Let's be honest, earning a salary from your full-time job isn't secure anymore, and you may be seeking alternative ways to increase your sources of income.

Perhaps you're looking to tackle your student loans or credit card debt, you could be planning to travel the world or hoping to spend more time with your family at home, or you're currently unemployed due to the ongoing global layoffs, a virtual assistant business could be your solution.

Regardless of the reason, if you're determined to work remotely, be self-employed, and take control of your life you can make it happen.

I started my VA business as a 1-2 hour/per day side-hustle along with my 9-5 to a full-time income online business within 2 months from the comfort of my home.

If I were starting an online business from scratch I would choose to become a Virtual Assistant again.

In reality, there are numerous ways to become a virtual assistant. By acquiring simple online skills and gaining experience and knowledge highly sought after in the online business sector, many virtual assistants have gone on to earn more than they would in traditional employment. Furthermore, if you are passionate about organizing and helping people keep their lives in order, you have the potential to become an outstanding virtual assistant!

What do virtual assistants do you might be asking?

- Write and send emails

• - Write captions for Instagram/Facebook
• - Source and post photos
• - Answer comments
• - Style an Instagram feed
• - Schedule appointments
• 
  

👉 Do you already know how to do those simple tasks?

As a business owner, individuals will be willing to compensate you for performing those tasks simply because they do not want to spend their own time or energy on them.

You simply need these 3 essential elements:

• 1. A wifi connection
• 2. A simple portfolio (emails you’ve written, social media posts or accounts you’ve managed, Excel spreadsheets you’ve created)
• 3. The drive to ask people if they need help with their business online instead of waiting for them to ask you.
• 
  

In other words, if you don’t let fear and doubt hold you back, you’re on your way to becoming a virtual assistant.

So here are the 7 steps you need to take to earn a full-time income as a Virtual Assistant:

1. Think about the skills you already have

It is highly probable that you already possess knowledge or skills related to a particular industry, which can be adapted for online use.

On the first day, take some time to brainstorm and create a list of all the possible ideas that come to your mind. This exercise is to help you generate multiple options as you will be exploring leads in the following days. It doesn't matter if it takes a few minutes or an hour to complete this task, and it's essential not to overthink it.

2. Start learning about what piques your curiosity and calls you to explore

There will be something that catches your attention and makes you feel like you want to know more, you want to learn how to do it, you want to figure it out.

Spend time on something only if you genuinely want to learn it. Because if you’re building your business it might as well be based on something you would love doing.

There are tons of resources everywhere and the world is your oyster. So all you need is that spark from within to learn and the rest will fall into place.

Spend a few hours gathering these resources. It could be books, YouTube videos, Facebook groups, Blogs, Content creators, etc.

Pro tip: You can use Notion to create a repository of these resources.

3. Launch your Virtual Assistant Business

It’s best to keep this simple.

• Optimize your LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram profiles. Call yourself a virtual assistant and update what services you’d like to offer so that people can find you.

I recommend using your name and adding "Virtual Assistant For..." as the tagline, making it clear that you're a VA. You will often hear the abbreviation "VA" used among online business owners.

• Create a simple free website to showcase your skills/previous work in a portfolio.
• Put out a word in your friends and family circle about your new virtual assistant business and see if there’s anybody you can help.
• Identify the type of business owners you'd like to work with before you start your lead generation.
• 
  

4. Find Your First Clients!

This is the part most VAs struggle with when starting out.

Personally, I started with Cold Emails/DM. I got 2 of my best long-term clients by simply dropping them a genuine message with an offer to help them with my VA services.

• Find someone online who could use your help and who you would like to help out.
• DM them with a personalized message about how you found them, compliment them on their work and pitch your offer.

You can ask questions like:

"Do you ever feel overwhelmed with the day-to-day tasks of your business? I believe I can help you as a Virtual Assistant."

"I noticed you have been working long hours lately. Have you considered hiring a Virtual Assistant to help ease your workload?"

5. Make sure you sign a contract when you onboard clients

Let me also emphasize the importance of having a contract in place with your clients at this stage. By now, you should have identified the services you will offer as a virtual assistant, established your business name, and figured out your payment processing methods, and be well on your way to finding clients.

Even if your clients are the friendliest and most trustworthy people, it is crucial to have a contract to ensure that both parties understand their responsibilities and obligations. You can create a simple agreement that both you and your client sign, or you can consider purchasing a contract from The Contract Shop, where Christina Scalera, a lawyer specializing in online businesses, offers a wide range of contracts.

While my mini-course, Build Your Virtual Assistant Business Bootcamp, delves more into the topic of how to avoid working with difficult clients, having a contract in place, at the very least, will protect you in situations where your dream client turns into a nightmare.

Once you have your contract, you can either set it up using Dubsado, or you can email it to your client for review and signature before starting any work. Now, let's move on to how to find clients!

6. Onboarding Clients

When you receive a message from a potential client seeking more information about your services, it's best to invite them to a quick discovery call. During this call, you can get to know what they are looking for in a VA and answer any questions they have about your skills. If you both feel that it's a good fit, you can then present your pricing options to them.

While some clients may already know they want to work with you, it's still recommended to have a discovery call to ensure it's a good match. It's a two-way street, and you don't want to end up with a difficult client as your first client.

Discovery calls can be enjoyable, so make the most of them!

7. Invoicing

Create an invoicing template that you can send clients. You can get paid via bank transfer or there’s another great option in my experience called Payoneer. Both these options are the best because there’s no heavy cut on your payment here.

By following these steps, there’s no doubt you’ll land your first few clients as a Virtual Assistant.

Be persistent and show up consistently as you go about these activities.  ALWAYS remember your ‘why’ for getting started.  When unexpected bumps in the road occur, just keep trucking on toward your goals!

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