Getting started with a business, even a tiny one-person operation, involves a lot of learning.

Often, you’re making a career switch that puts you in entirely unknown territory.

And there are loads of people out there trying to sell you on their brand of snake oil.

They’re telling you that you need a blog, you need a twitter account, you need to produce video, you need infographics, you need this magical system that will manifest clients with gold-lined pockets.

It’s really easy to get paralyzed by all of the possibilities. It’s really easy to end up doing nothing as a result.

If you want to be a freelancer, you’re going to have to get used to the fact that you are the head of all departments in your business. You’re the marketer, you’re the creative director, you’re the sales manager. Oh, and you also have to do work for clients.

But you don’t have to succumb to the idea that you have to do everysinglethingrightnow.

I want to share with you some things I’ve learned about keeping a cap on the crazy in my work life.

Do One Thing at a Time

The idea that multitasking is productive has been thoroughly demolished. Humans need to concentrate to do something really well. If you’re trying to do more than one thing at a time, your creative energy is definitely leaving out the back door.  You’ve got to turn some stuff off.

Pick a Few Marketing Channels, and Forget the Rest

You do not have to be on top of every self-promotion trend. No, really, you don’t. My main channels are email, in-person networking, and the telephone. Yes, these are decidedly old-school. But you know what? They are proven techniques that get me clients. That’s right, I mainly use Twitter to post pictures of my cats.

Find a Work Process that Works for You

Take a really close inventory of your daily rhythms and routines. Note your high-points and low-points. Many of us have been so conditioned by the standard workday, that we have no idea what our natural rhythms are.  If you find you are an early bird, don’t try to schedule your work time at midnight, because you’ll too easily ditch it to get to bed. Set yourself up for success instead.

I personally need lots of routine in my life to get anything done. And I’ve set everything up so that my work process supports that need.

Developing a real work process is part of demonstrating to yourself and the world that your work is serious. If you want to get stuff done, start here.

Whittle Down Your Reading to a Trusted Resource List

You have to carefully choose whose advice you’re going to follow. If you try to follow every guru in the blogosphere, you’re going to get stuck. (Trust me on that.) Pick a program and work it. My own trusted advisers are Mary Jaksch of A-List Blogging Bootcamps and Carol Tice of Freelance Writer’s Den.  I do read other people, of course, but I don’t really follow other people.  Find your trusted resources and stick with them so you get somewhere.

Once you stop the information surplus you’ve been subjecting yourself to, you’ll find some clarity and focus. When you have clarity and focus, you’ll be able to make real progress on your business.

What’s your experience with this? Have you kicked overload’s butt, or are you still struggling? Please share in the comments below.

Photo Credit: Don Foy

Start your business today. It isn't as hard as it seems!

You will learn to:

• Conquer your fears by setting up you very own business (the easy way!)
• Save on your taxes by incorporating the right way
• Get started on the right foot with a business bank account

Just enter your email below to get your free copy of the eBook The Freelance's Guide To Starting A Business - The Easy Way

I need someone to tell me how to work, how to live, how to be happy.

They say that the road to recovery depends on being honest, and that is why I am here confessing that I have a problem.

I’m addicted to info-products and books.

In theory, I’ve been buying all of this stuff to help me make my business better. In reality, buying the book or product has all too often been a substitute for action.

And there is no substitute for action.

Obviously, since you’re here reading this, I have managed to get some stuff done. As a matter of fact, the past year has involved a lot of growth and change for me and the way I do business.

But what if I had channeled more of my fear and uncertainty into doing instead of buying?

Where would I be now?

There is no way to know that, of course. The time is gone, and the money I spent is gone too.

What I can do is make a plan for how I want to deal with unpleasant fears in the future. Here’s my plan – I’m sharing it with you to help me stay honest and keep my focus on action instead of fear.

Be Mindful of My Purchases

For me this means making it harder to make impulse buys. I’ve made an agreement with my husband to discuss all non-essential purchases. This puts some brakes on my actions and means that there is a built-in waiting period before buying.

