How to Become a Virtual Assistant and Make Great Money From Home

Becoming a virtual assistant (VA) is often one of the most sought after work at home opportunities by those who have clerical skills. As more and more solo entrepreneurs, and small businesses, seek to outsource office tasks to others, they are contributing to a boom in virtual assistant job opportunities.

Before I continue, I want to let you know that while being an online administrative professional is rewarding, it is not easy to enter into this field. If you have only entry-level office skills, meaning you know how to do basic typing, filing and answering phones, this may not be the right fit for your skill set. You see, VA workers usually have many years of administrative assistant or office supervisory skills.

If your skills are only entry level, then you would face very steep competition from those who can offer top level services to small business professionals. However, I don't want to completely discourage you from seeking out virtual assistants jobs. Just understand that you'll need to find a local career center that can give you training in advanced office administration skills.

If you are already a high-achieving administrative assistant, or office professional who wants the satisfaction of owning their own home based business, then you will be able to find a job as a virtual assistant, after you learn how to get set up and obtain clients.

A big misconception about this type of work is that it is just like working a regular job. The reality is, they are independent contractors who only work when they can secure clients. This means learning how to market yourself, stay organized and be able to manage your time well.

You should also think about specializing in a specific type of administrative work. Some of the typical jobs a virtual assistant can do for a client are:

*Bill Paying
*Bookkeeping
*Data Management and Processing
*Proofreading and Editing
*Transcription
*Word Processing

Other specialized areas are:

*Graphic Design
*Legal Assistant
*Real Estate Assistant
*Web Design

When you are just getting started, you can create a new virtual assistant checklist of all the specific skills you can offer busy professionals. Your job evolves around making their lives easier by doing tasks that you enjoy.

Another thing that's important for you to think about is who your dream client would be. There will be clients that come from all walks of life, with very different temperaments and work styles. Ideally, you want to work with clients who you're going to be comfortable working with on a regular basis.

There is also the option of doing subcontracting work for more established virtual assistants. This way, they would be the ones who would give you assignments, and you'd be helping them to grow their business while learning how to run yours.

The quickest way to get your virtual assistant business started, is to learn what to do from others who know how to do it successfully. You can find out more information about this top home business opportunity by visiting a site that features the best work from home ideas.

How to Create a Website and Make a Little Money

How to Create a Website

Many sites boast that they can create a site for you and you will be rich by the end of the month.

Let's get real. Yes, a website can make you some money. But, as your mom told you, anything worthwhile takes work. And a website is no different. Especially, if your goal is to build a home business.

Whether you want a website to make money, or just for fun, or both, the absolute best way is to learn a few of the basics first.

The very first thing you must do is to decide what your website is going to be about. You wouldn't want a website about cats, to have a domain name of DogStories.com! So, what is a domain?

A domain is actually an address. Just like the address where you live. You tell someone to come to 123 Main Street to visit where you live, and you would tell someone to go to MarysWebsite.com to visit your site. And the good thing about domains is that you get to pick the name! Not that you will get the exact name you want at first thought, but many names are still available, despite what you may think.

Many sites will also tell you that they can get you any name you want if you will host with them, and they will build you site and blah blah blah. Would you really want a site like MrBigGuy.com/yourname? I think I would rather have my own domain with the exact name of my choosing. And, if you purchase your own domain, you have complete control over what you want to do with it. If you are wondering about the cost of a domain, I can show you where to get one for less than ten dollars a year.

Buying domains and creating websites can be a scary thing, but the reality is you only have to learn a few skills and once you do it one time, it becomes easy.