grow your virtual assistant business

Can You Really Make a Living as a Virtual Assistant?

If you have just discovered the Virtual Assistant industry, it may sound too good to be true. Can you really make a living working from home? The idea of working from home, setting your own schedule, and being there for your family sounds great when you are slugging it out every day at a job you don’t like. But it’s a scary leap, to leave the comfort of collecting a regular paycheque, to being a Virtual Assistant, isn’t it? I get this question all the time from women who want to know… can you really make a living as a VA? The answer is, of course, yes. However there are many factors that come into play to come up with… Read More »Can You Really Make a Living as a Virtual Assistant?

How I Got My First VA Client

If you are still struggling to get that first client (or that first great client), this is what you need to do. One of the things many Virtual Assistants struggle with is getting their first client. There is so much anxiety around getting clients – especially that first one – that we can often be overcome and get paralyzed. And nothing happens. We try to adjust our services. We try to adjust our rates. We apply for countless RFPs and hear nothing back. Or worse yet, we take any work someone offers us because we don’t want to miss out on money – and we hate it. The one thing that VAs who are struggling to get great clients are… Read More »How I Got My First VA Client

Show Up To Be A More Successful VA

Have you ever heard the saying 80% of success is just showing up? The quote is attributed to Woody Allen but many people have also said similar things over the years. And 80% is probably not an actual statistic, but more a feeling. But in my experience it’s absolutely accurate. If you don’t show up, you can’t do the work you have to do to get to where you want to go. And of course, doing the work is a big part of your success. What are you doing in your VA business that is considered showing up? Are you making connections every day with potential clients? Are you putting yourself out there so that people can see your expertise?… Read More »Show Up To Be A More Successful VA

Is Your Virtual Assistant Business Profitable?

Is your VA business profitable? Sure, you may be making money because your clients are paying you, but are you keeping as much money as you should be? Profitability isn’t usually something that comes to mind when you are operating a service-based business. We always say we trade our time for dollars. And we do, as Virtual Assistants. Whether you are charging by the hour, by the task, by retainer or by the project, you are still doing work in return for money. Our rates are all based on how long it takes us to get something done. So we don’t think of our business in terms of profit. But we should! Your business should be profitable, like any other… Read More »Is Your Virtual Assistant Business Profitable?

Is It Time To Hire Subcontractors For Your VA Business?

When we start our Virtual Assistant business, it’s almost always just us doing it all. We do all the work, we bring on new clients as our schedule can manage it, and we build and grow at a pace that we can sustain. But at some point (hopefully!) it becomes necessary to consider getting additional help. Is it time for you to consider getting subcontractors? If so, here are a few pieces of advice to make sure you get the best help you can: 1. Be specific in what kind of help you need. When you know what you want to get help with, it makes the search easier. You will also know the skill level that you need. Sometimes… Read More »Is It Time To Hire Subcontractors For Your VA Business?

What You Need to Know About Being a Virtual Assistant

Being a Virtual Assistant is a great way to be your own boss and to be in charge of your own schedule – right? Sure, but there is a lot more to it. When you start a VA business, you are not just offering services to clients in exchange for payment, you are becoming a business owner. If you want to be in business for any length of time, you need to start thinking of yourself as a business owner right now. I often ask VAs like you why they want to run their own VA business – and most of the time your reasons are very personal. • You want to be more available for your family • You… Read More »What You Need to Know About Being a Virtual Assistant

3 Simple Tips To Value Your Virtual Assistant Clients

Without clients we don’t have a VA business. So we need to be sure we appreciate our clients – even on the difficult days! Your clients are the people who pay you money to do what you love. We appreciate that, of course, because we need them to keep doing that so we can stay in business. But it is important to nurture your client relationships to make our daily work more enjoyable too. Whether your relationship is in the beginning stages, or has existed for a long time, focus on how valuable the client is. When you first start working with someone there is always a learning curve as you get to know each other, and communication is really… Read More »3 Simple Tips To Value Your Virtual Assistant Clients

One Networking Tactic Helps You Find More VA Clients

My network isn’t big enough, and other excuses VAs make for not having clients. If your VA business is struggling, it’s probably because you don’t have enough clients. It’s actually one of the biggest problems that VAs tell me they have in their business. When I ask them why they don’t have enough clients, one of the most common excuses is that their network is not big enough. They say they don’t know enough people to get great clients. What’s the answer to that? It’s simpler than you think: Grow your network. Stop using the fact that you don’t have very many followers as an excuse for not having enough clients.  If you need more followers or connections, you must go… Read More »One Networking Tactic Helps You Find More VA Clients