Simply put, a virtual assistant is anyone who provides administrative or clerical support to a business virtually, from a remote location. For a person who has administrative or clerical experience this can be the ideal home business with minimal overhead and unlimited flexibility. There are a few questions that you need to ask yourself before deciding to start your own virtual assistance business.
1. Do I have the necessary skills?
It is important to decide which services you will provide and to make sure that you can perform those services with little or no input from your client. When a client contracts for your services they will expect to be able to give you instructions for completion of the project and then simply collect the finished material at an agreed upon time. If you don't have formal training or job experience in the area that you offer support it may pay to get certified or take a formal training course. My local community college offers computer training courses for less than a hundred dollars each, and allows students to apply credits earned toward degrees and certificates. Microsoft has a software certification program, for a fee; and my local library offer free training in many popular software titles. Check out local resources first as these are often less expensive options.
2. Do I have the necessary equipment?
If you are going to offer desktop publishing to your clients you will need to have the appropriate software and hardware to produce the publication, likewise if you offer to do telemarketing/customer service calls you will most likely need a headset and a separate phone line to keep track of the calls that you make. If your employer allows it you can look into a low cost internet phone service like Skype, or, if you have broadband, a VoIP service like Vonage. With rates as low as $2.50 per month for unlimited calling you can keep your overhead low while maintaining a separate business line. These lines can also be used anywhere you have high speed internet access.
3. Do I have adequate time?
Keep in mind that this is a business and you need to treat it like one. If you have small children you will need to ensure that you have time to complete your work while they are napping or at school. If a client hears a child in the background while they are talking to you they may reconsider hiring you for a position which includes telephone work. Clients may also grow uncomfortable if they have difficulty reaching you, it may be best to set "office hours", similar to those used by college professors, or give a timeframe for returning all calls/emails. You will also be responsible for managing your own tax payments and benefits so you will need to allow for the time spent on basic business tasks for yourself.
You may also want to look up general information on running a home based business. The Small Business Administration has a website with great resources for all entrepreneurs. http://www.sba.gov/