Introduction to the History of the Virtual Assistant
This is a thorough time line on The History of the Virtual Assistant. You can scour the web for days trying to find a time line that is half as complete as this one. It is in depth and covers a broad range of events and times. It starts in the 1800’s when the “secretarial” position began. After all, without that time in history, the Virtual Assistant Industry would cease to exist.
Definition of a Virtual Assistant-
“A Virtual Assistant (VA) is an independent entrepreneur providing administrative, creative and/or technical services. Utilizing advanced technological modes of communication and data delivery, a professional VA assists clients in his/her area of expertise from his/her own office on a contractual basis.” – International Virtual Assistants Association (IVVA)
In The Beginning…
…before Google, before computers, even before typewriters there was just ink. This resulted in shorthand. In the beginning the secretarial position was not even open to women. It was only opened to men, writing for professional and commercial men:
1870
Sir Isaac Pitman (1813-1897), English inventor of phonographic shorthand, (invented in 1837), founded the school for men. A school related to office skills and shorthand writers that geared towards writing for “professional and commercial men”
(http://www.answers.com/topic/isaac-pitman)
It wasn’t until a decade later that the typewriter was invented and 50-years from then, that more women would enter into the industry:
1880
Invention of the typewriter is what brought women into the industry.
1930’s
Fewer men were now entering the secretarial industry.
1942 – And then the first of many Associations is born:
The National Secretaries Association was founded in an effort to promote professionalism amongst the US.
Association will come through several changes over the next 50-years. With name changes in 1982 and again in 1988.
Today they publish a bimonthly professional journal for its members entitled The Office Pro.
It is a non-profit, professional networking and educational organization.
Currently, there are 600 chapters with 40,000 members and affiliates all over the world.
Yearly membership association dues are between $83 and $180.
Just shy of a decade later the Certification examinations begin through the National Secretaries Association. It was completely unknown then how these exams would set a foundation to be followed by the Virtual Assistant Industry nearly decades later:
1951
The first Certified Professional Secretaries Examination, (CPS), was administered.
50 years later, a test called Certified Administrative Professional (CAP) will be added.
Depending on an individual’s education level and on the job experience (requirement is at least 2-4 years) determines which test is applicable. These two tests are now the industry standards for administrative personnel. These tests give applicants college credit and can support a pay increase. (http://www.answers.com/topic/international-association-of-administrative-professionals) and (http://www.iaap-hq.org/)
It is dependent of your membership status with the organization in determining the testing fee. Expect to pay between $210-$335 for the 3-part test (CPS) and $260-$385 for the 4-part (CAP).
The CPS Examination is a three-part exam, covering the areas of office technology, office systems and administration, and management.
More than 66,000 people have achieved this rating since 1951.
More than 28,000 holding an active rating.
The advanced CAP Examination is a four-part exam, covering the areas of office technology, office systems and administrative management and advanced organizational management.
Over 5000 individuals have achieved this rating since its start in May of 2001.
1952 – A National recognized day is born:
Mary Barrett, then president of National Secretaries Association, and C. King Woodbridge President of Dictaphone Corporation, and American Businessman Harry F. Klemfuss created Secretary’s Day. (In 2000 this event gets renamed to Administrative Professionals Week to recognize all individuals working in the field with different title names).
Fast Forward Nearly Three Decades…
1981
Nina Feldman, owner of Nina Feldman Connections, is founded – well before the “Virtual Assistant” phrase gets coined. [Nina has built a loyal business clientele by helping busy professionals find the right outsourcing help they need from our trusted network of over 150 skilled virtual experts.] – quoted from her site. (http://www.ninafeldman.com/about.htm and http://www.ninafeldman.com/resources.htm -Resources for VAs)
Association of Business Support Services International, ABSSI (formerly known as The National Association of Secretarial Services) is founded.
Later in 2003 Nina Feldman will assume responsibility and redirect that site to her domain.
1982
National Secretaries Association is renamed to Professional Secretaries International.
1988
The Professional Secretaries International becomes known as the International Association of Administrative Professionals, IAAP.
1992
Anastacia (previously Stacy) Brice begins working virtually as a full-time home based contractor with an international client base providing administrative support, travel planning, and personal assistance. Stacy will become a pioneer for the Virtual Assistant industry very soon.
1993
Christine Durst – being referred to as a Virtual Assistant – works remotely with Karen Stanley, CEO of Stanley Associates, a priority management franchise firm in Stamford, CT. She was working “virtually” by functioning as Stanley’s Virtual Business Manager via phone, fax, etc).
1994
It wasn’t until 1994 that Christine Durst started using the internet in her work with Stanley.
1995
Christine Durst launches a practice called My Staff.
