200: AI Didn't Kill the Virtual Assistant Side Hustle: Here's How to Start One

[00:00:00] A lot of the time, you get put into a group, or you get handed to a CEO, and you don't get to choose. When you create your VA business, you get to say, "I don't want to work with you," or, "That's exactly how I want to work, and yes, I get to work with you, and I want to." That ownership of where you spend your time and who you get to support and how you get to show up, I think is the greatest priceless [00:00:30] gift of being a VA.

But is being a virtual assistant still a viable side hustle in this age of AI? Today's guest, Rachel Davila, makes a case for why the answer is yes, and how you can turn your existing skills and experience into a VA business. Rachel's been a virtual assistant for more than 20 years, but today she's also a VA mentor, author, and the founder of Extra Hands Virtual Assistance.

In our conversation, she draws on her decades of [00:01:00] experience to share valuable insights on finding and working with the right clients, why the best VAs think beyond simply completing tasks, and how the right mindset can help you confidently charge what you're worth. We also get into practical details, including pricing and the best billing model, and how to get started without having to know everything before you begin.

I'm Joan Posivy, and this is Side Hustle Hero.

Welcome, Rachel [00:01:30] Hi Joan, thanks for having me. Well, you've been a VA and working with VAs for over 20 years now. Make the case for why today, especially with the advent of AI, that being a VA is a viable side hustle today. AI is a tool- Okay ... and it is only as good as the person using it.

So my focus for VAs is we are business-to-business support. So [00:02:00] if a client has their business, they are bringing on a virtual assistant who is a business owner doing administrative and operation support. Okay. So with AI, if you have to write a prompt to get your VA to do something that you could just as easily plop into ChatGPT or Claude, then probably no, you don't need a virtual assistant.

Okay. But by my definition, there are two kinds of VAs. There are collaborator VAs, [00:02:30] and there are doer VAs. Doers are task-oriented, tell me what to do and I'll do it. They do it great, but they need clear delineated processes and procedures. Okay. Collaborators, on the other side, are strategic. They are solution-oriented.

Mm. What's your vision? What's your goal? Here's how I can help. Here's what we can do. And the doers, some of the things that they [00:03:00] do can be done by AI, but I'll give you a, an example of- Sure ... of where AI is not ready yet to take over a virtual assistant job. I had a client who wanted to create courses and do programs, so she was looking at platform software.

So she plopped it into ChatGPT, they had a whole conversation, and it led her to [00:03:30] this platform. When she and I talked about it, I brought up things that AI doesn't even think about. Who's gonna do the work? Is the client doing the work in the program, or are they handing it off to a VA? How does their brain work?

Where are they gonna find things? There's all kinds of things that AI doesn't yet ask that a person does, especially a VA who's doing the work. [00:04:00] And especially somebody coming to you with creating a product or service that they haven't done before, they wouldn't know some of the questions to ask. And- To be able to even put into the prompt, they just wouldn't know.

So in that place, the experience of the VA, the person who is like, "Yes, we can work in that platform or that software, but here's all the things that you're not thinking about that have to go into it." [00:04:30] And even after 21 years, I've done things where I'm like, "Oh, that is a whole slew of tasks that I didn't even think about when I thought that's what I wanna do," right?

I actually outlined setting up a newsletter, which seems super easy, right? Mm-hmm. It's a one-line item thing, but it's actually 19 steps. Okay. Pretty much everything on your plate has a laundry list of things that you just do naturally half the [00:05:00] time, but you know, AI is really good at going, "Yeah, you need to do all of these things," but even within that, there's sub tasks after sub tasks.

Right. You know? And so you do need that person component, that human component to say, where does it fit? Where is it going? Why are we doing it? Yeah. And I find that AI doesn't do that yet. So the strategic partner type VA would be the one that you just described that would look at that [00:05:30] bigger picture, and here's these other areas that we need to take a look at, whereas the task doer might take the task and then utilize AI to make themselves more efficient in doing that tasks.

Yeah. Yeah. Okay. 'Cause I was gonna ask you what changes you've seen in the past, say, five years to the role. So what's interesting is when I started my business in 2005, no one knew what a virtual assistant was. When I told people I was a VA, they thought I worked for the [00:06:00] Veterans Administration. That- And so I've had to educate them on what it was that a virtual assistant is and what they do.

Fast-forward to AI chatbots. Everyone knows what a virtual assistant is, but it's become synonymous with AI, overseas outsourcing, cheap labor, and that's not the whole picture of a virtual assistant or the industry. And so I find [00:06:30] myself still having to educate people on what virtual assistants can do for their business, because it goes beyond your task list.

