How many of you out there are solopreneurs with limited funds?  Do you have a person in house that does your administrative work?  Do you find yourself overwhelmed with too many tasks?  If so virtual assistants offer a wide variety of services for extremely reasonable rates.  It seems that European countries have really caught on to the value of not having to purchase office supplies, equipment and still get english speaking workers. 

A ton of people continue to ask me how it is legal to not pay FICA and so on in the US but they fail to understand that virtual assistants are independent contractors.  We take care of our own taxes.  This provides numerous opportunities to cut costs in small or start up business without being so overwhelmed as I have seen in some posts.  Delegate something when you can! 

Let me know how many of you have used this and what you think about it.  Reasons you have not tried it so far.  Thanks!

I used a VA who proclaimed she could fix my 1ShoppingCart woes.
Paid her in advance and the work was dreadful; in fact she was so bad, I have had to "undo" what she did; and that was after it took her 7 weeks to do it!
Never again.

• What professional experience do you have, and how long have you been in business? Sure, everyone has to start somewhere, but not with you!  Even if someone is new to the VA business, they should still have significant work experience to establish that they are capable of fulfilling the requirements of the project.
• Are you able to provide references of past or present clients? Get references and check them. You`ll want to know a few things such as... Did they complete the project on time and to the client`s satisfaction?  Would they be willing to work with them again? Better yet, ask your colleagues and associates if they have worked with a VA that they would be willing to recommend -- but still check their other references, too.
• Are you willing to sign a non-disclosure and non-compete agreement? This is common, and I would certianly request this any time I was going to hand over any aspect of my business affairs, no matter what.  If you have questions, ask an attorney more about this.   
• What client information do you consider confidential? If the VA doesn`t quickly reply with a resounding "EVERYTHING!"... then keep looking.  In fact, go ahead and make this your first question so you don`t waste your time if they don`t answer properly. A reputable Virtual Assistant will take every extraordinary care to protect the client`s priviliged information and should consider ALL information to be privileged and sensitive unless specifically directed otherwise by the client.   
• What is the expected turnaround time for my project? Be clear about your needs and get the project completion date, as well as benchmarks and milestones, in writing. If unforeseen events arise or your needs change, that can always be amended (again, in writing!).   
• If I am dissatisfed with your work for any reason, what is your policy for resolving this? Asking this will not only help you understand their policies, but it will make it clear that you are interested in only the highest quality work product. Make sure that the VA is confident that their skills are adequate for the task and that their policies are acceptable to you.   

She had recommendations and testimonials from people like Mitch Meyeson, Michael Port and alike. You start to wonder about testimonials. They are becoming akin to those on jacket covers of some books.