Changing things up!

We are changing our name to better reflect what we really do for our Clients! This is exciting for our company and a sign of our rapid growth. We still provide the same quality work and we are looking forward to expanding our business to more clients in need of our services.

Join us on this ride, you won't regret it!

About Me

So I have been asked many times to tell people about me, where I came from and what my background is, so here it is.

I grew up on a farm in Swan River (central MB) Manitoba. My father has been self-employed my whole life, he had a grain and cattle farm, we had pigs at one point and he owned/operated Klekta Construction. My father poured about 90% of the basements (without a pump) in Swan River and did many of the sidewalks (private and town), driveways, curbs and many other concrete structures. My father had employees both on the farm and a usual concrete crew of 4-6.

I watched my Dad struggle with all the tasks of owning and operating his businesses, he spent many nights up very late, just to finish payroll, taxes, reading blue prints and/or organizing his next days tasks. He doesn't have a bold spot on the top of his head for nothing, he sat scratching it raw many times. My Dad was stressed and we knew it, however, his employees would still tell you today that he was the kindest, most fair employer they ever had.

I left the farm when I was 17, I entered the wonderful world of motherhood and cosmetology. I owned and operated my own salon in St Cloud MB and then moved to Winnipeg. I did hair till 1994 and moved into the wonderful world of auto parts. I got a job doing the bookkeeping in the back office. I hadn't really ever used a computer and when asked if I could use it, I lied and said yes. The gentlemen I was interviewing with reached behind the computer and turned it on at the very same time he asked me that question. At least now I knew how to turn it on!

I worked in the back office for about 3 months, the driver for the store decided not to show up one day and they needed a driver (which is what I actually applied for three months earlier) so they shoved me into the car and sent me across the city to the industrial area to pick up auto part orders for the day. That day turned into a year and a half.

My husband at the time was just getting into driving big rig, I met his boss one day and he offered me a job doing driver miles and other administration. For $3.00 more an hour, I jumped at the chance. I entered the transportation world in 1996, I soon became very good at my job and was ejected into the role of dispatch assistant. I still maintained the driver administration along with being the dispatch assistant. Less then a year later I was the dispatcher at a different company and I was dispatching over 20 trucks. From there I went into Operations Management at an another transport company.

In 1999 I got my own class one and drove all across North America during the summers and dispatched in the winter. In 2002 I started a long haul division for a local furniture hauler. I started with one truck and within 3 months I had built the company to 6 trucks, I bought the division. Now with 7 trucks and twelve trailers, I had my own business again and found myself following in my fathers footsteps. Burning the midnight oil, scratching the top of my head raw!

I needed an assistant, but I could not afford to hire someone full time. I hired an assistant part time, despite my finances. My assistants told me within a month that she needed full time or she would have to go and find another job, I hired her full time because I needed her. My assistant did a good job, however, I still found my self burning the midnight oil, because she was still just an employee and did not have the invested interest I did in my business.

I sold the trucking company, got a divorce, and moved to Calgary to start all over again. I drove a concrete mixer and a gravel truck until this past November. They say, once a business owner, always a business owner. I didn't know what I wanted to be when I grew up, but it soon became apparent to me. Local business owners in Cow town are having even more problems then I had, in hiring quality workers. Some don't need a full time employee either, where do they go, how do they get the help they need? I came up with a solution to this province wide problem. I am not the first one to think of this , however this concept is fairly new to most people.

I have an interest in your success, if you are successful, that means I will be too. All the twists and turns I have taken in my life, has prepared me for this:

Watching you back while you build your business, and not burning the midnight oil!

Together We Prosper!

Two New Services

J's Virtual Assistants is offering two new services:

Advertise your business on the Virtual Assistants vehicle

$50.00 per/mth minimum 6 months or

$ 25.00 per/mth for 1 year

Become a partner with J's Virtual Assistants and have your website on our partners' page.

If you don't have a website, we will put your logo on our partners' page for $200.00 a year.

Advertising and Networking that is affordable, is what it is all about!

Calgary Herald Published Me

JS Virtual Assistants

Owner: Julie Gies

Location: Northwest Calgary

Phone: 247-6557

Fax: 247-6537

E-mail: jsvirtualassistants@telus.net

Website: www.jsvirtualassistants.com

Employees: 1

Opening Date: Jan. 1, 2008

Business: An off-site Administrative Assistant.

