I've been interested in the best way to go about doing this. Seems like that we are drawn, in part, to doing a VA business for the exact reason that we can still do it while have other work...the flexibility that it provides.

I was reading this article on the nytimes website tonight which provides some interesting thoughts on willpower and that not only can we increase our willpower but that we have a "willpower" bank. Anyway, my point was that building your VA business while continue to work outside the home for awhile will definitely take some willpower, and as many have said, will be worth it in the end.

You can read here if you are interested: nytimes article.

Kimberly

Originally Posted by slimthick2001

Thank you for both of your responses and congratulations Office Goddess on signing a new client. Did you let your clients know that you still work full time? If so, how do they feel about that? I was thinking that I'd have to train my clients to expect a 24-28 hr turnaround time, since I'd be working in the evenings.

Sorry it took me so long to finally respond! I have been crazy busy due to tax season and, for the last week, a NASTY chest cold combined w/spring allergies.

No, my clients do not know I work a 9-5 as I agree that they will assume that means I have too much going on and won't provide them the service they deserve. I tend to call my 9-5 a "client" as well when talking to potential and current TVOG clients, explaining some of the deadlines I am working on when they want "immediate" assistance.

As far as phone calls, I use my cell phone as my business number. Since my 9-5 is not aware of TVOG, the default ring-tone is 30 seconds of silence (custom built at www.3guppies.com) so I can leave my phone on w/out my employer hearing it ringing constantly. (I have also built custom phone rings for my family, work, etc. so I DO hear the ring when they call.) I let clients know that I will return messages within 2-3 hours max. This allows me to call them back during lunch, breaks, etc. I tell my clients that if I am being constantly interrupted, it could be THEIR project that is being slowed down, and that is why I rarely answer my phone and often respond to phone messages via email...

Because I provide bookkeeping services, I email my clients a status report 1x weekly (Friday mornings) w/the prior week's data entry, bills paid, etc. Hope this helps!

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Lily Chambers, The Virtual Office Goddess, LLC
Author "How to Do Your Own Small Business Bookkeeping"

This is helpful because I too work a 8-5 and the thing that is wracking my brain is the transition. I think evening work and weekend work would be something to push since you have to have a steady income coming in until you become a FT VA.

I too am employed FT. It's not easy, but it is worth it. I'm lucky in that the job I have now knew going in that I had a business and that I would need flexible hours, but I do still feel a sense of responsibility to make them a priority. Working a full time job means you will be working looooong hours in the evenings and on weekends. Right now I'm exhausted and I've got 3 more big projects coming in this weekend, but it's worth it.

I don't tell my clients that I am also employed, but I stress to them that I do work with multiple clients and that I'm not always available at the drop of a hat. Luckily most of my work doesn't need quick turnaround but you always want to show your clients that you are efficient under any circumstances so you have to make sacrifices of your free time with friends and family in the beginning while building your business to be able to do so.

My business has grown by leaps and bounds just in the past month, and although it is exhausting it's exciting at the same time. My plan is to save as much money as I can so that when I do decide to quit my job (I will probably transition to PT first) I will have money put back for those times when business is slow, because as with any business there will be busy times and slow times and I want to be prepared.

What I enjoy most is the ability to be able to choose who I get to work with, because I know I will always enjoy what I'm doing and the people that I'm doing it for.

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Rebecka Melson ~ Virtual Business Services

Planning ahead for slow times is a smart thing to do! I'm glad to hear that you are growing by leaps and bounds though. I have yet to secure an outside contract, but I haven't tried either. I want to make sure I have everything situated (business licenses, contracts, set-up.. basically the whole nine yards!) before I start marketing my business.

Shannon, Don't wait. Get your website up and start marketing. Trust me, you will have plenty of time to get your contracts and stuff together while you wait for the clients to start rolling in.

The first thing I did was set up my website and start listing it on every free online directory I could find and I made sure I was listed on Google and Yahoo, etc. My website has been up for 9 months and it's only been recently that I have been getting business directly from the website. It takes a while to be able to get high enough in the rankings that people will actually start finding you through online sources.

