Work from home mums are helping the Economy

Women from all over Australia are leading the way in helping their families by starting their own business, taking work from home roles and considering part-time or job share opportunities. I have always maintained the people on our Virtual Angels database are mainly highly educated, experienced and professional women who value the flexibility of working from home in their chosen professions and maintaining their career and profile. Now more than ever they are exploring innovative ways of re-joining the work force albeit remotely and what is not widely appreciated is that not only is this helping to sustain their own families but they are helping to kick-start Australia’s economy in general.

Small and medium sized business has always been the life blood of Australian business but would it surprise you to know that in recent figures from the US around four out of five businesses are started by women and 80 percent are mums. Apparently the number of women entrepreneurs are growing at twice the rate of men. These figures do not surprise me in the least. I believe women are naturally more entrepreneurial in spirit, they have this ability to adapt themselves more readily to change and be innovative in the way they address the needs of their family. The old saying ‘necessity is the mother of invention” in itself is so true. I remember a conversation a friend and I had a while ago. She is from the country and her mother grew up in the country. I am originally from London and have always lived and worked in the city. Her mother’s comment was that I would make a good ‘country wife’ because in her experience the most successful country wives were those who grew up in the city because they went to the country looking for opportunities and then had the nous and drive to make it happen. I imagine this is what is happening out there at the moment and necessity is driving this growth.

When women work from home for other companies, they are still helping the Australian economy recover. Companies benefit when they allow their employees to work from home. When pay needs to be cut or frozen, “homesourcing” can serve as a form of benefit by allowing employees to enjoy the cost savings of reduced commuting expenses and flexibility and other benefits of working at home.

Companies that “Homesource” decrease their overheads by reducing office space, IT equipment and other associated employee costs.

Traditionally, outsourcing has meant shifting work to overseas companies and is basically a way for a business to complete internal business tasks outside of the office. The process saves time and money, allowing the small business owner to pay for services only when they are needed. Not only does this remove a salary from the budget but all of the associated employee benefits package, it limits tax responsibility and reduces required office space, supplies and utility bills. Work-at-home mums who are self-employed could save businesses large and small millions of dollars annually.

There is more support than ever for Australian businesses from companies like Virtual Angels with a database of over 1900 people who are ready to work, who do not charge their Angels to register who have experience and degrees in a wide variety of backgrounds. With technology, virtually anything can be done from one’s home office.

It’s a win-win situation for the businesses and the mum-professionals; not to mention an advantage for the economy.

For more information on how Virtual Angels can help your business survive in these uncertain times visit our website - virtualangels.com.au

The Fresh Ideas for Work and Family Grant

I thought in today’s blog we would just bring to your attention the Fresh Ideas for Work and Family Grant. A government initiative that you and your small business may be eligible to apply for and which you may not have heard about yet.

This initiative will assist small businesses put in place flexible work arrangements for their people. The program provides grants of up to $15,000.

To be eligible you must be:

• A small business in Australia with fewer than 15 employees
• A sole trader that employs between 1 and 14 employees

Family friendly work arrangements benefit both employers and employees. Employers benefit from improved efficiency, increased staff retention and better health and safety. Employees enjoy increased job satisfaction, reduced health issues and better work-life balance.

For more information go to:

http://www.deewr.gov.au/WorkplaceRelations/FreshIdeas/Pages/default.aspx

Have a great day!

Employ Local Vs. Off-Shoring?

One question raised by potential clients when thinking about taking on a local Virtual Assistant is “how will the cost of this local option compare to me employing a Virtual Assistant based overseas in India or the Philippines where hourly rates appear to be well under those we can offer at home?”

The answer, I would suggest, is that there is more to be considered than just cost when making this decision and that a low hourly cost may be an illusion when it actually comes down to how long it is taking your VA to complete the work.

Obviously, a $5 per hour VA who takes 20 hours to complete an assignment is less affordable than a $25 per hour VA who does it in just 3 hours. Lack of experience, lack of local knowledge, more learning time, re-doing work, are just some of the reasons why the cheaper option will in the end cost you more.

