Not too long ago, I had a dream to work from home with my daughter next to me. I knew I couldn’t continue down the path of teaching because I was burnt-out, tired of spending hours after school or on the weekends prepping lesson plans, and overall done with the way the education field is heading. Anybody else feel me on this?
However, I knew we couldn’t meet our goals on one income, so I started exploring my options. I worked with an MLM company for three years, but while that’s great for some, it never provided a significant income for us, so this wasn’t an option. Then, out of nowhere, I came across the virtual assistant opportunity. I don’t believe in coincidences, and I know this was God giving me the answer I had been looking for.
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A virtual assistant, or VA for short, is someone who does different tasks for businesses and entrepreneurs from a remote location. Another term that’s commonly used is a “freelancer.” These terms are pretty much interchangeable, so if I use either term just know that I’m talking about the same thing. A VA is most often an independent contractor. That means that they’re not an employee, but work on a project basis for their clients. VAs typically work with a variety of clients around the globe.
The term “virtual assistant” has been around for years, yet there are still many out there who do not know what it is. A VA is much more than a virtual secretary. As a VA, you get to choose what services you offer, which depends on your skills and interests.
There are two types of projects a freelancer can do for their clients:
One-off projects: Basically, these are projects that are “one and done”, like a logo, a PDF design, or a website design.
Monthly-retainers: These are services that continue month-to-month. As a VA, you’ll want to choose at least a few services that are ongoing, which gives you that steady stream of income. Then you can pick up one-off projects along the way to boost your income even more.
Note: One-off projects can turn into a monthly retainer if the client is happy with the services you provided!
There are what seems like endless possibilities for what services a virtual assistant can offer, and as I said before, it’s all based on what you want to offer! There are some VAs that are more generalized and complete a variety of tasks for their clients, while others decide to “niche down” and offer only a few services, such as social media management, website design, or graphic design.
To get an idea of some of the services you can offer as a virtual assistant, make sure you check out my FREE Workshop: Replace Your Income from Home as a Virtual Assistant.
One of the best things about working from home as a virtual assistant is that you get to set your own rates!
As a new VA, you can and should start at no less than $25 an hour. You can raise your rates as you gain more experience. My suggestion? Once you land one client for a service and have done that service for a couple months, bump those rates $5 an hour for the next client.
Another option is setting package rates instead of hourly. I suggest pivoting to this option as soon as possible, because:
– It can be kind of a pain to track your hours.
– If we quote our clients at a set amount of hours, we may miscalculate and then end up trying to complete the project without asking for more hours (and more compensation), or have to have the awkward conversation of asking for more pay.
There are two very important things I’d like to note here:
1. There are some potential clients who may think that your rates are too high. These are not your people. Virtual assistants are invaluable for businesses and you are saving your clients an incredible amount of time by completing these services for them. Therefore, your services are worth your rates. If the potential client does not think your services are worth the value you’ve set, chances are they’re not going to value you. I want to save you time and stress by reminding you to stick to your guns and do not settle for a lower rate. Been there, done that. Don’t do it!
2. Get paid up front! Never ever complete a project for someone without receiving compensation first. I’ve heard too many horror stories of people completing tasks and not getting paid. I don’t say this to scare you, but merely so you can protect yourself. Again, if the potential client doesn’t want to pay you up front, then they are not your people.
You probably started working as a virtual assistant because your previous job was stressful. You don’t need to add more stress to your life by working for crappy clients. Sometimes we see that potential paycheck and we ignore the red flags, but taking on a client who is not a good fit is not in your best interest.
When I hear this, I want to lovingly shake you by the shoulders and tell you to knock it off. No matter your work history, you have skills that can apply to becoming a VA. The only skills that I recommend you have when you start is a fast learner, organized, and a basic understanding of how to work online.
