Anyone thinking of starting a VA business will need to have the necessary equipment in their home office before they start providing services to clients. Each VA's home office should have the following:
Computer/Internet Connection - A reliable computer with a high speed internet connection will be the most important equipment a VA should have. Dial up internet is not recommended for use in the VA business.
Printer/Fax/Copier - Each one of these is important to have, however, you can equip your home office with the all in one printer that also come with a copier, scanner and fax, so it would be less expensive for you.
Phone - A separate phone line for your home office is another important piece of equipment to have. You could use your regular home phone, but it's not recommended as your business should be separate from your home life.
Email program - You should have an email account for your business to send and receive business emails. The program should allow you to send larger documents as needed and should only be used for business purposes and not personal. The business emails will hold a large amount of privacy for your clients.
Website - Your business should have a professional website to market your services on. This is how potential clients can find you and see what kind of services you can perform for them.
Office Software Programs - Microsoft Office has an excellent suite of programs that most VA's use on a daily basis for the tasks they perform for the clients. These include the word processing; excel spreadsheets and some bookkeeping programs.
Virus/spyware/adware - It's important to keep not only your computer clean of bugs, but also your client's computers as well; since these bugs can transfer easily. There are some free programs to help you keep your computer bug-free.
There are other pieces of equipment a VA should hold that are more specific to the services they are planning to offer. Here are some of them:
Website building software
Accounting/Bookkeeping
Imaging Software programs for editing
It doesn't have to be an expensive endeavor to start your own VA business. Check out some used equipment and free programs to start with and buy higher quality items later on when it's in your business' budget.
Computer/Internet Connection - A reliable computer with a high speed internet connection will be the most important equipment a VA should have. Dial up internet is not recommended for use in the VA business.
Printer/Fax/Copier - Each one of these is important to have, however, you can equip your home office with the all in one printer that also come with a copier, scanner and fax, so it would be less expensive for you.
Phone - A separate phone line for your home office is another important piece of equipment to have. You could use your regular home phone, but it's not recommended as your business should be separate from your home life.
Email program - You should have an email account for your business to send and receive business emails. The program should allow you to send larger documents as needed and should only be used for business purposes and not personal. The business emails will hold a large amount of privacy for your clients.
Website - Your business should have a professional website to market your services on. This is how potential clients can find you and see what kind of services you can perform for them.
Office Software Programs - Microsoft Office has an excellent suite of programs that most VA's use on a daily basis for the tasks they perform for the clients. These include the word processing; excel spreadsheets and some bookkeeping programs.
Virus/spyware/adware - It's important to keep not only your computer clean of bugs, but also your client's computers as well; since these bugs can transfer easily. There are some free programs to help you keep your computer bug-free.
There are other pieces of equipment a VA should hold that are more specific to the services they are planning to offer. Here are some of them:
Website building software
Accounting/Bookkeeping
Imaging Software programs for editing
It doesn't have to be an expensive endeavor to start your own VA business. Check out some used equipment and free programs to start with and buy higher quality items later on when it's in your business' budget.