Starting a job as a virtual assistant used to be a step you take to generate additional income, or if you are struggling to find a “real job”. But thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic and companies like Be A VA, becoming a virtual assistant is more than a career, it is a profitable freelance business.
“I think I was always meant to be an entrepreneur and it all started when I sold fudge in Grade 4 for Entrepreneur’s Day” says Bianca Pearson, Founder of Be a VA. She even ventured into baked goods and completed a cake decorating course while living in the United Kingdom. “When I returned to South Africa, I had the opportunity to work in corporate. Sales were out of my comfort zone, but I enjoyed the administrative work of the job
“In 2015, the company I was working for used Fiverr.com to have their product manuals translated from Mandarin to English. My mind was blown when I realised I can do the same: can translate English to Afrikaans and vice versa.”
Pearson slowly started to grow her list of clients until one enquired if she wanted to work with her directly. That led to even more clients and projects where she was finally introduced to the name “virtual assistant”.
Be a VA is Born
Two years later, Pearson took a leap of faith and said goodbye to her corporate job. Her journey as a full-time virtual assistant, or VA, began. Following advice from the client, Pearson developed a course that teaches South Africans how to be a VA. This is an online course to teach fellow countrymen to generate a profitable income from home.
“When the lockdown was implemented due to the COVID-19 pandemic, people finally started understanding the possibility of online work and it wasn’t a strange concept anymore. More and more people were working from home and wanted to continue working from home.
The training programme officially launched in 2019 – perfect timing to answer the pandemic need to work from home.
“Later in 2022, I hit the 7-figure mark in my own VA business,” she adds. “But I continued to grow Be A VA alongside it. Last year, in 2024 I started providing 1-day virtual workshops, and this year I introduced Coaching Calls to the Be A VA program.”
In the Be A VA program, Pearson teaches the foundation of how to start a VA business, This includes the services you’ll offer as a VA, the software that you’ll need, contract templates, how and where to market yourself, what to say when you market yourself and how to find clients.
“If I come across any client opportunities, I share the details in my Be A VA WhatsApp Community.
She adds that being a virtual assistant isn’t a job, it’s a career choice. “Each VA has their own journey. Some VAs want to work with 1 or 2 clients and other VAs want to grow and start their own VA agency. It depends on what every individual’s goals are.
Virtual Assistant as a Business in South Africa
“Since the pandemic, the virtual assistant industry in South Africa has grown significantly. More people understand working from home is possible and they want that life. People don’t want to sit in traffic for hours every day, they don’t want to miss out on their children’s milestones, sports games, extracurricular activities, etc., they want to be present. They want to spend more time with their children, have financial freedom, and create their own future.”
Pearson explains that it’s thanks to technology that this is all possible. “Technology has improved so much throughout the years that it’s provided us with the flexibility to access work materials remotely, as well as communicating and collaborating from anywhere.
“The beauty of tech is that there’s so many different options. If a VA mom needs to communicate with a client, she has a plethora of options to choose from, starting with e-mail, WhatsApp, Skype, Teams, all the way to Project Management platforms which in itself has a few hundred choices.”
According to Pearson, South Africans who are longing for the flexibility to work from anywhere, earn more, travel more, and have more time with their children should definitely consider becoming a virtual assistant. “One of the many advantages of being a virtual assistant is that it is a virtual business. You don’t have to work in an office space every day; you can work in a coffee shop or you can work while travelling. It is also one of the few businesses you can start with no expenses because you more than likely already have a computer or laptop, and a stable wi-fi connection.”
Juggling Being a Virtual Assistant and Be A VA
“I still work as a virtual assistant which allows me to keep my Be A VA program updated with real, hands-on experience. My VA business has grown to include team members who are all VAs themselves, and together we provide various services from admin and operations to social media and paid online advertising.
“The growth has all come down to knowing who our ideal clients are, knowing what their pain points are and using our skills and knowledge to solve their pain points. We didn’t get to this point overnight, it’s been a work in progress and it took time to get here. This is why I’m so passionate about my Be A VA program.”
Pearson understands that the VA industry can be extremely overwhelming especially because a lot of information available is only suitable for Americans “I want South Africans to have the support they need to start their own VA business without confusion and overwhelm so they can live the life they dream of.” She concludes.
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