Why Hire a Virtual Assistant
There are almost as many differing definitions of the term, Virtual Assistant as there are actual Virtual Assistants in existence. Whilst it is a relatively new industry, some historical pioneers do exist within the industry and additionally, some debate as to who actually founded the industry. This article shall explore these issues and illustrate the numerous advantages of hiring one!
A Virtual Assistant is an administrative support expert whose services are a cost-effective option to conventional overflow work arrangements. They achieve this by using the power of the internet to do the work virtually. They can specialize in an endless array of industries, from real estate to assisting coaches, making them especially useful for small business owners who have a specific client base.
There seems to be a fair amount of disagreement as to who exactly founded the VA industry. In her article titled, “The Birth and Development of Virtual Assistants”, Molly Alexander Darden states:
“Although IVAA is now the premier networking and support organization for virtual assistants worldwide, it was born in one person’s home office. From her rural home in Connecticut, Christine Durst founded the Virtual Assistance industry in 1995.”
The Virtual Assistance Chamber of Commerce goes on to list a timeline stating the following:
“1992: Stacy Brice begins working virtually as a full-time home-based contractor with an international client base providing administrative support, travel planning and personal assistance.
1996: Brice begins working with life coach Thomas Leonard. During a telephone conversation with Brice, Leonard coins the term “Virtual Assistant,” which further sparks an idea already germinating in Brice’s mind, and she begins working out her vision of a profession of administrative experts–Virtual Assistance–and creating a model distinct from secretarial services.
1999: Christine Durst and Michael Haaren establish Staffcentrix in Spring. Although claims have been made that Durst founded Virtual Assistance, that is actually inaccurate.”
What these and other articles do tend to agree upon is, while an exact person or time when the Virtual Assistant industry was born might not be accurately pinpointed, historically, there were no doubt numerous other individuals working as Virtual Assistants, just not being labeled as such.
Virtual Assistants are a boon to businesses for the following reasons:
They only bill for the time they incur. For example, you are not needlessly paying for time used making personal phone calls, late arrivals to work, time spent cruising the internet, commuting time to the office or overtime.
Virtual Assistants have their own network of resources they can draw on. Need a website designer? A conference organizer? An insurance specialist? Your virtual assistant can help with that and tapping into their resources increases your own.
A virtual assistant will save you money. As an independent contractor, they require no liability insurance, worker’s compensation insurance, payroll costs, benefits, overtime or taxes. As they work completely offsite, there are no costs for office space or office equipment. As specialists in their field, they incur no recruiting or training costs, allowing businesses more time to focus on their business.
The Virtual Assistant industry may be an emerging one, but a savvy business owner can immediately recognize the benefits of hiring a Virtual Assistant. And, like the endless list of Virtual Assistant definitions, businesses can no doubt find a VA who fits perfectly to their particular business and help it to grow. So, what are you waiting for? It’s time for you to go out and find your own VA!
All content © 2007 Kate V. Kerans. All rights reserved.
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Kate,
Just to set the record straight, Molly Darden got her timeline wrong, and, for some reason, never contacted us for details before publishing her article on the Net. Christine Durst, my business partner, was already heading the first denominated Virtual Assistant practice, MyStaff, LLC, on the Internet, before Stacy Brice even met Thomas Leonard. (This is not to detract from Stacy’s accomplishments, let me add, as she is a genuine pioneer in the industry.)
For the facts of the “birth of the VA industry,” see http://www.ratracerebellion.com/HistoryVA.htm
Best,
Michael Haaren
Hi Michael,
Thanks for your input, I shall be sure to check out the article you refer to!
Kate
Correction, it is Danielle Keister who got her facts wrong, not Molly Darden.
Michael Haaren
Although Michael Haaren wrote hastily about the facts I presented in my article, he did subsequently correct it. Unfortunately, people who may not read the entire blog may not realize that he did retract his statement, and damage will have been done to my reputation. It behooves us all to check and recheck our facts meticulously, as I did personally with Christine Durst before sending the final article to her and to Michael for verification of accuracy in intention as well as facts.
Uh, no, Danielle did not get her facts wrong.
What people were running prior to Stacy Brice’s founding of the industry were secretarial services. Those have been around long before Chris Durst thought about opening her business (at least since the 70s).
Secretarial services are NOT the same thing as Virtual Assistance. And Virtual Assistance is not anyone “virtually” “assisting.” It is a very specific and deliberate concept that orginated with Stacy Brice. Thomas Leonard didn’t have a thing to do with the creation of the concept that Stacy Brice conceived. All he did was coin a term, that Stacy then adopted for the concept of the profession which was her brainchild.
A VA can help you in a lot of tasks you want to finish, depending on his/her skills and capabilities. However, the client is still responsible in managing the VA’s schedule of tasks so that his/her employment is fully utilized.