I’ve taken many Virtual Assistant Courses that teach you how to become a virtual assistant and work from home. I was skeptical of the Savvy System, but after taking the entire course, I discovered many pros–and some cons. I’ll sum up everything you need to know to decide if it’s right for you in my brutally honest Savvy System review.
The Savvy System is a popular online training program by Abbey Ashley. Through 80 classes, students in this program learn how to work from home as a Virtual Assistant. Savvy System was formerly known as Virtual Savvy Bootcamp. Many graduates earn money as a virtual assistant after taking this course.
THE SAVVY SYSTEM COURSE REVIEW
SPOILER ALERT! I was blown away by this course, but I don’t think it’s right for everyone.
This post contains affiliate links. Read the disclaimer for more info.
WHO IS THIS COURSE REVIEWER?
If we haven’t met yet, I’m Val, and here are a few fun facts about me:
- I’m somewhat of an online course junkie, especially those that teach you how to make money from home.
- I’m a full-time stay-at-home mom of two littles, who started working from home as a virtual assistant with no prior experience almost four years ago.
- I’m super frugal, but see value in investing in certain things that will make my life significantly better. 🙂
- I’m obsessed with reviews. I read tons before buying anything, so it’s time I return the favor to all those people who take time to write reviews and write some of my own.
IS THE SAVVY SYSTEM A SCAM?
No, the Savvy System Virtual Assistant Program is not a scam nor is it a get-rich-quick scheme. I’ve personally taken the course, been in the Facebook groups, and talked with Abbey Ashley and her team.
The video trainings teach you what to do to start and grow a successful business as an online virtual assistant.
No matter what course you take, results are not easy, guaranteed, or handed to you. Making money as a virtual assistant requires work and ongoing effort from you after you pay the course fee, but The Savvy System is certainly not a scam.
THE SAVVY SYSTEM REVIEW PROS
Now that we got. that out of the way, let’s dive into what’s good about the Savvy System program.
1. THE SAVVY SYSTEM COVERS ALL THE STEPS
These classes literally walk you through all the steps, for brand new people wondering “What exactly is a virtual assistant and how do they make money?” to experienced virtual assistants who want to know “How can I make $60 or more per hour?” This course covers it all.
2. EASY TO FOLLOW
It’s a giant program, but it’s organized and broken down into three main phases that make it easy to follow:
- LAUNCH – for brand new virtual assistants just starting out
- GROW – for virtual assistants who are ready to find clients
- SCALE – for experienced virtual assistants who want to charge more for their time
From choosing what service you should offer, how much you should charge, the legal and tax stuff, where to find clients, how to stand out from the competition and get paid, this course covers everything. Last I counted, there were 81 classes inside broken down into bite-sized tasks, but you definitely don’t need to finish the entire course in order to start making money.
3. THE SAVVY SYSTEM IS VIDEO-BASED
If you’re a visual learner, you’ll love that this course is all quality, video-based lessons. Abbey is either talking to you like a friend or showing you her screen to walk you through all the steps. It’s almost like she’s right in the room with you walking you through everything, step-by-step.
4. THE SAVVY SYSTEM COVERS WHAT OTHER COURSES MISS
I had taken several other ‘how to become a virtual assistant’ courses before this one. I knew some things were missing from those–like what to do about taxes and how to set up a virtual assistant website–but this course covers all of that plus more. Abbey covers things like health insurance options and how to overcome mindset obstacles that might get in your way.
5. THE SAVVY SYSTEM IS INCLUSIVE FOR MEN, WOMEN, THOSE WHO LIVE IN THE U.S., AND THOSE WHO LIVE OUTSIDE THE U.S.
Even though Abbey is a mom living in the United States, she has added tips and resources for aspiring virtual assistants who live outside the United States. There are also more men in this virtual assistant community than I’ve seen in other VA course communities.
