1 WELCOME Quick Start Guide
2 Welcome onboard! You’re here because you’ve finally decided that yes, you can become a freelancer or VA that brings you BOTH financial and lifestyle freedom. I have worked hard to help my own career grow, and I’d love to give you all my shortcuts so you’re not spending months in searching Google with tons of conflicting information. Sound good? Okay, just make us one promise...that you’ll implement these strategies. That’s the only way this dream of yours is going to work. Don’t quit when the going gets tough, instead strive harder to achieve your goal. I’ll be with you every step of the way!
3 INTRODUCTION
4 Table of Contents PLANNINGHave a solid plan for getting the RIGHT clients, think of the clients you want to work with. 2. SETUP Set up your online presence the right way. Create your LinkedIn account, & I suggest make your Facebook profile not too private. And post stuff about your skills or experiences. 3. CHOOSE YOUR PLATFORM You have plenty of platforms to choose from like Upwork, Onlinejob.ph, Freelancer.com, Hubstaff, etc. 4. SKILLS Where do you start with your skills? What skills are HOT and in demand to learn? You can check out 100+ services for the Laptop Lifestyle if you’re unsure of what skill to offer. 5. TOOLS What you need (and don’t) for all sorts of budgets. 6. MINDSET How to set yourself up for success before you even begin. Stop procrastinating and get started!
5 PLANNING Your plan should include 3 key things, and believe us when we say, your plan will change over time. So iron out these four details and then keep on moving towards that first client! Your ideal client? Who you are going to help? Get really specific about their ideas, problems, preferences, etc. This doesn’t mean you ONLY work with these people, but it helps you craft offers and messaging that are more powerful, then if you tried to talk to anyone and everyone you’d be confident and prepared. *100+ Services for the Laptop Lifestyle has some examples of client industries you can choose from. Your ideal work environment How much you want to work, what hours you want to keep, and what sort of office you need. These are small but crucial details that will help you set boundaries, both in your work/life balance, and with your clients.
6 Your offers What skills will you offer to your clients and how much will they cost. For many people just starting out, an hourly retainer is a great way to arrange your services.
7 SETUP It’s easy to get completely overwhelmed and distracted by all the shiny objects out there that you can buy and use. This guide will show you valuable resources you can use WITHOUT spending for expensive trainings and resources. A LinkedIn Profile Another necessity is a profile on LinkedIn. Create a title for yourself {see below for our titles table) and then fill out all your work history, even if it’s not directly related to what you’re going to be doing. A Website (Not highly recommended but def is a must once you have a stable) You can get a hosting and domain starting at P1000 a year and then create a website using a free theme. There are tons! If you have some money to spend, I recommend other platform like BuilderAll. Before we continue, let’s just iron out what your TITLE will be. It can change, but for now...let’s try to think of something more than just VA/ Freelancer.
8 Sales Funnel Specialist Website Developer Online Marketing Specialist SOCIAL MEDIA ADMIN TECH Social Media Manager Virtual Executive Assistant Online Tech Strategist Facebook Ads Manager Virtual Administrative Assistant Virtual technology manager Instagram Campaign Manager Virtual Personal Assistant Infusionsoft Specialist Pinterest Campaign Manager Customer Service Specialist Leadpages Specialist Social Media Strategist Transcriptionist Tech Support Specialist BRANDING AND DESIGN MARKETING EVERYTHING WEBSITE Brand Strategist Launch Strategist Website Designer Graphic Designer Sales Funnel Specialist Website Developer Online Marketing Specialist SEO Specialist Marketing Consultant Digital Strategist
9 VIDEO & AUDIO PROJECT MANAGEMENT PROFESSIONAL ROLES Video Editor Online Business Manager Legal Administration Video Marketing Specialist Project Manager Virtual Bookkeeper Voice Over Specialist Operations Manager Virtual CPA Virtual Office Manager Legal Consultant COPYWRITING ONLINE COURSES HUMAN RESOURCES Freelance Writer Online Course Creator HR Assistant Freelance Editor Educational Tech Specialist On-boarding Specialist Copywriter Ghost Writer Conversion Copy Specialist
10 CHOOSE YOUR PLATFORM There are lots of ways to get clients, but here are my top 5:Facebook Groups I recommend joining Facebook groups related to your dream client and then responding to requests for hire. Subcontracting & Networks of Freelancers When you start to network with other freelancers, you quickly start to see JUST HOW MUCH work is out there. You can build relationships with other freelancers in your industry, and offer to subcontract when they have overflow. Upwork A lot of freelancers are targeting this platform, but most of them fail to have they’re profile approve. But this is a great place to start! Create an account for free then respond to clients request or send job proposals.
