How I Became a Virtual Assistant in Two Weeks
I’ve been a virtual assistant for almost a year and a half, and I get asked quite frequently how I got started. In the video above, I break down how I became a virtual assistant in 15 days (two weeks)! You can also read each step down below:
Let me just point out really quickly that these steps don’t mean that you’ll get your first paying client in two weeks. I actually got my first client eight days after I announced my business (so it was 23 days total from deciding to become a virtual assistant until my first client signed the contract).
So what is a virtual assistant?
It is exactly what it sounds like: an assistant who is virtual, or remote. When people think of a virtual assistant, they typically think of administrative assistants who work remotely for a company. I thought the same. However nowadays, a virtual assistant can be just about anything you can provide assistance with virtually and online for a client. For example, there are virtual assistants who do strictly social media, some who do film editing, so who assist bloggers with blogging, some who do email management and administrative tasks, etc. It’s very easy to get into - just use the skills you have and find someone who needs that done!
Days 1-2: Research
I used the first two days to research what a virtual is, what a virtual assistant does, and what it was that I wanted to do. So I would use this time to research all you can about what it’s like to be a virtual assistant and see if it is something you’d like to do. I also researched how much virtual assistants make (because my goal was to provide some money for my family so I can stay at home with my son). This is also a good time to research the type of business structure you want and if you want to work full-time or part-time Personally, in this season of having a 20-month old, I knew that I only have the capacity to work about 30 hours a month.
Day 3: Join Facebook Groups
I joined Facebook groups so that I could network and pull information and ideas from other virtual assistants. One group that I absolutely love and recommend is The Virtual Savvy Facebook group. This group has been so helpful in my journey to become a virtual assistant (and this is not sponsored; I just really love the group and the value it brings). The owner, Abbey, has put in so much time and has provided such amazing resources into not only the Facebook group, but her site as well. Seriously, grab all the information she has out on the web!
Day 4: Decide on Services
Starting your own business means you get to choose what services you want to provide. Because I have a background in administrative assistance, I knew what I liked and didn’t like. I also knew that with having a 17-month old, I can’t be on the phone (because no one wants to be distracted by a noisy toddler). So for my services, I do not include telephone services. However, I do provide assistance with social media, blogging, and email management since I enjoy those things.
Day 5: Decide on Pricing
While there are a variety of ways you can structure your pricing, and there are no right or wrong ways, most virtual assistants in this industry display their prices in packages. Usually, there is a lower end package, a medium or average end package, and a higher end package. For me, I knew that I wanted to work about 20 to 30 hours a month, so my highest package is for 20 hours and my lowest package is at 10 hours (as 10 hours is the least I am willing to work a month). I also have a 15 hour package, as well as options for clients to customize their own packages.
Day 6: Name your Business
From here, I would think of a name and double check that it isn’t trademarked. It was easy for me since I just use my name for my business. But if you want to use something like The Blue Flag Virtual Assistance, I would check and make sure it isn’t taken. Regardless of whatever name you choose, also make sure that it is not taken on social media so you don’t have to worry about that later.
Days 7-8: Get Legal
You don’t want to start your business off on the wrong foot, so make sure you get all of your licenses and permits for you to work legally. Also, make sure you get an Employer Identification Number (or EIN). For more detailed help on how to legalize your virtual assistant business, The Virtual Savvy has an excellent blog post here. During this step, I would also set up a separate business checking account so that your business money is separate from your personal money. I would also get insurance so that you are covered in case of the very small chance you get sued..
Days 9-10: Make a Website
The next step is to make a simple website. Since I already run this space as my blog, I just simply added my services to my already existing site. But if you do not yet have a website, don’t worry! It doesn’t have to be anything fancy shmancy; you can use Wix, Wordpress, Squarespace (I use Squarespace), etc. You just need to get something out there so that people know who you are, what you do (your services), and how much you charge (your pricing). It’s also best to put how people can contact you. And if you’re feeling really shmancy, you can add testimonials to your site to let people know you’re legit!
Day 11: Social Media
Once the website is done, it is time to go ahead and set up social media and link those handles to the website. If you want, you can even do this before you make your website so that you secure your handle names (because these names get snatched quickly!). And so that you don’t get overwhelmed, I would stick to 1-2 platforms to focus on, and then maybe growing from there. For me, I just focus on Instagram and Facebook for now. Maybe one day I’ll move back over to YouTube (see why I’ve stopped using YouTube here)!
Days 12-13: Create Your Process
Depending on your personality, this could either be really fun or a real pain in the butt! But researching and developing what process you would like to have is so helpful in the long run. It helps with knowing how you would like to get paid (whether via PayPal or something else), what you would like your office hours to be, how you would like to onboard your clients, how you would like to track your hours (because a lot of clients like to see exactly where their money is going), etc. So it is very important to have your processes and tools in place.
Day 14: Create a Welcome Packet
Lastly, wow your potential clients and create a welcome packet! There are so many awesome resources on the internet on how to create one. If you’d like to see how I created mine and what I put in it, just let me know in the comments!
Day 15: Tell the World About Your New Business!
So you’ve done all of the steps above, and now it’s launch day! Get out there an announce to social media and the world that you’re now a virtual assistant ready to help those that need one!
I know 15 days is super quick to launch a business, and of course you don’t have to do it in that short of a time. I gave myself two weeks to become a virtual assistant because I knew that if I didn’t, I was going to chicken out and never launch by business! And I also wanted to start making money as quick as possible! But feel free to take 30 days, 60 days, or a year (okay, seriously, don’t take a year!). Just go at your own pace.
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