The number of Virtual Assistants from the Philippines (or Overseas Employees as Dave Crenshaw put it) has skyrocketed for the first quarter of this year. Thanks to the local news they have been helpful in bringing this subject to the public. If in case you haven’t seen some of this local news, simply click here. With the number of online freelancers adding everyday how can you – a Newbie, who thinks have what it takes to make money online be able to land on your first project?

The key is to offer the right service the clients are looking for. But how will you know what service(s) to offer?

Only offer services that you are good at, period! It is the very thing Sheila Davis, a VA Coach and Headhunter, said to a fellow VA Rochefel Rivera during a Google Hangout. And I agree with her 100%!!

It’s basically what’s in it. You’ve heard it before that to be able to succeed in life, find out what you are good at and go from there, well it’s the same as being a Virtual Assistant.

Now, to be able to expand your service and make more profit, don’t limit yourself to what you know. See what other services that can go along with your expertise. Let’s say you are good in website design, you could probably offer a service that is in line with it like a logo and graphic design. Or if you are good at Social Media management another service that you could offer may be Email marketing and so on.

Activity: Enumerating your list of services. (This is part of the Hangout interview I mentioned above)

1. Get a sheet of paper and create three columns
2. On the 1st column write down everything that you have ever done in a job:
   • Social media
   • Graphic
   • SEO
   • etc
3. In the middle column write down all the industries or the type of people that you’ve ever worked for:
   • Real estate agency
   • Church pastor
   • Photographer Blogger
   • Design team
4. On the third column write down what you love to do. You will be able to pull them out from the list on the first and second columns that you just made.

Aside from knowing what you like doing, this activity will also help you find the things that you need to learn and improve so you can offer more services.

Awesome Takeaway!

Offer services that you can outsource, may it be to your friends or someone you trust and know can do the job. It is called sub-contracting, and if taken seriously, it can give you a lucrative income stream. It’s what I’ve been doing for the past three years. I hire friends who are very good at certain things like logo design and I then split the money. (Update – April 2017: I no longer run a team of VAs, my team was dissolved before 2014 ends.)

There are tons of talented individuals around BUT don’t know or don’t have the skill to market themselves. That’s an opportunity right there, and you don’t want to miss it.

Let’s wrap it up!

You can start working as a VA by (1) setting up an account in online freelancing websites and (2) start looking for gigs that go in line with your expertise. (3) Follow the above activity to help you figure out what skills you are good at.

You don’t have to offer hundreds of services. You can offer one or two services and build your portfolio from there. Good luck in finding your first gig! I would appreciate it if you can share this article with your friends by clicking on the social media icons below. If you have questions or additional tips then also feel free to share them in the comment section.