There’s a wonderful opportunity out there to get work done that you might be doing that you shouldn’t be doing or work that might not be getting done. It can be a great way to do something less expensively and have a faster turnaround time than going through any current staff that you might have.

What is it? Utilizing a virtual assistant. There’s a number of very good people out there who are looking to do work from home who have specific skills that could be very useful to some of the work that you are doing or need to have done. It can help you move farther along or save money in the process versus what you’d be doing in-house.

For example, I have a terrific virtual assistant, Karley, who’s doing a wonderful job transcribing my dictations of this various articles. It’s allowed me to get so many more articles done in such a short period of time. It’s been a real blessing to have her involved.

So, what kind of things are you doing that could be better off done by somebody else?

Where can you find someone like this? Here’s a couple possibilities:

1. Guru.com. Here’s where I’ve had some of the best luck finding somebody. I’ve gotten three different people doing things of very different skills.

2. Elance.com. Another resource.

3. Virtual Assistant Associations. There are a couple different associations out there on virtual assistants. These could be useful if you’re looking for a very general virtual assistant to handle a large number of things, as opposed to something in a more very specific area.

I’m sure there are lots of other areas out there where you could find somebody. I’ve had good luck myself through Guru so far.

So, tap into the world of virtual assistants. See what they can do to free up your time for more valuable things and help you propel your company forward.

Jon Paul, MBA, CPA, CMC, CM&AA

President, Value Added Finance Resources
Bringing new insights on results and maximizing company value