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Rebecka Melson ~ Virtual Business Services

Wow, excellent advice here everyone! So I am not the only one burning the candle at both ends!

I currently work FT days too and have been slowly building my home-based VA business over the last few months, so the contract work I complete in the evenings and weekends. On top of that, I am also taking a self-paced course in medical transcription in the hopes I can transition to a FT WAH role by the end of this year, which will help tremendously as I have a special-needs teenager at home. That's one of my biggest motivating factors - so I can be there for him while keeping a roof over our heads.

Recently, I encountered what could have been a good opportunity working as a VA for a research physician, however when he realized I was still actually working during the day, he was hesitant to utilize my services. I think he had the perception that I was going to be at his "beck and call". That so reminded me of what others on here have said about taking clients that I want to work with, not just because someone calls me!

You've all inspired me today! Keep up the hard work and you will reach your dreams!

my tips:

* get a website, and ensure you add your site to google, yahoo, seo sites
* send direct mail to clients - not generic one, make sure your letters are personalised to the MD or office manager.
* network!

i still work part time... and it is possible!

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Julia Neal ...because we ♥ admin!
http://julianeal.wordpress.com

Hello Ladies,
Thank you so much for sharing your stories about working & starting this business at the same time. I had a meeting with my first potential client (from my craisglist ad) & I starting to think about how I will manage my time. I have not even launched my website yet. I especially appreciated the comment made about a plan to work for 2-3 years in order to have some stability.It is really great to know we are not alone, the support here is awesome!
Have a great day all!
Teresa

I think that you should let your prospective client know which hours you are available for and go from there. The worst they can do is say no. If they do say no, just keep on marketing and networking, you'll find more business!

I'm doing the same thing (working while I get started) but I'm fortunate enough that I'm already working from home and I'm off at 1:30 PM every day. Plus my daughter is at her dad's quite a bit now that school is out. But even with those advantages, I've still been extremely busy. Between my "day job" and stuff I've been doing for my business, I'm putting in a LOT of hours.

I also did my website first because I see that as my "online office" and you have to have your office building ready before you can move in. My next step is to work on advertising and networking (next week!) and until those efforts start to pay off I'm setting up things like my billing software, contracts, etc. in the meantime.

I'm soooo glad someone asked about this because I like hearing the advice you're getting so far!

Thanks everyone for all the sharings, I got a lot of inspirations for planning my VA business. Beginning of next month I will join a new company as a full timer. Fortunately my new employer is my friend, who asked me to assist him on running the business. I have managed to got his permission to work on my VA jobs whenever I got time, while keep prioritizing my full time job. As right now I only offer writing services, it won't matter at what time I work on it.

I plan to keep working that way (f/t and p/t VA) until my business is quite settled, then I can probably persuade my friend to use my VA service instead of keep hiring me full time. So, everybody would be happy, isn't it ?

Any suggestions on how obtain clients? As a newbie, where should I start?

I also thought that this was a really good post, because I too still work my full time job. I work 10 hours a day, 4 days a week, as a customer service representative for a popular online company. And I never let the job because I really like it. But I also have my full time virtual assisting practice that I have had for 3 years now.

I guess you can say that, I am lucky because I work in a relaxed environment where I can do both jobs at once. And on my days off, I use that time to do all of my marketing, advertising, and promoting.

For those of you that work a full-time job and a virtual assisting practice....you all deserve a PAT ON THE BACK.

Good Luck & Keep Up the Good Work

~Toya~

Good thread. Good info. I work a WAH business which is all phone based (and I am really ready to at least cut that down to part time......phones get so tiresome after a while) and am just starting a VA business, which I know I will love. Its nice that everyone shares here their experiences on working full time and starting their VA businesses. So, now I know I am not nuts and that it can be done.

Sometimes, though, I think I don't spend enough time on the VA business because right now for me it is all marketing and learning all the forums, web site building, blogging and sometimes I feel like it is info overload! lol But, keep telling myself when I get that first client and I can cut back on the phone work......even just a little.....it will be worth it! I'm just very lucky that it is work-at-home and I can work pretty much when I want.

Denise