Is Working at Home Really Right for You?

Is Working at Home Really Right for You?

by: Wendy Betterini

If youกve just begun your search for a work at home job, you probably have a beautiful concept of what working from home is like. You probably imagine yourself waking up whenever you want, sliding your feet into fuzzy slippers and shuffling to the kitchen to get some coffee, then shuffling along to your office to put in another wonderful day at work, then later going to the mailbox to pick up your weekly paycheck of several thousand dollars. I hate to burst your bubble, but it doesn’t work that way. Actually, let me clarify that and say it doesn’t always work that way.

The truth is, working at home is usually a lot harder than working in an office somewhere. Scammers and hypedup business opportunity ads have given us the belief that working at home is ohsoeasy. We just relax on a tropical beach, then go collect our paychecks. Iกm sure youกve seen ads like that. Those of us who already work at home know better!

Here are some things you should consider before jumping into a work at home job:

How much do you want to earn? If you want to work for an employer as a telecommuter, be prepared to earn less than you would at a job outside the home. A job that pays $11.00 an hour in the regular workforce might pay $7 or $8 an hour at home. There are exceptions of course. Some jobs, like virtual assisting, web design and graphics, medical transcription and coding and other professional jobs will probably pay more than a simple data entry or customer service job. Many work at home jobs don’t pay hourly either. For data entry work, you might get paid per piece, and for telephone jobs you might get paid per ‘talk minuteก (only those minutes you are actually on the phone with a customer.)

Do you need benefits? The majority of work at home jobs do not provide benefits like health insurance or life insurance. Again, there are exceptions.

Taxes There are companies that will hire you as an actual กemployeeก and they will take taxes out of your pay. But some will only hire you as an กindependent contractor,ก and you are responsible for paying your own taxes.

Work availability If you are hired as an independent contractor, itกs important to understand that your employer is not obligated to provide any work for you. Most companies have busy seasons and slow seasons. During a busy season, you might be working 4050 hours a week, and then the slow season arrives and suddenly you’re fighting to get even 10 hours of work per week. If your income is especially important to your household, definitely keep that in mind. However, many people choose to work more than one job at a time. If one slows down, they simply start working more for the other.

How motivated are you? If you are the type of person who usually needs a kick in the rear to get moving, working at home will be very hard on you. You have to be extremely disciplined to sit down at the computer, log in and actually WORK each day. There are so many distractions in the home that will pull you away from work if you let them. You have to be very focused and set a schedule for yourself, just like you would at a job outside the home.

Do you mind solitude? Working at home can be lonely. If you thrive on social interaction, working alone can be difficult to adjust to. However, you can ease this by spending time with friends frequently, or joining some online groups to chat with like minded people.

Flexibility Some employers require you to work a specific set schedule, while others might be more flexible, allowing you to choose your own hours. Give some thought to which type of schedule would work best for you. When I first decided to work at home, I made the mistake of choosing a job that had a rigid schedule, and I hated it! I had forgotten that that was one of the things I disliked about working outside the home living by someone elseกs schedule. Think about how you work best, and choose accordingly.

Childcare So many mothers want to work at home so they can raise their own children, rather than sending them to a daycare. However, working at home with small children underfoot is no easy task! Itกs not impossible, and it depends greatly on the ages of your children and what type of work you are doing at home. If you work a telephone job, most employers will require a very quiet background, which is impossible if you have small children. You also can’t stop working every few minutes to entertain the kids, unless you want to put in a very long day at the computer to make up for all the interruptions. There are certainly things you can do to make it easier, like have a neighborhood teenager come in for a few hours to watch your children while you work, or work only when your spouse is home and can keep an eye on the kids.

Choosing work that fulfills you This is SO important! Right now you’re probably thinking, กI don’t care what type of work I do, as long as it brings in a paycheck.ก I guarantee that attitude won’t last long. Like I said, you will need to be extremely selfmotivated and selfdisciplined to work at home, and your job will be a lot easier if you actually like what you do! Think about the type of person you are, and the type of work that suits you best. Are you creative and freespirited, or nosetothegrindstone efficient? Give some thought to your กvisionก of working at home, and try to find a job (or business) that will complement that.

Do you even want a กjob?ก When some people decide they want to กwork at home,ก they don’t want a regular JOB at all. What they want is the freedom to set their own schedule and do work they love. Itกs certainly possible to find those qualities in a job, but it can be difficult. If this describes you, consider starting your own business instead, focusing on your existing talents and abilities. I think many people shy away from this idea because it seems so overwhelming. But people do this every day! Itกs not hard at all. If you don’t know much about business but have an interest, start learning! There are so many great resources on the internet today. If you’re still not sure what type of work at home is best for you, get out a pad of paper and a pen. Write this sentence along the top of the page: I want to work at home because . . . and then write down as many endings to that sentence as you can think of. If most of your answers have to do with freedom and passionate, fulfilling work, a กjobก might not be the best thing for you.

Regardless of what type of work you decide on, understand that working at home can be difficult and challenging. But for most of us who do it, it is also wonderful. Personally, I wouldn’t trade it for anything! And once you find the right job or business, you will probably feel the same.

If this article has given you the impression that working at home might not be for you, remember that you can change if you want it badly enough. If you’re not very motivated, work on that. Give yourself little challenges every day and strengthen your level of selfdiscipline. If you need health benefits, keep searching for a job that provides them, or research other possibilities like affordable health insurance for the selfemployed. If your resolve is strong enough, you can make it happen! Never give up on your dreams.