6. THE SAVVY SYSTEM TEMPLATE VAULT SAVES LOTS OF TIME
Templates are perfect for busy moms. They save so much time because you don’t have to create something from scratch or ask a question and wait for a reply. I could not believe there were so many templates inside this program. There’s an entire Template Vault with over 25 scripts for landing, working with, and making changes with clients!
7. THE SAVVY SYSTEM GIVES YOU TOOLS TO KEEP YOU ON TRACK
Students get checklists, contracts, client tracking, and finance tracking tools that are easy to use and help keep you focused, moving forward, and on track to be successful. This is another big time saver because you don’t have to figure it out on your own. They are created for you and given to you!
8. THE SAVVY SYSTEM INCLUDES JOB LEADS AND OPPORTUNITIES
The exclusive Facebook group for SavvySystem students is a place to ask questions, get answers, share tips, and get leads for new job opportunities. I’ve seen about 1 new virtual assistant job lead per day in there. This extra service is included in the course fee, and it’s not an extra monthly charge.
9. THE SAVVY SYSTEM SHOWS YOU HOW TO SET UP A WEBSITE
For those of us who have never set up a website before, it can be intimidating! But there’s a lot of value in having a good virtual assistant website when you’re trying to land clients, especially clients that pay well. Thankfully, Abbey covers how to set up a website in this course.
10. THE SAVVY SYSTEM HAS A MONEY-BACK GUARANTEE
There is a 30-day money-back guarantee. No questions asked. While I hope you are committed to persevering through all the steps needed to be a successful virtual assistant before joining this program, life happens and this money-back option is there for you.
11. THE SAVVY SYSTEM WORKS FOR SIDE HUSTLERS OR FULL-TIMERS
Whether you’re a stay-at-home mom looking for a flexible way to earn some extra money on the side or you’re hoping to replace your full-time income working from home, the Savvy System can work for both situations. You can work full-time if you want, but you absolutely do NOT need to work 40-hours per week in order to make legit money as a virtual assistant.
THE SAVVY SYSTEM REVIEW CONS
Now, there’s no course that’s perfect, so let’s be real about the downsides of signing up for Savvy System.
1. THE SAVVY SYSTEM TAKES TIME TO COMPLETE
There’s a lot of content and assignments inside the Savvy System, so it will take dedicated time to complete. This is the same with any comprehensive training program though. It’s like a mini college degree where there are assignments to do, and it takes time to learn and implement before you see results.
2. THE SAVVY SYSTEM REQUIRES BASIC TECH SKILLS
There are no specialty tech skills required for The Savvy System compared to other courses, but I need to note that if you want to work from home online, you do need to have some basic computer skills. Knowing how to create accounts and log in, check emails, download files, follow directions, and troubleshoot are essential virtual assistant skills.
3. THE SAVVY SYSTEM IS NOT CHEAP
The Savvy System Basic costs $1497. It is not a cheap course! However, there is a $147 per month payment plan if you need it. To be honest, sometimes an investment that scares you a little bit is exactly the motivation you need to make sure you follow through, get those paying clients, and earn your money back ASAP. Then it’s all profits from there, baby!
WHAT DOES THE SAVVY SYSTEM COVER?
There’s a whopping total of 80+ classes at the time of writing and over 16+ hours of direct teaching, so it covers a lot! Some videos are just a couple of minutes, while others are over 30 minutes. It really depends on the topic.
WELCOME SERIES
The welcome videos introduce you to the program, show you around, and answers common questions new students have. (7 videos)
LAUNCH
The launch classes will help you launch your brand new virtual assistant business from the ground up. This is all about building a solid foundation for your virtual assistant business.
- DISCOVER YOUR SKILLSET (4 videos)
- PRICING AND PACKAGES (5 videos)
- BRAND ACADEMY (6 videos)
- PROCESSES AND ASSETS (6 videos)
- PAYMENTS, INVOICING, AND TAXES (OH MY!) (4 videos)
- LEGALITIES (6 videos)
GROW
Once your foundation is set, you’re ready to grow and find clients!
