Yes, it is. Then you think, well, “Duh! Just look at food, gas, and housing costs. But I still have little ones not in school yet. I can’t just go out and get a part-time job. Plus, I want to be home when my school-aged kids get home from school. It sure would be nice to have more income, though. So, just what can I do?” That is the question many people tying to navigate the often thorny path of trying to raise children properly while also helping to keep a roof over their heads, food in their tummies,, clothes on their backs, and gas in the car to cart them around to where they — and you — need to go. It keeps getting increasingly difficult to make ends meet for most of us, but as we all know, the children are our highest priority. So, how does one go about generating some much-needed income? Is it possible to have the best of both worlds where you as a parent can be home for your kids while being the sole proprietor of your own business? The short answer is: WELL, YES!
Now, the question, of course, is based upon that famous 5W’s + H model, you now, the Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How. Okay, you probably already know the answer to three of those W’s, with a fourth being a little less obvious, posssibly — and I will explain that one a bit more — but what about the remaining W and that H — and by the way, those are the two most important questions when considering how to pursue a home-based business. Let’s go through this famous model, hitting the four most obvious ones briefly, and then focusing on the other two as that is what is going to seal the deal for you. Here we go:
WHO – This is obvious, but it is you.
WHAT – This is obvious for the reason that it is one of the two most important considerations. We will discuss this further in this article.
WHEN – This one sort of straddles the line between the most and least obvious — it is the tweener, if you may. In this case, however, sooner is better. We will explore that towards the end of the article.
WHERE – Well, this is obvious and is certainly the foundational consideration: the Where is from home, of course.
WHY – Well, this is obvious enough, no? To find a way to generate an income from home, and on your own terms, while — oh, another “W” — adhering to your own chosen schedule that works for you and your family — or just you if you are single or a married empty nester.
HOW – The odd duck in this family happens to be the most important member, actually. It does involve training; it does involve effort; it does involve work; it does involve time. Anything legitimate and worthwhile does. The well-known fact is that nothing is free, and we have to work to earn. More about that coming up.
Well, now that we have a synopsis and a warm-up of what you need to consider when embarking on the journey to becoming a self-employed, sole proprietor of your own home-based business, it is time to get down to the brass tacks of what this opportunity is and what it entails. I do want you to understand some things — and I already alluded to what it is not in my brief synopsis of “How” — it is not a get-rich-quick schtick or some fly-by-night, do-nothing income generator or even some easy-money, golden parachute. Those things are nothing more than schemes, scams, frauds, or, at best, pipe dreams. We all understand that the world owes each of us nothing other than the freedom and opportunity to work and earn our living and the things that we want. There are no free rides. In order to earn, you have to work. Also, in order to earn you have to learn. So, now, let us focus on the WHAT and the HOW.
Thank you for sticking with me. One of the two most important considerations is what can I do as a home-based business. I will tell you. First, a little bit about what I do, which will clue you in on what that business is. I am a transcriptionist. I am trained in general and legal transcription and also a scopist. After 32 years as an English teacher, I retired due to needing to be home with my wife — also a retired teacher — who battles MS. It had become too difficult and unsafe for her to be at home for long stretches of time. So, I needed to find a business model that I was interested in and that could generate enough income for us to continue to live comfortably. There are many different at-home career fields: bookkeeping, copywriting, technical writing, just to name a few. Well, one day I came upon this article about transcription and about a company that offered training that was completely on-line and was reasonably priced. Right off the block, it stated that if one is looking to get rich quick or find an easy way to earn big money to just go elsewhere, because those promises are empty and false. That up-front honesty made me want to read further.
Now, that organization, which I proudly am a member of, is called TranscribeAnywhere — yes, it is one combined term in case you are wondering. Anyway, they offered a free, no hassle, at-your-own pace, no hard sell introductory course taught by the founder, Janet Shaughnessy. So, what is transcription? In a nutshell, transcription is the art of turning the spoken word into the written word. Janet explains the world of transcription and what it entails. She will describe the life of a transcriptionist, what a transcriptionist does, the business model, and what one needs in order to become a transcriptionist. She doesn’t try to hard-sell you; there is no arm twisting; and there are no promises of easy wealth. She offers courses that will give you the tools of the trade, the “learn so you can earn” component that is necessary, and stresses the need, the mental aspect of the fact that the only way to become successful, as in anything in life, is that you have to work and put in the time and effort necessary for success. These courses provide the foundation, but you have to do — and be willing to do — the work.
So, how do you do this? The adage of most businesses, and certainly for transcriptionists, is that you “Gotta learn in order to earn,” is so true. No matter how skilled you are as a typist; no matter who well you write and how adroit you are with the conventions of writing and grammar, transcription is a field where accuracy is of utmost importance. There is a ton of work available, that is not an issue. But you need to, like anything legitimate, have the training and skillset in order to succeed. From a career educator with a masters in curriculum and instruction, this course is superb. Janet is an experienced transcriptionist who has been in the transcription industry for decades. She runs her own transcription company, Zoom Transcription. She wanted to give people the opportunity to become successful in the industry that she loves, so she developed and founded an on-line transcription company, TranscribeAnywhere. Also part of the TranscribeAnywhere team is Marsha Schnipper, a retired teacher, helped in the development of this one-of-a-kind and professional on-line transcription school with the proper pedagogical precepts that balances the written information, the reading and instructional components with the practice and hands-on element of the course to give each transcription student the well-rounded training that is absolutely vital for the success of any transcriptionist and their transcription business. The support system that comes with this training and this organization is second to none. You get the right balance of coursework and practical work where you practice transcription, and in so develop the typing speed and experience in listening to and accurately transcribing audio files.
Along with this training, you become part of the TranscribeAnywhere family and a life-long member of this wonderful and connected organization. Our active website features two interactive “social media-type” platforms where both students and active TranscribeAnywhere working transcriptionists give advice, answer questions, share job opportunities, and just give old-fashioned support and encouragement to one another. This comes as part of the course and part of your tuition. You have to work, of course, but we have a unique and connected support service that helps you as you become established in the industry — and after. You have access to all new materials that are developed, and you can access and revisit training modules any time you feel the need. Janet, Marsha, other staff members, and all the TranscribeAnywhere trained transcriptionists will help by answering questions and giving advice during and after your training.
But first, you must take the free, no obligation introductory workshop. We do not want you to invest your hard-earned money on a course that you find is not suitable for you as the tuition is nonrefundable. Also, we don’t want you to start and not finish as this leads to discouragement and a waste of your time. One must understand that you won’t become a millionaire or fabulously wealthy. But if you are willing to learn to earn and to put in the work and effort to build your business and keep at it, you can make a comfortable income, have plenty of work, and be able to do this from the convenience and comfort of your own home–by the way, the tax advantages are another plus–you can learn about that later, but for home-based proprietors, they are significant. Anyway, I look forward to you signing up for the free TranscribeAnywhere (TA) workshop and would love to have the opportunity to welcome you to our TA family. I can tell you, other than my marriage, this is the best decision that I have ever made for myself.
Now, just hit the link that will take you to the free workshop to sign up.
https://www.transcribeanywhere.com/a/2147926258/PnLxY5jT