HOW TO:

BECOME A
VIRTUAL
ASSISTANT
BY YOUR BUSINESS GROUP
Earn a minimum of £25 per hour as a virtual
assistant. Read this helpful guide to get you
going and follow our simple steps to make
your VA career a success
The key steps in learning how to
become a virtual assistant are:

01 | Understand skills required for

being a virtual assistant

02 | Know what being a virtual

assistant involves

03 | Work out pricing structure and

how much to charge as a virtual assistant

04 | Consider the various virtual

assistant services

05 | Get the right equipment

06 | Be aware of regulations including

GDPR

07 | Consider your marketing strategy,

08 | Find clients!
Twenty- rst century life is fast. Inboxes are
growing at an exponential rate, phones are
ringing in one continuous chorus, and
people’s patience has worn as thin as their
time is spread.

Due to the expected rapidity of business,

the need for a virtual assistant has never
been higher – so much so that the global
number of people who use a VA is
projected to reach a staggering 1.8 billion
by 2021.

But what is a VA? And how can you use

your stellar administrative skills,
networking abilities and project managing
prowess to forge a new high- ying, self-
employed career as a successful VA?
Read on to nd out.
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 In this article, we will cover:

What is a virtual assistant?

How does a virtual assistant work,

and what services do they offer?

Setting up as a virtual assistant and

the equipment you’ll need

Costs and pricing

Marketing and nding clients

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What is a virtual assistant?

A Virtual Assistant (VA) is an

independent contractor who provides
professional services from a remote
location. This sounds similar to
freelancing, except that a VA will always
work from their own home of ce, rather
than bunny-hopping around clients’
workspaces. It’s likely that a VA will never
meet their clients in the esh.

To break the term up, ‘virtual’ means that

you do the work, but you’re never
physically with your client in their of ce.
And ‘assistant’ is not strictly limited to
administrative tasks – it’s a broad term,
covering anything from social media and
email management to bookkeeping and
project management.

The key to any task undertaken by a VA is

that it must be doable from a remote
location.
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Also, a VA is an assistant to another
business or business owner. Whilst a VA
manages themselves and are technically
self-employed, they themselves are not a
company. So what’s entailed within the VA
role is really dependent on who needs
assisting. How much can I earn as a VA?

Working out your pricing structure will be a

key component of operating as a
successful virtual assistant.

On average, virtual assistants charge a

minimum of £25 per hour. Higher price
points will depend on skills, experience,
and the nature of the work that you
undertake. Forums are a great place to
see what others in your experience
bracket are charging.

Make sure your prices are competitive,

yes, but don’t undersell yourself either. It’s
much easier to lower rates than it is to
put them up. And, if the skills you have
are rare, they should come in at a high
value.
Sourcing, maintaining and invoicing clients
takes time – remember that you’ll be
working for yourself, so a regular salary is
down to you to secure. Having a buffer is a
good idea. Or, stay in full-time employment
(and run the business as a side hustle)
until you’ve accumulated enough potential
clients to smoothly transition into the world
of self-employment.

Price structure:

Do you want to charge by the hour, or by

project? Would implementing a retainer
rate be bene cial to your business (it can
provide added nancial security, which is
helpful when self-employed)?

And remember, whatever you do charge

will have to cover tax, insurance and bills
(if you’re working from home, your heating
bill might suddenly climb). You’ll also have
to allow for savings should you wish to
take a holiday, require sick leave or want
to put anything away in a pension pot. Oh,
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and of course, make sure there’s enough
for a few payday treats as well.
How does a virtual
assistant work and what
services do they offer?
So much more than a secretary that works
from home, the VA title covers a
surprisingly wide variety of skills and
career opportunities.

If you’re struggling to decide on which

services you could offer as a VA, start by
identifying your own USP by recognising
your niche expertise. What is it that you
have, that others won’t?

Next, think about who will bene t from

those skills – these people will eventually
become your clients.