Yes. Let's continue that thread then. So for someone who's never done this before, what does the day-to-day of being a VA actually look like? So somebody who's looking to be a virtual assistant is probably already doing the things. Okay. Many of us come from [00:07:00] administrative backgrounds in corporate, nonprofits, uh, small businesses, and we're looking for something that has more flexibility that we can do from home, but we're bringing those skillsets that we've acquired over... I mean, I worked corporate, nonprofit, I worked for my dad as his assistant, and when I found virtual assistant, I didn't even know it was a career.

Right. I didn't even know that it was something that [00:07:30] could be done. And I found someone on accident, and I read through their whole website, and I was like, "This, this is magic. This is exactly what I want to do," because it was all the skills that I loved that I had already. When I started my business, I did a program, a 20-week program, to make it a business.

The program said, "We're not gonna teach you the skills of doing [00:08:00] virtual assistance. We're gonna teach you to be a business owner doing those things." And they're- And- ... th- that they rely on you bringing that skill set, whatever that is. Yeah. The client- Got it ... brings the what, the VA brings the how. Okay. And many people come in, and I tell people all the time, start where you are.

You don't have to learn the next greatest software, um, idea. The clients will bring you that learning path [00:08:30] because they're gonna say, "Do you do this?" And you can say, "I don't, but I'm willing to learn," and then you have real-life, hands-on reasons to learning things. Yes. Or, "No, I don't wanna do that. I'm not the right VA for you," and that's okay, too.

Mm-hmm. So what does the day in the life of a VA actually look like? It's a lot of email checking. Okay. Client management. I create [00:09:00] systems for clients. I have one client out of the hundreds that I've worked for who came to me with clear processes and procedures. Okay. He's the, he's the only one out of all the clients I worked with.

Right. All the rest were amazing visionaries who were like I do the things. I don't actually know what I do or how I do it. Here you go. What do, what do we do? Here's the end result that I'm looking for. Yes. And this is the [00:09:30] deliverable I want. Yes. And so it is- And then it's up to the VA to figure that out?

Well, it's helping to go, all right, is that the way you want it to go, or do you want support in streamlining it, documenting it? A lot of it is client journey. It's that back end piece. I was a stage manager in college, and I loved that it could be the hub of the wheel- Yes ... of a whole production. Mm-hmm. And that it was [00:10:00] my job to keep the show going the way the director and the, the team envisioned it.

And that's really what a VA brings to a business owner is, what do you want that to look like, and how do we create the system so that we consistently show up the way you want us to, the way you want to? And so it could be setting up calendar links [00:10:30] so that there is ease in scheduling. It could be making technology talk to each other so that when someone schedules it, they get this email and, and all of that.

So a lot of times it is that thought partnership, that brainstorming. What are you currently doing? Is it working? If it's not working, how would you like it to? And let's set something up. If it is working, how [00:11:00] do we streamline it so that we can take you out of it and we step into it? I suspect there would be time with the client, mm, really front-end loaded, all that onboarding time of learning their systems and what they are actually looking for, and then as time goes on, that interaction with the client perhaps a little bit less until the next project or the next growth piece happens.

Yeah. Typically, employees get a 90-day [00:11:30] probationary period, right? They're learning the culture, the voice, the, the rules, the environment of a company. Virtual assistants need that same amount of time to know your voice, know your way of doing things, and be able to kinda go to have those conversations. So those first couple of months are going to require more time, more guidance, more interaction, because [00:12:00] even though I've worked with hundreds of clients, each client is different.

Their idea of good is different. What they want is different. I have three coaches who do essentially the same thing, but each one does it differently- Sure ... and what they require of me is different. So that first probably three months is when we're learning your voice and, and what's working for you, what that looks like, creating that [00:12:30] conversation piece.

And then as that comfort level grows, it tapers back. Or I've seen it where clients came with, "Wow, that was faster and easier than I thought. Can you do this- Right ... and this?" Yeah. Yeah. And the creative download just comes and things just grow from there. Well, what attributes or characteristics make for that rockstar VA?

I would say detail-oriented Proactive [00:13:00] That's huge, I think Yeah. It also goes to the client. What gaps do they have that they are needing- Yeah ... kind of the opposite to fill? So when I hired my own VA, I didn't know that I was a verbal processor until we started working together, and I just needed to, I just needed to talk it out, and I needed somebody to just listen [00:13:30] and make the list.

Okay. And just go, "Oh." And what's funny is I had a client very early on who was that way. I would say, "Hey, give me things to do," and he wasn't technical. This was early emails. He just didn't think that way. Yeah. But if I called him on a Friday and said, "Hey, what happened this week?" Oh my God, the download of...

