What Is A Virtual Assistant?
So to kick us off, I am going to be answering two questions I get fairly often, especially when I was first starting my business:
What is a Virtual Assistant?
What does a Virtual Assistant Do?
The virtual assistant space has been around for years and years, and it isn’t a new concept, and I do feel like more recently, maybe in the last couple of years, the space has definitely grown. However, I think there is still a lot of curiosity about being a VA and what a VA does. I know when I first launched my business, people were asking me what exactly it was I was doing and what that looked like, and how it is actually a legitimate business… so let’s dive into it!
First and foremost, what is a VA?
VA in this context stands for Virtual Assistant and the best way to describe it, especially to someone who isn’t familiar with online business, is someone who does the behind-the-scenes or admin-type tasks for other business and brand owners. Just like in the corporate world, people have executive or personal assistants who assist with the tasks that the business owner or CEO doesn’t actually need to be doing and can delegate to someone else to take care of. The virtual part just means that you are doing it remotely or from home!
Now, most VA’s are freelancers, so you are not employees of a business or company, but instead, contractors. This means you are self-employed and likely aren’t being paid a salary, but you can set your own rates and price your services. There are also agencies, which is what my company is, that will hire virtual assistants to take over client work, and there are also people who will hire their VA’s as full-time employees (W2) so not every virtual assistant is a freelancer or solopreneur, , but I would say the majority are! For the sake of this blog, I am going to refer to a virtual assistant who is a freelancer and works as a contractor for their clients.
So what does a VA do?
This is both a very simple question, but also kinda complicated because virtual assistants can do a million different things. Like I said, most of the time you are doing general admin-type tasks. So things like calendar and systems management, emails, customer support, invoicing, etc. However, if you have or want to obtain specific experience, you could offer specialized services like social media management, content creation, Pinterest or blog management, graphic design, system setup, and more! There are seriously so many things you can do and really it is going to depend on the industry or niche you are working in, and the client you are working with! Each client has different needs and tasks they want to delegate and every virtual assistant offers different types of services, so it doesn’t look the same across the board.
I thought it might be helpful if I shared what I have done for different clients I have either currently or have had in the past so you can get an idea of specific tasks.
Client #1 is a course creator and productivity coach
Customer support emails
Honeybook management
Membership/community management (accepting new members, removing members who have canceled, reviewing payments, etc)
Turn podcast scripts into blog posts
Reformat old blog posts
Schedule social media posts
Any admin-related “one-off tasks”
Now, this client I actually have as an OBM client now so I do a lot more than those tasks currently but when I started with her as her VA, this was my list!
Client #2 is a consultant and coach
Customer support emails
Outreach marketing for speaking engagements
Text community support
Email marketing
Webinar support
Kajabi set up and management
Honeybook management
Calendar management
Any admin-related “one-off tasks”
Client #4 is a health and wellness coach
Turn Instagram posts into blog posts
Membership/community management (accepting new members, removing members who have canceled, reviewing payments, etc.)
Affiliate management
Outreach marketing to podcasts
Any admin-related “one-off tasks”
Client #6 is a photographer and course creator
Content creation for Instagram
Copy for email marketing
Managing company operations
Help with webinars/masterclasses
Assist in event/retreat planning
See what I mean when I say that every client has different needs?! Right now, I do work with a very select group of clients as my hours are much more limited than I have had available in the past but l love the variety of things that interest me and that I am good at, from different clients and businesses that inspire me!
I think it is also important to note that I didn’t know how to do all these things when I started my business.
Sure, I knew how to do some because of my years in online business in general, but a lot of these tasks the client taught me how to do and that is the norm, and here is why: even if you have two clients who want you to do the exact same task for them, let’s say, for example, answer customer support emails or manage their Honeybook, those two clients are going to have very different ways that they want that task to be completed! The overall expectation is that the client should show you how to do each task they want you to complete either through an SOP (standard operating procedure) or on a zoom call with you, etc. Now if you already have experience with a certain system or service, that will benefit you in the long run as you will be more familiar with it, but don’t stress if you have never done something before! Your client will show you what they expect and need from you! And if they don’t already have a process to teach you their SOP’s, you can come up with a process together! Being a virtual assistant should be a collaborative relationship with the client, especially when it helps you do your job well!
All that being said, I think that most, if not all small business owners can benefit from having a virtual assistant, no matter the industry. “When” they hire a virtual assistant is a different story. Most often, business owners who are just getting their business up and going probably don’t need the support of a VA or have the budget for one just yet, but as their business grows and they find that they are working more IN their business, like doing all of the behind the scenes work, instead of doing the parts of their business they love and is in their zone of genius, which is likely working with clients, customers, creating, etc… then it might be time for them to consider hiring a VA. Even if it is just a couple of hours a month to manage customer emails, messages, invoicing, etc. I have worked with clients who need in just one or a couple of areas of their business and other clients who need someone to really dive in and run the whole back-end operation.
This too, could look like a client who just needs the support for a few months to catch up or when they are in a busy season, I know photographers are an example of an industry that has a certain time of year that is busier than others, or maybe the client wants someone to come in and grow WITH the business or company. I think that one of the really cool things about being a VA is you get to meet your ideal client where they are at, and support them in the areas they need support in!
But as I mentioned before, not every VA is the same! Some virtual assistants offer specific services or work within specific niches or industries. When I first started my business, I actually started out as a social media manager. I have a lot of experience building businesses on social media, Instagram in particular, and thought that social media management was the primary service I wanted to offer. However, when I actually started working with clients, actually found myself preferring the more administrative role I was taking for clients. I actually really enjoy the more broad scope of tasks that I generally see as an administrative VA and an OBM.
I also had a course student who started out as a more general, administrative VA who found herself doing some graphic design tasks for clients (her college degree is actually in graphic design but she has been out of the industry for 8+ years and didn’t really think it was something she would enjoy getting back into). Anyway, she started creating graphics for an influencer for LTK, as well as blog posts and social media, and figured out that was the primary service she then wanted to offer!
Needless to say, I think it is important to keep your mind open when it comes to what services you want to offer if you are considering becoming a VA because you never know what you might love!
So that is a look at what a virtual assistant is and what they do! There are so many directions that a VA can go and ways they can scale but ultimately, everyone starts somewhere. So whether you are someone that is reading this blog and this is the first time you are even hearing about what a virtual assistant is, or you are someone who has already taken the first steps toward starting your business as a VA, I hope that this helped you get some foundational knowledge of the industry!
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