A: Gold Force communicates with our clients in the medium you are most comfortable with. Whether your preference is traditional telephone, online video telephone, texting, email, old-fashioned snail-mail, or a combination of these resources, Gold Force will communicate with you however you wish. We will also meet with clients in your office or at a coffee shop if you are within a reasonable distance local to Strasburg OH.

There are some circumstances where the client will need to give Gold Force access to software and applications secured in your name. This may involve naming the virtual assistant as an ‘admin’ to the account, or actually sharing your log-in credentials. Gold Force protects these credentials with the highest of security and they are used as sparingly as necessary to manage the tasks you wish of us.

A: Gold Force finds the online ‘cloud’ storage features of Dropbox most beneficial to sharing files with our clients, giving us both access at the same time, from anywhere, and it automatically syncs updates made to your files by either of us. This saves the confusion of emailing back and forth and keeps the most current files at our fingertips. Your Dropbox account can be hosted strictly online, or the program can be downloaded to your desktop, laptop, or mobile device for the easiest of access and utilization.

Dropbox has three plans to choose from including a plan specific for business, yet the free service has suited the needs of every business we have worked with. The space available in the free account can be expanded with each new user you refer to the service. Gold Force can send you an invitation link, upon request, to get started. At that point, we would create a folder specific to your business and share it with you; and from then on, we use your Dropbox folder for all our file and document sharing needs between us. Access can be given to any other party who may need it by sharing the folder with a referral invitation.

A: Although the actual administrative tasks requested vary with each business, the fundamentals of how they are completed are nearly all standard. Gold Force uses Industry Production Standards (IPS) guidelines published by the Association of Business Support Services International, Inc. and Executive Suite Association to determine the estimated time required for all levels of document production and non-keyboard services. Industry Production Standards are based on average time required in the performance of specific duties for project production by a professional information processing operator, and calculated uniformly in 6-minute (or 0.1 hour) increments.

With the IPS guidelines and many years of experience serving clients with diverse needs, Gold Force can very accurately determine the time your task or project will take to complete, and written quotes are drafted upon request.

A: During our initial consultation, Gold Force will suggest an appropriate method of working together.

Project-type work is quoted as one price. Project based fees allow Gold Force and the client to get to the task right away, without complication. Project fees are pre-determined from the IPS guidelines (as stated in the FAQ: How are rates determined)? Put more simply: One project or task = One fee.

Based on that initial consultation, Gold Force may suggest an on-going retainer. This retainer allows Gold Force to schedule sufficient time throughout the month for each client and still have time for unexpected pressing needs to be considered and fulfilled. A retainer provides the client the assurance that Gold Force will have time specifically dedicated for him/her each day/week/month, and have preferred status in the instance of those unexpected pressing needs that may occur. An additional benefit to the client is accelerated discounts for hours purchased; retainer packages are available in 10, 15, and 20 hour per month increments, with discounts at each level. Unused retainer hours do not roll over to the next month; however, this is unlikely to occur with good communication and planning.

Hourly rates are available for those businesses that do not need a lot of ongoing monthly support with a bundle of service hours, but occasionally need additional personnel to fill an immediate need.

A: Consider your own billable time in business: if you earn $80 per hour selling your product or service and spend hours working on unbillable tasks such as bookkeeping, customer service, documentation, etc., you are losing $80 per hour because you are not using that time to sell your product or service. If you outsource those administrative tasks to Gold Force at $40 per hour and use that same time making sales, you will net $40 per hour at the same time those tasks are being completed. Busy professionals should be busy working ON your business, not IN it.

A: Gold Force sends all invoices by email, and can place a PDF copy in our shared DropBox folder also.

Hourly clients are invoiced on the 1st and 15th of each month depending on the quantity of hours logged and length of contract.

Retainer clients will be billed each month on their contracted date. For instance, if we contract to begin working together on May 12th, you will receive your invoices on the 12th of each month, and your specific month will run from the 12th thru the 11th of the next month.

Project clients are invoiced at completion, with payment due before the final project documents are released. Depending on the size, clients may be required to provide a deposit before work begins on a large project.

Gold Force expects payment within 15 days. If your processes require longer terms, we can discuss your needs, and adjust rates and invoices accordingly.

A: While there are many online programs available for a price which both parties can access, the time to log in and record every detail could become time-consuming, and would be included in the client’s invoice. Gold Force operates under the Scout’s Honor system. Actual time is measured with a digital desktop timer, and a written record is maintained in your file. These notes can be detailed on the invoice if the client so desires.

