One of the tasks I frequently had to do at my old job (as an employee) was research information online. My boss would have me find companies that made a particular product or find out the building code of a particular city. I enjoy researching information. I also LOVE finding an obscure or niche resource for people so that it makes their lives easier (like finding a support organization for parents of developmentally disabled children). I am not sure if this is something marketable. I am wondering if anyone else offers this sort of service. How do you deal with time limits or dead ends? I'd love any feedback or tips!
That's a very valid service offering. I do a bit of that for one of my clients. He has had me looking up information and getting information via phone calls - both for business and personal things.
There are soOo many research projects out there that I have seen and I have actually had to refer those clients to other VAs because it is not my niche and I absolutely hate doing research - even in college!
I definitely say go for it - the research niche - it's amazing what new things you can learn online while working! Good luck!
Hi Rosie18,
Internet research is one of my niche services. You can find the answers to just about anything in the world online (although they may not always be accurate-lol). When I was a 911 dispatcher I googled anything and everything whether work related or personal. Over the years I became the Internet queen!
And yes, there are a ton of research projects out there. Just take a peek at guru or eLance and you'll get an idea of the type of research projects people look for help with.
My biggest client right now initially contracted me specifically for my research and navigation skills.
I also offer research as a services and have had quite a few research related projects come my way. People appreciate not having to take the time to do it themselves especially if they are not familiar with how to go about finding what they need. The more efficient and effective you are in finding what the client needs, the more it is a win-win for both you and the client as the client gets what they want and you can complete the project in much less time than it would have taken them to do it for you.
I bet there is a niche in research. Incidentally, I am good at it too but untill you mentioned it, it never occcured to me to add it to the services I might be offering!
I wonder though, if one could make enough from reseach?
Hi Rosie, I am new as a VA but I too do extensive research for the projects I work on. This is definitely something that is marketable and extremely valuable. You can, however, get stuck if you don't take into account the amount of time that you will be spending on research. My suggestion is to price out your project accordingly (e.g. you can give an estimate of how long it would take and then charge an hourly rate).
I am really glad to hear that this is something that is in demand (a really long time ago, I had thought about becoming a librarian - researching is in my blood ). I am not yet sure how I would go about finding a client for this. I am still in the fact-finding phase of developing myself as a VA....but if anyone has any suggestions as far as who to market this to I'd appreciate it
Attorneys in particular are in the need to produce evidence for their cases so they don't have to go through the trouble. For them it represents endless nights. Also, college students who are taking Masters or Doctorate classes might appreciate it as well. When I was in college I had a Doctorate student whom I typed up documents and sometimes did research for. This saved the student time and gave me a paycheck. Hope this helps.
edsupport-
You have come up with some great ideas! Thank you so much!! I know of someone who is a paralegal and I could ask her if she knows of lawyers who could use an extra hand (perhaps I could do a few quick assignments for free as a 'practice' - we'll see). The university students are also a good idea too. Thanks so much for your brilliance
Re: Research as an offering?
I bet there is a niche in research. Incidentally, I am good at it too but untill you mentioned it, it never occcured to me to add it to the services I might be offering!
). I am not yet sure how I would go about finding a client for this. I am still in the fact-finding phase of developing myself as a VA....but if anyone has any suggestions as far as who to market this to I'd appreciate it 
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