I hadn’t heard of the Virtual Assistant concept until a friend and I were trying to figure out what I could do in my work life. One too many toxic office environments and colleagues who had the personality of Robert Louis Stevenson’s Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde made me reconsider what I wanted to do as a career.
Hands up if you know what a Virtual Assistant is and does.
After a lot of online research, and reading How to be a Virtual Assistant https://www.catherinegladwyn.co.uk/books-for-virtual-assistants/ I realised that becoming a Virtual Assistant was what I was looking for. It means I can use my skills and experience in previous administrative roles to help small business owners and private individuals with administrative tasks they don’t have the time, resources or desire to do, with the benefit of working for myself and from my home. No more working in unfriendly offices, no more commuting and no more doing tasks that are, quite frankly, not in my job description. One office I worked in had all the legal secretaries on a cleaning rota, isn’t that what companies employ cleaners for?! I can make my own choices of who I work with and what I do. Happy days.
What exactly does a Virtual Assistant do?
A Virtual Assistant helps business owners manage their workload when they reach the point of needing help but aren’t quite financially able to employ someone full-time, or don’t have the space to accommodate another body in the workspace. Tasks can include managing emails and creating a structured inbox to make it more user-friendly and organised, to making appointments and travel arrangements. They can look after your social media posts, and they can even order your online shopping delivery! There is a whole range of tasks which can be passed to a VA, as long of course, they are capable and willing to do them!
The first step is for a VA and business owner to have a “Discovery Call” where requirements are established and agreed upon. If both parties are happy and want to proceed Terms of Business are produced and sent by the VA for signing (no snail mail here, all by electronic signature!) and an initial deposit is made by the business owner/individual. Once signed documents and the payment has been received by the VA work can commence as per the agreed terms – easy-peasy!
Have you considered working with a Virtual Assistant?
You may be wondering whether it would be a good idea and whether it would make your work life any easier. Perhaps you find yourself so bogged down with emails, and chasing clients and overdue invoice payments you don’t have time to do the “fun stuff”. You might need help with the administrative side of the business but don’t want to employ someone full-time. If this is you, then it could be a super opportunity for you to run your business with less stress, give yourself more time and be able to breathe without a million things whizzing around your head.
What are the benefits?
There are many benefits for small and medium-sized business owners and individuals to work with a Virtual Assistant, it’s going to help you run your business more efficiently, and increase productivity and your profit.
I work for myself so I’m self-employed and I work remotely from home. For businesses that are considering working with a Virtual Assistant here are some benefits which may help you decide to take the next step:
- There is no necessity for a desk, computer, or telephone in your office or workspace and the HR and admin that goes with it.
- You’re not paying for a full-time employee, you only pay for the hours the Virtual Assistant worked.
- You receive a monthly invoice for the hours worked with no other costs.
- You don’t have to make National Insurance and tax contributions.
- You don’t have to enrol a Virtual Assistant in the company pension.
- You don’t have holiday or sick payments to calculate at the end of the month.
In summary…
For peace of mind, for both you and me, I’m insured with professional indemnity insurance and I’m also registered with the ICO http://www.ico.org.uk so you have full confidence that I’m GDPR compliant and covered for any eventuality.
If you are someone who is registered with Access to Work individuals can find support services assistance via the Support Hub Directory. This directory connects people with disabilities or health conditions to professional services like virtual assistance, transcription, and administrative support.
You have more time to focus on your business, and those who need workplace adjustments can easily access the help they require ensuring they receive the help necessary to succeed in their roles.
#smallbusiness #virtualassistant #accesstowork
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