual help is crucial for home business owners to maximize income and facilitate growth. As a home business owner, there comes a time in which it's impossible to do everything, at least well enough to be efficient and effective. Hiring a virtual assistant frees up your time so you can focus on the work that will make money. Plus, many virtual assistants are better than you at some tasks. It's always faster and less expensive in the long run to hire out duties you're not skilled at.

The first step in hiring a virtual assistant is to make a list of the tasks you want to outsource. Make a complete list, prioritizing the activities you want to delegate first. For example, if managing email is time-consuming and tedious, put that at the top of your list. Or maybe tech issues are taking too much time, you can outsource website management.

The next step is determining who to hire. There are many ways to hire a virtual assistant. You can use a VA service that hires and trains the VA, and then assigns you one based on the services you need. You can go through a freelance service such as Upwork (formerly Elance and ODesk). The final option is to engage your network for a referral. While you can put an ad out looking for a virtual assistant, finding one that is already vetted will save you time and headache.

Source:  www.thebalancesmb.com