And you know what? I bet you dollars to doughnuts that – if you’re a Mom (and want to stay home and still need to work) and have good skills – YOU could be a Mompreneur, too!

Maybe you’ve heard of virtual assistance…maybe you haven’t. It really isn’t a household phrase – yet! Let me tell you, though…it’s catching on really quickly. Why? Because it makes sense for business owners to hire VAs to do work for them (we’ll get into just how much sense it makes in a minute)! In fact, a recent study by George Washington University shows that virtual assistance will be a $130 billion a year industry by 2008. You – and your family – deserve a chunk of that $130 billion! More than that, you ALL deserve to have you home and available for your children. That’s my #1 priority…

Use the skills you already have and be your own boss, set your own hours, make some great money...and, most importantly, be able to spend time with your children!

My name is Jenny Claggett – Mompreneur – and I'm a stay-at-home mom AND a Virtual Assistant (VA). This life-changing discovery I made a few years ago has been such a blessing to my family in so many ways. I wanted to share it with as many people as possible - in a user-friendly, easy-to-understand way. Let me give you the down & dirty basic guide you need to become a VA and change you and your family's lives, too!

A Virtual Assistant (VA) is an independent (self-employed) entrepreneur who can provide a variety of services (i.e. administrative, technical and/or creative) to one client or many clients on an on-going basis.

A VA uses various modes of communication to deliver those services to clients (i.e. e-mail, Internet, fax, phone, snail mail).

What is a Virtual Consultant (VC)?

A Virtual Consultant (VC) is an independent (self-employed) entrepreneur who completes highly specialized projects on an as-needed basis for one client or many clients.

A VC uses various modes of communication to deliver those projects to clients (i.e. e-mail, Internet, fax, phone, snail mail).

So, keep real estate in mind as you’re reading through this stuff. Even if you’re saying to yourself right now, “I don’t know anything about real estate! I barely made it through signing all the paperwork when I bought my house – or – I’ve never even bought a house!” That’s O.K.! The real estate industry is “ripe for the pickin’” for VAs who need work and are trying to build their businesses. It’s what got me where I am today…a highly-paid, very selective VA.

Why Be (and USE!) a VA or VC?

As a VA and/or a VC, you work at your own location (your home office), act as an independent contractor (i.e. are self-employed and get to take advantage of some awesome tax benefits!) and use your own equipment (in the comfort of your own home!).

This saves your clients HUGE money that they normally pay for onsite employees (i.e. providing benefits, office space, office equipment, etc.). Plus, your (VA's and VC's) charges can be written off as a business expense by your clients! And, to top it ALL off, your clients have the benefit of a professional level assistant or consultant working "for" them.

When you are a virtual assistant, you partner with clients (on a long-term basis) to provide high quality support services – without being onsite. Why has this suddenly become more popular? Because of today’s technology. The Internet, e-mail, phone, fax, IM, etc., all work together to make this profession TOTALLY do-able today!

How do I know you could do it? Because you just use the skills you already have (from your years of working for someone else!) and put them to work for yourself and your clients! I’ll get into what your skills are later (you’ll be shocked at just how many marketable skills you have…and probably don’t realize!).

So, why would someone hire a VA? (Use these ideas when talking to potential clients about why they WANT you, NEED you, MUST HAVE YOU! or when you’re explaining this business to someone unfamiliar with it…)

Jennifer Cummings, Entrepreneur and Owner of Keytura, Inc., who has been using virtual assistants and virtual outsourcing for years says, “My virtual assistants and consultants have helped me execute so many of the lists of ideas I had just sitting on my desk. Using their services, I take action...which means I make more money! They are invaluable to my business!"

Time is precious to all business owners…so anything that frees up time and helps business is invaluable! Clients hire VAs to SAVE money! Yes…I said SAVE $$$. That may seem like an oxymoron, but just stay with me here…VAs are self-employed. They pay their own taxes, their own insurance, for their own equipment and furniture, for their own training, etc. CLIENTS CAN WRITE OFF YOUR VA CHARGES AS AN EXPENSE – and they don’t have to pay taxes for you, provide benefits and insurance…THAT’S HUGE! Any savvy business person is going to see the value right away!

Clients hire VAs…

1. To save money

2. To fill a position or to help with a temporary project

A client (i.e. business owner, entrepreneur, etc.) pays only for the services used – only when needed – no down time. One week your client might have 20 hours of work, the next only 5. We’ll talk about how you adjust for those fluctuations, but my point is…that’s a huge money-saver for clients. Why would they pay a full-time, onsite employee (who probably can’t get done in a day, what you get done in 2 hours!) benefits, vacation, taxes, lunch breaks, chatting at the copy machine, etc…when you can do it for them in half the time for half the expense???!!!

How can your client get past the “trust” factor and not having you onsite to make sure you’re doing what you say you are?

Well, that’s not hard. #1 - If you’re not doing what you say you are, it’s eventually going to become VERY obvious. Things won’t be getting done and it will show. #2 – You will keep track of, and provide your client with, a detailed record of tasks completed/time it took. #3 – and this is HUGE…

If you screw up your client’s business, you are – in essence – screwing up your own. What person in his/her right mind would do that???!!! You both (you and your clients) need to think of each other as business PARTNERS.

Dan Gooder Richard, President of Gooder Group, has written a GREAT FAQ article…it's from your potential client’s perspective (i.e. questions your client might have for you, about using your services, etc.). Click here for a copy of that article.