Who is a Virtual Assistant?

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You have been craving a career change…one that’s flexible enough to enable you to follow your passions and fulfill your purpose while earning your desired income. You’ve probably questioned if such a career path exists.

Well, guess what? It does! It’s called virtual assistance.

Have you ever heard the term Virtual Assistant or VA?

Whether you answered yes or no, keep reading. We’re going to dive in and learn about the world of Virtual Assistants.

A Virtual Assistant (commonly called VA) is an independent contractor who owns a service-based business operated virtually. These highly skilled professionals work from home or a location other than the client’s workplace. They typically provide services to multiple clients instead of a single business.

VAs support sole proprietors, small and medium businesses, large corporations, and other VAs.

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What Support Can Virtual Assistants Provide?

Imagine this with me for a moment. Jamil, a business coach, is feeling overwhelmed. He has missed a few meetings due to overbooking, his inbox has over 100 unread emails, and his website is overdue for a makeover. Adding to his frustration, Jamil’s to-do list seems to have no end.

He gets a wake-up call one day and makes the best decision for his business: he hires a VA. If you can picture Jamil’s new hire as someone with a cape to save the day with virtual support, you’re not far off! VAs can be considered superheroes.

VAs are professionals who offer a range of services, falling into three main categories: administrative, creative, and technical.

Administrative Support

Think of the tasks you’d typically associate with an office setting – typing, answering calls, managing emails, and drafting correspondence. An Administrative VA could seamlessly handle these tasks. But it doesn’t stop there; they could also assist with data entry, social media management, bookkeeping, and appointment scheduling.

Scenario: Meet Karla

Karla owns a subscription box business. She juggles numerous tasks and feels drained at the end of her workday. Responding to emails, packaging and shipping, and data entry are becoming overwhelming. Karla hires Tricia, an administrative Virtual Assistant.

Tricia takes charge of Karla’s inbox, staying on top of her schedules, and maintaining her customer database with new and current orders. With Tricia on board, Karla gains valuable time to focus on core business activities such as meeting with suppliers and doing workshops. Her new hire is helping her experience increased productivity and a more organized workflow.

Creative Support

The creative aspect of virtual assistance involves tasks that require a touch of creativity or design skills. Creating graphics for social media, producing YouTube videos, and crafting compelling copy are just a few examples. A Creative VA becomes a business owner’s partner, adding some pizzazz to their projects.

Scenario: Are you like Sarah?

Sarah is an entrepreneur eager to elevate her brand on social media. She lacks graphic design skills and isn’t finding time to write content. Along comes Christopher, a creative Virtual Assistant.

Christopher revamps Sarah’s social media presence with eye-catching graphics and compelling copy. The result? Sarah’s audience engagement has doubled, her brand is more visible, and she has a refreshed online identity. Christopher’s creative touch becomes a key asset in shaping Sarah’s business.

Technical Support

If systems, software, and apps seem like puzzle pieces, a VA with technical skills is the solution. Tech VAs can help set up backend processes, automate onboarding, configure payment systems, or assist in organizing live virtual events. Tech VAs can structure online courses in a Learning Management System (LMS). They can also help business owners build their tech stack, research platforms (in terms of price, features, comparisons, etc.), and assist with setup.

Scenario: Here’s Jake’s Story

Jake is a certified electrician who wants to streamline his processes and enhance efficiency. He also wants to offer online courses for aspiring electricians. However, navigating the technical intricacies of setting up backend systems and automating workflows is challenging.

Enter Zoe, a Tech Virtual Assistant. Zoe not only sets up seamless backend processes but also automates onboarding, configures payment systems, and sets up Jake’s online courses. Jake’s business experiences a huge transformation, saving him time and providing a smoother operation.

The beauty of all these tasks? A VA can seamlessly perform them remotely – no need for businesses to designate physical office space.

A virtual win-win!

While virtual assistance fall into these 3 categories, VAs may offer services in a combination of them. For example, a Real Estate VA may schedule showings AND create the social media graphics and copy to market clients’ properties for sale.

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Benefits of Being a Virtual Assistant

While VAs offer valuable support to businesses, what are the benefits of being a VA? In other words, what’s in it for them?

Well, here’s the cool thing about being a VA. You enjoy time, location, and financial freedom, among other things.

Let’s talk more about these.

Time Freedom

VAs typically work anywhere from 20 to 40 hours per week, depending on client needs. They also determine their work hours based on their availability. For example, a full-time employee may offer virtual assistant services for a few hours after work. On the other hand, a full-time VA is usually available for more hours each day.

Some VAs follow set hours, e.g., 5 hours per week (workdays vary), while others opt for flexible arrangements, working on specific days or times. The key is open communication between the client and the VA to establish a mutually beneficial schedule.

With time freedom, you can schedule time for family events, friends, and self-care. I can recall when I was thinking about becoming a VA. The first thing that came to mind was that I didn’t have to feel confined to a 9-5 job. I could create blocks of time for client work, breaks, networking events, housework, or whatever I chose. I could even set aside a half-day each week for self-care.

As a VA, you create your week to suit your lifestyle and adjust it when your needs change.

Doesn’t that sound exciting?

Location Freedom

The beauty of working as a Virtual Assistant is you can work from anywhere. By anywhere, I mean you can work from home, in a cafe or co-working space, or on the beach! Once you have a reliable computer and stable wi-fi, you’re good to go!

Some days, I work from my smartphone while waiting outside my children’s school. The opportunities for your work location are endless!

Financial Freedom

As an independent contractor, you set the tone for your finances. You determine your prices – hourly rate, project-based, retainers, etc. There are no hard-and-fast rules when it comes to pricing, but do the research to see what your competitors are doing. Once you and your client agree to your pricing, you are in control and can enjoy financial freedom.

Your earning potential will be based on your skill level, experience and the need for your service. FYI: Indeed recently reported that:

“The average salary for a virtual assistant is $24.78 per hour in the United States.”

For many employees, this may look very attractive.

Think about that trip you want to check off of your bucket list but you can’t because of your limited income. Or, what about that credit card debt that’s piling on interest?

As a VA, you can experience financial breakthroughs. I am not guaranteeing overnight success, but you can enjoy some of the wishes that seemed unattainable.

The good news about starting a virtual assistant business is you don’t need a hefty initial investment. Essential tools like a laptop, internet connection, phone, and email account suffice. You probably have access to these tools, which means a low start up cost. makes this one of the easiest careers to start. Training, marketing, and networking may require some investment, but the startup costs remain relatively low.

Hiring a VA with the right skills and experience gives businesses the confidence that their new partner is one of their best investments.