If you’re here, you either thought this was a riff on The Devil Wears Prada and her two assistants or you’re curious about elevating your virtual assistant business and becoming an executive virtual assistant. Well, as much as I LOVE Miranda Priestly, that’s not today’s blog post topic!
In this post, we’re going to talk about VAs, EVAs, and the alphabet soup that is online business ownership so you have a clear idea of what roles are best for you! You’ll learn what is an executive virtual assistant (EVA), the difference between a virtual assistant (VA) and an EVA, and why being an EVA is such an important role to have.
What’s an Executive Virtual Assistant (EVA)?
You may have heard of a Virtual Assistant, or VA, before. It’s pretty standard in our industry now. It’s possible you provide VA services already, like doing task-based duties (organizing inboxes, scheduling social media posts, etc) for your clients.
Let me introduce you to being an Executive Virtual Assistant, or EVA. The support you provide and the types of clients you work with are both higher-level in that they may have deeper needs than just an “order taker” and you are capable of meeting those needs.
In short, an EVA is an advocate and dedicated support person for CEOs. They are proactively looking at ways to support the CEO so they can stay in their zone of genius. EVAs step in and take over the day-to-day administrative work and also assist the CEO with:
- Systems
- Customer/client support
- Personal tasks
- Administrative duties
- Advocating for their time and needs
- Research
- Marketing support
- And more
When you work as an EVA, you allow the CEO to free up time and brain power so they can get their genius work done. The big idea to remember here is that you’re an advocate for your clients making their life easier. Rather than them telling you what to do, you actively look for how to support them in their business.
What is the Difference Between an Executive VA and a VA?
A virtual assistant is typically task-based with a defined scope of work. Give them a checklist and they thrive! However, a VA is usually a task-doer and may not think outside the box or take initiative to do more. They may also need more structure and management to get the job done.
On the other hand, an executive virtual assistant constantly looks for new ways to help the CEO. A hallmark of a good EVA is that they’re able to anticipate needs so they can be an indispensable part of the team.
Sometimes, being a proactive member of the team does mean that you have to get good at managing your time and also managing what the CEO is doing. But like I said, an EVA’s role is to free up the CEO’s brain power so they can focus on what they love to do.
What Makes the Executive Virtual Assistant Role so Important
An EVA is a crucial part of the team and helps relieve the pressure from the CEO so they can get back to doing the work that they thrive in. Because of their high level of work, EVAs are great at understanding the big picture of working with a CEO. They’re also well-versed in the needs of a high-level executive. As an EVA, you’re their brain and second in command. Naturally, this means you are compensated for the level of service you provide.
It’s such an important role because you’re directly supporting the CEO so they can reach their fullest potential and change the world. When doing so, you’re also reaching your fullest potential because your genius work lies in this important, detail-oriented work.
It’s really so fulfilling! You’re serving a crucial need to help other business owners reach their goals. In turn, you thrive because that high-touch, impactful support is what you are best at.
I hope I’ve helped you see the difference between virtual assistants and executive virtual assistants. When you clearly understand what the role entails, you’re able to determine if it would be a good fit for you so you can reach the next level in your virtual assistant business.
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