About The Author

Wendy Betterini is a freelance writer and web designer who has been successfully working from home since 2003. In 2005 she launched http://www.CreativeWorkAtHome.com, a community and resource center for homebased professionals, and those who aspire to be. Visit today for tools, tips and information on how you can create your own homebased career, or further improve the one you already have!

This article was posted on August 03

by Wendy Betterini

Are You Irresistibly Attractive?

Are You Irresistibly Attractive?

by: Kimberly Stevens

If you’ve done any reading on the subject of marketing, you’ve certainly heard the term ขUnique Selling Propositionข or ขUSP.ข

As a reminder, your USP is what positions you in the marketplace are you, or what you sell, the best, the cheapest, the fastest, the easiest, the longest lasting, the most reliable, the most prestigious? Your USP is what makes you distinct from your competitors, but it’s often the thing firsttime business owners don’t fully understand.

Lara and I just started working together last month, and one of the first things we had to tackle was her USP. As a web site designer, she is part of a welldeveloped marketplace often competing with several other companies for every job.

ขI really don’t know why they keep picking the other guy. It’s so frustrating after I’ve worked so hard to get in the door in the first place. The only way I feel like I can get the job is if I underbid it, but I’ll never be able to keep my business running that way.ข

ขWell, you’re right,ข I replied. ขYou shouldn’t have to lower your prices just to get every job. There are certainly web designers out there who are charging less than you, but there are probably an equal number of them that are charging more. So, if we assume that there are companies hiring your higher priced competitors, then maybe price isn’t what every prospect bases their decision on.ข

ขIt sure has been for me. That’s always the reason they say they didn’t choose me. It makes me think that I’m going to have to lower my prices in order to get any work, but like I said, I’m not charging anything out of the ordinary. My hourly rate is at the market average as far as I can tell.ข

There were a couple of issues that we explored during the rest of the conversation, including her pricing, her competitors, her target market, her mission, etc. But the one that really hit home was her USP.

Up until this point, Lara didn’t realize that she was the one forcing her prospects to make their decisions based on price. She was marketing using the Competition Model instead of the Distinction Model.

In the Competition Model, your prospects see you as offering the same service as your competitors. In their mind, there is no delineation between what you and your competitors offer and how you offer it. So the only decisionmaking factor they are left with is price.

If they think all web designers offer the same level of web site design, can complete it in the same time frame and will be equally professional, what’s left? That’s right … price.

Think about how you make buying decisions. If you are getting your clothes drycleaned every week and you think that the three local dry cleaners all do a decent job, will have your suits ready in two days, and are equally friendly or disagreeable, aren’t you going to go with the cheapest one?

But some dry cleaners pick up and deliver don’t they? Some offer tailoring and mending services in addition to dry cleaning. Others set up shop inside large grocery stores, so you can knock out two errands in one stop.

These things make them distinct from their competitors. There are people who will pay a little more in order to have their dry cleaning picked up. There are others that will pay a little more to be able to drop it off and pick it up at the same time they are buying their week’s groceries.

If you don’t want to compete strictly on price, you’ve got to be DISTINCT from your competitors. That way, your prospects have something, besides price, to base their decision on. By emphasizing that distinction in your marketing efforts, you will naturally attract those prospects who value your distinction.

And when you are Irresistibly Attractive, the sales pressure is off. You just go out there, show them who you are and what you can do, and they come to you!

So how do you make you and your business DISTINCT and, therefore, Irresistibly Attractive? By creating your Unique Selling Proposition (USP).

What makes you different than your competitors? Are you faster? Do you deliver better quality? Are you more responsive to their needs? Are you closer in proximity? Do you specialize in a particular industry?

Take a moment to put yourself in the mind of your prospects. If you were hiring someone to perform your kind of service, what would you want?

You can practice by thinking about your own buying decisions. If I was hiring someone to clean my house, I would want them to:

do an impeccable cleaning job

show up on the scheduled day/time

avoid breaking/taking things

smoke outside of my house, if they smoke

charge $100 or less

If I could find someone to do these things for $65, I would hire them. But, if I would have to sacrifice the quality of their work or their reliability in order to pay the lower price, I would go with someone else. It’s important to me to have a clean house and to know that I can count on that person to show up on Thursdays before I have guests arrive on Friday.

So, here’s the process:

make a list of the things you would look for if you were a prospect hiring someone to do your service

put that list in priority order

gather all of your sales materials together (e.g. printout of web site, business cards, letterhead, brochures, email signature lines, proposal, trade show displays, newsletter, sales letter, direct mailers, cold calling script, elevator speech, etc.)

set aside 12 hours to review all of your materials to see what message you are sending to your prospects

revise your materials as needed

When you review your materials, try to look at them with fresh eyes as a prospect would. After going through them once and making notes about the impression they set, go through them again specifically looking for the top two distinctions from your list.

Do your sales materials/tools really bring your message home? Are your top 2 distinctions clearly emphasized in your materials? Are there things you need to add, omit, or revise in order to create your distinct impression on your prospects?

Once you are communicating a very specific and consistent message about yourself and your business, you will find that you no longer have to sell. Business comes to you – and it’s the kind of work you like that pays you what you deserve.

