Becoming a virtual assistant is a great stay at home work opportunity for moms or anyone else who wants to be able to run their own business from home. After including it in my list of WAHM jobs, I decided I would write a post dedicated to becoming a virtual assistant to help anyone interested in this home based business get started on the right foot.

There are several ways to go about becoming a virtual assistant, but probably the best way to make the most money is to work for yourself. There are a few companies that are already established that hire virtual assistants on a contractual basis, but if you don’t mind doing a little leg work you may find working for yourself is the most rewarding. There are basically three steps to becoming a virtual assistant – preparing your business and plan, marketing yourself and getting clients, and then naturally doing the virtual assistant work and follow up itself.

Before You Start Your Virtual Assistant Home Based Business
Before you get started, there are some things you will need to consider:

1. What services will you offer?: This is one of the most important things to decide on, since it is why people will hire you. Will you offer typing services? Database entry? Desktop publishing? Writing press releases? Proofreading? Scheduling and event coordination? Bookkeeping? Make sure that whatever services you offer you are qualified to do them well.

2. What Will You Charge?: Pricing is important, too – you want to make sure you charge enough that it is worth your time, but at the same time if you charge too much some business professionals may not hire you. Do research to see what other virtual assistants are charging and price competitively.

3. What Supplies Do You Need?: At the very least, you will need a computer and a telephone. You may also want to consider a fax machine or you can sign up to Get a MyFax Number which allows you to receive faxes by email.

4. Determine Your Target Market and How You Will Reach Them: Make a list of all the businesses or professionals who may need or use your service. You will also need to make a plan on how you will reach them, since if no one knows about you they won’t be able to hire you as a virtual assistant! Planning this before you actually start marketing can save a lot of time before becoming a virtual assistant!

5. Check Out Your State’s Requirements: Every country and state has different requirements for how to start a business. You may be okay to just work under your social security number and name without registering, but in some areas you may even need a license. You may also want to check into liability insurance. Make sure to check with your local business bureau to make sure you’ll be covered.

How to Get Clients as a Virtual Assistant
You need clients in order to have a business, here are some ways to help you find them:

1. Create a Website: A website is a 24/7 business card and commercial for your services. Remember that your website will represent you and your image as a virtual assistant, so the more professional it looks, the better.

2. List Your Services Online: There are many places online where you can list your services. Some are free, others are rather expensive (such as a Yellow Pages Ad). Hopefully by doing your target market you will know which ones would be suitable for attracting potential clients to you.

3. Join Professional Organizations: Your local chamber of commerce, networking groups near you (check out meetup.com for some that are free/low cost) and virtual assistant associations can help you spread the word about your business.

4. Advertise: Advertising can be hit or miss, but if you’ve researched your target market carefully you will have a good idea as to where the most effective places to advertise are. One place that is free to try that may bring you clients instantly is Craigslist. You can even use Craigslist ad creators to make your ad stand out and seem more professional.

5. Contact Your Target Market: Depending on who your target market is, you can often call or visit them to introduce yourself and your services. People do not really like being “sold to”, but if you have something of value to offer them that can save them time and maybe even make them more money, they will likely be interested. Small local businesses or local professionals may be a good place to start.

Once Your Business is Running
Once you’ve started your business, it is up to you to run it smoothly.

1. Produce Quality Results: The better quality results you have, the more satisfied clients you will have. Satisfied clients = future jobs and referrals.

2. Deliver Fantastic Customer Service: People love it when their calls are returned and work is completed quickly. The better customer service you have for your home based business, the more happier your clients will be and they will come back for more and more and depend on you.

3. Continue Marketing Until You Have Enough Repeat Business: Marketing isn’t something to stop once you have 1-2 clients. If you plan on making this a full-time business, you will have to continually have to market yourself until you have enough steady clients. Once you have enough clients that you start worrying about if you have too many, then you can begin thinking about hiring a second virtual assistant to help you or ease off on your marketing efforts.

4. Keep Records: You will need to keep records when it is time to file your taxes. Make sure you track all of your expenses as well as earnings you make so that when you go to file it is not a major nightmare. (It’s actually pretty easy if you’re organized!)

Becoming a virtual assistant takes a lot of effort to get started, but once you have steady clients and work you may find it to be very rewarding. Have any other tips on becoming a virtual assistant? Share them in the comments below.