Callie Reagan is cultivating a big-city trend in the Flathead Valley with Another Hand, a one-woman virtual-assistant business.

Virtual assistants work as contractors, covering office tasks and projects for businesses and individuals on a request basis. The trend has become increasingly popular recently, particularly in big cities, as businesses have shifted toward remote and more flexible work.

“It’s not really popular out here,” Reagan acknowledged. “It’s more up and coming, especially here.

“People are more confused about it here,” she said with a laugh.

Since starting the business in June 2018, Reagan has had to do a little explaining to local clients as she builds her customer base. She offers services such as transcribing, data entry and checking emails for companies and individuals around the valley. Clients can hire Reagan for a one-time task, like cleaning out their email inbox, or for regularly recurring assignments.

“It’s flexible,” Reagan explained. “I do digital marketing, blogs, content, travel planning — it’s kind of across the board.”

Reagan said hiring a virtual assistant has a range of benefits. Companies save time and money by contracting some tasks with a virtual assistant; they only have to pay for the work done, rather than equipment, taxes, health care benefits or other expenses. Individuals or small business owners can also focus on more priority work while handing off other duties to a virtual assistant.

“It allows people to stick to what they’re best at,” Reagan said. She gave the example of a real estate agent, who is able to focus on selling houses while a virtual assistant handles more of the mundane parts of the job.

Her clients and her services are as diverse as the local business landscape. Reagan said she works with everyone from stay-at-home moms, to mortgage brokers, to environmental groups.

And Reagan, who has lived around the world and worked in a variety of positions, will take on just about any project a client needs.

She said she has a list she calls “I said yes,” which includes all of the intimidating, unfamiliar projects she has agreed to take on.

“I like the diversity. I like to learn,” the enterprising local businesswoman said. “I’m kind of a nerd that way,” she added.

However, there isn’t much that Reagan finds all that unfamiliar after working in dental offices and with nonprofit organizations and travel companies in Iowa, California and India.

When she moved to Whitefish three and a half years ago, she used her well-rounded resume to start freelancing while working a traditional office job.

She never envisioned the side project would become a career path, but she discovered, “there really was a market out there. There’s so much local business.”

So she decided to start her own virtual-assistant business. Now, she said Another Hand allows her to do work she’s good at while still enjoying all the perks of living in the Flathead Valley. “It’s a more flexible work environment, flexible hours,” she said.

She explained this schedule works well for people with families, especially stay-at-home moms, since they can make their own schedules and work from home.

Of course, working as a virtual assistant also requires a special skill set, including discipline, time management, flexibility, honesty and a suite of office skills and willingness to learn new ones.

But in order to recruit clients, she added, “you constantly have to put yourself out there.”

Part of the challenge is introducing people to the virtual assistant concept and convincing them a virtual assistant is an affordable option.

“People are confused about how I can help if I’m not in the office,” she noted. But she explained she’s able to come into the office for an introduction and then complete the rest of her work from home.

Since Reagan loves to learn, she’s hopeful local clients will embrace her mentality as virtual assistant work becomes more prevalent throughout the Flathead.

Reporter Bret Anne Serbin may be reached at bserbin@dailyinterlake.com or 758-4459.