How to Make Money as a Virtual Assistant

Virtual Assisting is flexible, fun, and one of the best ways to earn extra income from home! Whether you need a little extra spending money, or want to help out your family’s bottom line, this in-depth post shares how to make money as a virtual assistant, including where to find your first job.

This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy here.
Virtual Assisting is flexible, fun, and one of the best ways to earn extra income from home! Whether you need a little extra spending money, or want to help out your family's bottom line, this in-depth post has everything you need to get started, including where to find your first job.

When Creative Savings first started, I was making very little money……okay, practically none at all…….BUT, I still had to pay for hosting, domains, and any extra expenses that came with running a part-time, wannabe full-time, blog.

I thought if I could at least cover those expenses, I’d have a little more flexibility to grow. You know, the whole “it takes money to make money” kind of thing? So I hustled, worked my way into a few Facebook groups, found a couple jobs, and began connecting bloggers with brands via the world of virtual assisting.

I sold advertising spaces, sponsored posts, and even worked on developing eBooks for bloggers of all shapes and sizes. When Ruth from LivingWellSpendingLess.com hired me on as her part-time assistant, I then expanded into email management, coordinated giveaways, and juggled many more projects on top of that!

It was a lot of fun, but remember, I was still running Creative Savings in the background, so when my own blog grew beyond what I could handle, I left virtual assisting behind to focus on Creative Savings full-time. And just this past year, I hired on my own virtual assistants so I could continue to grow this blog even further than if it were just me buzzing around behind-the-scenes.

I guess you could say I’ve experienced both sides of the virtual assistant biz over the past few years, and I have to tell you, it’s one of the best ways to earn extra income on the side, especially if you work from home!

What Sort of Things Do Virtual Assistants Do?

When I tell people I used to be a virtual assistant {or VA for short}, the inevitable first question is, “What sort of things do they do?” The sky is pretty much the limit, but here are a few of the most common tasks:

What does a virtual assistant do? Email Management, Newsletter Management, Social Media Management, Graphic Design, Calendar Organization, Writing and Editing, Research, Basic Bookkeeping, Project Management, SEO Optimization, Anything else that can be done behind-the-scenes...virtually!

It’s easy for me to assume that only professional bloggers have virtual assistants, but that’s definitely not true. Businesses all over the world contract virtual assistants to work for them as sometimes VA’s can be much cheaper to hire than employees, particularly if they’re only needed for a specific project or for just a few hours a week.

But don’t let that word “cheap” discourage you from getting started. Depending on your skills and expertise, you can charge anywhere from $12-$60 an hour as a VA, and for those whose work is in high demand, I’ve seen much much higher than that!

What Does it Take to Become a Virtual Assistant?

There’s not a huge barrier to become a virtual assistant, but in my years working as one as well as having hired some, it does take the right person to thrive in a virtual environment.

1. Be Familiar with Technology. You must have access to the internet and to a computer, preferably one at home. This is where you show up to work everyday, so make sure both are in working condition! You should also be really familiar with email and make sure you check in at least 2-3 times per day. This is the main form of communication and you have to be accessible.

The Bootstrap VA2. Read The Bootstrap VA. This eBook was written a couple years ago, but is still the most comprehensive book out there for those who want to get started. If you’re looking for more details on how to set up your business and get started, you definitely want to snag this book!

3. Rock at the Details. Virtual assisting is all in the details. Anyone can become a virtual assistant with the right training, but what really makes you stand out is your ability to handle all those little details that can easily slip by. Business owners and bloggers don’t want to come behind you to see what you’ve missed — they need you to be on top of your game and do the job even better than they could do themselves.

4. Be Efficient. Because you’re getting paid by the hour, you have to make sure you know what you’re doing, do it well, and do it rather quickly. Stay disciplined! Business owners will move on if they can find someone to do the same job faster, cheaper, and better. Self-motivation is key.

5. Meet Deadlines. You also need to meet deadlines, and I would go so far as to say exceed them. There will be tight turnarounds for sure, and you’ll be juggling a lot of different tasks at the same time. But if you can deliver excellent work and on time, you’ll be the VA that everybody wants to hire, and as a result, charge even more for your excellent services.

Where Can I Find Virtual Assistant Jobs?

