May 15th, 2007 Vancouver, Canada  It’s here, and it’s going to revolutionize the corporate office. Virtual Assistants or VAs as they call themselves are finally starting to make their mark in Corporate America uniting together to celebrate Virtual Assistants’ Day on May 18th, 2007.
What is a Virtual Assistant (VA)? The Virtual Assistant Networking Association (VANA), VAnetworking.com, the largest membership based network online for VAs states that “A Virtual Assistant (VA) works independently at an arm’s length, via the Internet, utilizing the latest technologies, to provide immediate professional support, services and skills to busy entrepreneurs and business managers. Partnering with a VA reduces stress, protects cash flow, eliminates administrative hassles, and enables business people to find the success they originally set out to achieve.”
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Although they have been around for over 10 years, the advent of the internet and the specialized services that VAs’ can bring to the corporate client has made corporate America take a new look at this home based business. With the accession of the Virtual Assistant into mainstream business this new office alternative has recently been mentioned at:
- The Wall Street Journal
- CNN
- Readers Digest – May 2007 Issue
- NBC Today Show
- Time
- Dr. Phil Show
- Plus numerous regional magazines and newspapers.
In the past, companies have either needed to hire all the services they need in house, or bring in specialized temp workers to fill short term specialized need. Either way you look at this the company has needed to provide both work space and benefits to these employees. Enter the VA. Companies, thanks to the versatility of the internet and home office can now outsource specialized trades or services on a per issue or contract base. This allows them to hire just the right person for each specific task, and not have to rely on expecting their own employees to have to multitask or even retrain. They can hire the right person on a per task basis, and they don’t have to cover any of the costs of having an in house person do the job. This means, no desk and computer to provide and it also means no in house employee, which translates into the need for a smaller office, which translates into less rent and more savings for the company. In addition, a company based in Australia could hire a US based VA. Why? Because at the end of the day the Australian company hits the send button and transmits their work half way around the world to their US based VA Then while Australia sleeps, their US based VA is diligently working away on the project. When the Australian manger returns to work the next business day, the work is done and is sitting in his inbox. Everyone wins.
For four years now there has been a global meeting place on the web for the successful and aspiring VA, the Virtual Assistant Networking Association (VANA). FREE media passes to go in and look behind the scenes are available via email contact.
Hosted by Tawnya Sutherland and her own VA business, Mediamage Business Solutions, the network now boasts over 5000+ members.  Not only do established VA’s come to chat with others in the same business, but new VA’s to the marketplace come to learn from more established VA’s as the network has now become an incredible resource in its own right. VANA offers even more though and welcomes established companies looking for VA’s. Here they can browse the VA Directory of over 850 VA Websites, read over 210 articles on virtual assistance, ask questions of VA’s or even submit RFP’s to hire a VA to fill their own needs all in one place.
In addition, Tawnya Sutherland has also created a Virtual Business Startup System (VBSS) that allows anyone who has a computer skill, whether they are the secretary at a large firm, a CEO looking to start their own business, or a housewife looking to make extra money while the baby sleeps, the VBSS takes you step by step in a 30 day program on what you need to start your own virtual business. Used by hundreds of people world wide, the VBSS allows you to take your specific skills and market them virtually to any business that’s operates on or off the web.
Visit the Virtual Assistant Networking Association (VANA) for everything you will ever want to know about virtual assistance at http://www.vanetworking.com
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