I, I would have work for the whole next week. So [00:14:00] kind of learning what those gaps are that the client has- Mm-hmm ... and then saying, "Oh, I need someone who's organized, who can get me organized, who will keep me on track, who will, 'Hey, remember when you said this?' And pull it back to the surface." Okay. Wanting to step in and being somebody who is a business partner- Right

not just a doer. That's how I am. So I, I can't speak- Yeah ... for [00:14:30] everyone, and some people do just like to do the work. You want, you want me to create social media graphics? Here you go. I'm creative. I know this. There, it's beautiful and amazing. Because we're in the programs all the time, it might take a business owner two hours to do a newsletter, but 15 of those minutes for them is writing the content, and everything else is finding the pictures, and formatting it, and making- Yes

the links work, and doing all the things which they don't like [00:15:00] to do. A VA's like, "I'm in MailChimp all day long every day." Yeah, yeah. Blah, blah, blah. There- Yeah ... it's done. So- If I have to do a YouTube Short or an Instagram Reel, I would be embarrassed to tell you how long it takes me. I look at the end result and I'm like, "My God, Joan, this thing is, like, 20 seconds."

The input time is insane. Yeah. I hired my first VA because it was taking me 12 hours a month to do my social [00:15:30] media. So in the list of the biggest challenges for a VA that I was- Uh-huh ... going to ask you about is learning the client's needs. Yes. We are not mind readers. Mm-hmm. So... And I think people have this myth that, "Oh, you're in this every day, you should know what I'm thinking."

And every client is different. Yeah. Each brain is unique, and the way, you know, what one client looks for, another client, it doesn't [00:16:00] matter to them. It is that kind of learning curve that is a challenge, but it's why we do what we do. When I think back to being a stage manager, I loved that whole lead up to the opening night, right?

Mm, mm-hmm, yeah. The design process, the communication, the, the, the problem-solving, all of that, to go, "Okay, here is the thing." Ta-da. Yeah. The, the everyday things, the running of a, a long-running [00:16:30] show, like, that's not my jam so much. But what's cool is that creation process of getting to know the client, getting to know their brain, why they do what they do, why they think like they do.

For me, anyways, that's a gift. Mm-hmm, yep. The challenge really is, okay, how do I not use up our whole 10 hours in five minutes because I like talking to you and I wanna absorb everything? How do I not step over my [00:17:00] boundaries because I'm so engrossed in what we're doing? And, and I do tell clients, I'm like, "Those first couple months, we are stepping over boundaries because we're learning you.

We're excited. It's a new relationship. We wanna, we wanna do everything right." Okay. "But as we get to know you, we're gonna scale back and, and go, 'Okay, now we're fitting you in with everything else.'" Okay. What's the biggest mistake new VAs make? [00:17:30] I think when they're building their business, they don't think of it as a business.

So I tell VAs all the time, "It's your business. You still have to do all the things, marketing, and you wear all the business owner hats on your side." And the blessing of that is what you're doing for your business are skills that you can bring to a client's [00:18:00] business. Right. And the challenge- Yeah ... is if you don't do the business side things-

then it makes it harder to grow your business. So making sure that you not only wear the, the doer hat, like I'm doing the, I'm in my business working with clients- Mm-hmm ... but also having that knowledge of, and I'm a business, and I gotta think about it. I gotta do my own newsletter, and my own social media, and my own growth.

And you're talking from experience [00:18:30] here, 'cause this started as a side hustle for you too, didn't it? Yeah. In 2004, my corporate job let us know they were downsizing all the administrative staff. So I started looking at what could I do from home. I had young kids, and I wanted something that offered flexibility.

And because we were union, the process from announcement to actually, like, leaving the company was- Mm-hmm ... like, five or six months. But my husband was [00:19:00] supposed to have the, the job, the income, the benefits, all the things. But I left in May. He lost his job in June, and I was like, "Okay, this is not a side hustle anymore.

I, we have to be all in on this." Which is one of the benefits of having a side hustle. If that ever does happen to a person- Yeah ... then they've got something to go to. They're, they're leaving in a, a much greater position of strength. Yeah. Let's talk about pricing, because I'm [00:19:30] sure you've heard, "Oh, you can hire a VA for five bucks an hour."

Talk to us about, uh, your viewpoint on pricing. You get what you pay for. Okay. And cheaper is not always inexpensive. So if you have a 15 or $20 VA, but it takes them three hours to do something that a $60 n- VA does in 15 minutes, are you saving money? Okay. So I think that there are some things [00:20:00] that overseas low-cost VAs do very well.

I have a team in the Philippines, and he does amazing graphics. And the, the money that he charges me supports his family very well for where they are. Okay. So somebody getting into the business then as a VA, it sounds like in order for them to be financially successful, because of the competition out there, they [00:20:30] really need to lean towards more of that strategic partner than the task doer?

Or not necessarily? From the VA perspective, I encourage the individual to look at what they need to make to f- to be successful for their business. Now, it's understanding that your hourly rate includes taxes, overhead, software, hardware, all of the things, right? [00:21:00] It's not just your time. Okay. Right? Yeah. I would talk to an accountant wherever you are and find out what the tax implications are for you in your business, and that's different for US or Canada or overseas.

