I started this year out publishing monthly income reports from my blog, but I realized that was a little misleading. Honestly, more than 80% of my income that I earn online doesn’t come directly from my blog, but rather from my virtual assisting business. So I decided to title this report a little bit differently, as well as give you some pointers on how you can get started with your own virtual assisting business.
WHAT IS A VIRTUAL ASSISTANT?
A virtual assistant is someone who helps businesses and entrepreneurs virtually. Essentially, I think of it as a regular office assistant job. I just complete the work from my own computer when and where it is convenient for me. I don’t have to show up to an office at a specific time, I choose how much or how little I want to work, and I don’t have a boss to report to.
WHAT DOES A VIRTUAL ASSISTANT DO?
The first question when I decided to start my business, “What will kind of work will I even do?” I LOVE all things social media, so that was the route I took.
HOW DO I GET STARTED AS A VIRTUAL ASSISTANT?
I started my Virtual Assisting business in June of 2017 when I was pregnant with our daughter. I was desperate to find something that was flexible with a newborn, but could still contribute to our family. Social Media Management was the answer I had been searching for. However, I remember how daunting it was to even think about getting started. So I created a course (Social Media Manager in a Month). You will learn how to set up your business, how to master Facebook/Instagram/Pinterest, and how to find and pitch to clients.
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO TAKE THE COURSE?
The cost of the course is $249. If you’re a budgeter like me, you might wince at that amount. However, I can only share my personal experience. Over the last 10 months, I have earned the cost of the course 84 times over. And the first 6 months of my business was spent building and creating, and not working full time for my current clients. I look back at the amount of money I paid for my college education and think, “Wow, if I could have invested $249 and built a successful career in less than a year, how much farther ahead would I be right now?” (side note: we were able to pay off 100% of my college debt with my virtual assisting income- happy dance!).
HOW DO I FIND CLIENTS?
This is the second most popular question that I get. Where do you even begin looking for clients? I was able to find all of my clients from social media. My focus is in social media management. I found entrepreneurs and business owners who primarily run their business on social media and reached out to them and offered my services. I received way more “not interested” replies than “sign me up” replies. But I found my perfect clients within a few months!
HOW MUCH MONEY CAN I MAKE AS A VIRTUAL ASSISTANT?
This is the #1 question I get when people inquire about virtual assisting is how much can I make. And I get it, because this was my 1st question too. I needed to know if I was going to spend my valuable time investing in a business I was going to see a large enough return to make it worth my while. This is definitely the hardest part in sharing my business- because finances are so personal!
However, I know there is another mom out there who is desperately looking for a way to contribute to her family but still be available when her kids need her. A mom that doesn’t want to sell candles or make up or leggings to her friends and family, but wants to have a career and fully give herself to her kids at the same time. And I know that if I don’t share my experience, that mom could miss out on this opportunity.
First of all, your income will vary. I CHOOSE to work 15 hours a week on my business. That means I find 3 hours each day to fit my work in. It’s usually early in the morning before Addi is up, when she naps, or late at night after she is in bed. I REFUSE to let it take any of the precious time that I get to spend with my daughter, so that means sacrificing a little bit of sleep on my end. Could I make more if I added more clients and more hours? Of course. But this is the balance that is perfect for our family right now.
This is in a nutshell everything you need to know about virtual assisting and how to get started with your very own business! Still have questions? Please don’t hesitate to reach out! Email me HERE, or message me on Facebook HERE.
