They say that knowledge is power and you are on the right track to becoming a VA. Learning from other people’s success and experience is the way to go.
Setting up my own VA business is one of the best things that I’ve ever done. Nothing beats the sensation of running your own business and not have to commute to a corporate 9 to 5 job every day.
It’s not always smooth sailing, but I learn so much every day. I love it!
To help you on your journey, I’ve put together what I believe are the 5 Things that You Must Know BEFORE starting your successful VA Business.
What is a Virtual Assistant (VA)?
Virtual Assistance is one of the fastest-growing industries.
Thanks to technology, it is easier to work from home than ever before. People are now setting up home-based businesses out of a desire for independence, flexibility, and control over their destiny. Many of these businesses have the potential to use the services of a VA.
Think of a VA as a freelance administrator, designer, organizer, desktop publisher, researcher, and editor all rolled into one!
5 Things you MUST Know Before Starting:
1. Know what you can offer
There are certain attributes that you need in order to be a success. Some of these are:
- Being patient and persistent
- Being disciplined
- Being a self-starter
- Being optimistic
- Being able to work independently
You need to be fully aware of all your skills before you can market yourself effectively. Without a thorough look at your skills and interests, you won’t know what services you could offer now, and with some training, offer later.
2. Develop your Brand
Developing a Brand board gives you the ability to show professionalism and consistency in all work. By using the same fonts, colors, and images throughout all of your social media, people will learn your brand and be able to identify you by it!
The Brand board shown was designed in Canva. This website will quickly become your best friend. You can design almost anything in it!
3. Develop a Social Marketing Plan
We can all get lost in social media daily, but when you are starting out, it is best to start with just 1 or 2 accounts.
My suggestion is to start with a Facebook business page. The key is to be consistent with your posting and to use CTAs (call to action) to engage your audience.
4. Don’t undercharge for your services
I know what it’s like when you are just starting out. You just want clients and you want them now!
You MUST charge a reasonable hourly rate so that you can cover your overhead, taxes and still earn a reasonable salary.
A downside of charging too little is that clients may be put off if your rates are too low. I know I wouldn’t trust the cheapest VA. People really do believe that you get what you pay for.
Also, clients at the lower end of the market will tend to be penny pinchers, haggling over every penny. You do not want that hassle. Trust me!
5. Make your website a priority
After you have started to get traffic to your Facebook business page, the next step is to invest in a website.
You no longer need to know how to program to develop a website, there are hosts that have made it easy for a DIY to create a beautiful and functional site.
You need a place for people to land in order to learn about your business. It doesn’t have to be fancy. My first site was just a landing page with my information and a free offer.
