‘I’m new to being a VA so I am charging £15 an hour.’
‘I need to build a client base, so am charging £12 an hour.’
‘I’ve never done this task before so I’m learning on the job, that’s why I’m charging £10 an hour.’
‘I’ve just started up so I’m charging less.’
I do find it frustrating when I see virtual assistants charging a lot less than we’re worth, but I did it too. I went in lower, not to undercut anyone, I think it was a mindset thing – but I soon got over it. I’d left a job that was paying me below £11 an hour so how could I possibly charge £25-£30 an hour, it would be like winning the lottery?
But there are good reasons why going in lower is not cool and can create more problems for you, here are just a few:
- Frustration (that you damn well know you are worth more because other VA’s are getting more, but how do you now tell your clients?)
- Resentment (both from you that certain clients are getting you for less than you’re worth and towards you from other VA’s as you devalue the industry)
- Poor clients (you’ll often attract the sort of clients who don’t value you and just want cheap labour)
- Working more hours (the more you charge the fewer hours you will have to work!)
- Below minimum wage (factor in your expenses – tax, NI, software licences, website hosting, stationery addiction, etc, etc – take those off your hourly rate and see what you’re left with if you’re charging less than £25 an hour – you are probably very close to the minimum wage and almost certainly below your hourly rate as an employee)
These are just some of the reasons why you need to start as you mean to go on, I cover more in my book under the chapter ‘what to charge’ and help you figure out the sums.
If you’ve already started your business and gone in at a lower rate, don’t worry I can help you achieve what you’re worth – what the VA industry is worth. Book a Power Hour with me and together we’ll get you on the road to success.
