Setting Up Shop
Virtual Business
Copyright © Texas Education Agency, 2012. All rights reserved
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“Copyright and Terms of Service
Copyright © Texas Education Agency. The materials found on this website are
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not be reproduced without the express written permission of the Texas Education Agency,
except under the following conditions:
1)Texas public school districts, charter schools, and Education Service Centers may
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educational use without obtaining permission from the Texas Education Agency;
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2) Residents of the state of Texas may reproduce and use copies of the Materials and
Related Materials for individual personal use only without obtaining written permission of the
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unaltered and unchanged in any way;
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Private entities or persons located in Texas that are not Texas public school districts or
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Copyright © Texas Education Agency, 2012. All rights reserved
What is a Virtual Office?
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A virtual office is a combination of
services provided by a business through
electronic forms of communication and
an address other than a traditional office
location.
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Copyright © Texas Education Agency, 2012. All rights reserved
Why Virtual?
Main benefit is low overhead costs
 Flexible hours
 Can use personal strengths, talents, and
skills
 Match your strengths and abilities to a
niche market, that is, a specific target
market
 Can reach a larger market than a
traditional business
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Copyright © Texas Education Agency, 2012. All rights reserved
Your Virtual Office
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Your work space
Handling paperwork, filing options
 Visitors to the office
 Employee space
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Your assets
Office furniture
 Equipment
 Laptop (most important resource)
 Printer, copier, scanner, or all-in-one
device
 Removable storage
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Copyright © Texas Education Agency, 2012. All rights reserved
Your Virtual Office (continued)
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Physical room design
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Functional
Measurements
Mail
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A post office box or alternative that will
accept packages
Create a work schedule
 Consider outsourcing certain tasks
 Consider using the “Cloud” for
applications that can be shared
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Copyright © Texas Education Agency, 2012. All rights reserved
E-Tools
E-mail
Document viewing software - For pdf
files, compressing files, media clips
Word processing software
Graphics and presentation software
Financial software
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Copyright © Texas Education Agency, 2012. All rights reserved
The Virtual Assistant
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What is a Virtual Assistant?
“virtual” meaning on a computer
 “assistant” provides administrative support
 Also known as a “cyber-assistant”
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Often they are business owners in their
own right, i.e., independent contractors,
who support business owners in many
ways.
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Copyright © Texas Education Agency, 2012. All rights reserved
Virtual Assistant Responsibilities
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Handling calls
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Screen and transfer calls
Scheduling appointments
 Customer service
 Processing orders
 Maintaining web site
 Monthly ad subscriptions
 Press releases
 Weekly product/service flyers
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Copyright © Texas Education Agency, 2012. All rights reserved
Virtual Assistants’ Clients
Executives
Entrepreneurs
Sales
professionals
Businesses in
general
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Copyright © Texas Education Agency, 2012. All rights reserved
Virtual Assistant Considerations
Laptop a necessity
 Capability of large file transfers
 Compatible software
 Specific job responsibilities
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Someone organized and motivated
 Someone with an aptitude for the job
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Copyright © Texas Education Agency, 2012. All rights reserved
Virtual Assistant Considerations
(continued)
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Getting a routine going
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Handling communications with clients,
mainly email
Paying your assistant (depends upon the
type of business)
Hourly
 Salary
 Commission
 Flat rate per task
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Copyright © Texas Education Agency, 2012. All rights reserved
Benefits of Virtual Assistants
… to Clients
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Save on healthcare costs
No office space needed
No vacation and sick pay
Increased productivity
Increased sales/revenue
Increased customer
satisfaction
Increased customer
retention rate
… to the Assistant
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Work from home
Flexible hours
Flexible pay depending upon
arrangement
Getting to know the details of
a business
Increase in self-satisfaction by
contributing to the success of
a business
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Copyright © Texas Education Agency, 2012. All rights reserved
Independent Practice Assignments
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Floor Plan Diagram – Using word processing software,
students will create a floor plan diagram of what their
office would look like if they were beginning an online
business, knowing that more than just a laptop may be
required. Students should also list somewhere on the
diagram the software they would like to have to use in
their business.
Virtual Assistant Job Description Newsletter
Assignment #2 – Students will research on the
Internet to locate three different job descriptions from
different companies’ job openings for a
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Copyright © Texas Education Agency, 2012. All rights reserved
Independent Practice Assignments
(continued)
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‘virtual assistant’ and create a newsletter summarizing their
findings. They will create a one-page, two-column newsletter
that is attractive, easy to read, with separate sections for the
definition of a virtual assistant and the three job descriptions.
Each section should be identified with separate paragraph
headings or subtitles that add creativity to the document.
Gantt Scheduling Chart Assignment #3 – Students will use
spreadsheet or other software to create a Gantt chart that
shows the amount of time a virtual business owner might
spend on tasks as compared to the tasks and time spent by a
virtual assistant. Think of all the tasks that may need to be
completed by the owner and the virtual assistant and estimate
how much time would be required to complete them.
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Copyright © Texas Education Agency, 2012. All rights reserved