If you're ready to start a virtual assistant business, you know you need customers, but you know you need buyers and must find a way to stand apart from the competition, however you define who your competitor are. If you want to be sure that your business accomplishes these two crucial tasks, you need to know as much as you can about the following:

Personal knowledge. Understanding the industries you want to work with is vital to assessing the market for your services. For example, you may plan on catering to nonprofits or legal firms, or you may take a more general approach and only seek to help out struggling small businesses with their daily administrative tasks. Personal knowledge of the industry develops from having contacts and experience in the business areas you're targeting and a general feel for the business world you're trying to penetrate with your marketing.

Customers. Do you know who your customers really are? Do you understand why they buy your services? Some companies may need to hire virtual assistants regularly, while others only hire seasonally to help with their overflow tasks. Become familiar with how your prospects' business seasons ebb and flow, and market your services accordingly. Business owners may be willing to discuss their businesses and to share advice on how your services may fit your need – for example, virtual assistants can easily replace temporary services for a fraction of the price a temp agency charges, and can offer the continuity a small office seeks. Let them know this and be open to their suggestions - often, potential client have all of the insight and experience that you need to know where your services will fit into the picture.

Competition. Who are your competitors? What are your competitors' strengths and weaknesses? A quick survey of the competition's websites can easily show you how you can improve your services and create a more marketable VA service. For example, simple touches on a website such as full contact information, references, a full-blown resume, and a blog may make prove your professionalism and make you stand apart from those competitors that simply aren't as web-savvy as you. What other problems do the businesses seem to have?

Becoming a virtual assistant is exciting, but remember, it is a business like any other. Keep in mind that planning, marketing, and assessing where you stand in terms of the marketplace and the competition are all parts of preserving and increasing your income as a virtual assistant. Although you do have competition, remember that there are many friendly virtual assistant forums on the internet to help you along the way, and these are the places you'll want to go to trade tips and share marketing strategies without competition or hostility. The work-from-home crowd is actually a friendly bunch when they get together behind the scenes, and they will even often pass along job leads and overflow work once you get to know them, so don't overlook your competition for advice or opportunities – just remember to always be professional in your affairs, maintain your optimism, and enjoy the independence of owning your own business every step of the way.