One of the biggest dilemmas that a new Virtual Assistant business owner will face is, what services to offer clients. It’s one of those questions that can cause a lot of lost time and potentially halt your business before it’s even begun.
You may find yourself looking around at what others are offering, for inspiration. Often though, this can leave you feeling even more uncertain about your readiness to have your own Virtual Assistant business, as you may conclude there’s a need to specialise, if you want to stand out from other VAs.
Take a breath and remind yourself it’s OK to just start anywhere
When you’re first starting out, you need to be a little gentle with yourself. You don’t have all the answers and that’s OK – you just need to start somewhere.
The beauty of a Virtual Assistant business is you can start small, with the skills and knowledge you have. Take a breath and remind yourself, you know enough to get started. As you gain confidence, knowledge and experience over time, you can add in additional services or specialise.
You can have a traditional Virtual Assistant business
It may surprise you to know, there is still a marketplace for traditional admin! Yes, there are specialised Virtual Assistant businesses out there, but we don’t all have to be all singing, all dancing, tech VAs.
Think outside the box, when it comes to niching
When we think of niching, we immediately think about it having to be in one particular industry, or working with one specific type of business. However, if you think outside the box, a niche comes about by recognising a particular need or want – and providing a service to fulfil that need. It can therefore be around a particular software or system and procedure too.
Brainstorm potential service ideas
If you want to know what services to provide, have a brainstorming session. Ask yourself the following questions and see what ideas pop up for you:
- What software do you know well?
- Is there a particular skill you have?
- What do you love doing?
- In previous roles, what skill did people turn to you for help with?
- What industries have you worked in, and what services did you carry out?
- What industries or niches appeal to you?
- Is there a particular skill you’re fascinated by?
Don’t underestimate anything that comes up, simply because you find it enjoyable and easy – there are plenty of people out there that won’t have the same feelings for it!
Service ideas to get you started
Finally, here’s a list of service ideas that may help give you ideas you hadn’t thought of, or to kick start your own list of service ideas:
- Data entry
- File management
- Customer service
- Product launches
- Bookkeeping
- Diary management
- Administrative support
- Transcription
- Email management
- Automated email systems
- Website updates
- Sales funnels
- Project management
- Ad management
- Social media management
- Blog writing
Deciding what services to offer in your Virtual Assistant business doesn’t have to be confusing or stressful. It’s one of those questions that can cause a lot of lost time and potentially halt your business before it’s even begun. However, if you take a step back and use the advice above, it’s a question you’ll soon be able to answer and use to move your Virtual Assistant business forward!
Have you been struggling to find service ideas for your Virtual Assistant business? Did today’s blog resonate with you and help you find solutions? I’d love to hear from you, so why not share your thoughts and a-ha moments, in the comments box below! Or sign up to receive a copy of the 75 most popular services my team and I were asked to offer when I was a VA.
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