Becoming a Virtual Assistant was life changing for me and it is for so many other women too. I have the most wonderful lifestyle that allows me to manage my very challenging health issues and spend my valuable time with those I choose to spend time with.
Self employment isn’t for everyone and being a Virtual Assistant is not a ‘get rich quick’ thing like some may have you believe but, done properly and for the right reasons, it can bring pure joy, freedom, flexibility and a life you didn’t think would be possible until retirement.
Allow me to share with you what’s involved with starting, running and maintaining a Virtual Assistant business and how to get started as a Virtual Assistant.
What are the Benefits of Being a Virtual Assistant?
You gain a lot of benefits running a successful Virtual Assistant business, all of which are why so many women decide employment is not a healthy place to be:
You have no push or pull on your time
The main reason we enjoy time off from our 9-5, whether it’s a holiday, bank holiday, weekend is because there’s no push or pull on our time. We’re in complete control of every hour. There’s no one watching when we go to lunch, how often we make a cup or tea or making a smart comment about you ‘having another day off’.
Work when you want
Whether you have health issues, children, dependants or anything else you want to give your time to, one of the most magical things about being your own boss is being able to choose when you work. You could work before the kids get up, or start after they’ve been dropped at school. You could work four days a week, three days a week, seven days a week. The choice is yours (based on what you want to earn – more on that in a sec).
Work where you want
Bed, dining table, spare room, coffee shop, airport, in a field – literally wherever you want (as long as you have an internet connection). I have never gone for the digital nomad craze because I am a hotel snob so it would cost me an absolute fortune, but I have worked from some fabulous places all over the world (no wait that’s an utter lie. All over the UK).
I lost my dedicated office (spare room) to my other half during the pandemic and have never got it back. But I am more than happy working from the sofa or, on days when my health is bad, from my bed!
You learn so much
If I look back on my VA journey since 2015 I am astounded at how much I have learnt. Not just about running a business but all the software too. If I look back at my employed career over 25 years I can recall the training I had on how to lift a box – something that was utterly pointless but got me away from the desk for half a day. The opportunities to learn when you’re a Virtual Assistant seem endless.
It’s not pointless
Have you ever sat at work and thought ‘why am I even doing this?’. Like, what’s the point in me numbering these purchase orders when the customers never quote them anyway? or why do I need to ensure everyone’s copied in to these internal newsletters that never get read? So much time is wasted as an employee and seeing the bigger picture is incredibly hard when it’s not your business, but it’s so different when it is your business.
Anything you do is for a reason and you can see the results. There is such a sense of purpose when you know you’re not wasting your precious time on this earth.
Being a Virtual Assistant is Safer
Gone are the 90s/2000s when you could walk out of one job on a Friday and into another one on a Monday. Employment is no longer the safer option. Redundancy looms around corners for many, big companies are scaling back, looking to cut costs and they have zero allegiance to you. Their profit is, understandably, more important.
When you run your own Virtual Assistant business you are in control and if you work to my 20% Rule (no one client should take up more than 20% of your time, or your income) you’ll always be in a safer position.
Why Virtual Assistants Will Never be ‘Over-Saturated’
You’re probably seeing Virtual Assistants EVERYWHERE and asking yourself, ‘Is the VA world over-saturated’.
No! And here’s why.
As you know, our phones and laptops keep a log of what we’re searching for, what we’ve looked at and – some will agree here, some won’t – what we’ve been talking about!
Therefore, it’s highly likely that whenever you open a website that has any ads running (e.g. Instagram, Facebook, newspaper websites, etc) you’ll be shown things you’ve shown an interest in previously.
Imagine the millions of pounds businesses would lose if their ads weren’t targeting the right people!
Algorithms and cookies would not be doing their job properly if you kept seeing things about stuff you had no interest in.
That’s one reason why you might think the VA world is over-saturated.
Another common reason aspiring VAs believe the market is over-saturated is because they’re ‘seeing VAs everywhere’. That’s because, once again, it’s what you’re searching for!
Here’s another reassuring piece of information for you too. 2,000 businesses start up every DAY in the UK. If 1,999 of those were VAs we’d have a problem. But they’re not, so we’re good!
Yes, there are a lot of people who want a better working life so they look into becoming a Virtual Assistant but not all of them see it through. Having mentored a lot of women since 2018 I can categorically say that a lot give up and I’ll cover why in a second.
How to Become a Virtual Assistant
Here are the seven steps to become a Virtual Assistant
- Decide what services you’re going to offer (you can do that here with my free guide of over 90 services Virtual Assistants offer)
- Work out how many hours you’ll need to work as a VA to be financially secure (you can do that here)
- Google everything else you need to do, to death (and become overwhelmed) or learn everything from an VA Coach or Mentor (and achieve your dream quicker)
- Implement all the advice (don’t miss things out. You don’t know better as you’ve not done it!)
