What is a Personal Assistant Business?

A personal assistant business is a company that supplies business executives with administrative assistants. Rather than do general clerical work, personal assistants work directly with business supervisors or managers to help keep them organized and updated. Personal assistants must have good communication and computer skills. A personal assistant business is often small and run by one person.

At least in the start-up phase, most personal assistant businesses are started and managed by an individual who personally assists new clients. As the personal assistant business grows, the company is likely to keep adding assistants as needed. The number of workers needed often depends on whether most of the personal assistant assignments are short or long term.

A personal assistant business typically offers clients both long- and short-term assistants. Corporations often hire many full-time personal assistants, while short-term assistant help may be needed to cover staff vacations. Many personal assistant businesses are virtual, which means they can assist companies anywhere in the world with the use of a computer. Some nations, including Europe, the United States and Japan now outsource some of their personal assistants, which means they may hire independent contractors from countries such as India.

There are not many overhead costs required for a start-up virtual personal assistant business. Often just computer and telephone equipment are needed. Some personal assistant businesses operate virtually as well as work with clients in person.

Personal assistant companies need to constantly market their services to make sure they get enough business. Most personal assistant businesses have a website. They may write and publish informative articles to directory websites with a link to their website as a way of getting new leads. A personal assistant business that deals with clients face to face may publish ads in local newspapers. Owners of personal assistant companies may leave their business cards with potential clients they approach such as businesses in nearby office buildings.

Cold calling is a classic way of businesses contacting potential new clients. It involves first researching who to call at what business before telephoning. The next step is for the caller to introduce himself and mention his business. The caller can then ask to send potential clients more information about products and services as well as hopefully book an interview with the client. This is often a good method for personal assistant businesses to get new clients, since the company called may be looking to add new assistants or need a source to turn to when they will need more.