Tell your Boss You Have Had Enough

I’m often asked what a mom can do from home if she wants a business, but wants to have the benefit of a paycheck. My answer to that is get into a service based business. These businesses are a great option for moms who want to be paid hourly/per project or typed line, but wants the freedom a business offers instead of working a job. My answer to the mom who wants to put her typing skills to good use and create a profitable and successful service based business is to start a transcription business. And with transcription you have two options.
1. Medical Transcription
Or
2. General Transcription
With medical transcription you’ll need an education in medical terminology and will need some type of experience in order to grow a
successful business. But, general transcription requires much less. You don’t need any specialized training, education, or experience. You simply need a desire to type, the ability to type what you hear, and a decent typing speed.

Of course when you’re building a business you’ll need more than just the skills of the trade. You’ll need to know how to build and grow your
business into the successful money maker you want, too. If you want to help cut your learning curve in half I recommend buying the
Transcription Starter Pack. When you purchase the learning product you’ll receive the following:
·1 Hour Recorded Audio Outlining How To Start & Grow a General Transcription Business
·Interview with a Successful General Transcriber
·Printable eBook
·Software & Hardware Resource List
8 Customizable Website Templates
Video Tutorial: Walks You Through Setting Up Your Website Template In FrontPage 2003
·Sample Teleseminar for Honing Your Craft
·Sample Podcast for Honing Your Craft
·Sample Internet Talk Radio Show for Honing Your Craft
·Sample Video Tutorial for Honing Your Craft

You can read more about general transcription and this learning product
at Just add Sweat
It’s an incredible value and the perfect resource for anyone interested in creating a typing business.

Check it out for yourself, right here:
Just Add Sweat

Starting A Homebased Business

Ladies, Starting a Home-Based Service Business? Heed These 5 Important Tips

So you have been thinking of starting a business from home. You have some skills, don’t have a lot of space for inventory, so you figure it might be a good idea to start a service business. In fact, it’s a GREAT idea – you just have to be prepared to get your business off the ground and balance all the work/life responsibilities that are on your plate.

This article is going to provide you with easy-to-follow tips to do just that, but first, if you still don’t know what type of service business to start, here are a few popular suggestions:

Ghostwriting for the Internet: Write articles, reports and other information for online business owners.

Transcription Business: Create written records of audio recordings, meetings and more.

Virtual Assistant Business: Provide administrative support, secretarial services and more for other companies.

It does not matter what type of service business you start, there will be some challenges along the way. Here are some tips help you as you go along:

1. First and foremost, set your working hours and ensure everyone in your household is aware of them and respects them. If you happen to be a mother or have other interruptions during the day, there’s nothing wrong with setting aside smaller chunks of time where you’ll be working. This is not the “real world” work setting anymore – it’s better. You work at home and you can decide when you work.

2. As a service business, you have two very important roles. One of those roles is to provide service for your clients. The other is to FIND those clients and the time involved in this is something many service-providers don’t take into account. Ensure you have enough time for providing services and the marketing tasks for your business – or hire some help to make the most efficient use of your time.

3. Charge a fair and rewarding rate. Even if you charge your clients for each hour you work for them, there are many tasks (administrative, marketing, etc.) that you don’t get paid for. To set a rate that is worthwhile to you, you need to decide what type of overall income you desire and figure out how many hours total (all business activities) you want to be working. If you find you can’t charge a rate that is worthwhile, consider another business idea or target a specific type clientele that is willing to pay the rates you charge.

4. Be choosy about your clients. It can be tempting to simply take on any clients because you may need the cash. Unfortunately, bad clients can drain your time, suck up your energy and end up being more work than they’re worth. Resist the temptation to just take any clients because your business will be more fruitful in the long run if you work with easy-to-manage, low-maintenance clients.

5. Don’t bite off more than you can chew. If you find yourself taking on more clients than you can handle to earn more money, revisit tip #3 above. You may be concerned about giving your clients a good deal, but they actually suffer when you can’t provide the quality service they deserve. Instead aim for fewer clients, charge more and give them stellar service.

If you keep these things in mind, your transition to a work-at-home service provider will go much more smoothly. It’s not always easy and when you’re first starting out, it can be tough to find that balance and a schedule that you can work with. But stick with it and keep refining your process and you’ll find yourself owning a very rewarding business that you absolutely love.

