Skip to content
Virtual Assistant Internship
  • home
  • about
  • be a va
  • podcast
  • blog
  • hire a VA
  • Inspiration, Virtual Assisting, Work From Home

4 Reasons Why You Aren’t Making Money (And How to Do It Right!)

Share on facebook
Share on pinterest
Share on twitter
Share on whatsapp
Share on facebook
Share on pinterest
Share on twitter
Share on whatsapp
why not making money how to

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 appliedโ€ฆ BUT youโ€™ve gotten little or no work – maybe not even any feedback!

Youโ€™re feeling bummed out, unmotivated and starting to think maybe itโ€™s all a myth. Maybe all those successful people youโ€™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.

 Thereโ€™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 donโ€™t even get a response. Thatโ€™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, itโ€™s just not the best place to make money.

They take a fat 20% of your pay and donโ€™t even pay you until youโ€™ve made $100(?!?) PLUS  itโ€™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 donโ€™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.

woman slumped over a desk and laptop

2. You Arenโ€™t Putting the Effort Required into Your Applications

Sorry, but this might mean you have to admit the cold hard truth to yourself. Itโ€™s ok. Weโ€™ve all done it. Iโ€™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 canโ€™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?

Iโ€™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. Youโ€™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 Arenโ€™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 “Iโ€™m not qualified, no can do”.

Instead, why donโ€™t you look at the part you canโ€™t do and then learn to do it!

Chances are (unless youโ€™re randomly looking at neurosurgery jobs) you can and you SHOULD upskill.  Iโ€™m not talking about going back to school for a year and gaining a certificate.

Employers donโ€™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 theyโ€™d never even considered. You can do that, too. Get learning!

woman sipping coffee while working online

4. You Arenโ€™t Investing in Yourself (Hint – This Is Why Youโ€™re Failing at #3)

For some reason, and women especially, it feels wrong to invest in yourself. While youโ€™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 Lโ€™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 donโ€™t want to eat into your travel budget. Investing in yourself and your skills will actually mean youโ€™ll earn more money in the long run and be able to travel longer, or even FOREVER if thatโ€™s what you want.  

You might be suspicious about having to pay at all. Charging for something doesnโ€™t make it a scam! Someone canโ€™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.  Youโ€™ve got to take responsibility and youโ€™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

Check Out The FREE Masterclass here >>
katie clark

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.
Sheโ€™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).

4 ideas to boost your income as a virtual assistant

1 thought on “4 Reasons Why You Aren’t Making Money (And How to Do It Right!)”

  1. Jacqueline
    April 17, 2020 at 3:17 am

    Well-written in the right voice!

    Reply

Leave a Comment Cancel Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Popular Posts

How a Homeschooling Mom Transitioned into Online Work and Travels the World with Her 5 Kids

Read More ยป

How This Former CFO And Mom Landed Her First Virtual Assistant Client in 6 Weeks

Read More ยป

A Day in the Life of 3 Virtual Assistants – a Military Spouse, Digital Nomad & Homeschooling Mom

Read More ยป

How This Military Spouse and Mom Became a Fully Booked Virtual Assistant (In 6 Months!)

Read More ยป
90 Day Va Course Banner
learn more

Want to Work
From Anywhere?

Learn about being a
Virtual Assistant!

Hey! I’m Esther and if you click below I will message you access into my FREE class so you can get started right away!

Get Started

Sign up for our weekly remote job pack!

letโ€™s connect on Instagram!

I post daily online work help + share our adventures and behind the scenes of a legit online business!

๐•‹๐•™๐•–๐•ฃ๐•– ๐•’๐•ฃ๐•– ๐•’ ๐•ƒ๐•†๐•‹ ๐• ๐•— ๐• ๐•Ÿ๐•๐•š๐•Ÿ๐•– ๐•”๐• ๐•ฆ๐•ฃ๐•ค๐•–๐•ค ๐• ๐•ฆ๐•ฅ ๐•ฅ๐•™๐•–๐•ฃ๐•–, ๐•“๐•ฆ๐•ฅ ๐•™๐• ๐•จ ๐••๐•  ๐•ช๐• ๐•ฆ ๐•œ๐•Ÿ๐• ๐•จ ๐•จ๐•™๐•š๐•”๐•™ ๐• ๐•Ÿ๐•– ๐•š๐•ค ๐•ฃ๐•š๐•˜๐•™๐•ฅ ๐•—๐• ๐•ฃ ๐•ช๐• ๐•ฆ?

