Tips and Suggestions for the Home-Based Secretarial Business

Getting Started

If you are currently working, DO NOT QUIT YOUR JOB!

• Obtaining enough clients to work your home-based secretarial business could take years to establish. Clients will come and go and some will be with you for years to come. Most secretaries will find that they will need to work another job to help supplement their new home-based business. Many have elected to sign-up with several employment agencies to keep busy. Consider starting your home-based business on a part-time basis.

Mark the territory for your home/office work space!

• If you have the choice of where your business will be located, allow for separation from children and family activities. You will want to conduct your business and do the work without family interruptions. A room with a door is ideal but not always available.

Purchase a computer.

• It's the advent of the computer that made it possible for secretaries to work from home. These secretaries can offer more services than in the days of the typewriter alone. Keep your computer updated with the latest versions of software and offer your skills to the public.

Set your work hours.

• Be sure to set your work hours and stick with them. Remind your customers often otherwise, you will find the customer wanting you to work at all hours. You might find yourself working longer than your set hours, but do not let the customer know of your extended work time.

Have another telephone line installed for your business.

• To keep it sounding professional, use a separate telephone line for business calls. Don't allow the children to answer this phone. Connect an answering machine for incoming messages, and when you cannot answer it, the outgoing message should suggest you are on another line or away from the telephone.

Worried about print quality from your printer?

• Print-out samples to show your customer. This way, the customer will not be surprised when they see the final product. Just because you do not own a laser printer does not mean you cannot offer word processing services. It is true that the customer is expecting a good quality, printed product in return, so show the customer (ahead of time) what the project will look like when completed. As you complete a project, print an additional sample for your portfolio.

Prepare an invoice for each project.

• You can purchase invoice or sale receipt books from your local stationery store. Look for the invoice books that have three copies per page. Usually you will find them with the white/yellow/pink combination. The white page is for the customer (give the invoice to the customer upon completion of the work project), the yellow page is for your files, and the pink copy is extra, for use with lost invoices or for collecting should the customer fail to pay the invoice at a later date.

Bid for the work order but don't quote a price for the finished product.

• Many callers will be concerned about pricing. When bidding a project, quote hourly or page rates, not totals to complete the project. You will need to see the project first. The customer might estimate the number of pages in error that actually need to be typed, unknowingly. You might find there are twelve pages of typing instead of the ten pages mentioned by the customer on the telephone. The format of the project might also be more difficult than a regular letter, putting into play a higher price per hour or page rate.

Know the estimated cost for your print ribbons and ink cartridges.

• Many secretaries are shocked to find that their pages are costing 25 to 50 cents per page, just in ink alone. Upon placing a new ribbon or ink cartridge in your printer, place a sticky note, on the printer, and place a mark on the sticky note each time a page is printed (it does not matter if you print a lot or a little, per page). If you have an extra large project that uses lots of ink...you will need to take this into consideration. Try to get an average of how many pages your print ribbons or ink cartridges produce. Knowing this will help you to better price your services and the customer will really appreciate it!

Have available a nice selection of papers to select from.

• Turn a spare closet into a storage area for selected papers and card stock. As you add more services to your service list, you will find a need for other types of papers (resume stock, card stock, labels, etc.). Have a good selection and save yourself a trip or two to the paper store when trying to complete a project.

The format of your business letters should look like those in the secretarial handbook!

• Most customers will not ask for a particular format when you take on a project. However, to keep the customer from complaining or not returning with future projects, you will want to keep your letters looking as professional as possible! It's your job, as the secretary, to make your customers look as professional as possible.

The Legal Aspects

Check the county clerks office or secretary of state, when naming your business, to ensure that the name has not been claimed by someone else.

• Many states will not allow two businesses with the same name. Business names are kept on databases and easily checked. If the name you choose has not been taken, file a fictitious business name statement. If you use your own name as the business name, such as John Adams and Associates, registration is still required if someone else is using the same name.

Local, state, and federal governments are becoming more supportive of home-based businesses.

• If you haven't already done so, legalize your business by getting the proper licenses and permits. Check with your county clerk's office or secretary of state to find out what the laws are in your area for running a business from home.

Estimated Taxes

• When self-employed, you will probably have to pay estimated taxes (check with your tax preparer or local tax office). When you get paid, remember to set aside money for taxes, including self-employment taxes.

For HSS Members

One name and telephone number is given as a referral, from the HSS office, in most cases.

• Often a customer will call-in and ask about pricing. If this is the case, we will give out more than one name and telephone number for the customer to check around for pricing. Be sure to have your price list available.

Be sure to visit the HSS online message boards at Yahoo! Groups: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/homesecretaries/ Read and Post messages from other home-based secretaries. Vote in the HSS polls.

Resume Writing

Encourage your customer to return to your services the next time they need a resume.

