Whether it’s online or in person, one of the most commonly asked questions or pieces of information that people look for is how to become a virtual assistant.
Since I recently took on another VA client, I thought it’d be helpful to share what it is exactly that I do as a virtual assistant. I’ve written previously about how I’ve built a diversified business, as well as my experience becoming a virtual assistant and getting my first client, but I’ve never written much about the different activities I do for my clients as their virtual assistant.
Today, I’ll unlock some of the mystery behind it.
How to Get Started as a Virtual Assistant
I didn’t set out to become a virtual assistant.
It kind of just fell into my lap. I’ve tried to remain open to different opportunities as I started building my web-based business. I’ve also been used to supporting the senior financial advisor I worked with for the previous six years, so VA work was a natural fit for me.
The first virtual assistant client that I contracted with is a successful webpreneur. Through back and forth emails, I sensed he was having a little trouble keeping up with his inbox. We had a friendly banter going and I sensed that I could help him, he’d be fun to work with and that I might benefit in more ways than just earning a paycheck (by learning the inner workings of his business).
Basically, I stepped out and boldly told him he should hire me.
He said yes and we’ve been working together ever since. I’m happy to say that my inklings were right on the money – I enjoy working with him, I’m learning a ton and the regular paycheck is nice!
Update: This relationship has been going strong for almost two years now. I’m happy to say it’s still a win/win for both of us!
How to Get Clients as a Virtual Assistant
As far as I know, there aren’t any job boards dedicated to finding VA work, like there are for freelance writing. You could go the route of looking for clients on sites like Elance, Odesk or People Per Hour, but I’m not sure you’d find the caliber of clients that can afford you, unless you are comfortable working for minimum wage.
Instead, if I were you, I would do something similar to what I did. Brainstorm if there is anyone you know or that you’ve recently come in contact with that you feel like would benefit from your help as a VA. Then boldly reach out and ask. You won’t know unless you try!
And for goodness’ sake, put it out there via social media (FB, Twitter, etc.) that you’re looking for VA clients and what it is that you can do them. Or set up a “Hire Me” page on your website if you have one.
These are a few ways to get started. Hopefully down the road, you’ll start getting some word of mouth referrals – this is how I got my most recent client!
Update: I still work with just two VA clients. I enjoy it, they appreciate me and I appreciate the predictable income it brings in, especially since I quit my job to freelance full-time at the end of 2014!
What I Do as a Virtual Assistant
There’s no cut and dry list of activities that a virtual assistant does (although we’ve recently compiled a list of 125 common ones to add to our upcoming course geared towards wannabe VAs).
A common example, is someone who checks email, returns phone calls and manages their client’s calendar.
Working with internet entrepreneurs (webpreneurs), it can mean this, but also a whole host of other things. One of the main things I do for one of my clients is to manage his inbox. I check and sort his email, respond on his behalf and draft templated responses for different inquiries.
We also have a weekly call (or Google Hangout), which has been hugely helpful. The more I can learn about his business, the better equipped I am to help him. He’s got a ton going on from consulting, coaching, writing courses, managing his blog and subscription list to much, much more.
He’s brilliant and an inspiration, but I like to think one of the ways I help is to reign him in from time-to-time and keep him accountable to some of the things he needs to do, that aren’t always his favorite tasks (like email!). He’s also voiced that our weekly meetings are his favorite part of working together (because we get so much done).
In early 2015 I started editing his blog posts and writing for his site as well. These tasks have crossed the line from VA work to the more traditional writing and editing work that I do.
As I said, there’s no cut and dry list of tasks for a VA. I think it depends on what it is your client needs and what it is you excel at doing. Here are a few great questions to ask in order to find out how you can best be of help:
- What are you doing right now that you don’t like doing?
- What do you put off doing, that needs to get done?
- What could I take off of your plate that would free you up to do what you do best?
If you’re still not sure what virtual assistant services you can offer, we’ve put together a list of over 150 services that webpreneurs need help with.
How Much to Charge as a Virtual Assistant
Everyone wants to know what the going rate is and how much is enough (but not too much) to charge. The reason this varies so much, is because the role itself can vary quite greatly – and so can your skill set.
