Silencing the Work At Home Naysayers

It never fails. Someone finds out I work at home and asks me, “So, what do you do again?” And the conversation goes like this:

“I work from home as a Virtual Assistant.”

“A what?”

“A Virtual Assistant. I support small businesses from my home office.”

“Oh.”

Sigh. “It’s pretty fantastic, actually. I get to use the skills I’ve developed my whole life to help business owners and I support my family in the process. Oh, and I’m home with my kids.”

“Why don’t you just get a real job?”

There are so many scammy, spammy, non-legitimate work at home jobs these days that people are skeptical of all of them, even the real ones. If you or someone you know has wondered what Virtual Assistant (VA) work actually is, how it earns an income, and if it’s a real job, read on for the answers to our most frequently asked questions.

“Is online work legit?”

Yes, there are many legitimate jobs you can work online. A recent article from US News & World Report has more about the booming work at home industry. That said, the Internet is a big place. There certainly are spammers and scammers. Our course teaches how to avoid the bad jobs, and land the good ones! There’s no multi level marketing going on, either. Just real work done by a VA that a business owner pays them to do. Legitimately.

“Would I ACTUALLY bring in enough income to boost our family finances?”

The standard starting pay for a VA is $20/hr. Some might be more like $10-$15 an hour, but as with any job, if you apply yourself and work hard, it is reasonable to expect a raise as your excellent work contributes to the client’s success! We currently make lower-end full-time incomes working part-time (20-ish hours). The one thing to keep in mind though is VA work (because you’re a 1099 contractor) is pre-taxed. So you’ll need to be saving part of this income to pay any applicable taxes.

“How can you work when you have a little one at your feet wanting to play constantly?”

This is where you really have to get creative! When I (Victoria) was starting out I only worked about 1-5 hours a week. I fit those hours in during naptime and bedtime. Sometimes my husband and I worked out a system that as soon as he came home from work and we ate dinner, I would go hit the keyboard then finish up to do the girls’ bedtime routine. Saturdays are another great opportunity for Dad to spend one-on-one time with your kids while you get some work in. Also, you can get help! Consider mommy swaps, you and another mom could swap kids for something like 2 days a week and get work time in. Of course, you can also hire a babysitter for a few hours a week or do something like a Mommy’s morning out.

“How do you have long term stability?”

As with any type of client-based work, the work can ebb and flow. Sometimes you may have a plate full of clients with more knocking at your door, and other times maybe you’re not doing much work at all. The key is pacing yourself. And, we’ve found that eventually, you’ll click with a few (or even just one) really great clients who love working with you and can offer you steady work.

“I just don’t understand how this can be a real job!?”
Totally get it! The online world is strange. And if I (Victoria) hadn’t had one of my first jobs out of college be with an online marketing agency, I probably would have been sketched out by online business, too. The online business/blogging/marketing world is a strange one. But the money really is there. Take for example income reports from this food blog and this podcast. These are online businesses who hire VAs to help them, and you can see the crazy money they’re making month after month. There are lots of factors that go into how online businesses make money, but they do!

VA work isn’t limited to online businesses. Standard brick-and-mortar shops or even service based businesses could use VAs for their needs. The beauty here is that a business owner needing help can find the best help anywhere in the country. The business owner doesn’t have to pay for an office to keep a work at home employee or any of those other expenses like insurance.

“If this doesn’t work out, will I be able to find another 9-5 job that paid as well?”

We all take risks in life. That might be a risk that VA work wouldn’t be a good fit for whatever reason, or it might be a risk to stay at a full-time job when you’d rather work at home and be home with your kids. While typical 9-5s do offer a bit more stability and benefits (though we know of VAs working full time with benefits, so it’s possible), if you’re wanting to make some money in the margins, and have a flexible job, we haven’t found anything to compare to VA work.

“How much money can I expect to make as a VA? Is this even worth it?”

You can expect to start at about $20/hour. We’re now charging at least double that due to experience and demand for our services. Some VAs charge $100/hr to do super specialized tasks. It could be that you get working and unlock skills you didn’t even know you had! Like with any successful thing, it takes hard work and persistence, but there’s no reason to think you can’t make a solid income with VA work.

So kick the naysayers to the curb! We’ve done it, we’ve taught other moms how to work at home and be successful. You can do it too!

– Carlee and Victoria