There are endless benefits to working at home. Some of us are lucky enough to land jobs that allow you to do your work from home. Still others are even more fortunate in having businesses that they themselves are authorities over. I will cover the benefits of the latter, though most can be enjoyed by both parties.
1. NO TRAFFIC JAMS! Yes, some areas seldom have high traffic volume and there are others who have a 5 minute or less drive time to work. Yet, most of us are subject to rush hour traffic. As a friend of mine once told me, the drive alone can make you stressed out before you even arrive at work.
2. EXCESSIVE MULTITASKING! Some employers drown their employees in duties that should be done by multiple persons. However, to save money, many companies are forced to pile the work load of 3-5 persons on one employee. When you are in charge of your own destiny, you decide when you can not handle any more tasks. This is a huge benefit especially when considering the health benefits of eliminating the constant source of stress.
3. STRICT POLICIES! Everyone has a gripe about a policy that restricts who they are. For me, it is having coffee at my desk. It may seem silly, but in the mornings I am a avid coffee drinker. Working at an office, it is often a policy to do away with drinks at your desks to avoid possible messes. Which is a good policy to have to avoid messes, but at home I always have coffee with me when I work.
4. TAKING CARE OF OCCASIONAL PERSONAL BUSINESS! When you are running your own business, you are free to stop and make a phone call to the doctors office, straighten out a bill or run out to take a forgotten lunch to your little one (provided you have one). You make the call because you are in charge, and you know what you can and can not do.
5. TAKING DAYS OFF AND/OR SICK TIME! Anyone feel guilty when requesting days off? Or do you need a day or two more than what you have? When you have your own business all you have to do is plan ahead. Save money and put it aside just for those occasions. Work around your OWN schedule.
6. MAKE YOUR OWN SCHEDULE! I chose going to an online college because of this. If you are a night owl or want to do everything in early morning and be off in the afternoon, go for it!!! All you have to do is make sure the work gets done! When it gets done is on you. I personally like this freedom because doctor appointments are rarely at the time you want them to be. I also like being able to work around my daughters schedule. Having a strict schedule does not allow for you to sleep in an extra hour because you or one of your kids was sick all night...but when you have your own business you have that freedom.
7. YOU SEE THE BENEFITS OF YOUR WORK! Nothing is more motivating than more money in your pocket. When it is you seeing the monetary gains from your work, you are going to be more motivated to go out there and get it!
8. YOUR OWN BATHROOM! Most employees who work outside the home are have to share a bathroom with countless others. When you are in the comfort of your own home, it is all yours! Privacy is yours once again!
9. ACCESS TO A KITCHEN! In your own home you are free to cook your own meals, make your own coffee, tea or whatever your drink of choice is!
10. FOR THOSE OF US WITH CHILDREN, WHAT ABOUT ALL THOSE DAYS OFF FROM SCHOOL? Ever had to wonder what you were going to do for your son or your daughter over such and such vacation? If you have your own business you can plan to take that day off with your kids, the guilt is gone, and your precious little ones have a parent to be with them.
11. YOU CAN MAKE A BUSINESS OUT OF WHAT YOU LIKE DOING! Sure you are going to have to research what kind of work at home businesses work and are successful. But, if you take that list, learn about what is involved you just may find something you are already good at and enjoy doing. If you like what you are doing now, why not research work at home businesses that relate to that? Then you already have practical experience to apply. I have suggested one place that I have experience with on my first blog since that is what interests me, but by all means...find what you like!
Having your own business has many more benefits than I can list, but you also have to remember that it isn't all fun and games. In my next posting I will be going over some things that your organization, boss and coworkers can offer you that you may find hard to replace. You must find a way to fill that gap. I will offer suggestions on how to do this, but for now please keep in mind before you take that plunge that you need to have a hand in both worlds and a way to compare the two. Many organizations are very loyal to their employees and offer more than you realize!
Friday, April 18, 2008
Monday, April 14, 2008
Tips For Operating Your Home Business
I have found that setting ground rules for my friends and family was essential to my success. By all means, you are free to set your own schedule and run your business as you so desire. However, setting a few ground rules for your workspace and work schedule is an effective way to controlling how much you get done in a day.
1. Select an office location that you can section off from the rest of the house. This makes it possible to reduce the traffic in and out of your office during your day. If you double as a work at home mom, still set up this space and invest in a laptop to use at the kitchen table for times when the kids are at home.
2. For those who are work at home mom's, work around your children's schedule. If they are late risers, get up at the crack of dawn to start work. If they go to bed early, plan to work late. This may not be what you really want to do, but trust me you will get twice as much done without the distractions and your kids will love you for it.
3. Let your friends and family know that when you are in your work space that you are working and it may not be the best time to chat. If you welcome the break, make the point to step outside your office or workspace to engage in leisure time. Your friends and family will begin to associate your work space as off limits and your free time being outside the office or workspace.
