I’m so excited to share this guest post from Kaitlyn Lowther with you all today! Kaitlyn is the CEO of a digital marketing agency, Virtually Vital, and if you’ve been wondering how you can start a business from the comfort of your home – then keep reading. Kaitlyn is sharing the top ten reasons why becoming a virtual assistant is perfect for moms wanting to work from home!
If you’re wanting an extra income, you most likely have searched up “work from home jobs” on Google more times than you can count. Looking for side hustles that you can do at home can be hard to find! What if there was a side hustle that allows you to work from home, set your own hours and potentially make over $10k/month? It may sound too good to be true, but virtual assistance is very much legit!
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What is a Virtual Assistant?
It’s a bit of what it sounds like. Think of it as an extension of a small business. Or a combination of a personal assistant and a secretary.
A personal assistant is different from a virtual assistant. A personal assistant focuses more on the personal, daily tasks like booking dentist appointments and managing personal emails, not business emails.
If you plan on becoming a virtual assistant, be prepared to answer “so what exactly do you do?” all the time!
Virtual assistants work with businesses to do various things like:
- Email management
- Client management
- Market research
- Graphic design
- Lead generation
- Etc.,
The goal of a virtual assistant is to ease the life of the business owner and employees. If you like organization, color coding or even creative tasks, you should think about becoming a virtual assistant.
If you’re just starting out and you’re not sure where to start or how exactly to get started, subcontracting may be the best place to start on your business journey.
You Can Choose When You Work
When you work as a virtual assistant, you are something called a “contractor” which means you have clients, you set your own rules and you have to do your own taxes. You can choose when you work, but be sure to communicate with your clients so they know when to expect to hear from you.
This is great news for moms who may find time to get work done in the early mornings or late evenings. Some virtual assistants only work Monday – Thursday, while others work until they reach a certain income goal and take a vacation the rest of the year or even only on the weekends!
This can be a double edged sword because nobody is telling you when exactly you need to do work. Self-discipline is important in this industry, so be sure to practice it!
You Can Set Your Own Rates
Because you are a contractor, you get to choose your hourly rate. The average hourly rate for an inexperienced and new virtual assistant is $20. The more experienced virtual assistants charge up to $150/hour! The most important thing is to charge what you’re comfortable with. If you feel that $20 is too high, charge lower. If you feel that you are worth more, charge more!
It is, however, recommended that you increase your rates after every new client. Don’t cheap yourself out! Some people raise it by $1, others $2.50, but you are becoming more experienced and deserve to raise your rates!
Need an Independent Contractor Agreement Template for your new business? This plug-and-play template is perfect. Professionally drafted by an experienced lawyer for contractors and freelancers so you can rest easy knowing your business is set up for success!
No Experience is Required
Another reason why virtual assisting is the perfect side hustle for moms is because there is absolutely no experience required. While it is helpful, virtual assisting tasks can be as simple as data entry but can grow into experienced tasks like social media and marketing. Remember, nobody was born with the information they needed to be a virtual assistant, so everything is Google-able!
Confidence is key, so if you do your research and believe you can take on the tasks of a potential client, then pitch it with confidence! Most people hiring don’t mind that you don’t have experience, they just want you to be confident that you can learn.
Work With Who You Want
As a virtual assistant, you can choose who you want to work with! If you are working with a client that can be difficult to work with and you’ve done everything you can to communicate and work with them, you can end your work with them. Some people can’t afford to, but if you can and you realize your client is affecting your mental health, drop them!
Some people choose to only work with women or moms because they understand kids walking in on Zoom meetings or having to leave during the day for an appointment. Others will choose to work with people who are only between the ages of 25 – 35. You have the opportunity to choose who you work with!
You can also work with people in amazing industries from blogging to authors to even influencers! The opportunities are endless and shouldn’t hinder you from finding your dream clients.
No Degree is Required to Become a Virtual Assistant
There is no such thing as a “virtual assistant” degree which means you have as great of an opportunity as anyone to become a virtual assistant. If the thought of having a non-related degree or no degree at all is stopping you, don’t let it!
Like mentioned earlier, everything is Google-able and confidence is key. Do you research until you feel confident, and then pitch it to people looking for virtual assistants!
Low Startup Costs
Some side hustles can be expensive to start, and as a mom you most likely aren’t wanting to be spending a lot of money to get started on something that could or could not be profitable. The amazing thing with starting a virtual assistant business is that you only seriously need a laptop! A tablet will be a bit difficult to use with the tasks that are given so laptops and desktops are highly recommended.
There are recommended softwares for you to purchase as well like Canva for designing a portfolio or designing for your clients and Google Workspace for your emails and documents. These together are still less than $50/month. Most softwares that will help you keep organized and track your time have free versions!
It is recommended to purchase an LLC though. This will help in the case that you are sued, only your business assets will be at stake, not your personal ones. Each state varies on the price but it averages at about $100.
This is one of the cheapest online businesses you can start!
Potential to Scale
If you scale your virtual assistant business, you have the potential to make over $20k/month! Scaling is when you become booked out, but then you hire OTHER virtual assistants to help you with tasks. This frees up more of your time and allows you to bring on more clients!
This makes you an agency. You can hire a copywriter which is someone who specializes in writing that makes people want to make a decision on something. You can also hire a web designer so you can offer that as a service, and even an ads specialist! The possibilities are endless.
You Can Join an Agency
While starting a virtual assistant business may sound easy, it definitely isn’t. It takes time to brand and market yourself and even research how to do tasks you’d like to offer. It is possible though!
If you’re wanting another income fast and don’t have time to worry about marketing to other clients, you should consider subcontracting. This is when you work in an agency and are a virtual assistant’s…well, virtual assistant! You don’t have to spend the time on marketing yourself and there is a steady income with steady work.
This is also great if you don’t have any experience. You can learn a lot from agencies and it will boost your confidence!
People Are Always Hiring Virtual Assistants
There will always be a demand for virtual assistants, so don’t let the fear of not finding clients stop you! Since the pandemic, more and more people have started their own businesses. The demand for virtual assistants is higher than ever!
You Get To Meet Amazing People
Business owners are some of the most amazing and hardworking people. There are tons of Facebook groups just for virtual assistants so you can get advice and meet other wonderful people there!
Some of your clients may turn into your next best friend. You may end up working with someone who lives less than an hour away and find your next lunch buddy! Be inspired by amazing people!
Is a Virtual Assistant Business Right For You?
That depends on your situation! If you feel you are able to spend 5 hours/week learning how to complete tasks and marketing your business, then it may be perfect for you. If you don’t think you have that time, then maybe try another side hustle.
Check out this free ebook about 5 free resources to make you $5k/month if you’re wanting some more side hustle ideas!
Learn more about Kaitlyn Lowther:
Kaitlyn Lowther
CEO, Virtually Vital
Kaitlyn Lowther is an INFJ and is the CEO of a digital marketing agency, Virtually Vital. She started her blog, Strive Hustles, to give people information and resources to make an extra income. Her goal is to give people as much bias-free guidance as possible!
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