If you are unsure about what kind of business to start, consider becoming a Virtual Assistant.
A virtual assistant is someone who has their own business and works from home assisting other entrepreneurs and businesses with their daily tasks. There are tons of different tasks that VAs can do. Some VAs are generalists and do lots of things. And some VAs are specialists who only do a few tasks.
The types of tasks a VA can be hired to do are practically unlimited. Here are ten broad categories, but there are so many more:
- Social media management (adding content to social media platforms, commenting on posts)
- Writing and content creation (blog posts, emails, articles for publication elsewhere)
- Email inbox management (answering emails, prioritizing emails for the client, handling spam and other nonsense)
- Website management (updating plugins, making minor design changes, adding new content)
- Presentation development (Powerpoints and handouts for conference presentations)
- Graphic design (using Picmonkey, Canva, or Photoshop to develop Pinterest images or blog images)
- Bookkeeping (tracking expenses and income, putting together expense reports)
- Advertising and marketing help (creating and managing Facebook ads, creating email blasts)
- Customer service (answering emails from customers, giving refunds, troubleshooting any problems)
- Project management (organizing tasks for big projects, keeping other freelancers and VAs on task, keeping the client on top of the most important things)
If you are the type of person who enjoys helping others and is good at some or all of the above tasks, this may be a good business for you.
Back in the late 1990s I did some VA work, back before social media even existed. Most of my work was related to website management and content creation. About 7 or 8 years ago when I got back into the VA game, I was doing more social media, WordPress work, market research, and writing. The key to me keeping the work flowing was that I continued learning new skills and staying on top of new technology. I was flexible in what I was willing to do and the clients kept on coming. If you are stuck in your ways, don’t like learning new things, or are afraid of technology, it might not be a good fit for you.
How Do You Start a Virtual Assistant Business?
If you think you might want to learn more about becoming a VA, you should take a look at Gina Horkey’s “30 Days or Less to Virtual Assistant Success.” Gina has created a step-by-step course that will show you exactly what you need to do to get a VA business off the ground. She helps you hone in on the services you will offer, helps you market your services and find clients, helps you set your rates, helps you learn how to manage your clients, and much more.
Starting a business can be quite overwhelming, but Gina’s course breaks it down into manageable and understandable steps. You could very well be in business within the next 30 days if you set your mind to it. Can you imagine what that could do for your finances? VA work is great as either a full-time business or just a side hustle. You can take on as few or as many clients as you want to. And with rates generally in the $25 to $50 an hour range, you could do very well without taking up too much of your precious free time. Some VAs even make as much as $100 an hour! If you have a very highly specialized skill set, that could be you.
Here’s that link again, in case you missed it: Gina Horkey’s “30 Days or Less to Virtual Assistant Success.”
And let me know in the comments if you work as a VA, what you do, and how you like it!
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