My Brutally Honest 90 Day VA Review: The Good, The Bad, and The Gigs

It was another Sunday night, and the familiar knot of dread was tightening in my stomach. I was staring at my calendar, at another week in a job that paid the bills but drained my soul. I kept thinking, “There has to be another way.”

That thought led me down the rabbit hole of remote work, where I stumbled upon the world of Virtual Assistants. And just as quickly, I stumbled upon Esther Inman’s 90 Day VA program.

If you’re here, you’ve probably seen what I saw: dozens of reviews. Some call it a life-changing opportunity. Others whisper about it being just another “90 day challenge scam.”

This review is different. I’m not just summarizing the course. I’m taking you inside my own journey, from feeling stuck and skeptical to landing my first paying client. I’ll give you a brutally honest look at the modules, the much-hyped job board, and the critical truths other reviews leave out.

This is the deep-dive I wish I had when I was on the fence.

What is 90 Day VA, Really?

On the surface, 90 Day VA is a step-by-step online course designed to turn absolute beginners into professional Virtual Assistants in about three months. It was created by Esther Inman, a former teacher who successfully built her own VA business and packaged her system for others.

Unlike generic freelance courses that teach a bit of everything, 90 Day VA is laser-focused on the practical, in-demand skills clients are hiring for right now:

• Content Repurposing: Turning a single blog post or video into a dozen social media updates.
• Social Media Management: Scheduling content and engaging with audiences on platforms like Instagram and LinkedIn.
• Email & Newsletter Support: Formatting and scheduling emails for business owners.
• Simple Podcast & Video Editing: Basic editing to help creators repurpose their audio and video.
• The “Bread and Butter”: Admin tasks, online research, and managing calendars.

It’s designed as a complete roadmap, from learning the skills to building a portfolio (even with zero experience), finding clients, and managing your business.

My Journey Inside the 90 Day VA Modules

Listing the 11 modules doesn’t do the experience justice. Here’s how it actually felt going through the program.

Part 1: The Foundation (Mindset & Skills)

The first few modules are about more than just skills; they’re about shifting your mindset. For me, the Mindset & Foundations module was the permission slip I needed to start thinking of myself as a business owner, not just someone looking for a job.

From there, I dove into the core skills. I was most nervous about the tech, but the lessons were surprisingly simple. The Content Repurposing module was a game-changer. I followed a lesson step-by-step and created my very first portfolio piece—a set of Instagram graphics based on a blog post. It wasn’t perfect, but it was real. It was tangible proof that I could do the work.

Part 2: The Business End (Finding and Pitching Clients)

This is where the rubber meets the road, and honestly, it’s the most terrifying part. The modules on Finding Clients and Pitching Clients were my lifeline. The course provides scripts and templates, but more importantly, it teaches you where to look for clients beyond crowded marketplaces like Upwork. It encourages proactive outreach and networking in a way that felt authentic, not spammy. I sent my first five pitches using a template from the course, and while four were rejections, one led to a conversation—and that small win was everything.

Part 3: The Pro Systems (Onboarding & Scaling)

The final modules cover the things you don’t know you need until you need them: contracts, invoicing, and client onboarding systems. The templates here saved me hours of guesswork and made me look professional from day one.

The Two Things That Make 90 Day VA Stand Out

Any course can teach you skills. But there are two elements that, in my opinion, justify the price tag.

1. The Exclusive Job Board: This is the program’s killer feature. It’s a private job board where businesses post opportunities exclusively for 90 Day VA students. These are warm leads. The clients already know what 90 Day VA is and trust the quality of the training. I landed my first recurring client from this board, and it wouldn’t have been possible otherwise.
2. The Community: The private Facebook group is more than just a support forum; it’s a massive network of thousands of fellow VAs. When I got stuck on a client task, I posted a question and had three helpful answers within 20 minutes. It’s a place to celebrate wins, ask “dumb” questions, and get real-world advice from people who are on the same path.

The Brutally Honest Pros and Cons of 90 Day VA

No course is perfect, and if a review only tells you the good parts, it’s a sales page, not a review. After going through the program and analyzing feedback from other students, here’s a balanced breakdown of where 90 Day VA shines and where it falls short.

