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While "big business" continues to downsize, the trend toward home-based businesses is opening doors for entrepreneurial-minded administrative support experts.
According to the [US] Bureau of Labour Statistics 1998-1999 Occupational Outlook Handbook, "Employment of secretaries who do not specialize in legal or medical workabout 7 out of 8is expected to decline due to the widespread application of new office automation."
Corporate downsizing and the move toward small, home-based business could, at first glance, appear to be bad news for the over 3 million people whose expertise lies in the administrative support arena.
"On the contrary," says Christine Durst, CEO of Staffcentrix, an ecommerce company that "incubates" virtual assistants. "The increasing numbers of small businesses will afford administrative support experts with an entrepreneurial spirit opportunities that have never before been possible. Two out of three new businesses being started today are based in the owner's home. Most of these SOHOs (small office/home office) will reach an impasse very quickly - they will be spending so much time on administrative tasks that they can no longer concentrate on growing their business. In short, they're going to need help."
Traditionally, the need for assistance has left the small business owner with several bleak options - hire an expensive "temp" for a bandaid-style solution, take on a great deal of expense and responsibility with a "permanent" employee, orperhaps worst of allturn away the work. Enter the virtual assistant - the ultimate SOHO growth partner!
Durst, who is credited with founding the virtual assisting industry, explains, "Like the majority of their clients, virtual assistants are entrepreneurs - highly skilled in their profession and able to have a impact on the productivity of those they work with. Traditionally, they have been known by many names: "secretaries," "administrative assistants," "executive assistants" or "bookkeepers," and until now it has been difficult to market their expertise outside of the corporate environment.
But in an age where technology has made the world a much smaller place, and where more professionals are working from their homes or in satellite offices, the former "assistant" has become "virtual" -- and thanks to the Internet, global."
The concept is still somewhat new, but it works so well that it has been embraced with gusto by the online community. A VA/SOHO relationship is a win-win in the truest sense. Without having to hire staff, bring in extra equipment, or share their space, the SOHO gets the support they need so that they can concentrate on growing their business and the VA (also a SOHO) has an opportunity to stretch their entrepreneurial wings as CEO of their own company.
Work assignments are communicated through e-mail, phone, fax, mail, diskette transfer, and real-time online messaging. The services offered by VAs vary from one individual to the next, based on their area of expertise. In addition to administrative support, many VAs offer other, more-specialized skills. VAs are becoming the de facto growth partners of SOHOs all over the world - offering the SOHO executive full professional assistance with a variety of support responsibilities at the click of an email icon.
There are 43 million small businesses in the US today, 14 million of these are home-based. It stands to reason that even if only a small percentage of these businesses decide that a VA is their best growth solution, the VA industry is going to need many qualified individuals to meet the demand. Though there are no "firm" numbers in place, Durst estimates that there are approximately 75-100 VAs globally - basing this figure on Web presence.
This emerging industry is opening doors for people who have been downsized, moms who would like to work from home, mobility-restricted individuals, and a wide variety of others. Individuals with good core skills, an entrepreneurial spirit, and a computer with access to the Net have a wonderful new frontier unfolding before them.
For more information, contact Christine Durst, CEO of Staffcentrix and Acting President of IVAA - International Virtual Assistants Association, at cdurst@staffcentrix.com or call 860.974.3521. Staffcentrix, LLC is a pure Internet, ecommerce company with offices inWoodstock, Connecticut and McLean, Virginia. On the Web at http://www.staffcentrix.com
IVAA - International Virtual Assistants Association is the non-profit, educational and credentialing association for the virtual assisting industry. On the Web at http://www.ivaa.org
