Virtual Assistants are not expensive: Pro’s can be found for $3/hour
Friday, April 25th, 2008I recently read a post by Elizabeth Weinstein regarding virtual assistants. I took the time to comment on a specific issue in her post regarding the cost of virtual assistants. Her exact word has bee quoted below, with clarification items provided by me in italicized [brackets]
“Yes, they [virtual assistants] cost a bit more than some kid from the local college , but this makes sense — you are saving money by no employee taxes, admin, or benefits costs — and a VA is theoretically more experienced/skilled. [specific skills noted in the article included are bulleted below in MY paraphrased words]
- Answers phone calls, emails
- scheduling appointments
- research
- misc other tasks
Virtual Assistants Do Not Cost More Then College Students
I must specifically disagree with the comment that virtual assistants cost more then college students. I’ve personally hired extremely professional VAs from around the entire world for less then the US minimum wage. Now, before you go and get all angry and think that I’m the worst person in the world for hiring people at what some might call “slave labor” wages, allow me to explain myself.
My First Experience Hiring Quality VAs For Rock Bottom Pricing
I first hired a VA to handle the project management of my web design business (planning client projects via phone, managing the design team, handling customer questions along the way, etc.). I had no idea what price to expect and was expecting to pay around $10-$15/hour, as I decided to outsource the tasks to Phillipines providers after hearing of their lower then normal rates.
After finding a number of applicants via craigslist, I found a guy that I was really interested in working with. His english was awesome in both phone and email conversations, he seemed to have a good business head on his shoulders (I wanted a person that could make decisions without bothering me everyday), and he was ready to begin right away. After explaining all aspects of the job position, including tasks, programs he’d use, hours of operation (9am-5pm USA California Time), etc I asked him how much he wanted to make.
I need to be clear that I put the ball in his court: I never told him anything about pricing that I was willing to pay. I’ve learned from outsourcing web design projects in the past that you should never ever name your price first. His reply my question of “how much do you want to make hourly for this job position” was as noted below.
“Given all the information that we’ve talked about and my understanding of all the details of the position, I think that $3/hour is fair for this work. I can start right away on Monday morning at 9am US time”
I WAS ABSOLUTELY AMAZED AT THIS $3/HOUR PRICE!
I was ready to pay this guy $10-$15/hour to run my entire business…I wanted out of the business so that I could attend to other business ventures, enjoy traveling, and enjoy less stress from constant client contacts. I kept my amazement to myself when he said $3/hour and simply said “hmmm. that’s a little more then we were hoping to pay, but you seem qualified so we’ll give it a try and see how things go”.
He’s Been Running My Entire Business for $3/Hour Ever Since
This VA has been running my entire business operations (and I mean everything) ever since I hired him. I gradually gave him more responsibilities and I’ve never found anything he can’t handle. I’ve since given him a few raises, and my team averages about $3-$5/hour. Business is going amazingly smooth, I’m making more money now then I was when I was at the drivers seat of the business, and I’ve since been able to enjoy life much more.
Moral of the Story
VAs are not expensive. If you’re willing to take a leap of faith and learn how to expand your team to people around the entire world, you too can have amazing quality for less then a subway sandwhich would cost you in the US.
I’ll provide more postings in the future regarding my experiences of working with VAs. Until that time, good luck with your VA experiences.
*you can read Elizabeth’s article by clicking here
Related Postings
-Jonathan Robert is a Serial Entrepreneur helping other businesses to make their businesses more efficient. A true entrepreneur at heart, Jonathan started his first company at age 15. He has since been able to create a number of businesses that are designed to be as efficient as possible in that they produce income for Jonathan while he is able to enjoy traveling, surfing, spending time with friends/family, and pursuing other business ventures.