All around the internet I’ve been hearing about Virtual Assistants. One of my close friends who is a business/life coach raves about her VA who helps her with emails, daily tasks, scheduling and much more. Her virtual assistant helps her to focus on her business by taking the hassle of the “little” jobs off her shoulders. This sounds like a great thing, for both the busy professional and the stay at home mom who wants to make a good living.

But I had some questions about being a Virtual Assistant. After doing some research and asking a few of my friends about it, these are the answers I got for my questions. If you’re thinking about becoming a Virtual Assistant, these questions might be helpful to you as well!

What is a virtual assistant?

A virtual assistant or VA is a self-employed, home-based entrepreneur who assists other businesses, often in administrative work. In other words, a VA is an office assistant who never has to step into her client’s office! In addition, most business owners have particular tasks that they will turn over to their virtual assistants, and these can go beyond basic office or business administration.

What skills do I need to become a VA?

The basic skills a VA needs are office and business administration skills. A VA also needs to be highly organized, communicate effectively and pay careful attention to detail. Some clients look for additional technical skills, such as writing, marketing, social media, blog or website maintenance, and multimedia production – even podcasting!

The skill set you’ll need as a VA depends on the type of clients you want to work with. Find out what they NEED and build your skills to respond effectively.

What kinds of work does a VA do?

VAs commonly do office-related stuff, such as:

responding to emails
making travel arrangements
sending out faxes
researching and compiling information
business writing
typing up notes or transcribing audios

In addition, VAs nowadays are often expected to:

write and publish or schedule blog posts
work with autoresponders
rewrite private label rights content
optimize a website for search engines
create a slideshow presentation
update websites
set up social networking profiles/pages
create videos and publish them online

Is being a VA a good option for Moms?

Oh yes! A lot of work at home Moms I know are VAs and they make good incomes from the comfort of their home, without having to leave their children in the care of others. Virtual assistance is a home business, which means it’s flexible. You decide how many hours a day you want to work, on which days, what type of work you want to do, and even whom you will work with.

On the other hand, if you have small children, remember that occasionally you will need to be on the phone or webchat with a client, supplier or other associate. In this case you’ll need somebody else looking after your small children so you can have some quiet and be able to focus on the call or chat.

How much money can I make as a VA?

The hourly rate of VAs depends on several factors. These include their skills and experience, whether they specialize in certain services or a particular industry, and any certifications they may have (those who are certified by recognized institutions charge higher fees). VA fees vary widely, ranging anywhere from around $15 to $70 per hour. So you can see, it’s entirely possible for a VA to make a full-time income working at home.

Ok, I’m interested. Where do I begin?

You can try and figure everything out yourself, of course. But better yet, get the guidance of experienced VAs who have successful virtual assistance businesses. Two such VAs are Jen Houck and Nell Taliercio who have a combined experience of over 5 years in virtual assistance. They share their success stories and step-by-step tips in the Just Add Sweat Guide To Becoming A Virtual Assistant.

The guide includes:

an audio course on everything from setting up your VA business, to marketing your services and finding and keeping clients
a workbook to get you into action
5 videos teaching essential Internet skills
…and more.

This is the guide that will get your VA business up and running in no time. Who knows? Becoming a virtual assistant may be the next perfect “job” for you.