Many people ask me this question, “What is the very first thing I need to do to start my virtual assistant (VA) business?” This is a great question. I’d like to share the first steps you need to take before starting your business with you.
Assessing your skillset, understanding your client’s problem, and if your client is willing to pay for the solution are the first steps to determining the viability of your business idea.
Step One: Assess your skills.
Take the time to do a full inventory of your skills. What skills do you bring to the table? Can you provide these skills remotely? If so, you more than likely qualify to start your own virtual assistant business.
Step Two: Do your skills solve your potential client’s problem?
Do your research. Find out whether your skills are on demand. Are there business owners who need your services?
I created a list of 128 skills that business owners are willing to pay for. Review the checklist for services that you have that you can offer as a virtual assistant by downloading the free comprehensive list here: https://bit.ly/128-VASkills.
Step Three: Is your potential client willing to pay for the solution you provide?
The third step is the most critical because the goal of a business is to make money. If no one is willing to pay for your skills, all you have is a hobby and not a business. Do your research (review the comprehensive list in step two) to learn whether business owners are actively hiring for your skills.
Luckily for virtual assistants (VA), the last two questions have already been tested and proven — Online-based or home-based business owners need in the VA services. And many of these business owners are willing to pay for these services.
A Virtual Assistant is a valuable addition to any growing online or home-based business. A VA brings relief to often overwhelmed, stressed, or burnt-out business owners who have been handling every aspect of their business alone until the point of hiring a virtual assistant. With limited time and energy, such a model is not sustainable for a company that seeks to expand and grow. For any business to continue growing, they must hire help, and a virtual assistant is usually the first addition to the team.
There are different types of virtual assistants. Some specialize in only one skill, like social media support or bookkeeping. Others, like a general VA, handles various tasks — the day-to-day general administrative duties. These may include:
- Responding to customer’s emails.
- Managing the client’s inbox.
- Following up on prospects.
- Providing back-end support for all systems and software used by business owners.
- Calendar management.
- Email marketing support.
- So many other general administrative tasks.
In my opinion, the quality that sets apart one VA from another is reliability. A reliable VA not only relieves their clients of the admin tasks; they also help free up clients’ time so that they can focus on marketing, business expansion activities, or serving their clients or customers directly.
A reliable VA also gives her clients peace of mind. Clients want to hire VAs that they can trust. They want to be confident that the delegated tasks will be done within the agreed-upon deadlines.
A VA ultimately helps increase the capacity of a business. With them as an additional resource, the business owner can do more, serve more, grow more, and ultimately to become more profitable – a valuable addition to any growing business.