Starting a service business on the side is one of the fastest ways to build extra income. It\u2019s flexible, low-overhead, and you can probably start with skills you already have.<\/p>\n \u201cI had a lot of drive underneath me,\u201d Abbey Ashley told me, about starting her service business back in 2013. \u201cI was super pregnant and I hated my job so much,\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Abbey started offering her services as a virtual assistant, and connected with her first clients at local networking events in Washington, DC. My the time her maternity leave was up\u2013just a few short months\u2013Abbey had booked enough work to not have to go back to that job she hated.<\/span><\/p>\n On top of that, she only had to work 20 hours a week to do it, and could work from home<\/a>.<\/p>\n There are almost no barriers to entry to starting a freelance service business, and the startup costs are minimal. (All Abbey did was make business cards<\/a> for networking.)<\/span><\/p>\n In fact, it was a service business, a house painting business in my case, that was one of my first entrepreneurial adventures.<\/span><\/p>\n Over time, Abbey scaled her virtual assistant business from just herself at $20-30 an hour, to her own little virtual agency, to $75 an hour and up for some specialized work.<\/span><\/p>\n Before long, the questions started coming in from friends and peers:<\/span><\/p>\n In response, she built up a complete training program for would-be virtual assistants. She\u2019s helped thousands of people start their own service businesses and has built a thriving free community of virtual assistants<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n If you want to dive in deeper, check out her free training called Become a Booked Out Virtual Assistant<\/a><\/strong>. (That\u2019s an affiliate link; if you buy her full program, I\u2019ll receive a commission.)<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t come in with a ton of skills,\u201d Abbey explained, \u201cbut I started to look at what I could do that other business owners need.\u201d<\/p>\n Some of the first tasks she started doing for business owners included:<\/p>\n A lot of the tasks business owners need to get off their plates aren\u2019t rocket science. She was able to do almost everything asked of her with the skills she had from her day job, and in the cases she was tasked with something new, the business owner provided training.<\/p>\n \u201cEven if they\u2019ve never hired for that role before, they have a process for it,\u201d Abbey explained. This is my experience as well from hiring freelancers. In most cases, I have a process I\u2019m already executing, but just want to start delegating it.<\/p>\n To begin building a potential menu of services, Abbey recommended this exercise. On a piece of paper with 3 columns, make 3 lists:<\/p>\n I think you\u2019ll come up with a broader spectrum of skills than you might have ever thought you had.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re struggling for ideas, just head over to a large marketplace for freelancers, such as Upwork or Fiverr. Look at the categories and sub-categories on these sites and the skills freelancers are offering. I\u2019m sure you\u2019ll several skills that you also have.<\/p>\n One interesting point\u2013and counter to the usual advice to \u201cniche down\u201d\u2013was that Abbey recommended starting out as a general virtual assistant. In the early days of your business, let the clients steer the role you play, and over time you\u2019ll learn the tasks you really love and are efficient at.<\/p>\n First of all, Abbey recommended joining her Virtual Savvies Facebook Group<\/a>. At press time, there are more than 30k members, with job opportunities getting shared daily. In addition, it\u2019s always helpful to have a support network of other virtual assistants to talk to.<\/p>\n Abbey recommended starting conversations about your new service business with friends and family too. Even if they\u2019re not in the position to hire you, there\u2019s always the chance they know someone looking for help. Word-of-mouth is a powerful marketing tool.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t limit yourself to just the online space. As you go about your day, you might encounter other people locally who could use your help. It always just starts with being curious, listening, and trying to find the potential areas in their business you might be able to serve.<\/p>\n Abbey also said to put yourself out there and let business owners know what you\u2019re doing. \u201cMost of us know at least one small business owner, talk to them first,\u201d Abbey said. In most cases, they\u2019ll be excited to see someone else jumping into entrepreneurship!<\/p>\n Check your local Meetup<\/a> groups too. There are always networking events for entrepreneurs and other meetups you can attend to introduce yourself to other entrepreneurs and business owners.