What I Loved: The Pros

• A Complete A-to-Z Roadmap for Beginners.
  The single biggest advantage of 90 Day VA is that it eliminates overwhelm. Before joining, I spent weeks trying to piece everything together from blogs and YouTube, and I was getting nowhere. This course provides a structured, step-by-step path. It covers not just the skills (the “what”) but the business-building (the “how”), from setting your prices to creating a resume and onboarding clients. For anyone new to the online world, this clarity is invaluable.
• Focus on “Money-Making-Now” Skills.
  Some programs try to teach you complex, specialized skills that take months to master before you can earn a dollar. 90 Day VA focuses on the practical, in-demand skills that business owners need right now, like social media management, content repurposing, and email management. This approach is designed to get you client-ready and earning money as quickly as possible.
• The Exclusive Job Board is a Legitimate Game-Changer.
  This is arguably the program’s most valuable feature. The private Facebook group contains job opportunities posted specifically for students. These aren’t cold leads from massive job boards; they are from clients who know the quality of 90 Day VA training and want to hire from within the community. Landing your first client is the biggest hurdle, and this feature provides a massive advantage.
• An Active and Genuinely Supportive Community.
  Starting a new online career can be isolating. The 90 Day VA community provides a built-in network for support and accountability. When you’re stuck on a client task or feeling imposter syndrome, having thousands of peers to turn to for advice is a huge confidence booster. The community is frequently praised in reviews for being highly active and helpful.
• You Build a Real Portfolio as You Go.
  A common problem for new VAs is the “no experience” catch-22. 90 Day VA directly solves this by integrating portfolio-building into the lessons. As you complete the skills modules, you create work samples you can immediately show to potential clients, allowing you to look professional even before you’ve had a paying gig.

The Honest Criticisms: The Cons

• The Hustle Is Not Included (Success is NOT Guaranteed).
  This is the most critical point. The course provides the tools, templates, and roadmap, but it cannot do the work for you. Landing clients requires consistent effort, networking, and sending pitches. Students who expect clients to simply fall into their laps will be disappointed. It’s a program for motivated self-starters, and your results will directly reflect the effort you put in.
• The Skills Training is Broad, Not Deep.
  To get you client-ready quickly, the course covers a wide range of VA skills. However, this means that some modules (like podcast or video editing) are introductory. They are enough to get you hired for basic tasks, but if you want to become a high-paid specialist in a technical field like search engine optimization (SEO) or advanced web design, you will eventually need to invest in more specialized training.
• The Video Format Can Be Inefficient.
  Some student reviews, and my own experience, noted that some video lessons are quite long. The course content is excellent, but it sometimes lacks quick-reference materials like downloadable summaries, notes, or timestamps. This means that if you need to find a specific piece of information, you may have to re-watch a significant portion of a long video, which can be time-consuming.
• The Refund Policy is Short and Action-Based.
  90 Day VA offers a refund, but it’s typically within a short window (like 14 days) and requires you to prove that you’ve done the work and engaged with the material. This “action-based” policy is meant to deter people who aren’t serious, but it’s a point of criticism for those who may want more flexibility. You need to be ready to commit and dive in quickly.

Is 90 Day VA a Scam? The Verdict on Legitimacy

Let’s tackle the big question: “Is 90 Day VA legit?”

It is 100% not a scam. You receive a comprehensive curriculum, valuable resources, and access to the community and job board as promised. However, it’s sold as a pathway to results, and like any educational program, the results are entirely dependent on your effort. It’s a “get-what-you-give” scenario.

Who Should (and Absolutely Shouldn’t) Join?

This course is a perfect fit for:

• The Motivated Beginner: You’re ready to change careers or start a side hustle but feel overwhelmed by information overload and need a clear, structured plan.
• Stay-at-Home Parents: You want a flexible, legitimate way to earn an income from home without sacrificing family time.
• Aspiring Digital Nomads: You want to build a location-independent career and need a foundation of marketable skills to get started.

You should probably skip this course if:

• You’re an Experienced Freelancer: If you already have advanced marketing, design, or admin skills and know how to find clients, this course will be too basic for you.
• You’re Looking for a “Get Rich Quick” Scheme: This is not passive income. It takes hard work, consistency, and a willingness to put yourself out there.
• You’re Unwilling to Network or Pitch: If the thought of proactively contacting potential clients makes you shut down, you will struggle with the most critical part of the process.

Alternatives to Consider

For the sake of complete honesty, 90 Day VA isn’t the only option. Here are a few others I considered:

• Virtual Savvy (Abbey Ashley): A very similar program with a strong focus on building your brand and finding your niche. It’s another highly respected option in the VA space.
• Freelance University: A broader platform that covers all types of freelancing, not just VA work. It’s more of a subscription library of courses.
• The DIY Route (YouTube, Blogs, Upwork): The cheapest option, but also the slowest. You can piece together the information for free, but you’ll lack the structure, community, and job board access.

For me, the combination of a clear path and the exclusive job board made 90 Day VA the right choice to get started fast.

Final Verdict: Is 90 Day VA Worth the Investment?

If you are serious about leaving your 9-to-5 and building a real remote career from scratch, yes, 90 Day VA is worth it.

You are paying for clarity, community, and opportunity. You are buying a shortcut that trims months, if not years, off the painful trial-and-error process of starting a freelance business alone. It’s not magic, and it requires hard work. But if you show up and follow the roadmap, it absolutely delivers on its promise to turn you into a professional, client-ready Virtual Assistant. It was the catalyst that took me from dreaming about a different life to actually living it.