You have searched long and hard about ways to augment your income. You have discovered the numerous opportunities associated with online freelancing and want to give it a try. But you’re intrigued because there’s a term that’s new to you and it pops up every now and then.
You’ve read numerous articles and probably even watched dozens of videos on the internet that promote online freelancing that mentions Virtual Assistant as a promising career.
Because of it, you’re even more curious and wonder what a Virtual Assistant or VA means.
What is a Virtual Assistant?
A virtual assistant can be likened to any other traditional employee whose work is done using the computer. The main difference is that they’re not or need to be in the same physical location as their client. They perform a variety of tasks in which they’re good at and get paid according to the complexity of their tasks or the value it brings to their client’s business.
The internet connects the Virtual Assistant with their clients. They use a wide range of software tools – offline and online, to complete their specialized tasks that help their client’s businesses grow.
Virtual Assistants offer a wide range of services. It can range from content creation, graphics editing, project management, manage social media presence, online marketing, etc.
One of the biggest advantages of becoming a Virtual Assistant is that they usually work for a client for the long term and not on a project basis. It’s because running a business is a continuous cycle done over time and not a one-time affair.
How Virtual Assistants help their clients
Virtual Assistants, in essence, help run their client’s day to day business operations with the same level of productivity as that of traditional employees, sometimes even more.
Even if the virtual assistant and their respective clients and are not on the same physical location, collaboration or communication is not a problem thanks to the advancements in internet technology.
To top it all off, Virtual Assistants help clients cut costs big time.
When business owners hire people traditionally, they incur bigger operating expenses.
Aside from the costs necessary to run their business operations, they also have to abide by existing labor laws like providing the required statutory benefits like health insurance, paid leaves, etc.
When business owners choose to hire Virtual Assistants, they only need to worry about their VA’s hourly rate while still enjoying the same level of productivity expected from traditional employees.
Should I become a Virtual Assistant?
Doing online freelance work isn’t for everyone. There will always be pros and cons no matter how lucrative the opportunity may be. The best thing that you can do when venturing into a new career is to have someone guide you to lessen the risks involved and get results much faster.
Why?
When you learn from other people’s mistakes and apply the lessons, they’ve learned helps you speed up the entire process and thus help you land your first paying client easily.