About The Author

Kimberly Stevens is the author of the ebook series, *The Profitable Business Owner: A StepbyStep System for Starting & Running a Successful Service Business*. Download Sample Chapters & get her free MiniCourse, *The 10 Most Common Mistakes Business Owners Make & How To Avoid Them* at: http://www.askthebizcoach.com/ebooks.htm

[email protected]

This article was posted on February 07, 2003

by Kimberly Stevens

Sitting On The Back Porch

Sitting On The Back Porch

by: Cathy Bryant

Yep, thatกs where I wrote this article sitting on the back porch.

Well, thatกs probably inaccurate; actually, the idea for this article came to me while I was sitting on the back porch. I was enjoying my afterlunch coffee along with an unseasonably warm (but delightful) October afternoon, when it occurred to me that I was indulging myself in one of the true luxuries of the workfromhome lifestyle.

I began to flash back as to what it was like working the more traditional 9to5 job, and once again I realized how blessed I was to be able to work from home on MY schedule, not someone elseกs!

Thereกs no denying it Iกm the toughest boss Iกve ever had but even the most compassionate employers have no way of knowing, let alone accommodating, those times when you just simply have to say กSTOP!ก

You know what Iกm talking about youกve been hard at work on your job for weeks, giving your all to your employer, and all at once your mind and body says to you, กIกve got to get out of here!ก Weกve all been there, right? You just want a break, a chance to be by yourself and sort through all the things that are weighing on your mind. Perhaps youกll just sneak outside for a few minutes, take a walk, grab a cup of java… you know it will make you more productive.

Sometimes you can do that…but more often than not, you can’t.

Or you won’t, because you don’t want your supervisor to view you as a กslacker.ก

So you plug away, not able to give your all to your job simply because you’re not able to refresh yourself on YOUR timetable.

No so when you work from home.

Make no mistake; I work very long hours many more than I did at any of my traditional jobs. Sometimes I work as many as 14 hours a day. But when the time comes to take a break, regardless of the hour, I have the freedom to do just that.

And thatกs when I head for the back porch.

About The Author

Cathy Bryant has been marketing online since the last century! Let her show you that an old dog CAN learn new tricks subscribe to her longrunning newsletter, the HomeBizJunction Herald, and learn how you too can become successful from home.

http://www.homebizjunction.com

This article was posted on February 13, 2003

by Cathy Bryant

5 Signs It Is Time To Leave Your Day Job

5 Signs It Is Time To Leave Your Day Job

by: Stephen Mistretta

Have you ever woken up in the middle of Sunday night in a cold sweat dreading you have to go to work Monday?

I have. And I am sure a lot of you have also.

What causes this and what is the solution? You internally dislike your job and finding a new job is the solution. Perhaps working from home where you are in control.

Throughout my work career I’ve had the opportunity to work at jobs I really enjoyed such as the US Army, a large financial planning firm as well as one of the larger ขBig Boxข retail chains.

I have also had the experience of working for a few companies where lying was the norm and Nepotism (hiring family members against company policy) was accepted.

Through these experiences I have come up with 5 key signs and or reasons it is time for a person to move on.

Your boss lies to the clients on a daily basis. I used to work in the digital printing industry where deadlines are tight and machinery does break down. I used to hear the owner lie to the customers about when a project would be completed. Of course I was the one left at the shop to explain to the customer why the job wasn’t done. The first time you hear the boss lie to a client I suggest you do two things. The first confront the boss professionally and tactfully and ask them why they lied. Usually they will try to sugar coat it, state right then and there it is something you do not agree with. Look for a solution for future potential problems. The second thing you should do is start looking for another job.

Your company or boss promises you a raise, bonus or time off and doesn’t follow through. A good friend of mine told me a story of how she worked for a company and her boss promised her three days off if they made there goal for the quarter. Well my friend worked her butt off and made the sales necessary to ขmakeข the quarter. Her boss then told her they had to double the quarter’s revenue in order to qualify for the three paid days off. She protested and the boss came back with ขthat’s what we agreed onข which of course was not the case. When you are working with a boss who is so pathetic it is better to move on. Keep your cool and start looking for a job, or better yet start your own business.

Your boss asks you to supervise one of there relatives. Remember the ขBlood is thicker then waterข from experience I can tell you it is true. Another good friend relayed a story to me about working for one of the larger ขone stopข digital presentation companies. He was hired as an assistant Branch manager or in this case the hired gun to clear out the deadwood. During his numerous interviews the Branch manager assured him that the fact many of their friends and also her Brother worked there he would have the authority and support to bring things back up to corporate standards. Well after the Brother showed up late three times my friend wrote the brother up for being late. Well guess what the sister/Branch Manager didn’t write him up the next time he was late (my friend was off that day). That sent a signal to the Brother that it was ok to ignore my friend as the Branch manger wasn’t writing him up. Moral of the story do not join companies where you will be a direct supervisor of a relative of your supervisor. It is nice to think it will work but it in a large majority of cases will not.Get out while you can.

Your boss asks you to lie for them. Once you start lying your boss will feel they got you right where they want you. Don’t do it. First thing to do is check with your labor board see if this is illegal and do you have any protection, second start looking for another job and third tactfully and professionally confront your boss, being prepared to be fired. If you are fired just wish them the best of luck, (this will most likely later drive them nuts thinking about it). Think about it why would you trust this person at all anymore, especially now that they are trying to drag you into there lies. Final point if you do something illegal or immoral for the boss and someone finds out about it who do you think the boss is going to point there finger at? You!!

