Here is in extract from Lia Harman’s blog Day2DayVA.

Step 1:  Do your research
There are a lot of great resources out there for aspiring VA’s. You can read articles, undertake courses, the amount of resources available can be overwhelming. To help you cut through the mountains of information available to you, here are a couple of websites that I trust, that you should check out for information on becoming a VA.

A Clayton’s Secretary:  www.asecretary.com.au
The Australian Virtual Business Network:  www.avbn.com.au
Virtually Yours Virtual Assistant Network:  www.virtuallyyours.com.au

Step 2:   Determine your strengths
The most important thing to do is to figure out what you want to specialise in. Too many people decide to become a Virtual Assistant and then realise that they don’t have the skills to complete the work that they have secured. Think about what you have done in your full time employement, what your skills are, the level of technology you are comfortable using, and most importantly what you enjoy. Once you know what you want to do as a VA, it will be easier to win clients and deliver results.

Step 3.   Set up your business
You need to talk to your accountant on the best way to set up your business. But in addition to that, get everything organised BEFORE you start advertising your business.

- Develop your website. As a VA, we exist only due to the technology that is available to us. So make sure you demonstrate that you have embraced that technology by having your own website! It doesn’t have to be too complicated, even just a simple Wordpress blog or Vista website that outlines the services you provide, and your contact details.

- Design a logo and choose a business name. Having a logo gives you an element to use throughout all of your business and marketing materials, and it shows a level of professionalism.

- Order your business cards. There is nothing more unprofessional that telling someone what you do, and then not having a card to give them. How do you expect them to rememeber you? Make sure your business card is clean and simple, it includes your logo and business name, your name and contact details, and don’t neglect the back of a card – there is a lot of space there to use to include a few points about the services you offer!  See Vista Print for free cards and other marketing materials.

- Set up your invoice template. Whether you do your invoices in Excel, MYOB or Quickbooks, make sure you set up a template that again includes your logo and business name. Having a consistent look and feel throughout all of your business stationery, business and marketing material is so important, and shows that you have attention to detail and a level of professionalism.

- WRITE A BUSINESS PLAN. If you don’t know what you want to achieve, how are you going to get there? There are a lot of business plan and marketing plan templates available online, so do some research and write a plan. Work out your rates – what do you need to charge to achieve your goals, and is this going to be achievable? If you need to charge a higher hourly rate, make sure you have the point of difference that is going to sustain this!

Step 4.   Join some networks
The main way that I get new clients is through word-of-mouth, and that’s because I spend time networking. Both online and face-to-face. So join a few VA networks online (refer to the websites I listed at the top of this blog post), and check out your local Chamber of Commerce, or business networking groups in your area. And make sure that you always have your business cards with you when you attend networking meetings!

Step 5.   Promote your business
Now that you’re ready to go and you have your business “front of house” in order, it’s time to look for some clients. Networking is one way, but there are others. Join some job leads groups (again refer to the above websites). Figure out the kinds of businesses you want to assist, and directly target them through mailings, emails, telemarketing etc. Have an information pack ready to send out to people, either by post or email. Set up a Facebook fan page, and a Twitter account for your business. Check out LinkedIn. Promote via some free business directories that are available. There are thousands of free or inexpensive ways to promote your business.

For the full article please visit: So you want to be a VA?