We offer prompt, efficient administrative alternatives for those

who do not need to hire full-time in-house help, but who would like to form

a partnership on an ongoing basis. Specializing in construction

contractors' office set-up, management and administrative tasks.

© The Calgary Herald 2008

Short on Time?

Short on Help? Hire a Professional Virtual Assistant! Are you short on time? Do you spend your entire day trying to finish just returning your calls, never mind, getting you invoices out? Like most business owners, many find that there aren’t enough hours in the day. If you are one of them, you may want to consider a virtual assistant to help you accomplish those everyday tasks. You may have even though about hiring an employee but you don’t want someone’s desk crammed into a room in your home. Then it’s time that you consider a virtual assistant (VA). Using a virtual assistant negates the headaches of trying to screen, interview, and hire an employee. You don’t even have to provide them with a computer, a desk, or a space in your home office. Gaining in popularity among large and small businesses alike, VAs can help bail you out of a rough spot on a temporary basis or even work long-term just like a regular employee, only better. A virtual assistant runs their own business. They are a professional just like you, except their business focus is making your business more successful. In today’s soft economy and world of corporate scandals, failures, and layoffs, many good employee has been ousted from his/her job. The ambitious ones are out there daily trying to find a new position. Trouble for them is the help wanted section of most newspapers has become extremely thin. Most people can’t go very long without some sort of income. So, the most ambitious and resourceful are making their way back into the working world any way they can. For many, this means starting a business of their own. What does a person do when what they know is secretarial, management? What do they do when they need to feed their family and pay the mortgage? Many professionals create their own business and several are opting to become virtual assistants. What does a Writer’s Virtual Assistant do? In short, a VA can do just about anything a regular employee can do. Many virtual assistants are Jack’s or Jill’s of all trades. Here is a list of some of the things a virtual assistant can do to help you: • Keeping your financial records • Accounting • Researching Publishers • Researching marketing opportunities • Concierge services • Answer your phone and screening your phone calls • Customer Service by email, phone and chat • Marketing your business online, by fax or phone • Make your travel arrangements and send you directions • Research other services you need • Advertising your business on newsgroups, blogs, press releases, in articles or other outlets • Appointment setting • Meeting arrangements • Event planning • Letter preparation • Reports • Manuals • Newsletters • Flyers • Mailings • Data entry • Data processing • Document scanning • Procedure documentation • Customer support • Web design And much, much more. Virtual assistants are typically very intelligent as well. Many are college educated and even more have countless years of excellent business experience to draw upon. This comes in very handy when you’re looking for ideas. How does a virtual work? Virtual assistants come in all shapes and sizes, just as any business does. Typically, however, VAs work from home-based offices. They’re the savviest of the savvy when it comes to operating on a low budget and using technology to their advantage. Most are equipped with the latest software (and lots of it), multiple phone lines, Internet, e-mail, fax machine, cellular phone, copy machines, scanners, and a great attitude. Many even come with a cat or dog! He or she will use all of the latest technology to communicate with the client and get the work done as quickly as possible. And, possibly best of all, they only “clock in” when they’re on your project, not while they’re sitting at your desk, using your electricity, playing solitaire! What’s all this going to cost? All well and good, right? But aren’t virtual assistants more expensive than regular employees? Absolutely not! Actually, a virtual assistant is far more cost effective than a regular employee. You may pay more per hour than a regular employee, but leave out the payroll tax, vacation pay, health insurance, vacation time, sick time, RSP contributions, profit sharing, Christmas bonus and other benefits you need to offer a regular employee, and a virtual assistant’s wage comes out far lower than that of a regular employee. A virtual assistant can save money in other areas as well. How much does it cost you to maintain office footage, a computer, a phone line or two, a refrigerator, a microwave, a desk, electricity, heat, air conditioning, computer software, tech support, and parking for your regular employees? With a virtual, you don’t need any of those things either - he or she supplies his or her own. The fee for a virtual assistant usually depends upon the area of the country where he or she is located and their area(s) of expertise. Virtual assistants charge between $15 and $75 per hour. But, you only pay for the time he or she actually spends working on your tasks. Some will ask that you pay for a “minimum guaranteed usage” each week or month. Many will also agree to work for varying hourly rates depending on the task. For example, if they’re to perform basic word processing, the fee might be $18 per hour, but if