Customer Rating: 
Summary: A Must Have!
Comment: Jan's book is a must have for anyone seeking to start a home-based secretarial (virtual assistance) business. Her book is full of wonderful advice -- she even shares with her readers the actual forms she uses in her own business. This book is the "Virtual Assistant's" bible!
Customer Rating: 
Summary: Definitely Worth a Read!
Comment: Ms. Melnik has done an excellent job in writing this book. She provides comprehensive information on all aspects of starting your own secretarial service. She assume's the reader is at the very beginnin stages of planning and does a great job going through the entire process, one step at a time!The only thing I wish there was more information on was operating this business from an internet standpoint.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Very good book, if you want to open a resume production biz.
Comment: Ms. Melink writes well and includes much information, however it seems geared toward the resume business, vs. a well-rounded secretarial service. The information on what to charge clients is well written and informative.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Simply an EXCELLENT reference book!!
Comment: Jan's book tells you EVERYTHING you need to know to launch and grow a well organized and well planned secretarial business. It guides you through business organization, assessing personal skills, estimating start-up costs, pricing your services, planning growth, writing your own complete business plan, advertising & promotion, balancing your work life and home life, screening and hiring employees and much, much more. The book also gives you the advantages and drawbacks of operating a home-based business as well as important comments and much needed sound advice from other secretarial services business owners. There are also lots of samples e.g.: sample zoning permit application, sample expense worksheet form, sample balance sheet form, sample start-up office supply inventory, sample brochure, sample press release, sample flyer, and many, many samples more.
The only information I miss in this book are internet sites one can access for more information and articles, etc., as well as the fax & e-mail addresses of the contacts mentioned in the appendix (this is the only reason I rated the book 4-stars). I consider this kind of information extremely important in today's world.
I am now setting up my own secretarial services business following the guidelines I've found in this book. The book has made the path a lot easier for me because now I know what I have to have (minimum), what I have to do, how I have to do it, where I have to go and how I have to plan. Even though I'm in another country, the book has definitely guided and hinted me in the right direction. I would have gone through a lot of unnecessary struggles without this book. I highly recommend it to anyone thinking of starting a secretarial services business. Everything you need to know about starting and running the business is in this book.
Jan, thanks a lot for writing this book. It has become an indispensable and extremely valuable reference tool for me.
