If you’re wondering exactly how to become a Virtual Assistant in the UK, you’ll be pleased to hear that it’s no different to setting up any other business. The bad news?  You need to have the business fundamentals in place, and that’s not something that happens overnight.

Becoming a Virtual Assistant  means you need to do your homework, as well as putting in the effort to grow your business, prior to you giving up the day job. The amount of effort and time you’re willing to dedicate to your business fundamentals now however, will help ensure your success further down the line. But what exactly are those fundamental things you need to be doing?

Do your homework

As with any other potential new business, you need to do your homework and research your potential market. Decide who you want to work with, discover everything you can about your ideal client and know what services they need, so you can fulfil that need. This can quickly lead to you getting your first clients and a chance to get some valuable testimonials and samples for your portfolio.

Another great resource when you are doing your homework is the Annual Survey from the Society Of Virtual Assistants – it costs £25 and is designed to take a snapshot of the UK VA industry answering business critical questions like: “How much can I charge? What will I earn as a VA? What are the most effective marketing strategies? What services are most popular etc”.  Click here to buy your copy today.

Start building relationships

Whilst you’re still in paid employment, you’re in an ideal position to safely start nurturing future relationships, prior to going it alone. The chances are, there’s already potential future clients in your existing network, so start honing your existing friendships to find out. This isn’t about just putting continual sales posts up on your social media – it’s about taking the time to get to know your target market and sharing helpful, educational and valuable content, aimed to help them in some way too.

Put yourself out there as a professional VA

People buy people. If you’re ready to step out into the world as a professional VA, it’s time to get yourself out there and share your new venture. It’s also about getting used to putting yourself out there too – sharing more of your story, more about you and your values etc – as this is what people connect with.

Know the importance of networking

All new businesses need clients, but networking isn’t just about connecting with people who fit your ideal client profile. Networking is about building connections with influencers, people in complimentary businesses and people who can give you the right support on your journey.

Don’t give up the day job just yet!

Once you’ve made the decision to become a professional VA, you’ll be eager to get started – but don’t hand in your notice just yet! You’re going to need both time and money to get your VA business off the ground and, whilst you’re in employment, you can have access to both.

Use the time wisely, by building up your savings, ready for when you strike out alone. You’ll ideally want about 6 months’ worth of income to cover you, whilst you find your feet. Set aside a certain amount of time each day, to work on your own business and get into the habit of honouring that schedule – so you’re building the discipline in now, whilst you still have a safety net.

Follow the above tips and you’ll be ensuring the business fundamentals are covered, as you make the transition to that of a professional VA.

If you’re ready to learn more about becoming a professional VA in the UK, check out the award winning training – we have by clicking the training button at the top of the page. 

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