Episode 292: Virtual Assistant 101: Everything You Need to Know

Full Episode Transcription:

Arianna Vernier: I’ve received a lot of questions about what it takes to become virtual assistant recently. I think there’s still so many people out there who don’t understand what becoming a virtual assistant really entails. So in this episode, I’m going to give you the Virtual Assistant 101. Everything you need to know about getting started as a virtual assistant. So let’s just start out with the definition. A virtual assistant is someone who provides remote services for businesses. As a virtual assistant, you can work for anyone in any location, and you can have as many clients or as few clients at once as you would like. As a virtual assistant, you also get to pick what service you want to offer. Now, there are seriously over a hundred different services that you can choose to offer, and I go in detail on those back in episode 272 titled, What Services Can You Offer As A Virtual Assistant? So, let’s get started. So go check that out if you’re really curious about what a virtual assistant can actually do. But the really beautiful thing is you get to pick what sounds fun to you. And I want to encourage you not to just pick something that you already know how to do if it doesn’t light you up. Because I don’t want you to continue feeling stuck in your job just like you might feel now. So don’t pick a service that doesn’t light you up because then you’re still gonna feel stuck. Even if you don’t know how to do the service yet, you can absolutely figure it out. So pick something that actually sounds fun to you.

Arianna Vernier: Now, virtual assistants get paid anywhere from 30 an hour to 100 an hour or more. This depends on what service that you decide to offer and your skillset and experience. But even if you think you have no experience, you can still start at that 30 an hour. And you would be surprised by how quickly you can raise your prices. As soon as you get that first client and start working in those skills, the next client, you can charge a little more and the next one, a little more. And so it just keeps building and building. And then with that client who you started out with your lowest rates, After a couple months, you can send them an email and let them know that you’re raising your prices. And if they choose not to stick around, that’s okay, because you can replace them with a client who is paying you more for the same amount of work. So, I always like to mention that, don’t be scared to raise your prices when it’s necessary. Like, if you’re dreading doing your work for that client because you’re feeling like you’re not paid enough, then it’s time to raise your prices. So, you get to set your own prices, you get to raise them whenever you want. And having that consistent income that I know so many of you are looking for really depends on whether you pick an ongoing, recurring service or not. So, for example, I chose to specialize in website design. Now, I’m gonna, I’m not gonna be doing a website for the same client every single month.

Arianna Vernier: Like, they probably only need one, they’re probably gonna come back later and need edits to it. But I have to be consistently looking for new clients because it’s a one off service, but if you pick a service where that, that same handful of clients is going to need that service every single month, then you’re going to be able to have that consistent income you’re looking for.

Arianna Vernier: So for example, if you’re offering social media management, that’s an ongoing service because your clients will need that every single month. And so you don’t have to constantly be worried about finding new clients once you’ve hit your max client load, because they’re going to stay with you. Now, as a virtual assistant, you typically get to set your own schedule, so there’s really no set time of when you have to work. There’s just due dates that are set where you have to have your tasks completed by, and then you can work whenever you can in the pockets of your day, once your kids go to bed, whatever works best for you. Just making sure that you hit those deadlines of when those projects need to be completed by. Now, if you’re wondering where to find virtual assistant clients, there are so many different places that you can find them.

Arianna Vernier: Facebook groups is my number one, that is the number one way that I have found most of my clients and so many of my students in the Virtual Assistant Mama Academy have found their first clients and their 10th client, whatever, is in business Facebook groups. Businesses are constantly going in there and posting every day looking for help, and all you have to do to apply is comment on the post and apply. There’s no like submitting a resume. You do typically want to send them your portfolio, but you don’t have to like tweak that for every person. So it’s just a simple process and it’s really easy to apply for virtual assistant roles. Another great place to look for virtual assistant clients is on Instagram.

Arianna Vernier: You can also Post on your Facebook page and share with people that you know that you’re doing this because they might need to hire you or they might know someone who does. And if you’re worried about your current job knowing that you’re doing this, you can always change the privacy settings to exclude certain people from being able to see the post. So you can absolutely do that. You can also work with local businesses, and you can also get connected with your local Chamber of Commerce, which is made up of local businesses, and start sharing what you do with them at your local Chamber of Commerce monthly meetings. Now, I will be going more in depth on what it actually takes to become a virtual assistant in the free workshop next Thursday, where I’ll be teaching you those five P’s that you need to know in order to become a successful and profitable virtual assistant. I’ll be going super in depth. I’ll be sharing my top favorite Facebook groups where you can find clients. So if you’re not registered for that yet, make sure you do so at ariannavernier.com/free-workshop, or as always, you can find that link in the show notes. So I hope this answers some of your questions about being a virtual assistant.

Arianna Vernier: If you have any other questions, you Facebook group, facebook.com/groups/virtualassistantmama. And I would love to answer them for you. All right, y’all. Thank you so much for listening to this episode, and we will see you next time.