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Helping Entrepreneurs Go The Distance In Business… And Life!

Going Virtual: How to Work with a Virtual Assistant to Manage Your Blog

virtual-assistant-blog-managementThis is the first in an on-going series of in-depth posts I will be publishing to show you exactly how to work with a virtual assistant on a number of different tasks that new-age entrepreneurs have to handle on a day-to-day basis, when it comes to starting, managing, marketing and growing their business online.

Today we start with a look at how to work with a virtual assistant to manage your blog.

When I first started blogging, I had no idea of the power it would unleash when it comes to marketing my businesses, and bringing on board new customers. It’s a soft-sell approach to educating, inspiring and entertaining readers and prospects that, in todays business landscape converts better than any form of advertising I try out.

In this guide we’ll cover exactly how your VA will handle the technical aspects of blog management, before moving onto the content side of things. We’ll wrap everything up with a video tutorial that will show you, step-by-step, how your VA will get your blog posts ready to go live.

Everything here are the exact same processes that my personal VA’s follow when it comes to managing my blogs. I’m gonna be laying it all out there for you, step-by-step.

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Debunking the ‘Super VA’ Myth – Why ONE Virtual Assistant Can’t Do It All!

super-va-debunkedOne of the biggest misconceptions in the world of outsourcing is that one virtual assistant can literally handle everything for you.

Think about it for a second – this is not the case in the ‘real world’, so why should it be the case in the virtual world?!

The fact is that if you want to grow your business in a successful way, you need to hire for the role, not for the task.

This is something I’ve been saying for years. So, I decided to go ahead and formally debunk the myth of the ‘Super VA’, let you all know about the different types of VA’s available to you as entrepreneurs, as well as let you all in on a really exciting project that I’m about to start working on, which I’m pumped about!

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25 Tasks You Can Outsource to a General Virtual Assistant (GVA)

outsource-to-virtual-assistant

One of the biggest reasons why entrepreneurs nowadays struggle to grow their businesses is because they are simply wearing too many hats.

They do everything in their business. They ARE the business!!!

It’s a dangerous, downward spiral that most entrepreneurs suffering from what I regularly refer to as ‘Superhero Syndrome’, will eventually encounter – if they don’t change the way they are doing things. Fast!

Anyone that’s ever visited my blog before will know that I am a huge advocate of outsourcing and working with all the different types of virtual assistants available, right now, at your arsenal.

It’s just plain smart to leverage your time with talented workers on your team, than try and do it all yourself.

Getting Started is the Biggest Hurdle

However, from speaking with hundreds and hundreds of entrepreneurs over the last couple of years on the subject, the biggest reason why they procrastinate and not pull the trigger with outsourcing, is because they really don’t have a clue what tasks they would outsource in the first place!

With this in mind, even though I’ve discussed working with virtual assistants before, I decided to put together this post today to give you ALL a kickstart in the right direction – and that direction is a General VA. In case you’ve never worked with GVA’s before, this is the one role that I suggest every entrepreneur fill’s in their business, before any other.

NOTE: GVA’s cannot handle tasks that would be taken care of by other types of virtual staff, such as web development and programming, graphic design, video and audio editing, content writing and SEO tasks.

However – the fact is that GVA’s are a Godsend. 

They help you ‘buy more time’ in your work day, alleviating entrepreneurial stress and allowing you to start working ON your business, instead of being trapped, working IN it, instead.

25 Tasks to Outsource to a General Virtual Assistant

1.    Email Management/Filtering
2.    Setting up Autoresponders (Aweber, Mailchimp)
3.    Booking appointments with clients
4.    Following up with clients/customers (sending thank you and other reminder emails)
5.    Receptionist duties (answering occasional calls)
6.    Calendar Management
7.    File Management (organizing files using Dropbox etc)
8.    Database building (eg. updating email or contact lists on your CRM)
9.    Research on certain topics for blogposts, newsletters or others
10.  Personal errands (purchasing gifts for loved ones / family members online)
11.  Hotel and Flight Booking
12.  Transcription (transcribing voicemail, video or audio, podcasts etc.)
13.  Taking down minutes of meetings
14.  Creating basic reports (reports on weekly tasks, deliverables, sales)
15.  Preparing Slideshows (Powerpoint Presentations)
16.  Liaison between you and other team members
17.  Recruitment (source for other team members like writers or graphic artists)
18.  Set-up Social Media Accounts (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Youtube)
19.  Manage and update Social Media Accounts
20.  Manage your Blog (Basic WordPress Skills)
21.  Publish posts on your Blog (content you provided)
22.  Filter  and reply to comments on your blog
23.  Answering support tickets (with the use of Zendesk)
24.  Blog commenting (to increase links to your site)
25.  Participating in discussion forums or message boards (more promotion!)

