Starting a successful virtual assistance business (or any business) is not for the faint of heart or for people who lack patience. Also, I'm not completely sure that being a virtual assistant is for everyone. Some people seem to have more success than others. Here are the five traits I've noticed that very successful virtual assistants have:

1. Ability to communicate I have only met of my clients.

99% of my communication with them is either via e-mail or via phone. Without the advantage of body language, it is sometimes difficult to get ideas across. Also, because you are not working in the same office as your clients and work for several clients, it is really important to be able to regularly communicate the status of projects to your clients.

2. Ability to create systems The key to a successful virtual business (or any business) is having strong systems in place.

The more the day-to-day work is systemitized, the easier it is to outsource work and concentrate on growing and marketing your business. Clients treasure VAs who can help envision, put into place and maintain these systems and processes.

3. Love of Technology The Internet is changing every day.

Clients depend on their VA to let them know about what is new on the technology front and help them to utilize the technology in their business. Good virtual assistants LOVE to learn and love to apply what they learn for their clients.

4. Partnership Mentality This works on two levels.

The first level is seeing yourself as a partner with your client. The thing that my clients tell me they love the most about having a VA is having a sounding board and brainstorming partner for their business. The other side of partnerships is being able to find and create partnerships for your clients. The VAs who are "naturals" are always thinking about ways to connect their clients with helpful people and resources.

5. Patience

Again, this applies on many levels. First and foremost, you need to have patience with yourself. Nothing good ever happens overnight and it takes time to start a successful VA business (or any business). If you have the right skills, you can make the learning curve shorter, but it will still take time to build a full practice, learn to balance the spinning plates of client work, business building and home life. Two thirds of businesses fail in the first five years ? many times it is because new business owners give up before their businesses take off. You also need to teach your clients to be patient. Building a business takes time and e-mail lists and client rosters don't grow overnight. The most successful businesses chart a course and stay with it as their businesses grow.

So, no... starting a virtual assistance business is NOT magic. But, if you have the right skills and the right attitude, it can be a magical business choice...