How to Start a Secretarial Service

Secretaries are in high demand. Therefore, starting a secretarial service should be a financially sound move. The nice thing about this is you can do it from the comfort of your home. Following the steps below should help you profit from your secretarial service.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

1. Decide what type of services you want to offer--typing, mail service, bookkeeping and accounting, desktop publishing and word processing. These are only a selection of the services you could offer--see Resources for a link that shows more services.
2. Order the equipment you will need--computers, software programs, printers and fax machines. You don't need to buy everything at once; instead, add as your business builds.
3. Find out if you need any licenses to run your business. A call to the nearest Small Business Administration should answer your questions, or they will direct you to the agency you need to contact in your area.
4. Check to see if it will help to have a business telephone line installed. This is not a mandatory requirement but may be useful to your secretarial service.
5. Advertise for customers. You can participate in networking or referral services, advertise in the yellow pages or the local newspaper, post in forums or even build a website.
6. Hire help as your business expands. You may be able to do it all at first, but if you hire people to help you, you will be able to include more services and be able to charge more. Alternatively, you can expand by hiring out your work to independent contractors.

Tips & Warnings

• Hire people that you pay hourly or by the work that they complete as independent contractors.
• Don't get in over your head. Start with what you know and have, and build from there.