Category: Earn Extra Money

Almost 4 million Americans now work from home, and the number continues to grow. This growing number includes transcription jobs from home.

If you’re an excellent typist with a desire to work from the comfort of home, you might consider joining the ranks of transcriptionists. This job requires some specific skills and knowledge to get started, but it’s simpler than you might think.

What’s Involved in Transcription Jobs?

A transcription job involves listening to and typing out audio recordings or live events. The process involves interpreting and editing to make the transcription easier to read and understand.

The job requires certain equipment to get started. You’ll need a computer with a word-processor. You’ll also want headphones to make it easier to hear and interpret the audio.

You’ll also need audio software to download the necessary files. While it’s not required, a foot pedal proves helpful to change the speed of the audio. This equipment makes it easier to complete the transcription with less trouble.

Types of Transcribing Jobs

Transcription jobs prove necessary for every industry. This means there’s plenty of opportunities. This also means there are different types of transcription jobs available.

Transcriptionists can expect an average salary of $30,675. The full amount depends on the industry and type of transcription job you choose.

General Transcription

General transcription encompasses most types of transcribing jobs. You’re completing services from any type of audio. This includes

• Lectures
• Interviews
• Workshops
• Webinars
• Conference calls
• Dictation

Any audio recording that needs a typed transcription falls under general transcription. General transcription also includes data entry jobs, where you add data to company databases.

Legal Transcription

Legal transcriptionists deal with the legal profession. This involves knowledge of legal terms and procedures. Most companies hiring legal transcription services require someone with experience in this field.

Financial Transcription

Financial transcriptionists need knowledge of specific industries. They also need an understanding of financial reports and terminology. If you choose this transcription niche, you should choose an industry you have experience with.

Captioning

Captioning involves transcribing videos, webinars, and lectures. You offer captions for people that can’t hear the audio. This means you’re required to transcribe background and other sounds too.

Real-Time Transcription

Some transcription involves live audio. This means you can’t slow down the audio and need the ability to keep up. This means you need more than an adequate typing speed. This includes options such as court reporting.

Medical Transcription

Medical transcription requires specialized training and certification to complete. This involves a certification program or Associate’s degree. 

A medical transcriptionist deals with physician and hospital dictation. You interpret these recordings to add notes to patient records.

Finding Transcription Jobs from Home

It’s important to watch out for scams when seeking a transcription job from home. Many scams exist, and you need to look for legitimate transcription options such as transcription services online.

Many places look for someone with experience in an office setting, but this isn’t always a requirement. For medical or real-time transcription you will need specialized training and certification. Other transcription options will sometimes hire new transcriptionists though.

How to Get Started with Work from Home Transcription

Most places will require you to pass a typing test for speed and accuracy. Most look for at least 60 words per minute with minimal mistakes.

If you’re just getting started with transcription work, you might consider a basic data-entry job. This option won’t pay as much as other transcription jobs, but this will help you gain experience. 

If you start with data-entry options, you’re also more susceptible to scams. This makes it more important to check the company you plan to work with. For instance, if they insist you pay for a certification program to work for them, this gives an indication a scam’s involved.

Skills Needed for Transcription Jobs

Along with typing skills, you need organization, proofreading, and editing skills to complete your work. It’s a good idea to find programs that will help you test and increase your typing and proofreading skills.

You will also want adequate office space to increase your focus. You want to find office space that allows for privacy and quiet so you can hear the audio. Headphones will help with this endeavor.

To increase your organization, you should also create a schedule. This will help you increase productivity and stay on track. You also need to ensure that people in the home with you understand the need for uninterrupted work time.

You can also look into apps that help you shut off time-wasters during your work time. Do what you can to ensure you stay on task. The quicker you can complete the jobs, the more money you can make.

How to Find Transcribing Jobs from Home

If you already have connections in specific industries, you can use these networks to look for transcription jobs. Let your connections know you’re looking for jobs so they can let you know of opportunities.

You can also look into companies hiring transcriptionists. Many online services seek new transcriptionists to complete jobs for their companies. You can also look into websites with job listings.

For basic data-entry jobs, microtask sites usually offer the best opportunities. These websites usually pay the least but will help you get started. Freelance bidding sites also allow you to find data-entry and other transcription jobs.

