Any side hustle comes from a need to earn extra money outside your day job. We usually want it to be as non-taxing as possible but pays us top dollars for our time. When I first started this hustle, I didn’t know to become a virtual assistant. In fact, I didn’t realize there was a market full of opportunities to use the skills that I take for granted that I know you also have.

The more I investigated this hustle I realized that it was something with the right application you can easily make enough money to turn it into a work from home business. You get to choose your own hours, clients and if you are good, you get to choose your own wage.

I am excited to share with you in this article some tips on how to become a virtual assistant for free and some of the pros and cons of it plus where to go and get paid.

What Is a Virtual Assistant?

A virtual assistant is a professional that offers professional administrative, technical, or creative assistance to people and organizations, but he/she works online as opposed to in a physical office space. The professional can provide an unlimited range of services including, but not limited to the following;

• Calendar Management
• Email Management
• Consulting
• Coaching
• Tutoring
• Counseling
• Project Management
• Social Media Management
• Marketing/Product Promotion
• Customer Service
• Programming
• App Development
• Web Design/Development
• Graphic Design/Creation
• Data Entry
• Bookkeeping
• Writing
• Ghostwriting
• Copywriting
• Transcription
• Editing
• Audio, Video and Photo Editing
• Researching
• Travel Arrangement

Any skill you can offer can make you a VA. It can be a simple as getting followers for a social media account. Someone will hire you if you can get the results they desire.

How Much Does a Virtual Assistant Make?

On average, a VA makes between $10 and $100 an hour, depending on the task being done. Simple tasks such as data entry and editing may pay around $10 to $15 an hour. Complex tasks such as app development or web design, which involve specialized skills may fetch up to $100+ per hour. Most virtual assistants set their own rates, as opposed to regular employees who are paid according to the company’s wage structure.

What training do you need? 

To be a good virtual assistant you don’t need to get special training. However, you do need good timekeeping, organizational skills and communication to name a few.

Some VA jobs will require some additional skills like book keeping, web design,coaching and more. Look for jobs that suit your skill set best.

If you have no previous job experience, you can do some virtual assistant training courses that may help give you some credibility to land those first few jobs.

Virtual Assistant Resources and Courses

International Virtual Assistant Association

30 Days or less to Virtual Assistant Success

Society of Virtual Assistants

Obtain the E-book Titled “The Bootstrap VA”

The Bootsrap VA is a perfect beginner guide to becoming a successful virtual assistant. This 291-page ebook shares all the steps you need to follow to get started, get clients and be a successful VA.

How to Become a Virtual Assistant?

If you want to become a successful VA, here is what you need to do;

Decide If You Will Operate as An Employee or as an Independent Contractor

Employed VAs work for established organizations that link VAs to clients, whereas independent VAs are self-employed and run their own business.

Employed Vs Independent

Not sure whether to become an employed VA or an independent one? Let’s look at the advantages and disadvantages of each type of a virtual assistant;

Advantages of Being an Employed VA

(a) Working with an established organization that matches VAs with clients means it’s easier to find clients.

(b) Fewer worries—you only have to worry about turning in the work in time.

(c) You get access to a solid support system as many organizations provide tools, resources, and support for their virtual assistants.

Disadvantages of Being an Employed VA

(a) Your employer may determine your pay depending on the client in question. Some clients have special discount agreements with the employer, especially when they present bulky projects.

(b) Being answerable to an employer and having to follow his/her guidelines makes you feel like a regular employee.

(c) Employed VAs enjoy less flexibility than their independent counterparts.

(d) Only a few networking opportunities are available for you.

Advantages of Being an Independent VA

(a) You get more networking opportunities.

(b) You are in charge of your business and not answerable to an employer.

(c) You determine your pay.

(d) You get a better opportunity to build a solid client list.

Disadvantages of Being an Independent VA

(a) It may take a lot of time and effort to find quality clients and build a solid client list before beginning to make some decent money.

(b) You lack clear boundaries; hence work could spill over into other parts of your life.

“The skills you use at work or when using social media can get you paid more than your day job. Think about that”

Ready to setup your own VA business?

As this is a business you will need to make sure you educate yourself with the best business practices, so you can file the correct paperwork when the time comes.

Now for the fun

Choose a niche

With so many different services that you can provide, you must think of the potential type of client you want to work with. You will have to work out if you want to specialize in a couple services or be a jack of all trades doing any job that comes up. If you think of all your passions, experience, interests and knowledge it will become much clearer what your niche will be.

Set Up a Website

This is especially essential for an independent VA. Your business should have an online presence so that people can find it. Besides that, having a website makes you look professional and gives you a chance to showcase your skills.

Be Active on Social Media

After setting up a nice, professional-looking website that displays all of your skills and work samples, it’s time to start looking for clients. Don’t know where to start? Go to social media. Various social media platforms such as LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and YouTube can really hook you up to good clients.

Do a Lot of Networking

Networking with other VAs that are already established can really go a long way in helping you learn the ins and outs of the game. This knowledge will give you the upper hand over other beginners, which you can use to start making money right off the bat.

Be Helpful

Network and interact with other VAs on social media in a decent and non spammy way. Sending mass emails to people that don’t know you will not help. It will only make you come across as spammy. Don’t be desperate for money, take the time to offer useful information first. Providing useful articles or helpful advice is the best way to come across as a real professional and earn peoples’ trust online.

More Marketing Ideas

Want more options on how to market your business?  Here are more ways you can get your message to potential customers.

• In-person networking
• PR opportunities
• Public speaking
• Print advertising
• Forum participation
• Guest blogging
• Lead generation

Work First and Let Money Roll in Later

There is a general misconception out there that online businesses pick up faster than regular ones. That is totally inaccurate, in fact online businesses take more time to establish compared to their physical counterparts. Also, they take more effort to build compared to any other type of business.

You can’t just set up a website and watch clients roll in. No, you need to put in a lot of work, be enthusiastic, proactive and persistent. The website you created use that as a way to showcase the awesome skills you have. Be proactive and create blog post about you, your industry, this will show the quality of your work. You can also create videos on Youtube. Use pursuing other VAs that are already successful and doing things that are necessary to improve your website’s ranking.

Where Can I Work as a VA?

When you have made the choice of whether to work independently or as an employee of one or even several companies that match virtual assistants to clients.  Some good companies to consider are:-

•  FlexJobs
• eaHelp
• Belay
• Uassist.Me
• Red Butler
• Amazon Mechanical Turk
• Zirtual
• Virtual Assistant USA
• Assistant Match
• 24/7 Virtual Assistant
• People Per Hour
• Freelancer
• Time Etc.
• Virtual Staff Finder
• Upwork
• Worldwide 101
• Ziptask
• Fancy Hands
• Guru
• Craigslist
• WAHM.com
• ClickWorker
• VA Networking
• Skip the Drive
• We Work Remotely
• Remotive

This is an awesome side hustle that you can work from home and with the right luck you can make alot of money doing it. I know for some freelancers it feels like a 9-5 all over again but if you are looking for passive income you could try some affiliate marketing.

I would love to hear any good or bad stories of how you are doing in the comments.

Please Pin this to your board.

Thanks