I became a Virtual Assistant back in December 2014. I actually wasn’t planning on becoming a VA, but I had a dream of quitting my job and working from home, and I wasn’t able to bring in enough money with the side hustle I currently had.
Desperate, I reached out to a business coach and asked her if she’d be willing to coach me in exchange for me helping her with anything she needed, like editing videos, sending newsletters, etc. She excitedly took me up on the offer, and I instantly became a VA.
I enjoyed it so much that I picked up a few more clients. Before I knew it, I was turning clients away because I didn’t have space in my schedule. So I quit my job and became a VA full time. And this all happened within 3 months!
This is why I love helping 9 to 5’ers start their own Virtual Assistant businesses. Becoming a Virtual Assistant helped me fulfill my dream of working from home. I also worked with amazing people, made more money than I did at my job, and had the flexibility in my schedule for what matters to me.
At this point, you might be wondering what a Virtual Assistant is and how to become one! If so, awesome, let’s talk about it!
What is a Virtual Assistant?
A Virtual Assistant (VA) is a freelancer who provides services remotely, which means they work from anywhere! If you like to travel, you can bring your laptop along and work on the road. If you prefer to work from home on the sofa, in your home office, or at a coffee shop, you can do that too!
You can even work in your P.J.’s (your secret is safe with me!)
What does a Virtual Assistant do exactly?
This question gets me really excited! Why? Because as a VA, you can do almost anything! That means you can offer services that you enjoy doing. Exciting, right?
How many times have you sat at your day job wishing you were doing something else? Something you enjoyed? As a VA, you can choose the industry you work in, the clients you work with, and the types of services you offer.
You can offer services that are administrative, creative, technical, or a mixture of these.
Basically, if you have a specific skill, there’s probably someone willing to pay for it.
What types of services can a VA offer?
- Social media management
- Graphic Design
- Web Design and maintenance
- Blog writing
- Book formatting
- Editing & proofreading
- Writing & scheduling emails
- Customer service through emails
- Video or audio editing
- Podcast management
- Project management
- Bookkeeping
The list is pretty much endless! You can download a huge list of ideas here.Â
So, if you are an Administrative Assistant, you could probably offer services similar to what you do at your job (that is if you like what you’re doing). If you’re a writer, you can write and edit blog posts, newsletters, ebooks, or social media content. If you’re creative, you can offer graphic design or web design services.
There’s so much you can offer; it’s ridiculous!
Who’s hiring Virtual Assistants?
Let me ask you this – who do you want to work with? What type of industry do you want to work in? What does your ideal client do? These are important questions to ask yourself because you can choose who you work with!
Are you into healthy eating and fitness? You could work with health coaches and fitness professionals.
Do you enjoy fashion? You could work with fashion bloggers or stylists.
Do you love to write? You could work with authors.
Here are a few more ideas:
- Business coaches, life coaches, and health coaches
- Online magazines/publishers
- Speakers
- Podcasters
- Graphic Designers
- Web Designers
- Event Planners
- Artists
- Photographers
- Natural Healers
- Lawyers
- Accountants
- Realtors
- Other Virtual Assistants
Whether you’re right-brained or left, there’s an industry out there for you. You’d be surprised how many people need your help.
Small business owners and entrepreneurs worldwide are looking for people to help them with their day-to-day tasks and special projects. Hiring a Virtual Assistant is a more cost-effective solution than hiring an employee because the business owner doesn’t have to pay employment taxes or benefits.
It’s also a great solution for small businesses that can’t afford to have a part or full-time employee and only need someone to help occasionally or only a few hours a month.
You can learn more about figuring out your ideal client here.
Do only online businesses hire Virtual Assistants?
Nope! Although online businesses, in general, use VA’s more than offline businesses, it’s becoming more and more popular for brick and mortar businesses to hire virtual professionals.
👉 Want to learn more about starting a VA business? I invite you to check out the Introvert VA Club. It includes detailed steps on how to start your business, tech tutorials, and a forum for support!
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