Virtual Assistance is one of the fastest growing industries on the internet. The George Washington University predicted that the Virtual Assistance industry will be worth $130 billion. However, the concept is still relatively new and many people still don't quite understand what a Virtual Assistant is. A Virtual Assistant carries out a range of different secretarial and admin tasks from their own home with a variety of clients, using their own computer and equipment. Rather than being an employee, a Virtual Assistant is an independent contractor and business owner in their own right. Clients enjoy the flexibility of using a Virtual Assistant as and when they require, without having to pay a regular wage. This means huge cost savings for clients, as they are only paying by the hour for actual work done. There is an increasing demand for Virtual Assistants, as more and more people realize their true benefits. The future of Virtual Assistance is certainly looking bright.

Look at your current and previous work experience and write down all your skills.  Most office jobs involve tasks using a computer, so you’ve probably developed skills that you take for granted. Think about skills that don’t always appear on resumes, such as being able to multi-task or being a good communicator. Don’t underestimate the value you can offer your clients. You need to be fully aware of all your skills before you can market yourself effectively.

Once you’ve had a look at your skills and interests, you’ll know what services you should be offering now, and what services you could be offering later, with some training.

At a minimum, you need to know how to use Microsoft Office. If you need to improve your skills in Word, Excel and Powerpoint, click here  for a very reasonably priced training course that you can download and use at home.

Have you heard of the saying: ‘If you fail to plan, you plan to fail?’ This especially applies in business. At the moment, all you have is an idea. What you need now is a written roadmap (also known as a business plan) of how you’re going to make that idea a reality. Traditional approaches to business planning make the whole process seem a little tedious. It doesn’t have to be that way - it should be a fun, creative process. It shouldn’t be about slaving over a boring old document from a sense of duty, and then shoving it into the back of a drawer.

Look upon the business plan as an evolving, exciting, integral part of a business, where you’re free to brainstorm ideas on an ongoing basis.

As part of your roadmap to success you’ll need a marketing plan which includes who you will be marketing to and how you’re going to reach your target market. Your marketing plan will get you thinking about how you’re going to get your message across and convince prospects that they need you.

Can you really get clients without leaving your house? Thanks to the internet, you can. With your own website, people all over the world can find you 24 hours a day.

But how do you set up your own website? How do you go about getting a domain name? I can highly recommend Hostmonster, which is a great webhosting service. It’s only $6.95 per month, and also includes a free wizard to help you design your web site, free blog and forum, plus loads of free scripts and online support 24 hours a day 7 days a week.  Click on the banner below to find out more:

Running your own business is one of the most rewarding and challenging things you’ll ever do. To be truly successful, you need to make sure you have the right mindset for success. When I was first thinking about setting up my own business, I had doubts and a lack of confidence. I knew that other people had been successful in becoming Virtual Assistants but there was a nagging sense of ‘But what if it doesn’t work for me? What if I don’t get clients?’  I knew that my negative attitude would affect my chances of success. If I doubted myself, how could I expect clients to have faith in me? If I didn’t have the confidence, how could I market my services well?

Do whatever it takes to create and nurture a positive mindset. Read self help books, visit inspirational websites.

Have true faith in yourself and your abilities. Develop an unshakeable belief that you will be successful and YOU WILL BE.

MORE INFORMATION ON VA'S

1. Definition – What is a virtual assistant? I like the Wikipedia definition: A Virtual Assistant (or simply VA), is an independent contractor providing administrative, technical, or sometimes creative assistance to clients--usually to other independent entrepreneurs and solo and small business practices, such as that of a lawyer or realtor. Virtual assistants work from their own office (hence "virtual"). Common modes of communication and data delivery include the Internet, File Transfer Protocol (FTP), and fax machine.

2. Experience – How much experience do you have in the non-virtual world and in the area of expertise you are going to market? Some organizations believe you should have at least 5 years experience before you start your virtual assistant business. If you have the experience and skills then go for it. If not, why not wait another year or two before stepping out on your own.

3. Training – Virtual assistant training does not train you how to use a computer, build a website, or send an email. It does train you to run your own business, create a business plan, and how to market yourself and your VA business. There are a lot of training options available. Make sure you are comfortable with the format of the training as well as the content. Don’t purchase anything you won’t be able to learn from.

4. Web Presence – This used to mean that you would have a website, but now it means so much more. Having a web presence now means to have a website, a blog, at least 3 networking page memberships (like MySpace), and membership in various forums and groups. You have to get yourself out there in cyberspace as much as possible.

5. Marketing – Marketing your business can take many forms. You can do it through your local Chamber of Commerce, newspaper ads, and other traditional methods. Your web presence is basically marketing. You can spend hours keeping up with marketing. Writing articles, press releases, and commenting on forums are great ways to get your business into the minds of prospective customers. Networking is another effective method of marketing. This can be done online or in person, but you have to keep up with it. Experts say your prospective clients need to see your information 7 times before it registers.

I hope you haven’t been put off becoming a virtual assistant. I just wanted you to be aware that it is a lot of work. Not only do you have to complete your client work, but you will have a ton of stuff to do to keep your business running. If you let either fall behind, you will have no business at all.

Build your “field of dreams” but remember how much work it will take to build.

PS. There's more information in the ARTICLES PAGE on VA's