You started your Virtual Assistant business to escape the 9-5 slog, not to be working 24/7, right? . Despite our best intentions, it’s a trap a lot of VAs fall into because we get carried away with the excitement of running our own business, of the money that we can make and before we know it – we’re working all hours. But the good news is, you don’t need to. I certainly don’t. So I want to share with you my tips on how to do it.. To make a living from as a Virtual Assistant while creating time freedom, you need to be super organised and efficient. Your clients will appreciate it too, especially if you charge by the hour. In this day and age, there are plenty of digital tools for virtual assistants that make organisation and efficiency easy (and they’re often free – woohoo!) Fill your tool belt with these time-saving tools used by VAs and you’ll be well on your way to delivering an excellent level of service that builds your business without overworking yourself.
Time and Task Management
Timing is key in a VA business. You want to protect your own time and your client only wants to pay for the time it takes you to do a task – that’s one of the many reasons they choose us over employees. A quick turnaround is always appreciated on both ends. So these time and task management tools are perfect for virtual assistants.
Toggl – Your Time Tracking Companion
Even though I highly recommend selling your services through packages to make more money, you should still be using a time tracking tool to ensure you’re not losing money (we don’t share time reports when we sell packages). If you charge by the hour, you should definitely be using a tracking tool for full transparency and accurate invoicing. Toggl logs your billable hours and then creates a report on the hours you’ve spent on each task. It’s not just about getting paid for the hours you’ve worked but having an understanding of how long it takes you to do different tasks. This helps with coming up with pricing as well as planning your work schedule for enhanced productivity.
Google Drive – The Central Hub for File Management
Gone are the days where your only option for getting a document signed off was the laborious process of going back and forth sending email attachments. With cloud storage like Google Drive, you can share access to and work on the same documents as your clients at the same time (mind blown, right). This ensures both of you have the most up to date files at all times. Also, you can access your well organised client folders from any device just by logging into your Google account. It makes collaboration so much easier. You can even use the suggestions function to leave comments and suggest changes so you and your client are always on the same page. Another added benefit of cloud storage is you can offer to tidy up client files and folders so they’re better organised for your clients. I once had a client with 20 properties and the different documents, statements, inventories were all in one folder. Being able to access it online meant I could segment all his stuff into a folder for each property and did it all virtually.
Creative Design and Networking
Having a strong online presence is a major asset for a VA, in fact it’s imperative if you’re going to have a steady flow of clients. Learning how to use these tools effectively will not only help you to attract clients but give you a skill you can include in your services if you so wish.
Canva – Unleash Your Creativity
VAs are multi-talented but not everyone has an eye for design. No one wants to be wasting time fiddling around with colour schemes for social media graphics or presentations. That’s where Canva comes in handy. Using Canva, you can design all types of graphics using pre-made templates. The templates are made according to the different sizes of designs you may use in business, from LinkedIn event banners to Facebook covers. It’s very simple to use and edit the templates to make them your own. Plus you can invite collaborators, meaning your clients can easily make edits during the design process. If you really struggle with coming up with designs, ideas or what to post on social media then these templates from my business buddy, Katya, have transformed even the most introvert of VAs into confident promoters of themselves and their services. (affiliate link)
LinkedIn – The Professional’s Social Network
Yes, posting on Instagram and Facebook can be fun. But if you’re looking for a social media platform where the people most likely to need your services are hanging out, turn to LinkedIn. That’s where you’ll find business owners who need your help. It’s a chance to network, keep an eye out for calls for VA support and read content about industry updates. To get the most out of LinkedIn, you need to be active. Use your LinkedIn account as a VA profile. Post content that ‘sells’ the benefit of your services and highlights the power of what you do on a regular basis. Comment on other people’s posts and start conversations with your connections. Obviously, you don’t want LinkedIn to turn into a full-time job. Ring fencing a couple of hours a week to be present on LinkedIn is enough to start attracting clients.
Security and Communication
A clear flow of communication is essential to your ability to complete tasks to standard and within a timely manner, keeping clients happy. You also have to consider security as while working within a business you could need access to sensitive information.
LastPass – Your Virtual Vault
Trust is so important in the VA-client relationship. Your clients are trusting you to work in their business, support them in bringing their passion to life and help their customers. You’re not only responsible for your reputation but also your clients. So having a secure and organised way to exchange any passwords you might need to deliver your services is important. LastPass is a password management tool where clients can safely store all their passwords. LastPass then autofills passwords for different accounts automatically so the user only needs to remember the password to their LastPass account. This tool is great for VAs because it has a password-sharing feature that keeps the password encrypted so clients feel safe sharing this sensitive information. Alternatively, take a look at 1Password for the less technical clients.
Zoom – Your Virtual Meeting Room
I would be very surprised if you haven’t heard of Zoom by now. While it was a lockdown favourite for keeping in touch, it’s also really useful from a business perspective.. Communication can be easier for some when you can hear and see each other. Client calls, especially initial discovery calls, on Zoom can be valuable to cement that element of know, like and trust. . You can even use screensharing to help bring clarity. If you’re not using a scheduling tool like Calendly or TidyCal, you can still schedule client calls. After setting up the Zoom call, add the meeting to your Google calendar and then send a calendar invite to your guests and add reminders so neither of you misses the call.
Essential Hardware
Not all time-saving tools used by VAs are digital. You need some hardware in your arsenal too.
The Indispensable Laptop
What’s a business owner without their portable office i.e. their laptop for working in the home office, at cafes or even in the garden? While a laptop is easy to slip in your bag for those days when you’re on the go is useful, you shouldn’t just pick the most lightweight laptop to run your business on. There are other slightly more technical qualities to consider for optimal efficiency. You want a laptop with good performance. For example, long battery life for when you’re out and about and away from a charging outlet. Another key element of performance is memory. My rule of thumb is to get a laptop with no less than 8GB of memory otherwise it gets slow and tasks start taking you longer, which costs the client more money. Not everyone has the budget to buy the fastest top-end laptop as soon as they start out. That’s fine. Take a look at refurbished laptops to get one with decent specifications at a decent price. My other top tip for making sure your laptop can keep up with you is to avoid filling up your storage. Delete software you’re not using and put old files on an external hard drive. Creating an efficient and organised workflow is possible for established and new VAs alike with these digital tools. This is just what’s available at the moment. You never know what will be released next in terms of tools to use as a virtual assistant, helping you to deliver an excellent standard of service within a few hours. That leaves you time to meet a friend for lunch or look after the kids on sick days or get that chin waxing done! If you’re ready to go all in on the VA lifestyle, I can take you from 9-5 to Virtual Assistant with my VA Starter Guide. The beauty of being a Virtual Assistant is it’s a lifestyle that can be adaptable to you, your life and your priorities, especially when you maximise organisation and efficiency with digital tools.