Think about the role of a PA or EA. That’s a really good starting point.

A VA can have a similar role, but usually works independently with small business owners rather than being employed by one company. That might mean helping to organise the day-to-day running of the business, keeping on top of tasks, coordinating projects or taking work off the business owner’s plate.

Some VAs stay quite close to that PA or EA-style support, while others specialise in areas such as social media, bookkeeping, tech or project work, often drawing on skills from their previous experience.

The best place to start is with the overlap between what you’re good at, what you enjoy doing and what clients actually need.

And don’t be put off by VA websites with huge lists of services. You’re far better off offering a shorter list of things you can do really well than trying to be everything to everyone.

The FAB-VA programme takes you through how to shape your own service list in much more detail.

No, you don’t need to be super techy to become a VA.

What helps much more is being willing to learn and not being frightened of new systems or software. You won’t know everything when you start, and nobody expects you to.

Most of the software you’ll come across is straightforward to learn, and there are usually plenty of tutorials available if you get stuck.

It’s less about how tech-minded you are today and more about how willing you are to build those skills as you go.

And if tech is already your thing, that can become a real strength. You may even decide to offer Tech VA Services as part of your business.

It can feel daunting at first, but I promise it’s usually much simpler than people expect. I’ve been there and I remember it well.

You may be thinking: How will I get clients? Will it make enough for me to live on? Do businesses actually use Virtual Assistants? Where do I even start?

If you’ve always been employed, self-employment can feel much more complicated than it actually is. Most people are pleasantly surprised once they understand what’s involved and have the right advice and support around them.

You don’t need to know how to run a business before you start. You just need to learn what to do, in the right order, and take it one step at a time.

If you’re still weighing up whether becoming a VA is right for you, my free Masterclass goes into this in much more detail and gives you a really good feel for what starting your own VA business could look like.

Yes, absolutely. In fact, that’s how a lot of people start.

Building your VA business alongside an employed role means you can keep a regular income coming in while you get set up and start finding clients. Many people then leave their employed role once their VA business has grown enough to become their main source of income.

One of the big advantages of being a VA is the flexibility. Some people build their business around children, caring for a family member, or a health condition or disability that makes a traditional office-based role difficult. Others simply want more control over when and where they work.

There isn’t one right way to do it. You can build your VA business around the life you already have and grow it at a pace that works for you.

One of the great things about starting a VA business is that the setup costs can be very low. If you already have a laptop, phone and internet connection, you could technically get the bare essentials in place for less than £25 a month. (This isn’t the route I’d recommend, by the way.)

That monthly figure covers the basics, such as a professional email address, data protection registration, insurance and a client legal agreement. There’s no stock, no premises and no huge list of equipment to buy.

Be careful, though. The cheapest route can easily become the more expensive one if you buy the wrong tools, miss something important or spend months trying to work everything out yourself.

If you do decide to get help, choose someone who has built a successful VA business themselves and is still doing it today. The VA industry changes quickly, so current, practical advice can save you money, wasted time and a lot of wrong turns.

There can be some variation across the UK, but most VAs charge around £30 – £35 per hour, with specialist VAs often charging more.

So yes, you absolutely can build a good income as a VA. How much you earn will depend largely on how many hours you want to work and the type of services you offer.

Some VAs want a flexible part-time income around other commitments. Others build a full-time business that replaces, or exceeds, what they previously earned in employment. Some go on to build a team, giving them the potential to earn more without being limited by their own hours, and the choice to step back from the day-to-day work.

As you become more experienced, you can also increase your rates, offer specialist services or move into fixed-price packages.

No. AI is changing the VA role, but I don’t believe it will replace good Virtual Assistants.

A good VA works in context. They notice when a meeting clashes with something a client mentioned last week. They pick up when an email needs a more careful response. They spot when something technically looks right but doesn’t make sense in the real world.

That judgement, nuance and human understanding are incredibly valuable, and AI still can’t replace them.

In my own VA business, we use AI all the time. It helps us work faster and smarter, but the human is still very much in charge.

