Life Before Joining HPA
Before joining Hustlepost Academy, Garima had completed her Master’s with a finance major. She knew she didn’t want to work in the core finance sector so she decided to work in the sales department but realised that sales wasn’t her cup of tea so she went ahead and explored digital marketing.
When the pandemic hit, she lost her job.
Now, this is a part that a lot of us can relate to. She had a master’s degree and experience in the corporate world but she couldn’t figure out what exactly she was passionate about. What field should she be working in, what are her abilities, and what interests her the most, everything was unclear to her.
With an unclear mind but determination to figure things out, Garima decided to join Hustlepost Academy.
How Did HPA Help?
Right in the beginning, Garima mentioned that Hustlepost Academy has contributed a lot to her success. The HPA community was extremely supportive towards her and the Facebook group served as a platform where she was able to share everything she was experiencing, good, bad, or confusing without any fear of judgment.
When Garima joined HPA, she was clueless. From finding virtual assistance to becoming a successful virtual assistant in 14 months, she believes the academy and HPA community has helped her in everything. Today, she is offering to coach aspiring VAs, alongside her virtual assisting business, and helps them build a fulfilling career.
Upon asking about her journey with Hustlepost Academy she said and we quote,
Everything I have learned is from HPA. Even the urge to learn more things and Google or YouTube came from HPA. One thing HPA gives you is a community and awesome support. Ample and ample support is available not just from the community but Saloni as well.”
The Experience of Working as a Freelance Virtual Assistant
When Garima was working in the corporate world, she mentioned that her journey was a rollercoaster primarily because it wasn’t something she was passionate about and it wasn’t fulfilling.
Everything I have learned is from HPA. Even the urge to learn more things and Google or YouTube came from HPA. One thing HPA gives you is a community and awesome support. Ample and ample support is available not just from the community but Saloni as well.”
Working as a freelance virtual assistant gave her the freedom to work at her own pace and she believes that’s the reason behind her success.
Today she is working with multiple clients in a myriad of fields and has no pressure because she is her own boss. She can travel while working and choose to take a break whenever she wants. There is no “minimal working hour requirement” that she needs to meet.
Finding Clients as a Virtual Assistant
Finding the first client is a struggle for every side hustler and freelancer. But Garima said she was able to find her first client pretty easily.
Her “take work and figure things out” attitude is the reason why she was able to succeed as a newbie virtual assistant with no experience.
Nobody knows everything. If you think you will perfect yourself and then start working, there are chances that you may never start working at all. She moved past that. She took work and researched later how it is done. She didn’t say no to work because she didn’t know how to do it. She was confident that she could learn it online. And that is true. If you are willing to, you can learn anything online.
She found her first client through Hustlepost Academy and then with that experience she kept taking on more projects with different responsibilities to figure out what she liked and disliked doing.
Now, she is working with international clients, startups, and managing directors, and helps them by managing databases, bringing automation, and handling social media.
Here’s some advice from Garima for freelancers who are struggling with finding clients:
“Don’t wait for the right client. Start working and figure out things you don’t like and things you actually enjoy doing. This will help you pick your next client. Only when you execute you get to know what works and what doesn’t.”
Finding Clients as a Virtual Assistant
Currently, Garima is making INR 80,000 on average. But she believes that not having a job worked in her favour here. She was able to start working as a virtual assistant full-time right from the beginning.
When she started her freelance journey, she was making INR 6000 a month and she was more than happy with that kind of money. Of course, when you are just starting something, your primary focus shifts from money to learning and growing. And with that, you learn, improve, and start earning more and better in no time.
Starting was a struggle she believes, but as she kept upscaling her skillset, she kept grabbing more and more clients. There are times when she crosses 1Lac as well and it’s just been 14 months since she started her journey.
Her short-term goal, for now, is to work with different, international clients and grow her coaching program and we wish the best for her.
Parting Words
If you would like to become a virtual assistant as well, you should consider taking the course as well.
It’s not just us, even Garima says that If you want to be a complete 360-degree freelancer, everything is taught at Hustlepost Academy under one roof. And on top of that extra webinars, email support, as well as Instagram and LinkedIn powerups are available here. We help you acquire a skillset, build your personal brand, and convert your side hustle into a full-fledged business in less than a year