- MARKETING 101 (7 videos)
- THE ULTIMATE MARKETING PLAN (14 videos)
- WEB DEVELOPMENT 101 (5 videos)
- THE VIRTUAL ASSISTANT LIFESTYLE (8 vidoes)
SCALE
After you’ve found your groove and some paying clients, you might get the urge to scale so you earn more money without working more hours.
- RAISING YOUR PRICES (4 videos)
- BUILDING A TEAM (6 videos)
- WHAT’S NEXT? (6 videos)
IS THE SAVVY SYSTEM WORTH IT?
So, with all things considered, is the Savvy System virtual assistant program worth it? It depends…
NO…
For the person who won’t make time to take the course and do the action steps, or for the person who wants to make money but doesn’t want to do any work, NO! Save your money because this course isn’t a ticket to an automatic paycheck.
If you’re just looking for a free course, watch her free workshop, download her VA Checklist, binge on YouTube, or get a free trial of Skillshare. You get what you pay for though.
YES…
For the person who’s is serious about how to make money from home as a virtual assistant, who wants the step-by-step action plan laid out, who wants to see how someone else does it, who will follow the steps, and use the community support to help if you reach an obstacle, YES!
Abbey has a lot to offer. She started a virtual assistant business from scratch, while pregnant and looking for a way to make money from home. Over time, she went from a newbie to earning $10,000 per month with subcontractors!
It’s taken her years to figure out what she’s learned and gather it all together in a step-by-step program. Plus, the Facebook community with other VAs where you can ask questions and the extra training from Abbey and her team offer serious value if you don’t want to figure this out alone.
This program is the same price as a top competitor, yet I honestly think The Savvy System is more valuable because it includes more. So, the price point for a comprehensive course like this is not out of line.
HORKEY HANDBOOK VS THE VIRTUAL SAVVY SYSTEM COURSE
You might have heard of another course, Fully Booked Virtual Assistant (previously known as 30 days or less to Virtual Assistant Success) by Gina Horkey, and wondering how it compares to the Savvy System.
I’ve personally taken both courses and have a lot of respect for both women. But if you’re trying to decide which one is best for you, here’s my take.
WHAT’S THE SAME?
Both will teach you the basics to get started as a virtual assistant, including picking what services you should offer, how much you should charge, and how to find clients.
WHAT’S DIFFERENT?
- FBVA costs $497 for 3 Months Access to Complete System or $1,194/year
- FBVA is more text-based and way less video
- FBVA has added some video, but a good chunk of that was interviews with other people who have courses to sell
- FBVA has quizzes along the way and a final exam and certificate
- FBVA has 13 templates/scripts while the Savvy System has 25+ and seems like they are always adding more
- FBVA does not cover health insurance, taxes, money mindset, or resources for those outside the U.S. but Savvy Systems covers all of this
- If you do the Savvy System Ultimate Package, there are 40+ Amazing Tech Training Videos to advance your tech skills (with new courses added every month!)
So, the Horkey Handbook Virtual Assistant Course is definitely cheaper. Some students are successful from the basic information inside.
But while they both look like virtual assistant courses on the outside, you’re definitely not comparing apples to apples when you look behind the curtain at what’s inside.
TO SAVVY OR NOT TO SAVVY?
That’s the entire Savvy System course review in a nutshell. The pros, cons, and how it compares to other virtual assistant courses. Now it’s time to hop off the fence and confidently decide if the Savvy System Basic or Ultimate is the right virtual assistant program for you.
Ready to dive in? You can sign up with the button below right now!
If you still have any questions that you want to ask someone who’s been inside but isn’t the course creator, feel free to email me anytime. I have taken many online courses and am happy to help you figure out if the Savvy System or another course is right for you.
Best wishes on your virtual assistant and work-from-home journey!
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