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“Would you register my wife and me for this event?”
That’s one of the tasks I’ve done for one our our client families.
The Virtual Assistant industry is growing (despite the annoying fact of people referring to Alexa, Google Home and Echo as “virtual assistants.”) Major outlets like Entrepreneur and the New York Post are sharing about the concept, and more entrepreneurs, small businesses, and individuals are seeing the value of building a relationship with support staff that many not even live in the same state.
There are a lot of advantages of working with one or more virtual service providers, especially if you are an individual or small business without the funds to commit to a permanent employee. (Side note: be careful about hiring independent contractors and treating them like employees. That’s not the purpose of this post, but here’s an article from the IRS about the distinctions.)
There are at least four different models for VA services (and there may be even more!)
- Independent VAs. This is where you build a relationship with one VA who has his/her own business offering these types of services.
- Task-specific services. Virtual providers offer very specific, short-term task support (i.e. editing a video) and do this for a large number of people through an online host (i.e. Fiverr.)
- Placement companies. Here’s where you will use the connections and skills of an overseeing company to be matched with one (or more, if needed) VAs who can support you in a variety of ways.
- Collectives/Networks. This is the model HOPE Unlimited uses, providing a bridge to a network of independent virtual service providers who interact as a team to support HOPE’s clients as needed, or who receive referrals from us, while providing one central contact (i.e. me!)
You don’t have to own a business to benefit from a relationship with a Virtual Assistant. Do you ever wish you could have a Virtual Assistant On-Call for small or short-term tasks like:
- Going through your in-box to handle routine emails? (We’ve done that.)
- Researching site-seeing for a family trip? (We’ve done that.)
- Editing blog posts? (We’ve done that.)
- Encouraging you in your writing or other professional goals? (We’ve done that.)
- Maintaining your Facebook page? (We’ve done that.)
- Researching how to build something special for your cats? (Yes, we’ve done that.)
- Finding apartment options for a senior citizen? (We’ve done that.)
- Arranging a college visit? (We’ve done that.)
- Finding a part online for your dishwasher? (We’ve done that.)
- Adding your children’s school calendars to your Google calendar? (We’ve done that.)
- Making a flight reservation. (We’ve done that.)
- Helping you update your Linked In Profile? (We’ve done that.)
It would be nice, wouldn’t it?
Except that it costs money to retain a VA, especially those who want guaranteed hours. Maybe you don’t want to commit to 5, 10 or 20 hours at a time, or be billed the highest rate just to be invoiced as you go.
We have the solution for you. Welcome to The One-Hour VA.
HOPE Unlimited serves a special niche client. Our average client uses us five or fewer hours a week…sometimes less than one hour! But they ENJOY being part of our client family? Why?
Because…
“…I know I can trust you with important work that helps me move my business forward. Also…because I don’t have to deal with all of the emails I get. LOL. :-)” Alison R.
“…Beth and her team are a pleasure to work with. Not only do I get top quality support to grow my business, I get to work with thoughtful and caring people.” Shelley R.
“…Beth keeps me on track, keeps me sane, and keeps me feel confident that what her team promises, her team delivers!” Chris E.
“…Beth and her team are continually looking out for my organization’s best interest. Beth not only presents me with solutions to current needs, but she continually anticipates future needs my organization may encounter. She and her team are not only professional in delivering quality service, but Beth, specifically, is servant-hearted in her approach with clients. Our organization recognizes that as a rare combination these days and we are grateful for Beth and her team.” Stephanie B.
“….then I can focus on what only I can do.” David D.
“…because I trust Beth and her team to complete tasks that support my business in a thorough, efficient and ethical manner. Doing business with Beth and her team members is a pleasure.” Leslie M.
So I got to thinking, what if we could serve others who want to be part of our client family, but aren’t sure they need us as much as other clients? What could we do to welcome them and be available on a regular basis without pressuring them? And I came up with the idea of a membership model that I’m happy to announce to you.
How Does it Work?
The last week of the month, we open a limited number of spots in this membership program. (For July 2017, there are five spots available.) For $40, you reserve your spot for the following month. Your membership automatically renews each month, until you cancel, giving you automatic “first rights” to available memberships.
On or around the first of the month, I will send a personal email to you as an on-call client, to help arrange use of your hour for the month, whether for hand-on administrative tasks, a consultation, or a combination of the two. (Full disclosure: the hour does not roll into future months…whatever you don’t use, you lose. That’s why I contact you to help you use it!)
What’s In It for Me?
- One full hour of general VA* assistance by Beth and/or one of our collective VA providers (VAs with similar values and skills)
- 15% discount on any additional time needed for projects that month (Regular invoicing price of $38.00 is reduced to $32) and you won’t be billed until the following month.
- Automatic enrollment as a HOPE Helper, with its own benefits.
- 2o% off the normal price for a Coffee with Beth Consultation (if you choose to use 30 or 60 minutes toward this service.)
- One personal check-in email from me on or around the 1st of the month to arrange the best way to use your hour that month.
- Full consideration as a part of the HOPE Unlimited client family and the privilege of having a team on-call.
- A portion of redeemed time is put into our Give HOPE Fund.
Ready to enroll?
*This program utilizes our general administrative specialists. Contact Beth regarding arrangements with specialized service providers (i.e. graphic design, social media strategy, etc.)