HOME
-
-
The
2-Second Commute
Based
on the
highly-successful Virtual Assistant training programs Chris Durst and
Michael Haaren developed
for the US Armed Forces and the US Department of State, The 2-Second
Commute:
Join the Exploding Ranks of Freelance Virtual Assistants
brings
you the
knowledge without
the classroom!
Training
program
participants have billed
over $30
MILLION since our training programs started in 2002. Now YOU can learn from Chris
& Mike,
too, and start your own successful VA business!
2-SECOND
COMMUTE
CHAPTERS
Preface
Introduction
Chapter 1
Why
Become a Virtual
Assistant?
- personal & professional
reasons to
explore this
industry
Chapter 2
Exploring
Virtual
Assistance
- virtual assistance defined
- industry demographics
- services, fees, and trends
- why businesses work with VAs
- international outlook
Chapter 3
Reality
Checks &
Self-Assessments
- exploring important considerations -
motives,
lifestyle,
family, children, etc.
- entrepreneurial self-assessment
- VA readiness self-assessment
- Spouse With a Mouse™ -
from our
Department of State
and US
Armed Forces training programs, a special section to help your
"significant other" understand what it will be like to have a business
in the house.
Developing
a "Service
Menu" That You Can Live and Grow With
- inventory your values, interests,
and
skills to
determine
your most marketable skills
Chapter 5
Estimating
Costs and
Setting Fees
- projecting your costs, picking your
"salary", setting
your hour, and our special formula for calculating a reasonable
baseline fee
- comprehensive fee survey (see what
other
VAs are
charging)
- getting paid -contracts, credit
cards,
invoices,
retainers, etc.
Chapter 6
Setting
Up Your
Business and Your Office
- naming and registering your business
- forms of business ownership
- permits and licenses
- insurance
- home office setup
Chapter 7
Building
a Healthy
Foundation for Your Business
- defining your ideal client,
interviewing
clients,
partnering with clients
- the art of virtual communications
- SWOT analysis - discovering your
Strengths,
Weaknesses,
Opportunities, and Threats
- the benefits of "niche marketing" -
identifying your
target
market
Chapter 8
Let
the Marketing
Begin!
- image is everything
- talking about what you "do"
- marketing and email
- your Web site - your "global
billboard"
- press releases
- harvesting the local "business crop"
- leveraging the media
- guest lecturing
- our 5 favorite marketing techniques
- the Strategic Marketing Plan - your
blueprint for
building
a successful business through effective marketing
Chapter 9
Pulling
It All
Together and
Keeping It There
- a collection of tips, tool,
techniques,
and pointers
for
making your business a success
Chapter 10
The
VA Toolbox:
Resources and Information
- VA trade groups, email lists,
certifications and
training
programs
- specialized resources for
homeschoolers,
"trailing
spouses", work at home parents, and people with disabilities
- resources and other information for
the
"frugal VA"
--
|
Work from home as a
Proofreader
[Contributing Experts: Evy
Williams]
 The niche in a nutshell:
A
proofreader
typically reads typewritten work in order to detect any grammatical,
typographical or compositional errors. He or she marks for correction
any errors of grammar, word usage or sentence structure the editor or
writer may have missed.
Proofreading outside the publishing business is often doing the work of
a copy editor. Proofreading text entails checking it for typos, grammar
errors and inconsistencies and making certain that the translation is
correct but not necessarily making major changes. Copy Editing might
involve rewriting entire paragraphs, changing the style of the writing,
etc. To the layman though, the two terms are often synonymous.
If you have patience, a great eye for detail, good spelling and English
skills and a passion for reading you may enjoy proofreading.
Top 5 Services Provided in this
Niche
- Proofing books
- Proofing websites
- Proofing articles
- Proofing ebooks
- Proofing marketing materials
|
Top 5 Hiring Markets
- Authors
- Attorneys
- Newspaper Publishers
- Web Designers
- Magazine Editors
|
Pay Range for this Niche
According to Trevor Horwood, a
professional freelance proofreader in the U.K. since 1991,
“you can set
your own hourly rates which, according to the Society for Editors and
Proofreaders’ (SfEP) 2006 guidelines, should be a minimum of
£17.50 for proofreading and £19.00 for
copy-editing.”
That’s $34.73 (USD) and $37.71 (USD) per hour. Although, as
Mr. Horwood
points out, the realistic hourly rate is more in the
£12-£15 range (or $23.82-$29.77).
The rate for a full-time proofreader for the U.S.
Government’s Printing
Office is currently advertised at a rate of $30.15/hour. Salary.com, on
the other hand, lists the salary range for a full-time proofreader in
the Atlanta area at $26,535-$50,988.
