Layoff Becomes a Catalyst for Two Bay Area Entrepreneurs - Cybertary®, Inc. Signs Two Local Franchis

Date AddedJuly 08, 2009 11:41:23 AM

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ROSEVILLE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Cybertary, Inc., a network of professional Virtual Assistants (VAs) supporting independent and small business owners, announced it sold its first two Bay Area offices in San Mateo and downtown San Jose. Cybertary now has nine offices nationwide. Vicki Sanders owns the Cybertary office in San Mateo and David Darmitzel owns the office in downtown San Jose. These sales signify a new generation of Cybertary franchise owners who, after being laid off from their corporate jobs, are choosing to leave their traditional careers behind and become entrepreneurs after assessing how a career fits into their lifestyle priorities.

Vicki Sanders, a publishing industry veteran, spent the better part of her 25-year career working for United Business Media, publisher of Guitar Player and Bass Player magazines, where she was ultimately promoted to Vice President of the Music Group. The success of these efforts was recognized by Folio magazine, where she was included in the 2005 "Folio: 40." She also spent time at O'Reilly Media where she became immersed in online publishing and, most recently, worked for TechWeb as Director of Sales for their Web 2.0 events until being laid off in late 2008. "After my layoff, I realized how much time I was spending away from my family. I wanted to be much more involved in their daily lives," added Sanders. "I started seeking home-based entrepreneurial opportunities that would give me the flexibility I wanted and also utilize my hard-earned professional skills."

David Darmitzel has a similar story. After spending more than 20 years working in product development and support with a number of Silicon Valley hardware and software companies, Darmitzel also experienced a layoff in January 2009. "My priorities changed once I had the opportunity to take some time and re-evaluate my employment options. I came to realize that I was drawn to the idea of self-employment which offered me more control over my career," explained Darmitzel. "I was searching for a home-based business where I could utilize many of the skills that I'd acquired. I was also looking for an opportunity that would provide a variety of services that businesses would always need, even during an economic downturn." Working through Entrepreneur's Source, Darmitzel was introduced to Cybertary.

After reviewing many different types of franchise opportunities, both Sanders and Darmitzel were struck by Cybertary's professional package that provides franchisees with long-term support from the corporation. "Cybertary's plan to support its franchisees was very impressive. I researched many different franchise options. Once I was introduced to Cybertary, it was obvious that it was a perfect fit," explained Sanders.

Cybertary is a diversely talented nationwide network of highly-skilled professional Virtual Assistants (VAs), who collaborate as a team to provide "on-demand" administrative support and specialized services to businesses, entrepreneurs, solopreneurs, executives and busy people. Each team member is a highly skilled administrative professional with unique strengths and industry experience that add to the collective pool of resources. This talented team allows Cybertary to consistently provide the highest level of service and meet a wide variety of client needs. Cybertary works the same way a regular administrative employee does, only more efficiently since client work is done remotely over the Internet on an as-needed basis. Clients save money because they only pay for productive time on-task without the need to make costly payroll or overhead commitments.

Tina Angell and Valerie Dow bought the Sacramento regional franchise two years ago, thus allowing them to sell franchises within their territory. The two of them also own and run the Roseville, Ca. office. "In just the first year we doubled our revenue," explained Dow. "Running a successful, professional business from home has been more rewarding than we anticipated. It's the ideal business model for those who want a flexible work schedule and competitive wage," added Angell.

Founder Patricia Beckman explains that, "It has been my mission to provide this opportunity to career-minded professionals wishing to leave the corporate world and build their own home-based business thus giving them more time for their families. A Cybertary franchise offers the balance that many professionals are seeking."

For San Mateo area businesses seeking the support of a virtual assistant or for more information on Cybertary, please visit www.Cybertary.com/SanMateo. Cybertary's San Mateo office can also be reached at SanMateo@Cybertary.com or (650) 264-2495.

For downtown San Jose area businesses seeking the support of a virtual assistant or for more information on Cybertary, please visit www.Cybertary.com/SanJose. Cybertary's downtown San Jose office can also be reached at SanJose@Cybertary.com or (408) 841-7295.

The Cybertary Trend and the Virtual Assistant Industry

According to the Small Business Administration, small firms total approximately 23 million in the United States, with roughly 75 percent of the firms having no employees. This means there are a significant number of small business owners out there trying to "do it all." Cybertary and other professional Virtual Assistants are increasingly popular since they take care of the paperwork, bookkeeping, data entry and other marketing tasks so the business owners have more time to spend with their clients, or simply take time for them.

Cybertary's Franchise Opportunity

In 2007, there were 27.2 million businesses in the United States, according to Office of Advocacy estimates. Census data show that there were 6.0 million firms with employees and 20.4 million without employees in 2005. Small firms with fewer than 500 employees represent 99.9 percent of the 27.2 million businesses (including both employers and non-employers), and the most recent data from 2005 show there were slightly more than 17,000 large businesses. Clearly there are plenty of small businesses in the U.S. that could use the help of a virtual assistant to help them outsource administrative tasks that keep them from their primary revenue-producing activities.

Cybertary's affordable, turnkey franchise opportunity makes starting a flexible, home-based business a reality for business professionals who wish to earn a worthy wage outside the corporate world and be more available to their families. The VA industry has grown steadily over the past five years, but Cybertary is the first known national franchise opportunity for VAs in the U.S.

About Cybertary, Inc. and Franchise Opportunities

Cybertary, Inc. was founded by Patricia Beckman in Roseville, California to meet the growing demand for reliable and professional administrative outsourcing. Cybertary is now available as a nationwide franchise opportunity to creative regional networks of VAs. For more information on the franchise opportunity, contact Patricia Beckman at (916) 781-7799, email to Franchise@Cybertary.com or visit www.CybertaryFranchise.com.