- Make sure all your legal obligations are met
- Market yourself and your services non-stop
- Grow your audience until the day you want to close your business
Obviously, every point takes time and consistency but I can categorically say, being a Virtual Assistant IS possible when you take and implement advice from someone who’s worn the t’shirt.
My VA Starter Guide covers every single step you need to take, but first there are a few more things I want you to know to make sure that becoming a Virtual Assistant really is for you.
How Many Clients You’ll Need as a Virtual Assistant
The answer to that is different for everyone but is easily worked out. Here’s how:
- Work out how much money you need / want to bring into the home every month
- Decide how many weeks holiday you’d like a year
- Go to my online income calculator here and input the above two figures
- Check your inbox (inc spam / junk) for an email from me letting you know how many hours you’ll need to work to get that income
Depending on your needs you may find you need to work 20 hours a week. Initially that could be filled with one or two clients.
But then, your long term goal for a sustainable business that doesn’t leave you with no money some months is to ensure no one client takes up more than 20% of your time or your income (as mentioned above).
My second bestselling book, The 20% Rule, covers this and more on how to ensure your business is always profitable, safe and sustainable.
What Services will you Offer as a Virtual Assistant
First things first, there’s no learning on the job as a Virtual Assistant even if you are a ‘fast learner’. Would you want your hairdresser to watch a few YouTube videos before cutting your hair, or an accountant to Google how to do taxes before doing your self-assessment?
That said, if an existing client wants help with something you’ve not done before, I’ve found that 9 times out of 10 if you’re honest and say ‘I’ve not had the opportunity to do / use that before but I’m happy to have a look in my own time and let you know whether it’s something I can do’, they’ll often jump at the chance to pass more work to someone they already trust.
When you decide on the services you’ll be offering as a Virtual Assistant (don’t forget I have a list of over 90 here) there are three things to ensure:
- You’re competent
- You’re confident
- You enjoy them
One and two are important elements otherwise you’ll stress yourself out when you come to provide the services and that good old imposter syndrome will be in overdrive. If you’re not confident and competent at any service you deliver then it’s highly likely you won’t do as good a job as someone who is, it’ll take you longer than someone who does it regularly and you’ll tarnish your reputation before you’ve even started.
Enjoyment of the services you provide is also incredibly important so that your day to day work never actually feels like, well, work! Every day I feel like nine year old me playing in my bedroom with my Fisher Price Post Office set.
Don’t start assuming you need to offer certain services because that’s what ‘everyone’ else offers. You’re noticing what you want to notice! Everything sells, it’s just all about the marketing.
What’s your Reason for Wanting to be a Virtual Assistant?
I have a whole A4 document of reasons why women want to become a Virtual Assistant, what’s yours?
If it’s to make a bit of extra money on the side it’s not going to happen.
Running your own business as a Virtual Assistant is a serious business. It’s not a side hustle, or a hobby and a way to make a bit of extra money for your holiday. It’s like any other business – from that small nail technician on your high street to Amazon.
- You have to be constantly promoting your business and services to even get clients in order to make that extra money!
- You’ve got to have a website so people feel safe giving you their money
- You’ve got to be committed to more than a few months of work or, again, people won’t invest their hard earned money in you.
There is absolutely no way you will make a few extra pounds without doing a lot of hard work first!
Those who have a real desire for this to work, do succeed. It’s like anything. If your heart isn’t truly in it, it ain’t going to happen.
Here are a few reasons why my VA Starter Guide delegates decided employment was not where they wanted to spend their working life. How many can you tick off?
- Want to spend more time with children (crazy people)
- Childcare too much
- Have to get permission for holidays / Holidays don’t get approved
- Office politics
- Stressful environment
- Toxic culture
- Poor pay
- Bullying
- Health issues (I hear ya!)
- Not paid enough
- Spending too much on commute
- Too much time working and not enough time living (that was me too!)
- Want a purpose
- Want to enjoy life (snap)
- Want freedom (double snap)
- Want to be more than just a Mum
- Want to stop worrying about money (triple snap – are we twins?)
- Don’t like people
- Need more flexibility
- Want more enjoyment of life / everything (you deserve it)
- Work on my terms (hallelujah)
- Choose my own hours
- Choose who I work with
- Get paid my worth
- Better earning ability (oh yes!)
You can turn all that around by becoming a Virtual Assistant. I’ve been a VA since 2015 and, as I said at the beginning, this has been life changing.
