Summer Vacations and your Business-Can you take the time?

The first day of summer is today, for many this means taking the long anticiapted summer vacation. But wait, before you pack your suitcases and book the hotel can you afford to be out of contact from your business while you take some time to relax? For some the answer is no, of course you can always take your work with you but your family may groan and answer then ask your self the question, why am I taking a vacation?
If you are a small business owner taking time off is not as easy, you are concerned with how things will get done while you are away, who will answer the emails, the phone calls, follow up with the potential clients you have worked so hard to get to this point. A great solution would be to hire a virtual assistant-someone who can take over these tasks for a temporary amount of time while you are away. Reasonable in cost and because you only need to use their services temporarily you wont need to worry about locating, interviewing and training a new employee or temp. Virtual assistants specialize in short term projects such as covering while you are gone and because you only pay for the time they spend on the task you wont have to worry about what your employees are doing while you are gone.
So go ahead and book the hotel and pack your swimsuit and most importantly relax...your virtual assistant is taking over where you left off, and who knows you may be so impressed with their service, you will use them on a regular basis!

What is a Virtual Assistant?

You may have heard the term on TV, seen it on the web or maybe by word of mouth and wondered, what exactly is a "Virtual Assistant?"
According to Wikipedia, A Virtual Assistant (or simply VA), is an independent contractor providing administrative, technical, or sometimes creative assistance to clients such as entrepreneurs and solo and small business practices. Virtual assistants work from their own office (hence "virtual"), thus making it a fairly popular (and growing) profession. It is estimated that there are about 5,000-8,000 virtual assistants worldwide. Common modes of communication and data delivery include the Internet, File Transfer Protocol (FTP), and fax machine. Although the occupation gives a degree of independence, work is on a contractual basis, and a long-lasting cooperation is standard. Many virtual assistants have their own specialized niches in where they focus and specialize to a particular industry such as the legal field or real estate.
There are different reasons as to why companies and individuals decide to hire a virtual assistant, the main being that the services they receive are cost efficient and they pay only for the time spent on the task, not coffee breaks, personal surfing of the web or socializing with other office workers. Another reason companies hire a virtual assistant is that they can hire them for as little or as many hours as they need, and on a 'as needed' basis, allowing full control and freedom. The fact that a virtual assistant does not need formal training and also has all the needed equipment such as computer software, phones and other necessary items needed for operation also makes it a smart and economical choice.
If you are a business owner or simply an individual who needs an extra hand with a particular task, consider using a virtual assistant, it may be the right and best choice you ever made!

Signs That You Might Need A Virtual Assistant

You know you are busy and there never seems to be enough hours in the day, but do you need a virtual assistant? If you think you do, the answer is most likely yes, but here are some guidelines to help you out.

• Your business is growing and your "to do" list is getting longer and longer
• You simply feel exhausted and frustrated from all the emails and calls that need to be answered
• You missed out on sales opportunities because you didn't have time or simply did not remember to follow up
• You have been working nights and weekends just to keep up, you have not been on a vacation since-well you can't remember
• You have great ideas to grow your business but can't seem to find the time to implement them

If you answered yes to any of these, you need help! That is where a virtual assistant can step in, get you organized, take over the tedious day to day tasks and allow you to not only take a breather but to focus on your clients and take your business to a new level.