According to a 2021 Statista study, there are 67 million freelancers in the US alone. Meanwhile, in one of the biggest sources of remote workers and virtual assistants the Philippines, there are approximately 1.5 million freelancers as of 2022. In those numbers, some of the highest paid freelancers are online executive assistants. The wealthiest and most successful people in the world hire online executive assistants because they know their value.
So what’s with online executive assistants that make them so in demand?
What’s an Online Executive Assistant
Before we reveal why these virtual workers make up some of the best to hire out there, let’s get to know what they are and what they do.
Online Executive Assistants are, like their corporate and office counterparts executive assistants, similar to administrative assistants. They are professionals who provide support to a company, or more often, an executive. This support may include general office management, answering phones, assisting an employer, or clerical work.
However, aside from performing the usual administrative tasks like appointment scheduling, making travel arrangements, booking meetings and making phone calls, executive assistants nowadays have become more flexible and invaluable in the team. Here are other tasks you can assign to an online executive assistant:
Expense Management
A busy entrepreneur or executive will not have the time to look through their personal expenses and keep track of their receipts and generate expense reports, which are tasks that require daily attention. Delegating this to an online executive assistant will make your life easier in the long run. Not only will they keep track of your finances, but they can also help reconcile and match card and bank statements for you when needed!
With a financial system implemented thanks to a trusted assistant, you and your family can be more secure.
Specialized Research
Depending on the field or industry you’re in as an entrepreneur or executive, you will need detailed answers to some complicated questions: Enter an online executive assistant. They can conduct the necessary research and compile the information for you using online and offline sources. Some executive assistants’ forte are actually in specialized research, which is reliant on a client’s needs.
Bookkeeping
You may think that expense management work is the same as bookkeeping, considering that both tasks require your assistant to manage funding and finances. If expense managers handle personal finances, bookkeepers handle the finances of a company. Although both services are important and require regular attention, bookkeepers also do administrative work and perform payroll duties. Your company needs an assistant who can do the checks and balances for you.
Event Management
In a normal setting, say, a wedding or a party, the individual would go to an event organizer or an agency to handle all the nitty-gritty of a party or event planning. As a busy entrepreneur or executive, you may not have the time to deal with the meticulous affairs of planning an event. Even as a remote worker, your online executive assistant can facilitate and plan events for you. Through researching, coordinating, or meeting with the organizers, a great online executive assistant can run everything without you worrying about things falling in the cracks.
This is not a comprehensive list of tasks a flexible executive assistant can do, because they obviously can have more in their toolkit depending on their experience, practices, and competence. However, these particular tasks are ones most executives look to delegate to their assistants.
If you want to know more, Sidekicks is an on-demand virtual company and we’re eager to help visionaries and entrepreneurs like you. Get a free ebook and learn more about how we can help you by signing up to our newsletter. If you prefer something more personal, we also offer a free 30-minute consultation.
