Recently I had a post about choosing a virtual assistant with the help of Twitter. That post mostly focused on the different types of work or niches that a virtual assistant can offer to your business, but today I’d like to talk about another factor to consider in finding the perfect virtual assistant for your business.

TIME

You need to consider how much time you need your virtual assistant to spend helping you, and how exactly your virtual assistant charges for her time. Many virtual assistants prefer to work on a retainer basis – offering packages of 10-40 hours per month generally speaking. This means that if you contract one of these assistants you are paying for a minimum number of hours per month, regardless of how much time you actually use. If you go over your minimum number of hours there is an extra fee. Some virtual assistants will allow unused time to roll over to another month, some do not.

It can be very hard at first to be sure of exactly how much time your virtual assistant will need to dedicate to complete the tasks or work you need completed. You may prefer to work with a virtual assistant who will simply bill hourly on an as needed basis. Or you may prefer to work with an assistant who charges on a per project basis, eliminating the typical hourly billing procedure altogether. A lot will depend of course on the type of work you need completed, your personal style and the policies of the virtual assistant you prefer to work with. Each arrangement has advantages and disadvantages.

Another thing to be sure of is whether your chosen virtual assistant will have the time in his/her schedule to perform a greater proportion of work as you become more comfortable with their skills and they become more educated about your business. Some of the best virtual assistants have pretty full schedules already after all, especially if they have been in business a long time. On a similar note, many virtual assistant practices are team-based or use sub-contractors. This is something you should be aware of and comfortable with. If you prefer to always work with one specific person make sure you are very clear about that when contracting a virtual assistant.

Here at Halo Secretarial I offer dedicated virtual assistant service – I have no team or subcontractors working with me. That may change some day in the future, as my client roster is filling up, but I will always let my clients know if I start working with another virtual assistant. And as for hours/billing – I personally am happy to work on pretty much any basis that is most appropriate for the situation and my clients’ needs. See my rates page for more information!

I just read this post by Jordan Furlong over at Law21. I know it doesn’t seem like it at first, but it is a post about hope and about change. And I was honoured that Jordan mentioned Halo Secretarial as being a legal secretarial service that is ready for the changes that are (hopefully) coming in the future to law firms. Being included with the likes of game changers like Solo Practice University, JD Supra, or Virtual Law Office is so rewarding.

Change is exactly what I was after when I started my virtual legal assistance practice. Change for me personally but also with an awareness that if I could do this, so could so many other people! I have many friends who are paralegals, legal assistants and legal secretaries who feel trapped in the world of big law. They hang on to the ideals of pension plans, benefits and employer provided equipment. They love the idea of having flexibility, but traditional law firms think flexibility is letting you start at 9 am instead of 8:30 am!

Being a virtual legal assistant allows me the ability to create my own future – one where my days are about finding solutions for my clients, not just about putting in my time. If my clients are having a slow month, or are taking a vacation, I’m not going to bill them just to protect my own income. I believe in results oriented billing – when I am doing work for you, then I deserve to be paid a good rate, but when I take a break and go for an hour long walk, that’s on my dime! That’s why I didn’t even go with the traditional virtual assistant model of offering mostly hourly billing or retainer only. I don’t worry about minimum hourly requirements. I simply provide whatever level of assistance my clients need – an hour a month, an hour a day, or working on a project by project basis.

I plan to keep evaluating the changing legal world too – I sure hope I always have the vision to keep up with the changes that are sure to come and the wisdom to know that the best way to get ahead is to be an early adopter of whatever new systems and technologies seem to be the most valuable.

I’ve seen a lot of chatter on Twitter lately about needing a virtual assistant. I think the start of a new year encourages people to plan for their coming business needs and Twitter is a great way to find a VA to help you streamline and grow your business.  I personally love finding clients on Twitter and I know many of my colleagues also respond to tweets about possible virtual assistant opportunities!

I do think it’s important though not to get caught up in the ease with which you can find a VA (on Twitter or otherwise) and make sure you stop and really think about what you need from a VA and be sure to choose one who meets all of your qualifications. You may want a virtual assistant with a particular skillset, a certain personality, or one who is familiar with your industry.

To get you started, consider these virtual assistant niches and how they might (or might not!) be appropriate for your needs:

• Marketing virtual assistant
• Speaker’s virtual assistant
• Virtual bankruptcy assistant
• Author’s virtual assistant
• Coach’s virtual assistant
• Virtual assistant catering to Web Designers/Technology Gurus
• Real estate virtual assistant
• Construction virtual assistant
• Virtual assistant to insurance industry professionals
• Bookkeeping virtual assistant
• Virtual receptionist
• Virtual assistant to wedding professionals
• Virtual legal assistants/paralegals (like me!!)

As you can see, there are many virtual assistant niches and if you are, for example, an accountant who needs some general virtual assistance and someone who can help with your Quickbooks work, your best bet is probably a virtual bookkeeper. But, if you need email management you may want a virtual assistant generalist, or you may find that a virtual assistant familiar with your  industry would be your preference. Of course there is a lot of overlap between the services offered by virtual assistants, as most virtual assistants offer some general administrative work.  If what you need is highly specialized or requires some training don’t feel that means you can’t hire a VA, as you will find that most VA’s love to learn new skills!