But because it's a business, you still have to pay into taxes and all those things. Mm-hmm. Yep. So your hourly rate has to reflect what you wanna pay yourself to support your family or, [00:21:30] or the reasons you're doing the work, but also take into account whatever programs you subscribe to, your computer, printing- Yep

ink, um, all of that gets included. If you want to take vacation time, what does that look like, right? If you're charging $20 an hour, then you're really only making $10 an hour because 10 of those dollars have to go to overhead. Okay. So is it sustainable for you [00:22:00] to work for cheap? What is the minimum you can work?

When I was in corporate, I was making 20, $25 an hour. So when I started my business, I couldn't go lower than 40, 45 because I had to pay myself for that 20, $25 an hour, plus I had to put money aside. So when you're thinking about your rates, it's not just what does the industry support- Mm-hmm ... it's what do I need- Yeah

to be [00:22:30] successful? And I live in California, US, and the cost of living here is much higher than Indiana or Alabama or Florida even, right? So even across the board- Other areas, because the cost of living is lower, their hourly rates can reflect that, and they're still profitable as a business But if they're running it online, [00:23:00] the client doesn't care where you're living.

I understand what you're saying about having to incorporate all those costs, but then the VA really has to show up and say, "Here's why I'm worth that." Yeah. So part of that on the VA would be the skill set, but then also the, the mental game of them going from, say, that corporate job that you described for 20, 25 an hour, and suddenly the next day they're trying to charge 40 to 60.

Yeah. Uh, how do you help VAs get over that [00:23:30] mind block? There's building confidence around the outcome you're providing. We are not just doing tasks. We are providing outcome for business owners. We are showing up to do the things that, that matter to their business, but aren't theirs to do. Okay. They're ours to do.

If we step in to make sure that our clients [00:24:00] are seen, are visible, are consistent, that makes their business grow. That is an outcome of the jobs that we're doing, not the tasks. So I encourage business owners to look at VAs as an investment in their business, especially if they're doing a, a, a partnership-type relationship.

Mm-hmm. Right? It may not be immediate, but the things that we do, the systems we put in place that make things [00:24:30] easier or run smoother, the white glove concierge for the clients of the clients, all of that creates testimonials, creates repeat customers. It- Mm-hmm ... the, the flow-on effect of what we do is what I encourage VAs to think about.

It's not just, "I'm sending out a newsletter." That's a task-oriented transaction. And if a client is only looking at the [00:25:00] transaction, are they the right fit for you at, in your VA practice? I want to build a relationship with my client. They know they're not just getting my skills, they're getting my 20 years in business.

Mm-hmm. I had one client say he was gonna hire a business coach once we got in the flow, but he didn't need to because I brought 20 years of business acumen, and he could ask me those same questions. Yes. I know so [00:25:30] many VAs who are just starting out their business, and they think, "Oh, I'm a brand-new VA," but they're forgetting the decades of experience that they're bringing to the table.

Okay. Yes. And so I really do encourage a VA to not just think about their time in business, but their years of experience and what they're bringing and how that shows up as an outcome, because that's [00:26:00] where their price per hour is reflective. Now, I'm not saying that's easy, and I am not saying that doesn't come with a lot of internal work.

I mean- Yeah ... I've been in business 20 years, and I'm still learning that is as an outcome- Mm-hmm. And, and the other thing that, that you said I think is, is really key too is the right client. If you're starting a business in a V- as a VA or any industry really- Mm-hmm ... you're not gonna be a fit for everybody.

Right. And that's okay. There was [00:26:30] an episode that we dropped actually just a couple of days ago where this person had 45 clients, and he made the strategic decision to really focus on a certain type of client, and his client base went from 45 down to nine. Yeah. But for those nine clients, they provided nine times the revenue per client that he was- Yeah

getting with the 45. Yeah. So you can end up making more if you're more selective. So you might be new to the industry, but you've got these [00:27:00] decades or years of experience. Yeah. And I think that the right fit works on both sides of the equation. Right. And you're not gonna be the right fit for everyone.

Mm-hmm. But one of the things that I loved when I first started becoming a VA was the virtual assistant industry is not competitive. We are colleagues, we are a community, we are collaborators. I love meeting [00:27:30] virtual assistants all over the world. I've met people in Venezuela and India, and I think someone was in Topanga.

Because I'm not the right fit for everyone. Mm-hmm. I don't wanna be. I'm not gonna work with everyone. But if I can say, you know what? I'm not the right VA for you, but here's a referral. I created a referral directory of virtual assistants that I've met who are amazing that I can be like, "Here's six [00:28:00] referrals.

Go talk to one of them." Great. And the VA's side, if you're not the right fit, don't take them. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Right? Because if you fill your business with less than ideal clients, you're not gonna be happy either. So when you're thinking of your business, what are those client attributes that you want? Mm-hmm.

