Meet your new virtual assistant
Jasmine Arreaga shares insight on how she made the leap into working for herself as a virtual assistant during the pandemic
“Need a hand?”
Everyone does, and it seems like it’s needed more than ever with the ongoing pandemic with no realistic forecast of when it will end. With businesses scrambling to stay afloat, time is truly of the essence, especially those with busy lives. With parents juggling distance learning, working from home in general, adjusting to new business routines and much more, it seems like having even just one helping hand can help.
Enter Jasmine Arreaga, your new virtual assistant.
Arreaga is from San Diego and recently started her virtual assistant career — she left the corporate world to not only better serve herself, but most importantly, her clients and to help them thrive as well. What most would consider a lofty goal, she took the leap of faith and went for it.
With the ability and know-how of how to take things off your plate, Arreaga offers much-needed services like administrative duties and tasks, including setting up social media calendars and posts, answering business inquiries, data entry and so much more — all awhile doing so remotely, making it a perfect solution to keep safe, cut time and get things done efficiently.
“Having your own business is a huge accomplishment but can be overwhelming,” Arreaga said. “Having to manage social media, data entry, talking to clients and coming up with content. That’s where I am here to help! I am available to manage social media posts, do data entry and admin work. Let me take some of the stress off and let you focus on what you love!”
What sets her apart from other virtual assistant services is that she also offers an often-needed service: videography. Video content for businesses used for promotions and information are all under Arreaga’s diverse net of services. The graduate of San Francisco State University graduate has a bachelor’s degree in cinema, making her a well-rounded and ideal go-to resource for all types of businesses.
We sat down with Arreaga to find out more about her background.
Q: Who were, or are, your inspirations?
A: My parents. My mom is such a hardworking teacher that cares so much about other people, and always puts them before herself. I think I took that and tried to apply it to my own business venture. I want to help my community (San Diego) grow and help small businesses reach their full potential. And my dad, he’s hardworking as well. He has his own side business doing what he loves, art. I take that side of him. I love being creative with my videos, and even in the social media content I make for other businesses.
Q: What were both fears and exciting moments for you when you decided to start your own business, especially during the pandemic?
A: Honestly, the biggest fear was how would I do financially. I knew I had the skills to start my business, but I was afraid no one would hire me during this time. I knew it was a “now or never” type of situation. I wanted to just do what I love already, not be stuck in a job that was not fulfilling and toxic. I was financially stable at my previous job and making this move was going to be very risky. I can now say that I am happy I took that step and allowed myself to do something I love.
Q: Many people would love to start their own business — what made you lean towards becoming a virtual assistant?
A: I had already tried doing business as a freelance videographer. I only received very minimal jobs and during the pandemic a lot of them were on hold. I knew I wanted to have my own business but offer something a little more unique than everyone else. After thinking about it, I realized I have a lot more skills than I thought! I have a bachelor’s degree in filmmaking, I know graphic design and I have so much customer service and admin experience. Why don’t I just put it all together? Once I started promoting all of those skills into one business I received more traction than ever!
Q: What are goals you’d like to see come true?
A: If I can help just one small business see growth from my services, I would feel accomplished! Especially during this pandemic, so many small businesses have been affected and if I can save or help even just one, I would be really happy.
Q: What are some of the biggest surprises that have come along with this journey?
A: One of the biggest surprises was falling back in love with what I do! There was a moment where I thought maybe filmmaking wasn’t my passion anymore because it was not working out for me. After the first video shoot and I started editing again I remembered what it felt like to be creative and do what I went to school for! And I say surprise because when I started I knew it was what I wanted to do but that feeling of passion for videography and helping people through that medium is what I love.
Q: What are some of the best moments or accomplishments so far with this journey?
A: There was a period where I was working on several video projects at once and they were all done around the same time. When they all went live I was shocked with the feedback I received. All videos had a total of about 105,000 views. I felt so happy that I was able to produce something people actually wanted to watch.
With my social media clients I received a message out of the blue asking about my services and was told they were referred from a previous client of mine. My client praised my work and recommended they reach out to me for help. She is now my client as well! It felt so good that people recognized my work and were happy with what they were receiving.
Q: Any other advice or insight you’d like to offer to other people who would like to either start their own business and/or become a virtual assistant?
A: If you are thinking about starting your own business… GO FOR IT! If you were looking for a sign, this is it! Make a plan first and figure out what exactly you need to do for your business first and once you make the first step, you’ll feel so relieved!
To become a VA, I would say figure out exactly what services you can and want to offer. For example, the four main services I offer are: social media management, social media content creation, admin tasks and video services. Once you decide what you want to offer make sure you’re a pro! Once you get your first client consultation, they are going to want to know exactly how you are going to benefit their business. From there, start an instagram for your business and start promoting yourself! Put in the time and effort if you want to see results. It may seem like a lot of work at the beginning but once people start to notice your social media they will reach out to you!
Jasmine is available to take on additional clients — contact her at her website or Instagram.
