Announcing the Maine Association of Virtual Assistants

    BOWDOINHAM, ME, September 23, 2008 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Marie Tucker of Bowdoinham, Maine owns and operates Girl Friday Services of Maine, a virtual assistance business. Marie has been working as a Virtual Assistant since July of this year and has yet to meet any other Virtual Assistants (VAs) in the area. "I know they are out there because I find their listings on VA directories, but I seldom see the same names on different sites." As of this date the closest state organization found is the Delaware Valley Virtual Assistants Association serving New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware. But what do we have here in Maine? A couple dozen virtual assistants scattered across the state with nowhere to turn to for guidance, networking, referrals, and partnerships on a more personal level. "The power of the internet to bring you information from the very top leading VAs and online business experts in our country is incredible and believe me I glean all the information I can from them."

However, what Marie was seeking was a closer knit network of individuals who would understand the ups and downs of running a virtual business in Maine, who would understand the frustrations of trying to market a high tech virtual assistance service to a workforce that has relied heavily on self reliance through the years. "I think it was ingrained in me as a little girl to work hard (that's what a good employee or business owner did) and I have all my life. The business community needs to be made aware of our industry and the value that we can provide to them in their business and their lives. It is amazing how we can simplify business operations and bring such a tremendous value to the daily lives of busy individuals; but many business owners simply do not know what a VA is."

The Association is in the beginning stages and Marie welcomes participation and input from other Virtual Assistants in the state. "I don't want MAVA to only serve me. I want it to serve all of us, to be created and nurtured by all of us so that it can be the best source of support and information on Virtual Assistance in the state."

She first stumbled upon the term virtual assistant this summer in a book about home businesses. With the economy the way that it has been for the past year, she was looking for something she could do from home part time. It was just a short 2 or 3 paragraph blurb explaining how a virtual assistant was an independent entrepreneur who served busy people such as small business owners, teachers, executives and others who could not afford or did not need a full time assistant, but simply had too much to do and too little time to accomplish it all. It went on to explain that a virtual assistant would help these busy individuals with administrative services conducted from their own virtual office (usually in their home). It went on to talk about how VAs service their clients, such as through email, document sharing on the internet, faxing, phone and sometimes even locally in person. But the amazing thing Marie learned was that virtual assistants aren't restricted to a local market region. In fact, a VA could service clients clear across the world, all through modern technology. She had worked from home on the computer before and was well versed in working with word processing and internet usage. I could do this she thought. "I had never heard of a virtual assistant before and wasn't aware of any others in the area who provided such a service." As time went on and she began joining networking organizations and freelance sites on the web she would always see one to four virtual assistants listed in Maine through sites such as VA Networking, Elance.com, and VA4U. "I would see some of the same names, then a few new ones scattered here and there." Many of the virtual assistants have their own website or list full contact information, but there are some who have hardly any information at all published on these directories. "How are their clients finding them? Are they restricted to only local clients? Do they want to expand their businesses?" Marie asks. "These are things I want to find out, how are we serving ourselves and our businesses? Who are our clients and how do they come to us with projects?"

The purpose of wanting to find answers to these questions and more hinges on the desire to have MAVA serve the needs of not only current virtual assistants in the State of Maine and prospective clients but also new people coming into the VA industry. While you can gather an almost unlimited amount of information on the internet; there is unparallel value in having a one on one relationship with an established VA who can offer guidance as a mentor, have on the job training and having an association that will offer advice and guidance on setting up their VA business, local vendors to use as resources, business forms and marketing techniques.

"That's exactly what I want to see for the Maine Association of Virtual Assistants, a membership organization where virtual assistants can network and learn from each other, support each others' businesses and help each other grow and develop. I want our membership to be a source of inspiration and guidance for emerging virtual assistants. For example, someone who has 20 years experience and is a whiz at typing and secretarial work may wish to work for themselves but lack the knowledge of how to market themselves adequately to make that wish a reality. We can help one another. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses individually but together we can accomplish and overcome so much more" Marie states.

She adds "With such a vast global market area, we are not in competition with each other we are merely working alongside one another. Wouldn't it be great if six months to a year from now you could talk to anyone in the state and say you are a virtual assistant and not get that confused and dazed look in their eyes because they don't know what a virtual assistant is? I think so. If they don't really know what a VA is, how will they ever be open to seeing the value we can provide?" Please visit www.maineassociationofvirtualassistants.org.

About Girl Friday Services of Maine

Girl Friday Services of Maine provides virtual assistant services to small and midsize companies. For further information contact us at 207-841-5523 or visit www.girlfridayservicesofmaine.com

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