Recommended

To get more at home business ideas, be sure to visit Just Add Sweat - they’re your source for step-by-step guides for starting your very own home-based business. You’ll guidance you need to get your business off the ground, find real-life success stories from women just like you and more.

How To Become A Ghostwriter

Got Writing Skills? Get Paid to Write Every Day as a Ghostwriter

If you have ever dreamed about having a career in freelance writing, you might look into the growing opportunity of ghostwriting. Ghostwriting is the practice of writing works (books, articles, etc.) anonymously for a client. In turn, the client gets full rights to place her name on the writing and publish it as her own.

Side Note: If you’ve heard of ghostwriting before and you already know it’s a career path you want to pursue, I recommend you pick up a copy of This Book It will show you exactly what you need to know to get started.

But if you’re new to the idea of becoming a ghostwriter, let’s continue…

To get into ghostwriting, there are a few skills you should have or work to acquire:

- Excellent Writing Skills: Certainly to be a ghostwriter, you need to be able to write well. Your writing should flow well, cover topics thoroughly and in many cases, your clients will expect you to capture their unique voice in your writing.

- Research Skills: As a ghostwriter, you’ll be responsible for finding and process all of the information that you will need to be able to do your writing on a specific topic.

- Grammar & Spelling: It might seem obvious, but it’s important to note. All of the work that you turn into your clients as a ghostwriter must be free of any grammar and spelling errors.

Many different types of businesses and individuals readily use ghostwriting services. Authors, business executives, celebrities and others may look to ghostwriters to write books for them. Online business owners, blog publishers and other websites hire writers to create articles and other content. Information product sellers look to ghostwriters to publish how-to and other instructional guides. The sky is the limit when you are looking for people who want to hire ghostwriters.

There are many things you can do put yourself ahead in this field (and the How to Become a Ghostwriter Guide covers these and more in depth).

Here are a few ideas to get you started:

- Start building a resume that will get you noticed. Highlight any writing experience and if you don’t have any, you can offer to do a few free small projects to build your resume. Approach a non-profit business or someone that you know that might need writing services.

- Determine which topics you are qualified to write about. Although many ghostwriters are well-rounded and can write on many researchable topics, having a specialty can help you get work. For example, you might have special knowledge of health, finance or parenting topics. Use this to your advantage.

- Have relevant samples readily available to showcase your writing skills. Many clients are more concerned with how well you write, rather than the amount of experience you’ve had.

To get more help, get a copy of “How to Become a Ghostwriter” Guide. It will help you discover if ghostwriting is indeed the right career for you, how to break into the business, service rates and more. Ghostwriting can be a competitive business, but there is plenty of room for new writers if you’re armed with the right approach and that’s exactly what the guide will give you.

Typing For Your Online Success

Typing is a skill that I never took the time to learn in high school. I never thought I’d need it. As an adult, I have found that typing is a necessity. For an at-home business like medical transcription, typing well and accurately could mean the difference between an average business and ever-increasing profits. This article gives suggestions for those who have lived with the “hunt and peck” method most of their lives and people who have been taught how to type but want to increase their speed and accuracy.

For those of you, like myself, who have grown frustrated with how long it takes you to type a document, now is the time to learn the proper technique. I must warn you: it will be a challenge. Your brain and your hands have grown accustomed to typing the wrong way. The one problem with learning a bad habit is that you have to unlearn it.

To improve your typing speed, invest in typing tutor software. These programs teach keyboard and number pad memorization. Learning proper finger placement on the “home row” is essential to typing success. With the proper foundation your typing speed will increase.

Two programs on the market today are MacMillan Typing Tutor 9 for the PC and Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing 17 for PC and MAC. I learned how to type properly using Mavis Beacon software. The program takes you through the basic principles of typing, using fun games and timed tests at every level to increase speed and accuracy. Once a particular level is mastered the program allows you to move on to the next.

For those who need a refresher course to increase typing speed, online services are available to assist you. The key to your success is practice, practice, and more practice. Typing speed tests to increase your speed are available free on the Web. You are given a sample paragraph to type. Once you are done and hit “submit”, the speed and accuracy of your work are translated into WPM (words per minute). You can practice with as many paragraph samples as you want. A brief list of sites include: www.mediacollege.com, www.learn2type.com/TypingTest, and www.powertyping.com/typing_test.shtml. Check out the websites for more detailed information about additional services.

