In my youth, I’d always said sitting at home in my jammies and typing would be my perfect job. I never found the 9 to 5 life suited me. It didn’t allow me the freedom to do what I wanted. Fast forward to 2015, after having my two girls I fell into the world of transcription and fell in love with it and have been typing ever since. Fast forward again to 2023 and I’m about to turn 50. Frustrated with having to work to another agency’s standards, I’ve created my own agency, enabling me to offer the client a service I’m truly proud of.
I live on 75 acres of land in the Murraylands with my family, surrounded by wildlife and animals and I couldn’t be happier. I’m also a cake decorator who believes that coffee fixes everything!
// Why did I decide to go into business?
I started working in transcription in 2015 after my kids were born. It slotted in beautifully with my way of life, enabling me to be there for my kids but also earn some income. But working for contract agencies comes with its own set of challenges and frustrations. I had no control over work being allocated and so some weeks I’d find myself with nothing, other weeks I’d be working 15 hour days. There was always the middle-man in between me and the client, and I had no control over what rates I got paid or the quality of work provided by other typists to the clients. I felt the time was right to be able to offer a direct to client service, no middle agency in between.
// What do I love most about being in business?
Kage Transcription Services is run by the transcriptionists that do the work, so there’s no agency taking their cut and the typists get paid what they’re truly worth. It allows me to focus directly on client service, and support the transcriptionists in a way that they feel valued and their skill is recognised as it should. While KTS is only very new, so far I’m loving connecting with other likeminded women. Living rurally, I often find it very easy to isolate myself and so these connections not only inspire me to do great things, but also help my mental health.
// What has been my biggest hurdle?
I suffer from imposter syndrome and extreme perfectionism. I’ll never be good enough, yet I relentlessly strive for perfection. Throw in a healthy dose of procrastition and extreme social anxiety and there I am. I can plan the heck out of any new venture: make websites, write lists, spreadsheets and buy matching stationery to go with it, but then find when the websites are built, the lists are all made and I have bought endless spiral notebooks and pens (Yes, I have a problem), I then fall at the last hurdle of action. This is where I hope the support and guidance of amazing women around me might turn things around and help this succeed where I have failed in the past.
// My favourite place to go in SA has to be our holiday house on the Yorkes Peninsula. We spend most of the summer boating and fishing or just sitting on the deck in a hammock watching the world go by.
// What advice would I give to other women?
Don’t be afraid to start. The longest journey starts with a single step. Make connections and cultivate them and learn everything you can.
Get in touch with Katie:
Facebook: Kage Transcription Services
Linkedin: Kate Millan
LinkedIn: Kage Transcription Services
Website: www.kagetranscription.com.au
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