Write When I Feel Like Buying

I’m always griping about how I don’t have time to write, but mostly I think this is bullshit. It’s a little bit scary to make this commitment, because it almost certainly means confronting  some nasty feelings head on. What I can say though, is that avoiding these feelings has not been working for me.

Stay on a Budget

I’ve done budgeting before and fell of the wagon — which led to ruin. This time, I’m going to go the full monty with an envelope system. I hope that by making what I spend very tangible, it will give me time to pause before I buy another goddamn book. Not to mention that it is pretty hard to spend cash online.

Reduce Overwhelm

This past year has been thrilling and … exhausting. I need to create more focus and flow for my work-life. I’m working on productive daily routines and building a super-solid sales process to level out some of those crazy freelancing ups and downs. Hopefully when I’ve got my own system hammered out, I won’t be so desperate for someone else to tell me what to do!

So there it is, in black and white. I know my experience with e-books and guru-products is not unique among people trying to start up a blog or business. Have you ever fallen into this trap? I’d love to hear from other folks struggling with info-overload!

Photo Credit: D Sharon Pruitt

Start your business today. It isn't as hard as it seems!

You will learn to:

• Conquer your fears by setting up you very own business (the easy way!)
• Save on your taxes by incorporating the right way
• Get started on the right foot with a business bank account

Just enter your email below to get your free copy of the eBook The Freelance's Guide To Starting A Business - The Easy Way

How will he ever push that rock?

I happen to be the biggest worrier I know. I was aware of the problems this trait might pose before I started my own business. However, I plunged in head first, determined to take whatever life and business had to offer. Unsurprisingly, the world of self-employment tested my limits immediately, and can still knock me around now. In fact, I had little choice to accept that dealing with fear and worry was just as much a part of business as dealing with taxes. Tweet this

I might be a little on the extreme side, but I don’t think I’m unusual.

Many people, self-employed or otherwise, at one time or another, fall into a type of thinking known as “Magnification” or “Catastrophizing”:

Focusing on the worst possible outcome, however unlikely, or thinking that a situation is unbearable when it is really just uncomfortable.

This is one of the ten thought “distortions” taught in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.

Sometimes there are serious risks, but what many people do is minimize the risks – sometimes ignoring real issues that should be cause for concern. A preferable alternative for those who don’t automatically minimize perceived risk, is to cut off the worrying, then take deliberate steps to eliminate as much real risk as possible.

What is real risk? It’s not what will possibly happen. That is virtually anything. Real risk concerns itself with what will probably happen. You can take specific action to deal with real risk.

You see ominous grey clouds.

• What’s possible? Hippos falling from the sky (anything is possible and you can’t prevent anything)
• What’s probable? Rain falling from the sky (take an umbrella to stay dry)

My tendency is to take anything that arouses fear and anxiety and think about it until driven to distraction. Sometimes I don’t realize I’m doing this until it’s too late. After I have spent thirty minutes drilling down into how the loss of one client is the beginning of an inevitable fall into poverty and homelessness, it takes a while to get motivated again. Something like this can kill an entire day. You might think that a fear of homelessness would cause me to work harder, but it actually causes me to freeze up entirely – dear caught in the headlights.

I have a strategy to deal with this type of anxiety and worry.

Are you ready for what it’s called?

Okay…

It’s called “nothing”.

Or at least it looks like nothing. Actually, what I do is give my brain a “timeout”, just like the kind my kids sometimes get. I basically say to myself, “Okay brain, you don’t handle this worry stuff very well, and there is a whole bunch of it at the moment. So instead of your usual flailing about, go on ahead and just take a seat on the bench for a little while.”

You may have been expecting me to add “Of course, I don’t say this out loud”, but sometimes I do say it out loud. The point is that I want to stop the dizzying thoughts that are bombarding me. Saying that little command out loud isn’t just another thought. It activates my sense of hearing. That means I to think about the sound of my words, even if the thought is “I can’t believe I have to do this ridiculous stuff”.

