Launching Your VA Career with Abbey Ashley of The Virtual Savvy-EP042
Advanced Freelancing
English - June 08, 2017 10:00 - 28 minutes - 23.6 MB - ★★★★★ - 29 ratingsBusiness entrepreneurship freelancer freelancing Homepage Download Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Perhaps you dread going to the office every day because you simply aren’t inspired by what you do. Or maybe your heart isn’t in the traditional 9 to 5 anymore because of little ones at home that you are missing. Either way, today’s guest has been in your shoes, and she knows how to launch a business as a virtual assistant that will afford you the opportunity to be the parent you want to be and develop a career that you love.
Abbey Ashley was looking for work-from-home opportunities after the birth of her first child. A friend recommended that she look into becoming a VA, so she did some research and determined that it would be a good fit. She leveraged her background in marketing to help small business owners with various administrative projects, and within four months she had to bring in subcontractors to help with the overload of work!
In March 2016, Abbey founded The Virtual Savvy to help other women launch and grow their own virtual assistant businesses. She is on a mission to empower women to enjoy the freedom and flexibility afforded by a work-from-home VA career. Today she discusses the most in-demand services a virtual assistant can offer as well as proven strategies for landing clients. Turn passion into profit and launch your VA career today!
Key Takeaways
The role of a VA
Help entrepreneurs/small business owners online General tasks include marketing, admin and social mediaAbbey’s guidance for ‘repackaging’ traditional job skills
Start with what you already know (list skills you might offer) Pick one or two things you are interested in learning as you goThe most in-demand VA services in the current market
Social media (content creation and scheduling) Blog posts Web programs (back end) Landing page creation Email marketingHow to land your first client as a new VA
Look to people you already know Accept one-off/short-term projectsWhy it’s better for VAs to offer general services in the beginning
Small wins build confidence Practice period helps you determine your niche, ideal client Opportunity to develop processes, learn contracts and invoicing Potential to get paid to learn new skills, do researchAbbey’s best strategies for landing new clients
Leverage online sources (i.e.: Facebook, LinkedIn, Upwork) Join 20-30 entrepreneurial Facebook groups Use search terms such as VA, hire/helpHow to make your proposal stand out
Develop a value-first mindset Invest the time to customize your proposalAbbey’s number one tip for new VAs
Spend less time on things that aren’t going to directly land clients 80% of your time should be spent on marketing
Resources
Connect with Abbey Ashley