The Five Major Markets for Your Word Processing Business

The Five Major Markets for Your Word Processing Business
by Karen S. Farina

There are basically five main markets where you can promote your home-based typing business. Within each of these markets, there are sub-specialties where you can concentrate on promoting your unique skills.

1. The Academic Market
This market covers nearly everything from typing a three-page book report for high school students to typing and/or copy-editing a textbook or manual for a college professor.

You should have excellent skills in attention to detail, accurate spelling and proofreading, punctuation and grammar.

2. Resume Typing or Writing
A resume writing business is closer to employment counseling than simply typing or updating a pre-written resume, and it can be a very lucrative stand-alone business, or one of the services you offer in addition to your particular specialty.
To successfully offer this service, you should have some experience in the field of personnel services, or as it is called today, Human Resources. You should also be familiar with several resume formats so you can suggest which will be the most beneficial for your client. In addition to creating and typing the resume, your services can include cover letters, envelopes, even data base and mail merge services if your client plans on submitting copies to several employer prospects.

3. Business and Commercial Markets
This is a wide-open area for the home-based word processor. Use your creative marketing skills and you can contract work in just a few of the sample services listed below:

* menus for small restaurants and coffee shops
* mailing lists, brochures, flyers for social or church groups, civic groups, etc.
* real estate listings and financial proposals for small real estate offices or individual brokers
* general office work or "overflow" for other small businesses
* any kind of written correspondence for the general public, including complaint letters, holiday letters, announcement letters or newsletters

4. Manuscript Typing/typing for writers
Even though most writers today have invested in their own computers or word processors, a large population of writers still contract out their manuscript processing to independent typists for a few reasons:
* they still prefer to hand write their own material then contract the typing part to a fast and experienced typist.
* some writers have invested in lower end pc's or basic word processing equipment, but haven't invested in a good letter quality printer capable of printing their final manuscript suitable for submitting to their editors.

To offer this service, you should have a high quality printer; either a letter-quality ink jet or laser printer. It is also advisable to have the two main word processing programs in your computer - WordPerfect and Microsoft Word - so you won't run into a software compatibility problem with your client. In addition, you need to know the proper format for typing manuscripts. This information is easily found at your library in an edition of Writer's Market, or online at www.writersdigest.com.

5. Medical and Legal Transcription Services
Either of these services can provide a very lucrative home-based business. You must have experience in the respective fields and it would benefit you to take courses in the terminology before entering into this market. You must also
have good transcription equipment and one or both of the major word processing programs.

Knowing what you do best, what you love the most, and what areas you have the most experience in, will help you decide which of these markets is best for you. Of course, you're not limited to just one or two of these areas; the more services you are able to offer, the more profitable your business will be. However, finding your "niche" will enable you to establish a steady base of repeat clients.

About the Author
Please feel free to this article as long as you use the following copyright notice: ©2001 Karen S Farina K & J Associates Professional Manuscript Typing and Word Processing Services Web site: kjassoc.com E-mail farinawp@earthlink.net