Virtual Assistant Business Tops The List of Businesses to Start in 2013

It’s no secret being a business owner can be one the most rewarding ventures ever. After all, you get to be the boss, make all the rules, and make a great income—all at the same time, right? It doesn’t get any better than that! Of course that comes with a lot of hours, a lot of sweat, and a lot of sacrifice. Nonetheless, over 20 million of us do it and wouldn’t trade it for the world.

One of the most hottest businesses to start, according to a recent article in Home Business magazine (December 2012 issue) is a Virtual Assistant business. If you’ve been following the industry and the top businesses to start listings for any length of time you have likely noticed that a Virtual Assistant business has been high on many lists in recent years. Why? We would say that is due to rising popularity and ease of entry if you have the right skill set and expertise. And, there is minimal investment for getting started.

As we shared with Home Business magazine, “Virtual Assistants partner with his/her clients and learn about the client’s business to become a trusted and valued member of the team. At the same time, the Virtual Assistant only charges for time on tasks, so it ultimately saves the client in overhead expenses while affording them the necessary time to take care of more business.”

It’s the partnership we create with clients that distinguishes us from other types of service providers, like those bidding for jobs on freelance-type sites. The ultimate goal is to establish a long-term relationship with the client to provide business support services, like those we outlined below. These services are performed in your office instead of the client’s, hence the virtual aspect of the working arrangement.

As an independent contractor you are then responsible for paying your own taxes, providing the equipment, software, and whatever else you need to perform the services in addition to all other aspects of running your own business. This is where the VA can eliminate the overhead expenses of a hiring an employee for a business owner.

The article further went on to say, “Virtual Assistant services include: publicity and marketing, article and press release writing and distribution, social networking updates, legal, medical, and general transcription, bookkeeping, web design, and administrative tasks.” There are a wide variety of services a virtual assistant can offer, this is only a small sampling of the services you can offer.

Want to learn more on how to become a virtual assistant? Take the time to visit different websites and do your research online. There are a number of colleges that offer training as well as industry experts, like us, who offer coaching.