Announcing Maine Association of Virtual Assistants

Attention all Virtual Assistants in the State of Maine!

My name is Marie and I own and operate Girl Friday Services of Maine, a virtual assistance business in Bowdoinham, Maine. I'd like to welcome you to a new state based membership organization for virtual assistants; the Maine Association of Virtual Assistants (MAVA). I believe it is going to be one of the first organizations of its kind. As of this date the closest organizations I have found are the International Association of Virtual Office Assistants and the Virtual Assistant Chamber of Commerce, both of which cater to virtual assistants on a much broader scale nationally and internationally, and 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 for guidance, networking, referrals, and partnerships on a more personal level. Don't get me wrong, it is awesome to have the power of the internet to bring you information from the very top leading VAs and online business experts in our country and believe me I glean all the information I can from them too.

However, what I was seeking was a closer knit network of individuals who would understand the ups and downs of running a virtual business in Maine, 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 operations and bring such a tremendous value to the daily lives of busy individuals. The Association is still in the beginning stages and I welcome participation and input from other Virtual Assistants. I don’t want MAVA to only serve me, I want it to serve all of us, to be created by all us and nurtured by all of us so that it can be the best source of support and information on Virtual Assistance in the state.

I first stumbled upon the term virtual assistant this summer in a book about home businesses. 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 who could not afford a full time assistant and teachers, executives etc., 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 I 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. I had worked from home on the computer before, I was well versed in working with word processing and internet usage I could do that. 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 I began joining networking organizations and freelance sites on the web I would always see one or a few 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. In looking at the Elance listing of providers, so many of us have gone that route and very few have made any money at it. A few of us have websites, many do not. Some of us have lots of information on these directory listings and some have very little like just a link through the networking site but no real way to contact you. If you are reading about this Association for the first time now, that means I could not find any contact information for you to send my announcement directly to you. How are your clients finding you? Do you have enough clients without proper marketing of your service? If so, I’d love to hear how you did that and I’m sure others in Maine would as well.

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. 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.

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 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 one can provide?

Please contact me at girlfridayservices08@yahoo.com or by phone at 207-841-5523 anytime to discuss the Association, its member benefits or how to become a member. Feedback and comments on this article is welcomed. www.girlfridayservicesofmaine.com.