Hand Over Fist Money Makers by Yéman LANGA - HTML preview

Chapter 3:
Virtual Assistant

Synopsis

Freelancers and small businesses urgently require help running their businesses, however they’re not about to employ a secretary to come sit in the living room and answer calls.

As a virtual assistant, you may do anything from creating travel reservations to managing expense reimbursements to paying bills to setting up a dog sitter. And you accomplish it all from your own home base, interacting with your customers online and by telephone. You may make $20 and up an hour executing this type of work, depending upon your expertise.

Assist Others

Prior to packing up the office cubicle and terminating your employment with your boss, understand that becoming a virtual assistant isn't a simple job that merely anybody may do. To get successful, you require a great marketing strategy in addition to that telephone, PC and net connection.

A lot of virtual assistants work between fourteen and sixteen hours a day during the start phase. Even following building solid practices, one-third of these business owners acknowledge working nontraditional hours, admitting to working weekends and holidays.

Virtual assistants are freelance entrepreneurs who work remotely and utilize technology to present services to customers globally. Many work from their home base and get their project directions by telephone, facsimile, e-mail or even instant message.

While a lot of virtual assistants provide secretarial services, as more individuals with various backgrounds and skills move into the ranks, virtual assistants who specialize in such areas as promotion, graphic and internet design, IT support or even translations are getting common.

Customers are most probable to employ virtual assistants to save money-virtual assistants pay for their own gear, taxes, training, health care and insurance-or as they require assistance with a temporary project. Industries most frequently employing virtual assistants include the realty, coaching, financial services, accounting and law.

If you're questioning how to begin a business as a virtual assistant, here are a few hints:

• Determine just what sort of services you wish to provide, and examine your background to see to it you have enough experience.
• Ascertain your business niche- think about specializing in simply 2 to 3 services.
• Ascertain how much time and energy you have to dedicate to your business. Do you wish to work part or full time?
• Carry on exhaustive industry research to ascertain a need for your services in your area.
• Draft who your customers are, where they are and how to get at them.
• Carry out a market analysis. Ascertain the needs for your niche and center on how you'll implement that in your business.
• Understand your budgetary constraints-projected disbursals, anticipated income and how long you are able to "float" till your business is executing successfully.
• Organize a business plan and critique it frequently to handle growth and change.
• Analyze your equipment, software and work space to see to it they meet customer needs.
• Get through all legal and financial facets of startup prior to securing your first customer.
• Promote your services 24/7. Simply because you've built a site or placed an ad in the Yellow Pages doesn't mean customers will come knocking on your door.

You may need to think about joining a professional organization or networking group. This will provide you the chance to network, establish camaraderie and have access to a knowledge bank for resolving technical issues.