Just what is a Virtual Assistant and how can a Virtual Assistant save you time and money? Virtual Assistants are independent contractors who partner with you to take all that busy work off your plate and get you back out doing what you love - your core competency isn't dealing with adminitrative headaches! That's our core competency!

A Virtual Assistant provides clients administrative support from their home office, all the services you would expect from an ‘in office' secretary or assistant, plus a whole lot more. With a Virtual Assistant, you never cover payroll taxes, insurance or buy additional equipment or office space, plus most Virtual Assistants bill only for ‘time on task,' saving your bottom line.

With a Virtual Assistant, you get a support professional that can hit the ground running. By taking on several clients, a Virtual Assistant works as an independent entrepreneur partner - they've already grown their skills, thus you don't need to train them. Plus, you can be assured that their success is a direct result of your success - if you're not happy, they're not in business long.

And this week is Virtual Assistant week!

In an effort to spread the word about Virtual Assistance and help people understand what we do, we've created a fun and exciting social networking campaign called VA Free Hour or #VAFreeHour (Twitter hashtag).

We're contacting as many Virtual Assistants as we can and asking them to participate in giving away a free hour of their services to the public. Precicesly, the first person to contact them will get one free hour of Virtual Assistant services. Find a Virtual Assistant that's on Twitter at Twellow or at Twitter Grader. We can't guarantee the Virtual Assistant you're interested in will give you a free hour, but we'll strive to help you find the perfect match for your project goals. If we're lucky, our participating Virtual Assistants may offer a free hour to more than the first respondent!

Who's in so far? (Stay tuned here!)
Virtual Assistants: Cheryl Allin @VirtuAllin - Darcee Sellers @YourSavvyVA - Laura Monroe @CreativeAgentVA - Renee Crabtree @ReneeCrabtree - Michelle Mangen @mmangen - Nicole Hammett @NHBS - Crystal Curran @REVAville - Deborah Reynolds @DediKatedVA - Dawn Martinello @MondayMorningVA - Jean Mejia @VirtualJean - Cherie Smith @CherieSmith - Nickey Hollenbach @NickeyH - Doreen DeJesus @Ambicionz - Alexandra Popovic @VIPVirtualSols - Christine Naranjo Clarke @christinenc - Susi Schuele @MVPSusi - Janine Treader @WhistlerVA - Wenda Rogers @virtual24hours - Jade in Lithuania @JadeLT - Lee Drozak @MOALee - Brandy Ellen @BrandyEllen - Cherie Smith @CherieSmith

What do you have to do? Just send a Twitter reply or direct message to @VAFreeHour on Friday, March 20th starting at 8:00AM PST with the text "I'm ready to outsource to a Virtual Assistant for one Free Hour." If you know the Twitter handle of the Virtual Assistant you'd like to work with, include that in the message.

Your information is safe with us, we won't share it with anyone unless you ask us to forward it to a particular Virtual Assistant.

There are literally thousands of Virtual Assistants around the globe and each has their own specialty services and unique offerings. They save their clients time and money by taking the administrative busy work off of their clients hands, helping them grow their business. Why not become one of those smart clients - free for one hour! Discover if working with a Virtual Assistant is right for you and save your bottom line.

What could a Virtual Assistant do for you in just an hour? There are thousands of tasks that fit the bill:

Need more than just one hour? Talk with your new Virtual Assistant. On average, Virtual Assistants charge between $30 - $150 per hour, depending on the type of project and the skill required. We can't guarantee that every Virtual Assistant online will participate in this event, but we'll strive to help you get started in any way we can.

Are you a Virtual Assistant interested in joining the VAFreeHour campaign? Just let us know in the comments! Are you currently working with a terrific Virtual Assistant that you think should get a little more attention? Tell us about them in the comments!