So you’re probably reading this article because you’ve just heard about this hot topic of a Virtual Assistant (VA).
Maybe you’re a small business owner that needs to outsource tasks. Or an individual that just got laid off from a job and is now looking for new opportunities.
You discover that a VA is an individual that gives support to other businesses from a remote location.
They get to choose who they work for, what tasks they take on and they can even work from anywhere in the world because they manage their own schedule.
They’re basically their own boss right?
You start getting excited and naturally you google how I can get started as a virtual assistant or where can I find a virtual assistant?
If you’re an employer you are forced to navigate through freelancing sites, social media pages and job sites spending precious time searching for the right fit.
If you’re an aspiring VA you’re faced with making a decision regarding course packages, training and online coaches that are providing you with information on creating your branding, contracting, invoicing, finding your niche and your first client.
These are all great stuff until you are suddenly overwhelmed and slowly being eaten up by your own mind telling you that it’s too much.
You keep telling yourself you don’t have the experience and that it’s too hard.
Or you might just be feeling like you’ve spent precious time and resources on a VA and didn’t get the best ROI.
If this sounds like you, then i urge you to TAKE A DEEP BREATHE RIGHT NOW!
Employers - Meet your future VA and business manager.
Say goodbye to wasting precious time searching for candidates because if I can’t help I’ll connect you to some top-notch VAs in my network that can.
If you’re an aspiring freelancer then keep following.
I’ll be sharing with you through this blog and my social media pages all the steps I took to get started, along with top resources that I’ve been using to scale my business as a VA and online marketer.
Here is a quick snippet of how I got started as a VA.
Introduction to Freelancing
Pre-Covid 19
My Journey began in December of 2015 when I was introduced to a company called Internet Income Jamaica (IIJ).
At the time I was a gift shop sales associate for Carnival Cruise Line that was on a three month holiday break.
Half Moon Cay
While on vacation, I was looking for seasonal opportunities but was unable to find something on such short notice.
My mom had taken a course with IIJ a few years prior and recommended that I take one of their classes.
The timing was perfect because they had an upcoming two-day workshop scheduled for the beginning of December.
I immediately registered, excited at the prospect of making money online.
The course was extremely hands-on and focused on best practices for maximizing freelancing platforms.
The information was so effective that I landed my first job by the second day of the workshop.
After that, it was all uphill and I had successfully made US$350 by Mid-January of 2016.
I started out doing a lot of research jobs, data entry, transcription and phone call gigs.
These were everyday things that I would normally do in my professional career.
The only difference was that I was providing these services remotely.
I unfortunately had to place my side gig on hold for a few months because it was not feasible after returning to work due to spotty wifi and an irregular work schedule.
It was quite disappointing because I had made connections with persons that actually needed long-term support.
After I moved back to dry land in May 2017 I continued to freelance as a VA while working a full time job.
As a part-time VA I did a lot of short-term projects. I spent a lot of time self-teaching and was fortunate to come across many employers that were willing to train and coach me about their particular business.
That’s the great thing about being a VA. Employers will just see your potential and just give you an opportunity.
Your employer will be your biggest coach and motivator.
It was such a great feeling to have a side hustle that I was passionate about and also helped with my overall development.
I did most of my saving from my full-time job and I pretty much indulged in everything I made from freelancing.
I was determined to make as much as I could from freelancing so I could have the best vacations and not feel guilty that I’ve spent too much.
And that’s pretty much how things went for the next two years until I was laid off from work in March 2020 due to Covid-19.
Post-Covid 19
Naturally I started job searching while continuing to freelance part-time.
The idea of freelancing full-time absolutely scared me so I placed most of my efforts job searching than freelancing.
But everything quickly changed when I was introduced to the cashflow quadrant on a networking webinar.
It really flipped a switch for me. In just a few moments my life changed.
I was more determined than ever before to start baking my own pie than living in the employee box.
Another job wasn’t what I needed. I no longer aspired to be ‘Just Over Broke.’
My job loss along with lessons from Rich Dad, Poor Dad was exactly the catalyst that I needed to invest in being a full-time VA and online marketer.
So join me on my personal journey.
I’m taking it back to basics by starting where it all began. Which is creating a reputation that clients trust and would want to work with.
I’ll be sharing with you my journey, progress, challenges and weakness until I’ve scaled my side hustle to a 7 figure empire.
Are you ready to Boss up too??