Can I Do It All Myself

Sometimes we feel that we are handling everything just fine.  You're
a business owner and your list of clients is growing leaps and
bounds as you hoped it would. The money is coming in and you may
even enjoy spending an extra hour or two at the office to get caught
up at the end of the day or early in the morning before the phone
begins to ring.  This is how you wanted it but if only you had those
one or two extra hours every day.  The new blackberry is fine but
you know you need a back up at the office 'just in case'.  Your
growing stack of business cards is piling up in an ever-tightening
rubber band in your desk drawer and you promise yourself that you'll
be organizing them into some sort of filing system 'one of these
days - soon.'

The promotional letter and the mailing list you were going to do on
Tuesday will just have to wait a few more days because an out-of-
town client unexpectedly called and needs some of your time. You've
lost the whole day but you don't mind because it's part of the job -
reshuffling and rescheduling other clients and duties is a normal
part of the business and you have to keep your priorities in order -
after all, you do care about giving your best and it's the client
who keeps the money coming in.

While you're at the client you remember one more thing that has you
distracted from the matters at hand. You were supposed to call and
make an important lunch appointment with a 'potential' client you've
been hoping to get and it completely slipped your mind.  As you sit,
you feel sure you left the name and phone number of the restaurant
the client suggested on a slip of paper on your desk.  This week
isn't going quite as well as it should - 'those days' are
becoming 'these weeks' are they are happening too frequently
lately.  Business is growing but things aren't being done in the
timely manner they used to be.

You're now losing ground in other important areas and so the once
well-oiled machine is showing a bit of a strain. Instead of focusing
on your clients, you're becoming bogged down with administrative
office duties and they're piling up fast and furious. You lost the
piece of paper, Wednesday appointments didn't get rescheduled on
time, the database isn't being maintained and the invoices haven't
been sent out - not to mention all the daily correspondence that
isn't being taken care of.

On and on it goes.  If only there was an extra hour or two in your
day just to finish things up without distractions.  Somewhere in
your mind you remember clicking on a website that provides these
services - some kind of an assistant over the internet that helps
out and you don't have to pay for more than what work is done - even
down to ten minute increments.  As you jog your memory you remember
some of the words you're - Connected Virtually to an Office
Assistance - or something to that effect. You probe your mind a
little deeper and you remember the words Virtual Assistant.  You
type the search and see they already have office machines and
software and they're experienced professionals.

Instead of wondering how you'll get caught up, you contact a Virtual
Assistant and tell her what you want done. Suddenly your burden has
become lighter and you feel the tension leave and you're focused
again.  All you need to do is fax, email or upload files and your VA
takes it from there.

In a short time the meeting has been set up, old appointments were
rescheduled, a reservation was made and you get reminders from you
daily planner. Your VA calls you with any unexpected changes that
have arisen or are anticipated and she has booked your business trip
to the west coast next month - even finding a better price on the
airfare and hotel, so you actually saved money.  Now you're
undivided attention is given to the client and you can increase your
business potential.

You sigh with relief knowing that you need never feel like things
are getting ahead of you again. As an added touch, your VA called
you later to see how the meeting went - you tell her you got the
client. Your Virtual Assistant congratulates you then smiles as you
both hang up the phone. Both have had a good day.

BIO
Johan MacLeod owns and operates Virtually Connected Office
Assistance (VCOA) from a suburb in Montreal, Canada. Here she
provides extensive experience with over 25 years of knowledge and
discipline in the Executive Management, Administrative, Secretarial,
Clerical and Support Staff fields.

Email: vcoa@care2.com
URL: www.virtuallyconnectedofficeassistance.com