Top Ten Reasons to Hire a VA

Virtual assistants (VAs) work from their own premises and provide personal and office support services, such as general administrative tasks; making customer contacts; writing reports; editing documents; sending out marketing materials; handling thank-you notes, gifts and follow-up letters; setting up and maintaining databases; handling billing and bookkeeping; and updating Web sites.

Below are the top 10 reasons to hire a virtual assistant.

1. Focus on the business of making money:
Having a VA allows you the freedom to create more profitability for your company by allowing you to concentrate solely on your business, not the mundane tasks that are inherent in business. Making money is what business people do and the more time they have to concentrate on their business, the more money and opportunity they will create.

2. Saves you money:
Why invest in payroll, benefits, insurance, etc. when you could be delegating that money to building your business. Why worry about personnel calling in sick or taking vacations? There is no need to hire in-house personnel when a VA can be there when you need them to perform the duties that you need in running your business.

3. Freedom to pursue pleasurable activities:
Having a VA work with you frees you up to pursue the activities that help keep your creative juices flowing. When you are bogged down wondering if the bills are paid, you are not thinking about new and exciting ways in which your business could be growing.

4. One - stop shopping:
A VA can perform duties that range from word processing, maintaining billing - both personal and business, creating marketing tools such as brochures, flyers and business cards, travel arrangements, maintaining databases and sending out mailings, etc. There is no business duty that a VA cannot perform or would be willing to learn.

5. Tailored to fit your needs:
Whether you need one letter typed or need monthly billing to clients, a VA can perform these duties. They are set up to fit each individual client's needs. Fees are arranged for one-time tasks to retainer of 10, 20 or 40 hours per week or month. Whatever your needs are, the VA and you create your own individual working partnership.

6. Highly trained personnel:
VAs are professionals that have training in the corporate, small business and professional world and have tailored their skills to meet with the needs of the modern day business professional. They have found that every professional has varying needs and offer their expertise in caring for these needs.

7. Individual service provided:
For the entrepreneur, freelancer or small business, it is important that your particular needs are seen as unique. A VA is the person who will oversee your business and/or personal life. They can maintain your mailing lists, maintain correspondence, keep track of memberships that need to be renewed, remind you of important dates, arrange travel or send flowers. They act as your partner in caring for those tasks personally. Also whether you are in your office, your home or on vacation in Tahiti, a VA is always accessible to you. Contact is maintained through telephone, fax and e-mail.

8. Let their strengths be your strength:
Why waste time on tasks that are not your primary objective? Being a successful business owner entails hiring the right people for the right job. By hiring a VA, you are partnering with the professional that has the knowledge of the inner workings of the administrative and corporate fields.

9. Virtual freedom:
Now on-site employees mean no liability, no worker's comp insurance, and no payroll taxes to calculate. Everyone is an independent contractor. You can utilize a virtual assistant for either ongoing work or on a per-project basis.

10. No strangers in the house:
If you have a home office, hiring employees to work on-site could be intrusive. If you have children at home, or a spouse who works odd hours, or you just don't care to open up your private space to others, a virtual assistant is ideal. Most likely, your VA will never darken your doorstep.