I didn’t set out on this path wondering how to become a virtual assistant.
It kind of just fell into my lap. And I consider myself pretty darn lucky!
Call it a natural fit- My best friend asked me to run her
Virtual Assistant business, I had no Idea what a VA was at that point.
“I’m a nurse,” I said to her.
After being home for 2 years, failing to get a paid job in my area, I agreed!
I can tell you that, that was the best decision I’ve made, well second best.
I married a great man, that’s the best decision ever.
Anyway, so I started working for her. She trained me, showing
me the different VA tools to use and it wasn't long before I started my own
VA business.
I started my own business because I wanted to choose my own
clients, working with clients I love, pays off. Creating content
I love, it’s a great feeling.
The question is how I did this, without ANY money?
Let me tell you, it’s actually easy but takes a lot of hard work and
dedication. Back then I was making decisions
on the fly — learning the ins and outs of
running my own business while working hard to support my family.
Thank goodness for my husband Johan! He was so supportive during
this journey.
These days I’m still juggling my best friends VA business while
also helping aspiring VAs to start and grow their own businesses.
I spend a lot of time talking to new virtual assistants and speaking
about the industry as a whole.
In this post, I’m going to cover everything you need to know in order
to follow in my footsteps. Outlining each of the individual steps
required and point you in the direction of our best resources.
By the time you get to the end, you should have a solid
understanding of the
steps you need to take and how you can get started TODAY!
You are probably wondering what is a Virtual Assistant?
Although this industry is growing by leaps and bounds there are still
plenty of people who don’t really understand
what a virtual assistant is or how they
can play a vital role in the growth of a business — both online
and traditional brick and mortar.
Many people look at VAs as little more than personal assistants.
But it’s more complicated than that! It’s true that in some circumstances
we might be performing some of the traditional tasks associated
with administrative work.
But the list of services that a VA can offer is amazingly diverse.
And for this reason I created the following definition:
A virtual assistant is anyone who offers virtual services to
other business owners in exchange for an agreed upon fee.
Pretty simple right? Let’s dive in
What services does a virtual assistant provide?
This is the second most common question we are asked revolves
around the types of services that you can offer as a VA.
The truth of the matter is that there is no right or wrong about
what a virtual assistant does or services they offer.
It actually all depends on you, what you want to do, or what
do you like to do.
Here is a list of a few services you can provide:
- Customer support
- Website design
- WordPress maintenance
- Graphic design and layout
- Calendar management and travel arrangements
- Content creation for blogs and ghostwriting
- Editing and proofreading
- Transcription
- Content research
- Keyword research
- Email management
- Bookkeeping
- Data entry
- Creating sales pages
- Managing product launches
- Social media management
- Project management
SO now you have an idea about the services you can provide as a
VA, but what is the number one skill that you need to be successful?
Obviously, if you’re planning to work online,
a general understanding of all-things-internet
is a good place to start.
Having some specific skills and experience
will make getting started easier and it’ll definitely help with
landing the first few clients.
A lack of skills should never be deterrent. A high degree of
motivation, good communication skills
and a desire to learn is equally, if not more important.
The important part, How to become not only a virtual assistant but how to be successful in your Virtual assistant business?
I’m all for shortcuts and take the easy way. If you are looking
for some kind of secret, there isn't one.
Just get STARTED! That’s what I did...and It worked.
My first client was a new VA just starting out, she was in
need of some kind of contract/proposal template to send out
if she lands her first client. Guess what? I helped her
because I had that in place already!
So let’s break this down, shall we?
Here are the basics steps:
- Choose your business structure.
- Decide what your niche is.
- Decide on your pricing structure.Launch your website and create your online presence.
- Start pitching and networking.
- Build relationships
If starting your own VA business is something you’re passionate about pursuing, you can learn more about our best-selling course: “How to become a Succesful Virtual Assistant” It walks you through all the steps we discussed in this post and a whole lot more.
We also have a Facebook group that you can join for some VA inspiration and If you have any questions. The VA Mentor SA you’ll be part of a close-knit community of successful virtual assistants who are open to sharing their knowledge and experience with you.