It’s abrupt and it forces me change course.

If I did nothing else, it wouldn’t work. When you give your brain (really just the part that does the worrying) a timeout, then you have to do something else. In my case, I do something physical. Sometimes I do yard work. Sometimes I clean around the house or take on a project that I have been meaning to do, but just didn’t get to yet. For instance, I resurfaced the driveway this weekend instead of worrying. The attention I must give to the physical task at hand is what replaces the worry. This gives me a break before I take on the next mental task – what to actually do about what I stopped my brain from worrying about.

When dealing with real risk, instead of either magnifying it (and getting scared to death) or minimizing it (and acting foolishly), seek to eliminate the unknown. Learn as much about what is real as possible. This means getting very specific about what you are afraid of. Then devise strategies to prepare for the actual amount of risk you face. The enemy of fear is knowledge. Tweet this

It’s good for mental health and success in business.

This is the time to make plans and think strategically. You don’t want to make plans while you are actively worrying about something. That’s the worst time for problem-solving. Instead of solving the problem, you are more likely to do whatever it takes to make the problem go away. That’s why I give my brain a timeout and do something else for a while.

One of the things I decided to do was “make a flow chart based on copywriting book”. This addressed one of my concerns. Another action item was “Email Mary”. These are simple things that can be done and they were both better than worrying, and neither would have occurred to me, or seemed useful, had I not given myself a mental timeout.

How do you deal with stress and anxiety? Tell me in the comments section.

Start your business today. It isn't as hard as it seems!

You will learn to:

• Conquer your fears by setting up you very own business (the easy way!)
• Save on your taxes by incorporating the right way
• Get started on the right foot with a business bank account

Just enter your email below to get your free copy of the eBook The Freelance's Guide To Starting A Business - The Easy Way

The trick is talking to people!

Many freelancers place ads in the yellow pages, newspapers, and on the web, then wait for the business to come rolling in. This might work, but as you probably know, it’s very unreliable. On some days you might get four calls. Or you might go an entire week without any calls. Is there anything you can do to really kickstart your cashflow?

There really is a shortcut to getting more business. It’s so obvious, that almost everyone takes it for granted. You can nurture new clients whenever you want – just going about your day.

The most effective thing you can do as a freelancer is to go out and talk to other business owners.

When I started my first business I received this advice from my business coach and I was extremely resistant. I thought it would be scary and that I would be perceived as just another slimy sales person. The first time I did it was just as an experiment – just to see if I could do it. I’ll be honest, it didn’t go very well. However, within a week, I got used to the process, and I started getting new clients almost immediately.

Here is the key to making this work: You aren’t trying to sell anything. You simply want to talk to other business owners about their business and what needs they have. You should ask questions and then listen. Don’t do a lot of talking. You want to learn as much about the business owner’s needs as possible.

Eventually, once you have a good understanding of the business owner’s concerns, you can suggest how the services you provide may be able to help. However, don’t start by saying “I could do this or that”.

Instead suggest “This or that might work”.

It might take several suggestions, but when you come up with something the owner seems interested in; use his interest as an opportunity to transition to doing business.

You can say “I could put you in touch you someone I know who could do the work”. Then briefly pause and say “Actually, my business has helped some clients with that in the past. I could probably do it”.

This is very low key. You aren’t applying pressure.

The scenario I described above may, in reality, happen over the course of a few conversations. This is what you want. You want to build rapport. This disarms the business owner. By the time you get around to talking business, it will seem like a favor (that you get paid to do!), instead of a hard sell. My wife and I did this hundreds of times are we have been amazed at how effective it is.

Instead of endlessly debating the perfect text for a newspaper ad, we simply talk to people. 

Which businesses should you approach?

This depends on the type of work you do, of course. Generally, you should approach business owners you already know and where you are spending money.

Why does this work?

