In this post, I’m breaking down the big question: Are there too many virtual assistants out there? Oddly enough I’m using a bread aisle analogy to share why the VA world is far from oversaturated. From niche services to the expanding demand in various industries, there is vast opportunity rather than competition. So, if you’ve been hesitant about starting a virtual assisting business or side hustle, I’m telling you, now is the perfect time to jump in.
Let’s connect on Instagram! I’m @melyssamunday and @mamasmakingmore.
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Are you a mama thinking of diving into the world of virtual assistance? A hot topic that keeps popping up: Is the virtual assisting market oversaturated? Are there just too many VAs competing for the same clients? Will I even make a splash in this sea of talented VAs already out there hustling?
I’m here to tell you – don’t sweat it! There’s no virtual assistant overflow online. In fact, it’s a thriving industry, and it’s only getting bigger. As businesses make the digital shift, the need for savvy virtual assistants is skyrocketing.
Now, let me hit you with one of my favorite ways to shut down the oversaturation worry – take a stroll down the grocery store bread aisle. Trust me; it’s an eye-opener. There’s the budget-friendly bread, the classic white and wheat, the fancy ones with sprouts and nuts, and even allergy-friendly options. It’s a bread extravaganza!
And guess what? Every type of bread has its fans. Not everyone wants the same plain wheat loaf week after week. If anything, stores keep adding more options, not cutting back. Now, think of the online space – it’s just as diverse. There’s a need for all kinds of VAs, catering to different tasks, industries, and specialties.
So, why worry that the VA market is too crowded? Being a virtual assistant isn’t about a one-size-fits-all approach. Some VAs handle a variety of general admin tasks, while others geek out on the tech side, specialize in email and calendar management, or conquer social media and funnels. There is a wide array of services out there.
And here’s the thing – niching down is your secret sauce. Become an expert in your zone, whether it’s supporting photographers, wellness gurus, women entrepreneurs, or anyone with a unique need. You’re not just a VA; you are an expert providing a service. You can choose to call yourself a Funnel Specialist, or a Pinterest strategist, you can give yourself a title that resonates with what you love doing.
Industries like customer service, healthcare, and finance are jumping on the VA bandwagon, especially post-COVID. Businesses are craving digital support to streamline tasks and beat burnout. This VA industry is a rocket, and it’s not slowing down anytime soon. So, why not jump in now?
And let’s address the elephant in the room – the “there’s already so many VAs doing the work” concern. Well, here’s the deal – what works for someone might not work for everyone. Think about finding a therapist or a doctor. Different strokes for different folks, right? The same applies to virtual assistants. Businesses are hunting for that perfect match, someone who can solve their specific problem or handle their unique needs.
So, don’t let the fear of competition keep you on the sidelines. It’s the perfect time to jump into the virtual assisting game. If you’re unsure about narrowing down your niche or defining your services, slide into my DMs. I’m @melyssamunday or @mamasmakingmore on Instagram. I’m all ears for those voice messages!
Are we Insta friends?! I LOVE connecting there, voice DMs are super fun! I’m @melyssamunday and @mamasmakingmore.
[00:00:00] Melyssa: Hello, how the heck are you doing today? In the last episode, I talked about how I got my own three first VA clients, because it’s a common question to ask. How do you find your clients as a VA? And another very popular question that comes up a lot is about the market for virtual assistance and whether there is an over-saturation in the online space of virtual assistants. Are there too many virtual assistants out there? And if I put my hat in the ring, so to speak, am I even going to be able to find clients because they already have VAs or there’s already VA’s out there marketing themselves.
[00:00:43] Melyssa: I am here to tell you that you do not need to worry about that. There is not an over-saturation of at virtual assistants online. It is an industry that is definitely growing. It’s going to continue to grow as more and more [00:01:00] businesses go digital, go online. There’s just going to be an exponential need for more virtual assistants out there.
[00:01:08] Melyssa: I wanted to share one of my favorite responses to this question of over-saturation is. Go to the grocery store and walked on the bread aisle. It really is mind blowing. How many different types of something like bread there are. There is the super cheap bread. There’s the white bread, the wheat bread, the bread that has special sprouts and nuts in it. There is bread that’s, you know, for people with allergies. There is basically a bread for everybody. And you look at the prices too there’s entry-level like super cheap, 99 cent loaf of bread. Then there are more expensive types of bread that have the additional things in there.
