Small Business Stories - Virtual Assitants Association

Meet Aspiring Entreprenuers and listen to their small business success story. In this episode: learn more about Virtual Assitants Association.

Small Business Stories - Virtual Assistants Association Ivy Hartman: Welcome to the 2007 Naval conference in Atlanta, Georgia. I’m Ivy Hartman and I’m with Sue Kramer, International -Virtual Assistants Association and Susan Atlanta from Rhino but really you do work all over the world. So tell us about how the International-Virtual Assistants Association is able to do that and what service you provide? Sue Kramer: All right we are international trade association, we represent our members that are in 37 countries, we are here to let the business hanging out the virtual professionals, virtual systems exist, and they can outsource their necessary business support needs to virtual folks. They don’t need somebody on site to may have a salary benefit package. Ivy Hartman: So let say I’m a stay at home or virtual assistant, or a virtual PR person I guess. So I do all my public relations, interactions online or virtually, or via phone and I work in St. Louis or whatever. Then I can come to you or join your organization because you could help create some of my technician or make some of those contacts for me? Sue Kramer: Yes, members come to us for education. They may need some mentoring or just because we work for and sometimes we can get a little lonely, a little alienated. So it’s a great support— some and also as we go out and market, two business owners and associations like naval. We are bringing clients to the site, our membership directress, public so it’s somebody such yourself in St. Louis. If you want somebody in St. Louis you could go into the Missouri or if you don’t care you could just go into the search function on I need somebody who is equipped spokesperson or I need somebody who is a marketing person. And those people will come up on the search. Ivy Hartman: What’s the benefit of a small business owner or a business owner in hiring a virtual assistant? Sue Kramer: Well many times small business don’t need a full time person but they need somebody who is hissing their skills and they want someone who cares about their business. So most of our folks came from culprit America they know what its like to manage an executive calendar or do marketing, bookkeeping and that type of thing. So they have a business arrangement mentality because we are all independent business owners does we have that and we are working for multiple clients so the business owner is not out for the hour week was still with the benefits. We are paid for the hours that we work with their clients. Ivy Hartman: That’s interesting because I think that there’s somewhat of a comfort level of having someone right there maybe within shouting and that desk thing or that fit one on one, face-to-face interaction so that you know that they are understanding what you’re saying. How does the communication work in something like this? Sue Kramer: Well, it’s a good point you bring on because we are not the deal and when we interview clients we find out is that there comfort zone and it sitters went out and fit for them but they’re willing to do a virtual transition that we can work with them and we just explain the communication and it’s very important. Make things and matching that work so the personality so is very important and because we are virtual we can’t read the body language so we really stress and if you want us to work this is what we going to need from and this is what you need to understand for us. Ivy Hartman: Okay some of the members that you serve since we are at naval the national system of women business owners I am assuming, tell us how many of the members are actually women working from home as virtual assistance. Sue Kramer: About 95% of our members are women, we do have some great man that are members and it’s just — it is a start of I think is a stay home mom but it’s definitely progress to many of our members are not moms, they want to trade for their proper career and they’re making it to a proper place that corporate income with their virtual business. Ivy Hartman: And it’s a benefit so that would be added flexibility and any other things. Sue Kramer: A lot of us live in major cities or they live in cities that are far of to be in passing years spending a lot time in the card community time. So none of us missed the community time, those of us that are moms, obviously with the family benefits also you know having festival to do during the day and what you need to do. We have some people that work in a nine to three and then they come back at night or whatever. So it’s a really good thing for that for the schedules. Ivy Hartman: Thank you very much. Sue Kramer: You’re welcome. Ivy Hartman: Thank you Sue Kramer for being with us and we are going to continue our coverage of the naval 2007 conference in Atlanta here on sbtv.com were small business is our only business.