Some proofreaders charge per word (typically between
2¢-10¢
per word) or by the page (generally between $2.50-$4.50/page).
|
Recommended Skillsets
- Excellent Spelling Skills
- An Eye for Detail
- Superior Knowledge of
Grammar, Punctuation and Sentence Structure
- Experience using either the Chicago Manual of Style,
Associated Press
Stylebook or The New York Times Manual of Style and Usage
- Knowledge of
Proofreader’s
and Copyeditor’s Marks
|
Niche Overview:
The term
proofreading
is often used interchangeably with copyediting. Although technically
two
separate activities, there is some overlap between the two. For
instance, proofreading consists of reviewing text, either hard copy (on
paper) or electronic copy (on a computer) and checking for typos and
formatting errors. (This may be done either against an original
document or “blind” [without checking against any
other source]).
Whereas copy editing is the process by which an editor makes formatting
changes and other improvements to text, and perhaps the writing, that
is to be set for printing.
Proofreaders
use
style guides to provide guidance on language and
punctuation usage. Some style guides focus on elements of graphic
design, such as typography and white space. Website style guides often
focus on visual or technical aspects.
Two of the most widely used style guides in the United States are the Chicago
Manual of Style and the Associated
Press Stylebook. Most
American newspapers base their style on that of the AP style but may
also have their own style guides for local terms and individual
preferences.
Proofreaders perform their work in two ways. Sometimes they compare
proofs to the original copy and mark any differences they find. In this
type of proofreading, they may use a reader to read the original copy
aloud while they compare the proofs. Other times, proofreaders read the
copy without comparing it to the original copy. They mark errors in
grammar, spelling and punctuation. Either way, they mark copy with
standard proofreader marks that are understood by writers and printers.
Proofreaders often consult reference books to do their work. This is
especially true when they are reading proofs without a comparison copy.
For example, proofreaders consult dictionaries for proper word usage
and spelling. They consult grammar books for rules on grammar and
punctuation. They also refer to stylebooks or style sheets. In some
cases, they create a style sheet specific for the organization in which
they work. A style sheet is a well-organized list of preferred usages
that have no single, official rule. It includes such items as
abbreviations, hyphenation and capitalization of specific words or
phrases.
Proofreaders
sometimes ask writers about words or phrases that are awkward or
inconsistent with the style of writing. When they have questions,
proofreaders mark the copy then discuss these with the writer to decide
what to do. When proofreaders finish reading and marking, they route
the corrected proofs to be reprinted or reviewed.
Obviously writers and the publishing industry require the services of
proofreaders on a daily basis. However, as the Internet is becoming
more popular, web designers are relying heavily on proofreaders to make
sure their copy is grammatically and linguistically correct prior to
publishing, or “going live.” And, because of the
legal ramifications of
contracts, attorneys and real estate professionals are increasingly
using proofreaders to make certain the text in their contracts is free
of errors.
To get started as a freelance proofreader, you should either have
experience working as a proofreader or copyeditor at a business or have
a degree in English or Journalism and know how to use proofreader or
copyeditor marks. You should be very familiar with the approved style
manuals.
The drawbacks to working as a freelance proofreader are the same as any
freelancer or VA and that is that you have to constantly market your
services to attract regular clientele and there is no regular income as
you have when working for a business. The rewards include making your
own hours, working as much or as little as you like, being your own
boss and, of course, doing work you enjoy.
The competition for work as a proofreader is average. There is no
specific criteria such as a degree that you must have in order to work
as a proofreader; however, you must have the technical skills outlined
above. Not many people have the ability to see mistakes in writing and
some find it less than exciting so the market for proofreaders is wide
open for those who enjoy this kind of work.
Recommended Reading
|
Tools of the Trade
|
Organizations &
Associations
|
Resource Links
|
 About
the Contributing Experts
Evalyn
(Evy) Williams
owns Brochures by Design, where “marketing materials are
designed to
sell homes.” She specializes in desktop publishing/graphic
design and
professional writing services.
Evy decided
to
explore her entrepreneurial talents just before completing her
Master’s
degree in Administration from Central Michigan University. For her
Master’s thesis, she completed a feasibility study on the
Virtual
Assistance industry and found that it was not only a feasible business
concept but also a profitable one.
She is a
certified
Master Virtual Assistant, certified Master Remote Professional,
certified Real Estate Support Specialist, certified Military Spouse
Virtual Assistant, certified Professional Real Estate Virtual Assistant
and holds the EthicsCheck certification.
Evy writes
the column
“Virtual
Quick Tips” for the popular epowernews.com
online
newsletter. She has been featured in the bestselling book on Virtual
Assistance called “The Two-Second Commute” by the
founders of the VA
industry, Christine Durst and Michael Haaren and featured in the Winter
2005 issue of Military
Money
Magazine. Evy is the past editor of Accént,
an online
newsletter developed specifically for virtual professionals and small
business owners and the IVAACast,
the official publication of the International Virtual Assistants
Association. She is also the Guild Chair for the Marketing Design Guild
through REVA Networks.
Read
Evy’s blog at http://evyw.wordpress.com/.
Evy is
married to
retired SFC Rick G. Williams and they have three children, Heidi (20),
Chelsi (17 1/2), and Kory (15). They live in Augusta, GA but plan to
move to the D.C. area in 2007 where Rick works with INSCOM after
retiring from the Army in 2005.
For more
information,
please visit her website at www.BrochuresByDesign.com.
|
- Bill
Walsh
