That is what I heard on my first client consultation. I was taken aback as ordinarily you would pay… £28k per annum for a PA.

What you should remember when you contract a VA…

When you contract a Virtual Assistant you don’t have to provide a whole bunch of stuff:

• No equipment – desk, computer, phone,
• No accommodation or heating,
• No holiday pay,
• No sick pay,
• No maternity leave,
• No company pension,
• Not tied into lengthy contracts with minimum hours.

You won’t have to pay for personal errands, chats with co-workers or phone calls on your time. I charge by the minute with a time-tracker whilst I am working on your task. This ensures you get value for money. You also only contract me for the work you want me to do. If you want me to work every day for only an hour then my flexible work-style can accommodate that. It’s a no brainer really!

Should we start bartering with other services?

When did it become OK to haggle on hourly price?

I charge £25 an hour and when I started to look around at what hourly rates other services charged I was surprised. My car mechanic charges £40 an hour, a plumber charges £50 for 15 mins! and a hairdresser charges £21 for a 30 minute haircut! Do people start saying I think you’re charging too much to these or similar services? Could you imagine what would happen if we did LOL!

The benefit of hiring me as your virtual assistant…

I have years of experience in the corporate world which has developed my skill set of which you can take advantage of. But don’t forget I also run my own business. I will be able to understand your challenges as I probably have been through similar. But more importantly, I will care about your business just as much as you. I will want you to keep being successful at what you do best so you have the funds to pay me for what I do best. I will think of best ways to make your business efficient.

VA vs PA

So what is the difference between a Virtual Assistant and a Personal Assistant? To quote one client:

“The only difference is you have to make your own coffee!”

But what would I use a virtual assistant for?