You had decided that working online was an ideal fit for you but NOW you want to boost your income as a virtual assistant.
You thought you could leave your soul-sucking day job, work at home to be with the kids and maybe even become a digital nomad.
Whatever your personal reason is, you bought into the dream.
You joined some remote working sites, found some jobs you could do and applied… BUT you’ve gotten little or no work – maybe not even any feedback!
You’re feeling bummed out, unmotivated and starting to think maybe it’s all a myth. Maybe all those successful people you’ve seen making all the money have something special going on – they have unique talents/multiple degrees/trust-funds.
Wrong!
Most of the Virtual Assistants out there started in the exact same place you are.
If you do the right things, you can and will make money working as a Virtual Assistant.
4 Reasons Why You Aren’t Making Money
(And How to Do It Right!)
1. You Are Applying for the Wrong Jobs
When you are strapped for cash or trying to get started, you might feel that there are no wrong jobs. Not true! Chasing around in the wrong place all day will not only get you anywhere, and it will also be totally demoralizing.
There’s so much talk on the internet that UpWork is where you need to be. But if you go there, you will find clients asking for data entry at just $3 an hour.
Often when you apply for these depressing jobs (offering depressing money), you don’t even get a response. That’s not going to make anyone feel good about themselves.
Stay away from these sites – they are not good for your health!
I am pretty vocal about my dislike of UpWork. Besides the fact that I and MANY of our program members have had bad experiences, it’s just not the best place to make money.
They take a fat 20% of your pay and don’t even pay you until you’ve made $100(?!?) PLUS it’s not the safety net you might think it is.
I could go on forever about why Upwork sucks and so we put together this post which goes into more detail and contains some great alternatives. Better options include sites like Working Nomads, for instance.
At 90 Day VA, we also assemble a variety of different jobs, entry levels, and experience, vetted by the team and emailed weekly. This email alone means that you are getting legit online jobs that will pay you what you are worth.
Sites like UpWork don’t paint a great picture of what is out there in the remote working world. But trust me, THERE IS SO MUCH WORK OUT THERE FOR VIRTUAL ASSISTANTS! I see proof of this every single day.
2. You Aren’t Putting the Effort Required into Your Applications
Sorry, but this might mean you have to admit the cold hard truth to yourself. It’s ok. We’ve all done it. I’ve done it!
We convince ourselves we are trying our best when really we are stuck in a place of fear and not achieving very much at all!
- Have you been applying for and following up on lots of jobs? Yes? Not just a few?
- Are your applications up-to-date and designed to impress?
You can’t be sending out the dry, old CV you wrote in Word 5 years ago (which even still includes your high school grades!) No-one wants to read that.
They just want to see, quickly and easily – do you have the skills I need and where are your examples? So, you need some great examples in your portfolio.
You do have a portfolio right?
I’ve worked as, and have been hiring Virtual Assistants for over 6 years now, so I can GUARANTEE that this stuff matters!
If you were going for an interview in person, you would want that first impression to count. You’d want to look up-to-date, stylish and impressive. Same should go for your application. Check out this free resource for help creating a rockstar application and resume to do it the RIGHT way.
3. You Aren’t Bridging the Gaps
If you are looking through job listings and your heart is sinking, reading the requirements, rather than shrugging it off as “I’m not qualified, no can do”.
Instead, why don’t you look at the part you can’t do and then learn to do it!
Chances are (unless you’re randomly looking at neurosurgery jobs) you can and you SHOULD upskill. I’m not talking about going back to school for a year and gaining a certificate.
Employers don’t care how long you take to learn something or that you have a certificate. For many of the skills that clients are crying out for, it takes just a few weeks to master the basics.
There are stacks of free guides and courses out there to get you started. There are also paid training courses on every topic imaginable, for all budgets. People teaching you the skills and techniques they have learned themselves over many years – saving you the time and pain.
In 90 Day VA, I teach a range of the skills I KNOW that clients need, having experience as a Virtual Assistant as well as running a successful agency.
Think about who your dream clients are – are they Wellness Influencers, Environmental Lawyers, Real Estate Agents, Creatives? Then look at the jobs they are listing and the kind of skills they need.
For instance, Influencers are likely needing help in social media, so get savvy with Pinterest and Instagram. You might find you surprise yourself with what you enjoy and what you are good at.
Some of our program members have gone on to specialize in (and be the go-to person for) areas they’d never even considered. You can do that, too. Get learning!
4. You Aren’t Investing in Yourself (Hint – This Is Why You’re Failing at #3)
For some reason, and women especially, it feels wrong to invest in yourself. While you’d encourage a friend, child, or husband, however when it comes to you, it can make you feel uneasy, guilty, unworthy even.
You ARE worth it (thanks L’Oreal) and investing in yourself is the BEST way to move yourself on from any rut you are stuck in.
Perhaps you want to become a digital nomad but you don’t want to eat into your travel budget. Investing in yourself and your skills will actually mean you’ll earn more money in the long run and be able to travel longer, or even FOREVER if that’s what you want.
You might be suspicious about having to pay at all. Charging for something doesn’t make it a scam! Someone can’t spend their time and energy creating courses, looking after groups, mentoring, etc for free.
No matter how much they love what they do and want to help you, they have to pay the bills. They are charging because what they offer has value to you.
Those uber-successful people you see out there on social media, living the life, being all amazing and epic – they are no different to you. They are not special. They have and they keep on investing in themselves.
As you upscale what you want for yourself, you should upscale your investment in yourself.
These 4 reasons have one thing in common – YOU. You’ve got to take responsibility and you’ve got to take action. NOW!
- Sort out that resume
- Increase your application rate (and apply in the right place)
- Follow-up those applications
- Get upskilling
- Invest in yourself
- Be brave.
No-one else can do this for you, but please believe me when I tell you that YOU CAN DO THIS!!
If you are ready to quit the excuses and get serious, 90 Day VA will help you bridge that gap and super-boost your confidence along the way!
If you are ready to invest in your kick-ass-self, then check out the syllabus, testimonials and enrollment details HERE
Katie is a Virtual Assistant who enjoys helping inspirational businesses by easing their path to success and helping them keep their crown once they reach the top. A corporate escapee from the UK, between travels she is based in Valencia, Spain. She lives for voyages, the unusual, vintage and all things kitsch.
She’s a member of 90 Day VA and assists with everything from content and social media management to supporting the more technical stuff. To see all the services she offers and how she can help you, find her on, Facebook(https://www.facebook.com/katieclarkevirtualservices) or on Instagram(https://www.instagram.com/whatkatiedideventually).