Do they want me to succeed as much as I want them to succeed? Yeah. That was a question that I learned in [00:28:30] my p- training program, but a lot of VAs don't think that way right now because they're just jumping in. And in part, they're jumping in because of, in part or b- 100% because of the monetary aspect, and I know it's going to vary hugely where you live, what you have to offer, your experience, but, but give us a range of what VAs are charging per hour.

I would say in the US and Canada, it's [00:29:00] 40 to $100 an hour. Okay. And you can find doers in the, I would probably say 30 to $50 range. But a good collaborator VA is gonna be probably in the 65 to 85, $90 range. Okay. Provided they're very efficient, you get a lot of value from that. Yeah. Well, how does a VA find their first [00:29:30] client?

Ooh. Check your network. Okay. You know how they say it's not what you know, it's who you know? Go to your Facebook. Go to your, your community of people. Start telling everyone you know, "This is what I'm doing. Do you know anyone?" Because the people around you are connecting with other people. And so if I tell you, Joan, you're telling your whole audience.

Or you're going and you're going [00:30:00] to a, a, a network meeting, and you're like, "Oh, I just met a VA. Let me introduce you," right? So a- checking with your community first- Mm-hmm ... I would say, like the people that you already know, because people like to be helpful and give that support. There are different organizations that have directories of VAs, especially like the training programs.

I have a VA referral directory and a referral program. Nice. [00:30:30] So for getting clients yourself, what has been your most effective platform? You haven't mentioned LinkedIn yet. Is that a part of it? I'm on all the social media platforms- Okay ... and I put stuff out there. Most of those are connections to people who are needing my surrounding services.

Um, I always tell a client, "If I'm not the right fit, I can find someone for you." Right. But for building my [00:31:00] VA business, it was referrals. It was word of mouth. In the very beginning, I had a very unique niche, and I filled my practice really quickly because all the, the promotional salesmen that I worked for knew each other, and they were like, "Rachel knows what you need.

Call her." And that became, that became how I started. What was your niche? Uh, it was the promotional products [00:31:30] multi-line factory reps. So they were traveling salesmen, and that was what my dad did. They needed a central point of contact because they weren't in the office all day. They were out in front of people.

Got it. And I remember introducing them to email marketing. Constant Contact was the first- ... program that was for the, for the everyday business owner, and my guys were like, "You wanna learn it? Go for it." They had no clue what it was. They didn't care. They were, [00:32:00] they were handing catalogs and flyers. That's right.

Yeah, yeah. So. They, they were doing their sales thing. Yeah. The VAs that you're working with now, do you find the most successful ones are generalists, or have they really found their niche and drilled down on that? I think at heart we're pretty much all generalist, but I, because the term virtual assistant has gotten so flooded- Yep

with [00:32:30] other... We get lumped into a lot of different industries. So I do think that some VAs who do niche down- Can verbalize themselves beyond the VA title, but I don't think you have to. But I think if you are that higher level executive level support, it might help to niche down a little bit. Like, I create systems or workflows, or I know [00:33:00] GoHighLevel, or things that kind of set you apart.

Yeah. Because to me, virtual assistants now is, "And I implement it. I do this specific thing, and I can implement the work." So it's strategy and implementation, which does delineate between, "I'm a virtual assistant," and someone has these expectations of, of low cost, high, high volume. Hmm. [00:33:30] There's so many aspects, like any business, that is forward-facing to the client, so the VA would have to have that nice-looking website and LinkedIn profile and social media.

But in the end, what do you feel is the thing that really makes the sale? The person Okay Having the confidence in being able to say what you do, how you work, what your pricing is, [00:34:00] really owning it. Because if it's the right client, they're not gonna blink at what you charge- Yeah ... or how you do it. Yeah.

They just want to feel supported, and having the confidence to back you up, even if you're faking it till you make it- Mm-hmm ... is, I feel is key. Because if you're wishy-washy, the client's gonna not feel so safe in handing over elements of their baby to you. Yeah. But if you're like, "I've got this. I'm [00:34:30] doing it, and this is what I charge and this is how I show up," and you have a clear process, uh, in the interview, leading the interview- Mm-hmm

knowing the questions you wanna ask, listening to the client, and not necessarily jumping into working right off the first discovery call, saying- Okay ... "Yeah, I really liked talking with you. Let's schedule a second call and go over deeper things." You [00:35:00] don't get married- ... on the first date because you liked what they said in a profile.

Right. You wanna get to know the person. I've had discovery calls that were 20 minutes that went an hour and a half. I'm like, "Okay, we did the whole-" Yeah, right, okay ... "process," right? Yeah, yeah, yeah. So there's that initial contact where the prospective client reaches out to, to you as, as the VA. I suppose then that's the next step, the discovery call.