Cultural differences and communication breakdowns also may add to the time it takes to complete an assignment and although Time Difference is often quoted as a benefit to Virtual Assistance, i.e., “go to bed and the work will be ready in the morning when you wake up” it can work against you if you are having to wait until your VA is up to be able to get something done quickly in real time not to mention the inconvenience of working in the middle of the night with them when you are trying to make a deadline!

There are many things to consider besides hourly rate when looking to appoint your VA – cheapest is not always best!

If you would like more information, visit Virtual Angels

Until next time.....

Caroline & The Virtual Angels Team

Small Businesses Can Now Hire Virtual Assistants More Affordably Than Ever and Do Their bit for the Environment

I note from various recent press releases, particularly out of the US that virtual assistants are being used more and more of late and what happens in the US and the UK is usually a good indicator of what will happen in Australia.

A recent survey from the US suggested that some businesses have up to 50% of their workforce working from virtual locations. We still struggle here in Australia breaking down the mind set of employers and convincing them of the benefits of virtual workers, so I urge Australian business owners to not take my word for it but look at some of the comments coming from business owners in the US already benefiting from this under used resource pool. They talk about the convenience, flexibility, and financial benefits of remote work. Some of the media reports I have been reading have cited small businesses looking to replace their bricks-and-mortar staff with virtual assistants in order to save as much as 50% on office expenses in this uncertain economy.

When a small business starts to look for a VA, the process may be quite daunting as there are so many people out there offering these services. Virtual Angels offer a personalised, service to all their clients and take the time to understand your individual needs and will carry out a tailored search of our extensive national database to find you the most suitable candidate for you and your business. Our clients are assured of the best possible Virtual Assistant to fit their business needs.

Another obvious benefit that businesses may not have thought of is the reduction of carbon emissions that hiring a virtual assistant or team of virtual assistants can provide your business. We shouldn’t under estimate the amount of savings to be had by office staff not driving into the office every day. Gallons of fuel will be saved along with the harmful emissions into the environment. It may seem insignificant but it is a big start for businesses to be more environmentally aware and to build on this for the future.

For more information on how a virtual assistant can help you save time and money in your business, visit virtualangels.com.au

Have a great weekend!

Caroline

How a Virtual Assistant can help your business especially in this challenging financial climate!

Hiring a virtual assistant from Virtual Angels can help a small business to succeed in today’s market. I would suggest that many business owners just don’t realise how many benefits an outsourced VA would bring to their business immediately. These people are so experienced they can ‘hit the ground running’ from day 1!

This challenging financial climate for small business could well be viewed as an opportunity to grow but you must have the right resources in place to free you up to develop the business. Here are some important things to think about right now:

1/ Plan Ahead – don’t be too short term in your overall business planning – think about where you want your business to be in five years from now and think about investing in the future. You may well be missing a fantastic opportunity to get one over on your competitors right now. As they shed resources you can monopolise and leverage off a very flexible resource – your Virtual Angel. You can control the budget and use your VA for 2 hours or 20 depending on what is happening in your business at the time. Remember you are helping to stimulate the economy by keeping people working albeit in a part-time capacity – this is usually enough for them to keep their cash flow going and help them survive this bleak period of unemployment – so do your bit for the community and at the same time maximise your business opportunities.

2/ Change Your Mindset – We all need to get our head around the fact that the future of business is going to depend more and more on trusting virtual workers. We must adopt a more outcome focussed mindset and apply these outcome oriented KPI’s to our workers. Micro-managing people and looking over their shoulder constantly is unproductive and time consuming. Trust your professional Virtual Assistant, apply deadlines and be clear on expectations – you will be amazed at the results.

3/ Stop Being a Control Freak – So you think you are the only one who can run your business, eh? You are the one who started this business because you have a passion and you believe in the service or product. There comes a time when we all have to let go and let other people come in and help us otherwise you will run yourself ragged trying to be all things to all people and your business will simply not grow. Before you know it you will be frazzled and in a heap and possibly fail. Build your resources slowly but surely and trust. Allow us to find you the perfect person for your business who shares your values and your passion, first and foremost.

