Becoming a Virtual Assistant can be quite an overwhelming experience especially if the industry is a totally new concept to an individual. What type of equipment do I need? How do I create the perfect home office for my business? How do I create an attractive resume with limited skills? How do I create a professional website and how do I promote myself to companies How do I begin with very little money? The list of questions just seems to grow with no real ending in sight.
Believe it or not, you can easily establish yourself as a Virtual Assistant in no time as long as you have the proper resources. So, here is a list of virtual assistant training courses, certifications, webinars, tips, tools, and so much more that I've compiled to help you along on your journey to becoming a top-notch, professional Virtual Assistant that companies would love to contract with.
Free and Paid
First on the list is Pitman Training @ pitman-training.com Pitman Training is all about distance learning so most of their courses are covered via an online format. Since 1837, when Sir Isaac Pitman invented the art of Shorthand, Pitman Training has been following his direction by transforming with the times in business development and skill-building for those who wish to become more marketable in today's fast-paced industry.
Pitman Training covers a variety of courses and diploma programs ranging from Microsoft Office to Accounting to Web Design and even Customer Care. The courses available could range anywhere from a few hours to several days, and most can be completed at your own pace. Here are some of the popular training courses offered at Pitman Training that are of great use for that Virtual Assistant who's just getting started.
Free
Virtual Assistant Trainer by Lisa Wells helps coaches, virtual assistants, consultants, and other like-minded freelancers become more confident in what they have to offer companies and learn how to get more money while working fewer hours in the process. In her training, she offers tools on how to set up your own Virtual Assistant business, how to implement Marketing Strategies that sell, how to Create easy and profitable packages for your potential clients, and how to Get paid what you're worth.
To receive this valuable free training, only an email opt-in is required. Get these same tools from those who have applied them and have become a big success for FREE! Get trained by one of the pros @virtualassistanttrainer.com
Free
eMarketing Institute is an excellent resource site for anyone who is wanting to start an online business of any kind. This site offers free ebooks, courses, and certifications on the following business genres along with many other online business opportunities.
Make eMarketing Institute one of your go-to library resources to gain the necessary knowledge needed to take your Virtual Assistant business forward to the next level.
Paid
SkillShare is a remarkable website for anyone wanting to learn a new skill, and it's especially remarkable for beginner freelancers and entrepreneurs who have set out to create their own VA business at little to no cost. A platform designed to easily make acquiring a new hobby or skill, or just perfect an old passion, and turn it into a profit, SkillShare will just simply get you hooked on learning.
Learn anything from how to run your own Virtual Assistant business to how to become an Animator. To become a member of SkillShare, an initial subscription is required with a 7-day free trial. But don't let that deter you from exploring all that SkillShare has to offer. Pick the subject matter that interests you then narrow your search down by filtering the class type, level, and length. You'll be absolutely amazed at how many courses are made available to the public on just about any topic. And if you find later that SkillShare is definitely worth your time and the money, it costs just $13.99/mo. or$167.88/year to join!
Paid
Udemy is similar to SkillShare as they are both platforms for teaching and learning new skills. Udemy, however, used to be free to join, but now charges $16.58/mo with a 7-day free trial. You will gain public access to over 7,000 top-rate courses from a wide range of skilled and expert members.
On Udemy, you can take courses on just about any desired topic from personal development to coding. If you have a love to learn then Udemy is the perfect education website to learn new skills and to improve old ones, all at your own pace.
Free
Google Digital Garage is a one-stop shop for all of your digital marketing, data, and technology courses, career development webinars, and certification needs. Everything from learning how to start up an online business to branding to marketing is all at your fingertips with this massive selection of free courses, webinars, tools, and resources.
Registration is free and easy, but you can get started with a course or webinar on Google Digital Garage without any account setup. Setting up your Google Digital Garage account will undoubtedly allow you to stay organized by keeping track of your course progress under the "My Learning Plan" tab but you can dive in right now, no strings attached, and start learning how to become a successful VA entrepreneur today!
Free
HubSpot Academy offers free courses, lessons, and certifications for everything you need to know to get started online and how to successfully market yourself (your brand) to generate the traffic and response that you desire. HubSpot Academy also offers free certified courses for inbound customer sales reps, as well as free lessons on how to work remotely with a media agency, how to build websites, write content that sells, how to choose the right emails to send, and so much more.
At HubSpot Academy, there is so much knowledge to be gained, and for free! To keep yourself from becoming too overwhelmed, write down a plan of action like which skill sets are needed, find the right courses and/or lessons that fit, and take it slow. With a steady flow, you'll eventually get to where you desire to be.
For more information on how to become a virtual assistant, read this.
To keep yourself organized, keep a journal of your business plans, and create a checklist of everything that you wish to accomplish. Here is a great tool to help you create a comprehensive checklist that will guarantee your success.
The Virtual Savvy has a free checklist and starter kit for beginners. Get this free information to keep yourself organized, motivated, and productive.
Never stop thinking of new ways to reinvent and reinvest in yourself. Your brand is your product so always be thinking of new products that will keep you relevant in the Virtual Assistant Industry. A Branding Coach can be of great value to help you tap into what you are really wanting your company to say. And there is a lot of information online for free. Just do your research and put your newly found knowledge to practice.
If your brand is visual like a web/graphic designer, Behance is a creative way to showcase what your company is about. Branding yourself, however, can be quite difficult, and isn't always that straightforward. But since you are the product that you are selling you will need to come up with a way to create a marketable brand of what you are wanting to say.
Linkedin is one of the most practical ways to brand and promote yourself as a Virtual Assistant. Sign-up is free, and you can build your brand while networking with other like-minded entrepreneurs who are all on the same path.
Never, ever stop learning. The more you grow the more confident you will become in yourself, in your product, and in your presentation. Stay on top of the trends but always put your own personal spin on it to make it work for you, and to also set you apart from the rest.
More websites to help keep your ideas fresh.:
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Tags: How do I become a virtual assistant? > How to be a virtual assistant from home? > How to find clients as a virtual assistant? > How to become a virtual assistant for free? > How to become a part-time virtual assistant? > How to start a virtual assistant business?