UPDATED 06/30/2025
People have been asking me a lot of questions lately about starting side hustles. Specifically, questions about my virtual assistant business. And all these questions got me thinking about my journey to where I am today. With all the side hustles I’ve ever started, I always started before I knew what the Hell I was doing. I never considered myself an expert at anything, but I knew a little about a lot of things.
With my virtual assistant business, I kind of consider myself an expert at operations. But that’s because those skills come naturally to me. Skills like social media scheduling, template and workflow creation, and email marketing, I have experience in, but in no way, shape, or form would I call myself an expert. Many of these skills I learned throughout my 14 years in corporate and working as an Executive Admin for a real estate brokerage. When I decided to try a shot a this side hustle, I figured “Why the Hell not?!”
Don’t get it twisted, though. I did some brainstorming and serious soul searching before I decided to start offering services. Small business owners and solopreneurs needed the skills I had, and I knew it. I also knew I had some extra time on my hands because I got out of work earlier than many others. I even knew we needed to make some extra money to make ends meet. So what’d I do? I jumped into the water, feet first, before I knew how to swim.
I had side hustles in the past but the fear surrounding this one was there. No they weren’t super successful, but I knew what it took to make them work. In the past, I wasn’t fully into what the side hustle involved. My first was a coach with a health and fitness MLM. Motivation and inspiration was the name of the game, which was fun, but I didn’t have it in me to keep trying when others didn’t want to put forth effort. Being a life coach was similar. I knew I wanted to give the virtual assistant side hustle a go so I had to figure out where to start.
I started with a brainstorming list to decide what I wanted to do and when, then I searched for free resources that would give me some of the education I needed. Podcasts became my lifeblood, and Facebook groups became my stomping ground. Many of my initial clients came from these Facebook groups, while others came from referrals. As an introvert, these groups were FANTASTIC! I didn’t have to do any in-person socialization, but I could talk to anyone about what their needs were. Once I had the “in”, I knew I could sell myself and what I had to offer on a Discovery Call.
Here’s the thing, my side hustle doesn’t have to look like yours. You don’t have to become a virtual assistant (although it is pretty great). You can do anything you want and all the resources are out there to help you get started. Think Google, YouTube and podcasts! I wasn’t an expert when I started and you don’t have to be when you start yours either. Do your brainstorming, decide what you want to do and JUST START!
