Learn how to turn your organizational skills into a home-based business as a virtual assistant. We all reach a point in our lives when we want to strike a balance between working, earning money, and having fun.
If you want to work for yourself and have complete control over your time, learning how to become a virtual assistant (also known as VA) could be ideal for you! Becoming a virtual assistant can finally provide you with the flexibility you need to create the perfect balanced lifestyle you desire.
You get to choose who you work for and what tasks you take on as a virtual assistant. You’ll be able to set your own hours and work from wherever you want. You simply need to believe in yourself, know your strengths, and learn the fundamentals, and you will be able to launch your VA business in no time!
Of course, it’s difficult to work, as with any job, especially in the beginning.
There will be a lot to learn, and you must be determined not to give up at the first hurdle, but the freedom that comes with being in charge of your own life will be incredible.
Virtual Assistant
A virtual assistant (VA) is someone who can assist other businesses from a remote location. Because of high-speed internet, document sharing, and low-cost conference calling systems, virtual assistants are in high demand among entrepreneurs and online businesses that require assistance but do not want to hire full-time employees in a specific location.
Having someone assist their business remotely gives them more flexibility, lower fixed costs, and the ability to scale up and down as needed.
Simply put, as a virtual assistant, you will be expected to perform office and administrative tasks from a remote location.
What Does a Virtual Assistant Do Every Day?
A virtual assistant is simply someone who can assist with tasks from a remote location. As a contractor or self-employed person, you will provide services to clients on a daily basis. Email management, content creation, bookkeeping, graphic design, social media, and other tasks fall into this category.
Every VA provides a unique set of services. Simply consider what you are good at and personalize your offer to reflect your abilities.
The best thing you can do, especially when starting out, is to specialize in a niche and provide your services to a specific type of business.
In the long run, becoming an expert in your niche will pay you more per job.
What Services Does a Virtual Assistant Provides?
There are numerous services you can provide:
1. Social Media
Many business owners understand the importance of having a social media presence, but few have the time to devote to creating content, sharing it, and engaging with their audience.
If you enjoy managing Facebook pages, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram accounts, this is the niche for you.
Social media moves at breakneck speed, with new platforms to master and learn about every week.
Social media virtual assistants are in high demand, and if you have any of the following skills, this field could be a good fit for you:
- First You know how to write catchy headlines and are familiar with copywriting and marketing.
- You have an eye for design and can pin, tweet, and choose beautiful Instagram images.
- Enjoy staying up to date on the latest trends.
- You can interact with a brand’s audience and maintain a conversation with them.
2. Blogging
If you’ve always wanted to start your own blog, becoming a blogger’s VA is a great way to jumpstart your blogging career while also earning some extra cash.
You’ll discover how more successful bloggers run their blogs while assisting them with more administrative duties.
As a blogger’s VA, you will be responsible for the following tasks:
- Blog posts should be written, edited, and proofread.
- Blog comments should be moderated.
- Create graphics for blog posts or social media platforms such as Pinterest.
- Improve your SEO.
- Replace broken links with affiliate links.
- Manage your readers’ email addresses.
- Make time for social media.
3. E-commerce
Running an e-commerce store can be difficult, particularly for small and medium-sized businesses. Every day, business owners face an insurmountable number of tasks.
This is where a virtual assistant can assist.
You could assist with the following:
- Manage customer service
- Track orders, including order entry, shipment, and invoicing.
- Deal with returns/exchanges
- Manage inventory
- Help with marketing
- Website maintenance
4. General Admin
Okay, general administration isn’t a highly specialized niche, but if you’ve previously worked in an office, this is a great place to start as a virtual assistant. It’s probably not the most lucrative option, but administrative support is critical to most businesses, and it’s a simple way to market yourself to small business owners who require assistance.
As a general admin VA, you can perform a variety of tasks, including:
- Managing calendars and schedule
- Managing emails
- Booking appointments
- Making travel arrangements
- File management
- Data entry
- Setting up spreadsheet
5. Content Production
You could start a VA business as a content production creator if you enjoy creating, curating, and editing videos or beautiful images.
It takes a long time to create content. Most companies do not have the time to devote to this and will seek to outsource these tasks.
You can offer your assistance with:
- Making blog posts
- Ideas for content research
- Make graphics
- Take product photos as sources
- Image editing
- Make videos
6. Finance
If you have prior finance and bookkeeping experience, this could be a very profitable virtual assistant niche for you to consider.
You could provide services such as:
- bookkeeping
- Payment processing
- Payroll
- Invoice creation
How To Become a Virtual Assistant In 5 Steps
Once you’ve decided on a niche, you’ll need to establish your virtual assistant business.
Here are the five steps to starting a home-based virtual assistant business:
1. Focus on your Offer
You’re probably aware that you can provide hundreds of services as a virtual assistant. Writing, emailing, calendar management, bookkeeping, marketing, social media, and other tasks are all possible. Concentrate on the skills you already have and enjoy doing. There is no reason to spread yourself too thin, especially when you have so much to learn!
