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

Work At Home, Go Bankrupt At HomeItกs Your Choic

Work At Home, Go Bankrupt At HomeItกs Your Choice

by: Isaiah Hull

If you want to make an income working at home, you must mitigate spending in the early phases of your venture. If you spend wildly, you will never make money. I can promise you this now. It happens to almost every person who tries to work at home; it happened to me and I nearly gave up, too.

It is fine to set high goals, but you must always be grounded in reality when it comes to your finances. You must record your expenses and you must plan to buy certain products and services at certain times. If you do not do this, you will overspend and you will fail. This is a guarantee.

Part of careful budgeting is learning what works and what does not. As annoying as it may seem, it is essential to track the results you get from all forms of advertising and expenses. You will have to slash unnecessary costs if you want to succeed. If your marketing plan is to purchase every opportunity you find, operate on a high outofpocket budget, and hope that throwing money at your problems will fix them, you wont see the results you want. You will slowly lose money and confidence.

I do not care how much money you are willing to lose: your success will be directly related to your patience and the economics of your business modelnot an opportunity you might happen to stumble over one day.

Patience is something you either have or will develop quickly working at home. If you do not have the patience to work out problems, to find the best products and services without buying each one, and to buy only when you need tonot when you feel the impulseyou will waste a lot of money; however, this problem will work itself out: either you will go broke and give upor you will learn to have patience.

The economics of your business model is also something that you will shape over time and continually change. When you begin your work at home venture, it is essential to research your field, find the best opportunities, verify them through multiple independent sources, and then create a budget based on your best judgement. It is also essential to be selective when you alter your budget. When you find an opportunity or service that you really want to purchase, write it down. Find more information about it. Come back to it at the start of your new budget period.

If you want to get the highest possible consistent return on your spending, you must maintain a focused, dynamic budget. This means you must concentrate your spending, track the results, and then be ready to change your budget for the next period to reflect your analysis of the previous monthกs outcomes. Do not shift from service to service during the same budget period. This will only obscure your results.

Joining a group of people who want to work at home is one of the best ways to artificially shape your budget model faster. You can find hundreds of these groups on the Internet alone; and in each of these groups, you will find people who are more experienced than you are, have tried some of the things you plan to try, and can tell you what has and has not worked for them. If you want to maximize your spending, this is one of the best places to start. There is no better resource than real, live people, who have succeeded in your field and are willing to tell you how you can do the same.

In summary, working at home offers opportunityseekers flexibility and unlimited income possibilities, but if you do not apply the correct business model to control your spending, your statistical chance of succeeding is low. If you do the following things, you will succeed:

Keep a dynamic, focused budget.

Remain patient.

Track your results.

Find mentors and friends in your field to help you.

Remember: You can go broke at home or you can retire early working from home. The choice is yours: be patient and economical and you will see results; or act spuriously and reap failure.

Copyright 2004 Isaiah Hull

About The Author

Isaiah Hull is the webmaster of http://www.workathomerightnow.net . Email him personally at mailto:[email protected] to receive free, personal, stepbystep instructions to build a home business online for an investment of $0 to $300/mo.

This article was posted on October 05, 2004

by Isaiah Hull

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

Blogs And Your Work From Home Internet Business

Blogs And Your Work From Home Internet Business

by: Tom Worsley

As a work from home internet business entrepreneur you have several really good tools on the internet you can take advantage of in order to build your work from home business. A blog is just one of those tools that you can use and should be taking advantage of.

In recent months blogs have become more and more popular all over the internet. A blog, or weblog, is a personal Web site updated frequently with links, commentary and anything else you like. People maintained blogs long before the term was coined, but the trend gained momentum with the introduction of automated published systems, most notably Blogger. ( http://www.blogger.com ) At blogger.com Thousands of people use services such as Blogger to simplify and accelerate the publishing process. This makes it very simple to create several 100 pages within a site all with the same look and feel but with different content. This of coarse is exactly what the major search engines are looking for.

