Running a business is not easy and often, the administration side of the business can take precious time away from income generating activities. Not everyone however can afford or needs someone to work full time. With more and more companies being formed every day and more people working from home, the need for virtual assistants is growing – in fact it is predicated that the Virtual Assistant sector will be worth over £34 billion by 2027. Here we have some top tips to help you get a better understanding the role and what starting a business of this nature entails.
What is a virtual assistant?
A virtual assistant is also known as a VA. This person provides services to businesses or clients remotely. It is like freelancing, only that VAs usually work from home and not go from to the offices of their clients. Often, VAs do not really meet any of their clients personally. VAs usually deal with administrative tasks that need to be done but their jobs are not limited to this. They can be pretty much given tasks that deal with a variety of things including social media management, email management, bookkeeping, payroll, and project management among many others. The important thing is that the tasks given to the VA can be done remotely.
How to set up a virtual assistant business?
There are things that should be done to help with setting up a virtual assistant business. Here are some tips that can help get the process started. • Do research about the virtual assistant business. Research helps an individual know more about the business. There are plenty of sources online to get information including online forums, ebooks, and Facebook groups dedicated entirely to virtual assistants. This should help give an idea about all the types of tasks that virtual assistants do. • Have a list of services that the virtual assistant business will offer. A business owner should also create a list of services that the business would be offering. It is important to keep in mind that it is up to you what services you offer – VA’s tend to offer a wide range of services. These tasks can include writing, editing, proofreading, website maintenance, website design, e-commerce management, customer generation, search engine optimization, research, data entry, billing, invoicing, logistics management, event planning, calendar management, content creation, marketing, email management, customer support, and bookkeeping among many others. So before a virtual assistant business is set up, the owner should create a list of the services that he or she can offer. • Know who are the potential clients of the virtual assistant business. It is also important to create a list of all potential clients that the business would have. One can list the names of those that they can tap as clients. If that is not possible, then the potential markets would do for now and this would depend on the services that the business would be offering. • Invest in the right equipment. A good computer or laptop that has the right amount of storage and specifications that can keep up with the work needed for a virtual assistant is one of the things that should be invested in. One should also have updated versions of Microsoft and Windows. Other things that one should invest in would be a business email, a dedicated phone for the business, a printer that can also scan, copy, and fax documents, a fast internet connection, and software needed for virtual assistant tasks. • Choose the structure of the virtual assistant business. It is also important for business owners to choose the business structure. The easiest would be as a sole proprietor but it does come with its own disadvantages. There are other business structures to choose from and a business owner should determine which would be the best for the virtual assistant business. Those who may not be sure about how to go about this can take advantage of the services of company formations agents to get things rolling. Registering office services would also be highly recommended to protect the owner’s personal information – you can contact Company Adress Services for more on how to form your company or to use our address.
Is a license needed to run a virtual assistant business?
No. There are no specific permits needed to open and run a Virtual Assistant business. However, you should be aware of any local/national business permits and tax regulations when you open your business.
How should a virtual assistant business be marketed?
Marketing a virtual assistant business is a vital thing to do to make sure that people know about what it offers. It is important for an owner to understand the potential market and try to find a way on how to connect with them. There are plenty of ways to get the word out about the business and these include the following:
• Creating a website for the business. • Social media marketing. • Adding the business to local business directories. • Cold-calling. • Email marketing.
The virtual assistant business is relatively low cost to set up and can be quite a lucrative business nowadays and this is the good time to tap into that market. We hope these ideas and tips will help you on your way to starting a virtual assistant business!
published under Business Address Guides