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Here’s a video version of the list, with a few more goodies thrown in!

Don’t Make Assumptions!

Obviously, some of these tasks will require training, especially ones that involve the use of online tools. These are just some examples of the type of tasks someone in a General VA role can accomplish for you.

Use my ‘3 Lists to Freedom’ exercise to create your own, personalized list!

The most important thing here is to realize that not everyone will be perfect at handling ALL of these tasks right out of the gate. It’s silly (and a little ignorant!) to assume that one person will have experience handling all of these types of tasks.

However, I am here to tell you that I have seen GVA’s handle all of these types of tasks with ease and confidence after some basic VA training, a little understanding and a slither of patience from their Virtual Bosses! So, be nice.

So, what now?

Get outsourcing, thats what.

Have you outsourced these types of GVA tasks before? How’d it go? Got anything to add to this list? Go right ahead. Below!

10 Top Tips for Working with Virtual Assistants (Infographic)

10 Top Tips for Working with Virtual Assistants (Cool Infographic Examples)Infographics are big business. On average they cost around $500 to create (if you want them to be good), but the ability for them to be spread all over the internet is insane – I mean serious viral stuff!

I’ve seen them popping up more and more this past year, and not one to ignore a trend, nor what a trend seems to be delivering for those that jump on it (Neil Patel recently attributed 2,512,596 visitors to his sites via his infographics!), I thought I’d give it a whirl myself.

This first cool infographic of mine (I have a few planned) points out ten simple, but a lot of the time ignored, tips for working with virtual assistants, a subject I know, well, a few things about!

Enjoy this interesting infographic and please comment below letting me what you think, and if you feel doing more is a good idea, or not – before I spend any more money!!!

🙂

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3 Perks Your Virtual Staff Will Go Crazy For!

Filipino Virtual Assistant

As most readers of my blog know, I have been involved in the outsourcing industry for over 10-years.

The ‘game’ has changed a lot over that time. And when it comes to working with virtual assistants, particularly home-based virtual assistants, the game has changed more than in any other area in the entire industry, as far as I’m concerned.

It’s not about working with an offshore VA anymore.

It’s about leveraging the power of the global economy and what that means to small business owners in western countries, such as the USA, Australia and the UK (the three countries that I hear from and cater to the most). We’ve come a long, long way since to publication of the 4-Hour Work Week, people.

It’s time to look at this a little more seriously.

No More ‘Cheap Labor’ Attitude

The biggest change I’ve seen, and its been more evident over the last couple of years, is the perception of the virtual bosses that I’ve had the pleasure to work with. It used to, and still does, madden me whenever I hear ‘Hire a Filipino for $2 an hour’.  Thankfully things have changed (and continue to!), like I said, people no longer think of working with Filipino VA’s as a cheap option to finding ‘help’.

If they do have that attitude, I change their minds pretty quickly!

Sure they understand and appreciate that working with Filipino home-based VA’s is more cost effective than hiring locally 9/10 times, however, the mindset has shifted from ‘cheap labor’ to simply having ‘overseas employees’ – and that excites me more than words can express, I tell you.

I have one client who has now hired six VA’s through Virtual Staff Finder (Disclaimer: VSF is my match-making company), set them all up with their own computers, their own small ‘office’, at one of their homes (purchasing equipment, etc.) and now considers them very much part of his companies team – an overseas support arm, so to speak.

That stuff just gets my juices flowing!

Compensation – It’s Not All About the Salary!

