The Part Time Virtual Assistant

Many EA's PA's and experienced admin staff have considered a career as a Virtual Assistant but are put off by the risk of not having a regular income, or worse, no income at all if their business fails.

What many don't realise is starting your VA Business doesn't have to be an "all or nothing" proposition.  Many VA's successfully combine their VA Business with part-time employed work.

Some choose to work, say, 3 days per week for a regular emplioyer and use the remaining days of the week to run their Virtual Assistant business.

The benefit of this combination of regular employed work and self-employed business income is that it provides some stability of income as well as enjoying the flexibility and satisfaction of earning your own income.

Many VA's have also started their business on a part-time basis utilising their time out of normal business hours and on weekends to get their business started and build a stable client base.  Whilst this is obviously a much slower road to true profitability a VA business makes an excellent second job.It is important, however,  to be honest, up front and realistic about your work commitments with your clients.

If taking this path, it also helps to target organisations and clients who are also operating out of normal working hours.  Organisations staffed by volunteers such as sporting associations, clubs, church groups, charities etc are all good target markets for "out of hours" clients  as, usually, the people assisting to run these organisations are also working outside normal 9-5.

It pays to remember your potential client base is not limited to your own town, state or country.  Your potential market is the world!

Other businesses to target if your are considering a part-time VA business are other start-up businesses like your own.  People starting consultancies and small businesses are sometimes working out of hours and in their free time too and they need to make the most of every moment and admin support will help them achieve this. 

There are many options for starting a Virtual Assistant business without taking a risky jump into the unknown. Don't feel you have to make a major change to reach your goal.  It is possible to start small and build your dream lifestyle gradually. 
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The Exceptional Assistant offers a number of educational options for Virtual Assistant’s at all stages of their journey, whether a fledgling business or established business wanting to expand and make the most of their opportunities. If you would like to find out more about starting your own Virtual Assistant Business email me at : enquiries@theexceptionalassistant.com.au

The First Time

I still remember my first ever client….. and I’m proud to say they still are my client.

I remember launching my business and sitting in my office waiting for the phone to ring.  I’d marketed my backside off and handed out my card to anyone who would stand still long enough and then…..finally.

I was so nervous as I stumbled my way through the conversation.  I gave them my pricing for the task and they didn’t flinch.  I was hired.

The job itself was pretty simple.  A couple of Powerpoint presentations. Nothing too difficult.  Just some overflow work for a large company.  I couldn’t believe my luck.

But the real thrill.  The part of the process that had me hooked was producing my first invoice.  The inexplicable pride I felt at creating an income from nothing was extraordinary.  I had made that happen.  I had created that work.  I had made that money. To paraphrase Tom Hanks in Castaway “I have created fire!”

It was a powerful feeling to realise I can make my own money.  I’m no longer relient on somebody to give me a job and a pay cheque.  I can make my own income.  The experience was personal satisfaction on a scale I had never experienced.

Now, of course, I’m much more comfortable when the phone rings.  I’m not so desperate to land every client either and I know if they turn my down, it’s not me they don’t like, it’s my offer.  Nothing personal.  (Sometimes I even turn them down.)  However the thrill of making it happen has never left.  I love sending my invoices each week and I always stop to give myself a pat on the back and a “well done!”  

The Bargain Basement VA

All Virtual Assistants are not the same.  

Much like clothing brands or shoes there are the bargain basement Kmart end of the spectrum right up to the luxury designer labels or Jimmy Choos.  So it is with Virtual Assistants.

I often get asked if I worry about losing my clients to a cheaper outsourced version of me in India or China, for example.

Many of my clients are high net worth individuals.  Some are more high profile than others.  The one thing they have in common is they are not looking for a bargain basement assistant.  They are looking for a high caliber assistant that compliments them and their respective businesses.  

They want an assistant that can handle independent decision making, who can act, respond and represent them in their absence.  An assistant who has the nous to tackle any situation, acts with integrity and professionalism  and who’s all encompassing brief is to “add value” and make their client’s day easier.  Most, don’t care what the service costs they just want things done and done right.

There will always be a place in the market for bargain basement VA’s and there will always be clients who hire their VA’s based purely on price.  I know this is not the market I want to operate in.

My rates reflect my years of experience and my qualifications and my clients get so much more than just an administrative assistant when they hire me, they get a business person and a very competent extra pair of hands.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

I was reflecting on some of the great reasons why I became a VA and if I had to pick a top 5, what would they be?  Well, here they are.  And just to prove not everything is a bed of roses, here also is my top 5 things that aren't so great about being a VA.

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The 5 best things about owning your own Virtual assistant Business.

 Being the Boss
It’s great being able to say “No” to something I don’t want to do because I am the Boss.  I also get to decide how I would like to tackle a task and I also get to decide where I am going to take my business next.  I love being in control of my work and my time.  No longer having to ask permission to do anything is very freeing.

Flexibility
No company could give me the work life balance I have now.  With a young family and the constant pushing and pulling most working mums experience, I have the flexibility to decide when and where I work.  I don’t have to ask for time off, I just take it when I need it.  Whilst the majority of my work does take place during business hours, I can choose to work outside of the traditional norms if I want to.

Positivity
I remember coming in to work some mornings feeling great until I met the office “downer” .  You know the type of person I mean?  They seem hell bent on sucking all the happiness out of a room and dragging everyone’s mood down to their level.  As a Virtual Assistant most of the people I work with love what they do and the result is an uplifting, positive environment to work in.  No more office politics, petty gossip and “downers”.

