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Are you a busy mom trying to think of legitimate ways to make money from home? Have you considered becoming a VA? Moms tend to make great virtual assistants!
Motherhood is a challenge. It makes women grow and learn. And along the way, you’re learning a ton of valuable skills.
Unfortunately, those skills can be hard to document. Which means moms often feel out of the running when it comes to applying for gigs or even creating a resume.
But, whether or not you can explain all your skills on paper, let me reassure you – if you are a mom, you have skills that are crucial to helping entrepreneurs get stuff done.
And since many VA assignments are flexible, it’s the perfect fit for busy moms! Just make sure you find clients who are the right fit – you don’t want someone who demands you be at their beck and call all day long.
I’ll give you some tips for that down below, so keep reading!
But first, a disclaimer…
Of course, all moms are not created equally–just because you’re a mom it doesn’t mean you automatically have these skills. Nor does my list mean that non-moms aren’t awesome at these things as well.
But motherhood, with its unique challenges, does introduce these areas to women, and gives them the opportunity to take the challenges head on.
Now that I have that out of the way, here are 10 reasons moms make great virtual assistants. You’ll also discover how you can use these skill areas to help your clients succeed.
1. Moms Know How to Streamline
Many business owners need someone to look at the big picture and identify bottlenecks. They need someone to help them create processes and procedures.
And, those are skills that moms are pros at! In fact, most moms are really good at streamlining, because they have so much on their plate. They have to creatively find new ways to save time.
From fixing dinner to tackling the huge pile of laundry, moms know how to find efficiency within a system.
2. Moms Can Research!
Do you have a potential client who needs research done? As a mom, I’m sure you know how to locate the information you’re looking for.
Whether you’re turning to Google to find out what is means when a strange smell is coming from your child’s nostril, or searching for money saving tips, you aren’t afraid to seek out expert information.
And just in case you’re wondering, a strange smell from a nostril is typically a sign that something is stuck up there.
Not that I have any first hand experience with that one or anything…
3. Moms Can Organize!
Most moms, especially moms of a large family, are organized. They may not have started that way, but they do develop organization skills through necessity.
When you’re trying to keep track of the shoes of lots of kids, make sure the diaper bag never runs out of diapers, and ensure your blog posts go out each week, organization keeps everyone from going crazy.
Many tasks that clients need help with are rooted in organization.
- Taking care of a bazillion emails and providing email management going forward? Organization!
- Sorting through tons of random Google Drive files and turning chaos into calm? Organization!
- Planning an event? Organization!
Think about the systems you have in place that help you function. You are keeping your kids alive and fed, so obviously you’ve got some successful systems going on.
4. Moms Are Time Management Ninjas
Moms have some serious time management ninja skills. You know how to use those little bits of time most people take for granted, and actually put them to use.
You know how to use quiet time and writing time to put your nose to the grindstone and hustle.
If you have time management skills, you can seriously help out an overwhelmed entrepreneur. You can help them identify time wasters and which tasks are just busy work for them. By offloading some of the lower ROI tasks, moms can really help others grow.
5. Moms Are Innovative & Creative
When all the kids start whining, moms think up a clever game. You make something out of whatever you have around, and slowly help change the attitudes of the family.
You work hard to save money–creatively changing recipes to avoid a trip to the store, or repurposing something to make a last minute birthday gift.
Moms not only think outside the box, they also know how to actually put those creative ideas to work to solve a problem.
Being able to solve problems is a wonderful trait for a virtual assistant. In fact, the more problems you can solve, the more in-demand you will be!
6. Moms Work Hard
Moms don’t get sick days. You don’t get to clock out at night. You’re on the clock day in and day out.
And still, you know how to get the job done. That’s because of your work ethic. Even when the going gets tough, you find a way to push through it and get it done.
If you’re a VA who can get work done on time, and do it well – you will have no trouble finding clients who need you.
7. Moms Know How to Communicate Clearly
Moms know how to communicate to a variety of people. You can switch from talking about a homework problem to scheduling an appointment after you’ve been on hold for an hour.
Additionally, you’re used to talking to kids. That means you have practice breaking down larger tasks into bite sized chunks. You know how to make sure everyone understands, and get the family to pitch in as a team.
