How Much Am I Worth???

[jag90]

I recently became a SAHM after working as an Admin Assistant / Office Manager. I am looking to bring in some extra income to replace a portion of what was lost. My idea is to put an ad in our local community paper offering my services as a "virtual office assistant" for small business owners (mass mailings, data entry, spreadsheets, presentations, etc...). (We have a HUGE amount of small business owners in my community.)

My dilemma...How do I price myself? I would rather be paid an hourly rate based on the number of hours spent to complete the project. However, I know there will be some who want to pay per project, establishing the price up front. I know I could price myself at my hourly rate based on how long I think the project will take me to complete but my fear is that I will grossly underestimate and end up working for pennies. Also, I will need to figure in the cost of my supplies (printer, paper, ink, etc...).

Any advice on how to formulate a set fee or estimate the amount of time a project would require?

Any small business owners out there who use a "virtual office assistant"? I would love to hear about your experiences.

 

[Kayla's Mom]

I work from home as an assistant for one company. So I can't help with how much you would charge for individual projects. But I am part-time and am allowed to work 16-20 hours per week. It is on the honor system--I keep track of all the hours I work and get paid hourly. Sorry I can't help other than that!

 

[Feralpeg]

Could you call one of the temp services and ask how much they bill for the services of their office temps?

 

[iNTeNSeBLue98]

Could you list your fee as open to negotiation? I'm sure those who would hire you have an idea of how much ythey are willing to pay for this service. You could check salary.com for a range for this type of work.