Karen Plane is the owner of YourAdmin a VA firm in Norwich, Norfolk, UK. She started her company after becoming disenchanted by the insecurity of temping and contracting.  She also mentioned in her interview with OneMoreMove.co.uk that with her husband in the RAF, she needed a career that she can move with as the situation arises.  Being virtual provides that freedom.  And being her own boss is just icing on the cake!  I asked Karen some questions and here is what she said.

Why do you continue to be a VA?

I loved the freedom, the drive, the client’s, the fact that I am my own boss and I choose who I work with.

How did you choose your company name?

I wanted something snappy and easy to remember and I think YourAdmin has that.

Do you have a niche? Do you provide any unique services?

I am not so sure it is a niche anymore, but I can offer web design, Social Media and SEO as well as the standard VA and Secretarial services too.

What do your clients and colleagues tell you they admire in you?

My can do attitude, my honesty and my professionalism.

How do you stay organized?  Do you have any organization tips?

Always have a tidy desk, use your diary all the time, don’t write things on scraps of paper and don’t allow your husband in your office at any time!!!!

How would your friends describe you?

Bubbly, funny, loyal, trustworthy and a little crazy.

How do you feel about social media?

I love Social Media and think it is a key part of networking, meeting new clients and selling your product to people that aren’t sure of what a VA does.

Do you offer your clients different levels of social media services?

Yes as some do not require a full package. Some may only need accounts to be set up, some require daily updates, some require a few hours a day of updates.

Do you subcontract to other VAs?

I don’t subcontract, but I work with a number of associates at the VASG, Virtual Assistant Support Group in the UK and we help each other out with work and clients sometimes.

This is due to the problem of role remits, lack of training, work overload, lack of time, higher demands made on workers, redundancy and staff cutbacks.

This is why there are so many important reasons to outsource work.

One of the most important reason to outsource work is that freelance/virtual workers can charge less an hour than a temporary employee as we have no agency fees or commission rates to compete with plus the company also saves a lot of money by not having to pay for training, benefits, equipment, sick-leave etc.

Here is a list of many reasons why outsourcing work is a good thing:

• It allows the company more time to increase customer satisfaction.
• The company can save time and money on advertising for new staff
  
• It can lower training costs
  
• There are no sick, holiday or legal expenses to worry about.
  
• The company can cut back on HR staff.
• It helps to establish new business relationships.
• It saves time and frees up resources.
• It reduced overall operation costs

One crucial element to consider in the current climate is how much money you and your business could save by outsourcing work. We carried out an experiment recently and worked out that by using a Virtual Assistant such as ourselves to outsource work to, we could save you nearly £16,000 in one year.

Click here to see how you could do this…

The outsourced work is always completed perfectly and in a timely manner just as long as the company outsources to qualified providers, it’s a win-win situation. While there are service providers out there who are not experienced or qualified, the company can strike gold if they choose qualified professionals such as YourAdmin.