I’m starting a new (occasional) feature here at Redhead, product reviews and I’d like to share my first one with you.  I recently took sometime to read the 2nd edition of Become a Virtual Assistant: The Virtual Assistant Forums Guide to Success.  I’ll admit I was expecting a value packed eBook, I know and respect the folks behind the book, but my expectation was far exceeded in this book!

The Become A Virtual Assistant 2nd edition covers everything many other books on becoming a virtual assistant doesn’t (you can see the extensive Table of Contents on their site). This eBook shows you the reality of what it takes.  I really like the opening “Do You Have What It Takes” – remember if you want to be taken seriously as a virtual assistant run your business the way you want to be seen. It’s a large volume of 132 pages and while that seems like it’s a bit overwhelming the content is laid out in such a way that it makes it easy to read and absorb in chunks as you need it when you need it. Each section stands on it’s own and you read what you need and then implement and so on.

The book is filled with just the kind of information a new and inspiring virtual assistant needs.  I go by the old saying, “you don’t know, what you don’t know” and this book helps you learn what you need to know.  The ‘Beyond Trust: Ethics = Business Success’ section is something ALL virtual assistants should read, I don’t know how many times I meeting a potential client that has had a bad experience with someone in the virtual assistant industry and this makes my job all the more difficult because I have to work even harder to win their trust and show them that you can find the right person for your task or project.

I’d even offer to say that even if you aren’t a virtual assistant, but your thinking of starting any type of online business – especially a service business – this book will give you a good introduction to everything you need to know to get started, it’s good, strong and solid advice being offered.

The Become a Virtual Assistant 2nd Edition is priced at $39.00 for the ebook and the additional download which includes a variety of forms, seems steep to some but when you count in the 35 forms it’s an incredible value. I would even venture to say that the forms worth the price on their own. I know when I was starting out one of my biggest challenges was getting all of my contracts and forms together. I can’t tell you how many times I changed and tweaked things as I went along. The forms that are included with the ebook provide a great starting point for anyone and even for someone more established looking to refresh their own documents. Just a side note though be sure to consult with a lawyer or have a lawyer review the documents to ensure that they fit your special business needs.

As a Canadian virtual assistant some of the taxation and small business resources did fit my particular situation. While the United States and Canada do have different laws when it comes to running a business – and I encourage you to seek out advice when needed – there is still useful tips and information for you.

So whether you are a new and emerging Virtual Assistant or even an established Virtual Assistant there is information that both would find useful. This is one resource that will be added to my recommended resources at Become A Techie Virtual Assistant.

You can buy Become a Virtual Assistant direct from the site online or at Amazon