Scotty,
There is much discussion here about the usefulness of sites such as
elance, guru and sologig, et al. You can do a search and find those here. Some people find work through these sites and others do not find them useful. The advantage is that you may find work; sometimes it is from good bidding practice or being at the right place at the right time. The disadvantage (the threads tell you in greater detail) is the time spent on bidding on work and perhaps some discouragement from others who bid low and then get the job you wanted. It seems that persistence is the key to getting the work and once you have a client, the possibility does exist that you may get more work and experience. Some of these sites offer a free membership so you may want to look them over.
There are threads about staffing sites in which you are a member, paid and free. The advantages are that you may be selected for work you might otherwise have not known about. The disadvantage is paying for something that may be expensive for your budget or that might not get you any work. Further, if you sign on with a staffing agency, they take a cut, which can be quite large but the advantage is that you can gain experience about being a virtual assistant.
I don't have a tried and true answer for you. There is a wealth of information here about marketing your business through social networking, attending events, creating promotional materials, setting up a website, etc.
If you have questions, please don't hesitate to ask.
Janine