Starting a Successful Virtual Assistant Business: Inside VA Spark Academy
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In a world where remote work and digital entrepreneurship are flourishing, the role of a virtual assistant has never been more vital. As businesses and professionals seek to streamline their operations, the demand for skilled virtual assistants continues to soar. If you've ever dreamed of harnessing your knack for organization, communication skills, and tech-savviness to build a thriving online career, you're in the right place.
Starting a virtual assistant business can be a transformative experience, and with the right guidance, resources, and support, you can unlock the door to a rewarding and flexible career path. But I’m not just here to share tips and tricks, I know you can find those everywhere on the interwebs – I’m excited to introduce you to an exclusive opportunity that can supercharge your journey towards becoming a successful virtual assistant.
We’re going to explore the ins and outs of launching a virtual assistant business, touching on the essential steps, key skills, and the mindset required to thrive in this dynamic field. And the best part? I’m thrilled to introduce you to our game-changing VA Spark Academy, my monthly membership program designed specifically for aspiring virtual assistants like you. This program is your passport to success, offering a roadmap that combines knowledge, community, and ongoing support to help you build a thriving virtual assistant business from the ground up.
So, whether you're a stay-at-home parent looking for flexible work, a professional seeking a career change, or simply someone eager to embrace the virtual frontier, fasten your seatbelt. Your journey towards becoming a virtual assistant extraordinaire begins here. Let's dive in and explore the world of possibilities that awaits you.
What is VA Spark Academy?
VA Spark Academy is a low-cost (only $7/month to get started!) membership designed to help brand-spanking (and mostly introverted) virtual assistants get their businesses off the ground.
The membership is broken down into two levels, Lite and Elite (launching in October 2023).
VA Spark Academy Lite is geared towards people who are literally just starting their virtual assistant business. I’ll have a full module breakdown for you a little further along in this post but essentially, this is for starting your business from nothing. We talk about choosing what services to offer, how to take payments, taxes and bookkeping, starting your website, and the beginnings of how to find clients.
VA Spark Academy Elite will be launching very soon and is for the next level of your business. This is where we dive into working with clients, taking on more of a management role with them, and move into really choosing the types of skills you want to excel at and honing those so you can start to niche down your market. When you join VA Spark Academy Elite, you’ll also have access to the content in Lite.
Why Become a Virtual Assistant?
It’s simple really. To create the type of life you want.
I’m not going to lie to you and tell you it’s easy? Nothing about starting your own business is easy. If shit can go wrong, it probably will at some point.
But I will also be the first to tell you, that as hard as this adventure can be sometimes I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I’ve met so many amazing people since I started working solely online. Crazy, right? I’ve gotten to travel more than I ever did before. I get to move around and not be tied to one spot because of a job. I get to work the hours I want to work rather than hours someone else tells me to work.
Maybe those things don’t sound good to you, that’s okay. You don’t want to travel or move every six months, totally fine! It’s not for the faint of heart 😅
What do you want?
Do you want to stay home with your kids (or in my case, my pup, Oakley! 🐾)? Do you just not want to have a strict schedule? The ability to control your income?
Whatever it is, being a virtual assistant can help you achieve those goals because you have total control over what you do, when you work, who you work with, how much you work, and how much you get paid. 💥
VA Spark Academy Will Help You Get Started
When I first started my business in 2016, I had no idea what I was doing. I know, a lot of people say that. But I really didn’t. All I knew was I could work from home because I had been doing that for the previous 4 years for Apple. And that I was good with computers. So I should be able to put 2 + 2 together to help people…somehow. 🤷🏻♀️
I actually quit my job at Apple before I had my first client because I was so sure this was a thing I could make happen. I don’t necessarily recommend that, but here. we are 💁🏻♀️
I enrolled in a course that was pretty good but was kinda just the basics, which was what I needed. I set up a super simple 1-page website with a video on it, according to that course.
