I just read a VA book that said noone is looking for VA's with generalist skills and that you should be offering services such as assisting with product development, setting up shopping cart, autoresponders, etc.

Is this true?

I'm somewhat confused because the author writes that you should determine what you love to do and then find a market you can offer those services to, but then the author writes you need to focus on these ecommerce items to be successful. This seems contradictory to me.

I love working with software and...I'm good at it! I've always been to the go to person for questions on MS Office and even taught myself PHP so I could write an online CMS for a university department. I'm also exceptionally gifted when it comes to office organization and efficiency. That is what I want to have as the foundation of my business, but reading this book scared me a little.

Can I make it in the VA industry and not be an ecommerce expert?

I tend to disagree that no-one needs 'generalist' skills as there are quite a few VAs on this forum who specialize in being a 'jack/jill of all trades.' I tend to take everything I read with a grain of salt (sometimes a pound ). I am ABSOLUTELY NOT an ecommerce expert and yet I seem to be doing just fine.

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

I would also disagree. There are some clients that need assistance with more specialized skills, but I would say many of the people we've come across are actually looking for help with the more generalized tasks.

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Lauren & Melanie - VaVa Virtual Assistants www.VaVaVirtual.com

I have found the more I read the more contradictions I find!!
As an aspiring VA, I have been doing so much research recently and I have concluded that to a certain extent you just need to focus on what you are good at/confident with and let everything else build from there!

I think you should take what you love and know you are good at and work with it and like you said build from there. That's what I did, and am still doing. If you are not enjoying the work that you do then you are doing yourself and your clients a disservice. I think there is a need for all types of assistance and you will find your place doing what you enjoy.

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Rhonda Holscher, Owner
Rhonda's Virtual Office - Hire a Virtual Assistant

I am a generalist and have more than enough clients and work. I do have specialized skills that I offer in packages but I get a good majority of work from general admin tasks. Do what you love and expand your skill set as you grow. You will find other services that you love and can add them or you will find those not so much and will pass on those jobs.

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Lee Drozak
My Office Assistant

Originally Posted by RhondaHolscher

I think you should take what you love and know you are good at and work with it and like you said build from there. That's what I did, and am still doing. If you are not enjoying the work that you do then you are doing yourself and your clients a disservice. I think there is a need for all types of assistance and you will find your place doing what you enjoy.

Agree .............................. ..

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Bridie's Typing Services - specialising in transcription services
The professional's choice

Thank you, thank you, thank you! I am grateful for everyone's feedback!

It is very confusing to take in all the info out there about VA's and create some kind of definition for myself, but my lesson learned today is that what IS TRUE is that you can offer an administrative service you know you are great at, do it in an environment you create (your home) and call yourself a Virtual Assistant (or Admin Consultant, or Business Consultant, or whatever you choose!). When you first come on board in this industry, I think one of the first obstacles to overcome is actually believing all this true.

Thanks again everyone!

I agree with what everyone has said. When researching the industry you do come across a lot of information and opinions. But as Lily mentioned, take them all with a grain of salt and focus on what you are good at.
As a newbie to this industry I too am offering general services. However, I am also working on learning new skills that I can add to my services and broaden my scope.
Good luck!

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Malaika Nallawangsa
Quick Works | Virtual Office Assistant

Originally Posted by Malaika

I agree with what everyone has said. When researching the industry you do come across a lot of information and opinions. But as Lily mentioned, take them all with a grain of salt and focus on what you are good at. As a newbie to this industry I too am offering general services. However, I am also working on learning new skills that I can add to my services and broaden my scope. Good luck!

So true, and you might find that as you build your client base you might become "known" for a certain service, and that will naturally change the focus of your business (if you want it to).