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The differences between virtual assistants and business managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a virtual assistant, becoming a business manager takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a business manager has an average salary of $83,198, which is higher than the $39,915 average annual salary of a virtual assistant.
The top three skills for a virtual assistant include data entry, customer service and email management. The most important skills for a business manager are customer service, powerpoint, and project management.
| Virtual Assistant | Business Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $39,915 | $83,198 |
| Hourly rate | $19.19 | $40.00 |
| Growth rate | -8% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 49,508 | 377,191 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 54% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Average age | 50 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 6 |
Virtual Assistants are remote workers who work with clients that need assistance. They usually do administrative or clerical activities such as managing soft copies of a document, writing e-mail correspondences, managing calendars, scheduling appointments, and other activities. They manage the e-mail of their clients and respond to inquiries and other messages. They also manage phone calls by answering calls, taking messages, and dialing for their clients. Virtual Assistants may also be asked to handle travel-related tasks of their clients, such as creating itineraries, booking flights, and booking hotels.
A business manager is responsible for directing the overall operations of the company, ensuring that all employees do their tasks efficiently and accurately. Business managers' duties include developing strategic solutions, evaluating employees' performance, identifying business opportunities to grow, monitoring the company's expenses to meet its budget goals, implementing techniques to boost the company's revenue and profitability, and adhering to the company's legal policies and procedures. A business manager must have excellent leadership and interpersonal skills to supervise daily operations.
Virtual assistants and business managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Virtual Assistant | Business Manager | |
| Average salary | $39,915 | $83,198 |
| Salary range | Between $29,000 And $54,000 | Between $47,000 And $145,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | Washington |
| Best paying company | IBM | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Technology |
There are a few differences between a virtual assistant and a business manager in terms of educational background:
| Virtual Assistant | Business Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 54% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Western Carolina University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between virtual assistants' and business managers' demographics:
| Virtual Assistant | Business Manager | |
| Average age | 50 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 12.4% Female, 87.6% | Male, 43.2% Female, 56.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.1% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.0% Asian, 3.8% White, 66.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.3% Asian, 6.4% White, 67.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 10% |