There are virtual assistant jobs everywhere, and honestly, the majority will come from friends referring friends if your work is top-notch. But to get that first step in the door, here are my suggestions on where to look.

1. Email Your Favorite Bloggers. If you enjoy reading blogs, I’m pretty sure those bloggers you follow are drowning in email, business requests, and trying desperately to keep up with the latest social media trends. Email them with a rundown of your specialties {don’t just say “you’ll do anything”}, and ask if you can help out with a specific task or project. Some of the best VA’s are found in loyal readers!

2. Join Virtual Assistant Facebook Groups. Some of my first jobs were found in VA groups on Facebook. Once you buy The Bootstrap VA, you get instant access to the community there, and VA’s are always posting job requests or passing off tasks that they might not have time to do themselves.

More Facebook groups to consider are: Virtual Assistants for Bloggers // Virtual Assistant Tribe Job Board // Virtual Assistant Jobs

Virtual Assistant Facebook Group

3. Create a Website. Although not a necessity, a clean looking and professional website becomes your virtual presence that explains what you can do, and any experience you’ve had thus far. This will also be the place to display client testimonials once you’ve had some experience, and land even more virtual jobs based on your recommendations and expertise. I recommend starting on WordPress {.org NOT .com}, and you can create a web domain and host your site with Bluehost for as little as $3.95 a month.

Think about whether virtual assisting could fit into your life right now and if it could be a potential money-maker for you and your family. This might be the flexibility and freedom you’ve been searching for all along!

If you have any questions regarding how to make money as a Virtual Assistant, please leave them in the comments and I’ll either answer you there, or do a follow up Q&A post.

Have you ever thought about virtual assisting?

Disclosure: Some of the links in the post above are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. Read my full disclosure policy here.

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11 Comments

  1. I’m interested in becoming a VA since it is such a steady, good side income source. This article is what I needed to see at the moment. What would be your opinion on the best starting place for becoming a VA and finding a job besides the book The Bootstrap VA?
    Thanks!

    1. In the post above, I outline three starting places for you — contact your favorite bloggers and let them know what you can do, join those VA Facebook groups, and start a website so you can have a professional presence online with a list of your services. Good luck! 🙂

  2. Thanks for posting this! I’ve been wondering about how blogs are ran. I like social media of course, and work as a book keeper full time. This post was informative and I will give the Bootstrap VA book a look.

    1. Hi Alicia. Your book keeping skills could be an asset in the VA community. There are plenty of bloggers out there who can get overwhelmed by taxes and all that is involved with the financial aspect of running their own business.

  3. Glad that you had success with your VA business. I admit, getting started in this kind of business is hard. You really need a good push to get you rolling. Doing great on your first tasks/jobs/contracts will give you lots of good rep from referrals from your past clients.

      1. Thank you very much for this compliment very informative, I’ve learned and get to understand about Virtual Assistant works. I became interested to read more how to apply the works of VA to social media. Where can I buy the Bootstrap VA? Can you recommend another ebook about Virtual Assistant? Thank you very much by chance I see your messages before sleeping. Hoping will meet you again online. Bye and regards – Trinidad Pascual

  4. This came at just the right time!! I’ve been thinking about being a part-time VA to hone my skills as a blogger & to make some “side hustle” while I work to grow my own blog. These are such great tips,thanks 🙂 heading to look up The Bootstrap VA.

    p.s. are you hiring? 😉

    1. I wish I was hiring right now, Renee! Definitely get plugged into those FB groups I mentioned above, and I know you’ll find work quickly. It’s so much easier to hire someone who already knows the ins and outs of the blogging world, so you already have a leg up on that one. And you’re smart to side hustle while you grow. It’s a lot of work to do both, but you learn so much throughout the process. It DOES pay off!

  5. I’m somewhere in between “I need a VA” and “I want to be a VA”! LOL. It’s an excellent extra income source, especially to get up and running quickly – and it can beat writing sometimes. That said, it’s hard to systematize and create passive income from… Decisions decisions!

    1. I have had that same exact argument with myself. 🙂 Freelance writing doesn’t pay an awful lot, and VA work is a steady, healthy income, but I figured if I could grow Creative Savings, I would actually make more money in the long run!

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