With every new year, we tend to re-evaluate our lives slightly. From careers to personal relationships to health and fitness– finding the perfect path for ourselves seem to be a never ending battle. As people are spending more time online and outsourcing work to freelancers, the popularity of virtual assistants is constantly increasing. We created this blog to help anyone questioning if making the career switch is right for them.
What are my goals?
An essential part of looking inward is setting goals for yourself. Whether this is a personal goal (i.e. lose 10 pounds in two months) or a professional goal (i.e. gain three new clients in six months). Suppose your professional goals are geared towards your job and workplace specifically. In that case, you’re likely in the right spot for you. If you find yourself constantly questioning why you’re working at your current job or how it’s serving you, becoming a virtual assistant (VA) might be the path for you.
When it comes to personal goals, the first step before committing to a freelance lifestyle is understanding that VAs are constantly working. Do you enjoy being your own boss? Or do you prefer to work for someone else? Are you interested in finding an equal balance between your work and personal life, or do you like the typical 9-5 work life?
All of these are critical first steps before deciding it’s time to make a significant career change.
Why would I want to become a Virtual Assistant?
Asking yourself why you want to become a VA is crucial. If you can’t give a clear and concise answer as to why you want to make the change, then you need to wait a few years or re-evaluate your definition of a virtual assistant.
If you want to become a VA to work alongside a friend or get back at your boss who you feel doesn’t appreciate you, you might want to consider another form of change—for example, spending more time with that friend outside of work or communicating with your boss about how you feel.
If you firmly believe that you’re making the change for you, then it’s possible that switching to a VA could make you happier and create success for you in the long run.
What is the lifestyle and work style for a Virtual Assistant?
Many people are drawn to the “work for yourself” lifestyle that comes with being a VA. What they don’t consider is that the work never actually stops. To make a liveable income, you need to constantly stand up for yourself and get your work out there. Being self-employed means no more healthcare benefits, no overtime and no paid vacations.
Depending on the type of VA you want to be, you might have the option to work for a virtual assistant agency (such as Canada’s Virtual Assistant). Or you might opt to start your own VA business. Either way, it’s important to note that VAs (even those that work for agencies) are self-starters, work well independently and as a team, and possess a magnitude of different skills.
Most VAs offer more than just one or two specialized services. The most popular services include:
Social media management
Content creation
Project management
Scheduling and onboarding
Additionally, you will never truly be working for yourself. You tend to either be working for the owner of other businesses or people that you owe work to. It’s a very stressful job at times, hence the importance of working on your schedule and creating as much of a work-life balance as possible.