Is Being a Virtual Assistant Right for Me?
Starting a business is an effective way to manage your time, balance your life, and earn more than you can in the traditional workforce. With high-speed internet available, people's desire to better balance their lives, and the increasing demand for contract and remote workers, starting a virtual assistant business can be a viable solution. For individuals with the right skills (or those willing to learn new ones), starting a service-based business as a virtual assistant is a no-brainer, provided you choose the right niche that aligns with your skills, temperament, personality, and desired lifestyle. In this case, you can essentially write your ticket by becoming a virtual assistant. It is a real career where you can achieve long-term success and profits.
About the Industry
The growth in the virtual assistant (VA) industry since its inception in the 1990s has been astounding. Today, over 1.8 billion clients use VA services of some kind. With that type of audience and choosing the right niche, one can truly make a VA business full-time and profitable. Of course, more people will become virtual assistants, and there will be greater demand for entrepreneurs. Starting a service-based business has a low barrier to entry. Therefore, anyone with a skill, a computer, and a good internet connection can get started in their new business overnight. What does this mean? There are many opportunities, but to capitalize on them, a niche is required to stand out. It's necessary to run a well-oiled business that easily adapts to the demand and to changing technology. Proficiency is needed to help clients modernize their processes to get more done with less.
The benefits of hiring a VA include remote hiring, budget-friendliness, and contractor hiring instead of an employee. What does this mean? It means that if you are a stay-at-home mom, college student, or simply want to use this as a side hustle, you can shape this business however you want. The thing I love most about it is that you can earn an extra or full-time income working from home, doing what you love. If you choose an industry of your interest near and dear to your heart or want to be a part of a movement or cause in this VA industry, you can make that happen. When you are hired as a contractor, you do business with another business; you are not an employee. You will be set up as a real business, working with clients who put their trust and business in your hands. When you work as an employee, you receive a salary, and everything else is taken care of, such as benefits, tax deductions, and a workspace. You work your full-time job and go home. To be totally transparent, when you start your business, it will feel like you are working a full-time job plus overtime, because owning your own business is a lot of work and responsibility. Still, it is exciting because it is yours, and once you have everything in place, are booking clients, and doing the thing you love best, it will feel even better. Being a virtual assistant will provide you with the flexibility and lifestyle you desire.
What do I need to start as a virtual assistant?
Besides having a reliable computer and high-speed internet, bring the same skills you possess from working as an employee. Over the years, we have worked for companies that require specific skill sets, including Microsoft Suite, Data Entry, and Recordkeeping and Accounting, to name a few.
There are other simple skills you should have:
Communication skills: To be in this business, it doesn’t matter whether you are an introvert or an extrovert; you will need to communicate with potential clients so they can hire you. When they hire you, you will have to know how to communicate, especially if you offer administrative services. Your clients are putting their trust in you to handle multiple emails, read them, and respond on their behalf. You will also need to communicate with your new client more often in the beginning until you have a system in place that your client is comfortable with, whereby less communication will be satisfactory. More is better than less. My supervisor at the time gave all of the executive assistants this book, Simply Said. It is a good book on communication.
Time management skills: As VAs, we should be masters of this skill. Our clients rely on us to keep them together. So, this skill will play a major part in your business. You have to be able to handle multiple deadlines, projects, tasks, and, MOST importantly, multiple clients. You must prioritize your projects to know which tasks need to be done for your clients first. This is an EXCELLENT book to read, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.
Reliability: People have lost jobs or clients because they were not reliable. I see it a lot in this industry: VAs lose clients for not keeping on top of tasks, meeting deadlines, or responding to emails promptly. This is where communication can also lack. Keep your clients informed about the status of the work they assign to you.
Integrity: If you work with integrity, your business will succeed in the long term. Operate your business by completing work on time. I strive to finish work before the due date. Communication and reliability also fall under integrity.
Resourcefulness: I cannot say this enough. If you are in business, you have to possess this skill as a VA. Clients often fire their VAs because of a lack of this. If you have to go to your client to ask them for things that you could do a simple search for to resolve a problem, that is a problem. You must be able to find answers to problems before meeting with your client. Google is your friend!
Follow-ups: I cannot tell you how many people have lost jobs or clients because they did not follow up. This skill set should be practiced after completing a discovery call with a potential client. Most of the time, the booking is in the follow-up. If you are working with a client and need a piece of information or a step before you can finish a project, a simple follow-up is needed to get the client to do their part. Clients will appreciate the follow-up. Remember, they are busy, and they do forget. This is why they hire you (wink).
I was introduced to the world of virtual assistants about 20 years ago. It was a time when I was a young mom, and I needed extra income because I was living from check to check. I could not do much because I did not have all the skills needed to complete some tasks, so I helped a friend with some typing and file management. I basically helped out where I could, and while doing so, I took some courses to learn different software so I could help where it was most needed.
I was discouraged by my lack of skills, so I left my role as a virtual assistant and became an Executive Administrative Assistant. I gained experience and expanded my skill set. After that, it was on like popcorn! Pop! Pop! Ok, that was corny, right? I am definitely not a comedian, so I must stay in my lane. I was able to get back into the game and return to the virtual assistant industry with skills I had never had before. And that’s the thing: recognizing your skill set is super important when you want to be a virtual assistant, because if you don’t know what skills you have, you don’t know what you can offer your clients. To be successful as a virtual assistant, it is less important to have a broad skill set and more important to know that your skills are in demand somewhere and how to market them.
Honestly, marketing is one of the biggest cons for just about every virtual assistant when they first start out. Knowing that you are capable and proving it are very different things. Suppose you manage to find someone looking for a virtual assistant. In that case, there is often something that disqualifies you from applying, such as your location or a particular tech platform with which you have no experience. And working alone, trying to build a business and a reputation, isn’t for everyone. It is hard work and difficult to stay motivated when it seems like you’re not getting anywhere. If you persist and learn from all of the opportunities you don’t get, you will succeed. Consider doing what I did and going away to develop your skills further. Look for a subcontracting position. Offer services in exchange for testimonials. But keep doing the work. That’s what will determine whether you can build a successful virtual assistant business or not.
Skills to start with:
• Internet
• Email (Gmail is the most popular, but knowing other platforms helps)
• Calendar and scheduling software (Google, Outlook, Calendly, and Acuity are most commonly used)
• Microsoft Office
• Google applications (Google Docs, Sheets, Drive, etc.)
• Online cloud storage (Dropbox, GoogleDrive, etc.)
• Social Media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn)
Start-up equipment:
• Updated computer or laptop
• Smartphone or landline
• High-speed internet
• Software to work with (e.g., Microsoft Office)
