Just a decade ago, assistants were a luxury available only to the highest paid executives. Executive assistants would handle projects from day-to-day scheduling of appointments, making travel arrangements, conducting competitive research, generating reports and even tasks such as making website updates and executing strategic marketing plans. Those professionals all over the world who have benefitted from an assistant will be the first to tell you that a great personal, executive assistant is priceless.
Yet, there was a time when this priceless service was unaffordable and out of reach for most entrepreneurs or small business owners. With shifting workloads, unpredictable cash flow and no office space, the concept seemed impossible.
When Virtual Assistants came along in the last decade - that all changed. Tim Ferris, the “love him or hate him” venture capitalist who made The New York Times Best Seller’s list with his book, The Four Hour Work Week, raved on the virtues of hiring a Virtual Assistant to free you up to focus on revenue-generating activities and get on with your life.
In 2019, Virtual Assistants have since become the go-to choice for entrepreneurs and small business owners. Think again before you think they're unaffordable: when you work with a company like Virtual Assist USA, we take care of all of the costs of employment - including benefits, paid vacation, worker's compensation, unemployment insurance, federal taxes, employment law compliance and more. You will even find some Virtual Assistant companies who bill by the minute, and have flexible payment options like package discounts or pay-as-you-go plans. Today's Virtual Assistants are educated, experienced and ready to launch at the push of a button.
You - and your company - will save money by using a Virtual Assistant because:
You only pay for the time and tasks you need. Unlike in-office executive assistants, a professional Virtual Assistant will charge you only for the time spent working on their project—when they aren’t working on your project, they aren’t billing you. To the contrary, hiring someone in-house means you need to pay for office chitchat time, required-by-law breaks, vacation time and more.
No extra office space or equipment needed. Your Virtual Assistant is equipped with their own software, supplies and equipment. If something breaks like an expensive laptop, it's on the Virtual Assistant company-- not you-- to be responsible for the replacement cost.
You get to rent their brain space, too. The best Virtual Assistants tackle more than just their to-do list. They invest in continuing education and up-to-date training, so they're able to offer suggestions for strategic improvement in your business. Having someone to guide you through using online collaboration tools, for example, can make a huge difference in your business and give you an edge over competitors.
The truth is - you can't afford not to get support.