• If you spend money at the owner’s business, they are predisposed to trust you because you are familiar. Plus, they appreciate all the business you’ve given them.
• You are expressing interest in their livelihood. It’s quite likely that you are the only person the business owner has talked to in weeks or months who has expressed an interest in his or her needs.
• You are offering ideas for how to help their business. No else is doing this.

Start your business today. It isn't as hard as it seems!

You will learn to:

• Conquer your fears by setting up you very own business (the easy way!)
• Save on your taxes by incorporating the right way
• Get started on the right foot with a business bank account

Just enter your email below to get your free copy of the eBook The Freelance's Guide To Starting A Business - The Easy Way

He just gave her an awesome referral!

You must be proactive in your pursuit of referrals. You can’t simply ask for referrals and then wait for an avalanche of new business. You will most likely be waiting for a long time, while everyone else has already forgotten. Don’t feel bad. People are busy. Your friends probably want to help, but they may not know how, particularly if they have never given a referral before (which is likely).

Do the following to maximize your referrals:

1. Make a list of everyone you know (friends, family, clients): Don’t leave out anybody. Don’t assume that one person or another may not know anyone. You have no idea. Plus, even if they don’t know anyone today, that doesn’t mean they won’t meet someone the following week.
2. Call or meet with each person on your list: Explain that what your business does and tell them you’d like to meet with a few business owners to see if you might be able to help them. It is important to be low key. The people on your list are your friends. If you want them to help you, be sure to take a casual approach.
3. Jog their memory: It is likely that when you initially talk to people, they won’t be able to think of anyone. This is normal, so you need to go one extra step. In order to jog the memory of the people on your list, you need to see the list of the people they know. Ask if they wouldn’t mind reviewing their contact list for people who might need your services.
4. Place a call now: When you find someone on their contact list, ask if they wouldn’t mind placing a call right now. You may be able to book appointments right on the spot.
5. Offer a free consultation: Help make the phone call easier for you contact by telling them you wish to offer a free consultation. Your first goal is to talk to the business owner. That is all you are trying to do with the referral. Once you are talking to your prospective client you can shift the conversation toward doing business.

Keep a list of everyone you meet and who referred you. When you first talk to business owners, you will likely begin by discussing how you both know the person who made the referral. You may trust that you’ll always remember who made the referral, but after you get a couple dozen referrals, it is very easy to forget.

Why you may not want to try this approach:

You probably think it’s too forward or too aggressive. Perhaps the idea of asking your friends to review their contact list seems invasive. Or maybe you are worried you won’t be able to do it, or that it simply won’t work.

Why you should do it anyway:

• This approach is aggressive only if you act aggressive. Be casual and low-key. Don’t force anything on anyone. Remember, these are your friends. Not only should you always treat them respect, but they want you to succeed. They simply need a little guidance in how to help you. Plus, you aren’t asking your friends to sell anything. In fact, you are giving something away for free – your valuable time and expert advice in a free consultation.
• Asking to review someone else’s contact list is invasive if you don’t know the person, or if you nag them about it. You are asking for permission. It is a suggestion in order to jog their memory. If they say no, then you should simply accept it.
• If you fear that you can’t go through the process of asking and getting referrals, consider the alternative: you have no business. Keep in mind, you can make mistakes. You can even apologize to your friends if you feel the conversation didn’t go well.
• If you believe the process won’t work, you have two choices: either do nothing, or try it and find out for yourself. If you don’t try this approach to getting referrals, you won’t get any new business. If you try and it doesn’t work, then you won’t get any new business. At least you gained experience. On the other hand, what if you get in touch with the people on your list and get 10 new clients, each paying $2000 for your services? You won’t know if you don’t try.

Start your business today. It isn't as hard as it seems!

