In Episode 19 of The Side Hustle Show, Lee Drozak from shares how she got started as a virtual assistant and how you can do the same. We talk setting up shop, getting your first clients, setting your prices, establishing a niche, and more.
Quick background on this side hustle if you’re not familiar — a virtual assistant is not Siri, despite how much Apple wants to hijack the term, it’s a real-live person that works for you remotely as an independent contractor. This is a huge industry overseas in countries like India and the Philippines, with giant call centers staffed with low-cost workers.
But you might be surprised to learn there is a thriving VA industry right here at home, and many VAs are side hustlers like you, or started their business as a side hustle.
And we’re not talking about a race to the bottom on price either. According to a recent survey, nearly 90% of VAs charge $20/hr or more, and nearly 60% charge $30/hr or more.
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In this episode, you’ll learn:
- The “eureka” moment of working from home.
- How Lee got her first clients.
- How to get paid what you’re worth.
- How to determine which virtual assistant tasks you love and should build your business around.
- Why industry certifications might be overrated.
- The best free resource for aspiring virtual assistants.
- Lee’s #1 tip for Side Hustle Nation.
Links mentioned:
- ivaa.org
- VirtualAssistantForums.com (Thank you, Tess, for the introduction to Lee!)
- Zirtual | eaHELP | Fancy Hands | Contemporary VA
- Elance
- VAclassroom.com
- Suzanne Evans
You can connect with Lee on her site, as well as on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
What do you think of virtual assisting as a side hustle? Pretty basic, right? Identify your skills and find someone who’ll pay for them. Kind of like a real job except you can do it from anywhere.
I’m new to the VA business and currently doing all the ground work before I start. Thank you so much for this podcast – it was great hearing from Lee. A lot of people I have been in touch with seem to have a similar back story which is encouraging when you are just starting out. I’m hoping all my research will help me start from a better place and thanks to people like Lee who advise on the mistakes that they made so we can move forward as an industry together.
Hi Amber, thanks for stopping by and happy you found the interview helpful! You’ve got a great domain name — looking forward to checking it out and your future success!