Horkey Handbook Review (2024): Virtual Assistant Student Review

Horkey Handbook (now called Fully Booked VA) Review

You might have heard that Horkey Handbook (now called Fully Booked VA) has the best virtual assistant training available.

You’ve read about the owner Gina Horkey, who started a virtual assistant business in 2014. Within 4 months, she was making $4000/month from it while working a full-time job and raising 2 toddlers.

Within 8 months, she was able to quit her full-time job and grow her virtual assistant business full-time!

Right now, you’re motivated to do the same and work from home in a flexible career.

You’re interested in taking a course that will teach you the step by step framework of how to be successful as a virtual assistant so you don’t waste time and earn top dollar quickly.

You just want to make sure that the course is worth it.

In this post, I’ve interviewed a graduate from the Horkey Handbook 30 Days or Less to Virtual Assistant Success course to get a full review.

Before we dive into that interview, here are the fundamentals about the course so you know the content, cost, and who should be taking it.

Let’s get started!

if you make a purchase, I may earn a small commission, at no cost to you.

What is Horkey Handbook (Fully Booked VA)?

Horkey Handbook teaches the detailed steps of how to create and manage a successful virtual assistant business.

30 Days or Less to Virtual Assistant Success is its core program. It’s what Horkey Handbook is known for and includes how to:

Select your niche service(s) and rate package
Find and pitch prospective clients and successfully interview with and get hired by them
Onboard and manage client communications

It’s an online program so you can complete it at your own pace given your lifestyle and situation. Many complete it in around 1 month. It varies – some complete it in a weekend while others complete it in a few months.

If you’re interested in this career, Gina talks about everything you need to know to become a Virtual Assistant here.

She has MANY student success stories you can read.

In addition to Horkey Handbook’s flagship virtual assistant course, the company offers other courses that are growing in popularity like How to Become a Pinterest VA.

Related: If you’re interested in becoming a Pinterest VA, check out my interviews with successful Pinterest VAs Megan Haskin and Yi Ming Lai.

Who is Horkey Handbook for?

You can be a stay-at-home mom, a student, a retiree, or someone who’s already working a 9-5 job.

Many come to the course because they’re looking for more freedom and flexibility to create their own working schedule while making an income.

Horkey Handbook and the virtual assistant career are right for people who are ready to learn and build a business.

Horkey Handbook will teach you the steps and details to run a successful virtual assistant business. The course will provide you with the tools, support, and best practices.

To get the most value from the course and successfully build your virtual assistant business, you still have to put in the work and follow through on the steps carefully.

Just to confirm:

You DON’T have to be in the United States.

This course applies to anyone in the world from Canada to the U.K. who is interested in starting a virtual assistant business.

As long as you’re willing to put in the time and effort, you’re a good fit for this course and an online virtual assistant career.

With that said, you might be wondering…

If you’re going to be a virtual assistant, you know you need to offer services.

What skills do you already have (or can quickly pick up) that you can offer?

Here’s a list of services virtual assistants commonly offer:

Social Media Management
Project Management
Event Management
Public Relations
Email Marketing
Bookkeeping
Editing
Writing
Research
Graphic Design
Customer Service
Sales
Podcast Support
SEO
Scheduling and Calendar Management

A VA can offer just 1 service or several.

Here’s a list of over 275 services you can offer as a VA.

Do you need these skills prior to taking Horkey Handbook’s 30 Days or Less to Virtual Assistant Success?

If you already specialize or have skills in any of these common virtual assistant services, you’ll reach success that much faster.

If you don’t, Horkey Handbook’s course offers specific courses to learn specializations like email management and project management.

What does Horkey Handbook cover?

In 30 Days or Less to Virtual Assistant Success training, you will learn how to:

Launch your business including creating your virtual assistant resume, selecting your target market, and setting your rates
Market your business including establishing your online presence, understanding social media and networking best practices, and acquiring testimonials
Attain clients including learning how to interview and pitch (templates available)
Manage your virtual assistant business including learning about contracts and onboarding new clients

The course has interviews with successful virtual assistants so you can learn their best practices and tips. You’ll get LIFETIME access to the course including all updates.

You’ll also get 30 days access to the VA Leads community and WordPress hosting through Flywheel (There will be a cost after this point, but you can cancel this at any point.).

The VA Leads community is exclusively for students and graduates. There are many benefits to this group including:

Access to job postings
Connect with fellow students and veterans with a huge wealth of knowledge and experience
Tech support for setting up your website
Bi-weekly office hours where you can ask any questions

Just to clarify, the technical components of the course includes:

9 modules including 90+ lessons (145+ minutes of video content)
8 customizable pitch templates with examples
A final exam
A certificate of completion

All of Horkey Handbook’s courses are online. You don’t have to attend classes every day. You can go through the course according to your schedule.

How much does Horkey Handbook cost?

30 Days or Less to Virtual Assistant Success is $498 or 3 payments of $199. These prices might have changed since this article was published.