4/ Learn to Delegate – Stop being too busy to explain and delegate. Your Virtual Angel is an experienced professional, you usually will only have to explain things once and they will get it. Believe it or not he or she may even suggest a new and better way of doing things and before you know it you have a streamlined and efficient process in place. A little bit of time spent up front explaining how things need to be run will be worth the investment.

5/ Guaranteed Return on Investment – This will be the most cost effective and life changing investment you ever make. A Virtual Angel will change the way you work forever and free you up so much time you didn’t think you had. I would almost guarantee you will get your return on investment in the first few weeks of hiring your angel because at last you will have the time to personally follow through on all of the sales leads and opportunities you were missing before.

Take action NOW. Give us a call and start making your business really work for you. Find the passion you started with….I think it’s hidden under all of those invoices over there that need doing!

Have a productive day!

Caroline & The Virtual Angels Team

Resourcing in a Recession

As we can all see, hear and feel around us. Things are tough in the labour market. Hundreds are losing their jobs and organisations are suffering on under resourced trying to keep their heads above water, especially small to medium businesses. Hiring freezes are on and the costs associated with taking on another employee can make small business owners think twice about getting help - even though additional help is desperately what they need. For some struggling small businesses there is no choice, they simply cannot afford another person so business owners are forced to work longer hours and probably are not doing what they do best and that’s promote and sell their business.

An affordable alternative to hiring an employee, for a small business, is a Virtual Assistant – through Virtual Angels of course!

Essentially, we will find you a highly productive, professional who works off site saving you time and money. The virtual worker is available on an as-needs basis – whether it be 2 or 20 hours a week. . A virtual assistant can answer the phones once they’ve been re-directed, coordinate diary’s, design and deliver marketing campaigns, organise travel, proofread and format documents and presentations, update blogs and create newsletters, handle customer support, transcribe dictation, create a new website or logo and keep your book-keeping and accounts in order, and much, much more. If it can be done remotely using phone, Internet, email, and/or fax, a virtual assistant can take care of it.

I think it’s a shame more small businesses do not know this amazing assistance is available to them. For small and soloist business owners trying to keep costs down, there isn't a more low risk and affordable way to get work done and continue growing through this recession.

Until next time......

Caroline

Who has heard of Homesourcing?

Apologies…it’s been a while since we last blogged but things have been hectic to the say the least. However, interesting article and new buzz word has come to my attention that I thought I would share with everyone based on the fact this relates to exactly our field and sector.

Who has heard of Homesourcing?

I looked it up in good old Wikipedia and here’s the definition:

Homesourcing also known as homeshoring is "the transfer of service industry employment from offices to home-based employees with appropriate telephone and Internet facilities". Homeshoring is best thought of as a combination of outsourcing and telecommuting.

Homesourcing refers to hiring employees or engaging independent contractors. Homesourced workers are sometimes required to come to an office for training from time-to-time.

Traditionally, employers were most likely to homeshore call-centers and other customer service processes. However, this trend is changing as employers realize a wider variety of work is amenable to homeshoring. Knight Ridder Newspapers reports "it's no longer just call centers and information-technology jobs. Now it's architects, accountants, tax preparers and financial analysts."

According to researcher IDC Homesourcing is expanding by about 20% a year and homesourcing is "on track to explode".

Advantages of homesourcing

• Worker preference – homesourced workers often need to work from home or strongly prefer to work from home. They appreciate this opportunity, and therefore are loyal.

• Reduced costs for the employer as homesourced workers often provide their own telephone equipment and computer systems. Employer also saves on cost of office space.

• Using homesourced workers that are local to the area where they are calling precludes the prejudice that is sometimes created from regional accents, mannerisms and rates of speech.

• Possible tax advantages for the worker using part of their home for business purposes.

• it provides the employer the ability to provide work to individuals who through disability are unable to travel to a workplace

Well isn’t this just we have been talking about for 4 years now?! Suddenly there is a surge of interest for home based workers – not only by small to medium business but now the corporates are waking up to the idea. It certainly gives me hope that during these trying times for some families that our employers are beginning to wake up to the fact that this method of resourcing makes perfect sense – for all parties. Keeping costs down for employers and keeping Aussie’s working!

Speak to you soon

Caroline and the Virtual Angels Team