The concept that a lot of people find hard to get their head around is why you earn a lot more for fewer hours than in a normal employed job.
They can't understand why anyone would ask them to provide a service at a much higher hourly rate than an hourly salaried rate of an employee.
I am going to explain with UK figures.
If you research the average wage of a Secretary in the United Kingdom it equates to £18,000. Now, you can be earning more or less than this, it is an average figure.
You would receive £18,000 a year with, on average, 20 days holiday a year and bank holidays. This would equate to 47 weeks a year working.
Based on a 5 day week, you would be working between 37 and 40 hours a week. To explain how you earn more working from home for yourself, we will use the basis that a full time secretary on £18,000 a year is working a 37 hour week.
This would equate to £382.97 a week at a rate of £10.35 an hour working 37 hours a week.
Now, let's take the example of me, when I first started Typing Solutions on my own.
I charge 85p an audio minute for standard dictation (more for medical/medico-legal and psychiatry) on a 24 hour turnaround.
My first client I obtained within 2 weeks of publishing my website. He was an Accountant and, sent me one hour's worth, on average, of dictation a day.
1 Hour of dictation takes no more than 3 hours to type absolute maximum, in the worst case scenario (i.e. difficult template, poor dictation). 1 Hour of dictation usually takes 2 hours to type but, for this example we will use the worst case scenario.
Therefore 60 x 0.85 = £51 in total and then divided by the three hours it took makes an hourly rate of £17 an hour - compare that to the £10.35 an hour for the salaried secretary.
So for my 3 hours of work equating to £51 an employed secretary would have to work almost 5 hours.
Over a week, with just one client at one hour of dictation a day that would equate to £255 for 15 hours work.
A salaried secretary working 15 hours would earn £155.25.
That's a difference of £100 for the same amount of hours. Getting the picture!
A salaried secretary working 15 hours a week at 10.35 an hour would earn a year £7,296.75 Working for yourself with your own client at 15 hours a week at £17 an hour you would earn a year £11,985
That's £4,668.25 a year more if you work for yourself for exactly the same amount of hours in the worst case scenario of 1 hour dictation taking three hours to type
THE MOST FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTION - WHY WOULD SOMEONE PAY ME THIS KIND OF HOURLY RATE?
You still work out cheaper and, more convenient - yes, I know, sounds ludicrous but, think about it. The dictator of the dictation doesn't have the overheads associated with a salaried secretary, sick pay, payroll costs, holiday pay, training, etc.
You are there as and when he needs you. So, if he has a quieter day and only sends you 30 minutes of dictation, that's all he pays for whereas with a salaried secretary, he would still have to pay her for sitting there twiddling her thumbs.
He's going on holiday for a week, the secretary isn't, he still has to pay her for doing nothing
He has dictation but the salaried secretary is on holiday (still having to pay her though) and he can't complete the job in a timely manner for his client. Wait a minute, there you are!
He has 2 hours worth of dictation one day (6 hours of work but the secretary only works 3 hours a day) but, for the salaried secretary to complete this he would have to pay her overtime or, she can't do it as she already has plans and, she also has the following day off. And you? No, you're there, when he needs you.
He has to negotiate the three hours a day that the salaried secretary will work - i.e. 3 hours in the morning or 3 hours in the afternoon. So, he hires her for 3 hours of a morning but, he didn't have time to do his dictation and, it's there waiting to be done at 12.30pm but, the secretary has gone home and, he's going to dictate more that afternoon but, she will only be working 3 hours the next morning. Wait a minute, you're there!
Think about the client who only has 30 minutes of dictation a day - which is more convenient and, does work out cheaper in the long run?
That's right, the virtual secretary. No hours to negotiate, no holiday pay, no sick pay, no training, no overheads, a pay as you go service that's reliable, professional, convenient, cheaper and a lot less hassle.
Also, with the economic climate the way that it is, lots of businesses are extremely reluctant to hire employees and all the costs associated with having a salaried member of staff but, they still need their administrative tasks completed.
The Virtual Outsourcing Industry is now booming. Businesses love the fact that they can send work as and when they have it and, that it is completed in a timely manner and returned - no hassle, no negotiation over overtime, hours, etc - they send it, it's done and returned.
So, think about businesses that are a little more seasonal like Inventory Companies. Exceptionally busy in spring and summer but, quieter in the winter. Which makes more economic sense - to hire a salaried secretary on the same hourly rate all year round when for three months or so she will be sat there twiddling her thumbs or, use the Virtual Secretary and pay only as and when you need it? That's right, they outsource.
So, going back to our earlier example of the average secretary, earning £18,000 a year, for a 37 hour week.
You can earn £19,975 for a 25 hour week - in the worst case scenario of 20 minutes dictation taking an hour to complete
This would equate to 100 minutes of standard dictation a day.
That's say, only 2 clients, (1 sending you 60 minutes and 1 sending you 40 minutes of dictation a day) Or, 3 clients (2 sending you 30 minutes, 1 sending you 40 minutes).
Or, say you have 3 clients, each sending you 30 minutes a day, still equates to just under £18,000 (£17,977 to be exact!) for a 4.5 hour day, which is a 22.5 hour week
Pity the poor salaried secretary having to work 14.5 hours a week more, for 47 weeks to earn that!
So, what's stopping you? The equipment you need? Client booking forms? How to send files over the internet? How to create a high ranking professional website easily and simply to attract your clients?
(This is where so many virtual assistants/typists fail. They build a website, think they have researched SEO on the internet and still their website is nowhere to be seen and, NO CLIENTS. Even worse they are paying a fortune on Click Ads. No one clicks on them or, if they do, they click on and then off - you still have no clients and, you have paid for that click!)
Do it the right way and be shown step by step by someone who has SUCCESSFULLY built a virtual business from nothing to now running one of the UK's leading typing & transcription services providers and having a team of transcribers in no time at all and, who had no prior knowledge of SEO, creating a website or, running a business.
Download now and be earning a lot more for far less hours in no time at all.
I DID IT - AND NOW YOU CAN TOO
For June only, this book will be available at the price of £2.02!!!!!!!!through Amazon
It previously retailed at £19.99 - huge savings, to enable as many people as possible to do what we do and make this world a much happier place as, life is supposed to be fun and not 9 to 5!
Click below to get your copy now. Don't have a Kindle - no worries click here to enable you to download the app to read Kindle books on your computer, I-Pad, Smart phone and many more.
Remember, this offer is only open until the end of Junewhen, it will revert to its original price of £19.99