VIRTUAL ASSISTANT
 How
to Become a Virtual Assistant
The 5 Key Steps to Earning a Full-Time Income From Home
By Lisa Taliga, © 2008, All rights reserved.
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’. Find out more
at
http://www.virtualpabusiness.com
Copyright 2008. All rights reserved. Any reproduction of this article in whole
or in part without written or verbal permission is strictly prohibited.
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