What's the objective of that first meeting, that first discovery call? On paper, my process is this: [00:35:30] the discovery call is like meeting for coffee. Do we like each other's voice? Can we talk about small things? What's the rapport like, right? Mm-hmm. You know, chemistry is real. The vibe is real If you can't have a 20-minute conversation, you're not gonna work well together.

If that 20 minutes leads to an hour because you can't stop talking, you're gonna get along well. What are those deal breakers? Or, [00:36:00] well, deal breakers probably is like a second or third date kind of conversation, but it's knowing like, "Okay, this went really well. Let's schedule a second call, a longer one, to go over the things."

Specific needs, then. Like, I do ask in the discovery call, "What are you looking for help with?" Because if there's things on your to-do list that I don't do, I don't wanna waste your time- Sure ... even if things are going really, really well. Yeah. But if the [00:36:30] work that I do is the work that you need, let's have that deeper conversation of what it looks like, and what are the number of hours you're thinking, what is your budget, what, what are your priority tasks, right?

Let's get really into the weeds. But that's not a discovery call. That's not a get to know you call. That's a, "Okay- Yes ... we like each other. Now we're at, at dinner," right? Mm-hmm. We're having a longer conversation. And then on occasions I've had a third call where it's, [00:37:00] what are those deal breakers, or what are the things that are unique to your business that I need to know about to either be sensitive to or that you're sensitive about, or...

So on both sides, who do you wanna work for and, and all of that. What is a question that, that you deem important that a VA perhaps wouldn't even think to ask a prospective client? When I was first starting out, I had [00:37:30] young kids, and so one of the questions I asked was, "How do you feel about children in the background?"

Because if they were calling me at random times, I, I could have a kid sick at home, it could be after 3:00 when they're home. I'm like, "I'm still gonna do your work, and I'm gonna get it done," but if they're like, "Children should be seen and not heard," we weren't the right fit because I couldn't guarantee that my kids wouldn't be in the background.

Got [00:38:00] it. Right? And that's part of that, that initial discussions as well- Right ... is building those parameters. Are you available 24/7? Or- Right ... "No, here, here are my office hours." I'm not available at your beck and call. Here are my hours. Right. Yeah. Does that even work for you? Yeah. So knowing those kinds of things from both sides- Mm-hmm

what's important. And after you've gone through that one, typically two, very rarely three conversations, and you've both decided [00:38:30] this is a fit- Mm ... are contracts written, or is it much more informal than that? I think it depends on the VA. Okay. Do you feel more confident with a, a legalese type of contract?

Mine is very much, it, it's plain speak. Okay. Don't sue me, right? Let's mediate. Here's how I work. Here's what you've agreed to. Here are my hours. I call it my policies and procedures, but ideally I should've talked through most of that [00:39:00] in that first or second call. As a, a VA, how often do you bill? I have clients that are hourly, so I track my time, and then I invoice them at the end of the month.

And then I have a debit card system which they preload, and then I track my time each week, and I give them r- reminders. "We've used this many hours. You have this many left, and then as we get close to zero, here's a link to buy more [00:39:30] hours." Okay. So even in that, um, whether it's a task-oriented or a strategic partner VA, in both cases, it generally tends to be more by the hour versus by the project?

I think it depends on the VA. Okay. So VAs can charge a couple different ways: hourly, retainer, debit cards, and projects. Those are the main ones. So hourly, they track their time. I track it in 15 minute, and bill in [00:40:00] 15-minute increments. Okay. Retainers are usually 5 to 20-hour retainers for a month, and they don't roll over.

The debit card system can be 5 to 20-plus hours, but those hours do roll over for a set amount of time. Mine is three months. Some are six months. Some are a year. And then the project is, you give me the idea, the scope of the project, and I'll, and I quote you- Sure ... and give you a proposal. Yeah. [00:40:30] But I found, from the VA perspective, the debit card system works best for me because you get paid upfront.

The client knows how much time is going to certain things, and because I still have money on the books from, like, 2008, right, that never got paid, so I- Oh, okay ... you know? So w- expl- explain to me how that debit card system works. So the retainer didn't ever sit well with me [00:41:00] because if someone paid for 10 hours and we got towards the end of the month and they were only at six hours- Right

then I felt this urgency. You have four hours left and I have a week to do it. The debit card system is they have the amount of time, 10 hours over three months- Almost like a prepayment. So if a VA is charging $50 an hour, the client will pay them upfront $500 for 10 hours, whenever that's used, whether it's used in the [00:41:30] first week or spread over three months.