You keep getting phone calls from creditors of your work place while at work. I went through this and the owner asked me to tell the creditors he was not there. OK maybe one time but after that pack your bags. Think logically if they aren’t paying the creditors what makes you think they will pay you.

When you decide it is time to leave above all for your next job do something you love. This will help soften life’s negative blows allot. Life is to short to be miserable and also to short to be working with pathetic small minded people. Always try to leave on good terms with a job waiting but realize sometimes for your own mental health sake you might have to just leave. Happiness IS NOT dependent on money, happiness is dependent on mental well being

About The Author

Stephen Mistretta is partner in www.HomeBusinessSuccess.biz a Home Business Guide and Portal. Steve can be reached at [email protected].

This article was posted on February 07

by Stephen Mistretta

How Can YOU Succeed Online?

How Can YOU Succeed Online?

by: Steve MacLellan

Every place you look online there is somebody tell you how you can get rich. All you need to do is follow a few simple steps…

It reminds of the TV commercial I saw where folks were attending a seminar. The speaker was full of zest and enthusiasm and he said:

กLook… itกs easy. You want to be a millionaire, all you need to do is save $100,000 per year. Do that for JUST 10 years and you are millionaire before you know it.ก

Iกd like to see a show of hands now! How many people do you know learned how to run before they learned how to crawl? I don’t see any hands.

How many people do you know that claim they will be RICH by this time next year… but are still currently working a job? Oh… see a couple of hands there. But for the most part, your friends that think this, are keeping their dreams to themselves. They may believe it, but they don’t believe it enough to be able to tell you about it. Itกs called กpipe dreams.ก

What do you think would be a realistic goal for the average person to achieve by marketing online?

Letกs think about your present income.

I know… youกd like to make more, everybody would…

But you can SEE by way of your employment, you making X number of dollars per month. Thatกs not too hard to visualize. You don’t need someone to tell you how to make $50,0000 per year if you are already making it. So it is a given. You can make $50,000 per year, and you are used to making it.

If you choose another field to work in, you can still make $50,000 per year.

There are ways to increase this so you can make more, but for now letกs look at an example of two different sales people I know who sell the exact same thing.

She was used to making $1200 per month. So when she quit her job and started working for herseld, she made $1100 per month.

He was used to making $3700 per month. So when he quit his job and started working for himself (the exact same thing) he wasn’t happy unless he was making $4100 per month.

Yes, yes… we could go into psychological reasoning, but Iกm not a psychologist. This is the norm for REAL people. Yes you can learn to overcome this mental barrier, but you’re not going to do it when you’re first out of the gate. Learn to replace your current income, before moving on to a higher income bracket.

This… isn’t soooo hard to do. Like eating an elephant! One bite at a time.

Here is the thing most people have a problem with…

What are you doing right now to make $50,000 per year?

Work?

Right! What do you suppose you’re going to have to do to earn the same amount of money working for yourself?

Acck! …and they said it would be easy. It is… all you have to do is save $100,000 per year;)

People you will never hear about are using the web to live their dreams. They aren’t rich, they aren’t famous, and you don’t know them and will never hear about them.

Glenn quit his teaching job last year. He replaced his income by playing in 5 different musical bands plus has employees that setup in small clubs and do Karaoke gigs for him. He doesn’t have a website. He uses a mailing list to keep the folks who hire him informed of his openings and specials. This keeps his name fresh on their minds.

A Carpenter and teacher (married couple) quit their jobs to rent cottages. Using traditional advertising and Internet marketing they had their cottages full by the second year. Internet marketing was responsible for 3540% of the bookings they received that year.

Harry runs a local directory for the county. He has businesses paying him to be listed on his website.

These are all people who were SERIOUS about wanting to replace their incomes, and they did, using a combination of offline, and online marketing. This is a sensible approach to using the Internet. Sure, most the stories you hear, are about how people have made fortunes. It is newsworthy, and of course the exception to the rule. We get bombarded with similar stories so much so that IF you hear John Smith finally replaced his income from a job he hated for 17 years, no one listens; no one cares. I bet John does though.

About The Author

Steve MacLellan is the author of กUsed Car Websitesก and has been doing web development for small/medium sized businesses since 1998.

http://carsitemarketing.com

[email protected]

This article was posted on September 06, 2004

by Steve MacLellan

10 Steps to Writing an Effective Thank You Letter

10 Steps to Writing an Effective Thank You Letter

by: Robert Moment

The interview was fantastic; you know that you impressed with your perfect answers and excellent resume. You also know that, from this point on, you just have to sit back and wait for the telephone to ring with your future employer on the line, begging you to come to work. You know this, right? Very wrong. No matter how wonderful the interview or great the resume, you can never be sure that you will get the job of your dreams—anything can happen. However, one way to help shift the odds in your favor is to write a Thank You Letter. This courtesy is often ignored by job candidates; so, if you take time, future employers are likely to take notice. An effective Thank You Letter can push you closer toward your career goal. The Thank You Letter should always sell your skills and how they will help your future employer.

