Thinking of Becoming a Virtual Assistant? 5 Facts You'll Want to
Know
Starting a home-based Virtual Assistant (VA) business has many
similarities to starting any other type of home-based business.
It also has several unique features that you should clearly
understand before you begin. When you become aware of these five
unique business traits, you'll be able to research the
profession with your eyes wide open and decide if being a VA is
right for you.
1. What is a Virtual Assistant anyway? Every VA's first and most
prolonged challenge is that Virtual Assistance is a profession
that is in its infancy and it still rare to meet prospective
clients who know what a VA can do for them. In order to convert
prospective clients into paying clients you'll need to do a lot
of educating about what Virtual Assistance is and how it can
support businesses. Some self-employed entrepreneurs know they
need help but they can't fathom receiving that support
virtually. You'll need to become well-versed at how you can make
their business lives easier and communicate that message
ongoingly until it sinks in.
2. You say tomato.... There are as many potential VA services as
there are VAs and VA clients. Figuring out what it is you can do
best and where you want to focus your services is imperative.
Clearly define what you do (and what you won't do) and your
potential clients will be more likely to understand how you can
help them.
3. Your call is important to us. When I first started as a
Virtual Assistant, many of my clients assumed that because I was
'virtual' and sat at my computer all day that this must mean I
provided computer technical support. This confusion is common
and can often be difficult to train your clients that what you
do is different than tech support. If you wish to provide
computer technical support in addition to your VA services,
that's fine too. But know what you're getting into first.
4. The two-headed monster Any self-employed entrepreneur with a
home-based business can tell you that when you become
self-employed you need to become practiced at two very different
skill sets. The first is being good at what you do for your
clients. The second is being an entrepreneur. This includes
doing all the things it takes to juggle multiple clients and
take care of your business as the same time. Often we are
fantastic at the first skill, but dismal at the latter, leaving
our own bookkeeping piling up for months or years, feeling
stymied by the marketing we need to do to fill our practices or
finding ourselves under-charging for our services. Having a
coach or a VA mentor is a great way to become skilled at both
these essential business elements.
5. Is anyone out there? Even for those of us who are
introverted, working alone at home five days a week can lead to
thoughts of running away and joining the circus just to have
some interesting company for a change. You will need to build a
strong community of peers around you and schedule time to get
out of your home-office and interact un-virtually with others.
Fortunately there are more VA organizations and associations,
both virtual and not, popping up all over the globe as the
profession gains notoriety and visibility.
Armed with these five points in mind, I hope you'll be more able
to clearly decide if building a Virtual Assistant business is
the best next step for you. Working at home as a VA is a
tremendously rewarding and fulfilling occupation for many. If
you choose to join us, welcome!