I get this question ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿผ all ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿผ the ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿผ time.

And I know it can be confusing ๐Ÿ˜ซ to try and figure out which ones are the best for your needs and if theyโ€™ll do what they promise to do for you. ๐Ÿคž๐Ÿผ๐Ÿคž๐Ÿผ

This is why I'm throwing it back to an older podcast episode ๐ŸŽง filled with little nuggets ๐Ÿ”ฅ๐Ÿ”ฅ that will help you to decide.

I cover:

โšก How to determine if you will actually land jobs
๐Ÿค” Whether you'll start working in a few weeks or a few years
๐Ÿค‘ If the course is going to hold you accountable 

and more! ๐Ÿคฉ

๐Ÿ‘†๐Ÿผ Click my picture on my profile to go to my stories for the link to this episode!

๐ŸŽง Or you can just search โ€œHelp Me Work Online, Estherโ€ on Spotify or Apple podcasts to tune in to 5 Important Questions to Help You Decide Whether to Invest in an Online Course!
๐‘ฐ๐’‡ ๐’š๐’๐’–'๐’“๐’† ๐’˜๐’๐’“๐’“๐’Š๐’†๐’… ๐’•๐’‰๐’‚๐’• ๐’š๐’๐’– ๐’„๐’‚๐’'๐’• ๐’Ž๐’‚๐’Œ๐’† ๐’š๐’๐’–๐’“ ๐’˜๐’๐’“๐’Œ ๐’‡๐’“๐’๐’Ž ๐’‰๐’๐’Ž๐’† ๐’…๐’“๐’†๐’‚๐’Ž ๐’‚ ๐’“๐’†๐’‚๐’๐’Š๐’•๐’š, ๐Ÿ“ฃ ๐’‰๐’†๐’“๐’†'๐’” ๐’‚ ๐’๐’Š๐’•๐’•๐’๐’† ๐’”๐’๐’Ž๐’†๐’•๐’‰๐’Š๐’๐’ˆ ๐’•๐’‰๐’‚๐’• ๐’Ž๐’‚๐’š ๐’„๐’‰๐’‚๐’๐’ˆ๐’† ๐’š๐’๐’–๐’“ ๐’Ž๐’Š๐’๐’…. ๐Ÿ“ฃ

These are โœจ 13 average salaries โœจ for 13 different jobs you could do TODAY! ๐Ÿ”ฅ

๐Ÿ“Œ Virtual Assistant: $39,617
๐Ÿ“Œ Business Development Manager: $71,968
๐Ÿ“Œ Copywriter: $50,570
๐Ÿ“Œ Curriculum Designer: $61,389
๐Ÿ“Œ Customer Support Specialist: $41,382
๐Ÿ“Œ Front-End Developer: $71,145
๐Ÿ“Œ Marketing Manager: $64,500
๐Ÿ“Œ Online ESL Teacher: $43,878
๐Ÿ“Œ Product Manager: $82,916
๐Ÿ“Œ Recruiter: $49,544
๐Ÿ“Œ Social Media Manager: $49,881
๐Ÿ“Œ Translator: $47,974
๐Ÿ“Œ Web Designer: $49,649

๐Ÿคฉ ...And these are only SOME of the jobs that are out there, guys!

There are so many opportunities for you to live your dream โ˜๏ธ๐ŸŒˆ and work from home. ๐Ÿ‘ฉ๐Ÿผโ€๐Ÿ’ป Sometimes it just takes a little investigation, ๐Ÿ•ต๐Ÿผโ€โ™€๏ธ but it's out there! ๐Ÿ™Œ๐Ÿผ

You can do this! ๐Ÿ†๐Ÿฅ‡๐Ÿ‘‘๐Ÿคฉ You CAN be successful. 

