Sub-Contracting For Other Virtual Assistants: The 5 Things You Should Know Beforehand

Sub-contracting for other Virtual Assistants is a great way for you to gain confidence, experience, and exposure – especially when you’re new. Because, as you know, the only way to get experience is to do the work. It can be a vicious cycle – how do I get experience when I don’t have any confidence in my abilities? 

#1 – How Does Sub-Contracting For Other Virtual Assistants Work?

Sub-contracting is when you work for other Virtual Assistants, whether it’s a single VA or it’s part of a team of VAs, whether it’s a team or an agency. It’s a great way to get experience and exposure. It helps you build confidence and what it means to run a VA business.

When I began my business over ten years ago, I started by sub-contracting for a few different VA teams. I had my own clients, too, but I wanted to understand how a VA business was run by watching and learning from successful people.

Remember, I don’t have a college degree, and I didn’t have any business experience. By subbing for another VA I got an inside peek into a “day in the life of a VA.” I wanted to see was what was behind the curtain, what they do every day, such as how they tracked their time, and what tools they used. 

I also worked for them to help me gain experience and confidence in the services I was offering. When I started out, I provided WordPress, MailChimp, 1ShoppingCart, and Project Management.

#2 – Best Practices When Sub-Contracting For Other Virtual Assistants

• First, they don’t guarantee you hours because you’re not their employee. Only employers guarantee hours. 
• Second, you charge them a discounted rate because they’re carrying all the risks and overhead. In other words, they’re the ones doing the marketing and handling the day-to-day operations. You’re not out beating the bushes looking for clients; they’re doing that for you and sending the work to you. It’s a common practice that when you sub-contract, you give them a discounted rate. 
• Be grateful for the work you’re getting. 
• Be responsive and professional. 
• Don’t be afraid to ask questions; make sure you’re clear on expectations on what you’re doing, how you’re doing it, who you’re talking to, etc.

#3 – How Much Should You Charge When Subbing For A VA?

Well, it depends on what your baseline rate is. But most people give a 20% or 25% discount off their regular client rate. Now, if you’ve followed me for any time, you know I’m not big on discount rates, but this isn’t a normal situation. They carry all the overhead and do all the marketing to get clients and give you work – so you provide them with a discount.

If you’re not sure about your baseline rate, please read my blog post Know Your Virtual Assistant Baseline Rate So You Don’t Have A Hard Time Paying Your Bills! 

#4 – Reasons For Subbing

• Sub-Contracting for other Virtual Assistants is great for anybody who isn’t interested in running a full-time business. Still, they want to be able to work from home. 
• It’s also a way to pull the curtain back and understand how a business is run. 

I sub-contracted for several different people over the first year of my business, and I got to see what would work for me and what wouldn’t. I saw examples of a business with systems and a business without a structure.

It gave me an excellent education that I could take and use in my own business. I implemented what worked for me and saw what mistakes to avoid when setting up my own business and systems.

I highly recommend sub-contracting for other Virtual Assistants if you’re starting out and want to get your feet wet. Plus, get exposure to how a VA business runs and gain experience and confidence. 

#5 – Where To Find Sub-Contracting Opportunities?

One of the most common questions is, where do I find sub-contracting opportunities? Well, you can look in VA groups. When you’re searching for ‘sub-contracting with other Virtual Assistants’ work, it is the only time I’d recommend that you have a look in a VA-type group. 

Another option is VA Associations. Many of them have a Request for Proposal (RFP) system that allows members’ access to business owners (including VAs) looking for help. So, if you’re starting and:

• Want experience
• Gain confidence
• Want to know what’s going on behind the curtain
• Learn what it takes to run a successful business

Sub-contracting for other Virtual Assistants is a great way to gain confidence, experience, and exposure, and an excellent way for you to understand how a VA business is run. Hopefully, this has just given you some ideas.

I’d love to hear your comments and questions, please take a moment to leave them for me below.

Enjoy your day – Susan