History of Virtual Assistance
Transcript of History of Virtual Assistance
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Where and how it all started
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` Secretarial services predate Virtual Assistance by
more than a few years (it's estimated that they began
somewhere between the 50s and 70s, possibly even
earlier). Although the latter is an evolution of the
former, it is important to understand that the concepts
are uniquely distinct from one another. Virtual
Assistance is an intentional brand of ongoing right-
hand administrative support whereas a secretarial
service is focused on one-time or occasionalpiecemeal project work.
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` Advent (approximate) of secretarial services.
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` Association of Business Support Services
International (ABSSI; formerly known as the
National Association ofSecretarial Services) is
founded.
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` 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.
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` Brice begins working with life coach ThomasLeonard. During a telephone conversation withBrice, Leonard coins the term "Virtual Assistant"which further sparks an idea already germinating
in Brice's mind. Brice begins working out hervision of a profession of administrative experts--Virtual Assistance--and creating a model distinctfrom secretarial services. She borrows the term
Leonard coined to name this new profession.
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` The Virtual Assistance profession is formalized in
February with the opening of Brices AssistU.Also
in February, the first ever article on Virtual
Assistance appears in TheS
ecretary featuringStacy Brice (originally interviewed November
1996) and Lora Davidek.
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` AssistU launches the "Daily Assistant," the first-
ever ezine for Virtual Assistants which runs five
days a week to more than 10,000 subscribers
(most of whom were not VAs) until publishing isdiscontinued in 2000.
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` Global Association of Virtual Assistants (GAVA), a
members site run by Amy Sarai and Julie Hewitt that
also provides RFPs to the public, opens with the
backing of Thomas Leonard. From Stacy Brice: "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." Site
owners Sarai and Hewitt also start VA4U.comas adirectory of VAs (which is now owned by someone in
the U.K).
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` Christine Durst and Michael Haaren establish
Staffcentrix in Spring. In later years, Durst claims
that she "founded" the industry.
` AssistU adds Virtual Assistant certification to itsprogram.
` Durst and Haaren form the International Virtual
AssistantsAssociation (IVAA).
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` Janet Jordan (deceased January 2006)
opens Virtual AssistanceUniversity (VAU).
` Fred (deceased August 2006) and Shirley Gandee
form the International Association ofVirtualOfficeAssistants (IAVOA), and A Virtual Solution
(AVS; now a web-hosting reseller) is established.
IVAA begins certifying VAs.
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` Virtual Assistant Certification appears on the
scene, formed by the allied founders of VAU,
IAVOA and AVS. IVAA separates from
StaffC
entrix.S
tacy Brice nominated for FastCompany's Fast 50.
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` Stacy 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).
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` Michelle Jamison, Carol Ford and Laura Sandham
formCanadian Virtual Assistant Networking
(CVAN).
` Mary-Lou Ashton forms Canada-based VirtualAssistant Training Program (VATP).
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` Kathy Zengolewicz, Jackie Eastwick and Mary Motzform theDelaware Valley Virtual AssistantsAssociation (DVVVA).
` ABSSI dissolves; domain ownership is assumed by
Nina Feldman who repoints it to her web site.Business Support Services business owners begincalling themselves Virtual Assistants, although theirbusiness models predominately remain unchanged assecretarial services (mainly local clients and
project/piecework for anyone willing to pay),presumably to jump on the Virtual Assistantbandwagon given the loss of their own group.
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` Margaret McKillen forms the Association of Virtual
Assistants of Ireland (AVA Ireland), defunct as of
2009.
` Caroline Nelson forms the Southeastern VirtualAssistant Group (SEVAG).
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` 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 VirtualAssistance industry in the mainstream
marketplace.
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` Caroline Melville forms Scottish Virtual
Assistants (SVA).
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` Scottish Virtual Assistants changes to Societyof
Virtual Assistants (SVA).
` Gritty VA evolves into the Virtual Assistance
ChamberofCommerce (VACOC), founded byDanielle Keister.
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NOTE: Facts will be added on an ongoing basis to this History
ofVirtual Assistance
Source:http://www.virtualassistantnetworking.com/history.htm