Do your research before agreeing to work with a company. If they ask you to pay a fee to work with them, you should steer clear. The only fee you should consider involves the specialized equipment to do the job.

Evaluating Work from Home Options

Do transcription jobs from home sound like a perfect opportunity for you? Or do you need something a little different? You want to make sure you choose an option that works with your strengths.

Would you like to look at your other work from home options? Whatever choice you make, you want to ensure you get the most out of your options. Check out our other work from home options and tips to help you choose.

While the idea does seem romantic, you don’t have to sequester yourself alone in a cabin near a secluded lake without wifi to write your book.

You can write and make extra money while working a full-time job, studying, being a stay-at-home parent, or some combination of all those things.

Read on for some bite-size tips for how to write a book in your spare time!

1. Use Your Free Time Wisely

The key to writing a book in your spare time is to break down your writing process into bite-size chunks.

One of your first steps should be to create a list of tasks that will take an hour or less to complete. When time presents itself, take a task and do the most you can to complete it.

That’s how you’ll join the over 280,000 employed authors in the United States.

2. Decide What Your Book Will Be About

What is your book about? Is it a novel or nonfiction, about business or longevity tools? Parenting or fitness? Food or romance?

No matter what the subject, one of the most important steps to writing a book is by writing down in one sentence what the purpose of your book is. Ask yourself these questions to help prompt your answer:

• Who will benefit from reading my book?
• What problems could my book solve?
• How will my book add value to the readers’ lives?

Answering these questions will help you to set a clear path forward in your writing process and give you the motivation to keep going when times get tough.

3. Create a Daily Writing Time and Place

Consider your schedule. Maybe you have regular, scheduled breaks throughout the day. Or maybe you have free time only occasionally and unpredictably. 

No matter what your schedule, one of the keys to writing success is to create a space in your day where nothing can interrupt you from writing. 

That may mean waking up early to have an hour alone, or staying up an hour later. It doesn’t matter what time of day, but it does need to be regular, planned, and kept to.

It’s also essential to decide on your writing space. Office? Kitchen table? Coffee Shop? It doesn’t matter, but it should have everything you need and be in an environment that inspires and focuses.

4. How to Write a Book: Ask For Help and Feedback

While single-handedly conquering the world sounds nice, it’s not possible. And neither is writing a book by yourself.

Get over the fact that you’ll need to ask for help, and do it early.

If you’re a parent, you may need to enlist the help of babysitters, spouses, or other family members to help care for kids when you need extra help.

Ask trusted friends or professionals for feedback on your writing.

The help you get will only enable you to create a better work of art. So just ask.

Now What?

Now that you know the top tips on how to write a book in your free time, all that’s left to do is get started. 

Don’t wait. If you want to become an author, it’s time to begin!

Read Next: Gain Success Off of Self-Published Books: 8 Publishing Tips for Moms

Being an entrepreneur is one of the most rewarding experiences you can chase after.

There’s a reason why the United States has over 15 million entrepreneurs as of 2015.

But, not everyone who wishes to run their own business has the luxury of being able to work out of their own home. There comes a time where you’re going to have to pack it up and find a space of your own.

Since having a massive budget isn’t common for most startups, it can be difficult to find a place to set up shop. But, there are plenty of ways to find cheap or even free office space for your company.

Not sure where to start? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.

Let’s take a look at everything you need to know.

Co-Work Space

Joining a co-work space is one of the most beneficial things you can do as an entrepreneur if you’re looking for somewhere out of home to conduct business. While you’ll have to pay a monthly rent to join, the price is nothing compared to what you’d be paying in rent for conventional office space. 

You also get the added benefit of sharing the space with other like-minded entrepreneurs who you form a mutually beneficial relationship with.

In some cases, you may even meet the perfect business partner at one of these locations.  

Share With Another Business

Rent’s often not cheap, especially if you live in a larger city. 

But, a great way to save some cash (which is always a good idea when running a startup) is to share rented office space with another business. 

While the ideal scenario is to have two people sharing one space, it’s possible for separate businesses to function if there is enough square footage to do so.

The type of business is flexible, too, as long as it’s not a competitor. For example, a financial advisor could search for therapy rooms to rent in order to share space and save some money.

