WS Chronicle

By Busta Brown

In 2020, during the pandemic, businesses were struggling to gain clientele, among other financial issues. In October of 2021, Jessica Lane started a business to end that struggle and made life much simpler and profitable for businesses and organizations. She started The Office Geeks LLC. “It was started out of a realization of the rapidly changing world we live in and how much virtual services have skyrocketed in the past few years. In 2020 with the pandemic in full swing, many companies were forced to adapt to remote work in order to keep their employees safe. As I watched this shift happen, I realized that there was a huge need for virtual services to support this new way of working and living.” 

What keeps Jessica and her team inspired is their passion to help businesses stay competitive and successful, “As we continue to navigate this new world, I am proud to be a part of the solution. By providing reliable and efficient virtual services, we are helping businesses stay competitive, succeed in the face of unprecedented challenges, and save money.  I am excited to see what the future holds for The Office Geeks LLC as we continue to innovate and adapt to meet the needs of our clients.”

I caught up with Jessica to learn more on how The Office Geeks can help your business and organization become more successful. 

What is yours and your employees’ experience?

I hold a master’s degree in nonprofit management from High Point University, as well as a bachelor’s in public administration from Virginia State University. I have over 20 years’ experience in serving in executive and administrative capacities, as well as experience in dispatching, grant writing, purchasing, and business management. In being such a well-rounded and diverse individual, I am able to understand and maneuver both the for profit and nonprofit sectors efficiently, thus allowing me to be successful in servicing business owners and nonprofit agencies. 

My team is diverse and I chose to have experienced virtual assistants (VA)s in a variety of industries and backgrounds, from providing customer service to more complex tasks. All my VAs have various levels of experience and education to fit and accommodate business owners in any stage they are in. 

Do you only provide service in North Carolina?

No, we are virtual based, so we can serve business owners and individuals across the United States.

How can you lighten the business workload and boost peak efficiency for an organization?

As a virtual assistant agency, The Office Geeks, LLC has the potential to significantly lighten business workloads and boost peak efficiency within a business. By outsourcing administrative tasks and projects to our team of skilled professionals, businesses can free up valuable time and resources that can be better allocated toward core business functions.

My virtual assistants are experts in a wide range of administrative tasks, including data entry, bookkeeping, social media management, customer service, and more. By delegating these tasks to our team, businesses can focus on their core competencies and strategic initiatives without sacrificing productivity or quality of work.

Moreover, outsourcing administrative tasks to The Office Geeks, LLC can also result in cost savings for businesses. My virtual assistants work remotely, eliminating the need for businesses to provide office space, equipment, and other employee related expenses. Furthermore, our flexible pricing options allow businesses to pay only for the services they need, when they need them.

Tell us how you can help grow start-up businesses and nonprofits.

We assist individuals in the early start-up process in obtaining business entrepreneurship. We don’t believe in overwhelming our clients and opt to take them through the process step by step in creating their business plans, assisting them with state filings, and helping them with important documents, licenses and other items needed to be compliant. We do the same process when it comes to those who choose to start nonprofit organizations, even down to completing their 501(c)(3) exemption applications.

Can you help organizations boost their social media reach?

We conduct a thorough analysis of our client’s social media accounts to provide an in-depth understanding of their online presence. This information helps us to identify areas that need improvement and discover new opportunities for growth. After completing the analysis, we tailor a social media strategy specifically for the client. This involves a detailed plan for content creation, posting frequency, and engagement with followers. We also use analytics tools to monitor the success of the strategy and make necessary adjustments.

In addition, we offer social media advertising services to help clients expand their reach. We use highly targeted advertising campaigns and tools such as Canva to ensure the client’s message is seen by the right audience and is aesthetically pleasing.

Tell us about the capital business funding.

We recognize our target audience consists of business owners, freelancers, and entrepreneurs. We offer gig worker funding that is specifically designed for independent contractors and self-employed workers. These workers may not have a steady income stream or be able to provide traditional proof of income, making it difficult for them to obtain traditional business financing. This type of funding is typically based on the worker’s creditworthiness and past earnings, rather than collateral or business assets.

Our capital business funding, on the other hand, is financing options for businesses of all types and sizes that are based on the business’s financial performance and assets. Applications can be done on our website int the comfort of your own home. However, we urge our clients to carefully consider the terms and fees presented to them before making a decision.

What other services do you provide?

We are pleased to offer so many virtual services and we continue to add to our list. Some of the services we provide are grant writing, administrative/executive tasks, data entry, customer service, website design, notary services, database management, social media management, dispatching, invoicing, bookkeeping, business start-ups, etc. 

A complete listing is available on our website at www.theofficegeeksllc.com.

What are some other valuable benefits of using a company such as yours?

Some of our most valuable benefits include increased productivity, improved work-life balance, reduced overhead costs, and access to a wide range of skills and expertise. By outsourcing tasks to us, our clients can focus on what they do best and leave the rest to us.

Is your pricing reasonable for all clients?

Although our pricing is competitive, we stand out among other virtual assistant agencies because of our flexible payment plans. We understand that each of our clients has unique financial circumstances, and as a result, we offer customized payment solutions to fit their budgetary needs.

Do you require a long-term commitment?

We do not believe in long-term commitments or binding contracts. If a client is not satisfied with our services, they can cancel by providing a two-week notice. For short-term projects, clients can choose to continue our services on an as-needed basis after the work is complete.

Are conference rooms available?

No, we don’t provide conference room space.

What are some of the challenges with a business such as yours?

Our agency values our clients and is committed to working with them to provide flexible payment plans. However, it’s imperative that our clients uphold their end of the agreement and keep their payments up to date. Defaulting on payments not only affects our cash flow, but can also lead to the unfortunate decision of me reducing our payment options and plans. While we’ve only had to make this decision a few times, it’s still important to be mindful of this possibility.

Running a virtual assistant agency requires significant manpower and resources. While I have managed to sustain my business, I do wish that it were easier for minority-owned businesses like mine to have more opportunities to obtain grants for leverage. Unfortunately, business grants can be highly competitive due to the surplus of businesses and your chances can be slim to none.

How is your client’s information protected?

I take the security and privacy of our clients’ information very seriously. I ensure I use security measures and software programs to ensure my client’s data remains safe and protected at all times, including the computers and laptops my VAs use.  I also have strict policies in place to ensure that my team of VAs adhere to the highest standards of confidentiality and professionalism.

How do we contact you?

Email: jmoorelane@theofficegeeksllc.com

Phone: 336-407-6043

Facebook: www.facebook.com/theofficegeeksllc

Instagram: www.instagram.com/theofficegeeksllc.com

Website: www.theofficegeeksllc.com

The Chronicle’s Business of the Month is The Office Geeks, LLC.