4. The two-headed monster

Any self-employed entrepreneur with a home-based business can tell you that when you become self-employed you need to become practiced at two very different skill sets. The first is being good at what you do for your clients. The second is being an entrepreneur. This includes doing all the things it takes to juggle multiple clients and take care of your business as the same time. Often we are fantastic at the first skill, but dismal at the latter, leaving our own bookkeeping piling up for months or years, feeling stymied by the marketing we need to do to fill our practices or finding ourselves under-charging for our services. Having a coach or a VA mentor is a great way to become skilled at both these essential business elements.

5. Is anyone out there?

Even for those of us who are introverted, working alone at home five days a week can lead to thoughts of running away and joining the circus just to have some interesting company for a change. You will need to build a strong community of peers around you and schedule time to get out of your home-office and interact un-virtually with others. Fortunately there are more VA organizations and associations, both virtual and not, popping up all over the globe as the profession gains notoriety and visibility.

Armed with these five points in mind, I hope you'll be more able to clearly decide if building a Virtual Assistant business is the best next step for you. Working at home as a VA is a tremendously rewarding and fulfilling occupation for many. If you choose to join us, welcome!