Then I did a very general Facebook search for virtual assistant and happened to see a fairly recent post from someone who didn’t look like a scammer looking for someone for just a few hours a week and I messaged her (or filled out a form, I don’t remember!). I do remember her telling me she was just looking for help with some simple things and was going to hire one of her stay-at-home mom friends, but went with me because “this was my business.” Not just extra cash because I was bored.
Our level of work together has changed many times over the years but, we still work together, 7 years later.
All of this is to say, if I didn’t have that little bit of push in the direction of right actions to take in the beginning, I probably wouldn’t be here today. But things have changed A LOT since then. I’m not sure a FB search for virtual assistant would work today. And there are SO MANY scams out there these days.
So I’ve created VA Spark Academy to help to help brand new virtual assistants joining the party today! 🎉 And I’ve tailored it for those of us who are more on the introverted side of life. (Meaning, we don’t focus on social media around here because it’s uber time consuming and exhausting).
I’ve got a breakdown of the modules coming up, but I’ve designed VA Spark Academy to start you at the very beginning and walk you step by step through each piece of setting up your own VA business.
Including some things I didn’t know how to do correctly, and I’m still kinda paying for that, ahem, taxes and paying myself properly. I don’t want that to happen to you so that is one of the early sections in the program.
Think of it as your personal roadmap to creating the virtual assistant business of your dreams! ✨
How About a Sneak Peek Into the Academy!
VA Spark Academy Module Breakdown
VA Spark Academy Lite
PHASE ONE: SETTING UP YOUR BUSINESS
Module 1: Unleashing Your Virtual Assistant Superpowers
This module is all about figuring out what services you can start offering as a virtual assistant today. Yes, there are plenty of fun things out there to learn, and believe me you’ll want to. But that is an easy rabbit hole to fall down. And that can lead to in action when it comes to finding clients.
Oh I want to learn how to do xyz first!
Six months later, still no clients.
I don’t want that for you. So this module walks you through how to determine what skills you have right now that you can use to jumpstart your business. Then, once you’ve got a few clients and some income, you can start learning all the fun, new stuff.
Module 2: Creating Your Magical Packages + Pricing
Now that you know what you’re going to start offering, we’re going to start working on your packages and pricing. This can be a huge hurdle for new virtual assistants because there’s so much information out there about how to package your services and what to charge.
We’re busting through that and creating simple offers you can share with potential clients so you don’t get overwhelmed while selling and they don’t get too overwhelmed with options and ghost you.
Module 3: Keeping it Legal with Payments and Taxes
In this module we’re diving into the fun stuff. I mean kinda. This is the module that gets you paid! 🙌🏻 This is also the module that gets the government paid so you stay out of trouble. 😉 Don’t worry, we’re keeping it simple and I’m sharing some of my favorite resources for all the fun money stuff.
I want you to feel confident taking payments and knowing how to manage them. It’s a totally different world than just receiving a paycheck.
PHASE TWO: NEW BUSINESS TECH
Module 4: Create Your Seamless Onboarding Process
Now it’s time to start onboarding those new clients of yours! We’ll walk through the onboarding process, what should be included, and different ways to set it up so the whole process runs smoothly.
Should you use an onboarding tool? Or do everything manually? We’ll walk through it all, set up a welcome packet, and get your first calls scheduled!
Module 5: Building Your Website to Attract Clients on Autopilot
As introverts, the main marketing method we’ll use is your website. (No, it’s not the only one, but it’s a big one.) So this is where we start planning it out, or tweaking it if you already have one.
What pages do you need, what needs to be on them, and what even is SEO? We’re diving into all of it so we can start getting you found on Google pronto.
Module 6: Crafting Your Email List and Funnel for Consistent Client Leads
Your email list is key to having a list of clients ready to work with you when you have space to fill on your roster. So in Module 6, we start setting that up. We go into opt-ins, welcome emails, funnels, and the tech behind all that.
