Subject: What You Need and Getting Started
Tags: Virtual Assistant, work from home, wahm, Dawson Documents
Blog Entry: What you Need and Getting Started Ok, so you want to be a Virtual Assistant (VA) but that’s as far as you have gotten so far? Read on and this may assist you in starting your business and completing those next couple of vital steps. When I started out with Dawson Documents, I was so overwhelmed with what I needed to do, to actually start working. Before I even thought about a client or completing work, there was so much more I had to do. Research plays an important part in starting any Business. You need to be aware of what else is out there, exactly what they are offering, why they are offering it and what they are doing to get themselves known. You will need to know all of this and be clear with what YOU want to offer and what YOU want to achieve from your own Business. Google ( www.google.com.au ) of course is the number 1 search engine, so start searching. After doing your research you will find that some say the Virtual Assistant industry has become so popular because it helps women become entrepreneurs yet also achieves a work/life balance. This is just one reason I became a VA. You have completed your research and you have your Business name, now what? As mentioned in the First Article ‘I Want to Be a VA’, start by getting an ABN. It is a great idea to get your Business Name registered for Tax Reasons and to ensure the Business name you want is available. As much as no one likes to admit, there are people out there that will copy what you are doing. You will experience this some way or another in Business. You can register your ABN here www.abr.business.gov.au So you have your Business name, your ABN, do you know what you want to offer? Another option you have is to consult a Business Coach. There are many around and they all offer different services. A Business Coach Company I am working with at the moment is Enever Consulting ( www.eneverconsulting.com.au ), and this is just one from many available to you. Websites- the World Wide Web is a most important part of your Business. Your website will convey what you do and what you can offer your clients. You can build a website, or get one made for you. My opinion would be to give it a go, especially if funds are an issue to start with. A great option is webs.com. You can utilise and build on the free option and once you are ready to go live with your Website, pay the monthly membership to get the bonus features and to also eliminate other advertising banners on your page. Please feel free to ask questions regarding this. Two others great website builders are www.webcitypro.com (there is a fee for this though check out for free with the trial period) and www.wordpress.org. You then also need to purchase a domain name to match your Business name. You have the option to purchase a.com or a .com.au name. Being in Australia I decided with the .com.au ( www.dawsondocuments.com.au ) Looking back now I should have purchased both as recently after completing a Google search, I had seen that someone has brought and is now using the .com option, so my advice would be to purchase both. You can get a domain name for as little as $12 per year. Again, you can shop around. A couple of websites for domain names are www.crazydomains.com.au , www.cheapdomains.com.au , www.godaddy.com and www.webcity.com.au . So what is everyone else doing? There are many Resources out there for VA’s. A good place to start is by checking out the Virtual Assistant Forums located on the Internet. Become a member, ask questions and familiarise yourself with what other VA’s are doing. Here are a couple of my recommendations: www. virtualassistantforums .com/ www.vanetworking.com www. virtualassistant networking.com Set Your Prices What are you going to offer your clients? You need to be very clear about this. What will you offer and how much will you charge. When I first started my prices were lower compared to now- though I have kept them quite low as I know how hard it can be in Business and if a business needs to outsource, I love nothing more than for them to turn to me (outsource) and I like to keep things affordable for others in similar situations. Make a list of what you can offer your clients and a price for your Services. You can charge by the hour, use retainer packages or charge by the task completed; this is purely your choice. Most clients are likely to hire Virtual Assistants because 1) they can save money by hiring a VA for a task rather than paying for a full time staff member 2) The job can be completed more quickly than if they were to complete it themselves and 3) they simply do not have the time, resources or knowledge to complete the task at hand. A Virtual Assistant pays for their own equipment, utilities, superannuation and joke or not, coffee so it is a far more economical solution for a Business to hire a VA. Again, remember to start small and work your way up. How much time are you going to spend on your new Business? All people who work from home in their own Business decide to do so for their own reasons. One big reason being that they want to be at home with their children so deciding how much time you are going to spend on your Business is important, not only for you, but for your family. My priority is my family (I have 2 children and a Husband that I could sometimes call my third child) and they always come first, before my Business. I work around them, which means scheduling my work time around mostly my 3 year old Social life. Sometimes I think he has a better Social life than me. Setting a routine and sticking to it is important, if you don’t, you may find yourself drowning before you have even started, so make it simple for yourself from the start. Do you have the right equipment? When I started out I had just an old computer, and that was all I had. I now have a laptop so I can take my work away with me (yes I went to Bali last year and took my laptop). I have since upgraded the Computer and Laptop, have a Printer to keep up with paperwork and am now building a new house just to get my own home office. Ok so the new house just isn’t for me, but having your own workspace is important. When running a Virtual Assistant Business it is important to keep your organisation up to date and always practice what you preach. Now you have started, you are on your way to having your own Virtual Assistant business. Where are the clients you ask? Next article I will go through and suggest the best ways of getting your clients and marketing your Business. Remember, by 2015 people will be asking not ‘What is a Virtual Assistant’ but ‘Who is your Virtual Assistant.’ Erin Dawson Dawson Documents- Virtual Assistant www.dawsondocuments.com.au erin@dawsondocuments.com www.facebook.com/dawsondocumentsva Erin Dawson runs Dawson Documents- Virtual Assistant as a home based Business. She has 2 children that take priority over her work 9and a husband to look after as well), though her Clients are always not far behind. She assists Businesses with their Administration needs and works until the Client's tasks are fulfilled. To have a look at what Erin offers her clients, feel free to check out the links above.
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