Thursday, November 18, 2010

Virtual Assistant For Small Businesses .... How To Save Time And Money

Many small businesses struggle with the same issue. The owners very often have specialised knowledge, but are weak on other crucial business areas. The other factor is time. Launching a new product, managing production or in the case of a consultancy work with the client, takes up a lot of time. And there are only so many hours in the day.

It is difficult to recognise where your weak points are. But in order to grow your business and avoid frustration it is useful and might even be a necessity.

Once a weak point is identified, small businesses run into another problem, money. Small businesses, certainly in these days of global recession cannot afford to spend any more than absolutely necessary.

There is a solution that combines both these issues an still lets the small business come out on top. It is called a virtual assistant. Virtual is only the name. It is a real assistant delivering real work and real results.

Virtual assistance is a business that has really come into its own over the past few years. Although some virtual assistants have been doing this since the mid nineties, the growth of the use of internet has seen a growth of the virtual assistance business.

What is a virtual assistant? A virtual assistant is a professional service provider. An independent business owner providing assistance in a virtual environment, from a home office. The fact that the virtual assistant is a business owner is important. Your challenges will be understood better than by an employee.

There are many types of virtual assistants. Coaches, PAs, web designers, marketing experts, real estate professionals, financial experts, bookkeepers, graphic design experts, administrative assistants and many more.

Virtual assistants understand what it is like to own a small business. They are willing and able to help your business succeed by contributing their knowledge against a per hour rate. Because you pay per hour and only for work done and delivered you can make sure that you stay within budget and still get what you need.

So next time you encounter a challenge in your business, think of a virtual assistant. To find the right one for your business, visit www.virtualassistantforums.com or contact us at hilde@hildeandsusanne.net. We might not be the right fit, but we can certainly find the right fit for you.

Author BIO

Hilde van den Braak has been a Personal Assistant for over 28 years and has worked in a variety of roles, latterly as PA to one of the most senior managers in a multinational company. For family reasons she has recently moved from The Netherlands to Spain. This has been a major lifestyle choice. The move has been the impulse to start her own business www.hildeandsusanne.net together with her sister, supplying world class personal assistance in a virtual environment.