PHASE THREE: WORKING WITH CLIENTS (COMING IN SEPTEMBER 2023)
Module 7: Marketing and finding clients
One of the biggest obstacles of any business but particularly online business for introverts is finding clients to work with. In this lesson, I’m sharing my favorite ways to find new clients with no posting to social media unless you just want to. (I think my last post on Instagram was in March 2023 😅)
Module 8: Working with Task Managers
Now that you’re ready to start working with clients, they’re onboarded and ready to go, you’ve got to manage the tasks and projects you need to do for them. So in this lesson I’m sharing my favorite task managers and how to use them to keep your client work organized so you don’t miss a thing.
Module 9: Project Based Work
Our last module in Spark Academy Lite is all about project-based work. It’s easy to think being a virtual assistant means you have to work with the same clients long-term forever. But that’s not true. It’s amazing if you find a client-VA relationship that does span years. I have a couple and it’s fantastic. But not all of them will be that way and that’s okay. Project-based work is a perfect way to test the relationship before committing to something long-term. It’s also great if you have a full roster of long-term clients but want to make a little extra cash. Or if your schedule just doesn’t allow for the time commitment of long-term clients. There’s so much potential! We’re getting into all of it.
What’s Included in Your Membership
✨ 9 Lessons broken down into 3 phases so you can set up all the basics of your VA business right from the start (Phases 1 and 2 are ready for you to dive in! Phase 3 is releasing throughout September 2023.)
✨ The Uncovering Your VA Skills Guide to guide you through recognizing what skills you have right now that you can use in your new VA business.
✨ Making Money: Creating Your Magical Packages + Pricing Guide to help you plan out your packages and what to charge for them.
✨ Planning + Pricing Calculator so you can actually see the numbers! Plug in what you want to charge and how many clients you want to work with and see exactly how much you can get paid, how much goes to taxes, and so much more!
✨ Creating Your Seamless Onboarding Process Guide + Checklist to, you know, create your onboarding process so your clients feel supported before they even start working with you.
✨ Building Your Website to Attract Clients on Autopilot Guide because your website can be your #1 marketing tool if it’s created strategically. No, that doesn’t mean you need a professional. We’re just going to make sure you’ve got the right pieces in place so clients can find you for a change.
✨ Crafting Your Email List and Funnel Guide so you can turn that website traffic into subscribers and clients.
✨ Access to a Members-only community so you can get feedback and support as you go through the content and start creating your dream business
✨ Access to the VA Spark Academy Tech Vault so you can learn the ins and outs of the most popular tech platforms in the biz. Tech trainings are released with the training module they coincide with.
✨ 10+ Bonuses available now created to support you along your VA journey!
+ So much more to come!
FAQS
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Anyone who is looking to start their own virtual assistant business. If you’re brand spanking new to the whole online business space, this is for you. We’re starting at the beginning.
If you’ve been doing this for a little bit but aren’t seeing the results you want or are tired of all the extroverted ways of doing things, this is for you, too. We’re going against the noise of social media over here. -
Instantly, my friend! Phases 1 and 2 (6 lessons) are ready for you right now. Phase 3 is releasing in September 2023.
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It’s as long as you want it to be. There’s no minimum commitment. Well, besides the first month. 😉 You can cancel anytime after that.
Since this is an ongoing membership, if you cancel, you lose access to all content and the support community. As long as you’re a member, you get all updates, new content, and support through the community.
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The community is where the magic happens! This is where you can connect with other members of VA Spark Academy and seek support for your business. You can ask questions there about whatever you’re going through and I (plus other community members) will support you however we can.
We’re a small but mighty group at the moment and it’s only going to get better!
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Well, my friend, the doors to VA Spark Academy only open a few times a year. So if you’ve found this page, you’ve found something special. 💖 You have a special opportunity to join right now without waiting for the doors to open.
If now’s not the right time, I totally understand. But if there’s even the tiniest spark within you saying this is what you need, this is your chance to jump on it today! ✨
See you on the inside!
xx,
Delana
Hi, I’m Delana!
I'm a Business Systems + Operations Consultant for female entrepreneurs who are struggling to create defined, sustainable systems and processes in their business. I help them create the systems they need so they can confidently hire team members and get back to their clients… and their life!