A key to success in a typing dependent business it to increase your speed. No matter which category you fall into, consistent practice will determine how much your typing speed will increase. Once success is achieved, a monthly practice session or two would not hurt to keep up your skills.

A Comfortable Office Chair

One of the perks of starting a home based business is that you get to design a home office. One room of your home should be dedicated to all of your work. Since you will be spending a lot of time in this room, the most important accessory is a good chair.

When working at a desk where you will be sitting for long periods of time, the first consideration is ergonomics. The science of ergonomics deals with stresses on the body in the workplace setting. To maintain a healthy body, safe postures must be observed to avoid unnecessary strain on muscle groups and joints which could lead to injury. The last thing anyone wants is for their new business to do them in. Companies have developed ergonomically correct office equipment and accessories to help you to protect yourself. Now that we know why it’s important to choose a comfortable chair, let’s consider a few things when shopping for one.

1. Find the right store. Lots of places sell chairs, but all stores are not created equal. Any old chair will not provide you with the support that you will need for long periods of time spent at the computer. Visit an office store such as Office Depot, Office Max, or Staples. These stores specialize in office furniture. Their selection of office chairs will be wider and more varied than a department store.

2. Consider your back. I don’t know about you, but the first thing I notice after sitting for a long time in a chair is how much my back hurts when I get up. An ill-fitted chair produces too much pressure on the lumbar region of the spine causing a serious lower back ache. When choosing your chair, decide which is more comfortable—a one piece construction or an adjustable seat back chair. The chair should provide adequate support during all of the activities performed at the desk. An adjustable seat back allows you to raise or lower to support your back at the right spot for proper body alignment.

3. Arms or no arms? On most chairs the arms are fixed at a specific height. Leaning on arm rests that are placed too high for you causes the shoulders to remain in a hunched position. This adds strain to the muscles of the neck and shoulders. Adjusting your chair to the correct height in relation to the height of the desk alleviates the need for arms on the chair. A keyboard rest supports the wrists and forearms without adding pressure to the above mentioned muscle groups. An alternative would be to purchase a chair with arm rests that are adjustable.

4. Leather or microfiber? Leather looks great in an office, but how comfortable is it? A microfiber chair will probably keep your body cooler in the long run. Leather chairs are also more expensive.

A comfortable chair can make all the difference to your day. Choosing an appropriate chair in conjunction with ergonomic principles will keep your body healthy while you work.

Home Based Business

Are the confines of a “nine to five” job not for you? If you are looking for an occupation that offers a change of pace, think about starting your own home based business. A home based business provides a work schedule that is centered on the needs of your life and not the other way around, which is typical of a traditional job.

If a home based business is a venture you want to pursue, consider a business in the medical field. Besides computers, the medical field is one of the fastest growing areas of employment. As current medical professionals age out, the need to replace them is urgent.

Medical transcription is a growing career that can be managed as a home based business. The job of a medical transcriptionist is to accurately translate a doctor’s audio dictation into text form for patient medical records. A medical transcriptionist needs to have good communication and language skills. The most important skill is a working knowledge of medical terms including drug abbreviations, surgical terms, laboratory test abbreviations, laboratory values, medical specialty terms, and anatomy. Good word processing skills are also needed to present a professional finished product to your clients.

A medical background is not a necessity for a home based business in medical transcription. Online and correspondence courses are offered to provide all the training you will need to pursue this career. This is an added bonus. You can train at home to start a business at home! These programs will not only teach you medical terminology, but also familiarize you with the latest equipment and software used in the transcription industry.

Working from home in the medical profession is a career that will always be in demand. As long as doctor’s practice, they will dictate medical procedures to make their lives easier. Someone will also be needed to translate these dictations into text documents. So, you won’t have to worry about your business becoming defunct in a couple of years unless you want it to. There is job security in the medical transcription industry. You can grow your business as much or as little as you want. The sky’s the limit.

So, if you are the type of person who is ambitious, entrepreneurial, an effective listener and communicator, the home based medical transcription business is the perfect way to work from home. You can break out of the traditional job mold forever.

For More Homebased Business