Taking care of your business support, design and print needs is my speciality, working in conjunction with you, or a member of your staff, to ensure that the end product is exactly what you need and of the highest quality. As a business owner for for many years myself, I bring to you a wide range of time tested business skills to suggest ways in which every project can be managed or combined to ensure its long term use and validity. If something doesn't seem necessary for your business, I'll let you know that, rather than just invoicing you for work on something of very little use to your business.
For many self-employed people, company directors or overworked managers, this is one of the major benefits of my service, you may spend hours, days or months coming up with an idea to streamline or promote your business, but it takes a third party to look with fresh eyes to realise that whilst an idea is great, it won't necessarily benefit your efficiency or income.
Over the years I have been asked many questions regarding business support and virtual assistance services, several of which are included below, but if you find that you're still not quite sure how I can help in your situation, please don't hesitate to contact me right away so that we can discuss your needs in more detail.
What is it exactly that Time for Business does?
What is business support?
What is a virtual assistant?
What are the advantages of using Time for Business?
What if I have existing staff?
How can you cover staff holidays and leave?
Which services are available?
How do I know my information is secure and confidential?
What if I want some help in my office?
How do we keep in touch with each other?
How much will it cost me?
Do I need to sign up for a minimum number of hours?
Is it cheaper to hire a virtual assistant than take on a new employee?
Does a virtual assistant have to be qualified or licensed?
What happens if I no longer require your services?
Who can help if Time for Business doesn't provide a service that I need?
How do we get started?
What is it exactly that Time for Business does?
I provide a range of services for self-employed people, businesses, companies and other organisations to assist with the ongoing administration, management and maintenance that goes hand in hand with daily business. From secretarial services to online promotion, event co-ordination to website maintenance and database management to business stationery design, to name a few. For a full list of services available, please visit the services page to find out more.
What is business support?
Business support is a term used to describe carrying out tasks in order to support you in the day to day running of your business, whether you're just getting started with a new venture, or you've been in business for years but need a helping hand.
What is a virtual assistant?
A virtual assistant is simply the internet based term used to describe an assistant that can help you from wherever they are located in the world. Correspondence and communication is carried out predominantly online, in the "virtual" world, but the range of services available is exactly the same as the options available for business support.
What are the advantages of using Time for Business?
With over twenty years' experience in various businesses, including my own, I am confident that I can assist you in the day to day administration of your business, the streamline and organisation of your systems and procedures and the long term promotion of your services, all of which combine to ensure success and longevity within your line of work. My skills and knowledge have been put to use in so many different businesses over the years that I am adaptable and comfortable in every new work situation, so you can rest assured that you don't need to spend hours making me comfortable and talking me through what needs to be done, just tell me what you need, give the information you have and I'll take care of it for you.
Unlike many virtual assistants you will find online, I am a real person who is available for a chat about your business and the plans you have in mind...there's no better way for you to find out how effectively we can work together than to give me a call or send an email to set up a convenient time for me to call you.
What if I have existing staff?
If you have existing staff, you may find that contracting assistance at an hourly rate is a lifesaver during exceptionally busy periods, staff holidays and sick/personal leave, public holidays when there's something urgent to be done or when your staff find that they're overloaded and they need assistance with their current workload.
How can you cover staff holidays and leave?
Covering staff leave is easy, whether it's in person or by virtual assistance. In a virtual setting, the ideal situation is to have advance warning so that I can spend half an hour or so (at no cost to you) chatting with the member of staff and going through the details that they will need me to cover during their absence, but if this can't happen, it's no problem. All I need is the information about which projects must be covered, details of any logins or passwords necessary and, of course, the project itself. If you are arranging for in-house cover in person, again it is ideal to have the chance to catch up with your staff member where possible, but if not, I simply turn up at the requested time and get started on your project(s) with the information provided to me.
Which services are available?
The services available are wide ranging but include the following:
Admin and secretarial services including data entry and typing at 105wpm
Database and form creation, maintenance and bulk mailing
Event co-ordination, teleconference hosting and online event promotion
Proofreading, editing and copy writing for print and online media
System set ups, office organising and new business start up assistance
Website maintenance, internet research and search engine optimisation
Business stationery, flyers, brochures and branded products design and print
Printing, copying, binding, laminating, scanning and related services
If you need something that isn't listed here, contact me to find out how I can help or I'll point you in the direction of someone who can.
How do I know my information is secure and confidential?
All customer information is always confidential and your files, projects, account details, login information, credit card details and everything related to your business is stored securely under password protection at all times. I have worked in confidential settings for over twenty years and the ability to maintain confidentiality is second nature to me.
What if I want some help in my office?
If you are looking for assistance in person, at your place of work, this may be possible dependent upon your location, but most projects can be carried out quicker and more efficiently without the need for me to attend your office. Occassionally, you may need a helping hand in person with a large project, so if this is the case, please let me know as soon as possible so that we can discuss the feasibility of this happening.
How do we keep in touch with each other?
Keeping in touch with each other is imperative to the success of every project, but you'll probably be surprised at how little we need to actually communicate. After initial discussions by phone, email or instant messaging, you can contact me whenever necessary by phone, email, Skype, instant messaging services or even by good old fashioned mail. I use several online messaging services and I'm also very happy to add your preferred option if I don't already use it...my job is to make working life easier for you, so I won't be asking you to spend time setting up a service you don't normally use. When I need to contact you, the same will apply, with all documentation, artwork and files exchanged via email, file download service, mail or courier.
