Virtual Assistants are not just assistants.  At least, that’s how I see myself in my practice.

We are partners.  Partners that our clients can bounce ideas with.  Partners who work collaboratively and care about our clients’ bottomlines.  After all, we are entrepreneurs, too.  So we know how our clients feel.

Independent virtual assistants like myself are business owners, too.  We are professionals who opted to leave the corporate rat race so we can run our own business and be our own boss.  We have the expertise and experience that you may lack, but need. Or you simply don’t have the time, or the patience to try, to do mundane things like powerpoint presentations and social networking.  Mundane, yes, but something your business can’t do without.  So we do that for you. 

But we don’t do it like an ordinary office employee.  We do it like we are the business owner.  Because as I said earlier, we care about our clients’ bottomlines.  So we go the extra mile, like a business owner would.  With passion and dedication.  Reminds me of what a fellow VA has put on the homepage of her website, and I quote: “We work beside you, not under your feet.”      

Give yourself the flexibility to take on new challenges and opportunities.  Partner with a Virtual Assistant.  Partner with VASupportPro.
 
 
I've been letting my blog page sit idly for the past months, focusing more on my clients' needs and social media.  But this morning, I attended an important webinar that left me so inspired that I'm now all revved up to put a bit more content into this site.  More importantly, content that gives additional insight on what we VAs are all about.

I'd like to share with you an article that a fellow VA wrote.  And I'm hoping that after reading it, you, the business owner, CEO and entrepreneur, would be more inclined to let go and trust a VA to give you the time you badly need in taking your business to the next level.  

Read on.....
 
 
Going back to work after my third delivery was the hardest for me. It was a premature one at 7 months, and it was touch and go for a while. We had to leave the baby at the hospital, and even after we’ve taken him home, we had to bring him back to ICU on his second month. A lot of complications, and I’ve been advised to personally take care of the baby for the first 2 years, at least.

So when I reported back to the office, and received a notice that I was getting a promotion to head office, it was like a physical blow. There we were, financially drained from the complicated pregnancy and subsequent delivery, and I was being moved from my comfort zone. I was really not being given much of a choice. My provincial assignment was being made redundant, and they were giving me a new position with wider scope, bigger responsibility and greater challenges. Another time, I would have grabbed the opportunity with both hands and jumped in with both feet. But with the new baby, there was no way I could even consider it.

So I asked to be given redundancy pay instead. I was thinking, “We’ll survive with the money while I look for work nearer our place.” That’s when I started pouring myself into internet searches. I wanted to look for something that I can do from home. I found that medical transcription was hot. So I went around the city looking for schools or training centers that offer flexible hours. I found one that I could attend on weekends. And for a few months, I trained to become a medical transcriptionist.

The internet is a rich source of ideas and opportunities. I spent hours upon hours searching for work-at-home transcription jobs. Fortunately, it didn’t take me long. I landed a sub-contract with a US based production company, and another with a small business in Canada. So when I left my job in May 15, 2006, I was ready. I started my first project on May 29.

For those of you who are thinking of working from home, it’s important that you prepare yourself. With me, I did a lot of research, and I took every information I gathered seriously. It surprised me to learn how much it cost me to work. I’ve never given that a thought, ’til then. While I was earning a 5-figure income monthly, a big chunk of that actually goes back to expenses that allows me to work. For me to be able to go to work, I had to pay a live-in househelp (I actually had two), which means I pay them monthly salaries, plus 13th month pay and annual bonus, and I pay extra for water, electricity and food. Also, I had to maintain a wardrobe for the office, plus shoes, bags, and lunches out. It was a good thing that I had a service vehicle provided by the company, but for those who have none, transportation expense would take a big chunk of takehome pay. Not to mention the guilt treats. You know, those toys that you buy to make up for the time that you missed your child’s first tummy turn, or first step, or whatever. And since you are busy with office work, and more often than not too tired to pay attention to the prices of things that you buy, you tend to spend more on your haste. And the small repairs around the house that you could actually do yourself, but because you are working, you pay someone else to do it.

And so I did my own computation. From my net takehome pay (after taxes), I deducted all the expenses that I could make do without once I started working from home. And the amount I came up with became my target income for my work-at-home job.