Hi everyone,

Newbie here , asking the age-old question, what to charge!

I've been in the corporate world (in roles ranging from admin assistant to business analyst) for almost 20 years. I've been working as a VA for about a year. But I don't have a niche specialty like WordPress or anything like that. My experience lies in the more basic support - calendaring, research, inbox management, that sort of thing.

What do you think I'm worth? I live in NY, if that influences your view.

I've been thinking of my rates, and am stuck between $30 and $40; I plan to only do monthly blocks of time / retainers, not interested in hourly clients per se.

Can you weigh in here and tell me what you think an appropriate going rate is? I feel confident in my VA abilities and I want to charge as much as possible (who doesn't), but I certainly don't want to exceed the normal going rate.

Thanks very much, I appreciate any advice at all!

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Allie
The Admin Initiative

Alyson,

Unfortunately we do not discuss rates on this forum, so none of us will be able to reply with specific rate suggestions.

You should set your rate based on your needs. Evaluate what you need to make a year/month to survive and divide that by the number of hours you expect to be working as a VA. This should give you a guideline. Also do not forget to factor in paying self employment taxes.

You could also check out the sites of other VA's who are Generalists to get a feel for the going rates. Regardless, this is your business and you may charge whatever you feel is appropriate.

Best of Luck,

Julie

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Julie | Virtual Resource Services, Inc (VRSI)
http://www.vrsioffice.com

Alyson

I found your question interesting as I am just starting up so I had to use my best friend "Google". Check this site out it might help you alittle.
http://oofva.com/20131210/low-cost-v...they-worth-it/

Teresa

Quote:

Unfortunately we do not discuss rates on this forum, so none of us will be able to reply with specific rate suggestions.

My bad - I've been on so many different VA sites doing research, and I honestly though this was the site where I'd seen frank / open conversations about rates! Sorry about that. I'll keep researching!

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Allie
The Admin Initiative

Quote:

I found your question interesting as I am just starting up so I had to use my best friend "Google". Check this site out it might help you alittle. http://oofva.com/20131210/low-cost-v...they-worth-it/ Teresa

Thanks very much Teresa for the link, I hadn't read that one before. Not sure if you've come across this one but it's really useful too: http://reesebenyaacov.com/2012/08/vi...ld-you-charge/

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Allie
The Admin Initiative

I haven't seen that one thank you for sharing.

I agree that you need to charge what you need vs. what you think people will pay. There's no point in charging less than what you need to survive, even when starting out. I recommend using some sort of business costs calculator to really see how much you need to be making for your lifestyle.

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Alyssa Johnson, Virtual Assistant
www.alyssajohnsonva.com

I'm just starting out so I found this thread VERY helpful. The links provided, plus personal opinions about not selling ourselves cheaply just because we think we have to...thank you!

I've been working in a variety of admin roles since I was a teen - and I haven't seen the teens in a LONG time My experience and knowledge are invaluable and I need to price my services accordingly.

Jennifer

Aloha Allie & Teresa,

Thank you so much for both of your links; I've read them both thoroughly. Although I've had many years of administrative experience in the corporate world, I'm a newbie to the VA business world. My launch date will be August 2014, so what rates to fairly charge for my services has been a real struggle for me. This conversation has been very encouraging and helpful.

Linda

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Aloha from Hawai'i
LJ Admin Support Services