11 Onlinejobs.ph Create a free account, complete your profile, and start looking for relevant job openings. Fiverr I just like to include this platform since this is where I develop my marketing skills. I generated almost $700 in 2 less than 2 months in this platform. Not much but considering that I only do the work less than 30 minutes. ;)
12 SKILLS Some of you might be saying, but how do I get the skills I needSKILLS Some of you might be saying, but how do I get the skills I need? I can do admin work, but I need more tech skills. If this is the case, here’s our down and dirty advice. #1 Offer to help someone for free (like a fellow freelancer) and learn on the go. It’s one of the fastest ways! #2 Take one of our skills classes and learn ONE thing first, and then move on to something a bit harder. #3 Sign up for free trials of programs you want to learn. Study, study, study, and watch all the tutorials and use your trial to get as much experience as you can. #4 Go into Facebook groups and write down a list of all the software platforms you hear mentioned. Again go back and check Services you can offer the Laptop Lifestyle.
13 Here are you a few right off the bat to tackle…WordPress - website design and blogging Clickfunnels/ LeadPages/ BuilderAll - sales funnels, webinars, and landing pages Mailchimp/ Convertkit/ Getresponse/ Active Campaign - marketing Facebook Ads Infusionsoft - Customer Relationship Manager and Marketing Canva/ Photoshop - Design and PDF’s Trello/ Asana/ Basecamp - Project Management Google Drive - Spreadsheets, Docs, and Presentations Dropbox – Storage Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest - Social Media Edgar, Hootsuite - Social Media
14 CLIENT WORK A set of documents for welcoming them and setting expectations A How I Work document will give your clients clear expectations about what to expect in terms of payment, communications, and hours. Outline everything from your average response time, give them a general idea of how long certain tasks take, and how they can best reach out. Feedback to get great testimonials A successful freelancer/VA THRIVES on testimonials. Even before you have your first client, we recommend that you have a feedback form (like Google forms) that asks them questions that create automatically beautiful testimonials!
15 TOOLS Below are outlined tool packages for freelancers with a FREE only budgetPlanning Google Docs, Google Calendar, Google Sheets Setup Facebook Business Page, LinkedIn Profile Platforms Facebook Groups, Free Website at en.wordpress.com, Upwork, etc. Work Paypal Invoices, Google Docs, Free Basecamp account for project management
16 MINDSET 95% of a successful business happens between the earsMINDSET 95% of a successful business happens between the ears. Some of the best ways to get in the mindset of a successful freelancer is to do the following…. BOOKS Read books that have to do with online marketing, design, start ups, and freelancing. I seriously was motivated to have my own VA courses when I read both Russell Brunson’s book. Expert Secrets and Dotcom Secret. The book is free however there is a small fee for shipping that is totally worth it! MENTORS Get a mentor! There’s no other way to fast track your success, than to hang in the company of people who are doing what you want to be doing in the next few years.
17 COMMUNITY There’s something powerful that happens when you start to hang around people who are doing what you want to be doing. Who are meeting their goals and going further than they thought they could. This kind of community is one of the key predictors of longterm success, so we invite you into my Facebook group that will soon be part of my paid membership site.
18 Now let’s get started! ❏Step One: Think about your dream clients, people you want to work with. ❏Step Two: Write a list of services you’d like to offer ❏Step Three: Put a star next to the services you want to develop your skills in ❏Step Four: Set up a Facebook Profile Page & LinkedIn Page ❏Step Five: Join relevant Facebook Groups ❏Step Six: Get a Mentor ❏Step Seven: Take a Skills Course ❏Step Eight: Start Prospecting in Groups! ❏Step NIne: Start Prospecting in Upwork or your chosen platform
19 We hope you’ve enjoyed the VA Quickstart guide!Please don’t forget to join our group on Facebook here.