To write the proper Thank You Letter, follow these simple but effective tips:

1. Keep It Short

A typical Thank You Letter is one page in length; this allows you to make your point without going on too long. Remember that most employers do not have the time to read page after page of gratitude. Show that you understand by keeping your letter short. You show courtesy in two ways.

2. Refresh Their Memory

Refer to specific pieces of information discussed in your interview—this shows that you paid attention and can remember detail. By doing this, you can remind the employer why you are best for the job.

3. Send It Off

After your interview, begin writing your Thank You Letter. Do not wait; the employer should receive your letter within 48 hours. This shows proper respect. If too much time passes, a letter is not likely to help you. Your potential boss will probably forget you.

4. Be Professional

Your letter should be typed on plain, white paper. Do not use items like colored paper or special bonded paper. Do not send your letter through email or handwrite it. That shows a lack of respect.

5. Emphasize Everything

In your letter, be sure to reemphasize your qualifications and experiences. Remind the employers of why you truly are the best person for this position. A Thank You Letter can serve to alleviate any doubts he/she had of you during your interview if you stress your best qualities.

6. Extra Information

Make sure to save room in your letter for extra information that you may have forgotten to mention during your interview, or that the employer did not ask for. This can help reinforce you in their minds.

7. Be Original

Do not simply copy an example of a Thank You Letter and fill in the blanks; your letter must be of your own design. Otherwise, you can come across as unwilling to put effort into your projects.

8. Encourage Contact

Give your pertinent information (Email, Home Phone, Cell Phone, etc.). This will allow the employer to decide whether he/she wants to contact you or not—you give them the chance. If you do not put your information in the letter, you may very well miss an opportunity.

9. Proofread

While an employer will appreciate a Thank You Letter, he/she will not appreciate one with spelling or grammar mistakes. Before you send your letter, proofread it; and, once you have read and reread, allow someone else to do the same.

10. Close With Gratitude

Without sounding overly dramatic, make sure that you thank the employer for taking the time to interview you. Thank them in your own way.

By following these steps, you can impress your future employer and give yourself the edge against other candidates. A simple courtesy could become the deciding factor of getting that perfect job.

About The Author

Robert Moment is an author, business coach, and success strategist. He has successfully consulted and advised hundreds of job seekers. His most recent ebook, ขWhat Matters Most is Employmentข ( http://www.jobsearchrx.com ) is a concise guide, packed with information and tips on finding and getting careeradvancing employment in today’s job market.

[email protected]

This article was posted on April 11

by Robert Moment

$1148 in One Day with Plants? You Bet!

$1148 in One Day with Plants? You Bet!

by: Michael McGroarty

You are welcome to use this article on your website or in your newsletter as long as you reprint it as is, including the contact information at the end. Website URLs must be active links. You are welcome to use this article with an affiliate link, http://www.freeplants.com/resellers.htm

HOW TO MAKE $1148 IN ONE DAY WORKING WITH PLANTS This article is actually an example of a simple yet, excellent marketing plan. Pay close attention to how I went out and found new business at a time of the year when things are normally slow, and not only did I make $1,148.00, my friend Franky also made $1,060.00.

Because I chose to keep myself out of the rat race of landscaping new homes, I went after a market that was more of an impulsive type market. New home landscaping is almost a necessity, since new homes don’t have any shrubs or grass. Not only that, many housing developments actually require people to have their landscaping done within a certain number of months from the time they move into their new homes. Therefore, when the house is done, people are anxious to get it landscaped.

Since I wasn’t in that market, and most impulsive gardening decisions are made in the spring, my business typically slowed down during the very hot summer months. So one year I decided to do a little test marketing, to see if I could muster up some work during the summer.

I decided to do a test mailing to 350 homeowners in an area where I knew the people could afford landscaping services, but were not extremely rich. I mailed a letter to these 350 homes, and the letter basically said I could help them with any landscaping project that needed done, and because my business was slow during the summer I could give them a really fair price.

Of the 350 people that received the letter 3 called me. I immediately sold two jobs, and the third job was still open for discussion. On one of the first two jobs I made about $350. and on the other I made about $700. That’s net profit. That’s how much I got to keep. Since the mailing cost less than $175., my immediate profit on the mailing was $875. Not bad at all considering this was only a parttime business for me. But don’t forget about that third caller. I had not even met this person yet.

The reason he called is because he happened to own a 60 unit apartment building in the Cleveland area, and he needed some trees or shrubs planted around the parking lot. The architect that he had been working with suggested Taxus Hicksi, which is an evergreen that is easily trimmed and maintained to a certain size. However, all the landscapers he had spoken with in Cleveland wanted about $44.00 each to install these plants. Although a fair price, that amounted to $4,664.00 because he needed 106 plants.

He contacted me because he was hoping I could find a less expensive plant to use. After visiting the job site I realized that Taxus Hicksi actually was about the best choice for this situation, so I told him I would see if I could get a better price on the plants. I showed in a wholesale catalog that the wholesale price was $22.00 per plant, but mentioned that I might be able to find another source.

I knew that my friend Franky did at one time grow this particular plant, so I gave him a call. Turns out he did have 106 plants available, and was anxious to move some of them, he quoted me $10.00 each, balled in burlap. I called my customer and told him that I found good plants at a lower price, and that I could actually deliver and plant them for $22.00 per plant, which is exactly half of what others had quoted him. He was delighted, and I did the job. As a matter of fact he actually asked me to install some additional plants while I was there.

