Do I Have What it Takes to Be a Virtual Assistant?

Someone recently contacted me and asked me the question, "Do I have what it takes to be a VA?" After a bit of thought, I came up with eleven points to consider.

1. Make a list of your current skill set.

2. Determine whether or not you are an entrepreneur. There are quizzes you can take to find out what your personality traits are. It is important to know whether you can work for yourself. And, keep in mind, that working as a VA is totally different than working in a "normal" small business environment because you don't have very much "live" interaction. Communication is mainly by email.

If you can't stay motivated to work on your own or if you are a procrastinator or easily distracted, forget it! Clients expect their work to be completed within their time reference and if you can't meet their expectations you won't be successful

3. Determine your niche from your skill set. Not all VAs have to be able to do web maintenance. Some do typing, medical transcription, administrative (bookkeeping, booking trips, meetings, etc.), customer admin, article submitting or writing, blogging, shopping carts. Do research to find your niche and to see what other VAs are doing.

4. Make a business plan. You can find business plan templates online. This helps you focus on where your business will be headed.

5. Decide whether or not you need more training. A web search will find out what's available for VAs.

6. Make sure you have the required current sofware and equipment in your office and know how to use it.

7. Put your website up immediately. It can be a basic one to start with. Determine your fee. Again, do research to see what the going rates are.

8. Market yourself and start networking locally and online. This is where you will most likely find your first clients.

9. Expect to take up to 2 years to build up to a full time business and be prepared to work long hours at first.

10. Set up good business practices. Keep track of all of your income and expenses. Have good time-tracking software.

11. Have a willingness to learn new things. Stay on top of what's happening in the online world. Don't be afraid to try something new.

Any questions? I'm happy to share my knowledge with want-to-be Virtual Assistants!