Virtual Assistance is a relatively new profession, in which the Virtual Assistant provides clients with top-notch administrative support without needing to be physically present in the clients' offices. Work is transmitted and completed using email, online collaboration, fax, phone, and mail.
Virtual Assistance was pioneered in the late 1980's by Stacy Brice, founder and CVO of AssistU, an online training and referral service. AssistU-trained Virtual Assistants maintain a strict code of ethics and strive to provide the highest level of quality and integrity to their clients.
Virtual Assistants form long-term, collaborative partnerships with small business owners and entrepreneurs, and the clients reap the benefits of working with someone who knows them, their business, and their personal and professional needs.
Still not sure what virtual assistance really means? Check out the resources at the bottom of this page for a broader overview of virtual assistance and the benefits VA's provide to small business owners like you. You can also request additional materials or schedule a conference call with me by emailing me at allison@allison-wood.com
I am great at what I do, and I want you to have full access to my skills and resources. When you need help or advice, I want to be the first person you come to for assistance. I want you to take advantage of all that I have to offer, but I don't want you to depend on my so heavily that you can no longer handle the key aspects of your business by yourself.
I am also here for you on a personal level, and if there's something you want to share with me, feel welcome to do so. I will do my best to listen, encourage, and help you in any way that I can.
I may be an expert in my field, but you are the expert in yours, and I will question you diligently until I'm comfortable with my understanding of a task, concept, or goal. Just as I am your resource, I need you to be mine!
I accept full responsibility for the work I complete or oversee. If I make a mistake, I will tell you. If the fault is yours, I will tell you. I will put my best effort into everything I create for you, and my standards are extremely high. However, I reserve the right to be human and make mistakes occasionally (and of course, I offer you the same opportunity).
I am dedicated to providing you with exactly what I promise -- top-quality administrative support. I have a high standard of excellence, and I will not give you anything but my best. To learn more about the specific services I can provide, please visit my Services page.
Until now, nearly all of the tasks related to your business and your personal life have been taken care of by you, and only you -- from the big stuff, like goal-setting and decision-making, to the small stuff, like buying paperclips and filing invoices.
When you work with a VA, you can give up all of the tasks that you don't want to deal with anymore (the little stuff), and get help with the things that matter most (the big stuff). Your life becomes manageable again, and the challenges of being self-employed turn into exciting possibilities.
Want more clients? More time for your family? Maybe just more time for YOU? A VA is an unconditionally supportive partner who can help you get what you want faster, easier, and better than you could do it alone.
By working with a VA, you immediately become free to pursue the aspects of your business that generate revenue. Your time and energy become sharply focused on the activities that add value to your business and money to your bottom line.
When you work 60 to 80 hours a week and constantly rush from task to task without guidance or support, you can't give important decisions the time and thought they deserve.
A VA isn't just an secretary who can take over the daily tasks that eat up your time. She is also a successful business owner, experienced marketer, skilled internet researcher, receptive sounding board, honest advisor, and trustworthy confidante. With the resources, experience, and creativity of a VA on your side, you are truly ready to make those important decisions and build a terrific life.
More Firms Use Virtual Assistance, by Nick Eason, CNN.com
Allison Wood's Virtual Assistance Practice Virtual Assistance Qualifications Crabby Pregnant Woman Cookie Rookie Home Remodeling the Hard Way