A virtual assistant can help you grow your small business or home based business by handling your administrative support tasks. If you're a successful small business entrepreneur, you've already learned the value of outsourcing tasks (even ones you're capable of doing yourself) in order to spend your time strategically growing your business and working on bottom-line functions.

You probably already outsource tasks like your accounting and advertising. But did you even know that you can outsource your clerical and administrative support tasks to a virtual assistant? Also called a VA, a virtual assistant is an independent contractor who works from his or her own home or office space. A virtual assistant works virtually, thanks to technology like email, telephone, fax machines, postal mail and courier services. Virtual assistants can work for you on an hourly basis, project basis or on a monthly retainer basis.

Once you find a virtual assistant that meets your criteria, you will develop a long-term working relationship so that you can call on this VA for years to come. As your business grows, you may even develop working relationships with multiple VAs who can handle your administrative business needs. That way you will always have the administrative support you need at a moment's notice and you can outsource projects to various VAs based on their specialties such as Internet research, press release writing and distribution or translation. That's in addition to the ordinary administrative tasks a virtual assistant can do for you like database entry, updating your Outlook contacts, mail merges, creating reports and more.

Here are 12 reasons that you want to hire a virtual assistant now:

1. You will have more free time to spend with your family and friends.

2. You will have more time to work on growing your business.

3. Pay only for work you need completed.

4. Reduce your business overhead costs. You don't provide benefits, office equipment or office space. You don't even provide a paid lunch hour and holidays!

5. No need to train staff. VAs come equipped and trained in their specialty areas.

6. You will be provided with skills that you don't have but need (e.g. Create PowerPoint slide presentations).

7. Virtual assistants provide you with additional help. VAs are an additional set of hands.

8. You will have someone who helps you implement your great ideas quicker to build your business faster.

9. Virtual assistants do even your boring tasks! Hate data entry? Hire a VA to do it for you.

10. Get help with emergencies quick. 24 hour support available (by some VA's and VA agencies).

11. Use software you don't even own (many virtual assistants own and use PowerPoint, Adobe Acrobat and more).

12. VAs are professionals and independent business owners. They understand better then anyone your needs as a home-based or small business owner and give your business the same care and service they expect in their own business.

When you use the services of a virtual assistant, you're investing in your business growth.