Legally, you’ll need a business license in order to become an independent
contractor. By obtaining a business license you’ll be able to open up a business
bank account and keep your business and personal finances separately. Being
legal also means you can declare many of your business expenses as tax write
offs.
Once you’ve set up your home office, you’ll need to establish your virtual
office. On the Internet, you’ll use a website to advertise yourself as a virtual
assistant. Having a website is essential to establishing your presence. If web
design is not in your skill set, find someone who can make a website for you.
Try to contact other virtual assistants and see if you can barter for the design
if it’s something that you cannot afford to begin with.
On your website you should, at minimum, list your services and who you are. You
can also include an hourly rate, although many virtual assistants like to charge
by the project instead of by the hour. As far as services go, don’t offer
services that you don’t like to do. If you can make spreadsheets but don’t like
to do it, then don’t offer that service. If you have background in a specific
field, for example law, then list this as a specialty. You can also specialize
in the type of work that you offer. Many virtual assistants limit their business
to writing and editing, web design, data management or planning, but some offer
a mixture of all types of services. Remember, this is your business and you can
choose what tasks that you want to perform.
The best way to get virtual assistant jobs to begin with is to start networking.
Your best leads will come through people that you already know, whether they are
online or in your hometown. Let people know what you are offering and promote
your website address so people can see who you are and what you are doing. Make
sure to include up to date contact information on your web page, including a
phone number.
When you get your first client, its important to have a contract set in place
before you start working on a project. You can get many sample contracts online
that you can adapt for your needs. Make sure you and the client are both on the
same page about the type of work that you will be doing. That way there are no
surprises when you deliver the project and your bill.
After you have a few projects under your belt, you’ll begin to build a
reputation. Then your virtual assistant business will grow naturally to include
repeat clients and new projects. When you consistently do good work, your
reputation will precede you and you may have more projects that you know what to
do with in a short period of time. Make sure not to overbook yourself, and
collect a network of other virtual assistants who are willing to take overflows
for you if the need arises.
Getting your virtual assistant business off on the right foot is simple when you
follow the basic steps mentioned above.
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