There are several reasons why a work from home internet business entrepreneur like my self would use blogs in their arsenal of marketing tools. The number one reason for me is to gain better search engine exposure. I have several blogs already started. Two are merely work from home business article databases. Every time I write a new article or find a good one someone else wrote, I submit it into my blog which crates a new page in my site. The search engines will find and spider this new page. I also have a work from home tips blog which I try to post several good tips to each week. This is all great content for my work from home internet business web site that my visitors will hopefully want to read.

Blogs also create opportunities for more search engine submissions. Recently with the popularity of blogs special blog search engines have started to emerge. The only way you can submit to one of these special blog search engines is if you have a blog yourself. Blogs create a special rss or xml files that these search engines will look for.

Setting up your blog may initially take some time and effort but it’s made much simpler if you use blogger.com. But do not use bloggers hosting service. Be sure to use your own domain and hosing service. This will get you the best results with the search engines. Once you have chosen your main template look and feel of your blog all you need to do is keep posting new and good content that your readers would be interested in to your blog. Eventually over time you will have 100’s pages of great content that your visitors will enjoy reading all spidered by the major search engines giving you more traffic and exposure.

About The Author

Tom Worsley is a successful work from home Internet marketer and independent representative for SFI , Owner and Webmaster for http://www.bigmoolla.com & http://kawarthapublishing.com. This article may be republished on your site or in your newsletter as long as this resource box is included.

This article was posted on January 02

by Tom Worsley

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

Why Do Grandmothers Make Better Home Business Entr

Why Do Grandmothers Make Better Home Business Entrepreneurs?

by: Ted Riley

INTRODUCTION

There are many home based business ideas that are taking root as an economic force to be reckoned with these days. The people who are taking advantage of them are coming from all types of social backgrounds and the work at home industry has proven to be most effective in producing a new boom of working grandmothers. The fact that retired female workers can now reenter the work force under their own terms has been a great help in raising the self esteem and living standards of the older generation.

TURNING FEAR INTO FUN

There are many obstacles in the way of retired female workers who wish to get a home based business started, the biggest of which is technofear. This can be turned to the advantage of the technologicallychallenged grandmothers for the simple reason that their grandchildren can teach them how to use a computer and surf the net. Just like having your own miniature I.T. consultant!

STRONG WORK ETHIC

It is not only this fact that makes retired female workers likely to be able to succeed in a home based business. It is also the many skills that they have picked up along the course of their lives that will help enable them to have a better shot at getting into a viable home based business. The fact that a grandmother will have a finely honed work ethic is a great help since you have to be a self starter if you are going to run a home based business and many of the younger generation these days lack this quality.

BETTER INTERPERSONAL SKILLS

A work at home grandmother is likely to have much better interpersonal skills because of the years of practice. The wisdom they have accrued will be a big help in making the decisions that will govern the home based business they chose to engage in and it will also be a help to others as a marketable commodity.

OTHER SKILLS

Many skills will also have been collected along the way such as handicrafts and the like that can be a very profitable home based business idea.

DEMOGRAPHICS

It is not only retired female workers that are cashing in on this idea of home based business. Work at home mothers are growing in numbers as the cost of childcare and the emotional welfare of the child becomes a bigger and bigger problem with mothers that wish to continue working through the early years of their child’s life.

THE JOY OF INDEPENDENCE

Now that the internet can provide an income for the stay at home moms, the choice is being made with gusto. Work at home mothers are growing to like the idea of the independence that a home based business idea can bring and the self esteem boost is a big help in the fight against depression that being trapped in the home with the kids can sometimes cause.

RESOURCES

There are many organizations that can give advice and guidance to the stay at home moms that wish to transform themselves into work at home mothers and one of them is called WAHM (this simply stands for work at home moms). The sole purpose for WAHM is to provide support specifically for work at home mothers in every imaginable way.

There are similar support groups for retired female workers who wish to start their own work at home business. The support group for working grandmothers is a part of AARP which is an organization for the overfifty portion of society. Anything from investment advice to help with Medicare can be obtained.

Copyright 2004 Android Technologies, Inc.

