Perhaps you worked as a secretary or an administrative assistant in your previous careers?  Are you looking for a way to be a WAHM and bring extra income into your household?  Secretarial skills are something that can be done at home now. If you have marketable secretarial skills, but wish to work out of your home, a home based secretarial business is just the right field for you!

Any secretarial skill you have will be helpful to your business.  This includes transcription, bookkeeping, preparing spreadsheets, and word processing.  Light graphical design for things such as brochures and flyers is often in high demand by small businesses who cannot afford the prices of print shops.  You should also have a basic working knowledge of your computer and software packages, although the more you know, the more you can offer clients.

Remember that having your own home based business means you are the boss.  You will not have anyone to watch over you to make sure you are doing the work.  You will need to have the discipline to know when you need to work and when you can relax on the sofa and watch television.  You need to be organized so you know when deadlines are and where the important data you need is.  You will need to keep client information separate so it doesn’t become mixed together.

To start your home based secretarial business, you will need the home business basic tools – a phone, computer, Internet connection.  Even a fax line may be helpful to your business.  If you are a transcriber and plan to offer that skill, you will need a transcribing machine or software that allows you to listen to MP3 files.

One of the most important tools you have is your expertise.  Your amount of secretarial skill knowledge and experience will be what will impress your potential clients the most.

How do you get your new business started?  Look around your town and see what the competition is.  Are there many local secretarial services or temporary placement businesses?  See if you can find out what their rates are and what services they offer clients.  This will be helpful to know what to charge in order to make yourself competitive to these businesses.  Choose a name for your business and purchase a domain name.  After that is done, either hire someone to create a web page or learn to create them yourself.  After all, web page creation/maintenance can always be added to your list of skills.

Marketing is one of the most important parts of a home based business. You can have the best skills in the world, but if no one knows about them, you will not get any clients.  Have some business cards and flyers printed up.  Send them to local small businesses along with a cover letter of how your services could benefit them.  You can also join online groups – remember that not all home based secretarial clients need to be local.  You can work for people from a distance almost as easily as someone who lives in your own town.

You will not get rich overnight.  It takes time to build your business, get your name out there, and build up some credibility.  Once you get a couple of clients, treat them well.  If they like you, they will more than likely tell their friends about you!  Just remember to stay motivated and focused if times get tough.  With a little perseverance, you can make your business a success.