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In an economy where most small business start-ups never see their fifth birthday, the virtual start-up is often viewed with skepticism. Moreover, the dot-com boom-bust left many brick and mortar loyalists with the feeling that doing business on the net is just bad news, period. However, a cutting edge group of female entrepreneurs is changing all that, and the virtual assistance industry may never be the same.

Many view the virtual assistance industry as one fraught with misunderstanding, infighting, and female stereotypes especially the work-at-home-mom or WAHM. Tawnya Sutherland, founder of Virtual Assistant Networking http://www.vanetworking.com\  decided to raise the bar. Well-networked in the virtual world, Sutherland rallied together a team of Internet business experts in less than a month. Aptly named the VA Virtuosos, Sutherland s elite team of virtual professionals are prolific posters on the VAN forum. The Virtuosos also moderate subject matter sub-forums where they proactively seek opportunities within the VAN community to set the record straight about what it really takes to create and sustain a profitable online business.

These women have been in the trenches like any other successful entrepreneur, states Sutherland who herself earns six figures a year working from home as an Internet marketer. Many of them assume multiple roles, from single mother to caretaker for an elderly parent to corporate professional.

Yet virtual assistance, as a profession, remains largely misunderstood by both aspiring VAs and the business community at large. The Virtuoso team lets the world actually see how it s done, not just talk about it. Our Virtuosos are caring, dedicated, and very willing to share their trade secrets. They will also tell you where they have failed miserably. That kind of real-world insight is invaluable to the aspiring VA.

Karri Flatla, principal of snap! virtual assistance inc. (http://www.snap-va.com\), is one such Virtuoso. Together, Flatla and Sutherland spearheaded VAN s ever popular Website Review forum. Once a VA has established loyal member status, he or she may request an online review of their website. Says Flatla, Our VAs get to see exactly what they should and should not continue doing with their sites. We also provide constructive suggestions for reeling in qualified leads.

Making it as a VA takes a lot more than a decent looking website. It s about strategy. It s about purpose and forethought. Flatla s passion is unmistakable as she goes on to state that Entrepreneurs have to stop obsessing about Google rankings and start thinking about how to gain profile and credibility with their target markets. Tawnya and I live and breathe Internet marketing, and our clients pay a lot of money for the insights we are providing at no monetary cost to these VAs. But we love ev! ery minute of it, so it s a win-win.

Information that would normally take months, if not years, to accumulate, costs nothing but a friendly introduction and a bit of time contributing and convening with what has been deemed the warmest place on the web. But there are no free rides here, reminds Sutherland. Even though membership is free, we expect everyone at VAN to give a little something back.

Whether that is by displaying our banner on her website, by providing her helpful advice and support in her posts, or by volunteering her time to help maintain the forum, it s entirely up to each member. Our goal is simply to maintain a quality community that helps female entrepreneurs earn both wealth and respect while maintaining the lifestyle they desire. Of course, Sutherland adds with a grin, men are welcome on the forum too!

Visit all of our VA Virtuosos at http://www.VAvirtuosos.com  who are available for consultations, bookings and speaking engagements in their field of expertise.

About the Company:

Tawnya Sutherland, founder of Virtual Assistant Networking (VAN) http://www.vanetworking.com  and author of The VAS System, a Virtual Assistant Startup System, is a Certified Internet Marketing Specialist sharing much of her online marketing experience at VAN to help aspiring and successful VAs turn clicks into cash at their websites. Contact her at tawnya@mediamage.com.

Contact Info:

Tawnya Sutherland
http://www.VANetworking.com
tawnya@mediamage.com 604-542-9664

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For a step-by-step guide to starting a business, order the CD-Rom "Power Home Business Ideas" from PowerHomeBiz.com at http://www.powerhomebiz.com/Index/practicalbizideas.htmm 

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