18 November 2009 | Commentary | Guest Blogger

Despite the economic hardship we hear about every day on the morning news, this is one of the most exciting times to be alive. There are three reasons.

First, everyone unanimously agrees that the status quo is broken. That means new approaches to old problems are in high demand.

Second, high unemployment both here and abroad creates a huge pool of labor, eager to find work. That means any offer of employment, either permanent or contract, will likely be met with significant interest.

Third, technology is allowing employers to hire and manage employees in different parts of the world, allowing for major cost savings with little or no reduction in work quality.

These three trends converged for me earlier this year when I hired Uma, my virtual assistant located in Chennai, India. Uma is an absolute pleasure to work with and offers quality work with the utmost integrity. We have worked together for about eight months and it has been a resoundingly positive experience.

Also, because Uma lives in Chennai where the cost of living is a lot lower than it is here in California, the hourly rate she charges is a small fraction of what it would be if I hired someone local.

Uma’s primary responsibility is to help me promote my second book entitled “Webify Your Business – Internet Marketing Secrets for the Self-Employed” and submit my proposals as a speaker to business conferences and professional associations around the world.

The interesting thing is that my book talks all about leveraging the internet to grow your business and I have heard from a number of readers who have now hired their own virtual assistants to support that process. Internet marketing isn’t rocket science. It’s a simple process and many of the tasks are tedious and mundane; perfect for a virtual assistant.

There are literally millions of self-employed professionals (including real estate agents, insurance brokers, loan offers, financial advisors, massage therapists, life coaches and marketing consultants among others) who would benefit from having a virtual assistant, and technology platforms like oDesk are making it easier than ever to manage.

There are enormous opportunities to leverage the internet these days. It’s like the Wild Wild West all over again. Social media platforms like Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and YouTube are allowing enterprising individuals to build online empires with little more than a laptop and an internet connection. If you would like more details, get a copy of my book.

Once you have your plan mapped out, isolate the tasks you could pass off to a virtual assistant. It won’t cost you very much and oDesk makes it easy to manage their work and pay for their time. Consider the possibility. If you’re anything like me, it will raise your game and accelerate your progress while improving your outlook for the future.

Uma is like my secret weapon. With a 12-hour time difference, I give her detailed instructions in the evening and when I wake up the next morning, the work is done. I am happy and so is she. I couldn’t think of a better situation. Give it a try and let oDesk help you manage the process. Once you get used to it, you’ll wonder how you ever lived without it!

Patrick Schwerdtfeger is the founder of Tactical Execution; a company that leverages progressive marketing strategies to build credibility and exposure for its clients. Patrick is an award winning speaker and has given hundreds of workshops and seminars across the United States and western Canada.

Patrick is the author of “Webify your Business – Internet Marketing Secrets for the Self-Employed“. His podcasts have been downloaded over 30,000 times in 27 countries and his articles have been published on thousands of different websites. With a diverse background in marketing and finance, Patrick has a gift for explaining complicated subjects in simple language, making his presentations insightful and empowering.