Is that how that works? Yes. Okay. Yes. So it's not a physical debit card per se, it's basically a prepayment. No, it's, it's a prepaid- Okay ... set of hours, yeah. And what I like about it is each week I tell the client, "We did an hour and a half. Here's where it went. This is how much you have left." And so they get this idea of about how much time is going to the tasks- Yes

and they can see it in real time, [00:42:00] versus- Yeah ... waiting the month and going, "Oh my God, I thought we were at, at five hours and we're at 20? I have to pay that much?" Yeah. It, it takes some of the guesswork out. Yeah. It sounds like a great system. What's one thing a new VA can do in their first month starting out immediately that sets them apart with a new client?

Listening to the client and, and pinpointing at least one of the pain points. Okay acknowledging [00:42:30] it and doing something to help solve it, even if it's- Mm-hmm ... a long-running project. Not every client comes to the relationship knowing what their priorities are. But listening when they... In those first couple of conversations, what keeps coming up?

What are they saying- Mm ... about, "My inbox is overwhelming. I have this, I have this." Okay, I heard you say [00:43:00] this, this, this are important. Uh-huh. Let's get those under control before we go into phase two of those bigger items. So adding value before the client even asks. Yeah, yeah. Seeing that opportunity to say, "Hey, I'm really valuable to you."

Yeah, because I think a lot of clients do come to us because they have this vision of a big, a program or, uh, you know, a new idea. "I wanna implement social media." Right. But their inbox is a [00:43:30] mess and they can't find anything, or they're not consistently showing up for clients because their calendar system isn't, isn't flowing, right?

So it's, let's get some of these foundation things calm and easy, and then we work towards your newsletter. 'Cause if you get an influx of new clients- Yeah ... but they don't have a link to schedule. Mm-hmm, yep. So what are those things that will create value, those small, "You can hand [00:44:00] this off to me and trust me," or build that trust.

Yeah. And I think a lot of times we as the VAs, we hear and see things that a client is like, "Well, that's just the way it is." And it's like, "But it doesn't have to be. Let's do this-" Yeah ... "and get that calm, and then we can focus on something that is bigger or requires more trust." Nice. And then that trust continues to build when they see the result of that that's been [00:44:30] implemented.

Right. And think, "Okay, well..." And they would say, "Okay, so Rachel, so what else should I be doing next?" Right, yes. Well, well, after 20 years of watching people build this into a business, what's the biggest thing that surprises the new VA once they get into it? That they're amazing bosses. I mean- Especially if they haven't been before, yeah

you know, a lot of the time as, in the industries, administrative, you get put into a group, [00:45:00] or you get handed to a CEO, and you, you don't get to choose. Yeah. When you create your VA business, you get to say, "I don't wanna work with you. That's not how I wanna work," or, "That's exactly how I wanna work, and yes, I get to work with you, and I want to."

That ownership of where you spend your time and who you get to support, and the, and how you get to show up- Mm-hmm ... I think is the [00:45:30] greatest priceless gift of being a VA- Mm-hmm ... is being able to... It's seeing the ripple effect. I'm not doing brain science, but I am creating ease and structure and support so that my clients can really shine with their clients.

And that ripple effect goes outward. I work with a lot of coaches, and when they get to show up and they know their clients are getting the welcome email, and they're [00:46:00] getting the pre-work for the coaching sessions, and all of that means they just show up, and they get to interact. And then their clients go out into their world having done the work and showing up and all of that.

I have no ownership of that except that I got them what they needed- Yeah ... so that they could show up and do the things. Nice. Nice. And getting back to that point of choice that you mentioned, too, once a VA builds up his or her business and they've got multiple [00:46:30] clients, if one of those clients is not working out, they can terminate that relationship, and it's not like they're walking away from an entire job.

Yeah. It's just one, one client, and they've got these other income sources from the other clients while they continue to build their business. Yeah. My dad did say, "It's okay to fire a client." I remember feeling like I couldn't. I had one client who put every task in all [00:47:00] capital letters in the subject line of an email, and I felt like every time I opened an email, she was yelling at me.

Right. And I was like, "I love you. You're a wonderful person, but I can't do this." But to your point, and for anyone who is thinking of building a VA business- Be careful with taking on super big hourly clients. If you've got a 40-hour client and they're 80% of your business- Ah, yeah ... and it [00:47:30] doesn't work out- Yeah

now you have to fill in 40 hours. Mm-hmm. Now, I know people who do that, and it works out fine. In the state of California, I can't go over 40 hours with a client because then I'm an employee, not a contractor. Oh, okay. So know the rules and regulations of- Good point. Yep ... where you are about what constitutes a subcontractor- Right

because that's what you are as a VA. And- Right ... you can [00:48:00] have big bucket clients, but it can, it can make it harder to let go of a client if they are a huge piece of your business. And if that VA chose to, if they're looking at that kind of growth with that, those larger clients, mm, they could m- start then moving into an agency where they themselves are hiring VAs.

Yeah. Yeah. If someone listening is on the fence about doing this as a side hustle, what's one [00:48:30] thing that you'd tell them to do this week? So many things. There are some training programs out there to create a VA business. So I might offer that they do some research into one of those and see if any of those are the right fit.