This is definitely a high price.

Over time, I’ve realized that education is the best investment you can make.

No one can take knowledge away from you.

With my MBA and Bachelor of Commerce, I’ve spent over $70,000. I’ve also purchased many expensive blogging courses, costing thousands in total. With all of this knowledge, I’ve gotten my money back many times over.

The 30 Days or Less to Virtual Assistant Success course is no different.

It’s also very actionable.

With Horkey Handbook, you’re increasing your earning capacity. You can add your virtual assistant business as an income stream and have more flexibility and freedom in your life.

Horkey Handbook Review

In this interview, Carrie shares why she selected Horkey Handbook’s 30 Days or Less to Virtual Assistant Success, what’s the most valuable knowledge she gained in the course and what’s missing, as well as how long it took to get her first client and make her money back from the course.

Her insights are invaluable for anyone considering Horkey Handbook.

Horkey Handbook Course Reviews — Carrie Serres

1. How did you become a Virtual Assistant?

I have a Masters Degree in Business Administration. After having our daughter, working full time didn’t seem to be working out as it had before she was born.

I was helping a friend answer his emails and then I came across an ad for HH’s 30DOL course and that’s when I found out that what I was already doing was a thing. I’ve been working with clients for about 5 or 6 years.

2.Why did you select Horkey Handbook?

I wasn’t looking for it, per se. But when I came upon the ad, it sounded like something I could do. I just needed to fill in the pieces.

I’ve bought several courses from Gina Horkey (HH). I can’t imagine learning from anyone else!

3. What’s the most valuable knowledge or training you learned with Horkey Handbook?

Learning all of the different things involved in starting a business was helpful. Even though I have a business degree, the interest is obviously there for me, but knowing exactly what to do and in what order was very helpful.

4. Is there anything you felt was missing or could be improved upon in the course to help you be a better Virtual Assistant?

I don’t think anything is missing! Keep in mind that I took the course almost 6 years ago. It’s been reworked and improved upon 10-fold.

I have all of those updates available to me but haven’t taken the time to go back through the course again. It’s on my list, but my business and my client work come first!

5. How long did it take you to attain work in the field and make your money back from the course?

It probably took me close to 6 months to get my first client. But once I started with that client, I just kept moving forward. I made my money back immediately with the first client.

I didn’t do all of the pitching that they suggest, nor did I have access to leads through the group, so if someone took the course with the mindset to do exactly what they are told to do, you can get work much faster than 6 months!

6. How much money do you make monthly as a Virtual Assistant?

I’m at a low point right now because I’m coming off of a pregnancy in late 2019 and then covid hit earlier this year and I lost a couple of clients. But I’m working on my business 5-10 hours per week and preparing for new clients that will be starting soon.

Prior to my pregnancy, I was grossing an average of $4000 per month.

7. What is your favorite part about being a Virtual Assistant?

I LOVE being home for my kids!

We have 3 kids, ages 6, 4, and 10 months. It’s really nice to be home to see them off to school and be home for sick days and stuff like that.

I make my schedule and that’s the best part for me.

8. What is your biggest challenge in this role?

My biggest challenge has actually been getting my husband on board.

No matter how much money I have brought in in the past, because I don’t leave the house for work, he doesn’t see the value like I do.

Fortunately, I see the value on every front and this isn’t something that will hold me back. I can wait until he comes around!

9. What is a typical day for you?

When I was full with clients, I would get up at 5:30 when my husband left for work and start working for 1 client. When the kids got up, I would break to make breakfast and do some things around the house.

Mid-morning I worked for another client. Lunch break, followed by afternoon work.

I would stop before dinner and have the evening with my family, or I might do more work when my husband got home.

10. What are your top tips for being successful as a Virtual Assistant?

Especially if you’re going to take a course, this one from HH or another, DO WHAT THEY SAY.

Don’t get hung up on what your business name will be or the business entity stuff. You don’t need an EIN to get started. Just get started! And own it. I became a virtual assistant when I said “I’m a virtual assistant.”

A big thanks to Carrie for her insight on Horkey Handbook’s 30 Days or Less to Virtual Assistant Success and the virtual assistant career!

If you’d like more information about Horkey Handbook:

✅ Check out this course which has everything you need to know about how to become a virtual assistant.

If you’re interested in learning more about the creator of Horkey Handbook Gina Horkey, you can read about her virtual assistant story here.

Interested in other work-from-home opportunities?

Here are additional work at home options that are well-paid:

Other ways to make some money from home

If you only want to earn a little bit of side cash quickly and easily each day, here’s a list of legitimate survey companies with user-friendly sites that I’ve personally tried and liked:

Swagbucks
Survey Club
Survey Junkie (only in US, Canada and Australia)

The more companies you join, the more surveys you’ll qualify for taking. If you like taking surveys and being able to voice your opinion and know that it’ll make a difference with brands and products, taking surveys might be right up your alley.