Making Money as a Virtual Assistant

Having a Work at Home Business as a Virtual Assistant

The internet has made being a virtual assistant one of the hottest new work at home businesses. The low startup cost and great income potential make being a virtual assistant one of the easiest home business to break into.

A virtual assistant is someone that works out of their home to do work for their clients. They use the internet, email, fax, snail mail, and the phone to communicate with clients and to do business.

The work might involve administrative tasks, medical or legal transcription, writing and editing such items as reports and business correspondence, web design and maintenance, answering email, data entry, research, setting appointments, making travel arrangements, bookkeeping, and desktop publishing. A virtual assistant might also design business cards, brochures, letterheads, and flyers.

Virtual assistants typically earn from $20 to $40 an hour, but can earn up to $100 an hour or even more, depending on the experience and task. Those who have clients on retainer often give the client a discount and set a monthly fee for work done.

A person doesn't need any formal training to become a virtual assistant, although there are companies online that will provide training. Anyone that has been a secretary or administrative assistant would have little difficulty in starting a virtual assistant business at home. With the available word processing software programs that are available today, even someone who hasn't been a secretary or administrative assistant would be able to begin this work at home business with minimal effort.

The basic equipment for getting started is a computer with internet access, preferably high speed, a fax machine, and of course a phone. Optional equipment would be a printer, copier, and scanner. Since most people already have a computer, phone, and printer, that leaves little is anything to purchase, hence the low startup cost.