Another thing thats changed quite a bit is the compensation that home-based VA’s are now getting here in the Philippines. Think about it logically, with demand comes supply – and the VA’s are not silly. They know that if they have the skills to help business owners (no matter where they are based in the word) help run, support and grow their businesses, they should get paid fairly for them.

The playing field is still very much ‘level’ in the grand scheme of things, of course. However, a VA that would have been a $350 monthly investment 3-years ago, is now earning $500 for a full-time role, per month (this is a salary example of a General VA with around 1-year working experience – check out my guide to paying home-based Filipino VA’s for more salary guidelines).

Everyone enjoys getting perks, right? If someone does a job well, if they perform above and beyond the expectations of their employer, they should be rewarded. Likewise, in an increasingly competitive market, if you want your virtual employee to stick with you, to be loyal to you, then you need to ‘look after them’ properly – above and beyond their monthly salary.

With this is mind, and based on experience in working with and training hundreds of VA’s – as well as hearing from virtual bosses and some of the benefits they give their VA’s, I’d like to present to you three great perks that your VA will go crazy over (in a good way!).

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Perk #1 – Paid Holidays

Just because you pay your VA a flat rate every month (and no local taxes and benefits) doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t a) give them holiday time, and b) not pay them for it. The standard that I give my personal VA’s 5-days paid holiday in their first year (normal Philippine employer behavior) – after that you can decide what to do on a year to year basis. That means they can genuinely take the time off (usually when I am traveling so not to effect the flow of business anymore than needed) without worrying about the lack of income.

Because of your virtual set-up in working together, and the fact that your VA isn’t employed by a Philippine company, you are not ‘forced’ to pay the compulsory ’13th Month’ benefit, either. This is a yearly bonus that is paid in the middle of December to all Philippine employees, and is pro-rated back throughout the year. However, if you want to be a nice boss, and put a huge smile on your VA’s face just before the biggest holiday of the year, pay it. I always do and my VA’s are always super appreciative of that fact.

Perk #2 – Health Insurance

Remember, your home-based VA is working directly and exclusively for you. They are not being employed by a Filipino company, and that means they’re not getting their usual Philippine government mandated contributions and benefits, such as Social Security (known locally as SSS), Pag-Ibig (a local fund that allows Filipinos to get housing loans, etc.) and PhilHealth (local heath care payout in case they get sick / become hospitalized).

On the subject of health insurance, this is something that not many self-employed (like your VA!) Filipinos think of. And its a great shame. The great thing about your VA having private health insurance is that they can also include their dependents – such as children and parents (at an additional cost, obviously). You’ll find that most home-based workers in the Philippines will be the bread winner for the family. So, if they can get health insurance sorted out for their immediate family, along with being the main source of income in the household then they are even more of a superstar!

You can get your VA to arrange private health insurance (which goes well above and beyond the PhilHealth benefits) through a number of different Philippines-based health care providers (Maxicare & Intellicare) that have experience, and that are very dependable as a source of health insurance. It will cost you around $300-$400 a year to get your VA that piece of mind for the whole family, and you’ll be forever in their prayers.

All my employees have private health insurance set-up, and are very thankful for it.

Perk #3 – Incentives and other Bonuses

Along with holidays and health insurance (something that is very much the ‘norm’ in the western world), incentives and other types of bonuses are obviously always welcome.

Monetary bonuses are usually the first thing that pop into mind, understandably. I know that a lot of our clients offer bonuses for their VA’s for a number of reasons such as getting a product launched on time, or finalizing a design project. These are good ideas, however, personally I don’t like to overdo the cash bonus idea – plus, if you do it too often and your VA doesn’t get it at the end of one particular project, they will be a little upset.

I like to get as creative as possible with my bonuses and employee gifts.

In the past I’ve arranged things such as:

  • iTunes vouchers
  • Flowers and chocolates on birthdays.
  • Overnight stays on wedding anniversaries.
  • Baby clothes for a newborn.
  • Restaurant gift certificates.
  • Books arriving out of the blue from Amazon.

The idea is to motivate and reward your virtual employee so they work harder, become more productive and ultimately bring you the ROI that any employer wants – lets be honest – NEEDS to see, in their employees.

