I started my Virtual Assistant business in January of 2011, having no idea how to start or run a business. There was so much to learn and there weren’t as many resources then, so gathering information wasn’t as easy. Now I regularly talk to people who are interested in starting a VA business so I wanted to write down a few things I have learned in my experience.
Things I wish I had known:
- It’s going to take time, 2-3 years or more to find your groove. Give yourself grace and celebrate the little victories. Now I’m grateful for the slow growth. It gave me time to learn a lot about myself as a business owner and how I wanted to do things when I grew.
- Be willing to be flexible and change if things aren’t working. Small business owners spend a lot of time trying to do it all and second guessing themselves. Knowing when to make changes can be hard.
- Don’t give away your services. Be confident in your pricing and your expertise. People who want things cheaper are usually difficult to work with and you’ll regret the decision to lower your prices. If you need experience, offer a special rate for a testimonial.
- Set boundaries with your time and stick to them 90% of the time. Use good judgment with your exceptions. There are emergencies and urgent deadlines – those are wise ways to use your exception rule. Early on I had a client who tried to bully me into completing work in an unrealistic time frame. I let it happen for too long and it was a huge relief when I finally said no and meant it.
- Know your market and the kind of client you want to work with. Giving this some thought as you begin helps you market yourself well.
Things I’m glad I did:
- Lots of research! It helped with pricing, services, contracts, website. Learning from other VAs made the process easier.
- Start and keep all business expenses separate. Start a business account and use it exclusively.
- Ask advice from business owners I respected and were successful. They helped with decisions that seemed overwhelming – business name, website design, type of business, logo and more.
- Networking! It was ultimately how I got clients and grew the business. Getting to know other business owners and their admin needs helped build trust and find those that were a good fit.
- Re-evaluate regularly to determine what is working and what’s not.
Bottom line – it is your business, so do what works for you!
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