About The Author

Ted Riley is an entrepreneur and educator interested in teaching others on the benefits and rewards of having your own home business. He writes frequently for the web site กA Grandmotherกs Businessก, a web site dedicated to the needs and equirements of the mature woman entrepreneur and jobseeker. To see more articles like this visit: http://www.grandmabiz.com/

This article was posted on April 06, 2004

by Ted Riley

The Work At Home Dilemma…Should It Be A Job Or A

The Work At Home Dilemma…Should It Be A Job Or A Business?

by: Kirk Bannerman

So you have decided to work at home (either by choice or necessity) and now you are faced with the decision as to whether to pursue a work at home job or to start a home based business. That may sound like a minor distinction, but this can pose a dilemma as the differences can actually be quite significant.

A general psychological characterization of the entrepreneurial spirit, says they are typically people who have a high energy level, set longterm goals, feel quite selfconfident, and view money and financial security as a measure of accomplishment and piece of mind.

They are further characterized as problem solvers, who take risks, learn from their failures (as well as those of others), accept personal responsibility, seize the initiative, and use all available resources to achieve their success.

Entrepreneurs compete with themselves and believe that success or failure lies within their personal control or influence. They do not see setbacks as failures, but rather as learning experiences. Most of all, they exhibit persistence and tenacity, never giving up and never quitting the quest for success.

If you fit most of these criteria, you would probably elect to start a home business instead of undertaking a work at home job. However, the decision to work at home does not necessarily mean that you want to be the owner of a business. You may prefer working at home for an already established company. This is often easier to do than owning a business yourself and you may not want all the headaches, responsibilities and obligations that come with owning your own business.

Regardless of which path (job or business) you choose, the first step is to figure out what business or workfromhome opportunity you want to pursue. There are many excellent information sources such as public libraries and Internet sites that list seemingly countless home business and work at home job opportunities. The abundance is so great that it might well lead to confusion.

One of the most important factors is often overlooked. This is your personal inventory. Often this will yield some direction and focus to the business or job selection process. Assess yourself and your situation. Write a resume for yourself that includes your background, education, training as well as any particular onthejob skills you possess that could possibly be used in a venture or job. Also look at your leisuretime activities and hobbies, because many businesses result from a person following their กpassion.ก Ask yourself how much time you can realistically put into a business venture, given your present commitments.

Once you have determined the general type of home business or work at home job that you want to undertake, it is of critical importance that you do your homework (research) to select the specific opportunity where you are going to make your กinvestmentก (some combination of time, effort and money) in working at home.

About The Author

Kirk Bannerman operates his own successful home based business and also coaches others seeking to start their own home based business. For more information visit his website at http://www.homebasedbusinessteam.com for more details.

This article was posted on January 18

by Kirk Bannerman

Work At Home, But Don’t Become A Slave To Your Bus

Work At Home, But Don’t Become A Slave To Your Business

by: Kirk Bannerman

Although the expressed reasons for wanting to work from home are many and varied, most home based business owners cite the ability to set their own hours as a major factor in their decision to work at home. However, many people that have work at home businesses often fall into a trap that flies directly in the face of their stated desire for time flexibility.

The strong growth in home based business activity continues and, according to the Small Business Administrationกs Office of Advocacy, fiftytwo percent of ALL small businesses are homebased.

Some home based business owners have been known to become กworkaholicsก because their office is so accessible. Don’t become a slave to your business…get out of your home office regularly to renew and revitalize yourself.

Close the door to your office or otherwise remove yourself from your designated กwork areaก and go into your กhomeก area to live your personal life. If your business involves the use of the telephone and you find it difficult to ignore a ringing phone in the office, simply turn the ringer off and turn the volume on the answering machine way down. If your business is internet based, just turn off your computer (or at least get away from the monitor and keyboard).

As a work at home business entrepreneur, you certainly aren’t required to be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week just because your business is located in your home. After all, your office or workspace is just an area in your home…its not your home itself!

Working and living under the same roof has a host of advantages, but it can present some challenges (in addition to the workaholic syndrome mentioned, above) and stress factors.

Here are four ways to create a less stressful home business environment:

Remember why you wanted to become involved with a homebased business (i.e. more time for family, work schedule flexibility, etc.)

