Thousands of new entrepreneurs are desperately trying to build their own business, but stumbling along the way because of numerous hurdles. Probably hurdles they did not anticipate. The excitement of building their own empire is often dampened because of the stress they are having to endure trying to be all things to all men.

There are several hats to juggle when starting out in a new business and before long comes the realisation that just one person simply cannot afford the time to wear each and every one of those hats. Everyone will soon come to appreciate those that fit best, but who is going to wear the rest?

Enter the Virtual Assistant – more affectionately known as the VA. Although not heavily publicised, hiring a Virtual Assistant to help develop small businesses is becoming a serious option for those willing to move with the times. The VA concept has been widely embraced in the United States as well as in Canada, and slowly but surely the idea is catching on in the UK with the number of VAs approaching 2,000 according to the UK Association of Virtual Assistants (UKAVA). VAs can be sourced through the internet via a host of websites dedicated to the industry.

Like most individuals setting out on their own to develop a successful business, VAs are self-employed entrepreneurs working just as hard as the next person in their chosen field. They generally work from their own home, using their own equipment etc, and can work flexible hours according to workloads. Their dedication to help others succeed ensures their own personal success. Rather than work “for” another business, they prefer to “partner” with other business people.

VAs are usually very well educated with several years experience of working in larger organisations in a secretarial, administrative or personal assistant role. The services they offer range from basic copy typing, audio typing and word processing, through more involved tasks such as meeting and event organisation, and even diary management. Many offer a telephone answering and message relay service which gives callers the impression that they are dealing with a serious business, rather than a one-man-band who cannot even put the simplest procedures in place. Thousands of business enquiries go cold right away because the telephone was not answered – that is a fact.

Partnering with a Virtual Assistant has to be the ideal solution to help small businesses succeed. Rather than having to pay the FULL cost of employment (such as tax, national insurance, pensions, etc), a small business can source a VA who will advertise a set fee per hour. With no long term obligation on either side of the partnership, it provides a very flexible and cost-effective solution to many of the problems associated with establishing a new business.

If you have your own business, and find yourself struggling with the more mundane day-to-day tasks when you should be out and about growing your business, get yourself online and turbo-charge your New Year with some VA VA Voom.

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Helen Byrne, a UK-based Virtual Office Assistant and Owner of Virtualoso - Virtual Office Solutions Online (http://www.virtualoso.info). In order to promote the concept of Virtual Assistance to a wider audience, particularly in the UK, Helen also created http://www.PA-as-you-go.com as a simple introduction to the business.

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