There are many good reasons to become a virtual assistant. Launching your practice may be as challenging as starting any other small business, but the benefits outweigh the headaches. Here are 6 reasons to think about joining this growing industry:
1. Your Children
Working as a virtual assistant provides one of the greatest
opportunities to raise your children while working at home. You can set
your own hours and deliver services using the Internet only (except in
cases where you take or make calls for clients). For example, you can
work early in the morning and during naps. You can decide to work late
at night. Determine your family needs first, and then limit the
services you'll provide accordingly.
2. Low Startup Costs
It doesn't take a lot of money to launch a virtual assistant practice. Some may argue that it's not wise to start your virtual assistant practice on a limited budget. However, many work-at-home moms have done just that and are running a vibrant and successful practice today. The same arguments are made for many other types of businesses, but the principle of starting small and growing remains true in most cases. With less than $1,000 (and you may not need even that much depending on what equipment you already have), you can get started in a short amount of time.
3. It's a Growing Industry
There is a demand for virtual assistants, and it continues to be a growing industry. This is a huge consideration when thinking about working from home in any industry. You don't want to put your time and money into a field that's stagnant, or worse, declining. However, small business owners and other professionals benefit from outsourcing administrative and marketing tasks to virtual assistants, rather than hiring employees.
4. You Have Many Options
One reason to become a virtual assistant is that you can work with just about whomever you want, and provide just about whatever support services you want as long as long as you have the knowledge or experience to do so. You can also get trained or certified if you want to learn how to support specific clients. This is great for moms who enjoy learning new skills, or working across various industries.
5. You Determine Your Pay
When you work for someone else, you get a paycheck based on what they want to pay you. When you work from home as a virtual assistant, you can set your own rates, starting from $15 to $20 an hour. You can also charge lower or higher rates depending on the type of services you provide to any one client. For example, you might charge $25 for legal research, but only $10 for writing a blog post for the same client. It's up to you, based on the competition and what the market will bear.
6. You Work from Home
Some home based businesses require you to leave your home to provide all or part of your services. You can organize a virtual assistant practice so that you work from home the entire time. Only provide those services that require you to work online, by fax or through the mail. Some examples include word processing, bookkeeping, email marketing, copywriting and research.
The industry is competitive because you can have a great work life balance when you become a virtual assistant. Don't let the competition scare you. The time that you'll have to spend with your family and your availability to them is worth it.
