Flexible work opportunities just keep on expanding, as evidenced by this week’s Today Show segment. Karen Reddick is a Virtual Assistant (VA) who helps small businesses like Holland Travel in St. Louis successfully run their businesses virtually - from her home office in Colorado. Karen, owner of V-And-E Services, is a former executive assistant and originally conceived the idea for her business following 9/11.  Starting her new career was her way to put family first and be home for her teenage daughter.  Karen helps clients by working remotely and uses the latest technology to deliver creative administrative support and technical business services to busy professionals. She charges $45 an hour, and projects and personal schedules are often handled by e-mail and instant messaging.

Most attractive to her clients is perhaps the fact that VAs are responsible for their own taxes, training, healthcare, insurance, and overhead costs that make hiring an in-house employee expensive. Says Karen: “My clients pay only for the time actually spent working on their projects. They don’t pay for my coffee breaks, visits to colleagues or other things that happen in a normal office environment. This is a great benefit for them to pay on an as-needed basis.”

I just love this idea.  It provides business owners who might not have the cash to hire a full time, salaried employee, the ability to focus on the big picture of running their operations, without spending precious time and resources on administrative concerns.  Plus, it allows people like Karen to do their jobs effectively, make good money, and achieve the ultimate work/life balance.  There are currently around 4,000 VAs in the US now, and I suspect that the profession is going to take off.  Who knows, maybe it’s your next career!