Perhaps I was one of the few who were lucky to have find the Virtual Assistance Industry when the idea of working from home, online was still considered a taboo. I remember the faces of my friends and relatives the first time I told them I got a job online. One uncle even warned me that I might be working with an online syndicate. 4 years after, here I am with a flourishing virtual assistant business - The Office Escape.

Ok, this blog post isn’t all about me. This post aims to help new Virtual Assistants to stand out from the crowd. Yes, surprisingly, in a matter of 4 years, the Virtual Assistant Community immensely grew.  This has both its advantages and disadvantages. Growing pains I believe. As more and more individuals join the bandwagon, our community of online workers are growing giving us more opportunities to meet, develop and enhance the skills.

1. Feed your hunger for learning - Keep in mind that aside from fellow VA’s, we also have to compete with foreign virtual assistants. To stay on top of the game, you have to continuously seek learning and continue to hone and develop your skills. Sign up for webinars, buy ebooks/resources that will help you develop a new skill. Sign up for online classes that will enhance and broaden your services.

2. Break away from the employee mindset - I was once guilty about this too. This is one difficult hurdle especially if you have spent long years working for a company. As soon as you decided to work as a virtual assistant, you have to constantly remind yourself that you are no longer an employee to anyone, including your clients. You are their partner to success. Yes you will continue to get instructions from your clients, but you are free to do things your own way, especially when you know the outcome is far more efficient. You are no longer tied to a 9-5 work routine. You no longer have to watch out for a supervisor behind your back. You are now a business owner, you have to take control of your business. You have the power to limit your income or expand it to your maximum capacity. You are now your own Boss.

3. Be visible - Most  Virtual Assistants that I know of, especially the newbies, are scared of getting out of their shell. No websites, no blogs, using anonymous nick names, no web presence. This is actually one of the biggest mistakes. If you want to stand out from the crowd, you have to put yourself out there, where everyone else can see you.Try searching your name on Google. Can you find yourself other than your Facebook or Twitter account? If the answer is no, then you have to start building your web presence. Why? Because this is the only way clients can check who you are. This is a way for you to build your credibility. If clients can’t find you online, do you think they can trust you with their projects? Think about it.

Choose. Do you want to just be a regular freelance virtual assistant? Or do you want to stand out from all other virtual assistants out there?  

Author:  Ella started her career as a solo-va in the late 2006 after resigning from her managerial career in a call center in the Philippines. She made her way up from being a freelance virtual assistant to owning a multi virtual assistant company - The Office Escape . Ella is also listed as one of the Elite VA's in the VA Blackbook.