And if you are finding or vetting your virtual assistant choice via Twitter, do make sure to read through their tweet history. Does he or she seem professional? Friendly? Thoughtful? It’s a great way to get some insight into the person you may be working very closely with!

Take care!

I received an email this morning from the ABA (as my blog has a link on their site) asking me to share a link to this survey on my blog. I’m happy to do so and definitely recommend that you lawyers out there help the ABA out with the survey!

The current financial situation is very challenging for us all, but I feel certain that times will eventually improve.  Patience is the key I guess, and making smart choices in the meantime!

I actually feel that some businesses will really prosper despite, or maybe because of, the current financial climate. Smaller, leaner, more cost-efficient businesses can much more easily work to provide services that are valuable to consumers in these times. For example, lawyers are still very much needed in times of economic slowdown, but solo and small law practices are in a much better position to offer services to clients at a price that they will be willing to pay.

Virtual assistants are likely to do well during these times as well. We offer good value for the money and can be a great alternative to traditional in-house staff. You only pay for the time or service you need, if your business slows down you don’t have to keeping paying a full-time salary just to have an employee sitting bored part of the time! Most of us virtual assistants are also happy to work on a capped fee basis for specific projects, so you can be in control of the costs right from the start.

While we all wait for the economy to improve, we need to take steps to minimize our spending and improve our own bottom lines! Take care!

Are blogs really last year, last decade, pointless? That was the message I got when I read a recent article in Wired magazine entitled Kill Your Blog. Paul Boutin seems to have been reaching a bit too far in the article though, at least in my opinion.  And I’m a huge Twitter fan, which is one of the platforms Boutin advocated as a replacement for blogging.

I had picked up Wired last week while on a grocery run and the article really surprised me.  But Halloween and sick kids made life a little hectic these past few days and I didn’t have a chance to blog until now, when I was reminded by a post on the subject over at Real Lawyers Have Blogs. I totally agree with Kevin, as useful of a networking tool as Twitter is or sites like Facebook, they do not offer one the chance to truly establish oneself as an expert in a particular niche.

For example, I am working on setting up a Facebook page for my business and I think it is an interesting tool, and a place to connect with either other virtual assistants or potential clients. I think it works best though in conjunction with my blog, not as a substitute for it!

I think blogs offer a great hub for a business.  They are a place to communicate, provide important news and information about your business, and to provide proof that you are still operating not some business that doesn’t even exist anymore.  I also think they are a place to establish your expertise in your niche, which as Kevin had pointed out in his blog, is a significant benefit for a lawyer who chooses to blog. So I do not agree that you should “Kill Your Blog”, there is a lot of life left in it!!

I was recently interviewed for a spot on the Business Opportunties weblog and  I wanted to share the post with you all!  I was interviewed by Angela Shupe and she did such a lovely write-up, I really appreciate the opportunity.  They have a lot of fascinating interviews on the Business Opportunities blog that are also worth checking out, like this one about a neat invention called the Dripstik or this one about Erin Ely and her sale of organic products.

Yesterday while on Twitter I noticed that Angela also offer press release writing services, something I may be taking her up on soon, as I really should be sending out press releases!!  You should check out her Write to Press site, it’s got some helpful information on it.

Have a great Friday everyone!

Okay, so I’m working on not quite enough sleep here, due to the joys of a sick baby in the house, but I’ve been doing some reading and thinking about my business planning.  It would help me a bunch if any business owners could answer a question or two for me!!

Do you think virtual assistance is a good concept?

If you use a virtual assistant, what tasks do they perform and has it improved your business?

If you don’t use a virtual assistant, what’s holding you back? Cost, ethics or confusion over the process?

Comments much appreciated, or feel free to reply privately by email to laurie@halosecretarialservices.com!  Thanks!!

You know when you get excited and passionate about an idea and you want to do everything all at once?  I felt that way about starting my virtual assistant business, but I quickly realized that you have to start with small steps, and work your way up to having everything you want.

So here are my simple suggestions for some good small steps to take for any aspiring entrepreneur.

1. Make a list of everything that you think needs to be done.
2. Break your list down into manageable tasks – for example, instead of draft business plan as one big step, try breaking it down into parts and list each part as a task
3. Prioritize your task list. Which things do you have to do to meet your legal obligations in relation to start-up? Which steps do you have to take to get the paperwork rolling?
4. Make a budget and a financial plan
5. Find a support system – whether you hire some help or find a mentor, don’t try to go it alone!
6. Work your way  through your task list a little at time. DON’T get hung up when there are things you can’t do immediately – just move on to the next task and go back later!

I’m only a couple of months into really running my business, and there are still things I’m working on. But by taking small steps I’ve been making progress every single day. Today, I networked, planned some blog posts, search for VA job postings and worked on my Elance profile.  Tomorrow I’ll do even more!