Working as a virtual assistant is becoming very popular lately. In fact, it is one of the work from home jobs that is amazingly growing in demand and popularity.
Becoming a virtual assistant has so many great benefits like working from home or from anywhere in the world, setting your own schedule, and earning a great income.
I recently had the opportunity to interview Gina Horkey from Horkey Handbook on how to become a virtual assistant and work from home.
In 2014, Gina started her career as a virtual assistant and within her first six months, she was making over $4,000 per month. She was able to earn this much while working full-time and raising two toddlers.
Today, Gina has a thriving freelance business and she is also dedicated to teaching others step-by-step how to start a successful virtual assistant business from scratch.
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Here is the full interview on: How to Become a Virtual Assistant and Earn a Full-Time Income from Home
Hi Gina, Could you give a little background on yourself and how you got started as a virtual assistant?
Hi, I’m Gina [waving]. I started a freelance writing business on the side of my full-time job (in personal finance), in the spring of 2014 to “test the waters” for a potential career change.
At the time, I was (and still am) the sole breadwinner of our little family of four and my husband was (and still is) a SAHD to our two kiddos. Our youngest was less than a year old at the time!
That fall I added in virtual assistant services as a way to stabilize my income, make it more predictable and use some of my other skills to help small business owners. Landing my first VA client is what gave me the confidence to put in my notice and quit my day job.
I haven’t looked back since!
What does a virtual assistant do?
A virtual assistant is really just anyone that trades task for pay from afar. Or in other words, an individual that offers services virtually as a contractor or self-employed individual to clients.
Services offered can include everything from email management, content creation, bookkeeping, graphic design, social media and more! There are tons of services you can offer as a VA –You can grab a FREE list of over 275+ VA services to offer here.
How much money can someone working as a virtual assistant expect to earn?
From the little research that exists, the average North American virtual assistant earns between $25-40 per hour.
This is going to depend on your experience, skill-set, and areas of expertise. I.e. The more specialized your services and the more experience you have, the more you can charge.
I’ve seen people in our community charge as little as $15 per hour and others earn more than $100 per hour (including myself). Ultimately it comes down to being really good at what you do and finding clients that value what you’re offering them.
In my opinion, contracting and working virtually is the way of the future.
People (clients and virtual assistants alike) crave increased flexibility. And what better way to obtain it than to build a business and/or team virtually?
Clients (typically small business owners, entrepreneurs, etc.) aren’t always looking to manage people or take on full-time help. Instead, they’d like to contract out for specific services they need help with. It makes it a win/win for both parties. 🙂
What kind of person is a good fit for VA work?
What I hear from clients over and over is that they’re looking for someone that’s:
- Communicative
- Organized
- A self-starter
- And reliable
So while they’re looking for people that can provide select services, they’re mainly looking for the above. As long as you’re trainable, you’ve got a shot!
You also need to have a computer (desktop or laptop, doesn’t matter) and reliable internet. Don’t worry about having any fancy programs or applications – most clients will give you access to their cloud-based tools and software programs that you need to complete your work for them.
How can a virtual assistant obtain clients?
We cover more than a half dozen prospecting methods in 30 Days or Less to Virtual Assistant Success, but a few of our favorites are:
- Using social media
- In person networking
- Tapping into your natural market
Methods for finding and attracting high-quality clients haven’t changed much over the last decade, but really understanding what they are, which you’re best suited for and how to go about them in the right way are important. Luckily for our students, prospecting and building effective client relationships are kind of our speciality.
What are the main benefits of working as a virtual assistant?
The list is long!
What ranks at the top of mine is probably:
- Flexibility to work from anywhere on my schedule (i.e. you don’t have to keep banker’s hours in most cases when working with clients)
- Freedom (that comes with the whole flexibility thing I guess!)
- Unlimited income potential (you choose how much to charge and can raise your rates as you gain more experience, look into other ways to make money online, etc.)
How can someone interested in virtual assistant work get started?
In our special training course “30 Days or Less to Virtual Assistant Success “, we provide all you need to know to start a successful VA business from scratch.
This 13 module course will literally walk you through starting your new business – it’s perfect for newbies, but existing VAs have taken it and moved their business to the next level as a result too.
We cover everything from:
- What services to offer
- Who to offer them to
- How much to charge
- Where to find clients
- How to setup your website (including what should be on it!)
- How to effectively pitch clients
- Invoicing
- Contracts
- Working with clients
- And a deep dive into about a dozen services you can offer
Plus, much, much more!
Who is the course for?
You need to be motivated, disciplined and have a desire to be self-employed.
While the course provides a great framework for you to plug yourself into, there’s still work to be done on your part. If you like to read all of the things, but don’t really enjoy taking action, this course is NOT for you.
Point blank, you’ll get results if you do what we tell you to. But if you think that all it takes to start a new business is spending a little bit of money to purchase a course (and not doing anything as a result), you’re going to be sorely disappointed.
We do offer a very generous 7-day money-back guarantee. Meaning if you find out right away that the course isn’t the right fit for you, just send us an email and we’ll refund your purchase in full.
What kind of results can you expect to obtain from the course?
Most students make their way through the material in a month or less.
Many end up getting hired by their first client before they finish. Results will vary based on the time someone has available, the amount of action they take and the skill-set they enter the course with.
Some students have the goal of bringing in a few hundred extra dollars each month, while others want to replace a six-figure salary. We’ve watched numerous students accomplish both goals over the last several years – most land somewhere in between.
My personal favorite is when someone sends me an email or tags me on Facebook that they’ve just quit their soul-sucking job. 😉
What is your number one piece of advice for someone who wants to become a VA and still on the fence?
You’ll never know what you’re capable of if you never try.
Don’t think about what the worst case scenario could be – instead think about what’s the BEST POSSIBLE OUTCOME that can come from trying something new!
Why not YOU, why not NOW?
Thanks Gina for the interview!
Are you interested in becoming a Virtual Assistant? Take a look at Gina’s course; 30 Days or Less to Virtual Assistant Success that will walk you, step-by-step through the process of launching and growing your VA biz.
Bio:
Gina Horkey is a married, millennial mama to two precocious kiddos from Minnesota. Additionally, she’s the founder of Horkey HandBook, a website geared towards helping others find or become a kickass virtual assistant. Gina’s background includes making a living as a professional writer, an online business marketing consultant and a decade of experience in the financial services industry.
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My Desire is join my family in the Dominican Republic and work from my Home. I have not been home for two yrs because im working here in the United States.
I hope you can join your family soon!