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 occasional piecemeal project work.
| 1950s: |
Advent (approximate) of secretarial services. |
| 1981: |
Association of Business Support Services International
(ABSSI; formerly known as the National Association of Secretarial
Services) is founded. |
| 1992: |
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. |
| 1996: |
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. |
| 1997: |
The Virtual Assistance profession is formalized in February with
the opening of Brice’s AssistU.
Also in February, the first ever article on Virtual Assistance appears
in The Secretary featuring Stacy Brice (originally interviewed November
1996) and Lora Davidek. |
| 1997: |
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 is discontinued in 2000. |
| 1998: |
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.com
as a directory of VAs (which is now owned by someone in the U.K).
|
| 1999: |
Christine Durst and Michael Haaren
establish Staffcentrix in Spring. In later years, Durst claims that
she "founded" the industry. |
| 1999: |
AssistU
adds Virtual Assistant certification to its program. |
| 1999: |
Durst and Haaren form the International
Virtual Assistants Association (IVAA). |
| 1999: |
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), and A
Virtual Solution (AVS; now a web-hosting reseller) is established.
IVAA begins certifying VAs. |
| 2001: |
Virtual
Assistant Certification appears on the scene, formed by
the allied founders of VAU, IAVOA and AVS. IVAA separates from StaffCentrix.
Stacy Brice nominated for Fast Company's Fast 50. |
| 2002: |
Stacy Brice speaks at ABSSI conference
in Virginia, encountering resistance to the new idea of Virtual Assistance
and its relationship-based business model. |
| 2002: |
Janice Byer and Elayne Whitfield form the Canadian
Virtual Assistant Connection (CVAC). |
| 2002: |
Michelle Jamison, Carol Ford and Laura
Sandham form Canadian
Virtual Assistant Networking (CVAN). |
| 2002: |
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). |
| 2003: |
ABSSI dissolves; domain ownership is assumed by Nina
Feldman who repoints it to her web site. Business Support Services
business owners begin calling themselves Virtual Assistants, although
their business models predominately remain unchanged as secretarial
services (mainly local clients and project/piecework for anyone willing
to pay), presumably to jump on the Virtual Assistant bandwagon given
the loss of their own group. |
| 2004: |
Margaret McKillen forms the Association of Virtual Assistants
of Ireland (AVA Ireland), defunct as of 2009. |
| 2004: |
Caroline Nelson forms the Southeastern
Virtual Assistant Group (SEVAG). |
| 2005: |
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.
|
| 2005: |
Caroline Melville forms Scottish
Virtual Assistants (SVA). |
| 2006: |
Scottish Virtual Assistants changes
to Society
of Virtual Assistants (SVA). |
| 2006: |
Gritty VA evolves into the Virtual
Assistance Chamber of Commerce (VACOC), founded by Danielle
Keister. |