I hired 3 guys to help me do the job, and we had it done in one day. After I paid for the plants, and paid my help, I actually made $1,148.00 on that one day job. My customer was so happy with the work we did that he asked me to come back the following week and do about another $700.00 worth of work. I made another $350.00 The following spring he hired me to relandscape an older home that he had purchased, and I made another $600.00.

Remember the $175.00 that I spent to mail those 350 letters? The net profit on that mailing turned out to be about $2,973.00!!! And my friend Franky picked up $1,060.00 for the plants I bought from him. Were these 350 people I selected special? No they weren’t. Every town in America has at least 350 people just like them, probably thousands more.

There are many different ways to make money with plants, this is just one of them, I can show you plenty more. I’ve been making money with plants for over 25 years.

About The Author

Michael J. McGroarty is the author of this article. Visit his most interesting website, http://www.freeplants.com and sign up for his excellent gardening newsletter.

[email protected]

This article was posted on September 14

by Michael McGroarty

When Your Graphic Designer Costs You Money…

When Your Graphic Designer Costs You Money…

by: Grannyกs Mettle

So how do you know when your graphic designer costs you financially and emotionally?

When a file is not prepared correctly… When you go to press and have your media material produced in prints, and find out that the file was built incorrectly, then thatกs the time when your graphic designer will cost you money.

Many prepress operators have complained about having to correct graphic designers work. To have a file prepared incorrectly can have drastic financial and emotional consequences to the owner. The time needed to rectify the problem can cause major delays and additional expense. This is due to the graphic designerกs understanding that his job is done when he produces the design that you require.

It is therefore necessary for a graphic designer to understand the basic principle of what you see on screen may not be the same when it comes off the press. A designer should know how to correctly build a bleed; check that the panels fold correctly; and that color separation is well understood. The list goes on an on. If these issues are not properly addressed, the customer will most likely pay for additional costs because a print house or service provider will definitely charge extra for fixing the problem.

When no press check is done… Not only that the customer would be paying dearly, he or she will also suffer emotionally when no press check is done. The job would definitely come out less or even worse than what the owner is expecting. The customer will be left with the frustration of having no alternative but to accept additional job for the revision of the graphic designerกs output. This is particularly stressful and definitely teethgrinding when it is a lastminute job for a presentation or a trade show. The customer is left with nothing.

When your graphic designer make more than a few major mistakes… Especially with regards to a website, a designer must be able to understand that it is not just optimizing images or putting text on a page and uploading it to a remote site. The graphic designer must understand how search engine optimization and basic HTML work. If not, well, the website may just be something for the drawing boards. And that would be another expense for the customer because he or she has to go back and redesign another website.

So when times like these do occur, and your graphic designer cost you much money and emotional stress, itกs time for you to hit the high road and look for another. There are a lot of people working as graphic designers for the web and print. Many of them are well trained and understand what it takes to create a great and working media material. You just have to discern and look a little further for the designer that will give you your moneyกs worth.

About The Author

Grannyกs Mettle is a 30something, professional web content writer. She has created various web content on a diverse range of topics, which includes digital printing topics, medical news, as well as legal issues. Her articles are composed of reviews, suggestions, tips and more for the printing and designing industry.

Her thoughts on writing: กWriting gives me pleasure… pleasure and excitement that you have created something to share with others. And with the wide world of the Internet, it gives me great satisfaction that my articles reach more people in the quickest time you could imagine.ก

On her spare time, she loves to stay at home, reading books on just about any topic she fancies, cooking a great meal, and taking care of her husband and kids.

For comments and inquiries about the article visit http://www.graphicdesignsunlimited.com

[email protected]

This article was posted on March 28

by Grannyกs Mettle

5 Simple Techniques to Work at Home Forever

5 Simple Techniques to Work at Home Forever

by: Sylvie Charrier

If youกve spent any time online, you will already know that there are lots of scams out there! You might have even begun to doubt that there are any workathome positions available for serious jobseekers. If this sounds like you, you aren’t alone!

Believe me, there are real home based jobs, but what most of the work at home sites omit in their information packages is that it takes work to get work. Finding a telecommuting job can be a full time job in itself, but if you don’t have all the facts, you will be spinning your wheels trying to get somewhere or you will probably give up within a few weeks. That would be a shame, because there aren’t enough high quality telecommuters as it is!

Look, I know you’re skeptical. So was I, a few short years ago. That was before I started implementing some very unique strategies that allowed me to generate so much work from my small home office, that I needed to hire extra staff just to keep up with it all!

The strategies I used are actually very simple, and you can duplicate these ideas to become a very successful telecommuter. In fact, I want you to copy my techniques, even if it means I create my own competition! Why? Because every time a new person starts to work from home more successfully and efficiently, that means one more employer is happy with the concept of hiring homeworkers! That means everyone gets more jobs, and more opportunities to do what we all love to do…working at home in our pyjamas!

So, let’s cover the top 5 simple techniques you can use to work at home forever, shall we?

Never pay for any job! There is never a good reason to pay for work, and I am amazed at how many jobseekers waste precious time and money chasing after schemes that will never pay. It wastes a lot of time you could better spend targeting your jobsearch to legitimate and valid work.