Have discussions with your family members and get their input about the working arrangements and the amount of time they want with you.

Use good time management techniques. Keep a list of tasks by order of importance. There are many low cost and effective กday plannersก or กorganizersก readily available today.

ALWAYS take a little time to กsmell the rosesก.

While not experiencing the negatives common to a corporate office working environment, the homebased business owner may occasionally experience stresses and frustrations that are unique to working at home. Networking with other homebased and small business owners provides an opportunity to connect with others who may be experiencing the same stresses/frustrations that you are. Sharing stressful and/or frustrating issues with someone else in the same situation can relieve your stress and may bring you good advice from a different point of view.

As a final note, remember to observe HomeBased Business Week (it is always the week of October that includes the second Tuesday).

About The Author

Kirk Bannerman operates a successful home based business and resides in California. For more details, visit his website at http://businessathome.us

This article was posted on December 26, 2003

by Kirk Bannerman

The Pitfalls of the Work From Home Craze

The Pitfalls of the Work From Home Craze

by: Tim Somers

More than 4 million people currently have the good fortune of working from home. From major corporations letting their key people set up a home office to the many inspiring home based business owners. Having the ability to set your own hours is the key benefit in choosing to work from home.

Home based businesses are continuing to grow at an incredible rate. The Internet has opened a window of opportunity for business ventures that were once impossible to build in a home office environment. The Small Business Administrations Office of Advocacy claims over 50 percent of all small businesses are home based and will continue to grow.

Working from home is not always a bed of roses. It is common for most that work from home to become workaholics. Having your work or business accessible 24 hours a day makes it hard to know when to quit for the day.

The fact is that working from home is enjoyable and you can get sucked into becoming a slave to your home business. You need to know when to step back and smell the roses. Setting up specific work hours for each day is key to not falling into a workaholic bottomless pit.

When it is quitting time turn off the computer and turn the volume on the phone or answering machine down low. Take charge of your home business – do not let it take charge of you.

Most choose to work from home to gain a better quality of life, spending more time with family and the freedom a home business offers is a big draw. If you do not set some basic standards you will loose focus on your intentions – working even more hours than the 9 to 5 job you left.

Some key points to being productive and not overworking yourself.

Set up a work schedule – based on the demands of your life style and stick to it.

Prioritize your work – set a daily, weekly and monthly to do list.

Interruptions and Distractions – even though you are at home you are still at work. Make sure family and friends know your work schedule. If your home office is near a TV – turn it off during work hours.

Procrastinating – Don’t put off projects or tasked that need to be completed – they will only start to pile up adding stress to your work from home environment.

Take time for lunch – be sure to squeeze in time for a small break or lunch. Breaking up the day will keep you focused, energetic and will reduce any stress that may be building up throughout the day.

Working from home is a dream for many and can be a nightmare for others. Staying focused and not overworking is hard, but the benefits of a work from home business should give you the freedom and financial life style that you are in search of. This can only be archived if YOU are in control of your home business.

Copyright 2005 – Tim Somers, 3G Enterprises, LLC

About The Author

Tim Somers ขThe Home Biz Honchoข. Changing Your Life, Helping You Make Money While You Work From Home. Get Tim’s Top Ten Home Biz Opportunities – Free Report at: http://www.HomeBasedBusinessOpportunityHoncho.com

If you are ready to start building a Residual Income – Tim will build you your very own Money Generating Website for FREE! http://www.FreeMakeMoneySite.com

This article was posted on March 04

by Tim Somers

Working At Home…Should It Be A Job Or A Business

Working At Home…Should It Be A Job Or A Business?

by: Kirk Bannerman

You have decided to work at home (either by choice or necessity) and now you are faced with the decision as to whether to pursue a work at home job or to start a home based business. That may sound like a minor distinction, but the differences can be significant.

A general psychological characterization of the entrepreneurial spirit, says they are typically people who have a high energy level, set longterm goals, feel quite selfconfident, and view money and financial security as a measure of accomplishment and piece of mind.

They are further characterized as problem solvers, who take risks, learn from their failures (as well as those of others), accept personal responsibility, seize the initiative, and use all available resources to achieve their success.

