Virtual assistant
A great home-based job is to become a virtual assistant. If you have great organizational skills and that ability to assist others, you will make a great virtual assistant. A virtual assistant is basically the same thing as an administrative assistant, just without the full-time payroll. Since many companies are spread out all over the country, executives and directors are often far away from their staff members which can lead to scheduling conflicts and confusion. A virtual assistant can easily help them manage their schedules and tasks from the comfort of their home.
To become a virtual assistant, you need to possess great organizational skills. Most virtual assistance will provide companies with basic accounting, creative, and technical skills. You must have a degree from a 4 year institution and you must also have real work experience as an administrative assistant. There are about 40,000 virtual assistants and 90 percent of them are women. To get your foot in the door, look for small business consulting groups that are hiring virtual assistants. You will need a home office that is free from distractions for a few hours a day. It is important to have a reliable computer with internet access along with a telephone line, fax machine, web camera, and basic office supplies. Virtual assistants will rely heavily on e-mail communication along with telephone and web camera meetings.
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Try to dedicate at least one room in your home to be your office. This area must have a door so you can shut-out noise when you are on phone calls or in virtual meetings with your clients.
Virtual assistants normally spend about 4 hours on work each day. This averages out to be anywhere from 20-25 hours of work each week.
A virtual assistant is paid on an hourly basis and it normally is about $25 - $ 50 per hour. This business rates as a 3 on a scale of 1-5, with 5 being the highest. Since you really can't grow your business, it is more of a part-time job for stay-at-home parents.
To become a successful virtual assistant, you should consider purchasing some software and online books that will teach you all you need to know about becoming a virtual assistant. Most of the companies will provide you with a quick training course to help you get up to speed with their company and the services they offer. Building your reputation is the best way you can keep your job as a virtual assistant and to work for 2-4 different companies. This is why you need to have a nice workstation that your clients will see on their web camera. You can work in sweats, just make sure your clients don't see it and that you are in a professional demeanor at all times.
With a virtual assistant job, you need to be concerned about your reputation. One little problem can easily cost you a client and this bad publicity will spread to others. Always make sure you are organized and on-top of the things your clients need. There is an initial investment to get your business up and going and it will take awhile before you earn this money back. Just make sure you are not dipping into your life savings to start the company. The good thing is that the money you spend on your business is normally tax-deductible. Along with taxes, you are now responsible for paying your taxes. If you don't know how to do your personal business taxes, hire a tax attorney to do them for you. Always make sure you have some extra money to pay for advertising costs and any office equipment you may need to keep your job, like software upgrades and equipment upgrades.