Get your materials ready! You are going to need to be ready before you start looking for work. You will need a specialized telecommuter’s resume, an excellent cover letter template, and an online portfolio that showcases samples of your work. Without these things in place ahead of time, you will not be ready for rapid response when an employer needs to see your stuff.

Make sure you have all the equipment and software you’re going to need! Depending on your skill set, you’re probably going to need special software and equipment to do your job right. Don’t expect an employer to pay for these things. A prospective employer is more likely to hire the next person who is properly equipped, rather than hire you if you expect the employer to pay for what you need to do your job.

Know what you do for a living! This is an absolute necessity if you want to work from home. You may think that you want to do ขtyping at homeข, but if that’s all you can think of, then you’re wasting time. Think about how your typing skills will be useful to your employer, come up with creative applications of that skill, set up samples to show what your service looks like, and plan ahead on how much you will charge for that service. Be willing to tell prospective employers exactly what you do and how much you charge for it.

Change your strategy! Instead of looking for jobs that have already been posted online, and have already been taken, look for companies that are well suited for your talents. Create your own work by contacting companies that have not yet posted jobs online, and eliminate the competition. But, make sure you know exactly what service you plan to offer that company, and why it is useful to them. Don’t bother contacting companies by sending vague resumes. That technique never works! Contact targeted companies with specific services in mind, and let them know you are open to alternate suggestions.

These techniques work extremely well, and using them allowed me to build my home based service company from scratch, without spending a dime on advertising. I was broke when I started working from home, and I didn’t have a computer. Using these techniques, I was able to slowly build my business and develop a client base that has consistently earned me more money than if I was working onsite. You can do it too!

About The Author

Copyright © 2003, Sylvie Charrier, Author of ‘telecommuters Work in Their PJsก

http://www.inyourpjs.com

This article is excerpted from ขTelecommuters Work in Their PJsข, a real world guide to telecommuting. Sylvie Charrier works from home full time and wrote this book to share her unique techniques with others. You can download your free trial copy of ขTelecommuters Work in Their PJsข by visiting http://www.inyourpjs.com

This article is available for free reprint on your site or newsletter, provided it is copied in its entirety, and the byline remains intact. The only allowed change to the byline is to replace http://www.inyourpjs.com with your unique affiliate link so you can make money from any sales of ‘telecommuters Work in Their PJsก.

Sign up as an authorized affiliate here…

http://www.inyourpjs.com/affiliates.htm

Once signed up as an affiliate you will receive your unique affiliate link and may replace Sylvieกs URL with your affiliate link.

This article was posted on February 25, 2003

by Sylvie Charrier

Choosing a Home Business or Job

Choosing a Home Business or Job

by: Wendy Betterini

One thing I constantly see from กnewbiesก to the work at home world is, กIกm so confused, I don’t know where to start!ก Itกs true, there is so much information out there, and not all of it good. Scams are mixed right in with legitimate business opportunities and jobs.

Here is a very simple way to decide on a direction if you are looking for a work at home job or business.

What do you enjoy doing? Make a list of every single thing you enjoy, or have an interest in.

What are you good at? Make another list of every single talent or ability you have, or have done in previous jobs. Not just regular กjobsก either, look at the things you do for your family, friends, hobbies, etc.

Play the match game. Can any of your items from List #1 be combined with an item from List #2 and made into a home business? For example if you love to clean, and you’re good at organizing, you could become a professional organizer or start a cleaning business. If you love writing, you could write articles and ebooks about how to get organized. (or any topic from List #1 or #2)

Do you want to be your own boss or work for someone else? If you want to work for someone else, start researching jobs that would match the items from your lists. If you want to work for yourself, start researching possible home business options, either with an existing company, or forming your own.

There are so many directions you could go in. The hardest part is choosing one. Get clear about what you don’t want to do. Hate phone work? Make a note of that. In fact, make a list of every single thing that you don’t want to do in a job/biz. Then write a vision of what you DO truly want. If you could wave a magic wand over your life right now, what would you create? What type of work would you be doing? How much money would you be making? Where would you live? How much time would you spend working, and how much time with family? Write all of this down in full detail and refer back to it often. Itกs your dream, and you need to keep infusing it with life and energy.

Great! You know where you want to end up, now you need to think about the steps that will get you there. Just take it a step at a time, don’t get overwhelmed.

Itกs going to take time to fully realize your vision of working at home. If you’re really strapped for cash, consider taking on a parttime job outside the home while you build your work at home job or business. That will relieve the pressure of needing to กcreate an income right now!ก Then you can take your time and build your dream.

Finally, believe you CAN do this! Millions of people are already successfully working from home, and you can too. Just choose a direction and start moving toward it!

About The Author

Wendy Betterini is a freelance writer and web designer who has been successfully working from home since 2003. In 2005 she launched http://www.CreativeWorkAtHome.com, a community and resource center for homebased professionals, and those who aspire to be. Visit today for tools, tips and information on how you can create your own homebased career, or further improve the one you already have!

This article was posted on August 03

by Wendy Betterini

How To Become A True CCNA

How To Become A True CCNA

by: www.thebryantadvantage.com

Iกve worked my way from the CCNA to the CCIE, and along the way Iกve conducted job interviews and casual conversations with dozens of CCNAs and CCNA candidates. Believe me, people who กsneak byก the CCNA exam by braindumps, memorization, and never touching a router or switch are QUICKLY found out in job interviews and on the job.