Oddly, some websites give the My Staff launch as 1998. However, Christine states “it is simply — intentionally or unintentionally — wrong, by a full three years.” – quoted from her website, The Rate Race.
The Woodstock Town Hall, does not have a registration for My Staff for 1995, because Christine was told by the town office at that time that she wasn’t required to register as a “DBA” under town regulations. Several years later, Christine re-formed My Staff as an LLC, and registered with the town office.
The term “Virtual Assistant” gets coined…
1996
Anastacia (used to be Stacy) Brice begins working with life coach Thomas Leonard. During a telephone conversation with Brice, Leonard coins the term “Virtual Assistant” which further sparks an idea already germinating in Brice’s mind. Brice begins working out her vision of a profession of administrative experts–Virtual Assistance–and creating a model distinct from secretarial services. She borrows the term Leonard coined to name this new profession.
The Virtual Assistant Profession Is Formalized…
1997
The Virtual Assistance profession is formalized in February with the opening of Anastacia Brice’s AssistU. This is the first organization of any kind for Virtual Assistants (VAs).
Also in February, the first ever article on Virtual Assistance appears in The Secretary featuring Anastacia Brice (originally interviewed November 1996) and Lora Davidek.
http://www.assistu.com/news/970200.shtml (this above referenced article)
http://www.anastaciabrice.com/
http://www.thevirtualwire.com/
http://www.assistu.com/news/1997-2000.shtml (her media coverage)
AssistU launches the “Daily Assistant,” the first-ever eZine for Virtual Assistants. It runs five days a week to more than 10,000 subscribers, (most of whom were not VAs), until publishing is discontinued in 2000. (http://www.assistu.com/)
Virtual Gal Friday is established by Nancy Brown. (www.virtualgalfriday.com)
Tawnya Sutherland, inspired by Nina Feldman’s site, starts up her virtual assistant business called (to current day) mediamage.com. When she started she didn’t even know the term Virtual Assistant existed.
She would soon start the first ever International Certification program for virtual assistants in 12 more years. (http://virtualbusinessstartups.com/)
1998
Global Association of Virtual Assistants (GAVA), a member’s site run by Amy Sarai and Julie Hewitt that also provides RFPs to the public, opens with the backing of Thomas Leonard.
“GAVA runs great guns for a year or two until fizzling out in 2000 due to lack of interest by both Leonard and the site owners. GAVA’s only lasting legacy is the article 101 Ways to Use a VA” by Amy Sarai.” – Stacy Brice
Site owners Sarai and Hewitt also start VA4U.com as a directory of Vas. It is now owned by someone in the U.K.
Janice Byer launches her Canada based Virtual Assistant businesses. She will be the co-founder of the Canadian Virtual Assistant Connection in just three more years.
Christine Durst appears in a Business Week article on virtual outsourcing. Christine and Michael Haaren realized early on that the industry might not survive without solid media coverage.
For more on their media record, please see www.ratracerebellion.com/inthenews.htm
The ’98 Business Week article is still online, at www.businessweek.com/smal…595059.htm )
1999
Christine Durst and Michael Haaren establish Staffcentrix.
Christine Durst and Michael Haaren (staffcentrix) founded the International Virtual Assistant Associations (IVAA).
International Virtual Assistants Association (IVAA).
Christine Durst and Michael Haaren address the United Nations on how the Virtual Assistant model can help people with disabilities work from home.
AssistU adds Virtual Assistant certification to its program.
Jacky Workman forms the International Association of Virtual Assistants (IAVA).
2000
Janet Jordan (deceased January 2006) opens Virtual Assistance University (VAU).
Fred (deceased August 2006) and Shirley Gandee form the International Association of Virtual Office Assistants (IAVOA),
A Virtual Solution, AVS, now a web-hosting reseller, is established.
International Virtual Assistants Association, IVAA, begins certifying Virtual Assistants.
Secretary’s Day. (In 2000 this event was renamed to Administrative Professionals Week to recognize all individuals working in the field with different title names).
Christine Durst and Michael Haaren author the first published instructional manuals for Virtual Assistants (currently out of print).
Elaine Whitfield-Parr launches her Canada based Virtual Assistant practice. She will be a co-founder of the Canadian Virtual Assistant Connection, CVAC, in just one more year.
2001
IVAA separates from StaffCentrix. Christine Durst’s and Michael Haaren’s plan all along was to hand the Association over to the members.
Anastacia Brice nominated for Fast Company’s Fast 50.
International Association of Administrative Professionals, IAAP- introduces the Certified Administrative Professional (CAP) certification.
The Canadian Virtual Assistant Connection , CVAC, is founded by Janice Byer and Elaine Whitfield-Parr. (http://www.cvac.ca)
2002
Anastacia Brice speaks at ABSSI conference in Virginia, encountering resistance to the new idea of Virtual Assistance and its relationship-based business model.
