It's Time to Pull Up your Virtual Socks

It’s time to call something out that’s been getting up my virtual nose lately.

I’m seeing more and more people launch Virtual Assistant businesses without the faintest clue about how to actually run a business. I don’t say that to be harsh… I say it because it’s true. And to be totally honest with you, it’s really starting to worry me.

We’ve got people setting up “businesses” who don’t know what services they’re offering, have no concept of who their ideal client might be, and who wouldn’t have the faintest idea how to find clients. Some are using Hotmail or Gmail instead of an email hooked up to their domain, don’t have a website, and couldn’t confidently describe what makes them different if their life depended on it.

The reality is that even if your VA business is only going to be run as a part-time concern, at the end of the day it’s still a business. And if you want clients to take you seriously, you’ve got to take yourself seriously first.

Starting a VA business means taking some time to make sure you at least know the basics: who you help, what you offer, what you charge, and how you’re going to get in front of the right people. You need to treat your business like it deserves to exist, because it does.

In plain English, that means:

• Writing a basic business plan (nothing fancy – just bullet points for clarity).

• Getting Professional Indemnity insurance as a bare minimum.

• Setting up a professional domain and email address.

• Building an online presence, even if it’s just a simple, one-page website that says, “Here’s who I am, and here’s how I can help.”

And please, for the love of professionalism, stop hiding behind the “I’m just starting out” excuse. If you’re charging money, you’re in business, so act like it.

Here’s another myth that needs busting with an iron capped boot: just because your business is virtual doesn’t mean your clients will only be found online.

C’mon guys, you’ve got to get smart about this.

Get out there and meet people. Go to networking events. Tell people what you do. Build relationships. The virtual industry isn’t a bubble; it’s a bridge. The best clients are often the ones you meet in real life who then come to rely on your virtual support.

This isn’t theory. At VA Institute, we’ve helped thousands of people successfully launch their VA businesses – and the strategies and processes we incorporate into our programs are the exact same ones that we’ve used to build and run our own businesses too.

We know what works because we’ve done it ourselves: the calls, the networking, the follow-ups, the launches, the “put yourself out there” moments. When you approach it with that level of commitment and professionalism, clients notice, and doors definitely do open.

This industry is incredible – full of smart, capable individuals who are here because we all want flexibility and freedom. But if we want to be respected, we have to start behaving like business owners from the get-go, not dabblers.

So, if you’re a VA (or thinking about becoming one), consider this your wake-up call. Pull up your virtual socks, get serious about your setup, and give yourself the professional foundation you deserve.

Because the truth is, there’s no shortage of clients out there – just a shortage of VAs who are ready to meet them halfway.