Thursday, March 17, 2011

How to Become a Bookkeeper

Should you be great at handling amounts and managing organized reports, you could be an outstanding bookkeeper. Bookkeepers (or accountants) retain files of expenses, profits, sales taxes collected, inventory, expense reports, etc. Every organizations must keep particular files that the state and federal government requires or that banking institutions might require if the company desires credit. Many organizations outsource this work to an accountant, and that's where you come in.

The Positive
Should you love to manage and do multiple tasks at once, you will really like this job. You will definitely have a lot to monitor and can take pride in holding neat, tidy, and accurate documents.

The Negative
There is no space for miscalculations with this job. Small businesses are counting on you to have correct documents. You'll need to stay informed about up-to-date accounting methods and get some working experience before you'll be able to charge big bucks. You may also have to manage different types of businesses, which can all have varying learning curves.

Training / Knowledge Required
You absolutely need some basic accounting and bookkeeping expertise to get going. I suggest searching for training or accreditations at local schools. Getting trained to be a CPA (certified public accountant) will significantly improve your chances of being selected.

Equipment / Resources Required
The majority of information is kept on PCs currently as opposed to filing cabinets. Ensure you own a reliable PC with plenty of storage capacity for keeping all these reports. You should buy some recent bookkeeping software, like QuickBooks, and understand how to use it. (Please note: QuickBooks costs nothing to try on the Internet.) Obtaining the proper software programs will greatly simplify your report-managing projects.

Setting
It is possible to operate this organization out of your home, though owning an office space for clientele to visit would be a plus. Get started in a home office and if the majority of your clientele want to meet you face-to-face, contemplate leasing an office.

Startup Costs
Initial expenses will include a PC or laptop, accounting or bookkeeping computer software, and some education (unless you already have these). You also have to pay for advertising and marketing, like advertisements in the phone book, fliers, business cards, etc.

Where to Begin
Speak to area chambers of commerce to investigate enterprises in the area. Find out about brand new companies and small businesses, which are the businesses likely to require the expertise you provide. Get in touch with business organizations in your area and market within their newsletters. Offer business cards whenever you can and ask satisfied customers to pass on the word.

Prospective Clientele
Your probable clientele will likely be small establishments. Big organizations are able to afford to keep a full-time accountant within the business, so they are not as likely to outsource their accounting. Therefore, target your time and energy on new and smaller organizations.

Charges
Ask for an hourly payment in exchange for your assistance. Obviously you are able to charge more money determined by your knowledge. While you're first starting out, study what other accounting services are receiving in your city.

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Wednesday, March 9, 2011

How to Become a Transcriptionist

Some medical professionals, lawyers, executives, and other professional people opt to speak their records, notes, speeches, and so on, as an alternative to writing or typing them. Whenever these professionals require their records put into writing, it can make financial sense for them to outsource this undertaking to a competent transcribing provider for short-term jobs.

The Good
If you happen to be a fast typist and you don't hate the idea of investing many hours at the computer, you can expect to enjoy this work. There is a considerable assortment of potential clientele; even small communities possess medical doctors and attorneys, and government officials and councils commonly need transcriptions of their group meetings.

The Bad
You have to be prepared to work with various kinds of audio multimedia, including cassettes, microcassettes, CDs, other electronic storage devices, and so on. This might require that you get certain specialized equipment to start. You also have to know the jargon for various fields, including healthcare, legal, or scientific phrases. You can get dictionaries and spell-checkers to help you in these fields, but that is going to be an added initial purchase.


Schooling / Abilities Required
You'll need excellent hearing, a fast typing pace, along with a determination to stay at your laptop or computer for several hours. You also have to learn about the lingo in specialized domains, however there's computer software to help you with this issue. You need to have standard computer abilities, like expertise using word processors and sending documents between you and your clients.

Equipment / Resources Needed
You need a desktop PC or laptop with desktop publishing programs. Microsoft Word is one of the most prevalent word processors, but there are actually cost-free alternatives including OpenOffice and Google Docs, that will support documents in Microsoft Word's file format.

You'll also want to invest in a high-quality transcription machine. This is a machine that will play tapes or other electronic media and that can be operated using a pedal on the floor. Should you be transcribing digital media, including sound or movies on your personal computer, you might only have to acquire some computer software and a foot pedal. The foot pedal allows you to control playback (rewind, fast forward, etc) without removing your hands from the PC's keyboard, which helps your pace and effectiveness.

You might even consider speech recognition programs on your personal computer. Speech recognition software listens to sound and converts it to written text. The text is not even close to perfect, though, and still needs to be edited by a human being.

Locale
You'll be able to operate this small business from your home as long as you have a computer, word processing software, and access to the Internet.


Beginning Costs
If you currently have a desktop computer with access to the Internet in your home, you're in a good position. You will also need a word processor. If you prefer not to buy Microsoft Word, you'll be able to make do by using a no cost alternative like OpenOffice or Google Docs.

You need to invest some money and time advertising and marketing the services you provide. You may wish to produce fliers, mail correspondence, and construct an Internet site to market your business.

You ought to purchase a transcription system which includes a foot pedal to make the most productive use of your time and energy. A quick lookup reveals numerous machines designed to use audio cassettes or microcassettes for $300-500. It may be useful, however, to wait and discover precisely what your first couple of clients are utilizing to record their audio or video. If your customers are just using electronic media, such as audio or video files on a PC, you might just need to invest in a foot pedal for your computer and some software to accompany it.

According to who your customers are, you might also choose to purchase a clinical, legal, or technical dictionary or reference publications in order to get acquainted with the jargon they will be using. You can, however, find some free dictionaries on the Internet.

How to Begin
Contact your city hall to determine if they need transcriptions of government meetings. Get in touch with local chambers of commerce to see if they have any leads or post advertisements in their publications. Submit promotions in the local newspaper and put up fliers in community facilities. Call or deliver correspondence to medical practices, law firms, and businesses in the area.

Potential Clientele
As stated before, you might obtain work from physicians, legal professionals, business executives, or government officials. When you initially get going, get work from wherever you can find it. As you obtain more clients, you can specialize in just one discipline if you want to avoid studying the intricacies of various career fields.

Charges
Some transcribing jobs may compensate you with an hourly fee while others may pay you with a particular cost per letter or line. When you are beginning, you may only have the skills to earn $10-15 per hour, but as you grow more experienced, more knowledgeable about the terminology, and swifter, you can bring in a lot more. If you can find jobs that compensate per line of text, it is possible to bring in much more by working more hours or accelerating your keyboard skills.

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