From financial administration to supporting marketing, social media or building websites. A virtual assistant can be deployed in a wide range of ways and determines his/her specific tasks. To find out exactly what this function entails and how you can use a VA for your company, we spoke to Brenda Brekelmans, who has been working as a virtual assistant for 3.5 years now.
A virtual assistant, also called a virtual assistant or VA, is an entrepreneur who supports and advises fellow entrepreneurs online (sometimes on location) within their company. You can actually see it as a kind of remote secretary or personal assistant that you can fly in online to take care of the entrepreneur's worries. Because as a VA you are also an entrepreneur, you can think along with clients on a different level.
What does a virtual assistant do?
The tasks of a virtual assistant are very diverse. A virtual assistant is often associated with virtual assistant administrative tasks. But it can be much broader (or more specialized) than that. For example, I often work as a sparring partner and determine together with the client which tasks within the organization can be taken on by me. Think of taking over daily tasks to keep the business process going. But also implementing the corporate identity, designing flyers, redesigning work processes or taking over social media is one of the possibilities. You are then really cooperating within the company.
If I had to describe myself, I would be more of an all-round VA who can also think along at a strategic management level. I also work as a freelance online business manager. In this, I have a more advisory role. But these qualities also come in handy in my VA role. This can also partly overlap.
Brenda Brekelmans, virtual assistant
What types of VAs are there?
Many VAs can be used all-round. That is the strength of many VAs. They can be used widely and flexibly. But not every virtual assistant is good at everything. Some VAs specialize more in one industry or one program. If I had to categorize virtual assistants, I would roughly end up with this list:
- Accountant VA
An accounting VA is good at bookkeeping and invoicing and can organize and maintain your entire financial administration. Within this there are also VAs who specialize. For example, by focusing on one program, such as a moneybird advisor.
- Technical VA
There are also technical virtual assistants. They are mainly concerned with the technical side of entrepreneurship. You can specialize in building WordPress websites or setting up online environments, tools and programs. Ideal when you are starting a new project or are still starting up your company.
- VA project manager
A VA project manager can be seen as a somewhat 'heavier VA'. In addition to providing structure and overview in a project, the VA can also fully manage the project or lead a team. In this case, you can see a VA more as a sidekick with whom you can spar and who thinks strategically about your business.
- VA social media / VA content
Some VAs focus entirely on social media support, content writing or sometimes even video editing. These are often longer-term projects for which they are deployed to produce, plan and maintain content.
- VA administration & HR
You also have VAs who have completely focused on virtual assistant administrative tasks or Human Resources. So it is actually not possible to describe in 1 sentence what a VA does as it is very diverse and varied.
The number of entrepreneurs who work as VAs has increased considerably in recent years.
A virtual assistant seems like a fairly new position. How did this freelance position come about in recent years?
If you look at Wikipedia, the profession has been around since 2012. However, the number of entrepreneurs who work as VAs has increased considerably in recent years. While people were initially surprised at what I was going to do as an entrepreneur and the fact that I was going to do it from home, since Covid everyone knows how well it is possible to collaborate online.
How did you end up in this position?
At the end of 2018, I decided to start my own business after being stuck at home twice in a row for business reasons. I didn't want this to happen a third time, due to poor employer practices on the part of someone else. At that time I had just found myself alone with 4 children. By working as a VA I was able to combine work and private life perfectly. So for me it was a logical step to start as a VA.
What do you like most about your expertise? (And freelancing)?
My expertise allows me to work closely with various entrepreneurs on their businesses. The energy you get from that is what I do it for! Working together to make their company function better. Using a helicopter view to identify and resolve certain bottlenecks. You experience that specific feeling of freedom that you get as an entrepreneur, but you still work very closely with people, which creates that team feeling.
A virtual assistant seems like a fairly new position. How did this freelance position come about in recent years?
If you look at Wikipedia, the profession has been around since 2012. However, the number of entrepreneurs who work as VAs has increased considerably in recent years. While people were initially surprised at what I was going to do as an entrepreneur and the fact that I was going to do it from home, since Covid everyone knows how well it is possible to collaborate online.
How did you end up in this position?
At the end of 2018, I decided to start my own business after being stuck at home twice in a row for business reasons. I didn't want this to happen a third time, due to poor employer practices on the part of someone else. At that time I had just found myself alone with 4 children. By working as a VA I was able to combine work and private life perfectly. So for me it was a logical step to start as a VA.
What do you like most about your expertise? (And freelancing)?
My expertise allows me to work closely with various entrepreneurs on their businesses. The energy you get from that is what I do it for! Working together to make their company function better. Using a helicopter view to identify and resolve certain bottlenecks. You experience that specific feeling of freedom that you get as an entrepreneur, but you still work very closely with people, which creates that team feeling.
How can companies use a VA?
You can use a VA in various ways, as temporary support or replacement in the event of employee illness or maternity leave, for example. But also on a project basis or long-term collaborations. Actually very flexible. A lot is possible in consultation with a VA. If you are looking for more specific knowledge for more complex tasks, it is best to look for a specialist VA.
You experience that specific feeling of freedom that you get as an entrepreneur, but you still work very closely with people, which creates that team feeling.
When is a VA really necessary?
Simply put: When an entrepreneur gets stuck in his/her work or when the growth of the organization stagnates. By outsourcing certain tasks, the entrepreneur can then focus on more important matters so that the company can grow again.
What are common mistakes that you encounter in the field?
Some clients want to assign too many different tasks to one person. Even an all-round VA often does not have all the expertise in-house. Often a VA, including me, does have their own network within which they can outsource assignments to someone else or recommend another VA. For example, I would never take on the financial administration. The first thing I did when I started working for myself as a VA was hire an accountant.
What was your most fun, or most interesting assignment? And why?
Actually, every assignment has something, it is precisely the diversity and variation that makes it so much fun. For example, I have mainly worked in maternity care for the past 2.5 years and I now work with someone in information provision. Two completely different sectors with different entrepreneurs.
One similarity is that two are/were start-ups. Being allowed to help start a new company remains special. Also to see how differently the various entrepreneurs approach this but are open to my feedback and experience.
We always told her to throw it over the fence. When I noticed that this turned out to be difficult, I jokingly stood in my garden near the fence with my hands up. Ready to catch whatever she might throw.
What do you most often encounter with clients?
That it is often difficult for clients to indicate in advance exactly how many hours the work will take. Fortunately, most VAs are very flexible and you can often adjust this in consultation.
What is also interesting about some clients is that they may have difficulty letting go of certain activities. Some are very easy about this and leave you completely free to make all the decisions yourself. Others have a lot of difficulty with this.
For example, I experienced a client who was close to burnout and found it difficult to completely outsource things. We always told her to throw it over the fence. When I noticed that this turned out to be difficult, I jokingly stood in my garden near the fence with my hands up. Ready to catch whatever she might throw. My daughter took the photo, and the client joked that she would put it on her desk as a souvenir. Luckily she didn't do that. From that moment on things went a little better and she managed to outsource more.
How do you become a virtual assistant?
Just do it! I simply jumped in based on my broad and long work experience. I have gained a lot of work experience as a secretary, executive secretary, management secretary and as a marketing coordinator. But there are now also various trainers who offer good training to become a Virtual Assistant if you would rather learn more about the ins and outs of the profession before you start.
Do you have any tips for clients looking for a VA?
Try to determine for yourself where your specific need lies. This is to describe the assignment as well as possible and to attract the right type and kind of VA. Otherwise you will be flooded with responses and you will lose a lot of time before you have found the right VA.
Also Read : What does a Virtual Assistant
Also Read : How to become a virtual assistant
