I'm new to the sight and I'm from GA. I saw a piece on Team Double Click yesterday and I would love to work from home but it needs to be stable. Can anyone give any advice? Thanks

You came to the right place. Starting as a VA requires that you be in the business owner mentality. You should research at www.sba.gov and www.score.org for small business advise. And there are many tips here for the VA industry.

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Sarah Bernstein
Jackson Administrative Outsourcing
www.jacksonao.com

I am in the same boat. I work a 9-5 job and am hoping to get a VA business started so when we move in a couple years I can work from home.

With that being said I have started researching VA's in general. I also did a lot of research on small businesses. I have decided on a name and purchased the domain for internet use (haven't gotten it set up yet though.) I also sent a request to the state to get a business license.

I already had an idea of who I wanted to market so that was easy for me. But you may want to think about going after a specific niche.

Now I am going to get started on brochures, business cards etc.

I too work a 9-5 job. I just launched my VA business in January. Althou I did research it for about a year before I decided to start my business. Once I had the idea I looked into what I needed to get started and what I could afford. The first thing I looked into was getting a business license and when establishing a web site. You'll be amazed at how quickly things get rolling once you get started. Also most important decided what your niche will be, everything will come after that.

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Maria Quick Link Virtual Assistant Services
www.getquicklink.com
Let Quick Link be your link to today's virtual world

Hello Girl in Atlanta!

Welcome to the Forums! I think if you have a 2 year goal in mind to have your business established then you'll do very well. Check out the Getting Started section for loads of advice on how to start your business.
Regards,
Deirdre

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Deirdre's Virtual Office

Welcome Girl in Atlanta!

You were given many great suggestions where to begin. A niche is one of the most important thing you need to think about. What kind of talent do you have that can help you service your clients?

Best of luck!

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Brenda A. Jones
www.brevos.com

Great pointers on how to get started that you have received here. Don't forget the business plan! Put it on paper and map out your journey. You can get help with this by the research you are doing, the SBA (SCORE) in your area can help give you small business pointers (all FREE) and write a business plan with two to three year mapped out. You won't regret the effort!

Hi there and welcome!

The best way to ensure stability as a virtual assistant is to invest yourself, your time, your energy and your expertise in the foundation of your business and then market, market, market.

The great thing about being a VA is that you're a business owner, so you're 'in control' of what happens in your day to day work life - but the flip side of that is that it's ultimately no one's responsibility but your own to create a viable business model, maintain it, and bring in new clients/income.

Taking the plunge in that direction has been the number one best decision I've made in terms of how to spend my time bringing in money but it is a lot of work...totally worth it though!

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I can't quit my job and hope this works out. Thank you all for your thoughts but I'm not this is for me. If I give up my job I lose my house and cars. My husband doesn't make enough to keep us going. Again thank all of you for your thoughts.

There are numerous VAs on this board who work full time and develop their practice on the side. Then once the practice is thriving, they feel more comfortable cutting back their J O B hours or quitting altogether.
It is true that if you're not prepared to make it happen it likely won't be a good match for you - it truly is a 'You grow it' situation and the success of your potential business rests solely with you.

Good luck in whatever it is you choose to do and should you decide to pursue being a VA this forum will always be here to lend support and info

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