If you know anyone who you feel would like to split the rent, make sure you reach out to them. You’ll never know if you don’t ask. 

Check For Locations That Have Been Vacant

This is an option that people often forego due to simply being unaware that they can take advantage of properties that have been empty for an extended period of time.

Whether it’s the empty building you drive past every day when going to lunch or property you’ve seen in ads for months, chances are the property owner is ready to compromise.

So, it shouldn’t be too difficult to contact the owner and get a good deal for a lease on office space. The longer it’s been vacant, the more money you’ll be able to save.

Finding Free Office Space Can Seem Difficult

But it doesn’t have to be.

With the above information in mind, you’ll be well on your way to finding cheap or free office space that’ll allow you to get things up and running in no time.

Want to learn more about how to save money? Make sure to check out the budgeting section of our blog!

Home-based businesses are on the rise! eCommerce is currently valued at over $3.3 trillion, globally. A lot of entrepreneurs are starting their own home-based businesses, looking to capitalize on the trend.

Traditional business is evolving, as well. Only 32% of employees work in a traditional workplace full-time at this point. Even regular employees are working from home, thanks to the expanded possibilities of digital technology.

Working from home brings its own set of challenges, however. Yes, you can make money in your PJs. It also requires finding the best work-life balance along the way.

Whether you’re an entrepreneur running your business or a remote employee, here are some ideas on how to keep a clean house while working from home.

How To Keep A Clean House When Working From Home

Entrepreneurs are often overwhelmed. Business owners report only spending 32% of their time working on their business. The rest of the time is spent playing catch-up and doing busy work.

This only gets more severe when you have to keep a clean house on top of your daily activities.

Here are some tips for staying organized and productive while maintaining a clean house.

Perfect Is The Enemy Of The Good

Too often, our perfectionism prevents us from even getting started. You think of the big picture, with all of the little details and tiny tasks that need to be done, and you get overwhelmed.

You need to flip that script if you want to live in a perfectly clean house. Focus on the little things that you can do throughout your day, like bussing dirty dishes into the kitchen when you’re headed that way.

At the end of the day, your house will be nearly clean already. Then you only have to worry about tidying up.

Create A Cleaning Schedule… and Stick To It

You should try and make a schedule for the big cleaning tasks that need to happen regularly, like vacuuming or washing the linens. If you don’t end up getting to that task that day, wait until next week.

The stress of living with a little dust is much less than running around frantically, trying to do it all. Plus, letting something go for a week really lets you see why it’s important to clean regularly.

Tweak Accordingly

Experimentation is the key to every kind of success. It’s the cornerstone of the scientific method — form a hypothesis, test it out, and adjust accordingly.

Not only should you make a list of your daily duties, but you should also make a list of your dreams and goals. Maybe it could be having streak-free windows 24/7, or being able to cook meals at home more regularly.

Once a month or so, check in with your goals and see how you’re measuring up. Maybe you HAVE kept those windows clean for a whole month. You’ll feel invigorated as you’re making your list in the bright, clear morning light.

Of course, if you want a perfectly clean home every time, you can always hire a top-notch cleaning service like AspenClean!

Want More Business Tips?

There’s never been a more exciting time to be an entrepreneur. There are so many options, already, and whole new industries are developing every single day.

Whether you’re looking for tips on how to keep a clean house or how to balance your payroll, we have everything you need to help your startup thrive. Browse our business articles today and get inspired.

Small-sample polls have indicated that between 5 and 14 percent of Americans currently own cryptocurrency.

But, these same polls also show that as many as 21 percent of US residents are considering trading in cryptocurrency in the future. After all, investing is a great way to make money from home and virtual currencies like Bitcoin are said to be the future.

If you’re considering getting into the cryptocurrency business but aren’t sure where to start, here are 10 great cryptocurrency trading tips.

1. Do Your Research

If cryptocurrency is a whole new world for you, you need to learn to walk before you can run.

That means starting with the basics, such as learning how to purchase and store cryptocurrency. Coinbase and Kucoin are beginner-friendly purchase sites that are easy to use if you’re wondering where to trade cryptocurrency.

