Kelly Tanaka, owner of Cybertary Chicago, was recently featured in an article in the Jobs section of the Chicago Tribune. The article, titled "Weaving a rewarding career path, no rungs required," highlights how many workers are rejecting traditional "corporate ladder" careerism for alternatives that provide the kind of flexibility, learning experience, and work-life balance they desire for themselves and their families.

After 17 years in corporate sales and marketing jobs, Kelly Tanaka took a new route when she bought a Cybertary virtual assistance franchise in May. The business, which uses about 15 contract workers, is based on a belief that many workers "want to do something different than the standard of becoming a full-time employee," she said.

Tanaka's typical recruit is a stay-at-home parent or retiree with professional experience looking for a flexible job.

"They get to tell me what they want to do, what they're good at and how many hours they want to work," she said.

...while many are sending work to other countries to save money, Beckman said in recent years they're finding companies are less comfortable doing that and prefer a venue like theirs where everyone is based in the U.S. or Canada. Particularly with the risk of identity theft and fraud through online accounts and financial information, Beckman said several businesses want the assurance their confidentiality and disclosure agreements apply to whoever they contract with.

"They're giving us the electronic keys to their store," she said.

"Even when companies are laying people off and letting people go, the work still needs to get done," she said. "We're a flexible workforce on demand so they pay for us."

In doing that, businesses save both because they're not paying a full-time salary and also because they're not providing insurance, paid leave time or equipment and computers from which to work, she said.

The News of Cumberland County published an interview with Patricia last week, which was posted on New Jersey news site nj.com. In it, she stated that, while there are currently no Cybertary franchises in New Jersey, she'd like to change that.

"We'd love to open franchises in New Jersey, and in Cumberland County," she said late last week from her office. "Essentially, we hope to develop a region."

Cybertary offers a wide array of services—bookkeeping, creating fliers and forms, and various administrative duties, among others—to companies, organizations and even individuals.

Part of the appeal to clients is eliminating costs for overhead, benefits and supplies that would have been incurred by one's own in-house staff.

“Virtual assisting is a good option for moms with skills who want to stay home with their children, caregivers of elderly family members, or disabled workers,” Beckman said. “We’re seeing an increase in the number of applicants, and they have high-quality skills.”

“I wanted to be my own boss, but I decided to pursue franchising because I thought I might need some help. Statistics show that franchising is often a more successful route to business ownership,” said Gordon, owner of Cybertary Atlanta in Chamblee.

“I’ve done two projects for her so far. The work is enjoyable and varied, and I have the benefits of working without having to fight Atlanta traffic,” said Allen. As an independent contractor, she’s free to continue her search for full-time work, while keeping her skills sharp.

“Cybertary has made a huge difference from a financial and an emotional standpoint,” said Allen.