A Beginner's Guide To Building A Virtual Assistant Side Hustle
/Are you interested in making extra money on the side from home? Then you may consider starting a virtual assistant side hustle. If you have excellent computer and communication skills, are organized and reliable then working from home as a virtual assistant, or "VA" for short, can be a great side hustle for you.
There are lots of businesses and individuals that hire virtual assistants and there is a high demand for virtual assistants. So if you have what it takes to become a virtual assistant or are willing to learn the skills that are required to become a VA, then I am sharing a beginner's guide to building a virtual assistant side hustle that will give you all the information you need to know to become a virtual assistant.
What is a virtual assistant?
A virtual assistant is an online assistant who provides business support and even personal assistant support to companies and individuals using the internet and sometimes the phone, depending on the job requirements.
You do not need any certification, specialized training, or formal qualification to become a virtual assistant. However, a specific skill set is typically required to become a VA. The great thing about being a virtual assistant is that you can offer services based on your skills, experience, and interests. But no matter what services you want to offer as a VA, you have to be good at them if you want to succeed as a VA.
How much money do virtual assistants make?
The amount of money virtual assistants make each month depends on their skills, experience, and who they work for. A beginner virtual assistant can earn anywhere from $10-$25 per hour. An experienced VA can make anywhere from $50 and $100 per hour or way more.
If you work for a VA company, they will dictate your own hourly rate. Most VA companies pay $10-$20 per hour, depending on the company. Some of them require you to have some experience and certain skills to join them. But if you work as a freelance VA or start your own virtual assistant business, you have full control over how much you charge for your services.
If you are just starting out as a VA, you may not earn as much money as an experienced VA who has been in business for a while already. But if you specialize in a particular area such as graphic design, SEO, or WordPress services, you can charge much more for your services even if you are just starting out.
How to build a virtual assistant side hustle?
So are you looking to be a virtual assistant to make money on the side while you are in a full-time occupation? If you have some basic skills like typing, data entry, email management, etc. you can become a VA, but you will need to learn a few sought-after skills to stand out from others.
Additionally, ensure that you have a reliable internet connection. Exploring options like fiber internet from Wyyerd can provide the speed and stability needed for seamless communication and task completion.
If you are interested in becoming a virtual assistant to make money on the side, here is what you need to start a virtual assistant side hustle.
Develop the skills you need to become a virtual assistant
You need to have certain basic skills to become a virtual assistant. Here are the basic skills you must have if you want to start a VA side hustle:
Computer skills
Communication skills
Organizational skills
Typing skills
Attention to detail
Project management skills
If you have these skills, you can start a virtual assistant side hustle to make money on the side. If you do not already have these skills, a good virtual assistant course can help you learn what you need to know about starting a virtual assistant side hustle.
Take a virtual assistant course
If you are a complete beginner, you may want to take on a virtual assistant course online to learn everything you need to know about becoming a virtual assistant. There are many virtual assistant courses online, but I recommend you do your own research to pick a VA course that is right for you.
A good VA course will provide you all the information, tips, and more you will need to start a virtual assistant business or side hustle. Completing a course can also showcase your credibility to potential clients.
Decide what type of services you want to offer as a virtual assistant
You will need to decide what services you want to provide as a VA before you advertise your VA services and apply to jobs. Here are a few VA services that you can provide, depending on your skills and interests:
Calendar management
Email management
Customer service
Data entry
Writing
Proofreading
Editing
Transcription
Bookkeeping
Blog management
Website management
WordPress maintenance
Website design
Graphic design
Social media management
Project management
The more services you can offer, the more attractive you will make yourself to potential clients.
Decide who you want to work with
Once you have decided what services you want to provide, it is important that you identify the type of businesses you want to work with. Identify the type of businesses that can use your services and then look for jobs posted by these businesses online. You can also contact some of these businesses to see if they need your services.
If you offer transcription services, you can focus on applying to VA jobs that require transcription skills. If you have writing and proofreading skills, you can choose to work with bloggers.
Decide your working hours
The beautiful thing about being a virtual assistant is that you can work on your own schedule, especially if you work on a freelance basis.
If you are currently working a 9-5 job, it is important for you to decide your working hours for your VA side hustle. Decide what hours and days you want to dedicate to your VA side hustle. You need to tell your potential clients when you cannot work and they cannot expect you to be communicative with them.
Determine your pricing
Determining your pricing for your VA services is an important consideration when it comes to building a virtual assistant side hustle. Knowing how much to charge for your services can be difficult when you are just starting out as a VA.
According to ZipRecruiter, the average hourly pay for a virtual assistant in the USA is $19.22 per hour as of writing this post. However, most beginner VAs charge anywhere from $10 to $25 per hour, or more.
You can also charge a flat fee for certain services depending on the job. Just make sure to charge a reasonable hourly rate or fixed price for your services. It may be tempting to set your rates lower than others who are also new virtual assistants to attract prospective clients, but you should not set your rates too low even if you are just a beginner VA. If you are having difficulty with pricing your services, check out my Money Makers program where I share a full training on how to price your services.
Market yourself as a virtual assistant
Working online as a VA requires you to market your services online. The best way to market yourself as a virtual assistant online is to create a website and social media pages
Let people in your network know that you are now offering virtual assistant services. Advertise your services on social media platforms, like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn by sharing your VA profile on various sites, sharing your own website and
You might get your first client from people that you already know. If you get clients from your network, they may recommend you to other people they know.
You can consider doing small jobs when you are first starting out to build your VA side hustle. After you complete some jobs successfully, ask your clients for testimonials to showcase on your site so new clients can see what sets you apart from other VAs.
How to find work as a virtual assistant
There are multiple ways to find clients. You can ask your family and friends for referrals, interact with potential clients on social media, join virtual assistant companies online, answer job ads, or sign up for freelance sites to find work as a VA.
If you are wondering "Where can I find virtual assistant jobs?", you can work with a virtual assistant company, as an independent contractor or an employee or you can work with clients directly, as a freelance virtual assistant.
As a VA, you can choose to work as an employee or an independent contractor for a VA company or work as a freelance independent contractor. If you work for a VA company, you will not be able to set your own rates for your services. Although the pay is not as good you would like it to be and you will not have much freedom to set your work hours if you work for a virtual assistant company, it is easier to find clients through a VA company.
You can find VA jobs on a lot of different sites, including:
Upwork
Freelancer
PeoplePerhour
Fiverr
Outsourcely
Fancy Hands
BELAY
Boldly
Zirtual
Time etc
Indeed.com
FlexJobs
In addition to the above sites, check out social media sites and reach out to local businesses to find clients for your virtual assistant side hustle.
In conclusion
Working as a VA can be a great side hustle if you work full-time at your current occupation. If you are looking for a quick way to make money on the side, starting a virtual assistant side hustle might work for you.
