The profession of virtual assistant is becoming more and more popular. How did you decide on that path?

Years before I quit my job, I was attracted to the idea of opening my own company. The ideal opportunity for this presented itself to me when I became pregnant and went on maternity leave. I was sure that I did not want to return to the corporation where I worked and I was constantly thinking about what to do next.

I didn't want to open a company with zero clients. However, four months later, a former colleague, who in the meantime started his own very successful business, invited me for coffee and offered to work for his company as a virtual assistant. We held several meetings on that topic, I got to know the teams he works with, and I was convinced that it was the ideal story for me.

Before the end of my maternity leave, I quit my job, received incentives from the CES and opened my company Medium VA j.d.o.o. which deals with the provision of virtual assistance services to entrepreneurs. A year and three months later, I already have several virtual assistants to whom I delegate part of the tasks. I have never regretted that decision.

Is it possible to make a (good) living from the work of a virtual assistant?

Top virtual assistants can make a very good living from this job, and the biggest benefit, apart from the possibility of attractive income, is that you can really work from anywhere in the world, provided you have a good internet connection, of course. There is some flexibility in scheduling and organizing your working day.

However, this requires a lot of investment in developing one's own knowledge and skills. Virtual assistants should have above-average organizational skills because they have to complete tasks for multiple clients on a daily basis.

What does a virtual assistant do and what doesn't it do?

My company slogan, Medium VA perfectly describes what a virtual assistant can do for clients - the possibilities are limitless!

A virtual assistant for a client can do everything the client needs, but of course, with the basic prerequisite that the work can be done remotely and that the physical presence of the virtual assistant at the client's workplace is not required.

For my clients, for example, I archive and organize documentation, do price calculations, make and send offers to customers, process orders and communicate with the factory, organize the delivery of goods, prepare financial documentation after the project is completed, deal with paperwork related to work permits for foreigners, etc. This is just one small example and a drop in the sea of tasks that I perform, depending on the client's activity and his needs.

Of course, there is the possibility of periodic visits to the client's workplace for the purpose of collecting documentation or performing some tasks in various institutions, but these are more exceptional situations than the rule.

What does a virtual assistant need to know?

First of all, every virtual assistant needs to learn how to successfully run her own business.

Negotiation, communication and organizational skills are crucial in the work of a virtual assistant. Love for technology because all virtual assistants must be up to date with new technologies. They have to use a lot of virtual tools in order to perform tasks for multiple clients with ease. A good virtual assistant must be proactive and provide added value to clients by suggesting certain activities and how they can further optimize their business, and she must know how to recognize an opportunity for herself and what other tasks she could help the client with.

I always recommend specialization to all virtual assistants, because that way they will stand out in the crowd of other virtual assistants, and with constant training within the framework of that specialization, they will be able to provide clients with top-notch service. In this way, they will retain existing clients in the long term, but will also acquire new ones very quickly through referrals.

When to take a real and when to take a virtual assistant? What is more worthwhile?

The right assistant is needed by companies that need an employee who is in the office every day on a full or part-time basis. For example if it is necessary for an assistant to greet clients, make them coffee and the like, a virtual assistant cannot perform that work.

A virtual assistant is ideal for all companies that don't need a worker to sit in the office every day, that want to save on contributions, office costs, equipment, that don't want to worry about sick days and vacations and want to pay only for the work that is effectively and done.

What is the key to success in that business?

The key is to provide superior customer service. It is better to specialize in a part of the service and be the best in your job, than to do all kinds of things, but not well enough. For all tasks that the virtual assistant does not feel competent to complete, it is better to hire another assistant for that service who is specialized in that field and for whom she is sure that under her name she will complete these tasks with quality and in a timely manner.

It is important to be accurate, to stick to the deadlines promised to the client. Then organization, keeping proper records for each client, so that the client's documentation can be found easily and quickly, trust and confidentiality of all information that the assistant receives from the client.

I also believe in overdelivery and that every top virtual assistant should give their client extra value. This can be achieved with small gestures, and they mean a lot to clients.

You also teach other virtual assistants, including financial literacy in collaboration with Toni Miluna. What is your attitude towards money and has it changed over the years?

With Toni Miluna, professor of mathematics and financial blogger, and Katarina Lovrenčić, graduate psychologist and human resources expert, I hold training sessions for virtual assistants entitled: Virtual assistant - How to become and how to survive.

In addition to the skills that every virtual assistant should have, we raise their financial literacy and develop negotiation and sales skills. That's why Nikola Mujdžić Reščić and I jointly launched the GoThrive platform for virtual assistants, which has several goals:

• Education of future virtual assistants who will stand out with their knowledge and skills.
• Additional mentoring of virtual assistants in the GoThrive network.
• To create a place where businesses can get advice and information about virtual assistants and help choose the best virtual assistant for them.
• Providing virtual assistance services to everyone who needs it.

Also, new cycles start from April. We often get comments from participants that this is the best investment of their money in education and that our relationship with participants is unique.

We do our best to support them during and after the education. We are still at their disposal for all the questions and challenges they face. Our goal is to create truly superior virtual assistants, the best on the market. After the end of the education, we also organize meetings with the participants, we continue to send them new materials and inform them about important news that are important for their work.

My relationship with money has often changed. In my twenties, I didn't think too much about saving. At the age of 30, I realized that I will certainly not have the lifestyle I want after retirement, and I started investing. Today, at the age of 38, I save, invest and try to instill saving habits in my nieces and my child and teach them about the importance of investing, especially from a young age.

I am opening the third pension column for my child, and I have redirected the gifts to my nieces into gifts of an investment nature, from which they will have many benefits when they are old enough to want to have their own car, apartment, travel, etc.

What are you saving for? What are you investing in?

I save the most for travel. My husband and I love long trips and in our two and a half year old we already see a budding travelogue. I invest in the 3rd pension pillar, investment funds and recently in gold. And of course, I invest in my business and my own education.

What advice would you give to your younger self and to all our readers?

Please yourself because you will never please others.

In communication with people who apply for the "Virtual Assistant - How to Become and How to Survive" education, I often hear that they do not have the support and understanding of family and friends, and this is holding them back from starting a business. If I had listened to others, I would have been unhappy today and I would still be accompanied in every workplace by the feeling that I know and can do more and that I am not using my potential to the fullest.