How to Start a Transcription Business

Part 1 - How to start a Transcription business - Background

A transcription business can serve a wide variety of clients. This is because transcripts are necessary in fields such as law, medicine, and business. The nature of the work means that it is manageable with limited time, as one can easily start doing it in their spare time or as a part-time job before undertaking it as a full-time endeavor.

You may also be interested in additional side hustle ideas.

Our guide is in 3 parts:

• Part 1 - How to start a Transcribing business - Background
• Part 2 - Our planner tool to see if this idea is the right fit for you
• Part 3 - Action plan to get started

What are the costs involved in opening a transcription business?

The costs involved with opening a transcription business are variable. At the most basic level, starting your business from home means that you will need nothing more than the computer you already have and a foot pedal to allow you to start and stop audio without your hands: such pedals typically cost between $40 and $100. At that point, the only thing you are missing is clients, and it’s not uncommon to find clients by simply calling them, emailing them, or visiting them directly and leaving a business card, and it’s easy to print out 500 or more business cards for less than $30.

However, depending on what field you want to specialize in, there are some additional potential costs. Those going into medical transcription may choose to become certified in order to attract more customers. Such certification requires you have an Associates degree in medical transcription and then pass the Registered Medical Transcriptionist (RMT) certification exam, and doing both of these may cost thousands of additional dollars. Keep in mind that tuition rates will vary, but it is possible to defray some of these costs via Federal grants and loans so long as you are taking at least six credit hours per semester.

What are the ongoing expenses for a transcription business?

Aside from the hours, the most attractive thing about a transcription business is that there really aren’t any ongoing expenses. Working from home means things like rent and utility are one and the same with what you already pay, and you’ll be using the computer you already have (albeit with the addition of a foot pedal). Aside from periodically printing more business cards and visiting local potential clients, most of your marketing and outreach will be conducted for free online, requiring little in the way of monthly expense.

Who is the target market?

One of the benefits of a transcription business is its variable clientele. Depending on your area and any fields that you may specialize in, your ideal customer types will vary. Generally, though, major businesses and corporations make for good, steady clients. This is because they have a larger number of employees and a larger number of projects which may require your services. And, of course, your own quality service to them may result in a steady stream of work.

How does a transcription business make money?

A transcription business makes money by charging its clients for the act of transcribing the documents. The exact payment arrangement may be negotiated between yourself and the client, such as receiving a flat fee for the amount of minutes transcribed or billing them according to the number of hours that it took you to complete the transcription.

How much can you charge customers?

While you can set any amount to charge your clients, it’s good to stay competitive with other businesses. As such, it’s good to charge between one and two dollars per minute of audio that you transcribe. You may consider charging more for certain special requests (such as recording time stamps, transcribing extremely difficult audio, and so on).

How much profit can a transcription business make?

As alluded to before, your overall profitability hinges on how fast you can type and how many projects you can handle. Average speech includes about 130 words per minute, and a speedy typist may be able to type 65-75 words per minute. This means that even on the low end of both billing clients and typing words, you’ll be making a minimum of thirty dollars an hour, not counting time spent editing your work (which, for those good with grammar, will not be long at all). And, as mentioned above, the vast majority of what you take in is pure profit due to the lack of ongoing expenses.

How can you make your business more profitable?

Most ways of making your business more profitable come down to improving your typing speed. This may mean reducing any distractions around your home office area and creating keyboard macros for familiar phrases, saving you time. Becoming more adept at keyboard shortcuts has a similar motivation as the foot pedal: it reduces your need to remove hands from your keyboard. Finally, you will become more profitable the longer you work. This is because you’ll become a faster typist, your network will grow, and you will eventually have as much work as you could ever desire!

Day-to-Day and Growth

What happens during a typical day at a transcription business?

The most basic day-to-day activities of a transcription business are to transcribe speech, edit the document, and then deliver it to clients. Beyond that, most activities would include things like making contact with prospective customers, corresponding with existing customers, and advertising and managing your business.

What are some skills and experiences that will help you build a successful transcription business?

The primary skill to help you build your business will be the speed with which you type. If you are not naturally a fast typer, classes (both online and offline) can help you develop this fundamental skill. Similarly, having a very solid grasp of English and grammatical rules can save you time: many transcribers rely on proofreading via services like Grammarly, but being able to edit your own work with accuracy will speed things up. Obviously, good listening skills are a bonus, as audio quality from files you are sent may not always be great. Finally, any formal training in transcription, from either previous work or from formal schooling, can be a major asset.

What is the growth potential for a transcription business?

The growth potential for a transcription business is variable. Specializing in a certain kind of transcription can actually maximize job security; for instance, medical transcription has been a field that has truly boomed within the last 10 years. However, the general growth potential comes down to the persuasiveness of your marketing and the speed of your typing, as the more work you do and the more clients you take on results in steady growth.

What are some insider tips for jump starting a transcription business?

You’re going to be spending a lot of time typing at your computer, so it’s good to invest in a comfy chair and a comfortable and more ergonomic keyboard. While nothing requires you to use special software, use of transcription software can save you time. And time, in this business more than many others, is definitely money. Finally, as with many businesses, make sure you and the client both know what the client wants, particularly when it comes to any special formatting requests for the transcription itself.

How and when to build a team

Deciding to build a transcription team is tricky business. There are a great many major transcription companies out there, so many people who want to work as part of a larger team may already be drawn to those endeavors. However, if you reach a point where you have more clients than you can reasonably service, you may consider taking on a partner or small team. This can allow you to have the best of both worlds because you can churn out more transcripts under your company’s brand while still allowing everyone to work from home, eliminating the need for expensive overhead each and every month.

Part 2 - Is a Transcription business the right fit for you?

Part 3 - Action plan to launch your Transcription business in 90 days