d of your progress on their projects or tasks. Make a schedule of points in the life of the project at which you will check-in with your client.

- Business Savvy: There is a substantial difference in the earning potential of the VA who sees their work as building a business vs. the VA who is just an hourly worker who works from home.

The VA business owner who is building a business can envision the point at which she too is subcontracting work out to hourly workers. She can take on more projects while actually working less.

The VA busine

In part 1 of this article, we looked at a variety of skills a Virtual Assistant (VA) can provide for a small business. In part 2 of this article, we look at the organizational and administrative skills that the VA must have to run their own businesses in a way that allows them to provide these services to others.

- Organization: Obviously, a VA must be highly organized. There is a degree of administrative overhead with any business, and if you are an independent VA, you are running a business. Only by being organized can you keep the tasks that you have to do in support of your business to a minimum so that you are free to provide services to other businesses.

You need to be able to multi-task since you will probably be handling multiple tasks for your clients at one time; multitasking is also an essential skill because you may be supporting more than one client at a time. Project managing software like Microsoft Project or even Outlook is an invaluable tool for the successful VA.

- Time Management: You must be able to tightly organize your day and only experience a minimum of distractions when you are juggling multiple tasks. It is important that you are able to set aside a specific part of your day in which you are not completing tasks for a client. Schedule your personal phone calls and e-mail responses during this time.

- Integrity: A VA must have impeccable integrity. Keeping scrupulous records of your time and any expenses associated with your clients' work is very important. While most clients have a sense of what the tasks they are contracting you to do will take, they trust you to report your time honestly. It is important to be sure that you do not overbill your clients.

If your contract with the client is based on hourly work, you need to stop the clock any time you stop working on the client's tasks to do something for yourself. Even bathroom breaks must be off the clock.

- Communication: You must have a reliable way to communicate with your clients. Some VAs use Instant Messenger or even e-mail to keep in touch with their clients during the course of the work day.

Since you are working in separate locations, it is important to keep the client informed of your progress on their projects or tasks. Make a schedule of points in the life of the project at which you will check-in with your client.

- Business Savvy: There is a substantial difference in the earning potential of the VA who sees their work as building a business vs. the VA who is just an hourly worker who works from home.

The VA business owner who is building a business can envision the point at which she too is subcontracting work out to hourly workers. She can take on more projects while actually working less.

The VA busine

have to do in support of your business to a minimum so that you are free to provide services to other businesses.

You need to be able to multi-task since you will probably be handling multiple tasks for your clients at one time; multitasking is also an essential skill because you may be supporting more than one client at a time. Project managing software like Microsoft Project or even Outlook is an invaluable tool for the successful VA.

- Time Management: You must be able to tightly organize your day and only experience a minimum of distractions when you are juggling multiple tasks. It is important that you are able to set aside a specific part of your day in which you are not completing tasks for a client. Schedule your personal phone calls and e-mail responses during this time.

- Integrity: A VA must have impeccable integrity. Keeping scrupulous records of your time and any expenses associated with your clients' work is very important. While most clients have a sense of what the tasks they are contracting you to do will take, they trust you to report your time honestly. It is important to be sure that you do not overbill your clients.

If your contract with the client is based on hourly work, you need to stop the clock any time you stop working on the client's tasks to do something for yourself. Even bathroom breaks must be off the clock.

- Communication: You must have a reliable way to communicate with your clients. Some VAs use Instant Messenger or even e-mail to keep in touch with their clients during the course of the work day.

Since you are working in separate locations, it is important to keep the client informed of your progress on their projects or tasks. Make a schedule of points in the life of the project at which you will check-in with your client.

- Business Savvy: There is a substantial difference in the earning potential of the VA who sees their work as building a business vs. the VA who is just an hourly worker who works from home.

The VA business owner who is building a business can envision the point at which she too is subcontracting work out to hourly workers. She can take on more projects while actually working less.

The VA busine

ns when you are juggling multiple tasks. It is important that you are able to set aside a specific part of your day in which you are not completing tasks for a client. Schedule your personal phone calls and e-mail responses during this time.

- Integrity: A VA must have impeccable integrity. Keeping scrupulous records of your time and any expenses associated with your clients' work is very important. While most clients have a sense of what the tasks they are contracting you to do will take, they trust you to report your time honestly. It is important to be sure that you do not overbill your clients.

If your contract with the client is based on hourly work, you need to stop the clock any time you stop working on the client's tasks to do something for yourself. Even bathroom breaks must be off the clock.

- Communication: You must have a reliable way to communicate with your clients. Some VAs use Instant Messenger or even e-mail to keep in touch with their clients during the course of the work day.

Since you are working in separate locations, it is important to keep the client informed of your progress on their projects or tasks. Make a schedule of points in the life of the project at which you will check-in with your client.

- Business Savvy: There is a substantial difference in the earning potential of the VA who sees their work as building a business vs. the VA who is just an hourly worker who works from home.

The VA business owner who is building a business can envision the point at which she too is subcontracting work out to hourly workers. She can take on more projects while actually working less.

The VA busine

t to be sure that you do not overbill your clients.

If your contract with the client is based on hourly work, you need to stop the clock any time you stop working on the client's tasks to do something for yourself. Even bathroom breaks must be off the clock.

- Communication: You must have a reliable way to communicate with your clients. Some VAs use Instant Messenger or even e-mail to keep in touch with their clients during the course of the work day.

Since you are working in separate locations, it is important to keep the client informed of your progress on their projects or tasks. Make a schedule of points in the life of the project at which you will check-in with your client.

- Business Savvy: There is a substantial difference in the earning potential of the VA who sees their work as building a business vs. the VA who is just an hourly worker who works from home.

The VA business owner who is building a business can envision the point at which she too is subcontracting work out to hourly workers. She can take on more projects while actually working less.

The VA busine

d of your progress on their projects or tasks. Make a schedule of points in the life of the project at which you will check-in with your client.

- Business Savvy: There is a substantial difference in the earning potential of the VA who sees their work as building a business vs. the VA who is just an hourly worker who works from home.

The VA business owner who is building a business can envision the point at which she too is subcontracting work out to hourly workers. She can take on more projects while actually working less.

The VA business owner can concentrate on the quality control of the work turned over to the client, while leaving the more rote and menial tasks to his or her staff.

- Office Space: Most VAs work from home and have a space dedicated to the VA business. Doing so will make it easier for you to stay organized and provide your clients with a higher quality of service. It also tends to make the people you live with respect your business. They are less inclined to disturb you when you are working if you are not sharing supplies, computers, and desk space with the rest of the family.

- Business Support: Retain the services of a good accountant, insurance agent and lawyer. They can answer questions on how to structure your business, insure your business, and file your business taxes. While you could probably do most of the services they provide, as with everything, there is a time tradeoff. The time it takes you to find the answers is time you could be applying to supporting your own clients and making money.

If you don't have business skills, take some time to develop them. Take a class on starting your own business and then market your VA skills. You will go a long way to ensuring your success if you adequately prepare before launching out on your own.

To get consistent VA work, list your Virtual Assistant business on service marketplaces like eLance.com, RentaCoder.com or a more cutting edge service like www.Iganit.com. Iganit.com is a Web 2.0 Internet service that allows you to promote your services with video and also allows client feedback. Iganit.com is based in Atlanta, Georgia but it is branching out nationally.