[00:01:51] Melyssa: I’m not going to turn this into an episode about bread. But really think about all the different kinds that are because there’s so many different needs for the consumers. And [00:02:00] so not everybody wants one single loaf of bread that’s only plain wheat bread. And week after week, you go back to that store and the store maybe even has more different types of bread. They’re definitely not decreasing the amount of options they’re increasing.
[00:02:17] Melyssa: Maybe that’s a really weird thing to think about, but in the online space, there are such a variation. And there’s just such a need for all different kinds of VA’s that I really don’t want you to not get started because of your fear of there already being virtual assistants out there.
[00:02:36] Melyssa: Really being a virtual assistant, it’s not about one single set of tasks. There are people who are virtual assistants who are general VAs. They kind of do all kinds of general administrative work. There are VAs that specialized in the tech side. There’s VAs who may specialize just in email inbox management calendar management, [00:03:00] funnels, a certain software there’s VA’s who just are specialized and experts in one type of software. There are VA’s who are specialists in socials or something like Pinterest. There’s all these different types of services and that’s just a very short list of services, but there are so many services that you can provide as a virtual assistant. I preach time and time again, that becoming an expert and niching down into, a more narrow focus is what is going to make it much easier for clients to find you.
[00:03:35] Melyssa: In addition to all these different services, I just listed, think about it, the fact that there are so many industries that are looking for all of these kinds of VAs. So you may be someone who focuses just on supporting photographers. You could just support someone in the wellness industry. You can focus on women entrepreneurs, you could focus on, so many different [00:04:00] aspects there are so many different things that you can do. Within this general umbrella of being a VA, there are really endless possibilities. And a lot of people don’t even call it a VA. They may call themselves a funnel specialist they may call themselves a Pinterest strategist. It’s semantics what you call yourself. But if you are providing a virtual service a virtual assisting type of service to another business, that’s what I’m referring to when I say virtual assistant.
[00:04:28] Melyssa: Now there’s a lot of industries that are continuing to grow and are starting to use VAs that didn’t traditionally use them. Some examples are the customer service industry, healthcare finance, others like that are on the rise and they’re looking for virtual assistance. In this post COVID world that we’re in, a lot of people, are moving into the online and the digital space and they really want to streamline their work. They may have burnout and they’re looking for ways [00:05:00] to offload some of these tasks that you can help them with so that they can stay in their zone of genius. So it really is this industry that I don’t see slowing down. . I think that it’s just going to exponentially grow and I think it is a great time to jump in right now.
[00:05:18] Melyssa: I also want to mention this idea that there’s already all these, VA’s that are out there that are currently doing the work. I don’t know about you, but something that works for someone doesn’t necessarily work for me. If I want to go out and find some sort of, Mental health therapist, there’s all kinds of therapists throughout my community. And not every one of those is right for me. And the one who may be right for me may not be right for you. Same thing with doctors, there’s all kinds of doctors that then specialize in things. So if you have something going on with your ear, you’re not going to go to a doctor who specializes in knees, you’re going to go to a doctor that [00:06:00] specializes in the exact thing that you want help with.
[00:06:02] Melyssa: And that’s the same thing with the virtual assisting industry. People are looking for someone who can help them in the exact thing that they need. This was kind of a random episode where I talked about bread and virtual assisting and tied it all together hopefully for you.
[00:06:18] Melyssa: I hope that helps alleviate some of your fears that there are not too many virtual assistants out there. It is the perfect time for you to jump in right now, you really don’t need to wait. You don’t need to worry that there are too many virtual assistants out there. If you wanted to chat with me about how to narrow down who it is that you’re going to help and what services you’re going to be providing, I would be happy to chat with you about that.
[00:06:44] Melyssa: You can send me a DM I’m @melyssamunday or @ mamasmakingmore.com on Instagram. I love the little voice messages. That’s really all I have for this episode. I will catch you in the next one.