Tools to use
You need the right tools for any endeavor in life. No matter how small or big the tool is, it plays an important role in helping you work effectively and efficiently.
Before I proceed to list some of the tools you need, please bear in mind that these are just my suggestions. It is not mandatory that you get the exact tools I mention here. It is not even required that you get most of them to start your business, but it is better to set yourself up for success and one of the best ways to achieve this is by working with the right tools.
Some of the tools you need as a virtual assistant include:
Software
- A website. (I can help you set up a virtual assistant website for as low as $140/70k. Contact me to get yours).
- Trello or Asana
- Google Drive or Dropbox
- Google Keep or Evernote for note taking. You can as well make use of the notepad app on your smartphone.
- Google Docs
- Google Sheets
- Messaging apps
- Zoho Mail for custom email
- Wave App for invoicing and accounting
- Paystack, Flutterwave, Vogue Pay, etc to receive online payments from local and international customers.
- Mailchimp for email marketing and sending newsletters
- Facebook Creator for scheduling social media posts. Other similar apps are Buffer, Later, Plann, Later, Tailwind, Hootsuite, Preview App, etc
- Facebooks Ads for creating effective sponsored ads on Facebook and Instagram
- Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn app for establishing an online presence. You do not have to get on all of these social media at the same time.
- Canva
- Acuity for scheduling appointments. Another option is Calendly
Hardware
- A comfortable work space (this could be carved out from any part of your home) See here for samples of home offices. You can also signup for memberships at co-work spaces near you.
- Comfortable office chair
- Work desk
- A good laptop
- Filing equipment such as folders, clips, document holders, etc
- Business cards
- A good smartphone with at least 32GB memory space and 3GB RAM
- A printer and photocopier
- Headphones so that you can talk with your client while working with your hands
- Other tools as necessary to your line of profession
The above list is not exhaustive, however remember I mentioned earlier that you do not need to start with all of these tools.
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