Yeah. I wrote a book called Hey, Do I Need a VA?: A How-to Guide to Find, Hire and Work with a Virtual Assistant. Now, the audience is business owners, but for you, if [00:49:00] you're thinking of becoming a virtual assistant, you can flip the exercises- Mm ... around. Rather than what is your handoff list, what does your service list look like?

Right. Rather than what is your budget, how are you gonna charge? What are your rates? So you can take some of the exercises in the book and flip it. I call it the love it, like it, hate it list. Okay. Because you get to build your own business- You [00:49:30] don't have to do things you don't love doing- Mm-hmm ... or even like doing.

I don't do cold calling, and I don't do data entry, and I flat out tell people that because those are the things that I'm like, "Nope, not doing it." Doesn't matter. If it is a side hustle, when are you working, and how will you communicate that? If you're only working nights and weekends, you wanna be able to only have clients who are okay with nights and weekends- Right.

Yeah ... type of work. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Another [00:50:00] benefit of your book to somebody wanting to be a VA is it's gonna help them even better see it from the client's perspective, what their client's looking for, so that they can take all that into account when they're creating their website, for example. Right. That they're addressing those questions that they know are going to be on the minds of their prospective clients.

Yeah. And I would also say start where you are. If for right now you can't afford a website- [00:50:30] Create some brochure, LinkedIn profile, some way for people to connect with you, to reach out to you, to see some of the elements. But you can build as you grow and as you go, "Oh, it's, it's time I got a website," or, "It's time I got a calendar link," or any of the things that make it easier for you to run your business.

You don't have to jump all in. That's kind of the beauty of a virtual assistant is [00:51:00] I can start doing data entry for this business, and you could really just start... If someone's like, "Hey, I do need somebody," and they want this, "Oh, I do that. Okay, let's get started." Well, speaking of those ways to reach out, what is the best place for our listeners to connect with you, Rachel?

My website has all my links, and that is www.extrahandsva.com. Extra spelled out, hands with an S, V-A.com. [00:51:30] Excellent. We'll make sure that link is dropped into the show notes. Thank you. Well, finally, what is your best tip to inspire others to start and grow their side hustle dream? I am the best boss I've ever had, and I think that when you have a passion, go for it.

Mm. Take the risk. Start small. Build trust with yourself and your audience. But it's scary, but I think it's [00:52:00] well worth it. And as far as the start-up costs are pretty minimal, because my understanding is the client pays for any specialized software. They're going to be giving you access for it, and a lot of the basics you probably already got anyway.

Is that fair? Yeah. And, and that's partly where I say start where you are, because really, if you have a computer and you've got anything, any programs, those are the things you can offer. [00:52:30] And if a client says, "Well, do you have this?" You can explore the free version or- Right. Yeah ... if it's, if it's, if it's unique to the client, then do they give you access, and, and all of that.

So I've known people who are like, "I have to learn all of these different things before I can..." No. If a client wants you to learn it, then- Yeah ... they will pay for you to learn it. Well, thank you so much, Rachel, for your insights on becoming a VA. Yeah. And showing us that [00:53:00] it is still not only a viable option right now, but a potentially lucrative one.

Yeah. If we're willing to put in the work and have the skill set and the experience, there's definitely a need. And of course, thank you for being today's Side Hustle Hero. Thank you. It was so lovely to meet you, Joan. Thanks for having me.

Next time we have Rachel back, there's something else that I wanna dig into: insurance and liability.

Because if you're building a VA business and taking on responsibility for [00:53:30] a client's operations, what happens when something goes wrong? A wrong email to a client list, a missed deadline, a data slip-up. Who's on the hook? And how do you protect yourself and your business? If I were going into this business today, I'd be having a conversation with my insurance person to talk through these issues to make sure that I'm covered.

AI is clearly changing what a VA's day-to-day looks like, but this conversation made a good case that it hasn't changed [00:54:00] what makes a VA valuable in the first place. The judgment to know what a client actually needs, the instinct to catch what they didn't think to ask for, and the trust that gets built over time.

Well, that's a wrap for today. If our chats are sparking your entrepreneurial spirit and providing valuable insights, consider showing your support by visiting SideHustleHero.com/support. That's where you can shoot me a, a virtual coffee. It's a real thing, and a fun way to give the show a caffeinated thumbs-up.[00:54:30]

Thank you so much. In the episode description, you'll find the link to Rachel's website, ExtraHandsVA.com, as well as a link to the full show notes which live at our website, SideHustleHero.com. If you're enjoying what you're seeing in this podcast, it would be so appreciated if you would take a moment and add your comment, share the episode, and please subscribe.

It'll let others know that there's valuable content here for them to start and grow their side hustle. Thanks for watching, and hustle [00:55:00] on.