These tips are a great starting point for anyone interested in launching their own virtual assistant business. What I love most about them is their simplicity. Sometimes we need to be reminded that the achievement of our dreams doesn’t need to be complicated. Its more about concentrating on a few things that we know will work.
Let’s expand a bit upon each one to help you get started building a solid foundation for your virtual assistant practice.
Identify Your Values + Skill Set
Make a wish list of the things that are most important to you to have in your career.
Be adventurous and have fun with this. Be sure to include items you would love to have even if they seem out of reach. Also, don’t forget to think about the way you want to be spending your time on a daily basis. For example, if you hate market research honor the fact that you don’t want to spend your time doing that and leave it off of the list.
PRO TIP: If you can only think of things you don’t want, make a list of those things first. For each unwanted item write its opposite next to it and soon you’ll have a list of the things you do want.
“When you know what you don’t want, you know what you do want.”
~ Esther Hicks
Make a second list of your strengths and weaknesses.
Include not only professional abilities but personal ones as well. Its especially helpful to highlight those soft skills that can’t always be taught. For example, having a sense of urgency or a strong positive attitude is often rare and highly sought after. These are traits that make you extremely attractive and leaning into them will increase your personal magnetism.
Now compare the two lists and ask yourself the question: “How can my strengths and weaknesses help me achieve the items on my wish list?”
Highlight the ones that support each other. Pay extra attention to the ones that other people have also complimented you on.
Research Your Target Market
Having a specialization helps you narrow your focus when identifying service offerings and makes you more attractive to potential clients. When considering your target market, think about the people you feel most excited to help. When I first started my virtual assistant business, I knew I wanted to be involved in the wellness industry so I targeted speakers and life coaches. I love personal development and wanted to combine that with my administrative skills. I knew that moving in this direction would help keep me engaged because I naturally felt drawn to learning about topics like the law of attraction, productivity, mindset and energy.
What is a subject you feel naturally drawn to? What is something no one has to tell you to learn more about because its just so intersting to you? These are the fun things you get to incorporate into your dream business model. Don’t underestimate these things because they will give you the power to keep going when the going gets tough. Never underestimate the power of the desires of your heart, they’re there for a reason.
Create a Business Plan
It is SO important for you to have a roadmap that will keep you moving in the direction of your goals. But don’t get hung up on perfection here. Think of this as a living breathing document that will change and evolve the more you learn about yourself and your business. But its crucial to create one from the start because it will act as a GPS and keep you moving forward when the day to day makes your greater vision a little harder to see.
Set Up Your Virtual Office
As a virtual assistant, you’ll assist your clients in setting up and maintaining their digital offices, so any effort you invest in this area will enhance your effectiveness as a service provider. Your virtual office represents your internal operations and serves as the central hub from which you’ll perform your daily tasks. Therefore, it’s worth investing the time and resources to establish it properly. Below are a few of my favorite tools and all you need when you’re first starting out.
Essential Virtual Office Tools:
- Gmail – I have been running my business on my free personal Gmail account for the last 5 years. It is by far my most used tool and I can’t live without it. It is so intuitive and easy to use and so many of my clients also use it. I will likely upgrade to a paid Google Workspace account when the time feels right.
- HoneyBook – This Client Relationship Management (CRM) software took my client onboarding process up like ten notches. It allows me to send contracts and beautifully designed brochures and questionnaires quickly and easily without having to rely on multiple platforms. It makes it easy for clients to pay me and I’ve gotten more business because of it. Someone recently asked me if I could set it up for their business they were so impressed. Click the link to receive 25% off your first year! This is an affiliate link and when you sign up you will easily be able to participate in their affiliate program as well.
- ClickUp – Here’s another platform I wish I knew about before I started my business. This is a project management software (PMS) I can no longer live without. As a virtual assistant, not only will you need to keep track of the many tasks you need to do for your business but you will also have a to do list for every client. That’s a lot to remember! ClickUp helps me remember it all without missing a beat. I can even use it to track my time! I will be honest, there’s a bit of a learning curve getting it set up but once you do it will empower you to do so much more than you thought possible. Before Clickup I was using Trello, a free time tracker and too many post it notes to count. Now I’ll never go back the old way again. They also happen to have a great affiliate program that makes it easy for you to participate just like I am here. Click the link for 10% off!
- aTimeLogger – Time Tracker – One last item I want to share is the free time tracking app I used before I discovered ClickUp. It’s super simple and straightforward, nothing fancy but that’s what I liked about it. It allows you to create categories and subcategories and generate reports. This one’s for Android, I’m not sure if they have an iPhone version. I used to send the reports to myself via email from my phone so I could work with the information on my computer but it appears to have been updated so it looks like you could potentially install it on your computer now too.
If all you had were the first, second and fourth tool I mentioned, you would have everything you need to replace your full time income and serve your clients with ease.
Build a Professional Online Presence
As virtual service provider, your online presence is your storefront and often the only impression potential clients will have of you. Investing time in setting this up for yourself will attract better clients and allow you to serve them more effectively.
Key Elements of Your Virtual Storefront:
- Ease of Contact: Make it easy for clients to reach you.
- Clear Communication: Clearly express how you can help clients.
- Authenticity: Ensure people know you are a real person, not a bot or a hijacked profile.
You don’t necessarily need a website to start. A well-maintained social profile can be sufficient for the first few years. Focus on creating a professional and approachable online image that reflects your values and expertise.
By concentrating on these five foundational areas, you can build a thriving virtual assistant practice within a few months. Remember, success doesn’t have to be complicated. It’s about focusing on what works and sticking to it.
If you’d like support getting started with your virtual assistant business contact me or apply here. I’m putting together a training and I’m looking for a few founding members to join me at a reduced rate. I’d love to meet you and see if we’d be a great fit!
Let’s collaborate and create a career you love. 🤍✨