This is the first in what I hope will be a series of questions and answers between myself and my fellow VAF members. Some questions I will take straight from the forums and answer here, some questions that come to me by Private Message will be featured here as well. I'll keep it all anonymous unless requested not to do so.

I'll tell you up front that I focus on the positive and although I will always be honest with you I also understand it is not my place to make or break your dreams (that is YOUR job). My responses here are my own thoughts and feelings and while I don't claim to have the magic solution to your issues or the 'right' answer to all of your questions I am very much invested in offering support and guidance when and where I can.


Hi Tess, I have not had any luck finding a job since I was laid off 9 months ago. Being laid off after 18 years was a reality check - I am 38 years old and none of the jobs advertised pay enough to go back to work in an office setting AND cover the cost of daycare. Even so, I have put out well over 60 resumes with no luck.

At my last job I was making $24/hr - not being able to find a job within that range scares me, as we were barely making it before. My unemployment runs out in December and I am scared to death. My husband's income is not enough to support our family of three.

I feel as though starting my own virtual assistant services business is my only chance at having the best of both worlds: being here for my 4-year old daughter AND being able to provide income to our family.

I have the motivation, the drive and determination but I am still trying to get my ducks in a row and figure out what steps to take. The forums have been a great start! I got a car magnet with my business information on it today and my business cards so I am rather excited and hoping these generate some business for me.

I am trying to figure out my "niche" as I have diverse skills to offer: admin duties, social media management, etc. Who would be my ideal clients? Small business owners of a specific category, or a diverse range? I was in the medical industry but I don't do medical transcription nor medical billing, and I want to venture into something new and use my skills in a different field. I'm also not sure how much to charge.

I read about how some VAs subcontract overflow work and I think, "I can do that!" but I'm not sure how to let other VAs know that I'm available.

Thank you for your advice Tess!

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I feel for you! The tone of your email makes it clear that you are in an uncomfortable place right now and it's understandably very scary.

The one positive thing about this difficult situation is that the universe has literally opened up an opportunity to you and it's just a matter of you pulling the pieces together.

The opportunity to start a business is something that most people never take advantage of - they're stuck living paycheck to paycheck, chained to a job they don't love but always dreaming of opportunity. How amazing is it that you have that opportunity AND the time to invest in making that happen?

Being a business owner might seem all the more daunting from where you stand, but I know you can do it because I have seen countless people lift themselves out of that same struggle and into business success. Many of them are moms just like you - juggling a million things, uncertain of their abilities, feeling like it just isn't going to work out, worried about how to pay the bills.

You already know you have all of the skills, tools, and resources you need to make it happen - you have the experience, you have the goal, you have the motivation - you even have an amazing community of fellow VAs within reach - you just need to bring it all together for success.

I know it's hard not to panic with December looming, and I hear your fear - I believe it's important to honor those feelings and accept that fear is very likely going to continue to be a part of your startup process on some level - but for now, push those negative thoughts and worries out of the way and focus on this amazing positive:

You have TWO whole months to get your business up and running...

That's a good chunk of time, and without the distraction of a job outside the home you can literally devote the same amount of time to your business NOW as you would if you were already up and running. I always advise new VAs to determine how many hours they expect to be working on and in their businesses (with clients and well as non-billable hours) and start investing that time NOW.

If you plan on spending six hours a day in your business when you have clients, use those six hours a day NOW. Squeeze every single minute you can out of your weekdays to put the pieces in place. Get your services ironed out, define who and where you're market is, craft your message and start delivering it! Make your move now and take advantage of every moment while you can still lean on your unemployment benefits.

I think your business cards and car magnet are a good start, and the excitement they generated for you is just the kind of good energy you need to be focused on right now - but it's crucially important that you put plenty more energy into deciding who your market is and get active about getting your message out to them. Yes, people may see the magnet on your car and they may even take notice, but in order to get real traction for your business you are going to need to do some outreach and marketing.

You asked about your niche and target market and mentioned that you have a diverse range of skills including social media as well as general business administration - so we know what you can do, the real question is who do you want to provide those services to? What markets interest you? Where do you see a need for what you can do? Starting with the free Getting Started as a Virtual Assistant download: organize your thoughts around which market(s) you think you'd be best suited for. If you're familiar with the medical field but do not offer medical transcription then what pain points CAN you address for that field and who in that market could you see as a potential client? If not the medical field, then where do you want to focus your energy? Which industries draw you in? Which industries tap into the part of you that is always wanting to learn and grow? Which industries will challenge and excite you?

You have two months to break this struggle into tiny, digestible pieces - one thing at a time. First, organize your business - decide what services you'll offer and it'll make it all the easier to figure out who you want to work with and how they can benefit from those services.

Once you have the first few aspects of your business ironed out, keep moving forward, piece by piece, until it's all in place. With six hours a day (for example) to devote to startup, you're going to get through it in no time!

In the meantime, make yourself known among your fellow VAs. Use your membership at Virtual Assistant Forums to your advantage: share your expertise; share resources and advice related to your expertise; SHINE... when you do, other VAs will take notice. As you build relationships and put more energy out into the community you'll find that the investment comes back to you in the form of boundless support and viable opportunities, whether that be through overflow work, a subcontracting position, or some kind of internship.

Yes, it's true that I can stand on the sidelines of what is real life for you and be your cheerleader, that's the easy part. The hard part about all of this is that the ball is in your court. It's your move. And you're the only one who can truly make this happen.

Wishing you success and abundance!

Tess