Thinking About Working from Home? Try Virtual Assisting!
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| “Virtual Assisting will allow you the flexibility needed in juggling a career and home life. It’s a wonderful business opportunity .” ~ Nakiba Jones |
By Nakiba Jones
Faced with the soaring prices of necessities, Americans have lately begun to re-examine our personal economics and to be creative in our ways of thinking. Working longer hours to receive a decent income, coupled with not spending quality time with our families, has forced many to try new ways of making ends meet.
Despite seemingly insurmountable pitfalls, there is still an insatiable need for more work-hour flexibility amongst those who are trying to maintain holistic lifestyles. More and more working class individuals want to be at home with their families at a decent hour of the day.
Many people have questioned whether they should open their own business
or not. And many “stay at home moms” (and dads) have decided to
establish themselves in the “Work-at-Home” industry. This industry
offers highly motivated people an opportunity to work from home
independently for the sake of convenience, economic freedom, and to be
at home for their children. The option of working from home has also
let people take a second look at their economic values and embrace the
“yes we can” spirit.
Starting your own business can be very appetizing! Recently, a popular
work-at-home business called Virtual Assisting captured my attention.
Virtual Assistants are business professionals who provide
administrative, technical, or creative assistance to businesses.
Virtual Assisting is attractive to independent entrepreneurs, corporate
entities, and also small business owners who are just establishing
themselves in the business world.
Imagine being able to stay at home and make more money independently
than you would for someone else. And the threat of job security could
also be diminished greatly!
Who are virtual assistants? Virtual Assistants are executive retirees,
executive secretaries, paralegals, legal secretaries, real estate
assistants, bookkeepers, web designers, or individuals with the needed
technical and/or office backgrounds and experience. However, to keep up
with the supply and demand of this virtual field, the tools of the
trade are; a computer with Internet/ e-mail capabilities, local and
long-distance phone access for conference-call interactions, and a fax
machine. If you don’t have this equipment on hand, consider buying used
equipment to start out.
The first step in becoming a Virtual Assistant is to have a complete
business plan. This plan will include your budget, business name, your
niche and specialty, and your target market. It is very important to
develop a professional look with your business cards, brochures, and
postcards. Printing services like www.vistaprint.com can be very
affordable. And always remember to keep your advertising materials at
your fingertips. Advertising is an essential ingredient of the business
— you never know where you will meet your next potential client!
In setting your business standards it is very helpful to research your
potential competitors to determine your rates. I highly recommend that
you be realistic with yourself regarding your costs for services
rendered, and the amount of hours you can devote to the business
operations and your clients. Are your time management skills intact? If
not, work on them before you start your own business — they’re a
necessity in this field of endeavor.
By witness of my own testimony of being a virtual assistant and working
from home, I have been able to perform the balancing act of family life
and entrepreneurship, while growing my business.
A book that helped me get my company off to running start is titled The
Virtual Assistant’s Start — Up Manual: A 30-day plan to build your VA
business, by Angela Green.
Now that you have all the basic ideas of what it takes to become a VA,
don’t forget to sharpen your sales skills. Go get your first clients,
and bask in the luxury of creating your own hours and spending more
time with your family!
