Although working from home offers many perks, it is not without its downside. Many VAs who are used to working in a busy office setting find that they miss having co-workers around so they can seek advice, discuss ideas, and share a laugh once in a while.

Social networks and Internet-based virtual assistant groups play an important role in filling this void. Whenever you get stuck with a technical problem or need to tell someone about something terrible (or wonderful) that happened in your business, you’ve got access to a large group of online colleagues – and that’s great! Many business relationships and even friendships have emerged from this type of interaction.

Sometimes, however, communicating online just isn’t enough, and many VAs find they can learn much more and get to know each other better by meeting in person.

Getting together with your industry colleagues provides an opportunity to talk about issues that arise in your day-to-day work, share information and ideas, and provide each other with support and motivation. Furthermore, when you meet on a regular basis, you learn about each other’s skills and backgrounds, what type of work the other members like to do, and so on. When you form a personal relationship with someone, you can decide whether they’re someone you’d be comfortable partnering with on projects or referring clients or subcontracting work to when someone needs a service you don’t provide.

Even though you work from your own home office, many businesses prefer to work with someone local so they can easily deliver paperwork or meet in person from time to time. Many local VA networking groups have a website which includes a member directory and/or an RFP system to help you attract new clients in your area.

There are local virtual assistant networking groups all over the world, so if you don’t belong to one already, find out if there’s one in your area. If not, why not start one yourself?