Entrepreneurs compete with themselves and believe that success or failure lies within their personal control or influence. They do not see setbacks as failures, but rather as learning experiences. Most of all, they exhibit persistence and tenacity, never giving up and never quitting the quest for success.

If you fit most of these criteria, you would probably elect to start a home business instead of undertaking a work at home job.

However, the decision to work at home does not necessarily mean that you want to be the owner of a business. You may prefer working at home for an already established company. This is often easier to do than owning a business yourself and you may not want all the headaches, responsibilities and obligations that come with owning your own business.

Regardless of which path (job or business) you choose, the first step is to figure out what business or workfromhome opportunity you want to pursue. There are many excellent information sources such as public libraries and Internet sites that list seemingly countless home business and work at home job opportunities. The abundance is so great that it might well lead to confusion.

One of the most important factors is often overlooked. This is your personal inventory. Often this will yield some direction and focus to the business or job selection process. Assess yourself and your situation. Write a resume for yourself that includes your background, education, training as well as any particular onthejob skills you possess that could possibly be used in a venture or job. Also look at your leisuretime activities and hobbies, because many businesses result from a person following their กpassion.ก Ask yourself how much time you can realistically put into a business venture, given your present commitments.

Once you have determined the general type of home business or work at home job that you want to undertake, it is of critical importance that you do your homework (research) to select the specific opportunity where you are going to make your ขinvestmentข (some combination of time, effort and money) in working at home.

About The Author

Kirk Bannerman operates a successful home based business and resides in California. For more details, visit his website at http://businessathome.us

This article was posted on September 25, 2003

by Kirk Bannerman

Make Your Child an Executive!

Make Your Child an Executive!

by: Brandy Latshaw

So youกve decided to work from home, but you have one big problem….How do you juggle working from home and taking care of your child at the same time? At 16 months old my daughter is my executive assistant. Find out how you can make your child into an executive assistant.

Crazy?

When you’re working from home you learn how to setup and organize your home office space. One of the things that is essential to this office, if you have little ones at home, is a place for your child! Iกve read a lot of articles that talk about making your home office a quiet space for you to go and work. I have a different perspective on this. Instead of making your office a space that your child shouldn’t be in, why not give them a place to work alongside of you? Crazy? Read on…..

My Daughterกs a Work at Home Mom!

O.K. So you’re asking, if I encourage my child to play in the same room Iกm working in, how am I going to get anything done? One of the ways that your child learns as the grow up, is to immitate the actions of those around them. Especially you! Have you ever really stopped to look at how your child plays on a day to day basis? I was completely amazed to see what Melody does while not under my direct supervision. Sheกs a work at home mom! Allright, so thatกs a bit of a stretch…but she parents her stuffed animals, and กworksก throughout the day. I was astonished to see how much she really imitates my actions. I took this knowledge and used it to develop a play space that she has come to love.

The Executive Secretary is In!

I gave Melody her own office within my home office. My daughter loves working with me every day. I have set up a corner of my office that is just for her. Sheกs got her own little desk and chair set up right next to mine. The desk is packed with coloring books and crayons, puzzles and books. She even has her own phone! Melody loves sitting at her desk and กworkingก while I am working. She also has an easel in the office that has a magnetic board on one side with all different magnets. She loves playing with alphabet magnets. I also have a toybox with a lot of toys that she can play with throughout the day. She loves that she has a space that is กher ownก that she can watch me and play alongside me while I work.

The Boss Needs a Break Too!

So my office isn’t the traditional office that you would find working in the กoutside worldก, and I often trip over toys on my way to work, but it is the perfect office for a work at home mom. My daughter is close to me all day long even if I am working. We even have a work schedule that we follow throughout the day. We take frequent breaks to play. She knows when to expect breaktime so she will be calmer in those times that I am working. I find that having a schedule that we follow really helps her to be happy throughout the day. Melody thrives on a schedule. She knows exactly what time lunch is even though she can’t tell time. At 11:00 each day she comes up to me and says Mommy, กeat eat.ก The schedule keeps her happy and ensures that I spend a good amount of quality time with her each day and don’t get caught up in my work.

