It’s funny what tools some people will tell you you need to start a VA business. Take this for example:

(source)You want to have a phone line, computer, printer and high speed internet connection. A fax line is another option that you might want to consider. Depending on the services you will be offering you might also need Microsoft Front Page, Word, Excel, etc. The basic tools needed are the first few that were mentioned – phone line, computer, printer and high speed internet – but depending on the areas of expertise that you will be offering will help you decide on any additional tools that you might need.

Now, that’s not to say that a phone line where your clients can reach you isn’t important, but it neglects the concept of using a Voice Over IP service that lets you use your high speed connection to make calls. If you want to send and receive faxes, you can also use online services (the best option if you’re using a VoIP service for your phone since fax machines need an analog line). Of course, if you’re going to have a traditional phone service and fax line, consider an all-in-one printer rather than separate fax, print and copy machines.

Now that we’ve gone through those virtual assistant tools let’s take a look at the software part of that argument. Yes, it will probably be helpful to have a web design program that you can use to design sites for your clients, but there are free editors available. Likewise, OpenOffice – an open source office suite – is free and allows you to save documents in all of the common Microsoft formats.

What you really need is the software that your clients expect you to have, great ways to communicate, a great way to market your services and an understanding that sometimes you can start small and get better tools once you’re more established.