How’s your business going?  You’ve put in a lot of work, not to mention blood, sweat, and tears.  Your business may be booming now, after the initial start-up phase.  That’s great, but can you keep up with all of the administrative details involved with being a business owner?  You may be ready to consider hiring someone to help you with such daily tasks as preparing invoices, handling correspondence, or taking care of things at tax time.  The following interview offers some insight from April Tara, a Virtual Assistant specializing in marketing for legal firms.  April tells us what a Virtual Assistant, or VA, can offer you and your business as well as what you need to know when hiring a VA.

Tell us about yourself and your professional background.
I’m a single mom to three kids and I started working from home doing transcription for another company. I absolutely loved working from home but I missed working in a law firm. I’ve worked in law firms for the past 5 years after getting my education in Paralegal Studies. So I started doing some research, hoping to find a job as a legal transcriptionist. Then I started seeing this phrase “virtual assistant” popping up, focused my research on the VA industry, and decided it was perfect for me.

What services does a virtual assistant perform?
The services vary depending on the individual’s skills and background. Some offer basic administrative duties. Some specialize in fields like accounting, website design, real estate. Personally, I focus my business on two areas. One of those is legal services, the other is marketing. I’ve also combined the two of those into a specialized niche of marketing services for attorneys which includes things like setting up blogs and newsletters for them.

Are there educational criteria required to become a VA?  Should a client look for any particular affiliations or memberships on the part of the VA?
Most VAs have a background as a “bricks and mortar” administrative assistant, meaning they worked in an office outside of the home. With this being a fairly new industry, there are very few colleges or institutions that offer VA training. Some VAs will go through online training or certification through places like IVAA but its not a requirement. And there are also specific fields that have their own certifications, like bankruptcy VAs or real estate VAs. In fact, I’m in the process of developing a certification program for Virtual Legal Assistants at NAVLA.org.

Do virtual assistants usually charge per job or by the hour?  Is there a ballpark rate one should expect to pay?
Most VAs charge an hourly rate, and those that do often have retainer packages consisting of 5, 10 or 20 hours per month that includes a discount on their hourly rate. There are also a lot of VAs, including myself, who offer project-based rates.

Does distance cause issues in performing tasks for clients?
Generally, no. Since we are “virtual” assistants, our work is done online. We utilize services and websites for tasks like sharing documents, remote access so we can get to the files stored on the client’s computer, teleconferences, and project management sites to work with our clients.

What else should readers know about hiring a virtual assistant for their business needs?

The most important thing for people to understand about virtual assistants is the tremendous value it will bring to their business. By delegating or outsourcing tasks to a VA, they have more time to spend on the development or growth of their business and on income-generating tasks. For example, if you’re a freelance writer, rather than spending a few hours submitting your work to various online or offline publications, you can let a VA handle it so you can devote that time to your writing or even just spending more time with your family. Think of it as that extra hour everyone wishes they had in a day!

Thank you so much, April!

There you have it - a first-hand view of how a Virtual Assistant can help make your business life a little easier.  Visit April’s website to learn more about the Virtual Assistant industry and its services!