they’re expected to research the legalities of transforming your Copyright information, they may charge $45 per hour. Yet, others may agree to a flat fee based upon individual project requirements. Either way, you come out ahead. Why should I trust someone I’ve never met? VAs are as concerned with your business success as they are with their own. In fact, their success depends on your success. So, a virtual assistant can become one of the best assistants and business partners you’ve ever had. Just like you, they are business owners and even more importantly, they rely on you to be successful. Virtual versus temp or temp agency Virtual assistants tend to work harder than the average person issued to you by a temporary agency. Keep in mind that the temp agency is charging you as much as 20% more than the worker is actually getting paid. This practice often leads to the use of unskilled or unacceptable laborers. Hiring a virtual allows you to choose who works with you. You’ll also need to provide all of the temp’s supplies like paper, toner, pens, computer, electricity, etc, whereas, the VA comes with his or her own supplies. How many times have you hired a temp who you spent time training, only to have her stick around for three weeks, then you had to train yet another temp? A virtual, as we mentioned, is in this to succeed and help you succeed. You’ll have to train him or her too, but only once! Oh, yes, and you still need to pay the temp while she sits there and waits for another assignment from you. Not with a virtual assistant. While she’s waiting for the next assignment from you, you can bet she’ll be working on something for another client. Choosing a virtual assistant Now that you’ve decided to hire a virtual assistant, how do you go about choosing one? There are several things you need to know before you start looking: • What exactly do I need help with? • What expertise does the VA need? • How much do I have to spend? • How quickly do I need this project done? • How long will I need virtual assistance? • How often will I need my VA to work? • What hours should he or she be available? • What days of the week? • Is there any specific software he or she needs to have? • Is what I need accomplished so specific that I’ll need to incorporate some training time? • How will I pay him or her? Visa, MasterCard, Cheque, Paypal? • How do I want to communicate with my VA? Phone, e-mail, snail mail, or a combination? • Does my VA really need to be located in a particular time zone, country, part of the country, city? • Any other particular qualities you’d like your virtual assistant to have? Just as you would screen someone who would apply to work in your office, you’ll still need to spend a little time screening your virtual assistant. You’ll need to tell him or her what you need and want, and what is and isn’t acceptable. You’ll also need to negotiate pricing and terms with the virtual assistant. The best thing you can do to ensure you receive the help you need, is behave as though you’re choosing a new car. Push the buttons, turn on the stereo, kick the tires, and ask, ask, ask. Listen to what the potential VA has to offer you as well. He or she may even be able to do several other tasks, which you hadn’t counted on, or even offer some very sound business advice. What happens if I don’t like the VA I’ve hired, or s/he doesn’t work out? Unless you’ve signed a contract guaranteeing a particular amount of time or pay, the answer is rather simple: you just don’t offer any more assignments. If you do happen to have a bad experience with one virtual, however, don’t let is sour you from finding another. Treat it as though you simply had a bad date. Bad dates to happen and some people just aren’t compatible. Get back out there and look for another VA that better suits your needs or personality. A win-win for everyone! The use of virtual assistants truly is a win-win for everyone involved. For the employee-challenged business, VAs dramatically increases your labor pool. And, for the cash-strapped entrepreneur, virtual assistants save money - lots of money. What’s more, it’s better for the environment to hire a virtual. Just think of all the vehicle emissions you’ll be saving by having one or two workers telecommute. As for the VA, they typically enjoy a better quality of life, as they are also able to be home and raise their children in between working on your projects. End

Virtual Assistants Business

Construction Contractor, sub-contractors and labors and people in general are leery of the word virtual. Virtual means "so in effect" the word is an adjective, in effect virtual is just a fun word!

Working virtually, to me, means I am working virtually everywhere and on everything!

Don't let the word intimidate you. Have fun with the word, after all, that is what the English language is all about.

Having a partner in your business, virtually makes us all look good!

Construction & Transportation

J's Virtual Assistants has over 20 years experience in the business world. Transportation and Construction are the main focus of our business. We can save you time and money, while you focus on growing your business and/or focus on the part of your business you like doing.

Focusing on the trade you started your business with, will allow you to continue providing quality workmanship to your customers.

Delegate those time consuming tasks of invoicing, payable's, bookkeeping, filing and quote faxing to us!

Your customers will appreciate your timely and quality work in all areas of your business.

Keep your cash flow "flowing"