You will learn to:

• Conquer your fears by setting up you very own business (the easy way!)
• Save on your taxes by incorporating the right way
• Get started on the right foot with a business bank account

Just enter your email below to get your free copy of the eBook The Freelance's Guide To Starting A Business - The Easy Way

When you research hobby-based businesses, you might begin to feel a little discouraged. I know I did back in 1998 when I was thinking about starting a business selling t-shirts with wacky retro illustrations and “funny” sayings. Big mistake on my part. I checked out the sites back then and they seemed to be far more established and professional than anything I could do. Starting a business online was harder in the late nineties. However, I shouldn’t have given up so quickly because now millions of dollars are being made selling wacky t-shirts.

You may be similarly tempted to get discouraged when you see the competition. Here are 7 reasons why you shouldn’t be discouraged when you find other business doing what you want to do.

1. Every business takes time to grow: Some of the businesses I have examined below are well-established businesses. You won’t be able to start your hobby-based business and immediately dominate the industry. You will have to start small and build.

2. Every business requires knowledge (and you may already have it!): Most hobby-based businesses reflect a high degree of knowledge and familiarity with the subject. This is to be expected. No matter what type of business you create, a lot of knowledge is required. How many carpentry businesses are started by people who don’t know carpentry? The great thing about hobby-based businesses is that since they started as hobbies, you are more likely to already have a great deal of knowledge.

3. Fancy websites aren’t very hard to get: Some of the websites you will see are very elaborate. You may think there is no way you could ever build anything like that. You don’t have to! Trust me, getting the website is not an insurmountable task. There are pre-built eCommerce packages that you can customize. For instace, Zen Cart is free. If you don’t want to build or customize a website on your own, you can pay someone else to do it. You can find thousands of people to build your site on elance.com. And it won’t cost you an arm and a leg.

4. You may not need a website at all: Some people decide they want to sell their products on their own site. Other people find that sites such as eBay and Amazon are all they need. You can set up an eBay store. Or you can be an Amazon seller. You list all of your inventory, and then take advantage of the tremendous volume of website traffic both sites already get.

5. It’s good that other businesses exist: You may be tempted to think that if there are already many businesses doing what you want to do, then you are probably shut out. Nothing can be farther from the truth. Competition means that a market exists. If there are over a hundred or more businesses and sites catering to model train enthusiasts, then there is a huge market. That means your business idea is viable.

6. Inventory isn’t very hard to get: Some sites and stores have thousands, or even millions of items for sale. They didn’t collect these one by one. You can buy inventory wholesale. Another option is to forget about inventory and promote products sold by specialty stores or even Amazon. Most reputable online-sellers have affiliate programs. An affiliate program allows you to collect some of the money from a sale you referred to an online store.

7. The competition you fear today may be gone tomorrow: Even though there may be some very large websites (or brick and mortar storefronts) that are very established and successful, that doesn’t mean they’ll be around forever. What happened to CDNow? Where is Borders Books? Looks can be deceiving. You can slowly grow your business and be ready when the “big boys” check out.

Start your business today. It isn't as hard as it seems!

You will learn to:

• Conquer your fears by setting up you very own business (the easy way!)
• Save on your taxes by incorporating the right way
• Get started on the right foot with a business bank account

Just enter your email below to get your free copy of the eBook The Freelance's Guide To Starting A Business - The Easy Way

Most of us think of hobbies as being things that are inherently not money-making. Many of us give up our dreams of being artists, musicians and athletes with the consolation that we can still do them as hobbies. In other words, we have been taught to believe that hobbies are things you do only for fun, but no one will pay you.

For now, don’t think about money-making potential and difficulty. Just allow yourself to think about your favorite hobby in a new way – as a potential business. And this isn’t just any business. It would be a business you would love to do. You already do it for free!

The internet has made it possible to convert hobbies into businesses on an unprecedented level. Stop thinking like it’s 1992. It’s 2012 and there is potential everywhere you look.

