Starting Your VA Business pt 2 – Starting Your VA Business Part-Time
Starting Your VA Business? In the last article we discussed the most common and costly mistakes when you start your VA business.
There is so much opportunity ahead and we want you to seize it all! We don’t want you to do it all though.
When starting your VA business part-time or as a side hustle there are special considerations you need to take into account. Spend the minimal amount of money while bringing in money immediately. This is simple business sense. Don’t fall prey to having to spend money to make money. It is simply not true.
We’re going to share with you how do it for little to no cost and even have your clients pay for the classes and courses you want to take!
Step 1: Devote time to your LinkedIn profile. As you learned in the last article, your SEO search from LinkedIn is quite high. If you aren’t full-time yet wait until you have the demand before buying up domains which now with the SSL certificates can easily rack up dollars.
Step 2: Tell everyone you know you are looking for clients and what those clients look like. I’ve never met a VA whose first client was a complete and total stranger. Now, I know many of you feel it’s like pyramid marketing. It’s not at all. Here’s how you do it.
Friend: Hey Sarah, what are you up to these days?
You: Hi Mindy, I’m great! I actually just became a virtual assistant and I’m looking for clients who need administrative support. Do you know of anyone?
It’s just that simple. Here’s how that conversation is usually goes.
Friend: Hey Sarah, what are you up to these day?
You: Hi Mindy, not much.
Here’s why this matters so much. You can update your social media profiles all you want and share to the world but the lifecycle of your posts last literal seconds! Your friends and family care about you and will not forget that you are looking for clients.
Step 3: Charge a flat rate and don’t sign any contract for over three months. This should be a non-negotiable. If you work by the hour in this scenario you will have to work 80 hours a weeks to replace your 40 hour a week income. That’s a road to burnout! Charging a flat rate will help you determine how long the work actually takes you. As a VA you will only get faster at what you do and working on a hourly basis actually penalizes you. However, knowing how long the work takes you and then charging a flat rate based on value will allow you to grow and expand, while at the same time serving the client and providing the most value possible.
The reason you don’t want to sign a contract over three months is because you may not have charged enough or you may not enjoy the work. In either scenario you have a natural break to walk away and/or raise your rates without hindering the relationship with the client.
Bonus tip: Now here’s how you get to take a class or learn new software and have the client pay for it. You don’t charge them to learn it and you take a free class that will immediately pay off with your next client! There are more free classes available than VAs take advantage of. Instead, they pay someone to teach them to use software when the company who created it will teach you for free because they want you to use their product! Don’t get me wrong I believe in professional development but I never pay for what I can get for free. There are only a handful of companies that make you pay to learn their software. Their competitor has already posted how-to videos on YouTube.
The key to being a part-time VA is to do what matters most with your time. This doesn’t just pertain to your business. It also means you are taking care of yourself, spending time with your family and friends, and making money.
When you join the Association of Virtual Assistants our goal is not to sell you but to help educate you. You will be provided education, training, and support included in membership! It can be easy to get distracted and lose sight of what is really important. The AVA will help you stay focused to reach your goals!
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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