Have you been considering a career as a virtual assistant? Are you looking for a legitimate training course that’ll set you up for success? If so, read on. I’m going to be talking about an online course I took that I found to be super-relevant and practical.
This course helped me land my first client, pushed me to pitch for more, and I know you can get the same and even more out of it!
You may go directly to the course here.
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Post Contents
My Story
I was part of a department-wide lay off June 2017, after I’d been with the company for 12 years. The news came at a time when I’d been thinking about a career change, but it was still a devastating experience for my family and me. I knew I had to move on, but to what?
For me, independence was a must, and I wanted to help others with the skills I’d learned throughout my career. I also understood that I would be happiest working from home and being more available for my family.
While researching, I discovered a crazy-smart businesswoman named Gina Horkey of the Horkey Handbook. Gina is also one of the contributors to the recently launched Amazon best-seller The Essential Habits of Six-Figure Bloggers.
Let me tell you, I LOVED the idea of becoming a virtual assistant!
- Work from home? Check
- Use the skills I already had to help others? Check
- Freedom to choose my own hours? Check!
So I decided to sign up for Gina’s FullyBookedVA Training (formerly 30 Days or Less to Virtual Assistant Success).
The Course and Course Support
Gina’s 30 Days or Less to Virtual Assistant Success (now FullyBookedVA) course is bursting with value. You’ll find the structure easy to follow and the lessons arranged logically. You’ll learn how to set up your VA business step-by-step.
There’s also a Facebook group you can choose to join. This group will support you with live webinars, Q&As with field experts, and general encouragement.
Even better, requests from potential clients come in on a regular basis through this group, so you can possibly snag a client right from there!
*Update: Gina’s course has been revamped to an all-inclusive VA journey called Fully Booked VA. ANYTHING you need to know to become a highly skilled virtual assistant is included here. I’m talking about social media, project management, email management, real estate management, etc. Now, you pay one price and learn any and everything you want!
How Much Does 30 Days or Less to Virtual Assistant Success Cost?
Your investment for the course is $497 down (a payment plan of $199 for three months is available) to get started OR $1,194 per year. Click here for more details
- Gina’s start as a VA
- How to be successful with the course
- Getting into the right mindset (very important!)
- Building your VA foundation
- What a VA really is, and more.
- Launching your VA Business
Setting up your business, what to call yourself etc. - Sourcing Clients
How and where to land clients for your VA biz. They may be closer than you think! - All About Pitching
Learning skills to beat the fear of asking to be hired. - Interviewing and getting hired
What to expect during an interview as a business owner and freelancer. - Making Money as a VA
Setting up a business account, taxes, acquiring a tax ID setting your rates and packages. - Your VA online presence
Launching a website, social media platforms, etc. - Building Effective Relationships
Networking and marketing the right way. - Skill Deep Dives (updates coming soon!)
- Exploring VA Niches
What areas are out there for VAs? Even more importantly, which VA niche fits YOU? - Putting it all together
The course is over; you’ve learned A TON (no way you haven’t), so now what? 🙀 Get to pitching! Get that website up and running! Action, action! LOL. Seriously though, the essential part of your business is your clients, so take steps as soon as you can to get hired. You can do this!
Access to the Course
You do get lifetime access to the course and a completion certificate at the end. A lot of students (I did too) include the certificate on their resume or LinkedIn profile. No LinkedIn profile yet? Here are the steps to set one up!
The hardest part for me was pitching! Here’s what I’ve discovered along the way: all it takes is the first pitch. After that, it gets so much easier!
Rejection is inevitable sometimes in business, but you’ll get plenty of positive responses too. Just keep taking action.
If you send out several pitches at once, it’s actually less stressful because you’re not waiting on a response from just one person. So, send your awesome pitches and then move on to working on something else.
I’ve discovered the best way to find your own clients is by networking. You can join Facebook groups even if you’re an introvert!
Find relevant business groups within your chosen niche and follow businesses or people that are a good fit.
You can just observe at first to get a feel for the group, and then, just ask people how you can help and offer some value. Or, if allowed, you can post about your services. Here’s a helpful post about Facebook groups.
It’s also great to get out and meet other business owners at local networking groups.
Getting the Most out of the Course
The 30 Days or Less course will guide you through what you NEED to get started the right way. Each section comes with action steps. You want to take these action steps, so that, be all set to launch by the time you get to the end of the course.
Take your time. Some complete the course within a few days, others take months. It took me a little over a month to complete the course. The goal is to finish and to make sure you’re taking action.
You can email the Horkey Handbook support line for help anytime.
I wish you every success.
You can get started on your VA journey right here.