Why Did I Become a Virtual Assistant?

In early 2010 I heard a phrase I had never heard before – Virtual Assistant.  My job at that time was in Western NY, but my boss was in South Carolina and selling the commercial building that I was managing.  It was suggested that I look into the possibility of being a Virtual Assistant if the new owner decided not to keep me on. 

I was successfully managing the job while my boss was living in a different state.  A friend, and a tenant in the building, told me they didn’t miss the owner because I represented him well. The seed was planted and when my husband and I moved later that year I decided to give it a try.

In 20+ years as an administrative assistant, I knew I loved helping people and that, according to my bosses and co-workers, I was good at it.   I also saw the need that small businesses have for administrative help but not necessarily enough work for 20-40 hours a week.

Moving far from family was hard and I really wanted flexibility to travel home to visit and still be able to work.  Flexibility and the desire to help several smaller business professionals were the driving forces behind starting my own journey as a business owner and virtual assistant.

It’s been 10 years.  Partnering with business professionals to help them better manage their business is more rewarding that I originally thought it would be.

What Services Can We Assist With?

Project Management

  • Keep workflow moving
  • Create processes for similar tasks (social media/classes/etc) for efficient completion
  • Communication – email or call for answers so w can move to the next step
  • Follow-up – being able to check back with people so the task doesn’t get forgotten or the process bottlenecked
  • Help client stay focused by asking good questions/keeping good notes
  • Write procedures

Bookkeeping

  •  Enter, categorize, and reconcile monthly statements for bank, credit card, PayPal, etc.    Ask questions monthly
  • Pay bills (write checks/bill pay)
  • Track W9s, 1099s, COI
  • Run reports monthly, quarterly, annually
  • Use knowledge and expertise to help clients understand acceptable and unacceptable tax expenditures
  • Track receipts
  • Work with accountant to make tax time easier and less stressful
  • Send invoices
  • Run Accounts Receivable and follow-up on unpaid invoices
  • Save you time, stress and money

Content Creation – Send us one of your videos, audio clips or written document and we will take that clip and repurpose it into multiple pieces of content that can be shared across multiple platforms. Depending on the package chosen, we will create the following:

  • 1 blog post
  • 3 social media graphics
  • 1 email newsletter
  • 1 blog feature image

We also offer the option to have us schedule and post all the content we created.

Website – We design eye-catching, professional websites in WordPress. We will work with you to gather information about your business, your current branding, and your overall style preferences so that your site is an excellent representation of your business. Some of the things included in our website packages:

  • A 4-6 page WordPress website
  • Complimentary Divi theme
  • A tutorial video that will be sent after the website has gone live to help teach the client how to make minor adjustments to the site

Administrative

  • Email management
  • Email campaigns (MailChimp or Constant Contact)
  • Create landing page in MailChimp for event or class
  • Create Google Form to collect information
  • Track information (students, referrals, MailChimp unsubscribes, sales)
  • Regularly check information (monthly check for commercial realtor comparing his website info with his marketing sites)
  • Mailings
  • Research
  • Problem solve/find solutions
  • Reminder emails (I can create an email signature with your company information OR you give me an email address)
  • Check voicemail and return calls when you are away
  • Collect information (i.e. – new listing information for commercial real estate)