The skyโ€™s the limit! โ˜๏ธโ˜๏ธโ˜€๏ธโ˜€๏ธ

If you donโ€™t know where to start, my signature course, @_90dayva , has everything you need to get started as a Virtual Assistant. ๐Ÿ‘ฉ๐Ÿฝโ€๐Ÿ’ป๐Ÿ‘ฉ๐Ÿปโ€๐Ÿ’ป๐Ÿ‘ฉ๐Ÿผโ€๐Ÿ’ป๐Ÿง‘๐Ÿพโ€๐Ÿ’ป

๐Ÿ“ฃ Doors open for enrollment on May 1st. ๐Ÿ“ฃ But if you join the waitlist, you can enroll early. ๐Ÿ˜‰ 

The link is in my bio. ๐Ÿ”—๐Ÿ‘†๐Ÿผ
๐”…๐”ข๐”ฆ๐”ซ๐”ค ๐”ž ๐”ฐ๐”ฒ๐” ๐” ๐”ข๐”ฐ ๐”…๐”ข๐”ฆ๐”ซ๐”ค ๐”ž ๐”ฐ๐”ฒ๐” ๐” ๐”ข๐”ฐ๐”ฐ๐”ฃ๐”ฒ๐”ฉ ๐”ณ๐”ฆ๐”ฏ๐”ฑ๐”ฒ๐”ž๐”ฉ ๐”ž๐”ฐ๐”ฐ๐”ฆ๐”ฐ๐”ฑ๐”ž๐”ซ๐”ฑ ๐”ฆ๐”ซ๐”ณ๐”ฌ๐”ฉ๐”ณ๐”ข๐”ฐ ๐”ช๐”ฌ๐”ฏ๐”ข ๐”ฑ๐”ฅ๐”ž๐”ซ ๐”ง๐”ฒ๐”ฐ๐”ฑ ๐”ฅ๐”ž๐”ณ๐”ฆ๐”ซ๐”ค ๐”ž ๐”ค๐”ฌ๐”ฌ๐”ก ๐”ฅ๐”ฒ๐”ฐ๐”ฑ๐”ฉ๐”ข ๐”ž๐”ซ๐”ก ๐”ฐ๐”ฑ๐”ฏ๐”ฌ๐”ซ๐”ค ๐”ฐ๐”จ๐”ฆ๐”ฉ๐”ฉ ๐”ฐ๐”ข๐”ฑ. ๐Ÿ’ช๐Ÿผ๐Ÿ‘ฉ๐Ÿผโ€๐Ÿ’ป

๐Ÿ”ฅ You can step up your virtual assistant game by growing your network, โœจ getting organized, and ๐ŸŒˆ pushing your creativity with different free online tools... ๐Ÿ’ป  but the most helpful one is...

๐Ÿ’ฅ FACEBOOK GROUPS ๐Ÿ’ฅ

Facebook groups are a virtual assistantโ€™s lifeline. ๐Ÿ™Œ๐Ÿผ

If you are seeking:

โœ”๏ธ Work
โœ”๏ธ Advice
โœ”๏ธ Fellow virtual assistants
โœ”๏ธ Skill trades

โ€ฆthereโ€™s a group for that. ๐Ÿ˜Œ

This powerful tool allows you to network with fellow virtual assistants and potential clients. ๐Ÿค

Did you know I have my own Facebook group with over 19,000 supportive and hustling virtual assistants? 

