I am a college student and I am looking to start a typing service. How much should I charge and how should I advertise? Thanks!
2006-07-01 03:49:07 · 4 answers · asked by Anonymous in Business & Finance ➔ Small Business
The best routes to take are to research the process of starting a business as well as the industry you're interested in.
I recommend checking out the SBA, Entrepreneur, The Start Up Journal & Nolo. All 4 are great informational resources for the new/small business owner. I posted links for you in the source box.
Associations may be a good avenue to explore as well. These organizations will address many of the thoughts, questions and concerns you'll inevitably have as well as many you haven't anticipated yet. See the source box for some relevant links.
Research, research, research – this cannot be stressed enough. Read as much as you can about the industry. Here are some book titles that are relevant:
* Complete Typing Business Guide: Everything You Need to Know to Start and Successfully Operate a Home Typing Business by Frank Chisenhall
* How to Start a Profitable Typing Service at Home by Nicki Montaperto
* Virtual Assistant, The Series: Become a Highly Successful, Sought After VA by Diana Ennen, Kelly Poelker
* Start Your Own Business Support Service (Entrepreneur Magazine's Start Up) by Entrepreneur Press
There are plenty of free informational resources out there. Check the source box for links to articles.
Hope that helps! I wish you much success & happiness in all your ventures!
2006-07-01 04:42:20 · answer #1 · answered by TM Express™ 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Most typists charge by the length of the document they are typing. This is usually in the form of a rate per word or rate per inch, and words are counted as 7 spaces each (this includes the spaces between words). I don't know what the going rate would be for that, as I have never had to pay someone to type for me. If I was you I would calculate how many words per minute/hour I can type and make your rate comparable to what minimum wage would be? At least that could be a starting point for deciding what you might charge.
As far as how to advertise, I am sure there are lots of bulletin boards on your campus, start there by putting up some fliers. That would be fairly cheap. Maybe you could take out an add in the college newspaper, or even the local newspaper at first. Most towns have some sort of Penny Press, that is distributed free and usually has very cheap rates for small ads. Try going to places where you know they produce a lot of typed documents and talk to them about outsourcing some of their jobs to you? Good luck
2006-07-01 11:01:54 · answer #2 · answered by rackinfratchin 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I've seen people in my town put up fliers on and near campus and advertise in the school newspaper. You can also make smaller fliers (4 to an 8 1/2 by 11 sheet of paper) to hand out on campus and business cards as well. As to how much to charge, I guess around a couple of dollars per page is reasonable.
2006-07-01 10:55:32 · answer #3 · answered by sunny1 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Charge $1 a page, and put up fliers all over the school.
It's probably not going to take off, in the digital age, when everyone has word processing programs at their fingertips, and most people know how to type.
2006-07-01 10:53:44 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