Starting Your VA Business pt 1 – Most Common & Costly Mistakes VAs Make
Starting your VA business is an exciting time! We at the Association of Virtual Assistants (AVA) love to support and celebrate in the excitement with you! However, we wouldn’t be providing you a service if we didn’t make you aware of some of the most common and costliest mistakes virtual assistants make during this stage.
During the life cycle of a virtual assistant, you may start over or pivot in your career. These are also times when you can fall prey to costly mistakes. Remember the stages don’t necessarily go in order.
Mistake #1 – Spending too much time thinking of a business name
This can be fun, yes. However, you are your brand so whenever possible you want to claim your name. Thinking long-term this will allow you to diversify your income more easily through outlets like speaking, podcasting, book writing, etc. Which at some point may expand beyond the realm of virtual assistance. What could be more fun than seeing your own name in lights….or at least a URL?
Mistake #2 – Having your business name be a play on words
I get it if you can’t own your name as a domain. But in an attempt to be more fun, one of the biggest mistakes virtual assistants make in naming their business is using a play on words. That only works on billboards and newspapers from 1940. We are in the era of SEO which doesn’t play nice if your words don’t.
Pro tip: It is unlikely you will have the time and money to devote to getting your business ranked high on a Google search nor are you a brand name that someone is searching for. However, your LinkedIn profile has incredible SEO options and if you spend time optimizing your LinkedIn which is absolutely free, if someone types in your name your LinkedIn profile is very likely to be #1 in the search rankings.
Mistake #3 – Not knowing your prices
We’ve taken care of this for you! Here is your guide to VA Industry Standard Pricing. Notice that we used the word “guide”. If you need or want to charge more you have the ability to do so. You’re the CEO!
Mistake #4 – Making it hard for clients to pay
Set up your business account and make it easy for clients to pay you! If you are in the United States you can easily get a tax ID using a DBA (doing business as) account. Having business services fees from PayPal or Stripe is the cost of doing business. Make sure your clients can pay you anyway they like. You want to collect money and you want it to be as pain free for the client as possible – meaning it should be so simple they can do it in one click. If you can’t take payment easily you will lose a tremendous amount of business.
Starting your VA business is about making money and quickly. When you join the Association of Virtual Assistants our goal is not to sell you but to educate you. You will be provided education, training, and support included in membership! We don’t just want you to start your VA business. We want you to stay in business!
The Association of Virtual Assistants is here for you today, tomorrow, and at every stage of your career. Join the AVA now to get your support.
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