The realities of becoming a VA

Welcome to my blog and thanks for being here. This is all about the realities that come with being a VA (Virtual Assistant).

I’m part of a lot of online groups and I see the question "Is becoming a VA the dream job for me?" (in one way or another) asked pretty much every day. For years people have wanted flexible, working from home jobs that fit in around family life and why wouldn’t you? Since the pandemic, this has increased a huge amount and more and more people now work from home. I would say working from home isn’t for everyone. I know people who couldn’t think of anything worse and then people, like me, who love it. I find nothing better than being surrounded by my own junk and not sitting in an office but it isn’t for everyone.

Obviously, I do think being a VA (or something along those lines – there’s so many names for similar roles) is a dream job and this is the reason I have a business surrounding the idea. Some people call it VA, some PA and some Online Business Managers (OMB) and some people choose a certain area to work in but it all has similar principles. I will say this now, it isn’t for everyone. The idea is great – working on your own terms, being around to sort your kids out, helping other business owners etc etc and the reality is actually great too. However, I think people massively underestimate what goes into it.

I have had my business for a little over a year now. I have done the role for around 8 years and built up all the skills I need during that time to make my business a success. I see people suggesting becoming a VA all the time to posts along the lines of ‘I really need a work from home job that I can do when my kids are in bed as my husband works away’. Being a VA is perfect for that but not until you have an established business and client base. Setting up a business is hard, like really hard, whatever the area. If it was easy, I guess we would all do it!

The whole point of a VA is to help other business owners run their businesses and you need to be on hand to do that. Working only 7-9pm whilst watching TV isn’t going to cut it. Trusting someone else with parts of a business you have started and developed is really hard. I have clients who know they need help, as they have too much on their plate, but find it really hard to pass anything over. This is understandable when they have put so much time into launching a business and you need to be ready to support them with this at the beginning and ongoing. Most business owners need help at all hours of the day. Once established I completely agree you can work in the evenings or around other commitments but it isn’t possible (in my opinion) very often.

I have 2 young kids who now both go to school. I also have breakfast and afterschool club they both go to. I wouldn’t be able to run my business with them around, I mean with them here I don’t get chance to go for a wee in peace never mind help clients! I think this is one of the major factors anyone needs to take into consideration when thinking about becoming a VA, do you have other commitments or can you commit fully to your new business? Most people set up as a VA whilst working another job, a sensible thing to do. If you have a busy job and other commitments I would probably suggest being a VA isn’t for you. It isn’t something you can dip in and out of, once you have a client you need to be there in whatever capacity you have agreed.

On that note, if you think maybe becoming a VA is a bit much look into associate work. Being an associate is working with an established VA for their clients. It generally offers more flexibility and also gives you a flavour of what VA life is like. I think working as an associate offers so many benefits and I continue to work with 2 others even though I have clients of my own. I really feel there is a support network when working with other people who do the same role as well as working on projects I wouldn’t normally. My passion is working with small business owners and charities but one of my associate roles is for corporate companies. This wouldn’t usually be my bag but I really enjoy the work I do through them and it keeps things interesting. It also shows me things I definitely don’t want to do which is fine too.

Another great part about being a VA is the variety of work we do. I have clients across a number of sectors and do different things for all of them. The best thing about working for yourself is being able to choose the work you do and what you don’t do. Granted, there’s some tasks I do that I don’t love but there isn’t many of them. I generally agree to do these for established clients to help them out. I have turned away clients who aren’t the right fit as I know I wouldn’t enjoy the work and this is OK. There is no point in me agreeing to be their VA if I don’t have an interest in that line of work and loathe doing it. It wouldn’t be nice for me or the client.

There’s numerous things you need as a VA. On one hand I mean physical things: a desk, a laptop, programmes etc. On the other hand I mean skills: confidence in your own ability, knowledge of software, problem solving skills, determination, resilience. Generally speaking, a VA will work on their own. Some people run agencies or have teams but I would say the majority of VAs I know work on their own. Personally, I love it. I crack on with my work, usually listen to 00s R&B (this isn’t a requirement btw!) and get on with the tasks I need to do. This works for me but it isn’t for everyone. It means you don’t have a sounding board, no one to chat through ideas with or go to if you have a problem. This is where associates come in handy but they aren’t around all of the time. You need good problem solving skills and ideas of how to make things work. When you are employed you can usually go to your manager and let them know you have an issue or something doesn’t work as it should. You can’t do that as a VA. The client is usually relying on you to sort out their problems out, not present them with more.

Confidence is something that needs to be high on your list of skills and attributes. Confidence in your own ability, confidence to ask for help or more information, confidence to say no when something isn’t right for you and confidence in your business. You need confidence for networking and getting your business name out there. I had never been networking before I had my own business. The thought of going into a room of people I didn’t know and talking filled me with dread. I think most people feel this way about networking but it is such a good tool to get new clients. There’s networking events everywhere, all around you, and you probably just didn’t know they existed. I had absolutely no idea. Usually, there will be a group of business owners and you’ll be asked to introduce yourself and your business and what you do etc. everyone stares at you and first few times this isn’t fun. I now have no issues with chatting about my business as I love it and I have found if you’re passionate it doesn’t matter if you’re nervous too. Most people don’t like the introduction but it’s such a good way to give people a snap shot of what you do. I will write a separate blog on networking, where to find groups, how they work etc so check back for that one.

I would say, it takes at least a year to establish your business. I don’t feel like mine is established yet and it has been going a little over a year. I have some great clients (shout out to them if they are reading!) who trust me with various aspects of their business and I feel I do a great job in supporting them. It has taken a lot of work, money and hundreds of hours to be where I am and I’m only just getting started really. Setting up a VA business isn’t for the faint hearted. I have a friend who said she couldn’t possibly be a VA and has no idea how I do it. It’s hard work but I think it’s absolutely worth it.

So, you may have got this far and thought ‘jeez this is a lot’ and in reality it is. However, the benefits are well worth the effort. Once you have clients, they are on-boarded and everything is smoothly ticking along you reap the benefits. You can choose your own schedule, workloads, task priorities and if you want to go the hairdressers in the middle of a Tuesday then get yourself there! Be prepared to put in the hard work for the rewards that come out of it.

I will write further blogs around how to get started, legal requirements, programmes to use and tips and tricks I have learnt along the way. Keep an eye out for these in the near future.

Thanks for reading and if you do decide becoming a VA is right for you, good luck and I hope you smash it! I’m always happy to answer any questions or pass on any advice you may find useful. Send me an email (ashleigh@ableadmin.co.uk) or write in the comments and I will get back to you.