Document Data Processing Service

Medical and dental offices, law firms, property managers, accounting firms, schools and local companies with regular paperwork backlogs.

Monthly retainers or contracts, or per-record and per-batch pricing. You earn the difference between what clients pay and what you pay your helpers.

• Organizing workflows and deadlines
• Quality checking other people's work
• Sales and client communication
• Spreadsheet and database skills

• Handling health, legal or financial records may bring privacy rules (for example HIPAA for medical data), check what applies to your clients
• Workers' compensation insurance and payroll rules once you hire employees, and check how your state treats independent contractors
• Check your city or county business license requirements, and consider forming an LLC and getting an EIN
• Consider general liability and professional liability or cyber insurance
• Data security: use secure file sharing and device protections, since a data breach can end client relationships

Estimates put startup costs at typically around $1,000 to $5,000, depending on your computers, secure file sharing, insurance and how you set up the business. Your own costs will vary with the size of your team.

Monthly revenue is estimated at typically around $1,500 to $7,500, depending on the client contracts you win, the volume of paperwork and how many helpers you use.

Check which privacy rules apply to your clients' records, such as HIPAA for medical data. Look into workers' compensation and payroll rules when you hire, how your state treats independent contractors, and city or county business license needs. Also consider an LLC, an EIN and insurance.