A is for Africa

Hi all, and welcome to the new year, I hope you all had a fantastic Christmas and New Year celebrations. Hope that it may be a great and successful new year for you all!

I am taking part in the VA Tips and Tricks Blogging Challenge whereby we write a post twice weekly working through the alphabet from A to Z. I'll be doing the challenge across two blogs, this one and Pop Speaking, so for the other posts that make up the series, e, head on over there.

I live and work in South Africa, and I thought that to start with, Africa would be a good subject as I'm not sure how many of the others taking part in the challenge live or work in Africa, or what they know about it. It's a good topic to introduce myself to you with.

Working during Christmas

Hey all.  This is basically just to let you know that I will be around during the Christmas period (feel free to comment and let me know if you too will be working during the holiday season).

I've got a few things in the new year I'm looking forward to - the continuation of a job with one of my favourite clients who do the most interesting documentaries, some work for an American attorney and The VA Blogging Challenge which will involve a bunch of VAs and transcriptionists from all over the world blogging on subjects ranging from A - Z throughout the year.

I'm also busy with my new blog Pop Speaking which centres around popular culture, interviews and giving exposure to celebrity causes. It explores closely the idea that there is a golden thread of humanity which runs through us all. I have some amazing interviews on there already and there are some phenomenal ones coming up with Daniel Baron, The J9 Foundation (Joost van der Westhuizen) and Chris Mann who is a leading authority on popular culture.

I'm also busy updating my ebook - Working From Home as A Transcriptionist in South Africa - for 2014. New version will be on sale in early 2014.

I want to wish clients, virtual assistants and transcriptionists a merry Christmas and prosperous New Year.

Excerpt from virtual industry e-book

An excerpt from my e-book "Working From Home as a Transcriptionist in South Africa" which retails for R120. Contact me gpaynter@telkomsa.net for more info and to buy.

STARTING OUT



Now that you’ve decided what aspect of transcription you’re going to do, let’s get started!


It’s a great idea to start out part time if you possibly can and build things up slowly, however if you have lost your job or have some  financial backing to see yourself through some times of setting up, then it may be viable for you to start out full time.

You will probably get many people who tell you it won’t work. Those are people who either want to manipulate you in some way or have employee mindsets. If you go into this with an entrepreneurial mindset and the belief that it’s what you want to do and if you are prepared to work harder than you’ve ever worked before — as Shakespeare puts it, “suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune”, then there is no
reason why it should not work. Be warned however, this is not for people who are lazy and want things to fall into their lap. It has to be fought for, and things can happen for you from day one or from year six. Fighting for something you believe in means going against the flow if necessary and surrounding yourself with people who believe in it as opposed to listening to negativity.

"Gaynor Paynter has written a down to earth, user-friendly guide based on her own personal experience. It’s easy to read and mostly comprehensive." – Michelle Nel, freelance environmentalist journalist. 

Working from Home as a Transcriptionist in South Africa

Updated: 29 August 2012

If you are a transcriptionist starting out in South Africa, why is it necessary to own a book such as Working from Home as a Transcriptionist in South Africa, which I've listed on Bidorbuy. 

The simple answer is that it tells you all the ins and outs, and provides the answer to your questions.
- How do I start up as a transcriptionist?
- How do I get that first client?
- How do I keep those clients?
- What administrative procedures are necessary?

My ebook, which retails for R120, will tell you the answer to all these questions, and more.


The reason I came to write this book was that after a chat with my colleague, we realized that we would have benefited greatly and got our businesses off the ground so much faster had such a book been available when we started out in the virtual field in South Africa. We realized that we had gained a lot of experience along the way, and that others could benefit from what we had learned.

Today, if you want to work as a transcriptionist in South Africa, there is no need for you to go through the difficulties and hassles I went through when starting out. Your questions can be answered easily.

Working_from_Home_as_a_Transcriptionist_in_South_Africa

On a personal note I would like to mention that Bidorbuy has become my supplier of choice. There are many things available on there that are pretty much impossible to come across elsewhere, such as the anti nausea bracelets I found on there when my husband had hepatitis and needed them badly. I was unable to find them elsewhere although I spent an afternoon searching.