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Crystal Stine

Home / God Sized Dreams / What is a Virtual Assistant & Why Do You Need One?

What is a Virtual Assistant & Why Do You Need One?

God Sized Dreams

Have you ever thought:

  • I am drowning in emails!
  • I wish I had time to do more on social media
  • There is no way I can launch my new product with all of the day-to-day details
  • I wish I could focus more on my family
  • I’m so busy I know I need someone to help, but too busy to find someone
  • I need help finishing this project! 
  • How am I supposed to do it all?
My friend? You might need a Virtual Assistant. 

Photo Credit: Karinga
{Hi} My name is Crystal, and I’m here to help 🙂 First, let me tell you what being a virtual assistant means to me – I’m sure there are great “official” definitions out there that you could Bing, but here are my two cents: 

I have been called to use the organizational, administrative, marketing, and social media skills I’ve learned over the last 7 years to support God Sized Dreamers chase their passions. I handle the day-to-day details so that you can focus on what you do best – writing, connecting, creating, dreaming, and running your business. 

I wanted to share about why I’m a VA, but also answer some questions, so I posted this on Twitter: 

Q: What specific tasks can a VA help with?

A: The tasks your VA handles depends on their experience and knowledge. For example, I have a Bachelors in English, a Masters in Liberal Studies, and over five years of corporate writing experience in addition to my work as a blogger, so I lean toward offering services like proofreading, copy writing & editing, email and social media management. I have received the occasional request for work that is outside of my skill set, so instead of taking the job, I do what I can to connect the client with another VA or a resource that can help. 

Q: How much do VA services cost?

A: This is also completely up to the VA. I found that I’m a rare one who posts their prices, but I’ve heard anything from $14/hour up to more than $40/hour, depending on how experienced the VA is and the complexity of the project. The more important question to me is: what is your budget? If you know you can only spend $50 on your proofreading project, tell me that & we will either be able to figure out a plan that works for both of us, or I’ll be able to help you find someone who can meet your needs & your budget. This information – plus knowing how much time your project is likely to take and any deadlines (called the “scope of work”) are huge pieces of information to try to have in mind before you reach out to a VA. I’ve tried to help make this a little easier by posting a quick project survey on my site to help potential clients think about that information before we both commit to a project. 

Q: How often will my VA communicate with me?

A: At minimum, you should receive initial correspondence from your VA to confirm details of the project, agree on a contract and rate, go over any questions and discuss any deadlines, plus a final confirmation that the project has been completed and any outstanding invoices. I offer additional communication options with some of the packages I offer, including monthly Skype chats to talk about upcoming projects & priorities, and I’m a huge fan of Voxer for quick check-ins and questions 🙂 

Q: How do I find a VA?

A: There are a few ways to find a VA. One of the best, in my opinion, is a reference from a friend. You know a blogger who has a VA? Ask them to connect you and see if they’re accepting new clients. You can also put out a request on social media to see who might reach out to you, or you can connect with a company like eaHelp.com, a wonderful company that puts a lot of effort into connecting the right client with the right assistant. (or..you know...email me…ahem...)

Q: How do I become a VA?

It’s not hard to become a virtual assistant, but there are a few things to consider. Think about your strengths and your weaknesses. Think about the kind of client you would want to work with, and the ones you’d like to avoid. Put together a list of the services you know you could confidently offer someone, and what you know you aren’t equipped to propose. Talk to other VAs, join VA groups, network, and ask questions. Make sure you’re a self-motivated individual with excellent communication skills and pray about whether this is God’s will for you in this season. 
I love being a virtual assistant. I love the women I’ve been able to help, the way that I’ve been able to combine my passion for encouraging others with the talents God has given me, and the answer to prayer this journey has been for my family. I’m not getting rich quick with this, but I am pursuing a God Sized Dream and loving every step of it 🙂 
If you’re interested in some of the VA services I offer, click here for a brief survey to get the conversation started!

What other questions do you have? 

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Desiree Allen says

    Thanks for this, Crystal. I did submit my resume; unfortunately, they don’t have a client who needs what I can offer. Boo! I will keep trucking along. 🙂

  2. bizjunkie says

    Hi Crystal,

    Kudos to you and all the VAs who helped a lot of business reach their business goals especially small business owners. I hired virtual assistants from Remote Staff and they became very essential for my business’ growth.

    At first I’ve assigned them “miscellaneous” task and as the business grows, we were able to build mutual trust to the point that I’ve decided to assign them more “risky” tasks.

    Right now, I’m planning to fly to the Philippine and meet them personally.

  3. Kathrine Farris says

    If you don’t mind, I’d like to chime in here. I have been a VA for over 4 years, I love what I do, and I support our family of 3 (soon to be 4) on this income alone!

    I recommend the International Virtual Assistant Association (www.ivaa.org). In addition, I’d also like to invite you to check out my new site http://www.BecomeAVA.com.

    Thanks!

  4. Amy Tilson says

    I’m hoping there’s only one move left and that’s back to my little farm in the mountains of SW VA. You are more than welcome to come help there, too. There will be lots of country cooking and iced tea. My momma makes a crazy good chocolate meringue pie!