- October 12, 2022
- Kaitlyn
Why You Should Work as a Virtual Assistant Subcontractor
(And How To Get Started!)
If you’re looking for a great work from home job, virtual assisting is a great option for those who don’t have very much experience in the online space and are wanting some income fast! If you’re looking for a step-by-step on how to start a virtual assistant business, check out my blog post here: Work From Home! 4 Steps On How To Become a Virtual Assistant. If you’re wanting to jump in head first into the virtual assisting world but don’t have any experience, you should consider being a subcontractor. Here are 5 reasons why you should work as a virtual assistant subcontractor and how to get started!
Table of Contents
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What Is a Virtual Assistant?
It’s a bit of what it sounds like. Think of it as an extension of a small business. Or a combination of a personal assistant and a secretary do.
A personal assistant is different from a virtual assistant. A personal assistant focuses more on the personal, daily tasks like booking dentist appointments and managing personal emails, not business emails. I have done personal assistant tasks for clients before. It’s all just what you’re comfortable with.
If you plan on becoming a virtual assistant, be prepared to answer “so what exactly do you do?” all the time!
Virtual assistants work with businesses to do various things like:
- Email management
- Client management
- Market research
- Graphic design
- Lead generation
- Etc.,
The goal of a virtual assistant is to ease the life of the business owner and employees. If you like organization, color coding or even creative tasks, I recommend becoming a virtual assistant.
If you’re just starting out and you’re not sure where to start or how exactly to get started, subcontracting may be the best place to start on your business journey.
What Is a Subcontractor?
A subcontractor in the virtual assisting world is someone who helps OTHER virtual assistants. Some virtual assistants have so many clients and get so overwhelmed that THEY need to hand off tasks to someone else in order to give their clients the best results.
This is a great way to get started because you learn from them! Most of the time, subcontracting positions offer training, and you are likely to scale with them as their business grows. I started as a subcontractor with 3 different agencies, and it was the best decision I could have made. I still implement things in my business that I learned from them!
Is Subcontracting Worth It?
Unfortunately there is a slight catch when it comes to subcontracting. Because this job offers training, depending on the agency you don’t communicate with the clients, only people within the agency and you don’t have to spend the time and money for marketing your own business, you are typically paid significantly less.
The pay range for subcontracting is typically between $10-$30/hour, while the pay range for a contracting virtual assistant (where you find your clients yourself and work with them instead of in an agency) is around $20-$150/hour.
Subcontracting can definitely be worth it if you’re starting out and wanting some hands-on experience and training. It can also be very helpful if you don’t have the time, money or energy to focus on marketing your services. You are given tasks within the agency and you’ll have your hands full!
Why Would I Not Subcontract?
You’re probably thinking “okay Kaitlyn. That sounds like an amazing deal. Why would I not subcontract?” which is completely understandable. Contracting/subcontracting depends on your circumstances and preferences.
When I started out I wanted hands-on experience so I could grow in confidence in my skills and for my clients. My original rates when I was starting out was $25/hour which is average for people who are starting their business. My first client I ever received, my hourly rate was $15/hour which was a bit lower than my rates.
If you’re only wanting to be a virtual assistant as a side hustle and not scale into an agency where YOU hand off projects to other virtual assistants, then subcontracting may be the right way to go!
Where Can I Find Jobs For Virtual Assistants?
There are lots of places for you to find jobs, so don’t let that be the thing to stop you! If you’re wanting to find jobs for a regular contracting virtual assistant, check out my blog post here where I break it down.
Finding jobs as a subcontractor is a little different. Your niche is virtual assistants, not other businesses like photography, real estate agents or even bloggers.
There are TONS of Facebook groups out there that are only for virtual assistants where they post daily job opportunities. There are also websites like Upwork, Fiverr and HireMyMom that are perfect for finding subcontracting virtual assistants!
Don’t let the fear of not finding clients stop you! If that is the thing that’s stopping you, I recommend giving yourself a timeline. Give it your all between the time you start and the time the deadline is and I can guarantee that you will find amazing clients.
Should I Become a Virtual Assistant Subcontractor?
Like I mentioned earlier, it really depends on your circumstances. If you have confidence in yourself and your skills and are okay with spending time to market your services but keep your rates, go ahead and be a regular contracting virtual assistant!
If you think you need some more time to learn and get experience or you just don’t want to market yourself but you’re okay with a lower hourly rate, try being a subcontractor.
Still Looking For Side Hustles?
You’re still looking for some side hustle ideas? Check out my free ebook, 5 Free Resources to Make You $5k/Month!
If you’ve been inspired to start a virtual assistant business, let me know in the comments!
Have any questions? Shoot me an email to hello@strivehustles.com and let’s chat!
