A few short months ago, I had never heard the term "virtual assistant". I had a J.O.B. that I loved in theory, but in actuality, was extremely stressful. On top of the actual stress encountered on any given day, I had a minimum of 100 miles a day to commute - without a highway in sight.
Little did I know that I could still do the work that I love as an administrative assistant, but without the politics and stress associated with working for a large company. To make this deal even sweeter, I could do all this while helping other people – in my pajamas if I wanted to! Life doesn't get much better.
All I had to do was go "virtual"! Sounds easy, doesn't it? It's not quite as easy as it sounds and, yes, it can be stressful to some extent. If you do not have extensive knowledge of administrative tasks, some web experience and the ability to learn quickly, you will find this a tough and competitive field. Although the field is relatively new, many very qualified and experienced virtual assistants are out there looking for some of the same clients you are. Not to mention the fact that most people don’t even know what a virtual assistant (VA) is.
One of the goals of a good VA is to educate people and businesses about this exploding field. With today’s technology, there is no reason that your personal or administrative assistant has to be sitting in the same office. In fact, partnering with a VA for remote support is an economical solution, since you don’t have to pay for office space, payroll costs, equipment and training – not to mention sick days, vacations, time at the water cooler, etc.
Within the first week of research, I found VANA (Virtual Assistance Networking Association). First of all, the talent in this forum is unbeatable. The fact that they are willing to share their knowledge to assist any other virtual assistant is unprecedented in my book. In the corporate world everyone guards their skills jealously, and would never think of sharing.
Not only can you find any information you can imagine to start your business at the VA Networking Forum, but you can join for FREE! I have to say, I was dubious at first. Who really gives anything away free nowadays? Don’t you feel that there’s always a catch? Imagine my astonishment when, after three months, there was NO catch! It’s just a great forum for anyone starting a business, not just virtual assistants. And if you are looking for a VA, that’s the best place to go. With membership of over 7,500 you can find a VA that specializes in your business, no matter what it is!
So, here it is – 3 months later and I have my website up and running, as well as three clients in three different states (none in my own state). I feel unbelievably lucky that I chanced upon VANA when I did! If not, my business would still be in the planning stages.
Some people still don’t understand what a VA does, but as long as there is a need out there, I will continue to help people build their business with remote support!
Pat Zappavigna is the owner of Instant Office Assistant, an administrative support services company. You can contact Pat at pazappa@verizon.net or through the website. www.instantofficeassistant.com
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