3 Simple Tasks You Can Do TODAY to Launch Your Work-from-Home Transcription Career

Finding a job can be tough, overwhelming, and leave you feeling like you have no control over the situation.

Launching a freelance business working from home can be even harder due to the high volume of work-from-home scams out there.

Being a successful freelancer is more layered than working a traditional job. People are often surprised that it's actual work (gasp!). It's no wonder that so many people say they want the flexibility of running their own business and working from home but don't actually succeed.

While running your own business will always require grit and hard work, it doesn't have to be as overwhelming as you might think.

Here are 3 simple tasks you can do TODAY to launch your work-from-home transcription career.

Set up a work email address

No one wants to hire a transcriptionist whose email is [email protected]. And if you share an email address with a spouse, you don't want to risk a work email getting accidentally deleted.

You don't need a formal business name in order to set up an email that you use only for work. Just create an email address that matches the name on your professional accounts. Consistency is everything.

[email protected] (or a variation of that) is a common construction. Gmail is the most common and reputable free email service, and you get access to their suite of free tools like Drive and Docs which further complement your transcription business, but there are other options out there so pick what you are comfortable with.

Develop an online presence in ONE area

Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Google My Business, website….it's all so overwhelming! But the good news is that you really just need one online presence.

The goal here is to have a single location to direct people to that showcases:

• What you do
• Your rates
• Your contact information

That's it! You don't need a traditional resume. You don't even need testimonials to start with. You can build out all of the extras later.

So if you already have a LinkedIn account, spend some time updating your profile to reflect your transcription business. If you spend lots of time on Facebook and that's where you want to network, create a FB business page.

Now direct everyone to that single online forum.

The added bonus of this approach is that you only have to keep one thing updated. It's not professional to have 3 online pages that all contain different information. So focus your efforts and make it easy for both you and your clients.

Set up a file management system

As a transcriptionist, you need a system for downloading files, delivering finished files, and maintaining records of jobs so you can get paid.

If you are using gmail for email, you already have all the tools you need through Google Drive.

But whatever system you prefer, set this up in advance!! Even if you end up tweaking your process as you work more (and I guarantee you will!), having a basic system in place will help you to feel much more competent and organized right out of the gate.

You'll need a place to store audio files until the jobs are delivered (tip: keep finished files at least until you've been paid for them), a place to house your finished transcripts, and a file where you track jobs (client, file length, due date, rate, etc.). You'll also want to identify your preferred method for receiving audio files from clients, such as Google Drive or Dropbox.

And don't forget to have a backup system in place. Even if you save files to the cloud, you want an additional backup system in case of a problem.

Conclusion

I know that starting a work-from-home transcription business is hard. That's why it's important to break things down into actual achievable steps.

Start with these 3 simple steps, and you'll be well on your way to work-from-home success!