The VA industry is BOOMING right now. One of the only good things to come out of the Covid-19 pandemic is that more and more business owners are realising the benefits of outsourcing work and more and more people have had a taste of flexible working and working from home and realising that actually a 9-5 maybe isn’t for them.
One of the questions I get asked all the time is “I don’t have PA experience – can I still be a VA?”
The answer is YES. A Virtual Assistant doesn’t necessarily mean being a Virtual PA, Virtual Assistants support business owners with all aspects of their business – tech services, transcription services, HR services, marketing, social media etc. If PA services aren’t your bag then this is no problem and there is no shortage of work for these other skills!
So, how do you get started?
There isn’t a huge investment to become a VA but there are certain things that you need to make sure you are protected as a business. Here are my 5 top things you need when setting up your business:
1. A website and domain email address – we recommend registering a domain for your business and using that email address as it makes you look more professional
2. Insurance and ICO registration – Professional Indemnity insurance and ICO registration is a must. This protects you and your clients given the kind of work you are doing and the data you are handling.
3. A good back up system – Because a VA does all of their work over the internet, a good back up system is a must. Your clients’ work must be protected and backed up. If your laptop was stolen would anyone be able to access your files? Would you lose any work? How quickly could you be back up and running again?
4. Contracts – probably the most important thing you can purchase. A good contract sets out the terms between you and your clients that you both must follow and will protect you in terms of non-payment or a vanishing client (this happens far more often than you would think!).
5. Networking skills – this might seem like an obvious one but the key to getting clients is through good networking. This doesn’t mean joining networking groups and showing up to weekly meetings (although this can be helpful) but knowing how to network online and bring value without needing to do the hard sell. When people online see you adding value to online conversations, they know that you know what you’re talking about!
If this still all feels daunting then don’t worry! We have our very own APVA Kick Starters programme which covers everything you need to know from making the decision to become a VA to getting your first client.
If you want to know more then please feel free to send us an email on hello@apva.org.uk.