Last year I wrote a post about Becoming a Virtual Assistant to which I could direct prospective VAs when they contact me with questions about the industry. As there have been a number of changes since then, it seems like a good time to write an update.

For anyone contemplating starting a virtual assistant business, I highly recommend joining the Virtual Assistant Networking Association (VANA). There are many VA groups but VANA is open to anyone, regardless of geographic location or specialty (or lack thereof). There’s no cost to join, the forum is very well organized, and the members are extremely helpful and friendly. It’s been around since 2003, so you can probably find the answers to most if not all of your questions in the archives, and if not, you can post them and count on receiving a number of replies. For $249.00 per year, you can purchase a membership to the VAinsider Club, which includes a lot of extra information and resources, including access to RFPs (more on that later).

Another great source of information about the VA industry is Virtual Assistant Forums. Because it’s newer and less widely known than VANA, the archives are less extensive but there’s still a wealth of information available, provided by the very helpful members and volunteers. RFPs are available to any member who has contributed at least 25 posts to the forum.

If you’re not familiar with the term “RFP,” it stands for “Request for Proposal.” Most VA associations allow clients searching for a virtual assistant to submit the details of their requirements, and members can then send their information for consideration. This is similar to applying to job postings, except that you’re not looking to be an employee but an independent contractor, so instead of a resume, you’re sending a proposal.

Canada has two VA associations, the Canadian Virtual Assistant Connection (CVAC) and Canadian Virtual Assistant Network (CVAN), and each offers different benefits. CVAC has two levels of membership – a “partial” membership, which is free, and a “full” membership, which costs around $30.00 per year and is required to access RFPs and some of the other membership benefits. The discussion group is very active, but uses a Yahoo! Group rather than a forum, so it’s not very user friendly in terms of searching for information in the archives. CVAN doesn’t offer a free membership, but offers a user friendly discussion forum, frequent teleclasses and webinars, and RFPs, for $60.00 per year.

In addition, there are a number of international organizations, as well as some geared towards specialty fields such as real estate virtual assistants. Since I’m not involved with any of these groups, I’m unable to provide any details, but you can find information about them on the other websites which I’ve mentioned. There are even regional groups of virtual assistants who meet in person on a regular basis, such as the Golden Horseshoe Virtual Assistants Group (GHVA).

I know quite a few people who have been able to go through the government’s Self-Employment Program and found it to be very helpful, but if you’re not eligible, there are lots of other places you can get information and advice on starting a business, such as through your local Small Business Enterprise Centre or community college, or from a business coach. There are even coaches who specialize in working with VAs, not to mention a large number of VA training and/or certification programs.

It’s not a “get rich quick” scheme, so don’t believe anyone who tells you otherwise, but if you’re prepared to work hard and to learn new skills on an ongoing basis, and committed to achieving your goals, you can certainly make a decent living as a virtual assistant.