Hi cwilliams,
Thanks for sharing these questions - very thought provoking!
1. What is the day-to-day life of a VA like?
This is really up to you - remember this is your business and while you need to give your clients what they need, you are not their employee.
For me, personally - my comfort zone is a set schedule. Primarily because if I don't have a set routine, I won't get anything done. My son is off to school at 8:00 and that's when I start my day. I don't follow a time schedule (unless I have an appointment) but rather a task schedule.
1. Check email to see if any fires need to be put out. Deal with anything that can't wait. Schedule stuff that can wait in the appropriate client's time slot.
2. Then I have time blocks for each client depending upon their needs.
3. Break for lunch and time for me.
4. Check email for anything that came in the morning. Deal with what can't wait and schedule the rest.
5. Time block for clients.
6. Business Admin time
7. Final email check around 4:30.
8. Evening - Check blogs and forums I follow. This is some of my training time but I have fun doing it so it doesn't feel like work.
If I don't have enough client work to fill the time then I use it to either work on marketing or do some training/business reading.
2. What are the most important day-to-day skills necessary to be successful?
Self-discipline and organization. Tess mentioned empathy and I agree - absolutely crucial.
3. What are your daily work hours?
I really like the 8:00 - 5:00 routine. I know a lot of us are VA's so we can have flexible work hours but I like the structure - it helps me to stay focused.
Also, I don't do client work in the evenings or on weekends. End of discussion. LOL! Ok, in case of emergency, I do. For example I had a client this past weekend who needed to take an emergency leave because her son was in the hospital. Her clients needed to know what was happening the first thing Monday am so I was sending out emails Sunday night. For me, it was a matter of providing Raving Fans service. My clients know they can count on me when they need me and as a result they tend to not take advantage of me.
4. What are the three most important skills or knowledge areas that I must have to run my business successfully?
As mentioned - you need a good solid plan. I don't mean a business plan fit for Venture Capitalists but you need to know the what, where, how, why and when of your business. You, by the way being the who. Lee mentioned a good bookkeeping plan and boy is she right! I didn't at first - it was always one of those things I had to get around to. I hated myself when I had to get around to it on April 13th (if you aren't in the US, our taxes are due on the 15th). I suddenly realized that I didn't know what I didn't know - and oh yea, what's this about quarterly taxes? Thank goodness I have a friend who is a bookkeeper and specializes in home based business. She told me how to get an extension and then bailed my butt out of the fire. And it only cost me several trips to Starbucks and hearing a lot of "I told you so's"!
5. What do you enjoy most about your business?
It's mine, all mine!!!!
Seriously, though. I love that I do have control over what I do to earn my living so that I can make my life.
And I love sharing my desk with my two cats, Snowflake and Bootsie (one has a basket on my desk and the other has a pillow and they get very annoyed when the phone rings and wakes them up!). I love being available whenever my son needs me. I love looking out my window into my own backyard. I love taking my laptop and working at the park or Starbucks when I need to get out but work too. I love helping other business owners be successful. I love, well, everything about it!
6. What motivates you in your business?
The fear of having to get a J-O-B. LOL. No, seriously, as I said before, helping my clients is a strong motivator and being available for my son, too.
7. What would you do differently if you could?
I have to agree with Tess, it's all been good, really. The only thing I can think of is that at one time I had a client that ended up being a full time gig. That was bad. I loved the work and the client but then suddenly they changed their strategy and I was out in the cold. I saw it coming but in my denial I didn't react quickly enough. When I got my walking papers it was a shock and there were some tough financial times after that. So I learned to not put all of my eggs in one basket. But even so, I learned a lot working with that client so I can't say I'd trade the experience for anything.
8. What are the most difficult challenges and tasks?
Learning to be fair, firm and friendly when it comes to setting boundaries (no, I won't take your call at 2:00 am) and realizing that it's ok to fire clients. I gotta tell ya, the first one I fired? Wow, was that fun! Ok, so I'm a bit sick and twisted but it was fun. I dealt with her in very cordial manner but then in my journal I let out how I really felt.
Quite liberating actually to realize that you can do that and your whole business won't disappear - you just create room for a good client to come in, which is exactly what happened!
cwilliams, thank you so much for this post, it was an enlightening experience for me to actually articulate my thoughts on these questions.
Good luck to you and all of the newbie VAs reading our responses. And yes, one day you will be sharing your thoughts with the newbies - sooner than you think!
Re: Eight Important Questions... please share your answers!
I have gotten clever enough to schedule my emails to go out during business hours. That way I could work when I wanted to and nobody had to know...lol 
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