Setting up as a VA

dezzy31

Hi, Can anyone shed any light on the Virtual Administration business, is this business in decline?, or is it getting stronger?, has anyone used a VA in the past?. Any advice would be grateful. This is not a get rich idea I thought I would jump onto, I have plenty of experience and many ideas on making it different.

emsywoo123

dezzy31 wrote: »

Hi, Can anyone shed any light on the Virtual Administration business, is this business in decline?, or is it getting stronger?, has anyone used a VA in the past?. Any advice would be grateful. This is not a get rich idea I thought I would jump onto, I have plenty of experience and many ideas on making it different.

Mmm, not sure if I can help, but I currently use a service like this, what plans do you have to make yourself stand out from the crowd as it is a popular service!
Just to give you an idea, I looked for:

Value for money
Professionalism
How they handled initial enquiries
How understanding tehy seemed to be of my needs and how they could tailor services
Testimonials from others
Good website.

digp

This seems interesting. What exactly would you offer and for how much?

Horace

I wouldnt say that VA work is on the decline more on the increase as I know around 6 VAs with more starting up all the time.

dezzy31

Thanks for the replys, but I am not having a good start

I set up a website through streamline and finding there overall service poor!

Everyone knows a VA needs a website and I was using this as a quick solution whilst I designed one with adobe.

Anyway's rant over

I will post more details soon, if anyone else anymore tips I would be greatful

nzmegs

I set up as a VA initially and started applying for work on freelance websites such as peopleperhour and elance. I soon found that I was a better writer and now work full time in the writing arena.

I still have a website set up and have received two calls in 2 years coming directly from it. You have to go out and find the work, simply having a website won't help much, but is helpful to direct people to.

Making longstanding relationships is the most important part of my business. Knowing I have regular income helps me to feel confident. This means that you must have excellent communications, always meet deadlines and work to a consistently high standard. because many clients will think nothing of telling you that your work is no longer required - no notice...

Good luck. Rememebr to pitch low to start with and raise your rates as you become more successful.

dezzy31

Good Advice Nezmegs,

I am going to start advertising around my area promoting my services, I am ready to put in all the hours needed and work around the clock.

dezzy31

digp wrote: »

This seems interesting. What exactly would you offer and for how much?

I will be offering a headache solution which includes taking away the hassles a new or small business have. Dealing with the administration issues, networking and marketing, Book Keepi, giving businesses a internet presence through social networking plus more services like that.
Dealing with the HSE and other governing bodies who need to make decisions.

List can be endless in this field

Costs are to be determined on service but looking at £8 per hour or a monthly package of around £320 for 30 hours.

nzmegs

I know I said start low - but £8 an hour is not much when you consider your tax and expenses must come from this. I would aim for between £10 and £15.
Consider that your client won't have to pay NI, insurance or premises for you. Bearing that in mind they would expect to pay more than they would for an ordinary employee.
Many of the services you offer are quite specific. A book keeper would never charge less than £15 an hour and marketing experts charge upwards of £300 a day!
Take a good look at other websites offering similar services to see what they charge. Stay on the low side to start with, but don't undersell yourself:)