Virtual Assistant Course – Module 1

This is the first module of the Virtual Assistant Course

Are you ready to become a Virtual Assistant?

There are numerous ways you can earn from home and one of the easiest ways is to become a virtual assistant. This job is easy to setup and there is no limit to how much you can make. This is the Virtual Assistant Course – Module 1, I will publish other modules every week. Learn more on the EARN FROM HOME page.

ABBREVIATIONS: VA = Virtual assistant

ATTACHMENTS: Worksheet for Module 1 (Click to download)

At this stage we will identify your readiness to start a VA business.

What you need

1. A dedicated note book

Answer the following questions in your notebook

1. What exactly is your industry? E.g. dressmaking? Legal? Digital marketing? Makeup? Events? Catering? Baking? Etc
2. Why do you want to become a VA?
3. What skills do you have?
4. Do you mind working with your competitors to help them sell better and manage their businesses more efficiently?
5. Can you comfortably make use of a laptop/desktop computer?
6. How many hours a day can you commit to VA work?
7. For how long (days, weeks, months) are you ready to be consistent in marketing your business with or without clients?
8. Do you have a safety net ( e.g. other means of income, supportive friends or family, etc ) that you can fall back on if you don’t get client on time or if your business fails?
9. What/who is a virtual assistant?
10. What does he/she do?

Suggested answers to questions 1 to 10

The first question is What is your industry?

You should answer this question as it will help you quickly make a decision on what services you want to offer and who you want to offer the services to.

Identifying your industry will also help you draw up a buyer persona and this will simplify your marketing efforts.

Examples of industries are fashion, catering, coaching, faith-based, events, professionals (accountants, legal practitioners, medical professionals, etc).

You may also use your course of study in higher institution as your chosen industry. Another way to select the industry you want to serve is to identify a profession you’ve always admired. 

So, which do you belong to?

Question 2 is Why do you want to become a virtual assistant?

You must define your “why”. Just like in every endeavor, you need to have a purpose before embarking on any activity, otherwise, you would tend to work aimlessly.

Some generic reasons people start a virtual assistance business are:

1. To monetize their skills
2. To be able to work from home
3. To escape the stress of commuting to and fro an out-of-home job
4. To work independently

Like I mentioned above, these are generic reasons. Only you know your why. 

Knowing your why before you start this business will really help you excel, so what is your why?   

3. What skills do you have?

You probably have some skills and the issue is how to monetize these skills.

Never worry, you can use these skills as a virtual assistant. Being a virtual assistant doesn’t mean you have to do only clerical job such as data entry or answering phone calls.

You can offer skills such as website development, accounting, research, word processing, graphics design, customer profiling, etc. So what are your skills?

4. Do you mind working with your competitors to help them sell better and manage their businesses more efficiently?

Let’s assume the niche you picked in the last exercise was Fashion and you are looking at starting a fashion business, can you work with established personnel in your industry?

Would you be willing to help them do the following?

1. Book clients
2. Answer phone calls
3. Reply emails
4. Design websites
5. Manage social media accounts
6. Run corporate errands
7. Etc 

You need to answer this question in preparation for a virtual assistant business because you might get offers from individuals who notice your expertise and they might be your competitors. You might also need to work with them in order to become better at your own work.

5. Can you comfortably make use of a laptop/desktop computer? Do you also have IT skills, no matter how little? Click here to see some other skills you need to run a virtual assistant business

6. How many hours a day can you commit to VA work?
You need to answer this question especially if you have other commitment such as work or study.

7. For how long (days, weeks, months) are you ready to be consistent in marketing your business with or without clients?
You might get your client the first day you launch or it might take longer to land your first client, are you willing to be consistent in the first few months with or without clients?

8. Do you have a safety net ( e.g. other means of income, supportive friends or family, etc ) that you can fall back on if you don’t get client on time or if your business fails?
I wrote a blog article on how you can survive while starting a business. Go here to read it, it will help you answer this question.

9. What/who is a virtual assistant?
By now what do you understand about a virtual assistant as an individual and as a profession?

10. What does he/she do?
What does a virtual assistant do? Are you willing to do same?

Read this post, it will help you answer this question accurately

This brings us to the end of Module 1.

Would you like to become a virtual assistant? Let me know in the comments.

This post was first published on March 16, 2018 and republished on March 28th, 2020.

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Do not forget to share this course with your friends and family, they’d really appreciate it.

CONTINUE TO MODULE 2