Make sure you read Can Your Hobby Be A Business? 4 Key Questions To Ask

The following hobbies are also working as businesses. As you read about them, think about how your hobbies might work as businesses:

Bird Watching: This is a hobby that is frequently mentioned as an example of an absurd hobby that could never be a business. Go to Bird Watching.com. Look at his site. He writes about bird watching and he sells products related to bird watching. He even sells software for bird watchers to catalog their photos, videos, and stories about the birds they have seen. Another bird watching site is Wild Bird Watching. This guy sells special anti-squirrel bird feeders as an affiliate for a “Wild Bird Superstore” that looks like the Amazon for all-things-birds. These are just two sites. They are many others. That means there is a market for this hobby! Why does bird watching work as a hobby-based business? Because you can sell products and it’s already working.

Record Collecting: This is a topic near and dear to my heart. I have crates of records that I collected as a teenager. I bought all of my records from used record stores where I grew up. Now, however, I can buy used records from anywhere in the world. If you love old vinyl records, you can start a business. Check out Records By Mail. They sells records in every genre. Another site, Vinyl Searcher, sells records in all genres, but with an emphasis on dance. Last year, I sold over $2000 worth of vinyl in under a month. I wasn’t trying to start a business selling vinyl. I just wanted some extra money (and space). Why does record collecting work as a hobby-based business? Because you can sell products and it’s already working.

Model Trains: If you collect model trains, there are plenty of ways to start a business. You can specialize by selling a particular brand of model trains (Lionel, for instance), or you can sell based on size (model trains come in four main sizes), or you can simply sell anything related to model trains. Discount Trains Online is an online store that sells all brands and all sizes of model trains. Everyday Goodz is an eBay-based business that sells model trains and model train accessories. Why do model trains work as a hobby-based business? Because you can sell products and it’s already working.

Dogs: Some people love dogs, or cats, or other pets. How many people ever try to make a business out of it? I’ll bet few people ever try. Does that mean you shouldn’t try? Of course not! Let’s consider some offline businesses for people who love dogs. You can be a “dog sitter”, someone who babysits someone’s dog while they are away. You can also be a “dog walker”. The Smiling Dog is a business that does both.  Why does a love of dogs work as a hobby-based business? Because someone will pay you to do what you already do for free.

Golf: Winston Churchill said “golf is a great way to ruin a good walk”, but that hasn’t stopped millions of people from playing golf at every opportunity they get. How many people take their love, or obsession, with golf and make it a business? Plenty. And for good reason, because there is a huge market for both products and training. There are site and shops selling golf products. And there are people selling one-on-one golf training as well as teaching clasess. Why does golf work as a hobby-based business? Because you can sell products, you can train people, and it’s already working.

Certainly some hobby-based businesses are potentially more lucrative than others. But don’t let you beliefs or guesses about the money-making potential of your hobby stop you from researching the possibilities. You might be surprised by what you find.

Start your business today. It isn't as hard as it seems!

You will learn to:

• Conquer your fears by setting up you very own business (the easy way!)
• Save on your taxes by incorporating the right way
• Get started on the right foot with a business bank account

Just enter your email below to get your free copy of the eBook The Freelance's Guide To Starting A Business - The Easy Way

For instance, if your hobby is website development, it is easy to turn it into a business. If your hobby is Civil War history, it is almost certainly a lot harder to make it a business. Is it impossible? I don’t think so.

Ask yourself these four questions to determine if you hobby could be transformed into a business:

1. Can you sell a product?
   If you hobby lends itself to selling products, then it can probably be a business. Most hobbies have a variety of tools and accessories. You can sell those items online or offline. Are there products you could sell that are related to any of your hobbies?
2. Can you train someone?
   If you hobby is something you can teach others to do, then it can be a business. For instance, if you play a musical instrument, you might be able to give lessons. If you like pottery you may be able to teach classes. Is your hobby something that others can be trained to do? Can you train them?
3. Do other businesses exist?
   Go to Google and search for your hobbies. For instance, if I google “stamp collecting”, there are a lot of results. There are stores and blogs. That means people already have businesses in this area. In almost every case, if someone else is already doing it, then you can do it too. Are there other people running businesses based on your hobbies?
4. Will someone pay you to do what you already do for free?
   One person’s hobby is another person’s chore (or burden, or impossible task, etc…). Sometimes I find it hard to believe that there are things I know how to do and enjoy doing, that other people dislike so much they’ll pay me to do it. One of my hobbies is photo restoration. I like to take old photos and clean them up in Adobe Photoshop. I also like to scan and convert photo albums into digital photo albums. Most people don’t want to, or can’t, do either. However, they will pay for it. Do you have a skill that someone else will pay you to do?

