Do Your Homework Before Investing $$$ In VA Coaching + Training (2024)

To make matters worse, some people have never even been a VA before. I’m sorry but how can you offer Virtual Assistant coaching or training to people if you’ve never been a VA yourself? I’m of the school that believes you need to have experience in what you’re teaching!

According to theSmall Business Association (SBA)and many others, 80% of all small businesses fail in the first year alone. After the first year, the number falls but only about 50% of businesses make it to five years. Those are some pretty sobering statistics huh? That means there are about 10% of the businesses left in after 5 years.

Here’s the thing, how can someone who has been in business less than a year really understand what it takes to run a successful business?What are they teaching? They’ve not been in business long enough to know! Not only that, but they’re also teaching people stuff that is just plain wrong.

Some Of The Warning Signs (AKA Lies) You’ll Come Across

All of them should set off your alarm bells and are signs that this is not a serious Virtual Assistant Coaching or Training Program!

#1 – A Contract Is Not Necessary

• WRONG. They are very necessary; in fact, don’t work without a signed contract. It’s protection for both you and your clients.

#2 – You Don’t Really Need Any Experience

• You’ll have a hard time finding clients if you don’t have the skills they want.

#3 – You Can Run Your Business Entirely From Your Cell Phone

• Seriously? What kind of business is that?

#4 – You’ll Make 5k Or 10k A Month

• Of course, only if you buy their Virtual Assistant coaching or training program. Sorry folks, no one can guarantee how much anyone else will make. It’s just a marketing ploy.

#5 – It’s Easy To Be A Virtual Assistant

• If you read or hear something saying that it’s easy to be a Virtual Assistant, that you can make thousands of dollars only working 4 hours a day it’s hogwash.

You have to put in the time and effort especiallywhen you’re just starting out. On a side note – it’s definitely possible to make 10k a month but there is a whole lot more to it than just being a Virtual Assistant.

I’m passionate about this industry and I’m seeing more and more people who are new to the industry get taken advantage of by slick marketing. Some of these newbies are teaching crappy methods in their Virtual Assistant Coaching and training programs, and it brings down the entire VA industry.

I know when I first started, I didn’t know what to ask or to look for when thinking about investing in training or Virtual Assistant coaching. And I ended up buying a LOT of crap. You don’t know what you don’t know.

Do Your Homework Before Buying Virtual Assistant Coaching Or Training

Please, I ask you to always do your due diligence and find out:

• If the person really is or was successful.
• If they’ve been in business for more than a couple of years.
• If they have a refund policy.
• If what they’re teaching is the same thing everyone is teaching.

Ask for testimonials, ask for proof of success – it’s important since you’re trusting this person with your potential livelihood, business, and your hard-earned money. The VA Industry is NOT standardized which means there is no certification for trainers or coaches like in other industries.

Many Virtual Assistant coaching and training programs teach the same stuff. There is nothing original in what you’re learning. That’s because they didn’t design or create it. You can actually buy a fully developed VA Training course, put your name on it and then sell it. This is what PLR is all about.

Ask yourself, do you want to invest in Virtual Assistant coaching or training where the person selling it doesn’t know the industry or understand how to be successful as a VA? Bottom line is, don’t be afraid to ask questions. It’s your hard-earned money our investing. If you’re met with resistance, you might want to move on.

A Few Tips To Get You Started

Here are a few more tips that you might find helpful:

#1 – Use A Program Like Who.Is To See How Long They’ve Owned Their Domain Name

• Here is the link: Who.Is
• It can give you an idea of how long they’ve been in business.
• For example, if you go to this website and type in thetechiementor.com you’ll see when I first registered this domain back in 2011. I would still ask this question directly to the coach or trainer – they could have rebranded and changed their business name.

#2 – Award-Winning Virtual Assistant Or Best VA Trainer, What Does That Even Mean?

• Who voted for them? How many people voted? Is it even a real award

#3 – They’ve Not Even Filed Their First Tax Return Yet

• That means they have NO expertise to draw from. Because they have no idea what they’ve made yet if they’ve never submitted a tax return
• They likely don’t even know all their expenses yet.
• I believe you shouldn’t coach or train until you have some actual experience to draw from. And that includes some failures. Those are the best lessons.

#4 – If You’re In the UK, Check If They’re VAT Registered

• You have to be VAT registered if you earn £85k+. Anyone who isn’t is definitely not earning 6 figures, whatever their marketing says.

#5 – Ask Questions

It’s your time and money that you’re investing.

Oh and one more thing. Yes, I know, I’m what you would call a Virtual Assistant Coach or Trainer. But I’m starting my 12th year in this industry and ran a successful VA business for 5 years before I started The Techie Mentor. I’m not asking you to buy my stuff or hire me unless we’re a good fit. I just want you to be knowledgeable before investing – knowledge is power!

Ok, rant over. What do you think? I’d love to hear from you. All comments and questions are welcome.

Thanks for reading – Susan