Why Would a Business Owner Choose a Virtual Assistant Over an Employee?
It’s always been sensible practice for any business to have profit as their main goal and therefore the most successful business owners (i.e. Virtual Assistant’s ideal clients) know the power of investing, outsourcing and not wasting unnecessary money.
There’s no way any business can evolve and continue to thrive until they start investing some of their profit wisely into areas of the business that it’s better for someone other than the business owner to do.
But I know you’re still asking, why would a business owner who doesn’t want to spend more than necessary choose a Virtual Assistant as opposed to an employee?
I know you’re thinking… An employee is, what, £11 an hour and a Virtual Assistant is £30+ an hour so it’s cheaper for business owners to have an employee, right? No. It’s much more cost effective and hassle free to work with a Virtual Assistant instead of an employee and here’s why:
- Employees have to be paid when they’re on holiday / Virtual Assistants don’t charge when on holiday
- Employees have to be paid when they’re sick / Virtual Assistants rarely get sick because they’re not in an office, but when they do – we cover our loss of income
- Employees get pension contributions from their employers / Virtual Assistants sort out their own pension contributions if they so wish
- Employees are usually office based and thus the pool of potential candidates is small / Virtual Assistants are national so we can work with anyone
- Employees have to have HR access, job descriptions, contracts, insurance, software, hardware all purchased by the employer / Virtual Assistants have their own insurance and contracts
- Employees bring drama and office politics / Virtual Assistants still moan – we’re largely women after all – but our clients don’t hear it
- Employees work, on average 3-5 hours a day, yet get paid for 7.5 / Virtual Assistants only charge for the hours they work
- Employees get paid even if there’s no work / As above, Virtual Assistants only charge for the hours they work
- Employers have to find employees work to fill the time / Virtual Assistants can work ad hoc so clients, again, only pay for what they need.
As business owners, Virtual Assistants know the importance of maintaining a business reputation and working diligently – sadly, an employee doesn’t have a great understanding of what a business needs to survive and can often be lack lustre in their commitment to the work.
I know what I’d choose. In fact, I do. I not only have a team of associates who work with some of my clients, I also have my own Virtual Assistants who support me in the day-to-day running of my business. Some on retainers, but mostly on ad hoc contracts.
When or How to Leave your Job to be a Virtual Assistant
Using the calculator I mentioned above, work out how many hours you need to fill with paying clients to bring enough money into your home.
Once you have reached that, then is the time to curate that ‘C’ya, wouldn’t wanna be ya’ resignation letter.
I do not recommend leaving your job in the hope that you will find clients before your savings run out because the success of your business depends on how much work you put in.
The ‘security’ of savings seems to put many people in a relaxed position and then all of a sudden, the savings have dwindled and it’s panic stations.
I’ve done a few videos on my YouTube channel on how to manage a 9-5 alongside being a Virtual Assistant. This one being the most popular.
How much does it cost to be a Virtual Assistant
There was an onslaught of rogue Virtual Assistant ‘coaches’ popping up on Instagram who claim you don’t need to know anything to be a Virtual Assistant and it’s all free.
They’re full of it!
While it’s not a massive investment to start up there are some expenses you need to consider and I’ve covered them here in my short blog.
Legal Obligations
I’m understandably asked this all the time, what legal stuff do Virtual Assistants need?
My advice is to always seek that advice from a qualified expert and / or the government website and never take your advice from someone in a random Facebook group.
It might surprise you to know that insurance and contracts are not a legal obligation, but you’d be as daft as a brush if you didn’t have them!
What is mandatory is:
GDPR registration with the ICO
Paying your Tax and NI
I believe the information to be correct at time of writing, but it remains your responsibility to ensure your business is run in accordance with your countries laws.
The Reason Some Virtual Assistants Don’t Thrive
Some people have been caught up in the ‘get rich quick’ idea of being a Virtual Assistant and, while it can and does happen quite quickly for some, for others it can take longer.
Having mentored Virtual Assistants since 2018 I can name a few reasons why some women don’t ‘succeed’ as a financially stable Virtual Assistant:
- They niche to a sector that can’t afford a Virtual Assistant
- They expect it all to happen overnight
- They don’t market themselves or their services beyond a few weeks / months
- They allow one client to take up more than 20% of their time, or their income
- Their audience is full of VAs and not other business owners
- They don’t have a website
- They offer their services too cheap
- They don’t take advice from someone who’s achieved what they want to achieve
- They don’t have a real reason for wanting to become a Virtual Assistant
- They offer too many services
Finding a Niche as a Virtual Assistant
‘Because of the pandemic I lost all my clients’. No, you lost your clients because of your very narrow niche!
