Introduction
Have you ever considered starting your own
online business, but thought it was too difficult? You’re not alone. Many
people are intimidated by the idea of running their own online business, but
becoming a virtual assistant (VA) can be just the thing to get you started
without overwhelming you. It’s an easy way to make money as an online
entrepreneur and can teach you valuable skills that you can apply to your other
entrepreneurial ventures.
What Is a Virtual Assistant?
A virtual assistant is an online-working
expert who handles day-to-day business tasks, such as answering email and
running errands. Most virtual assistants work full-time in administrative
roles, but part-time and project-based jobs are also available. If you have
proven experience and education, you can start working as a virtual assistant
right away; otherwise, you’ll need to build up your skills and resume before
getting started.
What Do I Need to Become a VA?
There’s no one way to become a virtual
assistant. If you want to work online, you need two things: skills and
connections. Connections get your foot in the door, and skills keep it there.
You can make money starting out as any kind of VA—but you’ll make more money if
you have specialized knowledge or experience in your chosen field. Once you
land that first gig, all sorts of opportunities will start to open up—and
sooner than later, becoming an online worker will be your full-time job!
What Will I Be Doing?
As a virtual assistant, you’ll be doing
work for clients online. These tasks include scheduling social media posts,
writing emails and documents, taking care of customer support issues, updating
spreadsheets with information from databases, and managing files. Because there
are so many things involved in being an efficient VA—and because different
clients have different needs—you’ll need to hone your skills in a variety of
areas. That means you’ll likely start by focusing on one or two areas that
appeal most to you or that seem most in demand. But eventually, you may want
(or need) to become familiar with all these tasks and then some; choosing which
kinds of skills are important depends entirely on what kind of work and which
specific clients you want/need to attract.
What Will the Work Involve?
The first step in starting your virtual
assistant business is figuring out what you’ll do. You might be hired by an
individual person or company, but there are also entire marketplaces set up
where people can post jobs and assistants can bid on those jobs. In either
case, it’s important to think about whether you’ll focus on administrative
tasks (answering emails, making appointments) or specialized help (like search
engine optimization). If you’d like assistance with choosing which path is
right for you, see our section below called Starting a Business as a Virtual
Assistant. For example, if I wanted to start working online doing
administrative tasks for individuals and small businesses, I’d look at
Craigslist or Upwork.
Can I Do This Part-Time or Full-Time?
The great thing about working online is
that you can do it part-time or full-time. Full-time might be more lucrative,
but many people like their jobs and don’t want to give them up for online work.
It’s worth noting that some people do choose to go all-in with online work,
though—even leaving their office jobs behind. If you’re interested in going all
in, it’s worth considering how much money you’ll earn (or save) and if you
think your family will be supportive of your decision. Keep in mind that if you
decide on full-time remote work after making part-time income from home,
keeping consistent hours could be an issue—especially if your kids have become
accustomed to seeing you only for certain hours each day!
Can I Really Earn Money with This
Kind of Job?
Yes, you can. In fact, becoming a virtual
assistant can be one of your best online earning opportunities. The best thing
about being a virtual assistant is that all you need to get started is a
computer and an internet connection. With that, you can work at home and start
earning money right away! While you won’t be able to make $5,000 per month
right away if you don’t have any experience or specific skills with customers,
it still plays well enough for people who are just starting out with very
little experience in customer service or who haven’t built up their networks
yet.
How Much Money Can I Make?
Though it’s hard to say exactly how much
you can earn in your role as a virtual assistant, there are plenty of online
sites dedicated to answering that very question. Typically, online working
falls under two categories: freelance and hourly. As a freelancer, you get paid
for each project you complete, and your pay varies depending on where you work
and what type of work you do. For example, if you’re working for someone in an
executive capacity (such as writing reports), then your pay will likely be
higher than if you’re doing administrative tasks (managing spreadsheets). Keep
in mind that some assistants work part-time; others work full-time.
Conclusion
Online working can be an efficient source
of income generation. There are thousands of opportunities on offer in various
sectors and professions, such as business, marketing, writing, and many more.
You will have to do a little research before you can take advantage of these
opportunities. For example, there are marketplaces where freelancers meet
potential employers from around the world. If you’re new to online working then
I suggest that you start here with some easy tasks so that you get used to it
first before moving on to bigger ones which may pay higher amounts. This is
especially recommended if you don’t know much about virtual assistant jobs yet.
Besides marketplaces like Fiverr and Elance, there are also plenty of other places
where online workers gather for exchanging their knowledge and skills with each
other.