2. Set Up Your Business the Right Way
When you first start out, you must decide how you will run your company. You can register it as a sole proprietorship. This is a quick and simple method that does not require any special equipment. The only problem is that if something goes wrong with your business, you will jeopardize your personal assets.
Another option is to form a low-cost LLC. If you are ever sued, this will protect your personal assets, such as your home.
Before you start your business, you should seek professional advice on how to set it up correctly.
3. Create a Website And Social Media Presence
If you want to work from home, you must market yourself as an expert in online communication. The best way to accomplish this is to build a website that showcases your skills and the services you provide. Consider it your “virtual” CV.
Your website will show potential clients what you can do and will play an important role in establishing your business.
Social media is an important part of your business, but you don’t have to be everywhere: figure out where your potential clients hang out and master one or two social media platforms. Do they have a Facebook page? What about Instagram? Follow them and become an expert to demonstrate that you understand their brand.
4. Find Friends in your NICHE
Working from home can be a lonely job on occasion. You will always require a support group, someone who understands you and can assist you by providing advice or simply sharing a rant from time to time.
Look for Facebook groups and blogs in your field.
Find a group of people who share your objectives and collaborate with them to build a successful business.
5. Make Your Client Happy and ask for the Feedback
Making your customers happy is your most valuable asset. When you find your first client, do everything you can to provide excellent service.
A satisfied client may refer you to other business owners they know, and you only need a few clients to make a full-time living as a virtual assistant!
Do not be afraid to solicit feedback. Ask your clients if there is anything you can do better, and take anything they say into consideration. Use every positive note as a testimonial, and ask your best clients for referrals.
How to Find Virtual Assistant Jobs
It is not difficult to find a job as a virtual assistant. There are numerous companies that offer virtual assistant jobs, whether full-time or freelance.
I’ve compiled a list of the best ones for you!
1. FlexJobs
FlexJobs is a flexible online job board that lists work-from-home opportunities such as remote, freelance, and part-time positions. If you want to start a remote career, this is the website to use. They have a section where they list all available virtual assistant positions.
Before they are approved, all job opportunities are carefully screened and checked for scams, which means that all jobs listed here are legitimate ways to make money.
What’s the snag? It isn’t free! To apply for job postings, you must pay a monthly fee of $14.95. The fact that there is a 30-day money-back guarantee is fantastic. This means that if you don’t want to renew your subscription, you can pay the fee and request a refund. There were no questions.
2. Fiverr
Fiverr allows you to create an online profile and apply for jobs that are posted there: it’s a great online portal for getting experience when you’re just starting out, but there aren’t many high-paying gigs there.
If you put in the effort to build a strong profile, you will be able to land a few entry-level positions. This will allow you to gain experience and apply for higher-paying jobs on other platforms.
3. Upwork
Upwork is similar to Fiverr and is one of the world’s largest freelance websites. This means that there is always someone bidding lower for every job, which may result in you charging far less than you deserve.
It’s an excellent user-friendly platform for launching your virtual assistant career, especially if you have no prior experience and are just getting started.
Other great websites to find virtual assistant jobs
Most of these companies will advertise virtual assistant jobs for beginners, and if you have little experience, checking job offers on these websites is a good place to start.
Find clients yourself
But I honestly believe that identifying potential clients yourself is the best way to find good clients and get paid what you’re worth.
How?
Many businesses do not want to pay a third-party website to find virtual assistants. They would rather look for VAs on their own or ask for recommendations in Facebook groups. If you want to work as a virtual assistant for food bloggers, for example, simply join some Facebook groups and wait for someone to ask if they know any good VAs.
Keep an eye out for scammers and always read the group rules.
Or simply email some entrepreneurs or small businesses you admire and ask if they need remote assistance. You could entice them with a free trial of your services!
Pros and Cons of Being a Virtual Assitant
Pros.
Some compelling reasons to start a VA business include:
- It’s simple to set up and inexpensive, especially if you already have the necessary skills and equipment. All you need is a laptop or computer with high-speed internet access.
- You don’t need any special licenses or degrees to get started.
- You can work as much or as little as you want and set your own schedule.
Cons.
But, before you get started, you should be aware of the disadvantages of starting a new business as a virtual assistant:
- Finding your first clients can be difficult unless you already know someone who needs a VA.
- You must keep up with current technology and trends in the services and industries you provide.
- You will have to compete with overseas VAs who can offer significantly lower rates. To compensate, you’ll need to provide a higher level of service and, ideally, specialize in something more specialized that may necessitate specific technical skills.
Final Words
Are you prepared to work as a Virtual Assistant? Make an investment in your future today! Don’t believe anyone who tells you that you can’t have it all:
- A joyful life
- A business that not only makes you money but also…
- Time for you to do whatever you want.
You simply must believe in yourself and begin working for yourself.
