If you’re a mom who has been thinking about becoming a virtual assistant (or earning a living from home in general), but you’re not sure if you can make it work, this post is for you.
I’m SO delighted to introduce you to Gina Horkey, owner of HorkeyHandbook.com, professional virtual assistant, and freelancer writer extraordinaire. Gina’s story has absolutely inspired me as a work-at-home mom, and I think it’ll inspire you, too!
Gina found success almost immediately when she started working as a virtual assistant in 2014, earning $4,000+ per month after only 6 months as a freelancer — while working full-time AND raising two toddlers. Say what?!
Gina is a WAHM superstar who spends her time running her successful VA business and teaching others how they, too, can obtain the same success using skills they already have in her two popular courses, 30 Days to Virtual Assistant Success and 30 Days to Freelance Writing Success.
Today, I’ve asked Gina to share a little bit about her journey to success as a VA, writer, and WAHM. Let’s get started!
Welcome to MiM, Gina! Thanks for joining us! How long have you been a virtual assistant, and what made you decide to become one?
Gina Horkey is a married, millennial mama to two precocious toddlers, and lives in Minnesota. Additionally, she’s a professional writer and online business marketing consultant with a decade of experience in the financial services industry. Gina enjoys helping other freelancers gear up to quit their day jobs and take their side hustles full-time via her website, Horkey HandBook.
I’ve been a VA for two years. I started my freelance/online business career on the side of my full-time job in the spring of 2014. Freelance writing was my first foray into this realm, but I knew pretty quickly that I wanted to add in VA work, too.
My previous career was in personal finance; I had a small financial planning practice myself and then supported our office as a whole, doing a lot of VA tasks “in person.” So when it came time to holding myself out as a virtual assistant, I just repurposed those skills or services and offered them to other online entrepreneurs instead of brick and mortar businesses.
Landing my first VA client is actually what gave me the confidence to turn in my notice and leave work behind. The predictability of pay and workload appealed to me and it was a nice compliment to freelance writing.
So what exactly is virtual assisting?
My definition is assisting someone virtually. (i.e., trading your skills for money and working with someone via the internet versus in person.)
Some think of it as someone doing mindless tasks like data entry. In reality, it could be web design, blog management, customer service, and much, much more! (As a part of the course, we’ve actually identified over 125 services you can offer as a VA and get paid for!)
What skills are necessary to succeed as a VA? Does virtual assisting require a degree?
I don’t think so. Like applying for any other “job,” I’m sure a college education helps, but it’s not 100% necessary.
As I mentioned above, you can really repurpose any skills that you have gained from previous careers and life experience. (i.e., a stay-at-home mom might be uber organized, loves to plan ahead, always at Inbox Zero, and used to finding ways to become more efficient and get more done each day.)
I’ve identified the following six traits that I think make for a good VA:
- Type-A. Which really just means organized and on top of things.
- Open to learning. If you don’t like to learn new things, this type of work might not be for you.
- Naturally curious. This will help you to spot new opportunities in your client’s business and continue learning new skills.
- Communicative. Never leave your client hanging, especially if they’re expecting a reply to correspondence!
- Not afraid to take charge. I.e., Once you learn your role, don’t ask permission or questions about every little thing.
- Has a positive attitude. This goes without saying.
Do you feel that virtual assisting is a good work-at-home career for SAHMs? What is your experience working from home as a VA while raising children?
Totally! It’s a great option for SAHM’s looking to bring in a little extra income, have a purpose beyond being “just mom,” and who have a little spare time on their hands.
So my husband is actually the stay-at-home parent in our family. I work from home, but he’s the primary caregiver. We’re very much a team though, which I think is pretty neat. Our kids are both going to be in preschool a couple of days per week this year, so I’m excited to incorporate him more into my business and/or support him as he tries out his own thing.
How much do VA’s typically make?
Like any position or career, it really depends. In my community, I’ve seen anywhere from $10 an hour (which I consider to be too low, especially when you factor in self-employment taxes, lack of benefits, etc.) to $50+/hour. All of my clients are on retainer now, and I consistently make above that. I started working with my first client at $35 per hour for context, though.
How long does it take to complete your program? How long after completion do your students typically start taking paid work?
LOL, it depends. Sorry, but it does!
The title of the course is 30 Days or Less because Version 1 had 30 standalone lessons. I’ve since revamped and expanded the material into 12 modules and 60 lessons (plus enhanced resources). You could totally get through it in 30 days though, providing you had an hour or so each weekday.
What advice can you offer to moms out there who might be interested in pursing freelance work as a virtual assistant?
My best advice? Figure out how much time you could afford to spend on client work each week/month, and at first spend that time learning (through something like my course). Then, use about 90% of that time prospecting until you have clients. Then do client work, but use 90% of the time you have left in the week or month to prospect until your client roster is full. The remaining 10% can be used for stuff like enhancing your website, blogging, etc. (And you’ll always need a little time for admin stuff!)
Some students find results as they’re taking the course or shortly after finishing, while others don’t see results for a few months down the line. It really has to do with effort, though. The more you put in, the more you’ll get out!
Awesome, Gina! Thanks for chatting with us today!
In my personal experience, virtual assisting is by far my favorite way to earn a living from home.
If you think virtual assisting or freelance writing might be the work-at-home niche you’ve been looking for, head on over to HorkeyHandbook.com and check out Gina’s available courses!
Have you ever considered working from home before? If so, what is keeping you from jumping in the work-at-home world? Leave a comment and let us encourage you! 🙂
Hello! I’m so curious about working from home, but I’m really nervous about being able to make a sustainable income. I don’t have a lot of money to invest and I’m wondering if the courses really do teach you all you need to know, because I’d be starting from scratch. I do know, however, that I’m desperate for a change and one that will afford me the ability to work from home on my time without being tied to a boss or building. I want to feel fulfilled in my work and to be able to ,live life on my own terms. Please, send advice and encouragement that this is possible!
Hi, Lauren!
I totally get where you’re coming from. It’s SO hard to take a chance on something that may or may not prove to be a legit investment, especially when money is tight. I can’t promise that you’ll be successful after these courses because, honestly, your success depends completely on you. However, what I can say is that any course that I promote on my blog is a legit training program that equips people to make a real living with a specific skill set.
With Gina’s course, I know she teaches people how to become successful virtual assistants and that many people have taken her course and have built a viable at-home career as a VA. Virtual assisting is one of my favorite ways to earn an income personally, so I know it’s a real and viable avenue.
My best advice is to reach out to the course instructor for any course you consider taking and asking them if their program provides all of the training necessary to build your business from the ground up. Make sure it includes training on where to find your clients as well, since that’s a big part of running a successful business. If they only provide skills but no way to find clients, that’s a red flag.
To offer you a bit of encouragement, I went from being an overwhelmed stay-at-home mom to working as a full-time project manager from home in a year and a half — with no previous experience whatsoever. I started earning about $1,200/mo within 6 months of working from home during nap time as a VA and have since been able to bring my husband home full time, purchase a home, pay off all of our debt, and start my very own business while staying home with my family.
It’s not easy. It takes hard work. But it’s SO worth it. It’s all about learning new skills to meet real needs within a niche you love. For me, that niche is blogging and digital marketing. LOVE it. I make a living helping other bloggers and digital marketers maintain and grow their businesses. And I have a blast doing it!
So start building your skills, one new skill at a time, and then use those skills to meet the needs of people/businesses who need them. I promise, they’re out there!
If you need more encouragement, here is my full story: https://workathomeschool.com/katies-story
I’m cheering for you, Lauren!