Start Up your Virtual Assistant Business in 10 Steps
For whatever reason you’ve found your way to this article, well done you! You’ve found a path that can benefit you in so many ways - both full-time and part-time.
We’ve recently launched and we thought we’d share the secrets of how we got to where we are. If we think back to where we started, it was tough to gauge what to allocate most of our time to.
There are so many things to get done when starting up but we are here to give a simple breakdown to follow. Remember to save this for later to add these to your task list.
Remember, tick off one task at a time. There’s no rush!
Let’s dive in.
Decide on a business name:
Boy was this a tough one to decide on! There are already so many existing Virtual Assistant businesses out there so we were forced to cross quite a few of our ideas off the list.
Luckily, there are generator platforms to get the creative juices flowing. Just enter the keywords your future clients will most likely search for. It’s recommended in branding strategies that you pick a keyword to include in your business name so that it is clear what you’re offering at first glance.
Write your business plan:
Now this is one of the not-so-fun parts of starting up a business but it is definitely a must. Writing a business plan will help you get clear on your goals, what your weaknesses and strengths are, what your competition is up to, and so much more.
Branding:
If you’re a creative soul, this is the fun part! Head on over to your designer platform, design your logo, pick your brand colours and fonts, post inspiration and templates, and business aesthetic.
If you’re not a creative soul, handing this over to a designer is a good idea. Designers do need some parameters to work with like a colour palette, business name, and logo instructions. A pro tip: head on over to Pinterest, type in colour palettes, pick your desired one, or mix and match, then send that over to them.
Set Up Your Website:
You may already know that having a space to send your potential clients is so important. A website gives them a feel for who you are, what you stand for, and leaves a lasting impression.
If you’re not familiar with coding, there are quite a few drag-and-drop website builders - Squarespace, Wix, Webflow, GoDaddy to name a few. Find what suits you and get building.
If you’d like to start off small, Canva offers loads of website templates for you to use.
Decide on an Invoicing Platform:
There are quite a few you could experiment with. Our preferred platform is Xero because it offers payment gateway integrations and allows invoicing in various currencies. Xero doesn’t offer a free plan so if you’d like to start out with lower overheads, consider using only Paypal and Payfast at first because they’re free. They both offer invoicing features.
Prepare price list, onboarding, and welcome packs:
These really do make a difference. These not only offer better control over conversions but they can also help with leaving your client with all the information they need to confidently take you on as their Virtual Assistant.
Decide on Offerings:
The great thing about being a Virtual Assistant is that you’re able to offer what you’re good at and enjoy doing. If you’re a creative soul - focus on artsy projects. More a writer and content creator? Offer what you do best.
You can build on your skills as you go along. If you’re open to learning something new, let your clients know. If they’re confident about your ability to learn, they’d be more than happy to expand the tasks they hand over.
If you’d like some help deciding what to offer, head on over to Services You Can Offer as an Inexperienced Virtual Assistant. We’ve listed a few ideas to get you started.
Decide on your rates:
Now that you’ve got your service list waxed, it’s time to figure out your hourly rate.
A great way to start is to find out what virtual assistants in your country are charging. Use that as your base point. If you’re more experienced or have more qualifications, you can charge more.
Consider whether you’d like to only charge an hourly rate for ad hoc projects, or if you’d like to offer a complete package for a set amount of hours per month.
Prep Your Processes:
Prepping your processes before you onboard any clients will lift a large weight off your shoulders.
Because you’re virtual and don’t get to see your client face-to-face, it’s important to make sure you’re able to make communication and task tracking easy for both of you.
ClickUp and Asana are task-setting platforms that will help you stay clear on what needs to be done. They both allow second-party access so your client can see what you’re up to in real-time, or pop in more tasks and their deadlines.
If you’d like a bit more information on helpful tools we LOVE to use, head on over to our article 13 Must-Have Tools for Beginner Virtual Assistants.
Connect, Connect, and Connect!
When you’re all set up and confident that you’re ready to take on those clients, it’s time to connect with your niche.
Helpful ways to do this are to:
Join Virtual Assistant Facebook groups. There are loads out there and it is a great way to market yourself or connect with entrepreneurs looking for Virtual Assistants.
Create a LinkedIn account and business page. Need we say more? This is a golden nugget social platform - the hub for business owners!
Sign up to a Virtual Assistance association in your country. These associations list Virtual Assistant businesses in their online registry that not only will better your website’s search engine optimisation, but will give potential clients a direct link to you!
It sounds like hard work and it is, but the timing is completely up to you. We were in the works for over 3 months and we took it at a slow pace.
If you’re embarking on this journey and your goal is to give yourself the work-life balance you need, this is exactly what you should do. You’re in control and there’s no rush. Take your time!
We’re proud of you and we hope that this article has helped you get a head start on your journey.
