Actually I assist my husband from time to time! He does CAD drafting and needs conversions in multiple formats. He should startng charging extra for additional formats other than .dwg.

He is also the IT guy in the house, and makes sure my laptop and mac is in great form.

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Lisa George
Remote Admin Services
Web:http://remoteadminservices.com
Blog:http://remoteadminservices.wordpress.com

I actually started my business over 4.5 years ago like everyone else, as a single business owner. Now, I have 4 assistants working for our company (probably looking for a 5th assistant soon). It all started three years ago when a friend of mine was looking for work and she asked me if I had any overflow work ... and that's how the story goes. It was not until this year that I had to hire outside of my pool of knowledgeable friends and colleagues. But that's another experience.

The Boulder area has a lot of self-starter entrepreneurs that love the flexibility of their jobs. They usually have some other part-time business on the side, so it is convenient for me to hire them on as independent contractors. No need for payroll. And hiring contract labor is an expense deduction towards my tax return.

I tend not to hire teenagers or even college students, as my clients expect to be hiring an Executive Assistant with at least 5 years previous experience working for an executive. My business also relies on the assistants being stable and sticking around for more than a year. Two of my assistants have been with me for 3.5 and 2 years, respectively.

I would keep in mind the work quality and expertise your client is expecting from you and that the work product is in line with your standards and what you're charging the client.

That being said ... bringing your son or daughter into your work environment and showing them how you run your business; showing them how to type or file; or even interacting with clients is a great assest to any child's upbringing. Afterall, they are our future entrepreneurs.

Thanks for listening,
Michele Guarino
A Second Office

I'm also waiting for the day to say I need an assistant or to say I am sorry at this time I have reached the max of clients I can take.

Tess,

My hubby is a programmer, also. And he is so good at what he does but hates working "under" somebody that he doesn't feel has intelligence enough to be "the boss" of him.

Perhaps if my VA practice takes off well, we can merge together (we enjoy working together) and then we can finally have our cabin in the woods and work remotely...

How do you and hubby do it? Is it full time?

Originally Posted by EditingEtc

Tess, My hubby is a programmer, also. And he is so good at what he does but hates working "under" somebody that he doesn't feel has intelligence enough to be "the boss" of him. Perhaps if my VA practice takes off well, we can merge together (we enjoy working together) and then we can finally have our cabin in the woods and work remotely... How do you and hubby do it? Is it full time?

We work about 30 hours a week each, mostly together - although I have numerous VA-only projects and he runs SEO campaigns for some clients. But when it comes to websites (design and programming) and solving problems for clients we do work together and it's great.
We also each have numerous websites/in-house projects of our own which we work together on.

I absolutely would not trade in our situation for any other - ever. It has been so challenging at times - as marriage is it's own work, pile a business on top of that and it brings with it it's own opportunities to overcome issues together. We're closer than any other couple I know - maybe it's because we're together 24 hours a day! Some people think we're crazy to spend so much time together. I wouldn't have it any other way.

Our goal is to get a small farm in the countryside

What do you think it would take for your husband to transition into the business with you?

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I haven't even started and I feel like I need an assistant. I am definetely going to use the help of my fiance who is very supportive of my decision.

My business in not up and running just yet, but I already know that my husband will be my "computer guy." He's so good at keeping up with the latest and greatest... he's like a walking forum... and I don't have to log on!!!

Marcia
VA in development

Wisconsin also allows for taking certain tax measures on hiring family members. My husband is a creative carpenter... I just taught him how to be active on a forum that he is involved with... airplanes. So I don't think he would be a good assistant. But I'm ok with that. (wink)

My husband is affectionately known as 'Code Monkey', he provides IT support to me and my clients and I have recruited him on a number of occasions to help me out. I have an in-house assistant who works with me in my office in my home.

I also have 4 other VAs and another coder on my team who work on an as needed basis. I've begun to put two on retainers so I know I have a guaranteed amount of their time per month. Its also another way to say 'thanks honey, love your work and I appreciate you!'.

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Kylie Short
Tilda Virtual Services - Making virtual personal

This is wonderful that all of you have the support of your husbands. My "honey peanut" is also very supportive of everything I do, this included. And you're very lucky that you can work side-by-side and use your husband's help when you need it.

My husband and I were both real estate agents about 2 years ago, both working out of our home office, 24/7/365 (I had my own brokerage and he had his licence with me, of course). As much as I love him, it wasn't working - we were just too close for too many hours in the day. Luckily, he didn't enjoy real estate as much as I did, so decided to go back to a 9-5 job, which I believe was a God-send! Now, I have a chance to "miss" him during the day and look forward to seeing him when he gets home at night.

He will definitely be there for me whenever I need him, but I'm really glad he took a full time job! I think it probably saved our marriage!

Diane