Virtual Assistants are oftentimes moms, like you and me, who want to work from home. A Virtual Assistant (or VA) can offer clients any number of services from their home-based location, rather than being at a traditional office. VAs can earn a nice income, charging somewhere in the area of $10 to $30 per hour, with specialized or more technical services ranging around $50 per hour.
We recommend that you have some experience in office skills and a basic comfort level with computers, before developing your Virtual Assistant business plan. (If not, there are many tutorials online, and most community colleges offer business classes, too.) If you have a particular area of expertise, you may find a niche for a specific type of client that you enjoy working with. As with any business, you will have a small investment involved, such as a reliable computer and a home office, but the maintenance expenses of your business will be minimal.
Your Services: What are you good at? Deciding which talents you have will determine the services that you will offer your clients. Are you a typing whiz? Do you like solving customer problems over the phone? Are you a good networker? Can you make complicated travel arrangements seem easy? Do you like to coordinate special events? Do you have a good eye for design? Can you find your way through developing a web site? After you figure out which services suit you, you will be able to develop a plan of action.
Put Together a Business Plan: Before taking the next step of starting a Virtual Assistance business, you will want to write a business plan that includes an overview of your business, mission statement, marketing and financial plan. To help you put together your plan, decide which services to offer, etc., please review the link at the end of this article.
Your Home Office: You’ll want to separate yourself from the rest of the house as much as possible. A quiet area with ample space for a computer desk is ideal, but you can work with whatever you have available. If you want to keep your business separate from your home life, a designated telephone line will make that possible. Also plan to invest in other office equipment as the need arises.
Choosing Your Software: You’ll also need to have all the software required to provide the services you’ve decided to offer. If you’re starting on a budget, at a minimum you need the software required to do the job well. You can always upgrade or get new software as warranted. Networking with other VAs is invaluable in finding out all the best resources for software and support.
Marketing Yourself Professionally: Having professionally-made address labels, business cards, and stationery is important to presenting yourself as a professional. You’ll also want a website or blog as a means to introducing yourself to the public and as a way to maintain contact with your clients. Be sure your website includes a list of the services you offer, your contact information, and, once you get established with a few clients, some testimonials. As a beginner, offering free services to certain clients will build rapport and your portfolio at the same time. You want your clients talking you up!
You can work from your own home office and happily reap the rewards. It’s true that, in uncertain times, many companies are letting go of full-time employees and are hiring Virtual Assistants on a part-time basis, as needed. This is a growing opportunity for you, as more Virtual Assistants are needed. Whether you’re looking to earn an extra $100 per month or a full-time income, it all starts with the first step.
Setting up a Virtual Assistant Business is a fun and lucrative business to start with a minimum of money and equipment. Get step-by-step help by grabbing your JustAddSweat.com Guide to Starting a Virtual Assistant Business.
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