Those skills? Those are so valuable for your clients. As a Virtual Assistant, you need to be able to communicate clearly to your client and keep them in the loop. Otherwise they may wonder if you’re just collecting their money and running.
8. Moms Are Like Hostage Negotiators & Know How to Reconcile Differences
“No, you can’t have a cookie right now! Let’s enjoy one after dinner instead.”
If you have a three year old, you know how to negotiate.
Moms know how to deescalate a crisis. You’ve learned to step in before the temper tantrum breaks out in the middle of the store. Or at least, help the situation to resolve itself if you just missed the start.
Moms constantly help siblings reconcile differences. You know how to listen to both sides of the story, and not make snap judgements.
These skill make moms great at providing excellent customer service – which is something many entrepreneurs desperately need help with.
9. Moms Have a Long Term Vision
Raising children does not offer immediate gratification. In fact, it takes years and years of hard work to launch your child out into the world.
You understand that some tasks take time. You have a vision for the future, and know how to stay on course.
You can see the potential in what there is now. And you know how to help nudge with little baby steps.
As a virtual assistant, you need to get the vision of your clients. You need to care about their business and do what you can to help it succeed.
But, you also need to recognize that it will take time and effort. There isn’t such a thing as an overnight success!
10. Moms Understand Financial Management
Many moms handle the budget in their household They know how to stretch the grocery dollars, and ensure the bills get paid on time.
Moms know how to pay attention to detail, ensuring that financial records are entered correctly.
You can put these skills to work helping as a bookkeeper. Your client can scan in receipts and you can upload them to their record keeping software and enter them in the books.
You Will Make a Great Virtual Assistant!
Did any of these reasons catch your interest and make you stop and think, “Hm…I could do this?” If so, let’s dive into some basic how to action steps.
If you’re looking for a great course on becoming a virtual assistant, here’s the one I took back in 2015. It was incredible and really helped shape the trajectory of my business!
30 Days or Less to Virtual Assistant Success
What Services Should You Offer?
Before you start looking for clients, take some time to brainstorm. What are some services you feel comfortable offering?
To be a great idea, your services need to:
- Meet a need
- Be something people would be willing to pay for
- Be something you can do well
- Fit into your current time restrictions
Do any ideas come to mind? To help get the ball rolling, here are a few virtual assistant services that I’ve offered since I launched:
- Blog post formatting
- Image creation in Canva
- Creating and scheduling social media posts
- Curating content
- Writing blog posts
- Creating courses
- Bookkeeping
- Event planning
- Using Asana to onboard team projects
- Searching through archives to validate information
Are those the only skills you can offer? NOPE! There are so many more!
How to Find Your First Clients as a VA
Do you have at least a basic idea of what services you can offer as a virtual assistant? (It’ll probably change over time, that’s okay!)
Now you can start looking for clients. Here are three ways to find your first VA client:
- Tell your network. Let them know that you are offering a new service and to refer you if they know anyone looking for help. You never know who your people know, and a personal connection can help a lot!
- Join Facebook Groups. Who do you want to work with? Go where they hang out. Look for groups with your ideal clients in them and start connecting. Don’t you dare spam the group with offers. But, be genuine and helpful. Then look for opportunities. People will recognize your name because you’re an active member. Facebook Groups landed me three great clients over the years – it’s a slower strategy but one that works!
- Search on Social. You can use hashtags to look for people who need VAs. #VAneeded or #virtualassistantneeded are two to try. Also pay attention to what people you follow are posting. Many people advertise on social media or in their newsletters first.
Ready to Get Started?
You can make legitimate money from home as a VA. If you’re ready to get started putting your awesome mom skills to work to help others, here’s an amazing course that can help you confidently launch your business.
30 Days or Less to Virtual Assistant Success
My recommendation? Find a few small clients and do some one-off projects to earn enough to save up for the course. You can even find some freelance writing gigs to help you generate a quick income boost.
Don’t go into debt to buy it -that’s a huge mistake! Instead, bootstrap it until you earn enough. Then dive in without regret!
Lisa Tanner is a former teacher turned homeschooling mom with 11 kids. She's also a successful freelance writer. Lisa enjoys helping other busy moms find time to start and grow a side hustle of their own.