How Do I Become A Virtual Assistant?

The virtual assistant world is booming! The VA industry has grown substantially over the last three years as more and more businesses - small and large - look to hire virtual assistants. Being a virtual assistant offers both the freedom and flexibility rarely found in traditional work environments. More and more women and men are becoming interested in this dynamic field of work . . . but many don’t know where - or how - to start!

NAVIGATING A NEW LANDSCAPE

The COVID 19 pandemic profoundly affected traditional workplaces by shuttering many businesses or sending employees home to work remotely. Many people lost their jobs entirely, and still many more found themselves needing to reinvent their careers in order to recalibrate their work-life balance amid new and quickly changing circumstances. 

Today, many intelligent, dynamic, and creative people are looking to become virtual assistants. While the pandemic certainly accelerated the growth of the virtual assistant career field, managers and entrepreneurs have been utilizing virtual assistants for years. For decades, virtual assistants have been a known and reliable source of skilled workers. This is because virtual assistants are talented, professional individuals who work hard to lessen the burdens on small business owners as they run and grow their companies.

UNDERSTANDING THE DIFFERENCE

It is essential to understand the distinction between being a virtual assistant and working remotely for an employer. A remote worker is typically an employee who does their job from a location other than the central office operated by the employer. A remote worker is usually a W-2 employee paid through their employer’s payroll and has their payroll taxes withheld throughout the year. This type of employee receives all the benefits traditionally provided by a business: health care, disability, and life insurance, retirement benefits, paid time off, and sometimes fringe benefits like gym memberships. In addition, the technology used by remote employees is usually paid for and provided by their employer.

On the other hand, a virtual assistant is anyone who offers services to a business or to businesses, from a remote environment, for an agreed-upon fee. A virtual assistant is a highly-skilled contractor who can help a company with various tasks, ranging from administrative and technical to marketing and even creative work. They work out of their home or any other external location (such as a library, coffee shop, co-working space, etc.), taking on clients and projects as they arise and fit within their self-managed schedule. 

A virtual assistant is typically self-employed and files a Form 1099-MISC, Miscellaneous Income, to report payments. A virtual assistant is responsible for paying their own income tax and self-employment tax because the client or business that the virtual assistant serves does not withhold taxes from the virtual assistant’s pay. A virtual assistant is also responsible for providing their own medical, dental, and vision insurance and pays for and maintains their home office equipment.

FIRST STEPS

There are several “must-do’s” for anyone interested in becoming a virtual assistant.

1. Think About Your Why and Your How:  A career as a virtual assistant offers flexibility, day-to-day variety, and a self-determined work-life balance. As a virtual assistant, you can choose the number of hours each week or month you want to dedicate to your work, and you can choose what clients you want to work with. Though some businesses need virtual assistants to be available during core working hours, many others are happy to have virtual assistants working in the early morning hours or late evening hours and on weekends - as long as the work gets done. In this way, being a virtual assistant can be a source of extra income, a full-time career, or anywhere in between. It is important to determine how being a virtual assistant will best fit into your daily life.
   
   
2. Determine Strengths And Services: When embarking on a virtual assistant career, must-haves include both soft skills and technical aptitude. Strong communication skills are critical to guaranteeing success. Virtual assistants must be reliable, accountable, and execute definitive decision-making. Virtual assistants must also have stellar organizational skills to optimize their time while performing tasks for one or more businesses simultaneously. Tasks often assigned to virtual assistants are making/receiving phone calls, appointment scheduling, calendar management, blog writing, social media engagement, graphic design, research, project coordination, etc. When beginning in the field, a virtual assistant should decide what tasks best suit their current skill-set and what areas they would like to grow into.
   
   
3. Acquire Necessary Equipment and Tools: Essential tools for any virtual assistant are a good computer or laptop, strong WiFi with a reliable connection, and a cell phone. Some virtual assistants enjoy having multiple monitors, and a good headset to drown out background noise when on client calls. Virtual assistants must also know or learn the tools available to make working from a remote location possible. These tools include, but are not limited to: scheduling and file-sharing applications, communication and collaboration tools like Microsoft Teams, Slack, Zoom, etc., graphic image development tools like Canva, PicMonkey, CRM databases, etc. 

BECOMING A VIRTUAL ASSISTANT: TWO PATHS, MANY OPTIONS

Virtual assistants can be part of an agency, operate solely as an independent business entity, or create a hybrid work environment, combining clients obtained by either the agency or through their own self-promotion and initiative.

VIRTUAL ASSISTANT AGENCIES

Once skill-set strengths and equipment have been acquired, a virtual assistant might choose to find work through a company or agency specializing in matching virtual assistants with clients. Virtual assistant companies like Freedom Makers provide reliable, highly skilled, and trustworthy virtual assistants to businesses looking for help with ongoing administrative, technical, or creative tasks. They attract clients by maintaining a corral of responsible, vetted virtual assistants who have a wide variety of skill sets and work experience. 