Keep this in mind:

While I firmly believe you can find a business idea based on at least one of your hobbies, you may not be able to make enough money to earn a living from it. However, there are a some factors to consider:

• Time: How much time do you have to make your business work? It might take under six months to start a career as a freelance web developer. It might take several years to start a coin collecting business and make money with it. However, you can keep your day job and grow your business over time. If you have an idea for a business, but it seems like it might take more time than you would wish, don’t give up on it. Just start out slowly.
• Work: The harder you work, the less time it will take and the more successful you will be. This is the big unknown factor. Some business ideas simply seem like they would take too long and be too hard to do. However, that doesn’t mean they are impossible. It simply means that it may take more time and more work than you want to put into it.
• Money: Money makes everything easier. There are many businesses that don’t require much in the way of start up money. However, even in these cases, having extra money for things like advertising, business coaching, or web development can make your business grow a lot faster and be considerably easier. Check out some ways to get some extra money if you don’t have any.
• Multiple Streams: You don’t have to limit yourself to one business for your income. You can start different types of businesses. Your hobby-based business may not pay the mortgage, but in combination with a part-time job, or another small business venture, you might have all you need.

Remember: “Hard” does not mean “impossible”.

Start your business today. It isn't as hard as it seems!

You will learn to:

• Conquer your fears by setting up you very own business (the easy way!)
• Save on your taxes by incorporating the right way
• Get started on the right foot with a business bank account

Just enter your email below to get your free copy of the eBook The Freelance's Guide To Starting A Business - The Easy Way

Some of these fields are harder to break into than others. Some some cost more to start. Others are potentially far more lucrative. Some are more popular right now than others, while some are always popular.

Offline Only: The work performed in this type of business is almost entirely offline. That means it will likely require to go somewhere and do something physical. Nonetheless, you will still want to have an online component to your marketing.

Online Only: These businesses wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for the internet. Most of these businesses have a “Low Startup $”, but they are often more difficult to do successfully. Not that you shouldn’t try if you believe you have what it takes. You DO have what it takes!

Low Startup $: These businesses often don’t require a lot of financing to start. This certainly varies by individual however. If you have been trained in graphic design and already own all of the required software, then you won’t have many startup costs. If you are new to the field, however, you might have to spend a few thousand dollars. Of course, that is a relatively small cost compared to buying an Inn for a Bed And Breakfast.

Recession Resistant: This is generally work that is always needed regardless of how the economy is doing. These tend to be “evergreen” businesses that have been around forever and won’t be going anywhere soon.

High $: How much this type of business is likely to make is highly variable. Some businesses lend themselves to making a lot of money simply due to what they are. Almost anything financial is going to be highly profitable. Pet Sitting isn’t going to make as much money. However, if you are particularly enterprising, and you start a successful pet sitting franchise, you might make more than you would as a financial adviser.

Some of these businesses require special training and skills. That shouldn’t discourage you. Some training might be cost-prohibitive, but don’t automatically dismiss a business idea because you may not have the required skills. If you really like the idea or believe you’d be good at it, then you should start planning for ways to get the training. It may not be as expensive or as difficult as you think.

I’ll review many of these types of business in future articles.

Note: There are more than 123 types of business you could start. 