The field will always need qualified CCNAs. The key word is กqualifiedก. How can you make sure you’re truly qualified? Itกs actually pretty simple.

1. Use routers and switches in your study, not simulators. Simulators are OK to start with, but when you’re in the interview room and you’re taken to the network room, that simulatorกs not going to be there. Real routers and switches are. With all due respect to the simulators on the market, they’re not routers and switches. Don’t fool yourself.

Attend a CCNA class that gets you plenty of time on real Cisco equipment. Used Cisco equipment is cheaper than ever. Look at it this way you can put together a true CCNA lab that you can also use for CCNP study for less than $1000. When you choose to sell it, you can get half of that back. A small investment like that pays huge dividends in your future.

2. Know binary math. Some leading CCNA books tell you to just memorize a chart to get by the exam. I wish I had a nickel for every CCNA that hasn’t been able to solve a simple subnetting problem in a job interview. Someone who doesn’t know binary math is not going to go far. Whoกs going to remember that chart they memorized for the exam six months ago?

3. Run plenty of กshowก and กdebugก commands when running labs. These are the commands that show you whatกs going on กbehind the commandก. You need to know what is really happening when you put in a command when you get asked about it in an interview.

These three simple points separate the real CCNAs from the ones who got lucky or braindumped their way to success. By constructing a solid foundation of Cisco knowledge at the CCNA level, you build the bridgework for a lifetime of career success. You don’t have to have a lot of job experience to get a CCNA job, but you do have to really understand the subject matter.

It worked for me. I went from the CCNA to the CCIE in this manner, and the habits I developed at the CCNA level followed me all the way to the top. It can happen for you, too!

Good luck!

Chris Bryant

CCIE #12933

About The Author

TheBryantAdvantage.com is owned and operated by Chris Bryant, CCIE #12933. He has worked his way from the CCNA to the CCIE, has interviewed dozens of CCNAs, and knows what makes the difference between someone who knows how to do the job and who doesn’t. He teaches these skills to small groups of five students at a time with his customwritten Study Guide and Lab Workbook. By keeping the groups small, every student gets the attention they deserve. For CCNA and CCNP training at its finest, either inperson or over the Internet, visit him at http://www.thebryantadvantage.com today!

[email protected]

This article was posted on August 01, 2004

by www.thebryantadvantage.com

Rent A Coder & other service auctions

Rent A Coder & other service auctions

by: Jakob Jelling

You may be in the market for a new website. Perhaps you may be looking for a new logo or a database constructed for yourself or a small business. There are plenty of freelancers out there that are just itching to help you out. These freelancers canvas eBaylike environments and bid on your job. Of course there will be those who will bid relatively low, just trying to get the job, as well as at a relatively higher price. There are several good websites you can find these coders and at a substantially reduced price. You can save up to 75% without batting an eyelash.

Rentacoder or rentacoder.com is one of the best freelance sites on the web today. If you are a buyer looking for quality technical support, Rentacoder or RAC is a great place to start. You post an online auction by selecting the field that your project relates too and set a maximum bidder on your project. Upon approval from a reviewer, your auction is begun and will run the duration you set it too. Once you are notified that the auction begins, your mail inbox will start to receive emails from various professionals and gurus who are more than qualified to get the job done.

Like eBay, these professionals have a feedback rating that tells the world at large that they can meet deadlines and perform quality work. Your decision is based in two parts; one the rating that the coder has as well as the bid price. Should both of these meet your criteria, you can select the coder to begin the project for you. You will escrow funds for the coder via credit card or paypal and wait for the confirmation letter for the coder to begin work.

Once your contact information has been established, the coder will work until the job is completed to your liking. Once you approve, you can accept the job as 100% and your project is complete. If you are not happy you can have the coder continue to rework the project until you are satisfied. Once you are satisfied with the quality of work. You can exchange feedback with the coder. The coder’s feedback should commensurate with the quality and timeliness. You can expect a good reference to the coder will garnish a positive reference for yourself. People will want to work with buyers who can describe the project and let them get to work. There are over 80,000 coders on RentACoder today.

If you are a freelancer looking for work, this place is for you. You can earn up to 85% of the auction fee by doing simple to complex assignment for various businesses and people around the world. You can gain a positive reputation as well as steady repeat business by performing the work as efficiently and quickly as humanly possible. As you receive more feedback ratings your rank will shoot up higher depending on the point system. Rentacoder, provides a unique experience that does not cost the coder a dime to join. They will pay a percentage of the completed job at the end of the transaction. The coder can also be paid by Paypal or check every 15th and 30th of each month.

Another popular site which mirrors Rentacoder is ELance.com. Elance provides a wide range of services in the market place today. However the only major difference between ELance and Rentacoder is that Rentacoder does not charge a quarterly service fee depending on your specialty.

The pro of joining Rentacoder is getting quality work done at rock bottom prices and the cons are some people cannot complete assignments awarded to them. You will need to ask as many questions possible when it comes to selecting the right coder. Their ability to get the job done is your primary concern!

By Jakob Jelling

http://www.sitetube.com

About The Author

Jakob Jelling is the founder of http://www.sitetube.com. Visit his website for the latest on planning, building, promoting and maintaining websites.

This article was posted on September 27, 2004

by Jakob Jelling