Virtual Assistance a Boon for Small Town Businesses

Small towns and rural communities are wonderful places to raise families and retire. Small towns rely on local businesses as much, or more, as larger metropolitan areas. However, they are not necessarily the place for recent college grads or seasoned professionals who know their skills are worth more at a large corporation in a bigger city. This migration has been appropriately labeled as the brain drain. So, what happens to the businesses operating in small towns if they dont have the available skilled labor force to meet their needs?

Fortunately, a new but growing profession has entered the business industry: Virtual Assistance. A Virtual Assistant (VA) is a professional service provider who specializes in providing remote administrative office support services as an independent contractor who works with clients in an ongoing, collaborative professional relationship (**VACOC, 2006). Virtual Assistants work from their own offices and utilize today's technology to deliver their services and communicate with clients.

VAs benefit the small town business owner in a number of ways because they offer the same high-quality expertise as seasoned corporate employees. A number of VAs include specialized expertise such as marketing, accounting, and graphical design as part of their service repertoire. As well, a growing segment of the VA industry offers administrative management support such as employee recruiting/screening, business development research and administration, and technical writing.

VAs are more cost effective than employees because they work from their own office, pay their own taxes, and secure their own medical benefits and time off. The small town business owner reduces overhead costs for office space, equipment, employer-paid taxes, and fees. These savings can be reinvested in the business at a greater rate than possible with employee expenses.

VAs are professionals. Small town business owners now have the same advantage as large corporations in major cities when it comes to retaining professional talent. VAs are already highly educated in their specific fields. They are polished, knowledgeable and fully vested in the success of every client.

Finally, VAs work for clients only when they are needed. Just about every practicing VA offers retainer agreements, project-based contracts, and hourly rates to ensure they provide clients with the best options for their business. This translates into additional savings for the small town business owner because they are not paying for non-productive work time.

VAs are truly a boon to small towns and the businesses they support.

**VACOC is the Virtual Assistance Chamber of Commerce, a professional association of Virtual Assistants worldwide to promote shared business interests, opportunities and advancement of the Virtual Assistance profession. Visit them at www.virtualassistantnetworking.com

Danielle Taylor is the President of Taylor-Made Virtual Assistance, a VA practice offering administrative management and support to small businesses and corporate executives. She and her family live in Johnstown, a beautiful small town in West-central Pennsylvania. Visit Danielle at http://www.TaylorVA.com to learn more about Taylor-Made Virtual Assistance and the VA profession.

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