One of the most common questions for moms starting their Virtual Assisting business or side hustle is “How do I get my first clients?” In this episode, I’m sharing how I got my first three virtual assisting clients. I actually used a different method to find and sign each of my first three clients. You don’t have to have a massive marketing plan in the beginning. When you are starting, you can be scrappy and find the ways that work for you and can and branch out later.
Let’s connect on Instagram! I’m @melyssamunday and @mamasmakingmore.
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If you’ve been considering diving into your own virtual assistant business or side hustle but those client worries got you on pause? I totally get it – you’re not alone. Lots of moms feel the same way, it’s one of the most common questions I get. Today, I’m spilling the tea on how I found my first three virtual assisting clients.
My virtual assistant adventure kicked off in a pretty unusual way. I was a single mom of four, working as an office manager, and set on moving to a whole new state. Crazy, right? The struggle of finding a new job in a different place led me to explore remote work, and I stumbled upon virtual assisting. Once I researched a bit more, it sounded like my jam. So, I pitched a trial to my boss at the time, and – it worked! Now, my ex-boss is still my client.
I realize that not everyone’s boss is game for that. But if circumstances align, proposing a trial period might just be your golden ticket.
Client two came from networking events post-relocation. Small business groups, women in business gatherings – you name it and I attended. Networking wasn’t just about meeting potential clients; it was about making connections in a new town. I met a woman with a nonprofit, and after a few chats, she became client number two. Moral of the story? Get out there and mingle in person – you might find clients and friends.
My third client came to me from Facebook. Not even a business group, just a local community page. Someone needed a VA, and thanks to my networking connections, I got tagged! It was like social media playing matchmaker for my business.
Finding clients doesn’t require an elaborate marketing funnel, especially when you’re just starting out. Be scrappy, be adaptable, and remember, strategies can evolve. Got questions? Slide into my DMs on Instagram (I especially love voice DMs) @melyssamunday or @mamasmakingmore.
Are we Insta friends?! I LOVE connecting there, voice DMs are super fun! I’m @melyssamunday and @mamasmakingmore.
[00:00:00] Melyssa: Hey, Hey. Hello. How are you mama? I have a question for you. Do you want to start your virtual assisting business, but you’re holding back because you’re worried about how to find your clients. I think this is something that’s a really common fear. For moms starting their online virtual assisting businesses. So today I want to share with you my journey and how I got my first three virtual assisting clients.
[00:00:31] Melyssa: Okay, so let’s just jump right in. The first ever virtual assistant client that I got is actually a little bit unusual and may not be the right thing for everybody, but it was actually amazingly perfect for me how it all aligned. At the time I was a single mom with four kids and I was working as an office manager. I started to think that I wanted to relocate my family to a different [00:01:00] state. And how the heck was I going to do that and find a job and all of the things that you worry about.
[00:01:07] Melyssa: When I then started researching options and I came across this virtual assisting that I had never heard of before, but I was like, hey, this actually sounds like something I can do. And not only does it sound like something I could do, it sounds an awful lot like what I’m actually doing inside of this office building that I was currently working for. So I came up with a proposal for my boss at the time. I said, Hey, I’m going to relocate regardless, this is just happening for me and my family. It’s what’s best for us. And I’ve been thinking that really everything I do can be done remotely. I think that we could work this out, if you’re open to a trial period, I would like to try and work remotely for you doing this. I will no longer be an employee. I will have my own business as a virtual assistant. So you no longer pay payroll [00:02:00] taxes for me. You don’t provide equipment for me. You don’t provide any benefits for me, I’m just working on my own and you’re paying me as a contractor.
[00:02:10] Melyssa: Fortunately, he was amazing enough to say yes to the trial and it went so great that we ended up continuing that, it still continues to this day. He’s still my VA client. And it ended up working great. It was a great transition. Like I said, if you don’t currently have a job or if you don’t have a job that would lend yourself to this, this isn’t for everybody, it may not have the same outcome. But that is how I got my first client. If it is a situation, if you’re in a similar situation where you think you might be able to give it a go, I would highly recommend, offering that, especially if someone’s a little bit wary, offer it as a trial period because they really then have nothing to lose because they’d have to be finding someone to replace you anyways. So. It was a win-win for us.
[00:02:57] Melyssa: My second client [00:03:00] came from a networking event. After I had relocated, I started attending small business groups and women in business groups and those sorts of things where they were in-person. And my goal for that was twofold. It was one to introduce my business. Well, I, maybe this is three. One to introduce my business, to, potentially find new clients and to make friends because honestly, I relocated to a state where I didn’t know anyone at the time. I had those three things in mind when I went to those events and I met a woman who had a nonprofit. And she, after several conversations, she became a client. I did some work for her nonprofit that she had at the time. That was a great way to, like I said, get out there and make friends make connections, made tons of connections at those. I still to this day attend networking events because I think they are a fabulous way to get clients and to find people to collaborate with and just all sorts of great things. [00:04:00] So that was client number two.
[00:04:02] Melyssa: Client number three came from a Facebook group and actually it wasn’t even a business Facebook group. It was a local Facebook group for our community, someone was looking for a VA, I actually didn’t even know who they were looking for. Just looking for someone to do some administrative work in their business. And because of those networking events, I had met people who then responded to his comment saying, Hey, we know this person, Melyssa, who would be great for that, why don’t you reach out to her and, they tagged me. And so I of course then reached out to him to be proactive. And he became my third client.
[00:04:43] Melyssa: So that networking event that got me, my second client, by going to those networking events and introducing myself and making myself known and what I did that lead other people who hadn’t even worked with me at the time, but knew that I provided that service to [00:05:00] recommend me in a local Facebook group that, I was eventually connected with. And so, yeah, that was client number three.
[00:05:08] Melyssa: It really is that simple to get clients, you don’t have to have a massive marketing plan in the beginning. When you were starting out, you can be scrappy and you can find the ways that work for you and you can always change and you can always branch out later. But, I just wanted to share with you those three different ways that I got those first three clients, I couldn’t ask for a better experience. It was great for me to be able to get them that way.
[00:05:36] Melyssa: I would love to answer any questions that you may have about how to get clients in your own business. I love DMs. If you want to send me especially voice DMs, I love hearing your guys’s voices. Send me a DM I’m @melyssamunday or @mamasmakingmore, I respond to all of my DMs and loved chatting with you.
[00:05:57] Melyssa: So yes, if you have any questions about how [00:06:00] you should be going about getting your own clients. Go ahead and shoot me a message. And I will chat with you in the next episode.