My Little Executive Assistant

Itกs really a winwin situation for the both of us. Throughout the day Iกll also give her little tasks to complete. Right now they are easy tasks such as putting the shapes back in her shape ball, or working on completing a puzzle. As she gets older I will start adding crafts and other things that will help her learn while playing in our office. She is my little executive assistant. I realize that this may not be a practical solution for everyoneกs house, but take the concept, and take a look at your กofficeก to see if this might be something that you can incorporate into your life. It is a huge help in our house.

About The Author

Brandy is the webmaster of Melodyกs Mommy and is committed to helping Moms and Dads work from home. She lives in MA with her daughter Melody and is a successful work at home Mom. This article may be used on any site or in any newsletter as long as it is not altered in any way and this signature line remains intact. http://www.melodysmommy.com

[email protected]

This article was posted on March 31

by Brandy Latshaw

Online Business, Where do I start?

Online Business, Where do I start?

by: Tanner Larsson

BUSINESS. A big word. A big commitment. A big step.

Very quickly, we can round everything up about staring an online business in four very simple steps. Understand. Prepare. Do it. Sell it. There are no short cuts to working at home, let’s put it this way. If you’re looking for a short cut that you can use to start a work at home business, you may want to ignore this article. But in order to start your own online business, there are tons of things to be done. The best thing is for you to hold on to your day job (if you still have one) and take all four steps we recommend here and THEN you quit your day job.

Understand

Research the industry. That’s the first thing you should do if you are really serious about starting an online business. Starting the new online business is not difficult at all. In fact, it is relatively easy and needs minimal funding. Do your homework; look at what your competitors are doing. See how successful they are, emulate their good points and avoid their bad ones. Define your services or products by researching on the feasibility of your online business. Remember, working at home is a career, not a parttime job. Even if you’re still under employment, you’ll still need to know everything there is to know about your online business environment and industry. No two ways about it.

Prepare

Next, you need to write your work at home business plan. Even if you don’t have everything right down pat about your new work at home business, you’ll find that the fog of uncertainty will start clearing up when you write your work at home business plan. It’s when you’re sitting there, writing, preparing and planning your online business that the jigsaw puzzle pieces starts floating into place quite effortlessly.

Don’t copy other people’s online business plans. That’s one big mistake you should avoid. If you want your work at home online business to succeed, come up with your own business plan. This is the only way to go. You can use software or programs to help you write your business plan, but you don’t copy other people’s plans. The business plan should include information about potential expenses, income, advertising, promotional campaigns, projection of profit…..etc.

There typically isn’t much in the way of legal paperwork to be done for an online business but before you start working at home, you should check with a lawyer or a friend who has an online business to make sure you’re not flouting any rules.

Do it

I must say that this has to be the most trying steps of all. Getting your online business off the ground. Deciding on and registering the domain name, hosting company, designing the website, setting up the merchant accounts, shopping carts, uploading all the pages and images, checking links….etc. Time consuming but at the end of the day, when everything works out, there is a tremendous level of satisfaction….knowing that doing all that enables you to work at home.

Sell it

Now that the business is all set to receive orders and you’re all geared up about your new work at home business, it’s time to start selling the products and services. Find ways to advertise online and offline, tieup with partners and affiliates, get others to help you promote your business, use autoresponders, set up your newsletters, write articles, exchange links with other websites, join forums, participate in message boards and groups related to your business….etc. All in the name of selling.

With lots of patience and persistence, starting your online business could be as easy and smooth as you want it to be. Just keep your focus and direction. And remember, nothing happens overnight, so, be patient and persist, and never give up.

Copyright © Tanner Larsson

Http://www.WorkAtHomeResourceCenter.com

About The Author

Tanner Larsson is a veteran entrepreneur and the publisher of the award winning Work At Home Success Newsletter. Subscribe to his newsletter and recieve 4 EXCLUSIVE Bonuses valued at $276.

http://www.workathomeresourcecenter.com

This article was posted on January 30

by Tanner Larsson