In Parts 1 through 3 of this four-part article, I list the various types of work I’ve actually done. In Part 4, I list the types of customers you can expect to receive work from.
The type of equipment, computer programs, experience and pricing the job are all covered in the chapters of my upcoming books, How to Establish, Run and Build a $ucce$$ful Home-based Secretarial Service and Transcription Tips, Tricks, Secrets, and Shortcuts. Estimated publication as ebooks and printed publications late in 2018 or 2019.
Regarding the references below to call-in dictation, in one of the chapters of both of my books Transcription Tips, Tricks, Secrets, and Shortcuts and How to Establish, Run and Build a $ucce$$ful Secretarial Service From Home, I go into detail regarding what is required and how to set up a call-in dictation line using your phone, your computer and an inexpensive computer program that answers the phone and records the call up to five hours in WAV format that can be transcribed using a free computer transcription program.
Part 3 of this 4-part series: Jobs 30 through 43
30. Radio/TV shows and newscasts: I’ve had several customers who had radio and/or TV programs. One was a husband and wife team who had a weekly marriage counseling radio program. They recorded their shows and wanted them transcribed so they could write a book containing some of the questions and answers that were called in.
If you have ever watched any of the newscasts or news talk shows like MSNBC, CNN, FOX and others, I’m sure you’ve seen comments made by various people during interviews, debates, talk shows, speeches etc. shown on the screen while the recording or video of that person talking is displayed. The typed version of what is being said is transcribed and shown for clarification. Sometimes the newscaster will read the comments instead. This can be very lucrative work.
31. Resumes: Word has templates for Resumes or you can purchase a low-cost computer program that contains various layouts. You then fill in the blanks.
32. Scan & Save Pictures and Documents to CD or DVD: This is a service you might want to offer your customers as well. Offer to give them three copies of the CD to keep in various places. I usually charged a nominal fee per CD or DVD to cover the cost of the disc, the label, and the time to design the label and copy material to the disc.
33. Scan and/or enhance photographs and other images: If you teach yourself how to do this, it comes in handy when typing manuscripts, designing book covers and all other documents where a customer needs this done.
34. Scanning of typed documents to be converted to text: This type of work requires the use of a special program. You can actually scan multiple pages using the program then edit and convert the files to a text document that can be changed or edited by you or your customer. This type of job is also very lucrative. One job will more than pay for the cost of the computer program used to do this type of conversion. Several jobs were scanning of typed copies of manuscripts that had been typed that needed to be converted to a computer file for editing then publishing.
35. Seminars and Workshops: I’ve transcribed seminars for Hospice of the Florida Suncoast and Metropolitan Charities in Pinellas County, Florida and for various authors, financial services agents and real estate agents.
This type of transcribed/typed material is used to write books on the subjects covered in the workshop or seminar or to add to their next seminar or workshop.
With the advent of YouTube, many of these people film their seminars and/or workshops to post on YouTube. The transcribed audio is then posted below the YouTube video and/or used as material for books or articles online in their blog or web sites.
36. Sermons: You might receive calls from ministers or preachers of churches who record their sermons or Bible study groups and want them transcribed so they can print and distribute their sermons or Bible studies to people who weren’t able to attend.
37. Speeches: You may receive a request to transcribe a speech. These are easy to do provided the speaker speaks clearly and there is minimal background noise. The problems you may face and how to deal with them are outlined in one of the chapters in both of my books.
38. Surveys: Survey jobs can either be recorded telephone interviews to be transcribed, filled in forms, or handwritten reports. One of my customers was a Marine Surveyor who surveyed the damage done to boats by accidents, storms, and/or hurricanes. I set up a template with the various items he would report on for his customers and the insurance companies he reported to. He would call in to my business dictation phone line and dictate the information to be typed in the form. I’ve also done two-person recorded telephone interviews for a research company who did recorded telephone surveys for pharmaceutical companies.
39. Telephone Conference Calls: You may be asked to set up and/or record a Board of Directors meeting or some other type of conference call which you would then transcribe into Meeting Minutes after.
40. Term Papers and Theses for college students: This type of work will require that you understand the various styles and formats required of the college. Most colleges require the APA style of writing. You can download helpful articles from the internet on the various styles. I have URL’s of these sites in Appendix A of my book How to Establish, Run and Build a $ucce$$ful Home-based Secretarial Service. If you plan to go into this kind of work, I highly recommend you purchase the latest versions of The Chicago Manual of Style and The Turabian Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations.
41. Video Lessons: There are music businesses that produce and sell video DVD’s or CD’s with lessons on how to play a particular instrument. You could receive a job request from a customer who will want the lessons transcribed into text.
Example: Two different customers purchased online video lessons sites that were already up and running. Unfortunately, they did not have the lessons in text form. Everything was online in the video. They hired me to download the videos and transcribe the audio portion.
42. Video Taping: This type of work requires a camcorder. You might get calls for this type of work or you can offer it to the right customer. It does pay well. One of my regular customers was the head of a condo association. They needed someone to video tape their annual association meetings for legal purposes then have the audio transcribed to create Meeting Minutes. I charged by the hour for the recording plus the cost for the transcription.
43. Web sites: You could attract some lucrative business by learning how to post articles in blogs or web sites. Create a web site and a blog for yourself then use what you’ve learned to do this for customers.
Part 4, Types of Customers You Can Receive Work From is next.
Food for thought: “Put your heart, mind, and soul into even your smallest acts.” (This is the secret of success. Swami Sivananda)
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Thanks for taking time from your busy day to stop by. I hope you enjoy my stories and I hope my tips, tricks, secrets, and shortcuts help you improve your skills and/or work smarter and more efficiently. If you have a question regarding dictation transcription, how to run your own secretarial service from home, or if you have a topic you would like me to write about, just let me know by email at: GSKWAuthor@mindspring.com
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