How to Become a Virtual Assistant and Make Money at Home
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Everywhere you go online, there’s an advertisement for becoming a virtual assistant. It’s becoming a fast-growing industry as more businesses see the value in having a VA.
But, not everyone understands what it means to be a VA or what kind of work they might do. If that’s you, you’ve come to the right place.
Working from home could be your dream job. After all, getting paid to work in your pajamas is a pretty sweet gig! You may think it sounds too good to be true, but that’s precisely what you can do as a VA.
The flexibility of working at home and setting your own hours is empowering. And, if you have a family or other responsibilities, having a 9-5 job might not fit your lifestyle or needs.
The pay is decent, too. Once you put yourself out there, it isn’t uncommon to earn as much as $75 an hour or more as a VA.
Want to know more? We’ve provided the details on what virtual assistants do and how you can become one.
What is a Virtual Assistant?
Becoming a virtual assistant means taking on an incredibly diverse role. At its core, a VA is someone who is paid to work remotely as an assistant for other business owners.
Most VAs work from home. It doesn’t matter if the company operates online or has a physical location, as both types of businesses can benefit from a VA.
Having a degree or certification isn’t a requirement to become a VA or find clients. As long as you can confidently complete the work you’re providing, you should be good to go.
If you want to take a course, there are plenty to pick from. Just make sure it’s from a reputable source before parting with your hard-earned cash. Here’s a VA course we recommend.
What a Virtual Assistant Does
You might think a VA is nothing more than an administrative assistant. While doing traditional office-type tasks is an option, the list of services you can offer are endless.
Pretty much every blogger and online entrepreneur who is serious about their business has at least one virtual assistant. Since almost every system and software is online, traditional brick-and-mortar companies realize the advantages, too. So, even if you don’t want to become a virtual assistant full-time, it’s still a great side hustle.
Here are a few examples of what a VA might do:
- Blog and WordPress design and support
- Email management
- Bookkeeping
- Freelance writing or editing
- Customer service
- Clerical and data entry
- Social media management
- Project management
- Graphic design and videography
- Calendar management
What you do as a VA depends on the skills you have and whether or not you want to do that kind of work. For instance, you might not like doing transcription even though you’re really good at it. If that’s the case, think about what other skills and services you can offer.
Related: 12 Simple Ways to Start Building Residual Income
How Much Can a Virtual Assistant Earn?
As a VA, the amount of money you make depends on your skill level and what type of service you’re doing. Rates from $10 to $75 per hour are common. That’s pretty good pay considering you won’t have job-related costs like commuting, clothing, or lost time when working from home.
One of the most in-demand VAs we know is Kayla Sloan. She has a profitable business working from home as a virtual assistant and now makes five figures a month. In the early days, she made about $16 an hour. She is a fast learner and was quick to increase her skill level, which helped grow her business into what it is today.
If you’re looking for a great way to build your skills, find clients, and price your services, Kayla’s “$10K VA” course could help you hit the ground running. She’ll teach you the exact steps she took to make a consistent $10,000 a month as a VA.
How to Become a Virtual Assistant
It’s pretty simple to get started as a virtual assistant. The basics you’ll need are a computer, high-speed internet, and a phone line. You’ll also want to have the Google Suite of apps like Gmail, Calendar, Chrome, Drive, and Hangouts. Knowing how to use Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook is also a plus.
Don’t worry if you’re not a pro at some of this. There are plenty of free online courses to get you started.
Once you have the basics in place, it takes just a few more steps.
- Decide what services to offer – The quickest way to start earning money as a VA is to build your services around the skills you already have. You might pick social media management, e-commerce assistant, email management, freelance writing, researching, or general administrative. It’s really up to you.
- Price your services – For the most part, general administrative tasks aren’t worth as much as building sales funnels or developing a social media strategy. When setting your rates, remember that no two projects are the same. Some jobs (and clients) will require more time and energy than others, and that can affect your pricing. For now, pick a range that you’d like to hit – then tailor that to each client’s needs.
- Build an online presence – If you want to work online, you need to exist online. Making yourself known can be as simple as setting up a LinkedIn page. To better showcase your skills and services, consider creating a website or static webpage. This can help you look more professional and will set you apart from other VAs.
- Find your first client – Job boards like Upwork have tons of listings, but they don’t usually pay well. To be a successful VA, making money is key. Good ways to find clients are to reach out to your existing network, ask for referrals, send pitches to companies you want to work with, and join Facebook groups.
- Create systems – Having a set process for the tasks you do over and over will save you time. For instance, you might start by creating a checklist for onboarding new clients, and developing a way to track your invoices and expenses.
- Find the right tools – Putting the right tools in place can make it easier to grow your VA business. It’s easy to get overwhelmed, so aim to keep it simple. A calendar is a must, and a paper planner or Google calendar works just fine. You might also consider Freshbooks or Quickbooks for billing and bookkeeping, and Google for email and file management.
Get Started as a Virtual Assistant
If becoming a VA sounds like something are interested in, a course like $10K VA can walk you through the steps to grow it into something great.
Being a VA isn’t all rainbows and lollipops, though. It requires a lot of work and determination, especially in the beginning when you might not see much of a return.
Becoming a virtual assistant is one of the best ways to make extra money. To start, you might make around $15 to $20 an hour, but the opportunities are endless. Once you get going, the amount of money you can make working from home as a virtual assistant is totally up to you.
Are you a virtual assistant? Share your tips for getting started in the comments below!
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