Becoming a Virtual Assistant is an Opportunity (Not a Scam)

If Shark Tank star Kevin O’Leary says it, it must be true. 

What did he say? He said, if he lost everything, he would find a problem and solve it. From there, he said “the best way to do that is to start a side hustle as a virtual assistant.” That’s right. Billionaire O’Leary has publicly stated that in today’s business marketplace if he wanted to make some moolah, he would be a virtual assistant. 

I couldn’t agree more. I’ve been saying this myself for years. 

2001 was the year I left my corporate career to go out on my own. I became a virtual assistant before the term was widely known. I started as a virtual assistant for real estate agents and, a few years later, changed my market to public speakers. Then in 2008, I started training Expert VAs?  and Virtual Experts?. 

I’ve made a career out of teaching other women (and a few men) how to be successful VAs and VEs, running successful businesses from their homes. For nearly 20 years, the success of virtual assistants has been my life. The lives that have been transformed by becoming virtual assistants/experts will be my legacy.

It’s not a scam. 

One of the biggest hurdles I’ve had to address repeatedly in my nearly-20-years of training, has been that people think making money working as a virtual assistant is a scam. Many have thought my program, specifically, is a scam. The “this is too good to be true” cautionary perspective seems automatic when I tell potential trainees what they can achieve in their lives - quantitatively (money) or qualitatively (satisfaction). 

“Is this for real?” they ask. Of course, I’m not making up the stats or the success stories from my program, but the person on the other end needs serious convincing. I don’t blame them necessarily. As virtual assistants have become a more popular addition to business owners’ or entrepreneurs’ business models or execution strategy, there are more and more training programs to choose from and not all of them have the same results. No one wants to invest in something that turns out to be a cash-grab scheme.

I can’t speak to the intentions or the successes of other training programs, but I know that 80% of the people surveyed in mine achieve their (self-defined) goal within the first year of joining my program. Those goals range from people wanting to bring in an additional $2K/month to people quitting their jobs and replacing their incomes. 

People are doubtful because it seems too simple. Except it really IS simple.

When I boil the VA career down to solving people’s problems using the skills they already have, they think it’s too simple. O’Leary echoes the simplicity of it saying (as quoted in the CNBC article), “I would find a problem everybody had and I’d solve it...There are so many people scrambling to figure out their lives right now that need help in all kinds of things.” He uses the examples of someone needing documents edited and another needing sales support. “You’d be amazed how many people are looking for help… You name it.”   

You name it, is right. In my two decades in this space, I’ve seen the gamut of needs that virtual assistants fill. From email support to Facebook Ads generation to ghostwriting articles to website building to email list management to bookkeeping … and beyond. The possibilities and opportunities are endless. When you already have pre-established skills and plenty of prior work experience, it’s not difficult to leverage these into services you can charge for. 

You solve people’s problems. You get paid for it. 

It seems too simple, but it is that simple. Truthfully, what business - regardless if it’s a small business or thriving enterprise - isn’t about solving problems? Consider these examples. Accountants manage your books and taxes. Insurance brokers take care of your coverage needs. Real estate agents support the sale or purchase of a home. Lawyers are in the business of representing you when you have legal issues to resolve. These professionals all resolve a problem for their client, and they all get paid for it. 

Virtual assistants are no different. Sure, they may work at home. Sure, they do their business by Zoom call. But they do have a service they can use to solve a problem for someone. They do have the professionalism, experience, and skills to do so effectively and well. And they do have the ability to charge for these services precisely because of all those aforementioned things. You solve people’s problems, and you get paid for it. Just like any other profession or any other service provider. 

Right now is the time to become a virtual assistant. 

There’s no time like the present, and I don’t just mean that in a philosophical way. Right now, as COVID-19 has turned the way we do business on its head, there is even more need for professionals who can work remotely and be successful. And as COVID-19 has forced businesses to sometimes fire, furlough, or lay-off employees, people everywhere are looking for ways to bring income back into their households. 

There’s an opportunity right now to solve people's problems and get paid for it. To earn money for skills you already have. It is simple, really. You can become a virtual assistant. (And not just any VA but an Expert VA? or even a Virtual Expert?.) You don’t even have to trust me if you don’t want to. Kevin O’Leary said it, and if he said it, it must be true.  

Kathy Goughenour is an experienced and savvy business coach and trainer. From corporate marketing to Virtual Assistant to business coach and trainer.

Since 2008 she's been training and coaching women to build successful Virtual Assistant home-based businesses through her program Virtual Expert? Training.

For more information about what Virtual Experts? do and how to start a successful Virtual Expert? business, visit my website, or watch my free webinar today.

If you are ready to start a profitable business as a successful Virtual Expert? I can help you find your niche and achieve your goals. Apply here for a free MORE Clients MORE Profits Breakthrough Session with a member of my team today to see if Virtual Expert? training is the right fit for you.