Get Creative and Build Culture

The perks mentioned in this article are not ‘requirements’. They are what they are – perks. Bonuses. Incentives. But, they are also highly appreciated and will, as the title of this post suggests, make your VA’s go crazy.

When I read ‘Delivering Happiness‘ by Zappos CEO, Tony Hsieh it got me thinking about company culture. It changed the way I look at working with and caring for my employees so much that we ended up creating a whole new set of ideas and values. It also urged me to start a dedicated company culture website for all my employees, too. They love it.

Just because your virtual employees are that – virtual – doesn’t mean that you can’t create culture in working with them. I know of a few of our Virtual Staff Finder clients that use the private social media network, Yammer (its 100% free), to keep in touch with them in a way that really resonates with them – Facebook style. If you haven’t checked out Yammer, do so – your VA’s will love it, and its a great way to communicate with them and break down a few barriers brought about by the distance between you.

Keep an open mind, be a cool boss and try introducing a few perks to your virtual team – I guarantee they’ll thank you for it. And then, you’ll thank me!

Have you offered your VA’s incentives and perks before? How did it go? If not, why not? Are you a VA reading this and thinking ‘Wow, I’d love that!’, then let us know why! I’d love to hear what you all have to say on this subject below.

10 Quick Steps to Becoming a Virtual Entrepreneur!

To become successful as a virtual entrepreneur takes more than just building a few niche sites and relying on Adsense (although we do enjoy it, don’t we VBL Niche Site Project peeps!?). I’ve taken a huge journey over the last couple of years, becoming more and more virtual as time has passed. And I’ve loved every minute of it.

So, today I thought it would be a good idea to create a small selection of tips and tactics for everyone to follow, if they are not ‘quite there’ in regards to ‘going virtual’. And even if you are already classing yourself as a virtual entrepreneur, I’m pretty sure that there are a gems below that you can still put into place.

Enjoy.

#1 – Quit Your Job!

If you’re working a regular job and you’re on this blog, the chances are that you hate what you’re doing! Stop doing that!!! In this day and age everyone has something to offer the world. Cash in on your passion and start changing the world! Obviously, moving on from ‘cubicle nation’ might be easier for some than others. However, if you find yourself counting the hours and minutes to 5pm each day, the chances are it’ll happen sooner or later. Do it now, stick it to the man, and start something awesome!

#2 – Remove Yourself from ‘Biz Operations’ as Much as Possible

This one is more for those of you who might be running a ‘brick n mortar’ business already. Last year I did everything I could to go as virtual as possible. I achieved it. And the icing on the cake came this year, when I hired a COO to come in and run the show for me on a day-to-day basis. He does a great job, we connect several times a week via phone and face-to-face once a week for a proper catch-up. Having other people looking over your company might seem a little daunting at first, but the bottom line is that if you want to ‘go virtual’, its the only way you’e truly going to achieve that freedom.

#3 – Purchase a Light-Weight, Portable Laptop

Being virtual means being mobile! I used to carry around a huge Acer laptop. I liked it as I wasn’t traveling that much and used it as a ‘main’ computer. But the weight and size of it made being mobile a massive chore. I upgraded to a MacBook Pro a couple of years ago and felt liberated. However, this year I craved for even more lightweight freedom and purchased the 11″ MacBook Air – enough said. Combine that with my iPad and I am about as virtual as I wanna be!

#4 – Purchase a ‘Skype-In’ Number

This thing literally changed my life, when it comes to communication. Getting your hands on a Skype-In online number basically means that anyone can call that number (pick one from a massive list of countries to best suit your needs) and it will ring on your Skype account no matter where you are in the world. If you’re not signed into Skype at the time the call comes through, it’ll just go to your voicemail. It’s been truly invaluable to my virtual-ness.

#5 – Get Smart With Your Phone

I recently read a report somewhere online that said only 35% of people that own smart phones (Blackberry, iPhone, etc.) actually use them to make phone calls. Mind-boggling, isn’t it! But, if you think about it a little more – not so much. I’ve had my iPhone4 for well over a year now, and I love it. Before that I was a Blackberry user for years and years. Being able to check email, etc., on the run is essential to doing business virtually. Not only that, but the App’s available nowadays make owning a smartphone as a business owner an absolute necessity! They make everything easier, lets face it! And, there are some cool games, too.