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• Save on your taxes by incorporating the right way
• Get started on the right foot with a business bank account

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Court reporters record what people say in the courtroom during a trial or during a legal deposition. They work on stenotype machines that are connected directly to laptop computers that record their stenographic notes. Stenotype machines are designed for the rapid entry of spoken data. Entire syllables and words are entered with only a few keystrokes. The result isn’t readable by anyone who isn’t trained to read stenotype. Thus, the court reporter must ensure that the stenotype notes are translated into real English. The expected turnaround time may be as little as overnight.

Software is used to translate a court reporters stenotype notes, but it is imperfect. The output of the computer translation contains punctuation errors, untranslated text, wrong word choices (to/two/too,  there/their, etc…), and misspellings of proper names. There is still a lot of work to be done before the notes can be presented as an official transcript. This is the job a scopist performs.

The scopist reads the computer translation along with the reporter’s notes and transforms them into transcripts of proper English. The scopist edits and punctuates the material, researches or double-checks the spelling of technical terminology, medical words, and people’s names, and proofreads the document. In some cases, it’s necessary for the scopist to read the reporter’s original stenotype notes to accurately translate the document.

Skills Required

A scopist must be able to understand and read stenotype because of the need to go into the raw notes of documents to check the originals when the automatic translation is insufficient Quick and accurate typing skills are essential. The best typists earn them most money. A scopist must be proficient at spelling, grammar, and punctuation. In addition, an excellent vocabulary is a must, along with familiarity with medical, technical, business, and insurance terminology from a variety of fields.

Startup Requirements

The startup requirements of a scopist are few. Since you already have a computer if you’re reading this, and you are likely to have a printer as well, the main thing you may need is stenotype translation software. However, you shouldn’t rush out and buy the software until you have a firm grasp on how to do the work of a scopist and which software is considered “industry leading”. Your initial startup cost will be training. You may pay anywhere from $1,500 to $3,000 for initial training materials and courses.

Why it might be a good business to start

• Training to enter the field is not as rigorous as becoming a court reporter. You only have to know how to read stenotype notes, not use a stenotype machine.
• The hours are flexible. You have the freedom to select your own time and work from your home.
• The work can be done anywhere. In the past (before email), a scopist had to be in same metropolitan area as the court reporter. You get to be a part of the legal profession.
• You can read about the cases and testimony which is frequently very interesting, depending on the case Scoping is recession proof. As long as there are courts, there will be a need for scopists.

Why it may not be for you

• Scoping requires substantial preparation. Learning how to read stenotype can take up to six months
• The work can be high-pressure due to the demands for short turnaround time.
• Like many freelance businesses, the work flow may fluctuate widely.
• You need to gain a reputation in order to work with a court reporter. In order to gain a reputation, you must work with a court reporter.

How Much Does It Pay?

How much you make depends largely on you. The more experience you have, the more money you’ll make. In addition, the more time you put into it, the more money you’ll make. I have seen scopists earn as much as 60K/yr. However, a first year income of $15-20k is probably average.

How Do You Get Business As A Scopist?

Freelance scopists are usually hired directly by self-employed court reporters or by agencies that supply freelance court reporters. They hire scopists because the reporter only gets paid while her or she is takes notes in the courtroom or at a deposition. While the court reporter must go to the deposition or courtroom, scopists can usually work from home unless they need to go into an agency to have access to the same software used by the court reporters.

• Directly contact court reporters by finding their information online, in the yellow pages, or in job postings
• Participate in online forums and blogs that specialize in court reporting
• Start a blog to write about yourself and your experience – even if you are still learning.
• Networking

Additional Resources

An In-depth Look at the Scopist Profession and Handbook for Getting Started

Training    

• See StenEd for a selection of materials
• Scoping Careers International offers online training

Start your business today. It isn't as hard as it seems!

You will learn to:

• Conquer your fears by setting up you very own business (the easy way!)
• Save on your taxes by incorporating the right way
• Get started on the right foot with a business bank account

Just enter your email below to get your free copy of the eBook The Freelance's Guide To Starting A Business - The Easy Way