Virtual assistant work helped me fulfill my dream of quitting my job and working from home. I’m passionate about helping others create their businesses and want to show you that if you take the right steps and in the right order, you can do it too!
There are many benefits to creating a virtual assistant business. It takes only a small amount of money to get off the ground, you can find and work with clients from all over the world, and more and more online (and offline) businesses see the value in working with VA’s and are looking to hire!
Starting a business doesn’t have to be complicated or take forever to get started! Follow my 7 daily steps and you’ll have your own virtual assistant business in a week!
DAY 1 – PASSION
Get clear on your WHY – Staying connected to your Why will keep you focused, centered, and help you move your business forward. Especially on those days when you lack motivation (it happens to all of us!). Read my Why here.
Create your service offerings – Take a look at your existing skills and talents to create services that you enjoy doing. Get clear on what you want to offer.
Figure out your ideal client – Who do you want to work with? What industry are they in? What’s their personality like? Where do they hang out online and offline? Learn how to determine who your ideal client is and why it’s so important.
Identify your niche – Now that you know the services you want to offer and the type of client you want to work with, you might see a niche or theme. Your niche is your specialty. Ask yourself, “What type of VA do I want to be? Is there a specific industry I want to work in?” Don’t worry if you don’t quite have a niche yet! You’ll figure it out eventually!
DAY 2 – PRICING
Decide on your rates – Pricing is usually one of the trickiest things to figure out in your business, no matter what industry you’re in. The trick is finding the balance between making enough money to support yourself (and then some) and charging a price people want to pay! How much money do you want to charge per hour? Remember, you can always change your rates later.
Package your services…or not – You can either create service packages or charge by the hour. It’s usually easier for new VAs to list the tasks they can help with and charge by the hour. Eventually, you’ll figure out which tasks you enjoy the most and which ones are requested most often. You can always tweak your packages and services so don’t get too hung up on this. Here are 5 ways you can price your Virtual Assistant services.
DAY 3 – GETTIN’ LEGIT
Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer or an accountant. The information that I’m providing is from my own experience and research. I encourage you to contact your Secretary of State or County Clerk so that they can direct you to the proper offices for paperwork and registration and to give you advice on the appropriate entity for your business needs. I also encourage you to contact an accountant for tax-related questions and do additional research as needed.
These suggestions are for US-based businesses. If you live outside the US, please contact the proper authorities to learn what you need to do in your area to legally register your business.
Name your business – Brainstorm business names and pick the one you like best. Then make sure it’s available on social media sites like Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest, and not trademarked or already registered to someone else. Also, check to see if your domain name which would be your businessname.com is available to purchase.
Choose a business entity – Most virtual assistant businesses in the U.S. are either a Sole Proprietorship or Limited Liability Corporation (LLC).
- Sole Proprietorship: No need to register your business, but you’ll need to register for a fictitious name. No fees and you’ll file taxes only once a year.
- LLC: Your personal assets are protected in case someone sues you, but there’s a yearly fee, you must register your biz, and you might have to pay taxes quarterly. You’ll also need to keep your personal and business money separated so you’ll need a business bank account.
Register your business name if needed – If you’re a Sole Proprietor, you’ll need to register your business name (called a fictitious name) with the Secretary of State or County Clerk. If your business name is your personal name you shouldn’t need to register it. Contact the proper authorities to make sure.
Attain a business license if needed – Not everyone needs a business license, it all depends on your state’s laws. You’ll want to do your own research and contact your Secretary of State, County Clerk, or accountant.
DAY 4 – CONTRACTS
Draft your business policies – Policies help you develop harmonious working relationships with your clients. They are your business boundaries that will be communicated in your contract or sales page. A few questions to consider: What days and hours do you work? When do you invoice your clients? What does your service include and not include?
Write your contract – A contract is created to protect both you and the client and helps enforce your business policies. It confirms that you’re both on the same page and gives the client an opportunity to ask questions before you start working with them. You can try searching online for info on what your contract should say. I also have contract templates inside the Introvert VA Club if you want to make your life easier!
DAY 5 – PROCESSES
Create your client processes – You’ll need four of them: Pre-client, Onboarding, Service, and Offboarding.
- Pre-client Process: the steps you take to determine whether a prospective client is a good fit or not and if so, turn them into a new client.
- Onboarding Process: includes getting paid, signing your contract, and getting organized to start your work.
- Service Process: the steps you take to complete your work.
- Offboarding Process:includes the final steps you take to wrap up your time together, like getting feedback, asking for a testimonial, and possibly sending a thank you card or gift.
Learn more about these processes here.
DAY 6 – SYSTEMS
Choose the tools you’ll use for your client systems – Now that you have your processes mapped out, you can choose the tools you’ll use to carry them out. For example, you’ll need a way to gather payments, so you’ll want to set up a business PayPal account. Sign up for any tools you want to use and get them set up so that they’re ready.
Here are 9 free tools for new virtual assistants. (You’ll find a list of systems you need and tutorials on how to set them up in my membership program.)
DAY 7 – LAUNCHING
Launch your business – It’s now time to promote your business and get clients! Here’s a list of marketing ideas.
Need help announcing your business on social media? Check out my Social Media Pack for Virtual Assistants! It includes 30 graphics and posts to help you announce your new biz!
TAKE IT DAY-BY-DAY
You might knock out a few days’ worths of tasks in one day and that’s completely fine! Some days you might get less done and that’s ok too!
If you’d like to dive deeper, check out the Introvert VA Club! I have a course called the Passion to Profit Plan, where I go through each of the steps I mentioned in this blog post in more detail. The course is designed to help you get your business up and running as quickly as possible! Members rave about how fun and easy it is to go through.
And if you’d like to build a quick website for your business, check out my VA Website Template!
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10 Big Myths About Starting a Virtual Assistant Business
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How I Became a Virtual Assistant and Quit My Job in 3 Months