Here’s a sample list of the varied

services a VA can offer:
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 Editorial/proofreading support
Website maintenance/design
E-commerce management
Content creation, ie: for social media
and blog posts
Project management
Customer generation
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
management
Billing/invoicing
Research
Email, calendar and logistics
management
Transcribing/translating
Event planning
 Setting up as a virtual
assistant
Once you’ve decided which services to
offer, it’s time to think about setting up.
Because of the self-suf cient nature of the
role, a VA must be able to support
themselves in regards to tech and
resources.

For a start, virtual work will depend on a

strong internet connection. You should
also ensure that your home of ce is kitted
out with everything you’ll need to work
ef ciently, so you can deliver on the
promises made to clients.
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 What equipment you
should invest in and why:
A multi-line phone system or separate
business line Nothing sounds less
professional than your kids answering your
business calls. Get yourself a separate
business line to avoid any
awkwardness.To compare some choice
systems, take a look at our page on multi-
line phones.

Wrap your head around the legalities, like

HMRC, nances and GDPR:

First of all, as someone who is self-

employed, Her Majesty's Revenue and
Customs(HMRC) need to be informed
when you start getting paid.Think about
how you’re going to keep accurate
nancial records.
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 Outsourcing an accountant can be pricey,
but is advisable. There are also steps you
can take to reduce their billable time – see
this guide for further advice.

General Data Protection Regulation

(GDPR) means that as of May 2018, all
businesses, including the self-employed,
have to comply with certain regulations to
ensure the protection and security of
personal information.

As a self-employed individual, you will

need to ensure adequate security
measures are in place, both online and
of ine, to reduce the risk of a data breach.

Consent is a key requirement in regards to

GDPR. It is essential that your client both
knows, and is comfortable with, how you
plan to handle their data.

Your client is within their rights to either

request visibility of, or even withdraw, their
data from you at any given time. So make
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sure you have the organisational
infrastructure to support this eventuality.

See this for an in-depth explanation of

GDPR and how it might affect you going
forward.
Marketing
Now you understand how much to charge,
it's important to think about how you'll get
those all-important clients. Getting your
name out there and nding clients is
essential to self-employment success.

Your virtual self (ie: your website and

social media, such as Twitter and
LinkedIn) is how your clients will get to
know you, so make sure it accurately
represents you and the assistance you can
provide.

It’s important to look professional to be

considered professional. And, since a
virtual assistant is, well, virtual, this means
making sure that your virtual (online)
presence is just as presentable as you
would be if you were going to an
interview.That being said, it’s also
important not to get too hung up on
making everything completely perfect
before you get started. Waiting for website
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perfection could take too long, so get stuck
in and make sure you’re always
maintaining, updating and refreshing your
virtual, professional self.
How to nd VA clients
Wondering how to nd VA clients? The
answer is to market, market, market. Add
yourself to the local business directories
and make sure you’re forever updating
your LinkedIn pro le, so potential clients
know exactly what you can offer them.

Social media, such as Twitter, is useful for

developing a professional network and for
seeing what others in the market are up to.
You might even discover a valuable online
community who can provide you with hints,
tips and tricks speci c to your trade.

Keep your ear to the ground, research

your eld, and be brave in reaching out via
phone or email to those who you see as
potential clients.

Another good place to start is The Society

of Virtual Assistants. As a strong and well
established network, they provide good
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 advice, support and information on nding
VA work via their website.

Sharing is caring

And nally, don’t see other virtual

assistants as the competition; instead, see
them as people with whom you can have a
healthy professional exchange.This will
help to both grow your knowledge base
and avoid feelings of isolation when
working independently.

In this article, you have learned:

What a virtual assistant does

The services a virtual assistant can offer
How to establish yourself as a virtual
assistant
The key equipment to invest in
Project management
What to charge and how to ensure your
costings are competitive
Networking tips
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 As a VA, you will have both the freedom
and responsibilities of self-employment.
Arm yourself with supportive loved ones, a
nancial back-up plan, and a huge dose of
self-motivation.Also, keep on top of
emails, maintain your social media, and
consider investing in equipment that’ll
keep your communication professional,
so working for yourself really works for
you.
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