Many people have yet to realize the benefits that hiring a transcriptionist can bring them and their business. In fact, many people see hiring a transcriptionist as a business expense that that they just can’t foot the bill for. Not everyone - but a lot of people feel this way. What about you? Should you hire a transcriptionist?

Take the Quiz!

Read each question and then rate them using the 1-5 scale. One meaning I don’t agree and five being I totally agree.

I have a website that would benefit from fresh content.

1 2 3 4 5

I have a podcast with audio archives.

1 2 3 4 5

I provide teleseminars full of information.

1 2 3 4 5

I sell information products.

1 2 3 4 5

I know someone (myself, a customer, etc) that prefers to read instead of listen to audio.

1 2 3 4 5

If you scored 20-25 points you definitely should hire a transcriptionist. You understand the benefits of doing so and what a transcriptionist can do for your business. Go for it!

If you scored 15-19 points you may want to hire a transcriptionist but you are still unsure of how such a simple thing will bring forth any business benefits. Give it a try!

If you scored 14 or fewer points hiring a transcriptionist may not be for you. It doesn’t mean you shouldn’t - it just means you need to take some time to consider it before making a final decision. Take your time!

Not every business person will benefit from hiring a transcriptionist and while some will agree that a transcriptionist is a business expense that can be skipped, there are those that understand how a transcriptionist can help them build their business with fresh content, printable material, etc. Each and every business person has their own individual needs so you will have to make your decision based on your needs.

Now that you’ve made your decision it’s time to put your plan into action and start looking for a transcriptionist that will meet your needs.

It’s time for another question in my CBC (cross blog conversation) with Tricia of Time Saver VA. Last time Tricia answered my question of what her ‘perfect’ internship would be so it’s only fitting that her question for me this week has to do with interns. If you are just joining us, please check out our first conversation so you can follow along.

Tricia’s Question for Me:

If you had to hire an intern what qualities would you look for in an intern?

There are several different qualities I would look for in an intern. The main characteristics I would look for in a person applying for an internship with me (if I were to offer one) are:

• self-starter
• eager to learn
• certain amount of time (ex: 10 hours) to devote each week to the internship
• ethical
• good communicator
• follows instructions
• a new VA just starting out or someone interested in starting a VA business

The last thing I would look for in a possible intern would be someone that I could potentially use as my backup VA and partner with them on future projects such as information products, audio recordings, teleseminars, etc. In other words, someone that I could work side by side with that would be an asset to me and my business.

Another great question from Tricia and I look forward to the next one she sends my way.

A question for Tricia:

What marketing tool(s) have you found to be the most beneficial to you in getting your name out there and obtaining new clients?

My friend and fellow Virtual Assistant Tricia Gardner of Time Saver VA and I have continued our cross blog conversation. If this is your first time visiting, you can go here to read the beginning of our CBC.

This time Tricia asked me:

Name five sites where you have learned the most about becoming a VA and working from home. Why were these sites so important and what kind of information did you get from them?

Once again Tricia has provided me with a great question! And she’s gonna make me think this time around I should know this right off the top of my head but I can only think of a couple. So I might not be able to provide you a list of five, but I’ll give it my best shot!

Sites I have used & I recommend:

• Mom Masterminds - I can’t even begin to explain what information is available here because there is so much! It’s a paid membership site for moms and it’s worth every penny. In fact I just recommended this site to another one of my friends that is starting a VA business. I told her if she was going to invest any money into her business I highly recommend investing in a membership at Mom Masterminds. Not only is it full of learning resources but the mentoring forum is full of so many wonderful successful business owners that are willing to give you support, feedback, etc.
• Internet Based Moms - This isn’t specifically geared towards VA’s but it has a lot of information about working from home. It’s an interactive message board where you can ask questions and receive feedback. It’s free to join and has lots of helpful information. I’ve even picked up a couple jobs from other members that frequent this site.
• Just Online Jobs - Again this isn’t geared specifically towards VA’s but the information about working from home here is helpful. This site is more about telecommuting jobs but I’ve found it very helpful and just recently there was a section added to the site specifically for VA’s.
• VA Networking - I haven’t utilized this site as much as I should but the few times I have visited it and used the message board I was impressed. Unlike the other sites mentioned, this one is geared toward Virtual Assistants only. Although I’ve been impressed with the site I have to say that I also feel overwhelmed when on the message board. There is so much information there that I often don’t know where to start & just end up not reading any of the posts.

Well, Tricia I know you asked me for five sites but I honestly can’t think of a fifth one off the top of my head. I hope that the four I’ve listed give you a good idea of what each individual site offers and the type of information you can pick up there.

I leave Tricia with this question:

If you could have someone take you under their wing as an intern what thing(s) would you want to learn? In other words, what would be the perfect intern opportunity for you as a ‘newbie’?