Niching is where many aspiring Virtual Assistants freeze. They’ve read somewhere that having a sector niche is the only way you’ll get clients and I am happy to say… it’s not!
In fact, it is very many Virtual Assistant’s downfall.
During the pandemic, for example, the many VAs who had niched to the ‘health and wellness’ sector – the sector that was hit the hardest during the lockdowns and thus had no income themselves – no longer needed, nor could afford a VA. Most of those VAs went out of business!
My advice is to use your services as your niche unless you’re targeting specialist professions that won’t ever be out of business (e.g. legal, medical).
My short video on niching, here, has been ‘life changing’ for many. You’ll breathe a sigh of relief after you’ve watched it.
What to Charge as a Virtual Assistant
The current hourly rate UK Virtual Assistants charge is £30.
I’ll let that sink in a moment in case it’s the first time you’ve ever read that.
You’re probably one of many who are currently in a job that pays a lot less per hour and you spend most of your time wondering why you put yourself through the stress of doing a job that isn’t what you thought it would be, in an environment you wouldn’t want anyone to have to endure and life is still difficult.
So the thought of charging and getting £30+ an hour as a Virtual Assistant seems ridiculous and this is where some people give up on the idea or convince themselves it’s some kind of scam.
But, let’s think about this…
- You’re going to be responsible for saving money so you can have holidays and sick days (not that you’ll get poorly as often because you’ll be out of the giant petrie dish they call an open plan office)
- You’re responsible for your own Tax and NI
- You’re responsible for software costs
- You’re responsible for the extra utility costs
- You’re responsible for your insurance, contracts, etc
So after all that, £30 an hour starts to look right, right?
Rates are not dependant on how long you’ve been in business – no one is paying you for how long ago you chose a business name! They’re also not location dependant, as you can work with anyone in the world if you so choose.
Some VAs hourly rate is a lot higher than the average and that’s usually because they specialise in a piece of software that not many others do and / or create packages for their services, which command a higher price.
There’s an unwritten allegiance to adhere to when it comes to your hourly rate. Ready?
- I shall not undercut my peers
- I will never doubt that I am worth it
- I will never say yes when someone wants to pay me less
Marketing your Virtual Assistant Business
Like or not, marketing is the only way you’ll get people to know about your business and the services you provide.
Even if you launch a website, no one is going to find it out of the trillions of websites out there – you’ve got to tell people about it through your marketing.
I know it’s hard, I know it’s scary, but hopefully this blog post (I’ve not written it yet, come back soon) will help you get started.
Oh and by the way, you never ever ever stop marketing until the day you close your business!
Be Proactive
A Virtual Assistant provides support to business owners and charges good money for it. Our services åre largely intended to free up a business owner’s time so they can focus elsewhere. So if you’re someone who needs constant micro managing, reassurance and are more reactive than proactive then being a Virtual Assistant may not be for you.
Of course, there’s always a period of handover and whenever you take on a new client there’s a need to discuss things with the client, get relevant information and take up some of their time, but it’s expected that you then crack on and only bother them when absolutely necessary.
For example, one of my brilliant VAs covers my support inbox for me. I provided a standard operating procedure for her covering everything I thought she’d need and I rarely hear from her. It’s absolutely brilliant. I’ve been able to go on holiday without my laptop, I take Monday’s off, I don’t work Saturdays and Sundays anymore.
She’s making a huge change to my life and that is how important you’ll be to your clients too. And in her own words she said to me ‘being a Virtual Assistant has changed my life’.
Set Boundaries
In order that your business doesn’t become stressful or anything like employment then you’re going to want to set some boundaries and stick to them!
You choose what they are, this is your business so it’s your rules.
Some boundaries I and others have put in place include:
- No phone calls at all
- They don’t share their phone number
- No ‘urgent’ tasks
- Set working hours
What boundaries will you set?
Ready to Get Started as a Virtual Assistant?
It’s not going to be a walk in the park, but it’s going to be worth it. You’ll see how strong you are from this process which will give you such an enormous sense of pride, increased wealth and a purpose in life that makes every day an absolute joy.
Everything you need to go from 9-5 to Virtual Assistant is in my VA Starter Guide.
I am an affiliate for KoffeeKlatch and PolicyBee so receive commission on any purchases you make via the links in this article. I only recommend companies that I use and have been a very happy customer of both for a few years.
The Society of Virtual Assistants annual survey, here, confirms what Virtual Assistant’s hourly rate is.
You are responsible for your own tax, NI and legal obligations. Please always seek advice from trained professionals and double check everything on the government website.