#6 – Get Going with Dropbox

This one little piece of software has revolutionized the way I share files and work with my various virtual assistants and even my team in my company facility. It’s quick, reliable, has lots of storage space available, and is a breeze to use. Not only that, but Dropbox is one of those cool software app’s that allows you to sync it across multiple devices. I have my account hooked up to my iPhone4, iPad, MacBook Air and my iMac at home. Wicked! Get Dropbox now, seriously!

#7 – Take Your Inbox & Calendar to the Cloud

Whether you use Google’s suit of app’s, such as Gmail and GCal, or Apple’s ‘MobileMe’, or a combo of the two, like I do – taking your email and calendar (along with your contacts should you so desire) is probably one of the biggest jumps to make in going virtual, but also one of the most important. Not having your email and calendar handcuffed to just one computer is paramount in turning yourself into an all-living, all-breathing virtual entrepreneur!

#8 – Start Creating Passive Income Streams

This is as important as anything else on this list… Working hard to create passive income streams NOW, will benefit you (if you’ve done it properly) over and over again, with very little involvement in the future. Everything from niche sites and eBook’s, to membership sites and coaching programs. Like I said, we’ve all got something to offer the world. Just be sure that you create your passive income products with long-term in mind and avoid looking for a quick buck. It just doesn’t work that way anymore!

#9 – Hire a Virtual Assistant

Okay, so I’m a little biased when it comes to this one – for obvious reasons! However, having someone else (or a team of someone else’s!) help you run, support and grow your business is also very essential to enabling you to spread your entrepreneurial wings. I’ve spoken to thousands of people about working with virtual staff throughout my career and I can honestly say that it makes a lot more sense than most believe so, to begin with. Give it a go, and let me know how it all works out for you. I’m pretty sure you won’t be proving me wrong anytime soon!

#10 – ……………………..?

This is where I’d like the already-virtual VBLer’s out there to butt-in, and share their own pearls of wisdom when it comes to business on the move, setting up virtually and building virtual businesses in general. It doesn’t matter if you just have a quick resource to share, or a full-blown virtual business strategy! Most important thing is the share, my friends.

No topic is off limits, and please do feel free to post links below, too – just as long as they are relevant. I look forward to reading all your ‘injections’ to finish up the post!

When you’re done, I’d be very happy if you’d SHARE this post, below!

Understanding Cultural Differences when Working with Filipino Virtual Assistants

When I was in the UK a few weeks ago, I published a post in regards to a new ‘How to Outsource…’ series I was going to be starting. I received so many great comments and emails when this went live – so, if you sent any suggestions in to me – thank you!

This basically came about because I get a lot of emails every week on the subject, and because replying to them all (which I always, always do!) was starting to suck a little more time out of my day as I was comfortable with. So, I decided to produce this new series of posts to enable me to build up a bit of an encyclopedia, so to speak, on the subject of outsourcing – this way, not only could I continue to answer everyones questions (especially in an in-depth way!), but also create some great content for the rest of the VBL readers and subscribers, too.

Today we kick-off with a video post on the subject of understanding cultural differences between westerners and filipinos, especially focusing on how to work with VA’s with these differences in mind. To make this a little more authentic (if thats the right word!), I asked my Virtual Staff Finder project manager, Stephanie, to join me in the video for two reasons.

Firstly, she’s a filipina (we use the term filipina when describing a female from the Philippines, not filipino), and secondly, because she knows an absolute ton about working with VA’s based here in the Philippines! 🙂

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Entrepreneurial Outsourcing – Tips from the Trenches!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTznTW_wwJc

Over the last couple of Monday’s, myself and Dan Andrews have been talking about different aspects of the Virtual Business Lifestyle concepts, or the VBL CORE4 as I call them. In week 1 we covered Virtual Entrepreneurship, last week it was Passive Income and so, here we are for the third Monday in a row (and you’re still coming back – amazing!!! LOL) to talk about a subject that we are both super passionate about – Outsourcing, specifically entrepreneurial outsourcing.