A: NO! This is one of the best benefits of using Gold Force as an independent contractor who is responsible for our own business taxes, workers compensation and IRS tax reporting.

However, you may be required to send an IRS Form 1099-MISC to use in our IRS tax reporting. See the FAQ: Am I required to secure or send Gold Force any IRS tax forms?

A: The IRS requires you to send a Form 1099-MISC to any contracted service provider you have paid $600 or more to throughout the tax year. Therefore, if you have paid Gold Force a total of $600 or more throughout the tax year, you are required to send us a completed Form 1099-MISC. In order to secure the correct reporting information from us, you will first need to request a completed Form W-9 from Gold Force.

A: Gold Force assumes a professional interest in every business we support. We create a foundation of trust by building solid relationships through a genuine concern of the business success of our clients. From the very beginning of our working relationship, we strive to meet your needs as they arise, in as little time as necessary, and at the highest level of quality expected.

Gold Force maintains the highest standards of authentic service through our grounded principles of professional integrity, moral and ethical values, and Christian beliefs.

As a registered member and active adult leader of the Boy Scouts of America since 1995, Gold Force is committed to upholding the Scout Oath and Law in everything we do.

Finally, others trust us. We’ll gladly provide appropriate contact information with current clients should you need referrals, many of whom have provided testimonials found throughout this site.

A: Sometimes it is very difficult for a business owner to let go of various tasks and let a virtual assistant take ownership of them. The idea of keeping control of all aspects of your business is important and essential for your success. However, consider how much more effective your efforts are at building your business and increasing sales when not strapped to your desk performing administrative tasks and projects that someone else could be doing for you. As businesses grow, the most difficult challenge is for the owner to ‘let go’ of handling every detail themselves. Your personal efforts have gotten you to this point; now your business is ready for greater success and it’s time to assign those tasks and projects to an effective team member like Gold Force Administrative Support. If you want the Virtual Assistant and client relationship to work as it should (free your time to grow your business), then you must assign tasks and let us accomplish them for you.

There are facets of outsourcing that you can, and should, maintain control of. Communicate openly and effectively from the very beginning. It is important that we know what your business is about; share your vision of the business, let us know the details of what you do and how you manage it. Be clear in your expectations. Whether it is a one-time project or long term maintenance, it is important to provide the information that is needed.

Of course this only works if you know what you need and how it needs done. Many business owners know they need ‘something’ to help establish procedures and move their business forward, but they do not know exactly what. Gold Force has worked with many businesses with very diverse needs and can help brainstorm solutions with you to the issues influencing your business.

Contracting with Gold Force can be a mutually beneficial relationship that will offer a huge return on your investment if you go into it prepared and ready to hand over parts of your business to us that will ultimately make you more effective and successful!

A: Yes. After the initial consultation and before services begin, Gold Force presents a contract that details the shared expectations and assignment facts, such as description, cost, payment, product ownership, confidentiality, and delivery of finished product if applicable. The contract also allows for renewals and dissolution, provided terms are met or defaulted upon by either party.

A: Absolutely! Your business information is safe with us! A confidentiality clause is written into the contract of Gold Force as well.

A: NO! Gold Force operates out of our own fully-equipped office with the most effective and efficient equipment and software to meet most every business need.

A: Gold Force is an independent contractor servicing more than one client on a regular basis. We work during the hours determined by our schedule and guarantee your project will be completed by the time stated in the agreement. Also, new tasks and communications will be serviced within a reasonable time frame as required by each occurrence. Gold Force generally maintains 9am-5pm office hours; however, we may work the occasional late evening and weekend at our discretion.

A: While Gold Force works with multiple retainer, hourly and project clients in any given month, each client is allotted the specific time requirement in our schedule based on their structure and contract. It is our responsibility to manage our business and clients in a way that we serve our obligations to meet the needs of each appropriately.

A: Being a virtual business, Gold Force often maintains operations during time away from our office. Support services during vacations are more commonly handled during morning or evening hours, and new services or projects can be discussed and often quoted, but will not begin until returning to the office.

It is not often that Gold Force takes a long vacation, more instances are of 2- or 3-day quick trips, usually over a weekend. Clients are given advance notice of upcoming interruptions to our support if the trip involves a weekday; and will be informed if we will still be virtual during our vacation, or if we will be taking a few virtual-free days to become grounded in reality. In any case, it is our responsibility to manage our business and clients in a way that we serve our obligations to meet the needs of each appropriately.