How
to Become a Virtual Assistant
- The 5 Key Steps to Earning a Full-Time Income From Home
by Lisa Taliga
I opened the newspaper and there it was. The article that
would change my life.
It was called 'How to stay at home and earn a full-time
income as a Virtual Assistant.'
Quit the day job and freelance from home? Yes, please!
At that time, I was feeling stifled, unfulfilled and unmotivated
in my corporate office job. I had been an Executive Assistant
for years, and life had become one predictable 9-to-5 day
after another. I had always wanted to run my own show and
be my own boss. Working from home would be the icing on
the cake!
Soon, my evenings and weekends were devoted to finding
out more about this exciting new opportunity. I transitioned
gradually into working full-time from home as a Virtual
Assistant and achieved this within a year. I have never
looked back and finally feel rewarded, challenged and satisfied
in my virtual career.
Thanks to the internet, it has never been easier to work
from home. People all over the world are setting up home
based businesses out of a desire for independence, flexibility
and control over their destiny.
All of these new business owners could potentially use
the services of a Virtual Assistant, without having to take
on an employee.
The future of Virtual Assistance is certainly looking bright.
It's one of the fastest growing industries on the internet
and is expected to be a $130 billion industry by 2008 (Source:
George Washington University).
So, how do you become a Virtual Assistant? Here are five
steps to help you on your way:
Step One: What is a Virtual Assistant?
The first step to becoming a Virtual Assistant is to truly
understand what one is and does. The industry is still quite
new and many people don't quite understand what the concept
is. The best way to describe the Virtual Assistant role
is to briefly explain what I did this week.
Working from my home office with several different clients,
I:
- typed up some reports for a consultant and emailed them
back
- prepared a Powerpoint presentation for a speaker who
was presenting at a conference overseas the following
day, emailed it to him and uploaded it to his website
- designed and organized the printing of a flyer for a
singer who has a performance coming up
- set up and sent out a newsletter for a finance broker
I did all this without seeing or meeting any of the clients:
we spoke on the phone and/or emailed each other. Some of
my clients are local, some are long distance.
Think of the Virtual Assistant as a freelance administrator,
designer, organizer, desktop publisher, researcher, editor,
typist, secretary, co-ordinator, all rolled into one!
Rather than being an employee, a Virtual Assistant is an
independent contractor. Clients enjoy the flexibility of
using Virtual Assistant services as and when they require,
without having to pay a regular wage and employee benefits.
Step Two: Carry out a Self-Assessment
The beauty of becoming a Virtual Assistant is that you
get to decide what work you want to do. You can create your
own unique business, based on your skills and experience.
Analyze your current and previous work experience. Write
everything down, no matter how 'minor' you think it is.
Are you a good typist? Are you a natural at organizing
events? Can you design flyers and brochures? Do you write
letters on behalf of your boss? How about research - are
you good at digging around for information?
These are all skills that you can translate into services
for your clients.
You may feel that you need to take further training in
certain skills, and that's fine too.
Step Three: Plan your way to success
This is the step that many people shrink back from. However,
it doesn't have to be a lengthy or formal business plan.
At the very least, you need to outline a plan on paper covering
aspects such as your goals, business name ideas, hourly
rates, licences/permits, services you're going to offer,
what equipment you need to buy, and so on.
The main thing is not to get too caught up on getting it
perfect. Your business plan will change and evolve as your
business grows. Think of it as a roadmap that will keep
you on the right track for your freelance business.
Step Four: Get Those Clients Flocking!
One of the first questions you'll be asking yourself is
'How am I going to get clients?'
There are several ways you can market your Virtual Assistant
business and get your name out there:
- Networking: go along to your local Chamber of Commerce
meetings and get talking to fellow business owners. I
have found that this is one of the best ways to meet clients.
Don't forget your business cards!
- Word of mouth: tell everyone what you're doing. Sooner
or later, your friends, relatives, and first clients will
recommend you to others.
- Get a website: one of my largest ongoing clients found
me through my website. As you're working virtually, you'll
be expected to have an online presence.
- Participate in online discussion forums: there are forums
on the internet where small business owners 'meet' to
discuss challenges, offer advice and so on.
- Register with online business directories and Virtual
Assistant networks.
- Write articles that your target market would be interested
in. Submit them to online article directories to establish
credibility and get valuable exposure.
Step Five: Keep the momentum going
Once you've got your first clients and business is starting
to take off, the key is not to become complacent. Keep your
existing clients happy by providing outstanding customer
service, establish good systems to keep a healthy cash flow
coming in, and look after your health and wellbeing!
These are the steps that I followed to become a successful
Virtual Assistant and work from home full-time. If you would
love to gain control of your life and skip that daily commute,
why not take your first step today?
Lisa Taliga is a Virtual Assistant and author of 'Freelance
from Home! The 5 Key Steps to Your Successful Virtual Assistant
Business' and 'The 7 Things You Must Know Before Starting
Your Successful Virtual Assistant Business'. Get your free
eBook and newsletter subscription to find out how
to become a Virtual Assistant.
| How
to Become a Virtual Assistant
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Virtual
Assistance is a rapidly growing industry.
A
Virtual Assistant provides administrative support
to local and long-distance clients via the Internet,
telephone, fax, and email.
This book will give you a roadmap to start your Virtual
Assistant Practice.
Click
here for details.
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