Start Your Virtual Assistant Business Master Checklist
If you are reading this you are probably like me. I’m in the business of supporting people. It’s in my nature. There’s something about helping somebody else succeed that fills a need in my life. I am passionate about it. It could come from my upbringing where I played a lot of basketball with people who were way more talented than myself. I was relatively tall for my small high school at 6 foot 2 and I had a large body. I couldn’t dribble like other people. I couldn’t score like the other players, but I excelled at what I could contribute. I could support the other players in doing their best. If I did my part the other team members could get the glory and score the points. And that’s what I did. When I did my part well others could score and the whole team would win. We would all win.
Support for those who need it
I brought that philosophy forward into my business career. I want to provide for other people what I struggled to find when I was running my business. I want to provide the support and encouragement and assists that you will need so you can be successful in your business.
The business I am most familiar with is the virtual assistant business. In 2019 I was offered the position of Chief Operating Officer for a virtual assistant company that served mental health providers. It was a perfect fit for me. I had worked 16 years in mental health offices doing many of the same tasks of the virtual assistant company. Before the company was sold to new owners we had three years of growth. When I started the first year we made $140,000 of revenue and when I ended my final year we made it $640,000 in revenue. In my position I wrote contracts had sales meetings hired 50 staff, managed customer service issues, developed training materials, and marketing materials.
Become your own boss
The longer I worked in the business I realized there was great potential for some of our assistance to branch out and become their own freelancer and even open up their own company. They already had the skills but what they lacked was some organizational structure some steps on how to proceed as well as some pitfalls to avoid.
Professional Virtual Assistants are in Demand
First there is great demand right now for a skilled and professional virtual assistant. Companies are dying literally for the lack of good help. In the past there was a stigma of working from home which has been recently destroyed. Virtual Assistants who work from home are just as productive and I would say can be even more productive than people in the office setting. In my experience with the virtual assistant company, clients would pay almost any price for the right assistant. They needed somebody that they can rely on depend on and support their organization. The professional virtual assistant could literally name a price and then double it. I had seen offices pay up to $50 an hour for a competent virtual assistant. And these assistance were not doing video editing or taxes they were answering phones and scheduling into a database. These assistants have the potential for more freedom in their life to do the type of jobs that they want they also have the potential for having more control in their life. One of the things about working for a company is that you have to do what they tell you to do you have to see the clients that they assigned you. A virtual assistant who works for themselves gets to choose their clients and who they work with.
Companies will pay a high price for a dependable virtual assistant
In my experience with the virtual assistant company, clients would pay almost any price for the right assistant. They needed somebody that they can rely on depend on and support their organization. The professional virtual assistant could literally name a price and then double it. I had seen offices pay up to $50 an hour for a competent virtual assistant. And these assistance were not doing video editing or taxes they were answering phones and scheduling into a database. These assistants have the potential for more freedom in their life to do the type of jobs that they want they also have the potential for having more control in their life. One of the things about working for a company is that you have to do what they tell you to do you have to see the clients that they assigned you. A virtual assistant who works for themselves gets to choose their clients and who they work with.
Fear keeps people stuck in false security
Second, I also see the pitfalls of starting your own virtual assistant company. There are many mistakes to make and I have made quite a few. What I have learned though is if you’re not feeling you’re not learning. One of the greatest pitfalls is fear of failure and fear of the unknown. This fear keeps people shackled to the false security of a paycheck. This fear keeps them loyal to a company that can, and will, fire them in a heartbeat if they stop being useful with market conditions change. This is actually happened to me in my last two positions. Instead of launching my own dreams I built dreams of other people and when my usefulness was done so is my job and my “security” evaporated. My failure can be your success. Since I have made mistakes, I can see the pitfalls that could derail other people from running their own company. It would thrill me to be able to share my experience with you so you can grow and have your dream job.
Build your own dream
Stop building someone else’s dream. Build your own dream.
Plan Your Journey to Your own Dream Job
You don’t have to be satisfied building somebody else‘s dream you can build your own dream. Like planning a vacation, you can plan to travel from false safety to true security. You can control your own destiny. I see starting your own virtual assistant company as a three stage process:
Choose your destination
Plan your trip
Enjoy the Journey
Choosing your destination helps you answer the “Why,” “How,” and “What” questions of your business. Plan your trip helps run your business efficiently, and Enjoy the journey is about running your business and developing loyal customers.
If you are a secretary office assistant or have your fingers in administration of an office, you can turn those skills into your dream job. You can make the money you want to make, you can serve the clients you want to serve, do the tasks you want to do, have the schedule you want to have, and build your dream.
Master Planning List
If the idea of planning your trip to independence and freedoms sounds appealing to you keep reading. I have prepared a Master Checklist Travel Guide for you to start planning your journey! And, its free! Please click the button below and “purchase” the free planning checklist. You do not need a credit cared, just an email address. Bonus, if you want support and accountability my email address is on the sheet. Tell me when you got started and your proposed start date of your trip (deadline). Let me be your biggest fan and supporter.