<\/p>\n Abbey said you can just introduce yourself and explain what you do, and they\u2019ll think about you if they need a virtual assistant. \u201cA lot of times it does sell itself,\u201d Abbey said.<\/p>\n Abbey shared something she calls \u201cHigh-End Client Targeting.\u201d This is the \u201cgive-first\u201d technique she used to land her biggest client and helps her students land well-paying clients as well.<\/p>\n If you know of someone you would love to work for, there are some steps you can take to get noticed and possibly get hired. Start by paying attention to them if you\u2019re not already. Read their blog, listen to their podcasts, and so on. There is a good chance they will bring up holes and pain points in their business.<\/p>\n For example, they might mention they have never had success using Pinterest. If you have experience with Pinterest, this is the perfect opportunity to offer them a service to solve their pain point.<\/p>\n Create some Pinterest-optimized images for their recent content, and send those free of charge over email. It\u2019s a great way to break through the clutter and give value first. You can mention that you offer Pinterest management services if they\u2019re interested.<\/p>\n Even if it doesn\u2019t turn into a job with that customer, it usually turns into a relationship. Making a positive first impression like that is a good way to become top-of-mind should they know someone else who could use your services.<\/p>\n When Abbey landed her first client, she had a mix of emotions. She was elated to have a client, but also knew she had to work out some details\u2013like contracts and payments.<\/p>\n She came up with her own pricing by looking up what other virtual assistants were charging, and how they were pricing their packages.\u00a0She landed on a rate of $30 per hour. For general virtual assistants, she advised not starting below $20 an hour.<\/p>\n Abbey started off selling \u201cbundles of hours\u201d as this was what other VAs were doing. She sold packages of 10, 20, or 40 hours, and drew up a contract with payment details and terms.<\/p>\n For new service entrepreneurs, she recommended working backward from your goal income, and keeping in mind how many hours you have available to work and setting aside money for taxes.<\/p>\n As far as a legal entity, Abbey worked as a sole proprietor when she started working as a VA, and her location just required a $30 home business occupation permit. Of course, rules and regulations vary country by country, state by state, and city by city.<\/p>\n Working as a virtual assistant or any service business is still trading time for money, which turns some entrepreneurs off. \u201cI already do that at work!\u201d Abbey countered with the fact that, \u201cYes, it\u2019s still trading time for money, but you get to do it from the comfort of your home without the 2-hour commute<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n There are several ways to grow a service business, including:<\/p>\n \u201cMost of my students end up forming a mini-agency,\u201d Abbey explained. This was the model she pursued in her virtual assistant business, and eventually had a team of 4 subcontractors. As the project manager and team leader, you\u2019re responsible for booking work, client communications, and managing the entire process.<\/p>\n Abbey\u2019s #1 tip was to give yourself some grace. We\u2019re bound to make some mistakes and face some challenges along the way; that\u2019s life! Give yourself some grace, pivot to the next thing, and keep going.<\/p>\n If you want to dive in deeper, check out her free training called Become a Booked Out Virtual Assistant<\/a><\/strong>. (That\u2019s an affiliate link; if you buy her full program, I\u2019ll receive a commission.)<\/p>\n Subscribe to The Side Hustle Show on iTunes!<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Subscribe to The Side Hustle Show on Android!<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n![\"abbey](\"https:\/\/www.sidehustlenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/abbey-ashley.jpg\")
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<\/a><\/p>\nFrom Virtual Assistant to Service Business Trainer<\/span><\/h2>\n
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<\/p>\nWhat Service Can You Offer?<\/span><\/h2>\n
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The 3 Column Method<\/span><\/h3>\n
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The Freelance Marketplace Method<\/span><\/h3>\n
How to Get Your First Customers in Your Service Business<\/span><\/h2>\n
Start with Your Network<\/span><\/h3>\n
Local Meetups and Networking Events<\/span><\/h3>\n
High-End Client Targeting<\/span><\/h2>\n
Pricing Your Service<\/span><\/h2>\n
How to Expand and and Scale Up Your Service Business<\/span><\/h2>\n
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Next Steps<\/span><\/h2>\n
Episode Links<\/span><\/h2>\n
Want More Side Hustle Show?<\/span><\/h2>\n
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