How much will it cost me?
The costs involved vary depending upon the type of project you have in mind. You can choose from hourly rates, monthly retainer packages and per project rates. For rates and pricing details, please visit the rates page.
Do I need to sign up for a minimum number of hours?
There are no minimum charges with Time for Business and the options are very simple.
If you have a project to be completed, this can be charged at an agreed hourly rate, or a fixed price can be agreed upon before any work commences and you will receive a tax invoice at completion.
If you often have small projects to be completed, you can set up a monthly account for which all work is added and then invoiced a the end of each month for immediate payment. The advantage of this method is that you only receive one bill and as all work is invoiced at once, you may benefit from bulk rates.
Should you prefer to take the retainer option, you are guaranteed my time every month as a priority, without any waiting during busier periods, and you will benefit from greatly reduced rates due to your monthly retainer payments in advance. Monthly packages can be tailored to the individual but the most common options are ten hours, twenty hours and forty hours per month.
Is it cheaper to hire a virtual assistant than take on a new employee?
Yes, absolutely, especially if you're considering a part-time casual or permanent employee. Whilst you may be in a position to afford this commitment right now, a permanent part-time employee needs to be trained in all relevant aspects of your business, then they may be able to get through the bulk of your work during the initial phases of their employment with you. Often, an employer then finds themselves in the position that they do not actually have enough work to justify the ongoing expense of paying wages regularly and is faced with the possibility of having to let that person go, creating a gap once again when the admin and assistance tasks begin to build up.
With casual employees, depending on the award or government regulations per industry, there is usually a minimum number of hours, for example in Australia, most clerical awards are restricted to a three or four hour minimum block of hours for which the employee must be paid. Using a virtual assistant or business support services means that smaller jobs can be carried out, no matter how short the time taken needs to be, so despite the fact that the hourly rate is often a little higher, the actual cost to your business is a great deal less.
If you are considering a permanent full-time employee, you probably have enough work to justify that cost commitment, so in this case it is probably much more cost effective to go forward with recruiting and, in that instance, you may find that a virtual assistant or business support contractor is perfect for helping out during exceptionally busy periods or to cover staff holidays and leave only.
When making your decision regarding employment vs contracting services, work out the costs of the following for taking on an employee, whether they will be casual, permanent part-time or permanent full-time:
1) The hourly rate you will be paying your employee as well as the minimum number of hours per block/week.
2) Add on taxes, superannuation, holiday and personal leave, bonuses or other expenses.
3) Costs involved in setting up a workspace and equipment for the employee's use.
4) Time to be spent by you on induction, ongoing training and interacting with the employee in the future.
5) Time and costs relating to advertising and recruiting for the position available.
6) Realistic expectation of the amount of ongoing work to be carried out by an employee.
As a comparison, also work out the costs and potential benefits of hiring virtual assistance or business support services using the following pointers:
1) The hourly rate your contractor (remember there are no taxes, superannuation or leave expenses).
2) No workspace, equipment, bonuses, recruiting, advertising or ongoing financial costs.
3) No induction, training and ongoing time to be spent by you with your contractor.
4) No pressure during quiet periods or if you want to take an extended holiday with no work.
Does a virtual assistant have to be qualified or licensed?
The term "virtual assistant" came about during the 1990s. With the arrival of widespread internet access came the opportunity to connect with others "virtually" (ie not in person) and ultimately, the opportunity to work with another person or company, without ever actually meeting. There are many organisations, with more arriving each year, which offer virtual assistant training as well as some levels of self-governed certification, one of the largest and most reputable being the International Virtual Assistants Association, but there is no actual government recognised qualification. The main points to consider when hiring a VA or contracting business support services come right back down to the basic essentials that you'd use in every other circumstance:
1) Does the person you're considering as a contractor know what they're talking about?
2) Do you feel confident in the person's skills, knowledge and experience?
3) Does the potential contractor have a list of real live customers or testimonials for you to check out?
If you can't answer "yes" to all of the above, it's up to you whether you are willing to continue or not, but certification or no certification, if you don't feel confident about the skills or experience on offer, the person you're considering is probably not the best fit for you.
What happens if I no longer require your services?
If you decide to stop using any service, for any reason at all, this is never a problem. I understand that budgeting, timing, performance and prioritisation are fundamental in making the decision to hire and fire staff, as well as engage the services of a contractor. There will never be any pressure to continue with any service, so all you need to do is let me know that you're taking a break, no questions asked and no problem.
Who can help if Time for Business doesn't provide a service that I need?
If you require a service that I don't provide, I have a list of recommended referrals that I work from, so that I can give you the contact details of someone that I already know provides a great service.
How do we get started?
I'm ready when you are, so all you need to do is contact me by email, phone, instant messaging or your preferred method of keeping in touch, then we can discuss your needs, the timeframe involved and the cost, so that you can decide if you'd like to get started. There is no obligation whatsoever at any time, unless you choose to sign up for a retainer package, so if you'd like to just discuss the options, let's take a little time to do so and you can make up your mind from there. Contact me now, I'd love to hear from you.
 
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