I share industry advice and post legit online jobs. You can check it out here ๐Ÿ‘‡๐Ÿผ

๐Ÿ”— facebook.com/groups/virtualassistantinternship
๐‘ซ๐’ ๐’š๐’๐’– ๐’†๐’—๐’†๐’“ ๐’ˆ๐’†๐’• ๐’‚ ๐’ˆ๐’–๐’• ๐’‡๐’†๐’†๐’๐’Š๐’๐’ˆ ๐’•๐’‰๐’‚๐’• ๐’‚ ๐’‹๐’๐’ƒ ๐’๐’‡๐’‡๐’†๐’“ ๐’Š๐’” ๐’•๐’๐’ ๐’ˆ๐’๐’๐’… ๐’•๐’ ๐’ƒ๐’† ๐’•๐’“๐’–๐’†? ๐Ÿ˜ณ

Internet scams are widespread and can be an easy trap for people looking for online jobs. ๐ŸŒ๐Ÿ‘ฉ๐Ÿผโ€๐Ÿ’ป

Unfortunately, it can be difficult to tell if someone is trying to scam you for your personal information. ๐Ÿค”๐Ÿค”

This is why I'm bringing back a fan-favorite podcast episode ๐ŸŽ™๏ธ๐ŸŽง about how to spot an online scam. ๐Ÿ•ต๐Ÿผโ€โ™€๏ธ

I cover...

๐Ÿ‘‰๐Ÿผ How to identify an online job scam
๐Ÿ‘‰๐Ÿผ Jobs that aren't scams but you should still avoid
๐Ÿ‘‰๐Ÿผ Real remote job boards that won't scam you

๐Ÿ‘†๐Ÿผ Click my picture on my profile to go to my stories for the link to this episode!

๐ŸŽง Or you can just search โ€œHelp Me Work Online, Estherโ€ on Spotify or Apple podcasts to tune in to Watch Out! Spot an Online Job Scam From a Mile Away!
๐–๐ก๐š๐ญ ๐ข๐Ÿ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐œ๐จ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ ๐š๐œ๐ญ๐ฎ๐š๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ซ๐ค ๐Ÿ๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐ก๐จ๐ฆ๐ž ๐Ÿ๐จ๐ซ ๐ซ๐ž๐š๐ฅ? ๐Ÿก

What if when your husband deployed or your family had to PCS you weren't scrambling? โœˆ๏ธ

What if when your kids got sick you didn't have to stress? ๐Ÿ‘ฆ๐Ÿผ๐Ÿ‘ง๐Ÿป๐Ÿง’๐Ÿฝ๐Ÿ‘ฆ๐Ÿพ

When those tickets to the Bahamas went on sale you could just GO FOR IT? ๐Ÿ–๏ธโ˜€๏ธ๐Ÿ•ถ๏ธ

๐Ÿ“ฃ This stuff isn't impossible and it can happen to you. ๐Ÿ“ฃ 

A bunch of us have already been doing it for years. ๐Ÿ’ป  We work online and get paid by the hour or project. ๐Ÿ’ต  We set our own hours and do what we need to do when we want. ๐Ÿ™Œ๐Ÿผ

In 90 Day VA, I teach you everything you need to know about starting your own business as a Virtual Assistant. ๐Ÿ‘ฉ๐Ÿผโ€๐Ÿ’ป๐Ÿ‘จ๐Ÿปโ€๐Ÿ’ป๐Ÿ‘ฉ๐Ÿฝโ€๐Ÿ’ป

๐ŸŒŸ I believe that you can live your dream life if you want to! ๐ŸŒŸ

If you're worried that this could be scam or you're not sure if you could actually make this happen ๐Ÿ‘‰๐Ÿผ Check out my free workshop and decide from there. 

Link is in my bio ๐Ÿ”—
Facebook-f
Instagram
Facebook-f
Instagram
Pinterest
Youtube
alternatelogoheart
Pinterest
Youtube

courses

  • 90 Day VA
  • Virtual Summit
  • VA Training Portal
  • Propel - Group Coaching

legal

  • Terms
  • Privacy

resources

  • The VAI Blog
  • Online Job Quiz
  • VAI Facebook Group
  • Help Me Work Online Podcast

Sign up for our weekly remote job pack!

Copyright ยฉ2021 Esther M Inman โ€‹

Testimonials shown are real experiences from paying program members of 90 DAY VA. Their results are not typical and your experience will vary based upon your effort, education, business model, and market forces beyond our control. We make no earnings claims or return on investment claims, and you may not make your money back.