Lessons from a Digital Marketing Virtual Assistant who does the work:
People ask me all the time if there is really enough work for a VA out there. And I have one answer every single time.
YES.
There is a ton of work out there right now for virtual assistants, and there will be forever in the online space.
The end.
If you still need convincing then what you’re really asking is: Will I be able to find work online?
I’m going to give it to you straight: It’s all on you.
How you show up and put yourself out there is also all on you.
A course, like mine, will help. But you have to do the work.
Work has never ever ever EVER just fallen into my lap.
I have had some of the strangest, most random jobs as a military kid and military spouse. I’ve moved and started over a zillion times with no connections and gotten hired without anyone in the area knowing me. And every single time I had to seek out the position. I had to put myself out there. I had to actively look for it. And I had to do the even scarier thing and apply/submit/request/go for it.
Here are some of the jobs where I’ve been hired because I tried:
ALL OF THEM.
I counted them up and I’ve had about 20+ jobs since junior high. In everything from being a soccer referee and corn de-tassler, to setting up audio-visual conference equipment, to communications director. Every single job came from an opportunity I found and seized. So many times I didn’t think I was qualified but I went for it and I got the job. So many times I got hired for the underling position and moved my way up.
Now I know why: businesses (and in some cases the government lol ) just need smart implementors to fill the position.
And I’m smart. I learn quick. And get things done.
“I’m afraid that I won’t know how to get started…”
“Working from home seems like an (impossible) dream…“
So this is what I’m really saying: YOU have to find the opportunities.
Because I already know they are out there. I am living it. And I see it every day. I have been inundated with clients for years. In fact, I have to turn down new clients every week.
So if you see a job opportunity and you don’t jump on it, then that’s on you.
But if you’re eager and hungry for something new, I know you can be successful. I know it can happen just like it did for Allison, a graduate of my VA crash course who is successfully adding to her family’s income while being a busy full-time mom. And for other course graduates like Tabitha, a nurse who wanted more flexibility to work from home and be her own boss while saving for retirement. Or like Carmen, who translated her professional skills as an educator into a brand new career in online digital media.
Where to find enough remote work as a VA:
I know that this is probably your biggest question when you consider making a career shift to working online as a virtual assistant. It’s such a common concern that I always devote time to helping my VA crash course students with it as part of our course program. But the basics are pretty simple:
- Network. That’s just a fancy word for telling people what you do. Tell everyone in your circle. Make small talk with everyone you meet. Someone is looking for reliable help in your field.
- Facebook groups. They’re brimming with work. (Check out the one I offer for working VAs and new people who want to bust into the VA field). So do the searches. Get in the right groups. Be active. Look for job openings. Offer your services. But don’t be lazy. Think outside the box. Because some of those big VA groups are filling up fast with VAs who are devouring job-op posts. So instead, go find the groups that don’t attract all those other people. Go to the groups where your dream client could be. And go to the groups where your LOCAL client could be.
- Professional websites: upwork, fiver, freelancer, there’s a bunch out there. They’re great places to start your VA career when you’re just beginning to build your portfolio and network connections.
- Craigslist. It’s not dead. After all, I got my job with HGTV TV production company here.
The Takeaway: You Can Get Enough Work as a VA
If you do nothing, nothing will happen.
However, every single one of my VA Crash Course graduates has a client. EVERY. SINGLE. ONE. Many have filled their client caseload and have the opportunity to work as much as they want every month. Why? Because they are the do-ers. They are NOT the do-nothing-ers. These are women who jumped on opportunities and didn’t hesitate. They finished 100% of my course and went all in.
Trust me, there is plenty of work.
Growing Opportunities to Find Work as a VA:
Now maybe you’re not quite convinced that there’s work for you here. Or you need help to convince a spouse that this is a legit working field. Then here are some more points for you to consider:
- Ecommerce – Every year more brick and mortar retailers shut down. People are shopping online more than ever before. According to this article, millennials now do more than 60% of their shopping online.
- Social Shopping is growing – so who is posting those products and sharing those posts? Every business needs a team member (or 10!) that covers social media, and being a social media VA is a big area of growth right now in digital media.
- E-learning is growing – who is creating and marketing those courses? So you probably already know Amy Porterfield, one of the big people-to-know in the digital media world. She focuses on e-learning by creating and sharing specialized courses. Well, she recently told Forbes magazine that she is on track to have a $10 million dollar year! That just shows how much growth there is right now, and go-getting digital media VAs are in the perfect position to share that success.
Every day, I see clients looking for help. Entrepreneurs and business owners who are asking me to find “unicorn VAs” who will help their business grow and succeed. They desperately need smart, motivated go-getters who can jump into the world of digital media and hit the ground running with them. There is more than enough work for VAs out there!
How to Make It Happen for Yourself
Let’s be honest. There are a lot of people out there who want to work from home. But they don’t yet have the basic foundation of skills and tools to work in the online space, or they don’t quite know where to start.
That’s exactly why I created my Digital Media Virtual Assistant Crash Course. I wanted to take away the the overwhelm of where to begin, and the guesswork out of what is necessary to learn. Because I can teach you all the in-demand online skills and must-know strategies you need to get hired, in only five weeks. Just like I have with so many of my course graduates.
Right now, I’m looking for a new group of motivated students to join my VA Crash Course. In a little more than a month, you could be lining up clients of your own and launching your own successful work-from-home career. Or if you’re like some of our newest motivated students, you could even be getting new clients within just a week or two.
All it takes is the confidence to say YES right now and make that investment in your future, for you and your family. You can be that virtual unicorn working from home- the time is now!
I hope you’re already in my Facebook group for wanna-be VAs, too. I recently posted a video there where I talked with Laura Greata, who shares some of her success in working as a virtual assistant along with some of her big plans for future growth:
So make sure you’re a member of my private VA group and then check it out right here!
See you in the online space!
-Emily, Digital Media Consultant (and Virtual Assistant …)
“I WILL MAKE AN ARMY OF VAS WHO CAN HELP THESE TRIBE PEOPLE!!!”
I have a Facebook community for digital media VAs. Come join us! –> https://www.facebook.com/groups/1651635074935415/
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Where to Get Started Online
I have a list of 10 virtual job tasks for you here… this will help you get started in the online space and let you in on exactly what clients coming to me are asking for help with and willing to pay a VA for… take a look!
If you’re interested in learning more about what I do as a social media manager, digital marker and virtual assistant helping small business owners remotely, please fill out this form here and I’ll tell you more.