• Place the completed resume in a folder (manila or colored folder) and staple your business card on the inside of the folder. Write on the folder or on a label and place below your business cards these words "Your resume is saved to a computer diskette for future up-dating." "Ref# (your reference number)" Place the customers name on the tab of the folder. The customer will probably place this folder in their own file. The next time the customer needs to update their resume, they will find your card and call you.

Advertising

If you are not currently working on a project, you should be producing some kind of advertising.

• In your home-based business, no one knows who you are and what you do... so, you will need to be continually working on some kind of advertising efforts, whether designing a new flyer, hanging up notices, calling around for pricing to place ads, or sending out letters via direct mail soliciting. Join as many secretarial service networks as you can. All businesses advertise and some you will see more than others. Stay within your budget, and do not stop telling folks about your business. It's a continuous thing!

Find out how your advertising dollars are working by asking the client how they heard about you.

• If you spend any money on advertising, you should know if it is working for you. Always ask the customer how they heard about you...from your yellow page advertising?; or your internet advertising?; did they see your recent flyer? You will not know unless you ask.

Send year-end holiday cards to remind your clients you are still in business!

• Send holiday cards to all the clients you worked for over the last year or two to wish them happy holidays. The card alone will remind them that you are still in business and ready to take on work.

Secretaries are encouraged to advertise on their own!

• The home-based secretary cannot get enough advertising out there. You will find that you cannot depend on one ad alone. Some local yellow page advertising companies will place a "free" one-line ad for your company just by letting them know you are there. Call your local yellow page advertiser and inquire about your free listing.

Services to Offer

Form Fill-ins

• Don't throw that old typewriter away! A large number of customers are requesting the referral of a secretary who can type form fill-ins. Form fill-ins are typing projects such as applications. The secretary will have to know how to type within the lines, accurately. This is not easy! Lots of corrections and large blotches of correction fluid are not acceptable! When a secretary becomes skilled with this service, the secretary will find no shortage of work projects.

No home office is complete without a fax machine.

• With a stand-alone fax machine and a separate telephone line, you can offer a service of sending and receiving facsimiles (fax). Give your friends, neighbors and clients your fax telephone number and tell them to use your fax number the next time they need to send or receive a fax. Allow them to print the fax number on their own business cards. Tell them you will call them when they receive a fax at your office, and that your machine is available to receive 24 hours a day. And, that the fax is available to pick-up during your open hours!

Mailing Labels

• Creating mailing lists and labels are fun and a rewarding service to offer. All you need is a database program, a printer and some labels. A great way to learn how to create them is to place your own address book on a database and print the labels. When you can print your own labels, you are ready to offer this service. Start now and create a list for the coming holidays. Don't forget to put all your clients on a database as you work with them. This database will allow you to send your customers reminders easily, that you are still in business!

Menues and Tabletop Advertisements

• Restaurants and Coffee Shops are often on a tight budget. If you can put together some fine examples of menues and tabletop advertisers, you may find yourself with some regular clients. Take your samples with you when you dine out. Place your tabletop advertisers in a clear, small, plastic stand (found in plastic shops) to show the manager. Leave your business card even if they are not interested in the examples.

Top of Page

Tax Notes

California income tax forms and publications can now be downloaded online at: http://www.ftb.ca.gov.

• Filing electronically (e-file) is fast and reliable. Millions of people e-filed their 1997 tax return. Ask your tax preparer or check your on-line filing tax software for an e-file option.
• Call Fast Answers about State Taxes, the automated, toll-free phone service to order California tax forms and selected federal forms. To place your order:
  • Call (800) 338-0505;
  • Select personal income tax forms requests; and
  • Enter code 900 for a California Resident Personal Income Tax Booklet (Please allow two weeks to receive your order).

A retirement plan for business owners can be a great tax benefit.

• Sole proprietors, partners, and corporations can participate in a variety of retirement plans. As a business owner, you can deduct contributions to your qualified plan.

Health Notes

Are your feet able to touch the floor?

• According to Apple Computer, Inc.: for correct posture, your computer chair should allow you to touch your feet completely to the floor. This will allow for better support of your back, during those long stays at the computer.

Are you viewing your computer monitor at the right height?

• The top of the computer screen should be at eye level. This level will prevent back and neck strain.

Amazing how time flies!

• We are all aware of how fast time goes by when we are on the computer! Be sure to take breaks from the computer. Give your eyes a rest!

Web Editing Tips

Set the background color on your web pages to match the background picture or texture color.

• If you have a background picture or texture for your pages, set the background color to match, as closely as possible. Often on slower modems, a page will load with the set background color first, before displaying the background picture or texture. This will set the mood for the design of the page.

After you have designed your web page, submit your URL (web site address) to the many search engines on the internet.

• A great way to get people to visit your site is to let them know how to get there. This will take some advertising. A good place to start is to list with the search engines that are on the internet. Many will list your URL for free! You can get a listing of the many search engines by typing "search engine" in the search area of sites such as Yahoo! or WebCrawler. Look for the "Submit Your URL" button.