Before you embark on starting a Virtual Assistant business, it’s important to do some self-evaluation to ensure that you’re on the right track. Being brutally honest with yourself is part of the process of getting started.
Ask yourself the following questions and answer honestly to find out if you are cut out for owning a Virtual Assistant business.
Are You Self-Motivated?
Are you able to set schedules for yourself and get things done on time without having someone else set a schedule for you? When you work for yourself you are going to have to determine the processes by which things get done. Can you handle doing that? If that’s a weakness, can you get help from someone else such as a business coach or accountability partner?
What is Your ‘WHY’?
Why do you want to start a Virtual Assistant business? If it’s to be rich and be able to sit on the beach all day than you’re fooling yourself and need to find a different line of work. Sure, you will eventually have more control over your time, but when you first start your business you’ll work harder for free than you ever imagined.
Are You Realistic?
You may not have an official boss anymore, but as a Virtual Assistant, you may feel like you have several bosses. For example, you’ll likely have 5-10 clients who all think that they are your boss. You will have two find a way to balance this fact with your expectations.
How Do You Handle Stress?
Running a business is stressful, don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Military spouses already have added emotional stress due to their lifestyle. Can you take on another potential life stressor? You wouldn’t want to disappoint clients, ruin your reputation or damage your health.
Do You Work Well with Others?
You might think that a VA business means you don’t have to deal with people anymore, but oftentimes it’s the exact opposite. If you know that you have difficulty working well with others then this business may not be the right one for you. Customer service is a very important aspect of owning a successful Virtual Assistant business.
Are You Prepared to Wear Several Hats?
When you start a virtual assistant business you have to be the contractor, the marketer, the bookkeeper etc. This is how it goes when you own your business. You do what needs to be done to be successful, even if you hate it. You may be able to outsource some but when all else fails, you must know how to do it all.
Do You Have Enough Experience?
Are you truly experienced enough to start a Virtual Assistant business? Do you have the skills required to run a successful business? A lot goes into running a business, it’s not just about offering services to clients.
Are You Good with Money?
When it comes to making your money in your VA business, you’ll have to become an expert at money management. Sometimes you might feel as if you’re working for free but other times it will feel like your VA business is on autopilot.
Do You Understand Your Competition?
One aspect of deciding whether or not you’re ready to run a Virtual Assistant business is to look at your competition. Determine whether or not you can deliver at as well as them, if not better but with your own twist.
Not everyone is cut out for running a Virtual Assistant business. Some people need the structure of a place to go to each day in order to be successful. It’s important that you are honest with yourself during your self-evaluation.
