How To Start a Virtual Assistant Business in 8 Steps

A decade ago, the personal assistant sat outside an executive’s door, guarding the gate to their boss’s time. Today, with 49% of employed adults now working from home most or all of the time, that gatekeeper often lives—and works—online.

Technology now lets virtual assistants (VAs) manage calendars, video calls, and overflowing inboxes without ever stepping into an office. Plus, with a smart schedule and the right systems, they can support multiple clients at once.

Here’s how to start a virtual assistant business and provide behind-the-scenes support for entrepreneurs and executives.

How to start a virtual assistant business

1. Choose your service offerings and niche
2. Draft a simple business plan
3. Choose an operating structure and register your business
4. Pick your pricing and service packages
5. Collect testimonials and references for credibility
6. Join freelance marketplaces
7. Build a website
8. Set up your payment and invoicing system
9. Market your virtual assistant business

When it comes to starting a successful virtual assistant business, there’s no single path. Many VAs begin on gig economy marketplaces like Upwork and Fiverr, then transition to their own client roster—and later, a small team, as demand grows. Below are the foundational steps to land your first clients:

1. Choose your service offerings and niche

Choosing a niche in the virtual assistant industry makes marketing yourself easier because clients shop for expertise, not generalists. List your strengths, past roles, and even hobbies that translate into sellable virtual assistant services. Here are areas you might consider:

• Administrative tasks. If you’re organized and a master multitasker, think about office calendar management, email triage, meeting scheduling, and travel booking. Familiarity with project management tools like Asana, Miro, or Airtable is a plus.

• Social media management. Scheduling posts with social media scheduling tools, craft content calendars, moderate comments, and grow Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, or LinkedIn accounts.

• Bookkeeping and data entry. Send invoices, track expenses, and reconcile accounts using accounting software like QuickBooks or Xero.

• Customer service support. Answer customer tickets, process orders, and resolve issues by email or chat. 

• Ecommerce assistance. If you know Shopify or Etsy, help merchants optimize product pages, update inventory, and coordinate product drops.

2. Draft a simple business plan

You don’t need a 12-page document. A one-page business plan clarifies who you serve, what you sell, and how you’ll hit revenue goals. Include:

• Mission statement. This is your elevator pitch. For example: “Experienced marketing VA helping wellness entrepreneurs with social media and scheduling.”

• Target market and niche. Are you aiming at busy entrepreneurs, real estate professionals, content creators, coaches, or ecommerce store owners?

• Services and pricing. List your services and how you’ll price them. Will you charge hourly or offer packages?

• Marketing ideas. How will you attract clients and convince them to hire you?

• Financial projections. Calculate any startup costs and ongoing monthly costs, then set income goals. Determine how many hours or clients you’ll need to meet your desired income.

3. Choose an operating structure and register your business

Most first-time virtual assistants begin as sole proprietors because it’s fast and inexpensive. A sole proprietorship is the default business structure for one-person businesses. As revenue grows—or if you want liability protection—consider forming an LLC (limited liability company), which creates a separate legal entity for your business, which protects your personal assets if anything goes wrong.

You might need to register your business with your local municipality, depending on your location and whether you’re using a business name different from your legal name (known as a “doing business as” or DBA).

If you’re unsure what’s best for you, speak to an accountant or business advisor.

4. Pick your pricing and service packages

VAs handle everything from booking flights to running a product launch. Price your administrative services in one of three ways:

• Hourly rate. Charging by the hour is simple and flexible. Log the hours you work for a client and bill them for those hours. If you start on a freelancing marketplace, platforms typically handle payments for you—but keep in mind they’ll charge a commission.

• Retainer packages. A retainer is a monthly package where a client pays a flat fee to reserve a certain amount of your time or a package of services. You might offer a package of 20 hours of VA services per month for a set price (often at a slight discount compared to your hourly rate). Retainers are great for steady, ongoing work—the client knows they have you available each month, and you have a guaranteed base income.

• Project or task-based fees. In this model, you quote one price for the entire job—like $300 to set up a new client’s online filing system. To do this profitably, you’ll need to estimate how many hours the project will take and price accordingly.

5. Collect testimonials and references for credibility

Sharing testimonials on your business website or LinkedIn profile is a powerful way to build trust with potential clients. If you don’t have existing clients, consider asking former bosses or colleagues to couch for your organization and reliability. After each gig, request a short testimonial from your satisfied client and add it to your site or LinkedIn profile.

6. Join freelance marketplaces

Online marketplaces are a common entry point for new virtual assistants looking for work. They operate as gig work intermediaries—clients post projects or ongoing needs and VAs submit proposals or apply for positions. The marketplace typically takes a percentage of your earnings as a fee.

Note that rates on these global platforms are often much lower than minimum wage in North American cities. Use them as a launchpad, build your portfolio, then graduate to direct contracts at higher rates.

Popular platforms and marketplaces to consider include:

• Upwork

• Fiverr

• Freelancer

• Guru

• PeoplePerHour

7. Build a website

Skip the middleman fees by building a business website and selling services directly. All-in-one services like Shopify offer website hosting, domain name registration, and appointment-booking apps. Use your new site to share testimonials, a bio, and a clear call to action for prospective clients.

8. Set up your payment system

Marketplaces like Upwork or Fiverr handle payments for you. You log your hours or milestones, the client pays through the platform, and the platform releases funds to you (minus a service fee). 

For direct clients, use invoicing software like QuickBooks, FreshBooks, or Wave to send invoices and track payments, and accept payments via credit cards, PayPal, or bank transfers.

9. Market your virtual assistant business

Here are a few different ways to market your VA business and start building a client base:

• Leverage your network. Reach out to friends, family, former coworkers—anyone in your network who might know someone who needs assistance. If your network is small, attend networking events.

• Optimize your LinkedIn. Your LinkedIn profile should clearly state that you’re a virtual assistant taking on clients. Connect with small business owners or professionals in your target industry.

• Join freelance marketplaces and job boards. Regularly check sites like PeoplePerHour and Guru for new postings that fit your skills. Look at remote job boards like Remote.co for virtual assistants listings.

• Demonstrate your expertise. Create and share content that establishes you as a thought leader and gives potential clients a taste of your value. Consider starting a blog or creating a newsletter where you can write about topics in your niche.

• Pitch directly. Email or DM businesses you admire with two tasks you could take off their plate. Keep your pitch short and personalized, briefly explaining how you could help.