Money! Money! Money!
I don’t have to beg for a pay rise, I just go out and get one.  I decide how hard I work and what I earn doing it.  The sky really is the limit when you own a business.  It can be as big or small as you want it to be.  I control the purse strings and I reap the benefits.

Personal Pride
By far the most satisfying element of my career has been the sense of achievement I get from every dollar I earn.  The knowledge that I can generate my own income without relying on anyone else is very freeing.  Every success is my success.  I made it happen.  It is truly very satisfying.

The five worst things about owning my own Virtual Assistant Business

Fluctuating work load
Whilst I get to call the shots on what work I do and when I do it, there always seems to be a great deal of fluctuation in my workload.  I can’t always predict when the next wave will hit.  Learning to manage this and making proper use of the slower times to get yourself up to date and prepared for the next onslaught,can be draining at times.

No IT Guy
VA’s are technology reliant and when something goes wrong with the technology, there is no IT guy to come and fix it for me.  I have to work it out and find a solution by myself.  Thank God for Google!  There are many online techie forums which have been very helpful to me too.  But seriously, some days I’d sell my first born for access to a decent IT techie.

Taking a break
Ask anyone who is self employed and they will all tell you that the toughest aspect of owning a business is how to manage taking a much needed holiday.  Luckily I have a small team of trusted VA’s I subcontract to and who will babysit my clients for me (as I do for them when they take a break). However, I never really switch off from my business.  Even on holiday, I find my 
thoughts drift to planning my next move.

Isolation
I enjoy my own company, however working alone for long periods, even for an introvert like me, can be pretty isolating.  I make sure I get out of the office to lots of business events and functions to give me some much needed human interaction.  Having no colleagues to bounce ideas off is at times frustrating.  This is where annual conferences and online forums can sometimes help fill the void.

 Being responsible
The scary reality is that if everything goes pear shaped, there is nobody to blame.  There are no other team members that let the side down.  Any disasters I create, just like the successes are mine to own and that is pretty confronting.  We all make mistakes and I desperately try not to make the same one twice.

The Gut Instinct

Did you ever have one of those experiences in business where ever fibre of your being is telling you not to do something but your logical brain is trying to tell you “No it’s a great idea!”?  I frequently suffer from this and I’m convinced sometimes our subconscious brain is processing some unknown data that our thinking brain just can’t see.  Our subconscious has weighed and measured the results and doesn’t like what it sees and does it’s very best to warn us but sometimes I think we rely too much on what logic tells us is sound.

I was approached a few months ago with a speaking opportunity that just sounded great. A golden opportunity to promote myself, my business and my educational programs.  My expenses were being covered and the organisation was in alignment with my target audience and something I wanted to be part of.  However……..my “gut instinct” was nagging at me that there was something not quite right here, don’t sign anything until you know what it is.  

Thank goodness I listened to it.  The promoter of the event was disorganised and had let down a number of people.  Some of them I later learned were clients of mine who filled me in on the full back story.  Huge restrictions would have been placed on the content of my presentation due to a clash with an event sponsor.  The whole affair would have been a huge waste of time and resources for me and had I signed on my “logical” assessment I would have been trapped into attending regardless of the disadvantages.

Now conversely, I have had the opposite be true.  Sometimes an opportunity has looked all wrong from the outside but my gut is telling me to go ahead because it knows something I apparently don’t.  And, sure enough out of a less than promising situation a golden opportunity has come my way.

The longer I spend in business the more I am learning to head these warning signs.  After all, I figure my “gut” has my best interests at heart. 

 

Are you following your gut instincts?

The Bad Vibe

I really love networking nights.  I can’t say I always have.  When I started my business I dreaded them but now I view them as a social outlet as much as a business event.  I’m not a business person who can aggressively “tout their wares” at these functions.  I’m happy with a polite conversation and an expression of common interests and if a business alliance forms from the conversation down the track, it is a bonus.  Being a Virtual Assistant in a very solitary role it is important for my personal and professional development that I mix with other people.

Last week I attended a really great networking night.  It was well organised and there were some fun activities and a great venue to explore, however it is the very first time I have not felt entirely welcome as a Virtual Assistant.

Mostly, when I tell people what I do, the feedback is positive.  People are still curious about VA’s and what they do and generally the reaction from most people is one of polite interest.  Very rarely have I encountered a vibe where a Virtual Assistant is not a popular addition to a networking event.  Imagine my surprise at this event when my profession raised a few eyebrows. 

Now I should explain this particular event was aimed at Executive Assistants and their managers.  Most of the people in attendance were Executive Assistants with a smattering of corporate sponsors and companies employing large numbers of EA’s & PA’s.

Most of the Executive Assistant’s seemed to feel that as a Virtual assistant I didn’t really belong there and I should be at home in front of my computer. (Maybe for fear I might make their job redundant???.  I’m not sure)

 The corporate contingent seemed anxious I was going to steal their staff and convert them to the dark side (i.e. self employment).

It was a highly unusual situation for me and I am still puzzling over the “vibe” of the event.  Surely I wasn’t the first Virtual Assistant to attend?  What were the others like?  Had these people had bad experiences with Virtual Assistants?   I must emphasise here that I did not meet any overt statement of disapproval.  It was just a vibe with an odd hint in a sentence here and there.  I’m kicking myself I didn’t delve a little deeper into the reasons for it.  I think I was more than a little surprised at the reactions.

The vibe didn’t stop me from enjoying the event.  I actually bumped into some EA’s I knew and we caught up on old news and did some reminiscing.  I might have to go under cover as a regular EA at the next event and uncover the reasons…..I’ll keep you posted.