Considering Virtual Administration - Need your expertise!

[tgaston]

Hi! I currently have a Judgment Recovery Company and am considering adding Virtual Administrative services. I have over 17 years of Corporate Executive Administration experience. Can any of you veterans give me an idea of what negatives and positives I would be looking at if I choose to do this? What type of tools would I need i.e. hardware, software programs, etc or you could recommend? Are there any other organizations or forums I need to consider? What about Certification, etc?

Thanks a Bunch! I look forward to hearing from you!

Tami Gaston

 

[winslowgirl]

It depends what your experience is?? Like Excel, Quickboks, Word, Access..Things like that. You can get certifications for all of these. Clients always like to know you have certifications.
Also the IVAA is a great place to registered with! There may be a Virtual Assistant Chamber of Commerce in your State!

My home office is completely equipped: fax computer, printer, computer, etc.. I tend to use them all I use Excel on a weekly basis.

I can't speak enough pros of being a VA.. First and foremost, the skies the limit!! I have done so many different projects, that as along as you type well, are good on the internet, you can add VA Services..It does help having a niche, which it seems you do!!

I don't have negatives as far as being a VA. I love being a VA.. Building clients is the hard part. But with hard work, it can be done!!

Good Luck!

 

[tgaston]

Thank you so much and I am really excited to add on these services but I'm not sure as far as marketing! How do you get your customers? Do you do any advertising or marketing outside of the internet i.e. newspapers, local chambers, local business networking events?

Tami Gaston
Weiler-Dane, LLC

 

[winslowgirl]

I've researched, researched, and researched My personal niche is Research, go figure
I've done all my advertising via internet but am in the process of verging out. I found the one place I was getting continual responses from and stuck with that.
There are lots of events, that are posted on the forum!
The important thing to me is networkng with other VA's.. Say I have a client and he needs someone outside my expertise, but I know you are experienced in that field. I would outsource to you. I've done that before. Thats one of the reasons I love the forum. We can network with each other! Thats how trust is built! Hope this helps!

 

[tgaston]

It does, thanks again!

One more question.....what about liability insurance? I currently carry it but am unsure of what category VA would fall under. Is there any particular carrier that specializes in the industry?

 

[Tess]

Hi there Welcome to the forums! Sorry, I've been out of town for a bit but have just returned and am so happy to see so many new voices on here
I've to be honest, I've never even considered liability insurance and in this case would actually defer back to *you* for a bit of info on why liability insurance might be an important aspect of running a VA service (or any kind of service in that case)?
Any insight you can share would be greatly appreciated - and once I have a better understanding as to how it functions for you in your existing practice perhaps can offer my own perspective on how it may or may not enhance or be necessary for a VA practice.
Looking forward to hearing more from you, and welcome to the industry!

It sounds like you've got a nice solid background in admin, service, and the mind to move your business in this direction - in my own experience that's more than enough to successfully get started, particularly if you already have clients who you feel may be interested in your new expanded availability.

If you have a decent mailing list of contacts I'd start by putting out a quick email notice letting everyone know that you're expanding your offerings and that you're interested in taking on some new directions in your work - who knows, you could have a full practice before you know it just based on your existing clientelle!

 

[winslowgirl]

I do not have liability insurance and have never even thought about it. But each of have different aspects of our business so you might in fact need it.. With out more facts....

I hope you've gotten lots of helpful information here!!!

 

[tgaston]

First I would like to say thank you so much for your positive feedback! This forum is WONDERFUL and full of useful and helpful information!

The liability insurance I’m referring to is error and omission insurance. I do agree that each VA would prob need to look at their own circumstances and what they feel comfortable with. The only reason why I’ve carried it in the past is because my past experiences have shown that some business owners will try and sue anyone and everyone just to make a point, etc…..

Again you ladies are great and thank you!

Tami Gaston
Weiler-Dane, LLC

 

[Tess]

Hi Tami, well we're really happy to have you here - the forum is *very* new (at about a month old) but already we have some great personalities and experienced VA's in here, it should be fun to see it (and us and our relative practices) grow and flourish.

You made a great point about the strange habit of suing - it isn't something I ever even considered as a possibility, particularly since alot of us end up being 'friends' with clients when working so closely together daily for long periods of time, but that is a sad reality and possible scenario I guess we should all consider.

I work really hard to select clients carefully from the start, but you never can tell....point taken and thanks for the info

 

[winslowgirl]

Yeah, that is great to know..I really try hard to be selective with my clients, but I guess we can never tell

 

[divainvegas]

I was asked this question today did I have error and omission ins. This is locally, the owner said she would hire me as an employee but will not contract out any VA work unless I had the insurance. She said it was not expensive about 20 to 30 dollars a month. The reason I'm starting this business is to be my own boss. I told her I would look into it and get back to her. Do any of you Va's the E&O ins, if so was she right on the amount.

 

[Clerical Advantage]

I'm familiar with E & O insurance from my 'employee' days, so when I started my business I contacted my insurance agent. He concluded that I did not need it, as my Services Agreement clearly states that it is my clients responsibility to review my work. Clients have 90 days to contact me to correct errors that they discover. It also clearly states that I'm not liable for loss of profit or revenue, economic damages and a host of other legalese type issues.
Here in Maine, E & O insurance runs from $1000 a year to $7000 a year, which I felt was cost prohibitive for me as a start up business. Down the road, when I've got more than one retainer client and my income is stable, I may decide to get coverage just for the piece of mind.