Do entrepreneurs work harder?

The Virtual PA Co service is engaged by employed departmental managers of big companies, but we also do work for many many entrepreneurs. For some we work so that they can go off and do more (sales, marketing, networking, business!). For others, we effectively run their business - taking calls, orders, payments, issuing and chasing invoices, sending out gumpf and sorting out accounts - so that they can sit back and take the profits. Of course, they may also have a full or part time job. So the question is, in the title... Thoughts unlikely to be received, but welcomed nonetheless.

To recruit or not to recruit, a virtual question?

Gary's business is busy, fabulously busy but still young and whilst turnover is exceeding expectation - remarkable in these times - overheads still feel low and business margin or profitability still feels under pressure.

Gary uses the Virtual PA Co service in the most optimal way, he gets what we're about and uses Pam, his named Virtual PA in the way our founder intended, as a, well, PA basically. Pam answers the phone, deals with the call, gives information on the service, understands the benefits of what Gary offers enough to - almost inadvertantly - sell it! closes the sale, books the appointment, takes the payment, types the report, emails and posts it. Gary doesn't have to worry much about doing what he does best. Meanwhile his clients have, in the main, no idea that he is a one man band, in fact because he subcontracts some work and does some work himself, most of his clients think that his is a corporate company and he is an employee.

Recently his success meant his bill with Virtual PA Co exceeded what he might have expected to pay as a salary to a full time PA. He doesn't have space to accommodate a PA but still, the size of the bill meant it was sensible to consider other options available. Pam invited him in to discuss it, they met in our meeting room and Pam pointed out that whilst she was meeting him, her back up team were dealing with his calls and one of our admin team was typing a report. It gave Gary food for thought and he established that whilst Virtual PA Co offers personalised service through small teams working together, he had benefited at times from three calls being answered at once whilst a report was being typed. Conversely he hadn't had to pay at slower times when no-one was calling and there was no admin to do.

Agency worker rights - good news?

For Virtual PA Co it is! For years we've known that for small companies and large alike, when it's not appropriate to recruit a permanent employee, sometimes it's equally inappropriate to recruit a temp or agency worker. The former is usually the case when business seasonality is the driver and the latter was more likely if help is needed immediately with just about no time to train up and the timespan required is short. Now however, if help is required for a few months or more - usually perfect for making the most of a temporary worker who has learned the ropes of your business - you might be liable for the equivalent benefits of a permanent employee.

Introducing Virtual PA Co.

A named Virtual PA and back-up team gives you all the consistency and quality of a permanent employee without the onus of PAYE, holidays, sickness, management etc. It's an especially practical solution if you need someone available 100% of the time but not necessarily 100% occupied. On the flip side, given recent changes to agency workers' rights, Virtual PA Co now makes even greater sense for seasonal or short term (holiday!)? requirements. You can Pay As You Go with no need to concern yourself with PAYE. And it's worth investing in training and briefing them because the chances are you'll get the same person/people next time and the certainty is all your history is stored with us and your team is ready to go at the drop of a hat.