Janice Byer and Elayne Whitfield form the Canadian Virtual Assistant Connection (CVAC).
Michelle Jamison, Carol Ford and Laura Sandham form Canadian Virtual Assistant Networking (CVAN).
Mary-Lou Ashton forms Canada-based Virtual Assistant Training Program (VATP).
2003
Kathy Zengolewicz, Jackie Eastwick and Mary Motz form the Delaware Valley Virtual Assistants Association (DVVVA).
ABSSI dissolves; domain ownership is assumed by Nina Feldman who redirects it to her web site.
Those Business Support Services business owners begin calling themselves Virtual Assistants, although their business models predominately remain unchanged as secretarial services. (Understand secretarial services differ from Virtual Assistants in that they work with mainly local clients and projects for anyone willing to pay.) These business owners had changed their titles presumably to jump on the Virtual Assistant bandwagon given the loss of their own group.
Tawnya Sutherland starts up VA Networking because she felt there was a need for virtual assistant businesses to network, share and discuss news together.
Alliance for Virtual Businesses formed, a collaborative group of VAs, VA organizations and training programs to promote the VA industry worldwide and conducts the FIRST global VA industry awareness program.
2004
Margaret McKillen forms the Association of Virtual Assistants of Ireland (AVA Ireland), defunct as of 2009
Caroline Nelson forms the Southeastern Virtual Assistant Group (SEVAG).
Core Competencies for Emerging VAs – in conjunction with industry member organizations, training programs and seasoned VA located around the globe, identifies the basic competencies that any individual entering the industry of VA should possess when operating a virtual assistant business and working with clients.
2005
Christine Durst and Michael Haaren write the first mainstream (non self-published) how-to book for Virtual Assistants,
“The 2-Second Commute — Join the Exploding Ranks of Freelance Virtual Assistants,” brought out by independent publisher Career Press.
Danielle Keister forms Gritty VA (now a blog), a movement intended to instill standards of excellence in the Virtual Assistant community and promote increased awareness of the Virtual Assistance industry in the mainstream marketplace. Later this will evolve to the Virtual Assistant Chamber of Commerce. (http://www.grittyva.com/)
Caroline Melville forms Scottish Virtual Assistants (SVA).
Tawnya Sutherland starts up VA Insider Club to provide training guidance and support to virtual assistant’s trying to grow their business . (Fees from: Free – $27/month).
In conjunction with Brenner Books, spearheaded the FIRST comprehensive industry-based analysis to ratify the existence of the Industry, its members and best business practice modalities across specialties and continents.
2006
Scottish Virtual Assistants changes to Society of Virtual Assistants (SVA).
Gritty VA evolves into the Virtual Assistance Chamber of Commerce (VACOC), founded by Danielle Keister.
Spearheaded the industry’s ONLY international convention, Online International Virtual Assistants Convention (http://oivac.com)
Registered with Chase’s Calendar of Events the official industry recognition day – International Virtual Assistants Day (3rd Friday of May, annually)
2006 & 2007
Anastacia Brice was awarded the (VACOC) InnoVAtive Award in 2006 and 2007 for her pioneering work and leadership in the field. Recently, VACOC named AssistU as their preferred educational provider.
2008
The 2008 Industry survey is completed and can be downloaded here, thanks to the VACOC.
http://jvansicklevirtualassistant.com/files/2008VirtualAssistantIndustrySurveyHighlights.pdf
2009
Tawnya Sutherland opens Vacertified.com. The first International Virtual Assistant certification program.
The 2009 Virtual assistant Industry Survey. (Available through Virtual Assistant Chamber of Commerce)
2011
Initiated the Global Virtual Assistants Week (week long schedule of on and offline events celebrating the industry and educating business owners, worldwide, about the benefits of working with virtual assistants). http://globalvaweek.com
J VanSickle Company establishes itself as a pioneer in VOM developing a VA Hybrid division known as a Virtual Operations Manager. VOM — The SOP Every Virtual Business Needs to Succeed. Virtual Operations Management is coined, and sets a new division in the Virtual Assistant Industry.
Danielle Keister previously known as The Gritty VA and founder of The Virtual Assistant Chamber of Commerce starts to push Administrative Consultants vs Virtual Assistant for the industry name. The Virtual Assistant Chamber of Commerce becomes ACA — Administrative Consultants Association.
2012
Voila! Current Day!
COPYRIGHT:
ABOUT THE AUTHOR (resource box):
Jaimie VanSickle, owner of J VanSickle Company, operates a Virtual Operations Management Firm. She also mentors and coaches business owners to better acquaint them with the knowledge and infrastructures required to operate a successful business in a virtual environment.
Visit J VanSickle Company for more information.
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