How to make money as a Virtual Assistant

 

What is a Virtual Assistant

A freelance virtual assistant is someone who works for entrepreneurs or business owners to complete administrative tasks and other behind-the-scenes work to keep the business running smoothly.

It’s kind of like an administrative assistant at an office, but you work virtually and set your own schedule. This means you can do this as a side hustle in the evenings or weekends instead of being tied to working as a VA from 9-5.

As a freelance VA, you can work for as few or as many clients as you want, which makes it better than working for a virtual assistant agency. Plus, as a freelancer you get to keep all of the money you earn. In an agency, they’ll keep a cut of the money you earn and they may dictate you work a certain number of hours per week or work at certain times and days.

The tasks you do as a VA can vary widely depending on what you like to do and what you are good at. In fact, there are over 100 services you can offer as a VA. As a virtual Assistant, you may be completing tasks such as  administrative duties, data entry, basic bookkeeping, managing calendars, copywriting, graphic design, handling blog posts, managing social media accounts, responding to emails in your client's inbox, managing Facebook groups, handling travel arrangements, customer service, answering phone calls and more.

It simply depends on what type of virtual assistant that you want to be, as there are so many different types out there. This means that you get to determine what kind of work you want to do. Plus, you get to be your own boss.

How much a Beginner VA can expect to make.

Entry level Virtual Assistant's typically charge around $25-$30 an hour. This number can vary based on your skills + experience.

As you learn new skills and take on new tasks, this will allow you to raise your rates significantly. These days $15 hour is on the low-end for a starting VA and I don’t recommend new VAs to take any less than that. In fact, if you have some basic skills already, you should be charging more from day one!

Since you can work as much or as little as you want, the sky’s the limit on earning potential. Plus, raising your rates with each new client means you’ll be able to earn more while working less over time.

As a virtual assistant, you may be completing tasks such as administrative duties, data entry, basic bookkeeping, managing calendars, copywriting, graphic design, handling blog posts, managing social media accounts, responding to emails in your client’s inbox, managing Facebook groups, handling travel arrangements, customer service, answering phone calls, and more.

It simply depends on what type of virtual assistant that you want to be, as there are so many different types out there. This means that you get to determine what kind of work you want to do. Plus, you get to be your own boss.

Benefits of working as a Virtual Assistant

There are so many great things about being a freelance virtual assistant.

First, you can earn way more money working for yourself as a freelancer than working in many traditional jobs. 

You get to set your own hours and work from wherever you want! As long as you meet your deadlines, most clients don’t care when and where you actually do your work. You also don’t have to ask for time off for vacations, appointments, etc.

Virtual assistants also get paid to learn, which is awesome. It means that you can get paid to take training courses and learn new skills and tools. Then, you can use these things to get new clients at higher rates too! It’s a win-win!

The ability to choose who you work with is also a great benefit. I get to work with business owners I admire and whose missions are so inspiring. I love getting to help them make a difference in the world. It’s very fulfilling.

How to get your first job as a virtual Assistant

When it comes to first getting started, a lot of new VAs want to go to job boards to get their first client. I’m not a fan of job boards at all unless you have absolutely no other options to get your first client.

Instead, I always recommend to new VAs that they start with their existing network of friends, family, business owners, and bloggers. This will help you land a client with less competition, which means more pay. Plus, if your first client is someone you already know, it may be easier to get started with less training. It also gives you the opportunity to work with clients you admire and work you believe it, which is always more fun!

Steps to take to start earning money as a virtual Assistant

You can get started on your own by marketing your business on social media, and with a website or blog.

You don’t need any formal education to work as a VA. However, taking a course or hiring a coach who’s been there and done that, so to speak, can help you grow your business much faster than you could do it on your own.