How to Become a Virtual Assistant From Scratch (Interview With a Real VA)

In case you didn’t know, it’s official: the gig/side hustle economy is here to stay. 

Although there are so many side hustle options to choose from, one that is well worth looking into is virtual assistant work.

The need for virtual assistants or VAs is steadily growing, especially as the shift to online work increases in these unprecedented times. If you’ve been wanting to work flexible online or start a side hustle, this post is for you. I’ll be going over how to become a virtual assistant but with some help from a successful VA who took a digital course I highly recommend. 

The $10K VA course was created by my friend, Kayla Sloan. Over the year, I’ve watched Kayla Sloan grow as a reliable and well sought-after virtual assistance in the financial blogging community. I watched her pay off her debt, quit her job and move from her small Kansas town after creating a flexible business that allowed her to work from anywhere.

Kayla started having her first $10,000 months with her virtual assistant business back in 2016. People wanted to know how she did it and what the exact steps were to become a successful virtual assistant so she created 10k VA. In this course, Kayla goes over in great detail the exact systems and methods she used to grow from $0-$10,000+ each month. 

What Is $10K VA All About?

What I love about this course is that Kayla has left nothing out and she over-delivers big time. 

Through 7 modules, 18 bonuses and an amazing Facebook group community, you’ll learn exactly what a virtual assistant is, how to find and pitch VA jobs properly, create a pricing model, build client relationships the right way, how to make your business legitimate and SO much more. 

Also, you’ll hear from successful VAs as they share their insider tips so you can be set up for success from day one. It truly is a complete course that is well worth diving into because it will guide you from beginner to pro VA level.

I know the idea of becoming a virtual assistant may still be new to some people so I decided to interview a former $10k VA student. Becoming a VA can be a great way to diversify your income and even start earning a full-time income while working remotely.

Hope you enjoy this interview with Ashley as you learn how to become a virtual assistant from scratch.

Thanks so much for agreeing to share your experience with us. Tell us a little about yourself!

Hey there! My name is Ashley Wall. I am a wife to an Air Traffic Controller and a mama to two young, very active little boys. We moved to Florida from Utah just last year (Goodbye snow- Hello beach!!), and we are loving it! When I’m not playing with toy trucks, having tickle fights, or wondering why my 2-year-old is in full tantrum mode about not getting the blue bowl, I can be found at my computer where I help podcasters produce their shows. 

What were you doing for work before becoming a VA?

I was working part-time as a licensed Massage Therapist and Esthetician.

Why did you decide to become a VA and what drew you to it?

Two main reasons:

The first being that I wanted to be able to make extra money for our little family, but to be able to stay home with my little guy who was only about 2 years old at the time.

The second reason is that I owned my own massage business for years and, while I liked getting to know my clients, I didn’t love the actual work of massaging. I found myself daydreaming during many of the massages about what I could be doing instead. I love helping others and am always up for learning new things. When I learned about the term VA (virtual assistant) I knew that being a VA would be a great job for me. I would be able to help others in their business and learn many new things in the process.

What did you like about the $10K VA course and how has it helped you?

There are several things I really liked about the course, but the main thing that I believe really helped me to succeed was the private Facebook group where Kayla shares leads. These are people who are already looking for a VA and ready to get some help in their business. This was PRICELESS! While I didn’t pitch to every potential client that she put into the group, almost every potential client I did pitch to I was able to begin working with. 

What type of work are you doing now and how much are you making?

I have since transitioned from general VA work to working specifically with podcasters. I help to produce two different podcasts, one of which I also edit, and I currently bring in about $1,500/month.

Related: How This Pinterest VA Earns $1,200/month

What goals do you have for your business and what goals has it helped you to reach in your life so far?

The main goal I had when I started out on this journey was to be able to make money working from home by helping others in their business. I have definitely achieved that first goal I had set for myself and my business.

One goal I have going forward is to teach others how they, too, can make money working with podcasters. I am currently in the process of co-creating a course to teach others this exact thing. While the exact launch date is still to be determined, I’d imagine that we will be launching it sometime this month (September 2020).

What hurdles did you have with starting your VA career and how did the course help you overcome them?

My two main hurdles were:

• Finding clients
• Gaining the confidence to pitch to potential clients that I wanted to work with

I was nervous starting out that I wouldn’t be able to find clients. The private Facebook group that I mentioned above helped me to get started so quickly. I started the course in April of 2018 and landed my first client in June 2018. As far as pitching goes, Kayla’s course talks about pitching to clients and even has a template that students can use. 

What words of advice do you have for those wanting to know how to become a virtual assistant?

Pitch to anyone you are interested in working with regardless of how much you think you know (or don’t know), how “well known” the client may or may not be, or whether or not you think the potential client will even hire you. 

• You can and will learn new things from your clients (think, on the job PAID training). 
• My best and longest client appears regularly in the news and is quoted regularly in news articles. (I never thought I could work with someone “famous”)
• I believe I was the only person that pitched to my very first client ever. If you don’t ever pitch, you’ll never know if you are missing out on an opportunity to learn, grow, and make money. 

Also- Make sure you are following up with each and every single pitch you send out. Your potential clients are likely super busy (hence why you are attempting to work with them) and they may have either overlooked your email, or meant to reply but then completely spaced it. Don’t just send one pitch and think that they don’t want to work with you if you don’t hear a reply. Send that follow up email! 

What are your contact/social media details?

My website www.ashleynwall.com has tutorials on various tools that VA’s use and you’ll also find links to all my social media channels. Feel free to reach out via email at ashley@ashleynwall.com if you have any questions or just want to chat about being and/or becoming a VA.

Hopefully you got some amazing takeaways that will help you move forward in starting or rebooting your own VA journey! If you have any questions about becoming a virtual assistant, feel free to drop them in the comments below, and don’t forget to check out Kayla’s course, $10k VA.