What I do believe is that VAs who refuse to embrace AI will get left behind. Clients will increasingly expect their VAs to use it well, safely and sensibly. The strongest VAs will be the ones who combine AI with the judgement, initiative and human understanding that clients still need.

AI + VA = a very powerful combination.

No, I don’t believe it is.

Virtual working is far more widely accepted now than it was before the pandemic, and that has opened the door for many more businesses to work with Virtual Assistants.

Yes, there are plenty of VAs out there, but there are also more businesses choosing to outsource work rather than take everything on in-house.

And businesses aren’t all looking for the same person. One client may want someone brilliant at organisation and admin, another may need project support, while someone else is looking for a VA who is confident with tech. Some will also prefer a VA who already understands their industry. An HR consultant, for example, may be drawn to someone with an HR background.

Your strengths, experience, personality and the way you work will suit some clients far better than others.

After more than 20 years in the industry, I still see plenty of demand for good VAs. The opportunity is there.

Not necessarily. Plenty of UK businesses prefer to work with a UK-based VA because they’re working in the same time zone and understand the language, tone and cultural nuances of dealing with UK clients, customers and suppliers.

Some clients deliberately choose overseas VAs because they’re looking for particular skills, such as website support, automation, graphic design or experience with specialist software.

And in some cases, a UK-based VA will actually manage or coordinate overseas VAs for their client as part of their role.

It isn’t always about finding the cheapest person. Clients are often looking for someone they trust, who understands what they need and who makes their life easier.

You don’t have to have a website. But I would recommend it.

A website helps you present your business professionally, gives potential clients somewhere to find out more about you and your services and gives you a better chance of being found online.

Having said that, I certainly wouldn’t wait for a website before getting started. You can start building your online presence, talking to potential clients and finding work without one.

By being strategic about it.

There’s an old saying that if you’ve got six hours to chop down a tree, you should spend the first four sharpening the axe. Finding clients works the same way. The better you understand who you want to work with, what they need, whether they’re actually likely to use a VA and where to find them, the easier it becomes to attract the right ones.

You don’t need to go in with a sales pitch. A much better approach is to build relationships and put yourself in front of the right people, through places such as LinkedIn, business networking and your existing contacts.

We cover this in depth in the FAB-VA programme, including exactly who to target, where to find them and how to turn those conversations into regular retainer clients.

I talk much more about finding clients in my free Masterclass, including the things I’ve learnt from more than 20 years of doing it myself.

No. You just need to be good at building relationships.

Clients often give their VA access to things like inboxes, systems and login details, so trust is a big part of the relationship from the start.

People are far more likely to work with someone they know, like and trust than someone who has simply given them a sales pitch out of the blue.

No, we don’t hand you clients.

What FAB-VA does is teach you how to build your own client base and turn those relationships into regular retainer work.

You’ll learn who to target, where to find them and how to get conversations started. And once you’ve got clients, we also teach you how to onboard them properly, deliver a great service and keep them.

FAB-VA takes you step by step through setting up, running and growing your VA business.

We cover the practical foundations, including your services, pricing, ideal clients and the legal and business basics. You also start taking practical action early on, rather than waiting until you’ve completed the whole programme.

You’ll learn how to find the right clients, turn conversations into regular retainer work, onboard them properly and keep them by delivering a great service.

There’s also dedicated AI training and confidence coaching built into the programme.

FAB-VA is self-paced, so you work through it in your own time and can go back over anything whenever you need to.

If you want ongoing support, you can also join our Inner Circle. Inside the community, you can ask questions and get support from me and my team on things like pricing, tricky client situations or what to do if you feel stuck. You’ll also get regular updates on the VA industry and access to a growing library of practical resources and updated legal documents.

FAB-VA focuses on teaching you how to set up, market and run your VA business, find and keep clients and build regular retainer income around the skills you already have. It isn’t designed to teach every possible VA service.

If you’d like to see how all of this fits together before deciding whether FAB-VA is for you, my free Masterclass is the best place to start.