i worked for an electrical contractor before as an admin assist, but i dont know if i want to do construction for my niche. im really struggling with it and would love to hear from another va who has a construction niche (if any).

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www.virtualofficeexpress.com

I have 2 clients who are in the construction industry (1 is actually an electrical contractor) and I lost another one in Sept. who filed for bankruptcy. The industry is hurting now so make sure you research your potential clients.

If you have any specific Q's you can PM me directly if you like.

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Dawn Riley
A Virtual Assistant in Paradise
Our business is about making yours better

I have one client in the construction industry. He provided me with a cell phone and I take his calls whenever he remembers to forward is calls. (Still working at training him to advise me when he is going to forward those calls. But that is my only complaint so far.) Also do his invoicing once a month.

As Dawn said, if the industry is hurting where you live, make sure you research your potential clients. But that's true of any industry, I think.

Gladys

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EMERALD VA SERVICES
www.emeraldva.ca

unfortunatly right now, where i live, the construction industry is really hurting. maybe its not such a good time to have that as a niche.

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www.virtualofficeexpress.com

I have been contemplating this industry as well. I have a lot of experience in this field (10+ years) and my strong point is that I know the 'lingo' & engineering/architectural terminology. Perhaps since this industry has slowed, a virtual assistant would be more appealing than an employee.

I too have one construction client, mostly bookkeeping. He is really hurting and could not afford to continue with me, so we made a barter deal that I would track my hours and he would do jobs for my remodel. Hopefully when things pick up for him we can go back to normal. If not at least I am getting some remodeling done!

I would only advise that you stay on top of billing since the industry is not so well off now.

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Lee Drozak
My Office Assistant

It is probably quite difficult right now, especially during this winter season in the Midwest, but I've always loved the construction industry and have understood the "lingo" too. Because of the posts here, I'll take it cautiously, but this have given me a positive boost to focus a bit more in this direction. I know more than a few in the industry between contractors, workers and supply distributors, enough that I believe I could make a little headway.

Might be a good idea especiall with the recession. Companies may need admin work but can't afford to hire someone. As long as you don't put all your eggs in one basket it can't hurt to go that route.

Actually, I have been in the construction field for over 15+ years and my day job is still as Exec Assistant for one of the largest builders in the US, even though we've been hit so hard, there still needs to be people to do what we do....maybe not full time but the work needs to get done somewhere....that is where we come in! I agree, dont put all your eggs in that basket but you can specialize in Construction realted trades or builders but those skills are transferable into another niches. Go for it! I love construction....

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My Right Hand Girl
www.myrighthandgirl.com

My goal this year is to market more to the A/E/C industry. My background is roughly 9yrs (or so) in project administration for commercial Architectural firms... mostly through all phases of design (including CA) - & 6mos was virtually so I know it's possible to do this kind of work remotely.

I currently have 1 commercial GC as a client, but I'm their FTP Mgr. (help with online file storage among other tasks) - nothing exactly relating to project admin. work, but I love them & what I do for them, & hope to add more GC's to my client list providing the same type of support. We'll see...

To sort of answer your ?, if you know what type of support that type of client will benefit from, & already have a good understanding of how the industry works, then there's no harm in trying as far as I see it.

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shana
www.shanafore.com