4. If you live with family or friends try to keep your work space as your own. Unless you have others working with you, try to separate your office space as your space. Limit other family members personal belongings in your space. This will reduce the traffic in and out of your office. If you don't have a laptop, it is something to consider. This enables family or friends to use the laptop while you are in your workspace without restricting them from Internet time.
5. Learn to say "No". This may seem easy, but so is feeling guilty because you can manipulate you own schedule. Family members and/or friends may try to play the card 'but I have a real job' and 'I don't have time for that, you have all day'. It is very easy for spouses, family members and friends to believe that you have it made and have all the time in the world. The simple fact of the matter is a home business takes just as much time, if not more to run a healthy and productive business.
6. Create an iron clad schedule. Construct a schedule that includes time for mishaps. Include daily goals that you wish to accomplish each day. If you absolutely can not complete your goal, readjust your schedule to ensure that it does get done. This not only keeps you on task and productive, it also serves as a way for family members and/or friends see what you do each day and how much time it takes.
7. Leave unrelated errands as a last thing to do each day or better yet, for Fridays when you would normally welcome a change of pace. Why? Because this is inclined to keep you motivated to finish up all your goals and tasks for the day so that you are free to go and run your personal errands. Saving this time for Friday is even better. Why? Because who wants to spend a day in the office on a Friday? Personally, I would work my fingers to the bone if I knew it meant a day off from work. This is a great benefit to working from home, because in most cases you can make your own schedule, not to mention the great feeling you will have knowing everything is done for the week.
8. Take time off. When we are in charge of our own destinies, we are more apt to overworking ourselves. Why? Because we are in charge of our own perceived successes and failures. We all need time to recharge our batteries. This also helps to maintain job satisfaction, our personal outlook on life and our overall productivity.
I hope you have enjoyed these tips. They are by no means the only way of operating your work at home business, but they are things that I have found helpful throughout my years of working from home. Most of these tips can be used equally as well for students, especially online students who do all of their learning from home.
1. Select an office location that you can section off from the rest of the house. This makes it possible to reduce the traffic in and out of your office during your day. If you double as a work at home mom, still set up this space and invest in a laptop to use at the kitchen table for times when the kids are at home.
2. For those who are work at home mom's, work around your children's schedule. If they are late risers, get up at the crack of dawn to start work. If they go to bed early, plan to work late. This may not be what you really want to do, but trust me you will get twice as much done without the distractions and your kids will love you for it.
3. Let your friends and family know that when you are in your work space that you are working and it may not be the best time to chat. If you welcome the break, make the point to step outside your office or workspace to engage in leisure time. Your friends and family will begin to associate your work space as off limits and your free time being outside the office or workspace.
4. If you live with family or friends try to keep your work space as your own. Unless you have others working with you, try to separate your office space as your space. Limit other family members personal belongings in your space. This will reduce the traffic in and out of your office. If you don't have a laptop, it is something to consider. This enables family or friends to use the laptop while you are in your workspace without restricting them from Internet time.
5. Learn to say "No". This may seem easy, but so is feeling guilty because you can manipulate you own schedule. Family members and/or friends may try to play the card 'but I have a real job' and 'I don't have time for that, you have all day'. It is very easy for spouses, family members and friends to believe that you have it made and have all the time in the world. The simple fact of the matter is a home business takes just as much time, if not more to run a healthy and productive business.
6. Create an iron clad schedule. Construct a schedule that includes time for mishaps. Include daily goals that you wish to accomplish each day. If you absolutely can not complete your goal, readjust your schedule to ensure that it does get done. This not only keeps you on task and productive, it also serves as a way for family members and/or friends see what you do each day and how much time it takes.
7. Leave unrelated errands as a last thing to do each day or better yet, for Fridays when you would normally welcome a change of pace. Why? Because this is inclined to keep you motivated to finish up all your goals and tasks for the day so that you are free to go and run your personal errands. Saving this time for Friday is even better. Why? Because who wants to spend a day in the office on a Friday? Personally, I would work my fingers to the bone if I knew it meant a day off from work. This is a great benefit to working from home, because in most cases you can make your own schedule, not to mention the great feeling you will have knowing everything is done for the week.
8. Take time off. When we are in charge of our own destinies, we are more apt to overworking ourselves. Why? Because we are in charge of our own perceived successes and failures. We all need time to recharge our batteries. This also helps to maintain job satisfaction, our personal outlook on life and our overall productivity.
I hope you have enjoyed these tips. They are by no means the only way of operating your work at home business, but they are things that I have found helpful throughout my years of working from home. Most of these tips can be used equally as well for students, especially online students who do all of their learning from home.
