The balance beam is a very plain looking gymnastic apparatus. It’s a 16-foot long (500 cm) chunk of leather-wrapped wood elevated to 4.10 feet (125 cm) with a mere 4 inches (10 cm) of width. When a skilled gymnast takes control of this piece of equipment and combines her own skill and imagination into a routine of jumps, leaps, turns and a final artistic dismount, it is as if the gymnast infuses life and energy into the beam and into anyone who witnesses the routine.

As business owners, we have a virtual balance beam. We can take control of it and execute a routine to give a boost of energy to our clients. There is a long list of virtual assistant skills that each of us has chosen from to build our own business routines. Some...

Off~Site Secretary

Almost always, I have special powers. Recently, my husband called me and said a large black cloud dropped an invisible kryptonite blanket on our house. He did not use those exact words, but I understood the gravity of the situation. My powers would be rendered useless.

I knew that I would not be able to wave my black rectangular wand to cause pictures to magically appear or to wave my white rectangular wand to make cool air magically blow into the room. Oh, I have lost powers before. I once had a special power that made many pains disappear with a simple kiss.

I paused to consider Off~Site Secretary’s Contingency Plan. If I had any pressing deadlines or business concerns to attend to, we would be able to...

Off~Site Secretary