How to start a virtual assistant business with the skills you already have
A virtual assistant business sells the work you already do, to people who cannot afford a full-time assistant: founders, small business owners, agents and consultants. The fastest start is one clear service for one kind of client, not a list of everything you can do.
Be careful with anything that asks you to pay first. The FTC warns that honest employers never ask you to pay to get a job, and that any offer involving depositing a check and sending some of the money on is a scam. This is general information, not legal or financial advice.
Talk to Carmen
Your AI career coach
Say it the way you’d say it to a friend. Carmen will ask what she needs to know.
$76,590 a year
Median pay for executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants, May 2025
BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook$48,310 a year
Median pay for secretaries and administrative assistants, May 2025
BLS Occupational Outlook HandbookVirtual assistant services to start with
General virtual assistant
Email, scheduling, research, travel and document prep for a few clients. Easy to explain and easy to start, but harder to charge well for, so most people narrow down after the first clients.
- What it takes
- A laptop, a professional email and a simple contract template.
- First step
- Write a one-paragraph offer that names who you help and the three tasks you will take off their plate.
Executive support for founders
Acting as a remote EA for a busy founder or small business owner: inbox triage, calendar, meeting prep and follow-up. Suits experienced EAs, and it pays better than general VA work because it saves the client's time directly.
- What it takes
- Your EA experience is the product. A short case study helps.
- First step
- Message three founders or owners you already know and ask what they would hand off first if they could.
Inbox and calendar management
A narrow, repeatable service: getting a client to inbox zero and keeping their calendar clean every week. Easy to price as a monthly package.
- What it takes
- Low. You will need clear rules for access to client accounts and passwords, handled through their own sharing tools.
- First step
- Write down your own rules for sorting an inbox, so you can explain your system in one call.
Bookkeeping support
Invoicing, expense tracking and receipt matching for small businesses, working alongside their accountant. Suits assistants who already handle invoices at work.
- What it takes
- Practice in common accounting software. Stay in data entry and organizing, and leave tax advice to licensed professionals.
- First step
- Ask a small business owner you know what they do with receipts today, and offer to set up a simple system.
Social media scheduling
Planning, scheduling and posting content a client has already approved, plus replying to simple comments. Suits assistants who are organized and comfortable online.
- What it takes
- Free tiers of scheduling tools are enough to start.
- First step
- Offer a local business one month of scheduled posts from photos and text they already have.
Specialized VA (real estate, legal or medical)
Support for one industry: transaction paperwork for real estate agents, filing and scheduling for small law firms, or intake and scheduling for private practices. Industry knowledge lets you charge more. Legal and medical clients handle confidential information, so expect confidentiality agreements and ask how they protect client and patient records before you touch their systems.
- What it takes
- Experience in that industry. Ask each client which of their rules apply to you.
- First step
- If you have worked in one of these fields, list the tasks you did there that a solo professional would pay to hand off.
Sample conversation
How a conversation with Carmen starts
Carmen asks before she suggests. An illustrative example, not a real person.
I want to do VA work on the side. I've been an EA for nine years but I have no idea how to find clients.
Nine years as an EA means you can run someone's week. Who do you know who is drowning in email right now?
My cousin runs a landscaping company and never answers anyone.
That is your first client conversation. Offer him a two-week trial of inbox and scheduling for a set price, and ask for a referral if it works. Want help writing the message?
Work it out with Carmen, free
30 free minutes with Carmen and the team. No card needed.
Questions & answers
- How do I start a virtual assistant business with no clients?
- Start with people you already know: former managers, friends who run businesses, local owners. One clear offer and a short trial price gets your first reviews faster than a website does.
- How do I avoid virtual assistant job scams?
- Never pay to get work, and never deposit a check and send part of the money on. The FTC says both are signs of a scam. Real clients pay you after the work, not the other way around.
- Can I run a VA business while working as an assistant?
- Usually yes, but read your employment contract for outside-work or conflict of interest clauses, and do not take clients from your employer.
- How much can a virtual assistant make?
- It varies too much to give an honest number. Price one package, sell it to three clients, and compare what it earns per hour against overtime at your main job.
More for administrative and executive assistants
Start or grow a business
Sources
- BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook: Secretaries and Administrative Assistants
- US Federal Trade Commission: Job Scams
Last checked September 29, 2026.