When you’re setting your rate, figure out what would make it worth your time. Basically, you’re trading time for money, so start with a rate that makes it worth your while and excited to get to work.
Remember also, that you’re not an employee. You’re a subcontractor and in the US, for example, you need to pay both the employee and the employer side of taxes (i.e. self-employment tax). You also aren’t entitled to any benefits – no sick days, paid vacation, health insurance or retirement contributions are coming your way. Because of this fact, you can’t really compare what you make at your day job (or what you could make at a part-time job) with that of your new VA role.
Therefore, you need to take whatever wage you were thinking would make sense and inflate it by at least 25%. And if anyone questions you on it, feel free to break it down for them!
One of the perks of hiring a freelance virtual assistant vs. a part or full-time employee is that your client doesn’t have to incur the cost or the time involved with setting up (and many times training) a new employee.
But this doesn’t mean that you should be the cheapest solution available. You still need to pay taxes, self-fund vacation/sick time and produce your own benefits.
So that should be included in your rate.
To give you some personal context, I started out charging $34 per hour. My clients and I have since moved on from this hourly model and now have a daily rate. One of my clients pays me weekly and the other pays me monthly. Both are automatic payments, which makes it easy!
I charge a flat rate (rather than an hourly one), as I would rather have a set of tasks to complete and complete them on my schedule, rather than having to track my time and feel like I’m “on the clock.” This is why I escaped Corporate America! (And luckily this works just fine with my two clients, but be prepared for prospects to think in hourly terms.)
I like to believe I’m fairly educated and skilled (and learning new web-based skills by the day!), which is why I’m comfortable charging adequately for my time. It’s a bit of you get what you pay for here in the world of working via the web, so keep that in mind as you’re bidding for jobs or hiring your own support staff.
I’d suggest reaching a little higher than the number that pops into your head. It’s easy to undercharge in order to secure the job, but that’s not what’s going to keep either of you happy for the long-term.
What Else Should I Know about Becoming a VA?
Be careful just building someone else’s business, if it’s not your goal to become a full-time VA. I don’t know that I’ll do this type of work forever – it’s my goal to build my business and my brand after all. I like the work, the pay is nice (and consistent) and I’m still learning a ton, which is what makes it a good fit for me for now.
If this seems interesting to you, I’d suggest joining the VA community by taking my best-selling course: 30 Days or Less to Virtual Assistant Success. It will help you figure out what services you plan to offer, how much you’re going to charge and get started finding your first client.
I hope this post gave you an inside look at what being a virtual assistant means to me and how I’ve gone about building my business. Remember, there are plenty of people that need your help, so they can continue focusing on building their brand and business.
What other questions do you have about becoming a virtual assistant?
Photo Credit: Bench Accounting via Unsplash
Thanks, Gina! The free course was great and full of lots of substantive information (no fluff!), and the list of 125 tasks really breaks down the variety of work a VA can cover. Definitely keeping this on my radar!
Glad to hear it Madeline – thanks for sharing and best of luck to you!
Thanks for all the info! I like the idea of focusing on just a few clients at a time. I also think I will raise my hourly rate.
Thank you Gina. My transition from admin assistant to virtual assistant has not been smooth. No clients yet. But I trust that all will be well in the next few months.
Hey Sarah, getting started is the hardest part. You can do this! Best of luck to you.
Hi I was recently contacted by someone to become a VA and do payroll for his company. He wants me to setup a paypal account to recieve reimbursements from other coworkers, sometimes my weekly pay, and money to purchase supplies. Im extremely new to this and feel a little uneasy. Do you have any thoughts on what to be cautious of as a VA?
Hey Shannon – this sounds a bit shady to me… would the PayPal account be in his business’ name or yours? If it’d be in yours, I’d run far, far away as it has the feeling of a scam. Best of luck to you!
Hi, Gina! I’ve been a PA for about 2 years now and every summer in college. I am ready to jump into the world of being a VA. I do believe the hardest part is getting started. Thanks for all the great information!
You bet Kris – sounds like you have an excellent background, so what are you waiting for? 😉
Hi Sarah!
Where can you learn about self-employment tax and how to calculate how much of your $$ is going to taxes? Also, how do you budget for “paid vacation” and making sure you have health insurance. I’m considering side hustling to become a VA, in hopes that I could translate my full time job to a part time VA position. However, I want to end up with around the same pay or more. It’s so complicated with all of the extra things to consider!