Typically, there is a process in place when a virtual assistant looks to join an agency to ensure there is a good fit between the skills and interests of the virtual assistant and the types of clients the agency tends to attract. Applying to become part of a virtual assistant agency often involves submitting a resume, interest form, or other documentation of past work experience and/or references. Onboarding can involve interview-style conversations with members of the agency’s team who are trained to screen applicants. These are critical steps so that both the virtual assistant and the clients they serve embark on a successful relationship.

When a virtual assistant is part of a virtual assistant agency, they are still an independent, freelance professional. They file a 1099 form and provide and maintain their own computer equipment, software subscriptions, WiFi, home office supplies, etc. The virtual assistant does not “work for” the agency; rather, the agency serves as a broker between the virtual assistant and the client or business that needs support. The agency is responsible for sales (to bring in clients), marketing, administrative support for the virtual assistant, and invoicing clients, contracts, and payroll. The agency will often provide its active virtual assistants with training opportunities and a community of like-minded individuals for camaraderie, asset-sharing, and problem-solving.

Because a virtual assistant agency provides clients and shoulders the financial burden of marketing, advertising, and invoicing, virtual assistants who find work through them typically receive a lower hourly rate for their services than they would receive if a business owner or entrepreneur directly hired them. However, virtual assistant agencies like Freedom Makers have larger budgets and a greater market footprint, so they can continually attract new clients and work opportunities for their virtual assistants. 

SETTING UP AN INDEPENDENT VIRTUAL ASSISTANT BUSINESS

If a virtual assistant decides to operate as an independent business entity, there are important steps they need to take in order to get their career - and business - off the ground. In order they are:

• Create A Business Profile: Choose a name for the business that reflects the services that will be provided. The name should be short, simple, and specific, and creative and catchy if possible. An example could be: “Jane Smith Virtual Services” or “Custom Virtual Services by Jane Smith.”

• Obtain A Tax ID: It is recommended that all home businesses, regardless of size, obtain an employer identification number, or EIN, through the Internal Revenue Services (IRS) website so that the new business can register for the correct state and federal taxes. Clients may ask for your Tax ID when rendering payment, and it will be needed to open a separate business banking or credit card account. All businesses (even solopreneurs) should open and use dedicated business banking and credit card accounts to protect personal assets and information. 

• Obtain A Business License:  While rules vary from state to state, and city by city, obtaining a business license or permit may be required to run a virtual assistant business. New business owners must check local rules and regulations pertinent to their town, city, or county clerk offices.

• Determine Pricing:  Virtual assistants typically charge hourly, daily or weekly rates, but some are paid at the completion of a specific project. When deciding on the rate to charge clients, a virtual assistant should consider many factors, including taxes. Because virtual assistants file as 1099 workers, they must pay self-employment tax (because they are responsible for both the employee and employer sides). Another factor is expenses. They must consider the added costs of medical insurance and retirement savings, the maintenance of office equipment, software platform subscriptions, etc. It is typically recommended to charge approximately 15-25% above what would be a reasonable market-appropriate “take-home” or after-tax hourly rate.

• Establish an Online Presence and Embark On Marketing:  Though a website is not required, a new virtual assistant business should have an optimized Facebook business page, LinkedIn profile, or social media profiles dedicated to their virtual assistant business. An online presence legitimizes the new venture and can be an excellent source for leads on new clients. Many virtual assistants choose to write blogs and guest posts on websites to showcase their knowledge and skills or build out personal websites to showcase graphic design and creative talents. When just starting out, many virtual assistants work pro-bono by volunteering their time to small local businesses or organizations to gain valuable, hands-on experience that they can then use to attract paying clients seeking experienced professionals. Obtaining feedback, positive client reviews, and referrals can increase a virtual assistant’s access to new clients and work opportunities.

Many virtual assistants have combined the two paths during their virtual assistant journey. Some begin their virtual assistant career as part of an agency and then transition to being an independent in charge of their own business. Others start their careers by building a business and then join an agency. Still, others pick one path and have never walked the other. Like most elements of being a virtual assistant, the flexibility to choose which path best suits you is an attractive advantage offered by the virtual assistant field of work.

CONCLUSION

The virtual assistant industry is expanding and growing rapidly. Becoming a virtual assistant may seem like a daunting proposition due to the many paths to entry. However, the same flexibility that makes starting seem complicated is the same flexibility that makes being a virtual assistant such dynamic and fulfilling work. And remember, sometimes, the best way to start . . . is to just start!