Courtesy of Annalisa Abell
- Virtual assistants joined the workforce in record numbers as the gig sector grew amid the pandemic.
- Discussions about VAs and gig workers on social media are inspiring others to become entrepreneurs.
- Insider compiled a list of strategies to help aspiring virtual assistants thrive right now.
In August 2020, Jessica Hawks posted her first TikTok video that explained her experience working as a virtual assistant. Specifically, she told viewers that she was earning $9,000 per month without a college degree.
Today, Hawks has more than 912,000 followers on TikTok who watch her content to learn more about the virtual-assistant industry. What's more, #virtualassistant has more than 586.7 million views on TikTok, while #virtualassistantcoach has more than 68.3 million views.
Hawks is part of a growing number of people who've launched virtual-assistant businesses during the pandemic. In fact, gig and freelance work became a significant sector of the economy throughout COVID-19, and virtual assistants reported a 41% increase in hiring in 2020 compared to 2019, said a report by NanoGlobals, a remote-work expert and market analyst. What's more, the number of freelancers is continuing to rise, especially among Gen Z and millennial workers.
Interest in virtual assisting hasn't slowed, entrepreneurs told Insider. In fact, two years after Lauriel Mathis launched her VA business, she's pivoted her mission to focus on coaching others in the industry. So far, she's received hundreds of applications for her services, she said.
"In the last five years, people recognized that everybody needs help," Angela Lee, a professor of professional practice at Columbia University, previously told Insider. "Everyone I know needs a virtual assistant, and everyone I know has a really hard time finding one," she added.
Today, virtual assistants and gig workers are hired by both small businesses and major companies, providing several opportunities to earn ancillary income amid the economic slowdown, said Arun Sundararajan, the author of "The Sharing Economy" and a professor of entrepreneurship and technology, operations, and statistics at New York University's Stern School of Business.
For those looking to take a leap toward entrepreneurship, Insider spoke with five virtual assistants and compiled a list of steps, strategies, and schedules that helped them build their businesses.
Read more: Why virtual assistants are the affordable solution to business owners' labor shortage
1. Choose your services
Virtual-assistant tasks range from designing marketing materials, creating social-media strategies, and sending invoices and receipts to clients' customers. But when determining your services, virtual assistants like Vivian Garcell suggest offering services that correspond with skills you already possess.
For instance, Garcell had experience working in a corporate office environment and understood the best administrative and team organizing tactics. She leveraged that experience when finding VA clients, she said.
"I wanted to bring in my corporate experience and educational training into freelancing because I wanted to offer something of higher value," she said.
Read more: 5 easy side hustles to start with little to no money
2. Utilize tools and technologies
It's also important to decide what else you want to learn, virtual assistants said.
Regardless of what services you decide to offer, there are plenty of tools designed to help you provide quality work for your clients. Some virtual assistants said paying for high-end online tools and platforms was a worthwhile investment, while others used free resources to improve their work and complete their jobs.
Read more: A 23-year-old virtual assistant making $8,000 a month shares 11 tools she uses to run her business
3. Differentiate yourself from the market
The virtual-assistant space has expanded greatly during the past two years. Part of that was prompted by employees who left their full-time jobs and looked for more flexible work schedules in careers they were passionate about. Simultaneously, a record number of small businesses and brands were created in the pandemic, and that number continues to grow: In October 2022, more than 430,000 new business applications were filed in the US. These trends joined together as virtual assistants sought new entrepreneurs to work for as social-media, marketing, or administrative assistants.
With the increased number of virtual assistants, it's important to differentiate yourself from others in the field, people told Insider. This can be done by finding a specific niche of clients you'll work with, establishing services specific to your skills or aesthetic, or selling additional products or services on the side.
4. Set your own schedule
One of the benefits of working as a virtual assistant is the flexibility, people said. Virtual assistants can set their own schedules, decide how many hours to work per week, and leave time for family or travel whenever they see fit. Additionally, many start their virtual-assistant careers while holding full-time jobs.
Whatever your circumstances, setting a schedule that works for you is an important step in creating a sustainable business model, people said. If you're an early riser, consider completing your work each morning so you have the afternoon off. If you're a night owl, allow yourself to sleep in, and start working when you'll be most productive, said Hawks, who follows a schedule that allows her to wake up as late as 10 a.m.
5. Strategically land clients
Additionally, virtual assistants can choose their clients and work with brands they admire.
Social media can be a great place to find brands you align with and potential customers, people said. Determine your ideal industry and tasks, then share your thoughts on how to improve or solve existing problems for clients. The most effective way to land a client is to show them that your work will make their life easier as a business owner.
Lastly, attending virtual events and webinars hosted by brands you want to work with is another way to connect with prospective clients, said Alanna Smith, who runs her own virtual assistant business. Smith takes opportunities in breakout rooms to connect and network with potential customers.
6. Grow your personal brand
Virtual assistants are often responsible for completing digital tasks, such as social-media management or email marketing, for their clients. As digital experts, they're typically expected to have a curated platform of their own, entrepreneurs said. Whether that's an artistic or clean Instagram page or a TikTok account that shows off their personality and creativity, a virtual assistant's online presence can be the key to future professional relationships.
Marketing yourself online can be a tricky task, but experts have shared the most effective ways to do so, including specifically crafting your captions and the best social-media features to grow a following.
Mathis focuses on quality social media content to promote her business. She invests in professional photography to use in upcoming brand announcements and budgets for marketing and advertising. She also continues her own education to ensure she's teaching others the most up-to-date information in her courses.
Read more: How to market yourself on social media according to a virtual assistant making $9,000 per month
Shriya Bhattacharya and Dominic-Madori Davis contributed to an earlier version of this article.