Hey Hope,
We touch on taxes/vacations/benefits in the course, but ultimately it’s dependent on where you live – i.e. even in the US each state has different (or no) tax rates. My best advice is to start setting aside 20-30% of your net income into a separate savings account for taxes and of course to consult with an accountant as your business grows.
As far as vacations go, it’s best to prepare for them as unpaid, but dependent on the client you might get paid or be able to front and back load your work (i.e. work more before and after it).
Health insurance is a different beast and again is dependent on where you live – we’ve had private health insurance for four years now (and are currently on a Christian health share plan). If in the US you can look into your state’s exchange or get in touch with a health insurance agent. Hope that helps some!
I really appreciate your post. I’ve been a VA for over five years. The company I work for is in New York and I handle all their books and work closely with the accountant. It’s a win-win because the company can afford to pay me a lower rate than someone in New York City. That being said, I am paid well and I’m able to do this part time.
That’s great Kate – thanks for sharing! I’ve never even thought of that part, but I bet NYC, San Francisco and other areas that have a higher cost of living would really benefit. Thanks for the enlightenment.:-)
Kate, how did you end up working for this company? I’m actually in the San Francisco Bay Area –trying to get started in the VA business.
Hi Kate!
I have done bookkeeping from my home for 18 years plus now. I am looking into becoming a VA. I am in TN. How did you go about landing a bookkeeping client? I have also worked in a CPA office and know the inner-workings of that side as well. I have used Quickbooks for 19 years and am very efficient with it. I’m thinking that getting their information would be the tricky part. I would appreciate any feedback. Thanks!
What do you charge a client daily?
Or, how do you recommend figuring out a daily vs. hourly charge?
Daryn put together a pretty comprehensive guide about setting virtual assistant rates. Here it is: https://horkeyhandbook.com/virtual-assistant-rates-guide/
Hi Gina!
I started 4 months ago, I didn’t know a single thing about working virtually. However, I am very happy to learn and serve. I hope to charge more soon because I think that I have an advantage over other people: I am a polyglot. I talk Spanish, French and English but I don’t know if that could be a niche. I am going to read your guide and hope to discover the answer. Any kind of advice would be awesome. Thanks.
does your course show specifics on ‘how-to’ do some of the common tasks you would be expected to do as a VA? I like visuals and step by step details so I am sure I will be knowledgeable doing what I might be asked to do. even things like planning someone else’s calendar – what program do you have to have on your own computer and then does the customer send all the needed appointment details to you and you just plug it in? it can’t be that simple, or they would do it themselves, plus they would need current information so not to miss their appointments. do you see what I am asking here? I would like to do things like that, just not sure I would be able to. (called Fear and Self-Doubt probably)
I would hate to say I could do something and then find out I really don’t know how or have the resources to do it and look like a failure. Especially when you are new or haven’t done it on the job, just in college courses.
thanks
seriously considering your program, at least I guess it can’t hurt, right?
Hey Deb,
The course goes in depth on content management, social media management and inbox (email) management. We’re also in the midst of building a new training platform to make even more skill specific training available by the end of this year.
~Gina
Hey Gina,
It seems like the most successful VAs already have administrative, technical or creative work experience. What if a person has the skills, but not the work experience? Would it be hard for them to land clients as a VA?
Hello, Gina!
I’ve been researching becoming a VA for some time now. It’s a bit overwhelming. LOL! I have looked at both your VA and Pinterest VA courses. I’m not sure which one to pick. Any suggestions?
Thanks in advance for your help!
– Ebony
Hi Ebony. If you’ve already learned about what it takes to become a VA, I think you can jump straight into the Pinterest VA course.
But if you still need to learn the basics of setting up an online business, and offering more than one service, you can start with the VA course. I’d start with that one if you haven’t worked online/virtually before.
Hope that helps.
hi,
I was on another site and it had a link that was supposed to take me to a course on how to be a Pinterest VA but I do not see it on this page. Was the link incorrect?
Thanks.
Here is the link to the Pinterest VA course.
https://horkeyhandbook.com/go/pva-checkout/
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