Virtual Assistants, Mary Poppins & The Four Hour Work Week
June is Family Month at Home Biz Notes. When you juggle a home business with family, defining the work-life balance can be a tricky thing.
Enter the Mary Poppins of the business world - The Virtual Assistant. Just like Mary Poppins, a well chosen virtual assistant can be anything you’d like them to be and can work some magic to boot.
Four Hour Work Week
Tim Ferris, author of the hugely popular The Four Hour Work Week highlighted the many benefits of virtual assistants and outsourcing. His premise is you are better off spending the time on the things you do well (and which make you money). Outsourcing can give you the freedom which inspired you to work for yourself in the first place.
A Virtual Assistant could do
- research
- handle emails
- respond to letters
- handle email campaigns
- write ebooks
- manage mailing lists
- do web maintenance
- handle accounts
- submit articles to article directories
- do graphic design
And so on… depending on your needs, your business and your budget. Budget and time wise, outsourcing and virtual assistants are not just for wealthy entrepreneurs. A virtual assistant can be a good investment. You might hire a virtual assistant for a one off job, a project, or on a regular or permanent basis.
As virtual assistants are contractors in their own right, you don’t have to worry about vacations and medical benefits.
Or… of course, you could start your own virtual assistant business.
- Have you ever used a virtual assistant? We’d love to hear about your experiences.
- Do you have a virtual assistant business? We’d love to feature it. Just get in touch. (Contact details in sidebar).
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3 opinions for Virtual Assistants, Mary Poppins & The Four Hour Work Week
Genesis
Jun 28, 2008 at 6:11 am
Thanks for the link love, Yvonne! I have my virtual assistant work for me still on projects, but we do it as a one up thing each time since there could easily be a few weeks or even a month between jobs.
I think it´s also important to check out your options and know what you´re looking for in a VA ahead of time. That will help you make the right choice.
Mary Emma Allen
Jun 28, 2008 at 6:29 am
Thanks for visiting Home Biz Notes, Genesis, and sharing your experience. Good advice on choosing a VA.
Mike
Jul 2, 2008 at 10:31 am
I have been using a virtual assistant from India for quite a while now and its saved me a lot of heartache. I don’t know why you wouldn’t pay someone to do work for you! I get 3 days off per week now and I am able to do twice as much! Here’s a sign that outsourcing is hitting the mainstream: http://www.personalsidekick.com/ at this site, outsourcing is no longer the niche market, now the various activities of outsourcing are niches of their own!
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