Enterprise Nation

Would you like to be your own boss from home and work in a way that offers full flexibility? If so, becoming a Virtual Assistant (VA) may be the answer. Rona Wheeldon, an established VA herself, offers 7 tips on how to get up and running.

Helpful steps from The Organised PA

A Virtual Assistant is ‘a self-employed professional providing admin support on a remote basis from their own office using their own equipment and software’.

Last year, I decided to become a Virtual Assistant.  After many years working in London, I found myself in the ‘fortunate’ position of being offered redundancy.

I took a good look at all the skills I had gathered over twenty years in Customer Service and, having heard by chance about the term ‘Virtual Assistant’, I realised this was a job which I was ideally suited to...being very organised!

Here are some of the steps which I took on my way to developing the Virtual Assistant business which I now run and I hope you will find this information useful if you’re thinking of doing the same.

1. Research the Industry

I spent a long time researching the Virtual Assistant Industry via the internet and discovered two great websites in particular : -

• Society of Virtual Assistants (www.societyofvirtualassistants.co.uk) - invaluable forum for finding out helpful hints and tips
• UK Association of Virtual Assistants (www.ukava.co.uk) - Directory Listing of VAs with high Google ranking & Google Group

2. Consider VA Training

In the UK, there are a number of companies who offer training for Virtual Assistants, either face-to-face, online, via the telephone or correspondence courses.  Do your research and if you do decide to have training, consider which provider and method would suit you and your budget best.

3. Choose a Company Name

This was quite a challenge and to start with I got a large piece of paper and brainstormed, writing down everything that came into my head.  Then, I ran some potential names past friends and family for their opinions. Finally, once I had a few favourites, I checked to see whether their domain names were still available for my website - both the .com and .co.uk versions.  For example, check on www.simplynames.com to see whether a particular domain name is available.

4. Have your company logo designed

This may be something that you think you don’t need when you’re initially setting up your VA business, however I would thoroughly recommend that you get a logo professionally designed.  You want to stand out from the crowd and by having a great logo which you can put on your website, email signature, marketing literature, etc., it’ll create a very professional image.

5. Get your business card printed

You only get one chance to make a first impression and how your business card looks (and feels) is so important.  I would definitely recommend that you get it designed professionally.  You want to be proud of your business card and not embarrassed to hand over one that’s poorly designed.  And don’t forget to use both sides of your business card!

6. Create your website

Having a website is an essential requirement when setting up as a Virtual Assistant.  It also opens up your potential client base to not only your locality but also to the whole of the UK and beyond.  Now, this is one area which I didn’t initially spend a great deal of money on as I’d had some basic experience in HTML editing so I created my own low-cost website via a template site.  There are lots of website developers though who can create websites for you at reasonable rates. [Note from Ed - if you stay tuned to Enterprise Nation, you’ll hear all about a new site builder we’re launching in Feb 2010 that will have you trading and marketing online for £60 per annum]

7. Find your first client

Tell everyone you know that you’re setting up as a Virtual Assistant!  My first client came via an acquaintance of my husband.  Research the networking events which take place in your area, for example, by looking on www.findnetworkingevents.com and attend a few different ones to get a flavour of what they each have to offer.  Then join one and start building up relationships with the members.

So, I hope you find these tips useful if you’re considering setting up your own Virtual Assistant business. 

Personally, I love the daily 60 second commute, being my own boss and the flexibility being a Virtual Assistant.  Plus I get great pleasure in helping my clients grow their businesses or spend quality time with their family, by delegating their admin to me. It’s a great way to make a living!

• Rona Wheeldon, The Organised PA /Twitter :  www.twitter.com/OrganisedPA