I was a kindergarten teacher. I taught five and six year olds how to use scissors, walk in a line, and how to read. When I first learned about the freelancing world, I didn’t understand how these things could apply to working as a VA. But, as I analyzed it further, I realized these things:
1. Teachers are AMAZING multitaskers which is a great skill to have as a virtual assistant.
2. Teachers are (usually) very organized.
3. Teachers can take an idea (ie. a state standard) and build an engaging activity from scratch to teach that idea.
4. If a teacher doesn’t have the answer, you can bet your butt that they’re going to do what they need to do to figure it out.
There are so many businesses that are willing to hire someone who is new to the freelancing world because:
1. They can pay them a little less than an expert.
2. They can train the VA to complete the task the way THEY want.
Also, your client may be willing to pay for you to take an online course to learn how to complete the task. For the right client, your energy, willingness to learn, and attention to detail will be much more important than knowing how to use the software.
My suggestion:
If you see a job opportunity that seems like the perfect fit but you’ve never used the software/program they’re talking about, you can search for some how-to videos for how to use that program. Then, when you’re talking to the potential client, let them know that you’re familiar with the program, but that you have never used it yourself but are excited to learn. This willingness to learn is a great trait of a virtual assistant and will show your potential client that you will do what it takes to complete the task!
There are seriously so many benefits to working from home as a virtual assistant. Some of the top ones that come to mind are:
• You have the freedom to set your own schedule
• You have the ability to work from anywhere
• You get to set your own rates
• You decide what services you want to offer
• You get to choose who you want to work with
• You can grow and scale your business as much as you want
You can absolutely start your VA biz with little start up cost. The only thing you HAVE to pay for is to register your business with your state. You can register as a sole proprietor (lower cost option) or an LLC (higher cost but more protection). I went the route of a sole proprietor when I first started. The fee for this varies by state, but I paid roughly $25 for mine. There are free resources (like my Facebook group, Ditch the Classroom) where you can get advice on the steps to take to launch your biz.
If you’re looking to build your virtual assistant business quickly and avoid making common mistakes, I highly recommend investing in a program (like Teacher Turned Freelancer Academy) that will guide you through the steps. The benefits of taking this route are:
• You will be given small, actionable steps
• You will receive advice/tips for pitching yourself to clients and packaging your services
• You’ll learn effective strategies to keep yourself organized and effective
• So much more!
This is the great thing about becoming a VA. You have the choice based on where you’re at whether you want to go the DIY route, or whether you want to invest and build your business faster.
There are a variety of places that post virtual assistant jobs.
1. Facebook groups: This is the route I have taken and that I recommend. I go over which groups are best for this in my program, Teacher Turned Freelancer Academy.
2. LinkedIn: This is a great place to find larger companies who are looking to fill remote positions. However in my experience, it’s a bit harder to find jobs here as a new virtual assistant, but can be a great space to network a few months into your journey.
3. Local Businesses: There are still SO MANY BUSINESSES out there that don’t even know what a virtual assistant is but could totally use one. Many VAs have success cold-pitching (emailing/calling business to offer them your services). At some point I will go into more depth on how to create an effective cold-pitch email.
I want to note that there are online sites like Fiverr or Upwork as well. However, I don’t recommend these options, as the pay is often much less than you should be charging, and you have to pay the companies a fee to apply to positions.
As you can see, becoming a virtual assistant is a great choice for anyone looking for a work from home job, especially moms and teachers that are looking for a flexible job that will work with their family’s schedule, while still providing financial stability for their family. There really isn’t anything a virtual assistant can’t do!
I would love to hear from you! What are you doing now, and what do you hope to gain by starting your own business as a virtual assistant? What questions do you still have? I would love to support you as you start your journey working from home! Send me an email or comment below to let me know what you need support with!
Over the last few weeks, I’ve had a lot of women reach out to me that they dream of launching their own work from home business as a virtual assistant but they don’t even know where to start .To help you get started building your dream Virtual Assistant business so you can work from your couch too, I compiled these three steps for you to follow…
Virtual assistants have different specialties. Some are more creative, some have amazing technical skills, some are great at marketing, and some offer more general services such as email management and data entry. To help you determine which services you can do, I’ve compiled this list of 101 services you can offer as a virtual assistant.
