VIRTUAL ASSISTANTS – How To Start Your Business, Make A Flexible Schedule,

Jessica Hawks uploaded her first TikTok video in August 2020. It explained her experiences as a virtual assistant. She explained to viewers that she earned $9,000 monthly and didn’t have a college degree.

Hawks currently has over 893,000 TikTok followers who follow her content to learn about virtual assistants. What’s more, #virtualassistant has more than 483.5 million views on TikTok, while #virtualassistantcoach has more than 58 million views.

Hawks is one of many people who have started virtual-assistant companies during the pandemic. According to NanoGlobals, an expert in remote work and market analysis, gig and freelance work was an important sector of the economy during COVID-19. Virtual assistants reported a 41% rise in hiring in 2020 compared with 2019.

Entrepreneurs told Insider that virtual assisting is still very popular. Lauriel Mathis started her VA business two years ago. She now focuses her efforts on helping others in the industry. She said she had received hundreds of applications for her services.

Angela Lee, a Columbia University professor of professional practice, said that people have realized that everyone needs help over the past five years. She said, “Everyone I know requires a virtual assistant, and everybody I know has a hard time finding one.”

Small and large businesses can hire virtual assistants and gig workers today, which offers many opportunities to make ancillary income during the economic slowdown. Arun Sundararajan is the author of “The Sharing Economy” and a statistics, entrepreneurship, technology, and operations professor at New York University’s Stern School of Business.

Insider interviewed five virtual assistants to help them create their business plans.

• Continue reading: Virtual assistants offer a cost-effective solution for business owners experiencing a labor shortage.
• Continue reading: I am a virtual assistant earning $10,000 per month. These are the 3 ways I made my business fully functional in just 9 weeks.

1. Select your services

People say it is essential to identify your skills and interests when deciding on your services. Tasks as virtual assistants include designing marketing materials, creating social media strategies, and sending invoices to clients.

No matter your service, there is a tool to help you deliver quality work to your clients. Virtual assistants have stated that paying for premium online platforms and tools was worthwhile, while others prefer free resources to finish their jobs.

2. You can be different from the rest of the market

In the last two years, virtual assistants have seen a significant increase in demand. Employees who quit their full-time jobs to pursue flexible work hours in the fields they love were a part of this growth. The pandemic saw a record number of small businesses and brands being created, and this number is continuing to grow. In the US, more than 430,000 business applications were filed in October 2022. These trends were combined as virtual assistants searched for new entrepreneurs to help them as administrative, marketing, and social media assistants.

People told Insider that virtual assistants are becoming more popular. This means it is essential to stand out from the rest. You can do this by creating services or products that are unique to the clients you work with or finding niches of clients.

3. Your schedule

One of the many benefits of working as virtual assistants is their flexibility. Virtual assistants have the flexibility to set their hours and schedules. They can also choose how much time they work each week. Many virtual assistants also have full-time jobs.

People say that no matter your situation, setting a schedule that suits you is essential to creating a sustainable business model. Consider completing your morning work every morning if you are an early riser. This will allow you to take the afternoon off. Hawks said that if you are a night owl, you can sleep and get up at the most productive time.

4. Land clients strategically

Virtual assistants have the option to choose their clients and work for brands that they like.

People say social media is a great way to discover brands and potential customers. Identify your ideal industry and task, then share your ideas on solving client problems. Showing a client that your work will improve their business is the best way to get a client.

Alanna Smith, a virtual assistant, says that virtual events and webinars hosted at brands you are interested in working with can be a great way to meet potential clients. Smith uses breakout rooms to meet potential clients and build relationships.

5. Your brand can be developed

Virtual assistants often take on digital tasks such as email marketing or social media management for clients. Entrepreneurs said that virtual assistants are expected to maintain a curated platform. A virtual assistant can help you build professional relationships, whether it’s an Instagram account that is clean and artistic or a TikTok profile that showcases your creativity and personality.

It cannot be easy to market yourself online. Experts have shared some tips and tricks to help you do it.

Mathis is focused on creating quality content for social media to promote her company. Mathis invests in professional photography for future brand announcements and budgets to support marketing and advertising. To ensure that she is teaching the best information to her students, she also continues her education.