FAQ's

Jenny Sheehan
Virtual Assistant

"I’ve found Jenny to be reliable and consistent about her commitments. She follows through quickly, and takes the extra effort to communicate what is going on. She is organized, and resourceful about gathering information."

- Isabel Parlett, owner of Parlance Training

What is Virtual Assistance?
Virtual Assistance is a new administrative profession, formalized more than five years ago by Stacy Brice, President of AssistU, to meet the needs of small business owners and entrepreneurs, as well as the needs of any busy person who could use some great administrative support. The people who do Virtual Assistance are called Virtual Assistants or VAs. What they do is no less than an art -- working long-term and closely with a successful person (client) without needing to be physically in the client’s office.

Its base is in traditional administrative support, but we’ve widened the scale and scope, and placed it on a new foundation. That foundation holds the relationship at its core, with the people (both business owners, and equals in the relationship) choosing each other, rather than, as is the traditional norm, one person being placed in the role of working for the other. It requires a level of commitment and desire from both people to give the best they have to the relationship -- to commingling talents and strengths, that surpasses anything the corporate world could currently imagine. First and foremost, it requires that both the VA and client fully understand, value, and desire a collaborative partnership.

Once the partnership is established, Virtual Assistance works wonderfully well, skipping over geographical barriers easily with the use and immediacy of communications media (fax, phone, Internet). Working virtually allows people to be in touch as easily as if they were sitting 20 feet from one another.

Who would work with a VA?
VAs work with smart, successful people of all kinds; authors, sales people, consultants, coaches, executives, professionals, entrepreneurs--anyone who wants to be professionally successful and live a more balanced life with more free time to do the things he/she wants to do!

If I wanted an assistant, why would I hire one who’s potentially hundreds of miles away?
Well, part of the benefit of having a VA is that you haven’t hired anyone. When you work with a VA, you get a partner, not an employee. You get someone who chooses to work with you as much as you choose to work with him or her. The VA’s decision to work with you will be based on being attracted to your work and on being interested in being your partner for success, rather than because he or she is looking for “some job.” People work with VAs because they:

	Do not have the space for someone in the office or do not want someone else in their office
	Do not have the equipment needed for someone else to use or do not want to buy the equipment
	Do not want the associated work and cost of having an employee (payroll, benefits, taxes, etc)

If what you want and need is the most basic office support, then you might want to work with a secretarial service. If, on the other hand, you want the benefit of working with someone who really wants to know you, your business, your customers, and who really wants to be deeply involved in your success, you’ll want to work with a VA.

How long would I work with a VA?
Just as there are assistants who have worked for the same person in the corporate world for many years, it’s possible that could happen with your VA. Part of the power in this dynamic relationship comes in the synergy which happens between the people working together. There’s a flow, a spark, an ease of working with a VA which turns days to weeks, weeks to months, months to years, all before you know it.

Isn’t it more expensive than hiring an employee?
No. The cost savings is two-fold: financial and emotional. When you hire an employee, on top of a salary or hourly wage, you have a ton of things you need to administer (payroll, benefits, etc.), many things to buy or lease (equipment, furniture, etc.), and you have to share space as well. It’s expensive and can be grueling.
Depending on the VA, you might pay-as-you-go (giving him or her only the amount of work you actually have during any week or month), or you might have him or her on retainer (buying a certain amount of the VAs time each month for a preset and usually lower, hourly rate). Your VA’s time is 100% productive time as well - you don’t pay for a second of downtime or break-time.

No muss, no fuss. Just great support from someone dedicated to your success

For more FAQ's and information on Virtual Assistance please visit AssistU

5 Reasons to partner with a VA

1. There is never enough time in the day to get it all done

2. You are working more, but getting less accomplished

3. Your personal life is taking a backseat to your business.

4. Your business is running you, instead of you running your business.

5. You are having a hard time meeting your long-term business and personal goals