Beacon Virtual Assistants, LLC

Getting started with a Virtual Assistant (VA) can seem a daunting task if you’ve not done this before. However, in today’s society and with the apps and programs available you can work with a remote VA just as easily as if they are in another part of your physical office. The trick is to find a program or app that has work-share features that both you and your virtual assistant will find easy to use. For example for file sharing, there are apps like OneDrive or Google Drive that can be used from your phone, tablet or computer. These apps will allow you to share things like files, spreadsheets, documents, photos and sound files. They are uploaded into the cloud and the VA can retrieve them from wherever they are working. To Do Lists and project and/or business management programs that work well with small group are ToDoIst and Trello.  These programs allow you to add projects, people and tasks. They also allow you to move and escalate items as the project moves through the cycl...

Ok, so we’ve talked about how a virtual assistant will save you time this year and we’ve talked about how a virtual assistant can help you grow your business, now let’s talk about the types of tasks that your virtual assistant can take off your plate. First and foremost, if the task that you are interested in outsourcing is not on this list, which is not all inclusive, contact Beacon Virtual Assistants at 314-650-9784 or email us barb@beaconvirtualassistants.com to come up with a plan for getting that task done. These are the most common items that are taken care of: Database/Customer Relationship Management- it is essential to network when working and growing a business. What do you do with all of those business cards that you receive? They should be going into a database or CRM program so that you can nurture that new relationship to develop them into either a customer or referral partner. Your VA can assist with getting all of those items into your database. Autorespond...

Virtual Assistants have been around since about the 1980’s, however there is still a lot of mystery around them and what they do or how they can help you as a small business owner. A Virtual Assistant can save you approximately 40% in business expenses from a traditional employee.  A VA is a independent contractor, which means that many of the “employee expenses” are actually covered by the VA. Plus, you only pay them for their actual productive time, not weekly. Employee Virtual Assistant Hiring Rate   $ 20.00    $35.00 Benefits (approx 1.25 of pay)   $   5.00         0.00 Total Effective Rate    $25.00     $35.00 Hours Worked     40       3-15 Weekly Investment   $1000      $105-$525 Weekly Savings   $475-$895 This is a huge savings that can be reinvested into other areas of the business, such as marketing. Next, lets look at inefficiencies. ...

There are many items that require your attention as a business owner. During “normal” business hours, you are busy growing and working your business. There are networking events, client meetings, being in the field guiding and working with your customers. After business hours, there are banquets, bookkeeping, social media, data entry (Customer Relation Management) and inventory control. What if there was an easier way? What if you could work and grow your business AND get those non profitable items completed at the same time? Did you know that the average small business owner works over 10 hours a month doing their own bookkeeping? With an extra 10 hours a month, you could finesse that customer that has been on the fence about hiring you, you could attend that other networking function that you really want to go to but don’t have time to, you could also go home and spend more time with your family. Imagine what that would be like!! What about social media? That seems like ...