Are you overwhelmed by administrative tasks in your business, and are considering hiring some help? Have you decided that a Virtual Assistant, or VA, is the best choice for your business, but don’t know how to take the next steps? If you answered yes to any or all of the above questions, it’s time I show you how choosing a quality “virtual staffing agency” can be the difference between finding a quality professional to assist you in growing your business, and spending your personal time, money, and energy, only to find you’ve hired a Virtual Assistant who couldn’t “hack it.”

So, you’ve decided it’s time to expand your business by hiring a Virtual Assistant. Congratulations! You have just set yourself apart from many entrepreneurs, because you are willing to embrace the staffing solutions of the new millennium. Your competition, who may still be insisting on hiring an “on-site” assistant, is having to run expensive employment ads, create and initiate training with their new hire, pay for additional phone lines, computers, and desk supplies, AND be bothered by dealing with payroll taxes and benefits for their employee. What an antiquated system!

On the other hand, you’ve decided you want to “go virtual,” by hiring a Virtual Assistant. The VA you hire will have a fully functional home office, complete with unlimited long-distance, virtual fax capabilities, a virtual PBX, cellular phone, computer with high speed internet access, a printer, and a quiet work environment. Best of all, you have the ability to hire your Virtual Assistant as an independent contractor, which will save you when dealing with the IRS, and your state and local taxing authorities.

Now you have to decide whether or not it is to your benefit to hire your Virtual Assistant on your own, or go through a “Virtual Staffing Agency.” The first thing most of us think of when we think of going through an agency, is EXPENSIVE. Why would anyone want to go through a virtual staffing agency, when they can just run an ad and hire a VA on their own?

Let’s do a cost analysis on hiring your own Virtual Assistant, versus hiring a VA through a Virtual Staffing Agency. First of all, if you plan to hire a VA on your own, you are undoubtedly going to have to run employment ads; so you’re going to invest your time and energy, creating and submitting your advertisement. If you run an employment ad that has a cost involved, for instance, in your local paper, you’re looking at an average cost of approximately $300 – $400, for a weekend run, with internet coverage. This ad may or may not yield the new hire you are looking for. On the flip side, if you utilize a reputable virtual staffing agency, one simple phone call gets the ball rolling. Most services have an extensive pool of virtual assistants they can tap into to meet your needs quickly.

What happens if you choose to hire your own Virtual Assistant, and he or she is not right for the job? What do you do, if the VA you hired quits? Well, when you hire a VA on your own – it’s back to the drawing board. You’re going to have to spend the time, energy, and money all over again, to find a replacement. When you hire a Virtual Assistant through a service, you call or email, and a new VA will be assigned to you.

Let’s talk about what you’re going to pay your assistant. If you hire your own VA, you’re going to have to pay him/her the general going rate; which is currently between $18.00 – $50.00 per hour, depending on the expertise level required by the assistant. Obviously, it would cost more to hire an “agency” VA, right? Not really, when you look at the big picture! Imagine not having to purchase expensive office equipment, adding additional telephone lines or internet service cables. You won’t have to deal with payroll or payroll taxes either. In fact, the high expense associated with Worker’s Compensation won’t be a concern of yours at all.

Let’s break down the costs in black and white:

Hire VA on your own

initial time and costs for employment ads pay your VA while training utilize your VA for a specific number of hours each week no replacement, if the relationship does not work out

additional expenses when hiring replacement

Hire through a Virtual Staffing Service

NO upfront costs No contract length commitments Satisfaction Guarantee Only 2 hour per week minimum Each VA is tested, trained, and qualified No replacement costs Hourly rate comparable to rate paid when hiring on your own

Hiring a Virtual Assistant can be one of the most cost-effective means of growing your business. While hiring a VA on your own can work in some cases, it comes with no guarantees the relationship will work out. Utilizing a virtual staffing agency can be the win-win situation you need – just do the math!
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