As some of you will no doubt already know, I am the owner of an outsourcing services provider company, based in the Philippines, with almost 250 people working for me (and their respective clients worldwide) full-time. I’ve been in the business close to ten years and I’ve trained thousands and thousands of virtual workers. I love this industry and everything regarding working with virtual staff.

Dan attests the use of entrepreneurial outsourcing, and working with virtual assistants in his business to the ultimate growth of his company and everything else that happens to him as an entrepreneur. In this video, amongst other things we discuss:

  • The importance of working with VAs to grow your business.
  • How to train VAs to maximize their productivity.
  • Brainstorming on new business ideas together.
  • My Virtual Staff Finder service and some of the top internet marketers and pro-bloggers that have used the service to find their virtual assistants.
  • How I removed myself from the service and WHY I thought it as important to do so.
  • Why entrepreneurial outsourcing should not be overlooked, regardless of company size.
  • Lots more stuff!

Outsourcing to many people that visit the VBL Blog is not a new subject. Whether you heard about it through the pages of the 4-Hour Work Week, or on this blog (or anywhere else for that matter!), the most important thing is that you know about it, and what it can do for you as a business owner.

If you have absolutely any questions at all on the subject of entrepreneurial outsourcing, please jot them down in the comments section below. I’m more than happy to help. Next Monday will see the final part of this video series, where we’ll be talking about Super Mobility!

How to Get Your Virtual Entrepreneur Juices Flowing More Than Ever Before!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTBFf-hhFDw

Today we have the beginning of a 4-part video series with fellow virtual entrepreneur and business owner, Dan Andrews. You might already be familiar with Dan, as he also contributes pretty regularly to this blog, too. As someone that produced over $800,000 in revenue – virtually – for his businesses last year, he has a few things to stand up and take notice of.

Dan is a full-blown virtual entrepreneur, lives in the Philippines for the majority of the year and we’ve hooked up on various occasions. What usually ensues is a fantastic entrepreneurial breeding ground of ideas, lessons, tips and tricks – and this video series is no different, I can tell you.

Be sure to watch right the way through to the end of the video for some out-takes, including our Soprano impressions – they are worth the price of admission alone!

In this first video we discuss being a virtual entrepreneur and business owner, subject points such as:

  • Building your online brand.
  • Launching a product / service to a small and large audience.
  • The differences between old school and ‘new school’ entrepreneurship.
  • Why you need to really care about your ‘business world’.
  • How your processes need to be put in place ASAP.
  • Why ‘lifestyle design’ has become so much more than just a ‘search term’.
  • Tons more stuff…!

Dan does something to me, personally. When I’m talking with Dan my own virtual entrepreneur juices get flowing very, very quickly. To be able to get on the same level with someone like that does great things for your thought process. We also seem to have a LOT of fun, too.

The second part of this series will go live next Monday, so be sure to subscribe NOW, via either RSS, or by downloading my free eBook, to make sure you don’t miss out on any of the goodies that are coming up!

Until then, if you have any comment, or questions in regards to virtual entrepreneurship, feel free to drop them to us below. And if you’re feeling ‘sweet’, then please Retweet, too! 🙂

When Is A Virtual Assistant Not A Virtual Assistant…!!?

Note from Chris: This is a guest post by Michelle Dale. Michelle is an extremely successful virtual entrepreneur in her own right. Here are a few insights from her on the world of outsourcing and working with VA’s.

Most entrepreneurs, especially those pursuing an online business venture, will at some point consider investigating how hiring a Virtual Assistant – or even many Virtual Assistants, could benefit them and their business.

For those of you who are new to this concept and still trying to learn what a “virtual assistant” actually is, you will undoubtedly find a lot of different options available for you to choose from, and not every virtual assistant option maybe right for you, so here is a quick “VA 101” which I have put together for you which is based on the wide variety of Virtual Assistants I have come across in my own career.

If you find a VA online, they could be one or many of the types of VA listed below, for example, you may find a solo-VA working offshore, or an online business manager who is also a consultant and has a multi-VA team. The absolute best combination I have found is to work with a variety of different VA’s and use a combination of the possibilities out there for different areas of your business, especially if you are looking to utilise outsourcing for all of your staffing requirements. Once you have worked out what you need, you can then choose your Virtual Assistant or combination of Virtual Assistants wisely, based on how you would like them to fit into your business. Once you have the combination right, that’s when your business can really reap the benefits of this awesome industry.

