Course Syllabus

Course Syllabus: Starting a Virtual Assistant Business

Instructor: William Flood

Fax: (707) 982-2852

Textbook

How to Start a Home Based Desktop Publishing Business, Louse Kursmark. ISBN: 0762722509
A note on your textbook: As of 2003, there is scant literature available for the virtual assisting business, aside from expensive proprietary training materials. Thus, we will be using a book dealing with the “kin” of virtual assisting, the desktop publishing business. Nearly all of the material contained in the text will be visibly applicable to the virtual assisting practice. Where specifics about virtual assisting are lacking, the gaps will be filled-in within the course.

Description

A virtual assistant works from his or her own office, offering administrative and office support services, to other companies over the Internet. A virtual assistant can make from $25-$50 per hour performing tasks such as word processing, database management, desktop publishing, and email services. Moreover, because virtual assistants work from their homes, for customers they often never meet, they do not need to be located in the same city or even the same state. Students in this course will learn how to establish and successfully grow a virtual assistant business including learning how to locate customers, set fees, and develop client contracts.

Course Objectives

Upon completion of this course the student will be able to...

1) Present an overview of starting and growing a virtual assistant business

2) Perform online and off-line marketing, including establishing a web presence

3) Develop contracts appropriate for services provided

4) Appropriately set fees for services provided

5) Describe legal and tax issues related to running a virtual assistant business from home

6) Handle fundamental bookkeeping

Course Content

· An overview of the nature, history, and duties of virtual assistants

· Benefits afforded to virtual assistants and their clients

· Necessary traits to be successful as a virtual assistant

· A summary of the kinds of services virtual assistants offer

· Details of setting up a virtual assisting practice

· Particulars of communicating with clients locally and remotely

· Pricing and billing practices of virtual assistants

· Marketing and advertising the virtual assisting practice

· Record keeping and tax issues

· Resources for support

Course Objectives:

Upon completion of this course the student should be able to...

1. Assess their personality characteristics to determine their suitability for being a self-employed virtual assistant

2. Take inventory of their skills, interests, strengths, and weaknesses to help determine appropriate services to offer

3. Determine local licensing requirements and properly “set up shop” as a virtual assistant

4. Describe the benefits and disadvantages of the various forms of legal construction

5. Establish proper pricing, billing, and collections procedures

6. Successfully market their virtual assisting practice

7. Handle basic record keeping and tax planning related to their business

Methods:

The course will include...

1. Assigned readings

2. Email correspondence with the instructor and interactions on the classroom discussion boards

3. An entrepreneurial self-assessment exercise

4. A market research exercise studying the competition

5. A goal setting exercise for the business

6. A skills assessment exercise designed to help the student pinpoint what services to offer

7. Development of a micro-business plan for the firm

8. Development of preliminary literature (cards, brochure, etc) for the company

9. Creation of a pricing menu

10. A market survey exercise searching for potential clients

11. A target marketing exercise

Submission of Assignments

Results of your assignments will be posted in the appropriate discussion board for appraisal by the instructor and for feedback among class members. Students wishing more in-depth evaluation of certain exercises may email or fax written versions to the instructor.

Course Outline

Lesson

(Week) Subject Chapters Due

1. What is a virtual assistant? Chap. 1 Post introductions

2. History of the virtual assistant Chap. 1 (cont) Entrepreneur’s assessment

3. Benefits of owning a VA business Chap. 2 Competition project

4. Traits of successful VA’s Chap. 2 (cont) Goal setting exercise

5. What services to offer n/a Skills assessment

6. Setting up shop Chap. 3 Begin micro business plan

7. Communicating with clients Chap. 4 Company literature

8. Pricing and billing Chap. 7 Pricing menu

9. Marketing your services (part 1, Your market) Chap. 5 Target market project