Virtual Assistance Business
Having your own Virtual Assistance Business can be very
rewarding. You can control your schedule and how much income
you earn. The flexibility that comes with owning your own
Virtual Assistance (VA) Business is wonderful if you want to
spend more time with your family, work from your home office,
or just plain tired of the long commutes to work and want more
freedom in your life.
Knowing how to start a VA Business doesn't have to be
complicated but does require research and time. I"ll share with
you the legal steps it took me to start my VA Business. This
article is not intended to provide or replace any legal advice
or legal requirements on starting a business. Laws and
legalities will vary depending on where you live. Please check
with your county, city, and/or state for the proper legal
procedures you need to take to start your own VA Business.
First and foremost I had to determine if working out of my
home was permitted by zoning laws. Sad to say not everyone will
be allowed to work out of their home due to zoning laws. Zoning
laws determine where you can set up shop. I contacted the
county in which I live to find out if working out of my home is
permitted. Fortunately, zoning laws permitted me to run a
business in my home. I was then directed to my county's website
address to view the laws of what I could and couldn't do in
relation to running my business from my home. For example I am
not permitted to have any signs in front of my home, no visible
products in public view, and no excess traffic in my
neighborhood just to name a few.
Business Type or Entity
Second, I needed to decide what type of entity my Virtual
Assistance Business would be. I had to choose from the
following: Sole Proprietorship, Partnership, Limited Liability
Company (LLC), or Corporation. Needless to say I didn't know
what the difference between these were so I did some
research.
For a Quick Comparison of each:
http://earthlink.bizfilings.com/learning/comparison.htm
After reviewing the pros and cons of each I decided that I
would initially start off as a sole proprietor. Sole
proprietorships have relatively low start up cost.
Registering A Fictitious Business
Name
Third, I contacted the Clerk of Superior and State Courts
office for my county to find out how to file for a fictitious
business name for my VA Business (also known as Doing Business
As [DBA], assumed name, firm name or trade business name).
Side Note: As a sole proprietor and because I wanted to do
business using a name other my legal name, the state of GA
requires filing for a fictitious business name.
The Clerk of Courts Office searched for the business name I
wanted to use to make sure no one else was using that business
name in the county that I live.
There was a $65 fee to register my fictitious business name,
$40 of which went to the local county daily post newspaper to
officially let others know that I was open for business.
Getting A Business License
Fourth, I went to the get a business license. I received my
business license the same day. I had to pay an occupation tax
for the estimated gross income I expected to make for the year.
The fee to get my business license was approximately $65
including the occupation tax fees.
Opening A Business Checking Account
Fifth, I went to my bank to open a small business checking
account for my Virtual Assistance Business. My bank required
that I have my fictitious business name registration, business
license, and Federal TAX ID or social security number to open a
account under my business name. No problemo because I was
prepared.
Side Note: Some laws require you to get a Federal and State
Tax ID if you have employees, are a LLC, and/or are a
Corporation. You may be able to also get a Federal Tax ID if
you don't want to do business using your personal social
security number.
Sales & Use Tax
Sixth, and finally I had to contact the Georgia Dept. of
Revenue to find out if my business/services required me to
charge my clients any taxes.
Whew....that was a mouth full. So you can see a sole
proprietorship has relatively low start up costs. As I said
before always do your research to find out the legal
requirements and procedures to start your own Virtual
Assistance Business. You may also want to consult a lawyer and
accountant.
Recommended
Resource
The Five Key Steps to Your Successful
Virtual Assistant Business - This book covers
everything from what are virtual assistants to services you
can offer as a VA. It also goes into detail about starting,
operating, and growing a profitable and successful virtual
assistant business, pricing your services and more.
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