I’m adding a new feature to the self-employment series!
This interview is of Lindsey Martin, a Pinterest virtual assistant.
Let’s get started!
What is a Pinterest VA?
A virtual assistant, or VA, is an independent contractor who works remotely from a home office and can provide a variety of tasks to clients.
One such task is Pinterest. This includes creating pins, scheduling content to Pinterest, and analyzing Pinterest analytics.
Why and how did you decide to pursue this career?
This answer is actually two-fold. My career background is in the title company industry. When my oldest son was born, I was fortunate enough to work for a title company that agreed to let me work from home, as my son was born premature and with a cleft palate.
Fast forward a few years to 2016; my son was 4 and I knew he would be starting Kinder Fall of 2017 (right now!). In my heart, I knew I wanted to be able to take him to school and pick him up. So, I started researching for ways to continue working from home, but on a part time basis.
I came across some virtual assistant trainings and thought BINGO! I am already working from home, so why not start a VA business?! Thus, The Distant Desk was born in July of 2016.
Why did you choose “How to Become a Pinterest VA”?
I had already taken Gina’s course “30 Days or Less to Virtual Assistant Success” and gained a wealth of knowledge from it. Gina was very hands on with the course and was always so fast and so helpful at answering questions.
So, when I found out she was offering a Pinterest VA class, I jumped on it. I love Pinterest and I knew that the quality of course would be excellent because I was already familiar with Gina.
How long did it take you to complete the course?
About 6 days! Once I started the course, I could not stop. I dived head first into the training, setup my packages, and did not look back! The course material is well put together and easy to navigate.
How long after completing the course did you obtain your first client?
Within 2 weeks after finishing the course, I landed not one, but two clients back to back.
How much do you make a month? Do you work part time or full time?
I work part-time and I average about $2,000 per month. That includes both monthly clients and one time projects I complete, like Pinterest audits.
What are your expenses (business-related expenses)?
My expenses are minimal. I use Squarespace for my website and that is a yearly fee. I also use Canva for Work to design pins, Quickbooks for accounting, and Screen-castomtic for when I need to record tutorials for my clients. I invoice through both Quickbooks and Paypal, so there are fees associated with that as well.
What are your duties? Can you describe a day in your life?
After I drop my kiddos off, my typical day starts with checking and responding to emails. And coffee! Once that is done, I do client work in the mornings each day. This can include sitting down and scheduling out content for clients, or any one-time projects I am completing such as a Pinterest audit or setting up a Pinterest account. I do take a lunch break. I use this time to eat and run errands. I find that getting out of the house to run errands helps me re energize and I feel more ready to come back on finish up the afternoon. My afternoons are when I work on my business. That includes email marketing, recording videos, working through goals…anything that moves my business forward. I occasionally work after the kids are in bed, but honestly this is not my most focused time so this is usually only when I am needing to meet a deadline. I do not work on the weekends. This is family time!
What is your least favorite part/hardest part of being a Pinterest VA?
My least favorite part is pitching. I think this is something a lot of people struggle with though. For me personally, pitching takes putting yourself out there and possibly being rejected.
My advice is to do it anyway! I can honestly say it has gotten easier the more I do it.
What is your favorite part of being a Pinterest VA?
Searching Pinterest! I get paid to search Pinterest on a daily basis and I love it. I also enjoy meeting new clients and the relationships I form with them.
What traits do you feel are necessary to being a good, successful Pinterest VA? Which ones are taught and which ones are inherent?
I honestly think this career is suitable for a variety of people. I would say the three most important qualities to have are being organized, being an effective communicator, and a willingness to learn new things.
To keep track of both monthly clients and one-time projects, you have to be organized. Otherwise, you won’t know who’s project to work on and when.
You have to be an effective communicator to manage client expectations. Pinterest is a slow burn so to speak and clients may want to know why they aren’t seeing results as fast as they think they should be. You have to be able to communicate how Pinterest works and set expectations up from the beginning.
Lastly, you have to be willing to learn new things. Like all platforms, Pinterest changes from time to time, which means you have to stay up date on those changes to be effective for your clients.
Do you have any advice for someone considering this career?
I would say make sure you love being on Pinterest first and foremost. Don’t pursue this career because you think it is the next big service to offer. Your clients will be able to tell your heart isn’t in it.
Any final thoughts?
Gina and Kristin are some of the nicest people you will ever meet! They go above and beyond for their students. Case in point: I was needing help with some analytics and Kristin jumped on a Skype call with me the same day I emailed her for help.
Who does that?!
Kristin and Gina do! I have been amazed at how they freely give advice to their students as well as cheer you on. To me, that is invaluable.
Lindsey Martin is a Pinterest VA, wife, and mom to two boys. She loves coffee, football, and working out in the garden. Her passion is helping online business owners spread the word about their services and products through Pinterest. You can find her at www.thedistantdesk.com.
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