$80/hour as a Technical VA

9 min read · Interview

Marcus escaped the $15/hour VA trap by specializing in technical work that most VAs can't do. Now he works 25 hours/week at $80/hour.

The Positioning

"I'm not a VA, I'm a technical operations specialist. I do Zapier automation, CRM setup, analytics implementation. Things that require technical thinking but not full software development."

Finding High-Paying Clients

"Funded startups and established agencies. They have money and hate operational work. I find them through AngelList, LinkedIn, and referrals. Never Upwork—the race to the bottom is brutal there."

The Skill Stack

"Zapier, Airtable, basic JavaScript, HubSpot, Segment, Google Analytics. None of it is hard to learn, but the combination is rare. Most VAs stop at email and scheduling. I went further."

Building the Business

"Started at $25/hour three years ago. Raised rates every time I got busy. The key is never being desperate—always have more leads than you need. That lets you fire bad clients and raise prices."