{
  "id": 2082689,
  "title": "I Interviewed 21 Virtual Assistants Before Writing a Single Blog Post",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/20/i-interviewed-21-virtual-assistants-before-writing-a-single-blog-post",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-08-20T05:55:46.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Dev.to",
    "slug": "dev-to",
    "url": "https://dev.to/tayyab_irshad_a5e49aaea3d/i-interviewed-21-virtual-assistants-before-writing-a-single-blog-post-3m85"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Before publishing any content for VAToolstack, I spent several weeks speaking with 21 individuals who work as virtual assistants or executive assistants. My goal wasn't to create a media site but to gain a deeper understanding of the VA and EA profession from the inside. I discovered a significant gap in the available resources for those looking to enter the field. Many guides on how to become a virtual assistant provide a generic list of skills and platforms, often pushing readers towards purchasing a course. However, in my conversations, I found that the real challenges for beginners lie in consistency and building a supportive community. While free tutorials and online courses can cover many of the foundational skills, the value that people are willing to pay for is structure and accountability. Clients are primarily looking for experienced VAs and EAs who can demonstrate an understanding of their specific problems rather than merely possess a list of tools. The advent of AI has further transformed the role, making specialized knowledge and fluency with AI tools increasingly valuable. VAToolstack aims to deliver exactly what 21 real VAs and EAs have shared about their experiences, challenges, and successes. This includes up-to-date pay data, common pitfalls to avoid, and a wealth of practical advice without any hidden upsells. For anyone interested in virtual assistance or looking to hire one, VAToolstack offers comprehensive, user-centric guides based on real-world insights.",
  "summary": "Before I wrote anything for VAToolstack, I spent weeks doing something most content sites skip entirely: I talked to 21 people who actually do this work. Not surveyed. Talked to, one at a time, about what their day actually looks like. I didn't set out to build a media site. I was already building Replyf, a Gmail tool that helps VAs and EAs reply to clients in the client's actual voice instead of…",
  "key_points": [
    "Spent weeks interviewing 21 virtual assistants and executive assistants",
    "Identified gap in resources for new VAs/EAs, emphasizing consistency and community",
    "AI transformed role, making specialized knowledge and AI fluency increasingly valuable"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}