In a nutshell, independent virtual assistants are generally business owners just like you, and they assist all kinds of individuals online with their businesses. I have listed the most common ‘types’ of virtual assistant below, but each one is essentially a virtual assistant in some way, shape or form.

Solo VA’s

This I believe is where the industry began many years ago, traditional PA’s and administrative assistants found a way of working from home and servicing a client base over the Internet, thus allowing them to step out of their role in the workplace and into a virtual role. Solo VA’s have since come a long way, and they have branched out from the more general services such as diary management, call answering, customer support, transcription etc… into offering online marketing services, and in some cases creative and technical support. They generally work alone, servicing a small client base, which allows for a more intimate one-on-one service with their client. Solo VA’s can be excellent multi-taskers. The downside of a solo VA is that if they truly are solo, then the times when they are away from their work, you may need to seek an alternative until they return. In some cases the VA may have a plan in place for handling work while they are away and you will need to ask them about this directly.

Multi-VA Teams

These are usually teams of VA’s who collaborate online for a single VA company. They will either be groups of VA’s with similar skills, or different skills depending on the company hiring them. Almost always the multi-VA team is made of up freelance independent business owners and they can either work full-time, part-time or on an adhoc basis for the main VA who developed the team. Most multi-VA teams will have a primary VA, the one who developed the team, and more often than not, they will be the primary point of contact for clients at all times, and may still also provide services themselves. The good thing about multi-VA companies is that they often have resources available to “step in” during holidays, so there is no disruption to any ongoing services.

Offshore VA’s

Offshore VA’s have come to be known as the VA’s who work in countries with a lower cost of living, generally “offshore” from the western world. Two very popular countries where offshore VA’s can be found are the Philippines and India. Whilst of course many of them do not speak native English, you can find offshore VA’s who speak excellent English, and they are able to communicate with you very well. Particularly, VA’s who have come from call centre environments are often able to speak conversational English surprisingly well.

The benefits of offshore VA’s mean that entrepreneurs and start-ups can cost-effectively get the support they need within their businesses, and for anyone on a shoestring budget, this is an ideal solution, because rates tend to be lower to match the economic climate where the VA lives.

Online Business Managers

Online business managers have likely taken on the role solely as a manager, and generally won’t be the ones performing the VA services anymore. In many cases, they have a multi-VA team themselves who they will utilise in order to provide a wide range of services for a larger number of clients. Online business managers often started out as virtual assistants and they moved into hiring a multi VA team – they should be very experienced in working online, and have excellent project management skills for those looking to carry out larger scale projects and business expansion, which they need more of a right hand kind of support for. This solution is ideal if you have a variety of tasks you need doing and don’t want to spend time on training and quality control. A skilled online business manager can do this for you, perfectly.

Virtual Consultants

Virtual consultants will likely have had a great deal of experience as a virtual assistant, and over time, they developed more of an “expert” status after handling a multitude of tasks and clients. Some online consultants will remain solo, while others may have multi-VA teams with them. The consultant will want to work with you more as a partner and advisor, and they will often charge clients based on their experience and ability, rather than on a skill or service set. You will need to talk with the individual, sometimes in great depth, to find out how they are able to assist you with your business.

Virtual Intermediaries

Virtual intermediaries are companies which are set up to introduce you, the client, to a suitable virtual assistant. They will generally have a significant database of independent professionals, for which they will take down information from you on exactly what you’re looking for, and then they will carefully consider your requirements and find a suitable match. The great thing about these introducers is that it cuts out all the leg work for you; they’ll generally screen the VA’s beforehand to meet a minimum standard, and keep profile and rates information on file. If they don’t have someone suitable within their database, they will set to work in finding a match for you using their resources.

Example: Chris is the founder of the brilliant service “Virtual Staff Finder,” which can help you find pre-qualified offshore solo-VA’s, for almost any requirements.

Whatever it is you’re searching for, there is a virtual assistant out there for you. Questions? Comments…? You know the deal – go for it, below..!