As a beginner in the virtual assistant world, one of the most pressing questions is: How long will it take to find your first client? Will it take a week, a month, or maybe even longer?
In this article, I’ll share my personal journey, the factors that impact your timeline, the average time it takes for beginners to land their first client, and—most importantly—what you can do to speed up the process.
How I Got Started
When I started back in 2019, I didn’t jump directly into virtual assistance. Instead, I began as a freelancer. Prior to freelancing, I had experimented with various online business ideas, including blogging.
To blog, I needed a website, but hiring someone to build it was out of my budget. So, I learned how to build a WordPress website through YouTube tutorials.
I created my own blog, wrote articles, but soon realized that blogging wasn’t as easy as I thought. I needed to explore other avenues to make money online, and that’s when I stumbled upon freelancing. Since I had already learned basic WordPress skills, I decided to offer web design services as a freelancer.
I used the website I had built for myself to practice, adding dummy pages and learning how to use templates and page builders. Eventually, I decided to seek out clients—but it took me around a month to even get started.
One of the major obstacles I faced was not having a personal computer. I only had access to an office computer, which made things tricky. After a month of procrastination, I bought my own computer and fully committed to freelancing.
The Mistakes I Made Along the Way
Once I got my computer, I created an account on Freelancer.com. It took days to set it up, partly because I was unfamiliar with the platform and partly because I was juggling a full-time job.
When I finally completed my profile, I made several critical mistakes. There wasn’t a tool like ChatGPT to help craft content, so I wrote everything myself, including my bio and service descriptions—unfortunately, with a lot of grammatical errors. This made it harder to attract clients.
I didn’t know how to submit effective proposals either, and Freelancer.com requires you to respond to job postings quickly. The learning curve was steep, and it took me around another month to figure out how to write proposals and navigate the platform efficiently. So by this point, I had spent about two months just learning the ropes.
Finding My First Client
In my third month of freelancing, I finally landed my first client. What made the difference? I realized I was making mistakes and refocused on finding clients.
However, I started as a web designer, not a virtual assistant, because I didn’t even know about virtual assistance at the time. By the time I transitioned to virtual assistance, I had gained valuable experience, a portfolio of completed projects, and positive client reviews. As a result, finding my first virtual assistant client only took about a week.
What Will Affect Your Timeline?
If you’re just starting out as a virtual assistant, your timeline will be influenced by several factors. Here are the most important ones:
#1: Procrastination: If you’re procrastinating, you’ll waste valuable time. In my case, I lost an entire month. The sooner you commit, the faster you’ll find a client.
#2: Continuous Learning: You need to learn aggressively. Mistakes are inevitable, but with tools like ChatGPT and Grammarly, it’s easier than ever to create polished content. Your profile needs to be error-free and professional, as good clients are unlikely to hire someone with poorly written service descriptions.
#3: Proof of Work: Clients need to trust that you can do the job. If you’re just starting out with no samples or client reviews, this lack of proof will extend your timeline. Creating a few samples—even if they’re just mock projects—can help attract clients.
#4: Realistic Expectations: If you’re a complete beginner, expect it to take around one to two months to find your first client. Don’t expect instant results; it takes time to learn how to present yourself effectively, navigate freelancing platforms, and write winning proposals.
The Importance of Finding Your First Client
While it may take some time to land that first client, remember that things will get easier from there. Once you’ve completed your first project, you’ll have a sample to show potential clients, and if you did the job well, a five-star review. This builds momentum, making it easier to find your second and third clients.
Final thought
In my own experience, it took me three months to find my first client as a complete beginner. But for virtual assistance, I was able to secure a client within a week because I had already learned the necessary skills.
For most beginners, it will take around one to two months to find a client—assuming you are consistent and avoid the mistakes I made.
Want to speed up the process? Make sure your profile is clean, professional, and free of errors. Create some sample projects to showcase your skills, and don’t shy away from learning how to write effective proposals. Once you’ve found your first client, the path to success becomes much clearer.
If you found this article helpful, be sure to check out my guide on creating an attractive portfolio here.