But, before you start trading, get to grips with basic cryptocurrency theory. That means familiarizing yourself with all the trading terms and understand spread and depth charts. And, always make a point of tracking cryptocurrency news every day.

Then, when you feel ready, a crypto trading bot can help you maximize your potential and put all your research to good use.

2. Only Invest What You Can Lose

The most important advice for any cryptocurrency trader is to never ever invest more than you can afford to lose.

Consider any money you’ve converted into cryptocurrency as lost forever. There are no guarantees when trading cryptocurrency. And, losses don’t just come from market dips. Changes in government regulations, bugs and hackers can all result in watching your money disappear.

If you can’t handle that worst-case scenario then it’s time to reconsider your maximum investment amount.

3. Follow Bitcoin News

When it comes to cryptocurrency you have Bitcoin, and then you have altcoins, which are all other types of cryptocurrency, such as Ethereum and Litecoin.

Most altcoins are traded according to the current Bitcoin value. When Bitcoin goes up in value, altcoins tend to lose value. But, if Bitcoin prices dip, altcoin prices can suffer as people revert back to physical, or fiat, money.

The best times for altcoin growth are when Bitcoin value remains steady, or sees organic growth or decline.

4. Diversify

You wouldn’t head to Vegas and put all your money on the black, and trading cryptocurrency is no different.

While your earning potential increases with the amount you invest in one type of coin, you also have more potential to lose. Divide and conquer to reap bigger benefits across the whole cryptocurrency market.

For example, Bitcoin might be the most famous cryptocurrency but between January 2016 and January 2018, its value increased by 34 times. Pretty good huh? Well, not when you consider than Corgicoin’s value increased by 60,000 times during that same period.

5. Justify Every Trade

One of the key rules when it comes to learning how to trade crypto is to always have a clear strategy in mind.

Rely on your research to ensure that you justify every trade with sound analysis. As a beginner, you’re a small fish in a big pond full of whales waiting for you to make a wrong move. For every gain, someone else loses, so don’t trade if you’re not convinced about your strategy.

6. Know When to Take Some Profit

When you start riding a profit wave, it can be too exhilarating to let go. But, no one ever lost money by cashing in on a little profit on the way.

For example, if a coin’s value increases by 30 percent, consider taking some profit, even if your goal was a 40 or 50-percent increase.

Leave it too long and you run the risk of losing profit you had in the bag, or even turning that profit into a loss. Play it smart this way helps protect your original investment and keep a steady stream of profit coming in.

7. Consider the Bigger Picture

As learn how to trade cryptocurrency, you’ll realize that some coins have more staying power than others.

Place these into medium or long-term holds and don’t even consider panic-selling if their progress isn’t linear.

BNB is a good example of a good long-hold coin. It may have dipped by 20 percent for a period, but its value increased by threefold soon after.

8. Set Stop Losses

For any coins that aren’t in your medium or long-term holds, always set a point of acceptable loss. If their value starts to dip, this is when you sell to avoid more loss.

As well as helping to mitigate your losses, deciding on your point of acceptable loss means you now have a reference point to judge future trades.

9. Don’t Believe the Hype

Everyone loves a freebie. But, be cautious of getting caught up in the hype of free ‘advice’ when it comes to cryptocurrency.

People will often pump up the value of a coin by praising it on social media. This results in mass FOMO and an increased interest in that coin, meaning the pumpers can dump it on eager buyers for a higher price.

Cryptocurrency is volatile, but a sudden increase in value often evens out. Non-organic pumps are often followed by dips so keep your FOMO in check and stay cautious.

10. Learn from Your Mistakes

As with anything in life, it’s inevitable that you’ll make mistakes when trading cryptocurrency.

But, don’t let these losses discourage you. Evaluate the situation and try to understand what happened. Maybe you sold too early out of fear, or perhaps you held on too long riding that profit wave.

Wherever you went wrong, learning from your mistakes will make you a better cryptocurrency trader in the end.

Thrive in the Cryptocurrency Business

As these tips show, thriving in the cryptocurrency business takes a lot of research and careful planning.

But, if you’re willing to take the risk, you could become the next cryptocurrency success story, or at least make a tidy profit in your spare time.

Of course, trading cryptocurrency is just one of many ways to make money. Check out my other blog posts for more thrifty business inspiration!