Setting Up Your Home Office
Organization is key to a successful home business. It not only saves you time, it also helps your business. For example, let's say you are a health care recruiter and a client calls you to get a heads up on the status of his or her job placement (health care recruiters match clients to the the best possible organizations with in the standards and preferences of that individual and retain a finders fee for doing so by participating organizations). Now, if you have hundreds of clients and can not remember the clients status all you need to do is refer to your notes or better yet, your status board. What's this? You can't find your notes nor do you have a status board? You better kiss that client goodbye, because the market is saturated with thousands of other recruiters just waiting to snatch up a new client and you can bet they are ready for them! Here are a few tips I have learned over the years:
1. Keep your desk free of clutter. Clear your desk each night and put everything in it's place just as you would in the corporate world. No matter how busy you think you are, taking the time to clear your desk will actually save you time in the long run. If your desk doubles for something else at night, for example; recreational uses, bill paying, and/ or education purposes make sure you take the time to clear it again before you start each day.
2. Keep all resources that are frequently used at arms length. This includes notebooks, references, daily organizers, ect. I also keep a small paper file on my desk for papers I need handy at a moments notice. I also suggest shelves around or above your workspace to store those resources. Cabinets are great but can become a nuisance for items that you need often.
3. Keep desk supplies out and organized. Make sure that the items you organize on your desk are ones you use often to optimize space. Keep all other desk supplies including refills organized in a supply closet or organized in easily accessed drawers.
4. Take the time to organize your files. If you don't have one, invest in a filing cabinet you won't regret it. If you have tons of paperwork to file take the time to sort and file it all into one filing cabinet. You can use separate drawers to section related items together. Once you have it organized, keep it that way. Once in a while I get a stack of papers that haven't been filed right away and wouldn't you know it, those are the papers I need! This requires me to search through the pile to pull out what I need. I save more time by filing the papers right away.
5. Use an extra bookshelf for references not frequently used and all other miscellaneous books. This will keep the clutter on your desk to a minimum.
6. Decorate your office. Your office space should be relaxing to reduce the stress of working. Maximize the benefits of working from home by adding your personal touches. You can add attractive plants, candles, cherished pictures or anything that would make your office more inviting to enter each morning. Fresh paint can completely change the mood of the room. Believe it or not, your office space has a lot to do with how you feel about work.
Having an a office that is neat, organized, and inviting is the one many factors of a successful home business. In my next posting I will be going over suggestions for operating your business from home.
1. Keep your desk free of clutter. Clear your desk each night and put everything in it's place just as you would in the corporate world. No matter how busy you think you are, taking the time to clear your desk will actually save you time in the long run. If your desk doubles for something else at night, for example; recreational uses, bill paying, and/ or education purposes make sure you take the time to clear it again before you start each day.
2. Keep all resources that are frequently used at arms length. This includes notebooks, references, daily organizers, ect. I also keep a small paper file on my desk for papers I need handy at a moments notice. I also suggest shelves around or above your workspace to store those resources. Cabinets are great but can become a nuisance for items that you need often.
3. Keep desk supplies out and organized. Make sure that the items you organize on your desk are ones you use often to optimize space. Keep all other desk supplies including refills organized in a supply closet or organized in easily accessed drawers.
4. Take the time to organize your files. If you don't have one, invest in a filing cabinet you won't regret it. If you have tons of paperwork to file take the time to sort and file it all into one filing cabinet. You can use separate drawers to section related items together. Once you have it organized, keep it that way. Once in a while I get a stack of papers that haven't been filed right away and wouldn't you know it, those are the papers I need! This requires me to search through the pile to pull out what I need. I save more time by filing the papers right away.
5. Use an extra bookshelf for references not frequently used and all other miscellaneous books. This will keep the clutter on your desk to a minimum.
6. Decorate your office. Your office space should be relaxing to reduce the stress of working. Maximize the benefits of working from home by adding your personal touches. You can add attractive plants, candles, cherished pictures or anything that would make your office more inviting to enter each morning. Fresh paint can completely change the mood of the room. Believe it or not, your office space has a lot to do with how you feel about work.
Having an a office that is neat, organized, and inviting is the one many factors of a successful home business. In my next posting I will be going over suggestions for operating your business from home.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Online Marketing a Reputable Business
Though you will find many offers for work-at-home doing online marketing, there are few courses that provide the real skills necessary to be profitable in this market. There are courses that you can take that you can do at your own pace from home, just make sure you are getting what you paid for.
Tip #1. Look out for advertisements that promise big riches right away. The reality is that the skills necessary to be successful in online marketing takes time to build. It can be done in a relatively short time if you discipline yourself, but do not expect to generate a large income right away. Look for courses that promote long term skill building and caution students from jumping in too soon.
Tip #2. Research online forums, blogs and high traffic areas for the general opinion of the course offered. If you want to know the creditability of a work-from-home offer, do your research. One of the benefits of the Internet is that by searching for information of companies and businesses is as easy as tying your shoes. If the course or offer is creditable you are going to find a lot of Internet buzz about the product. If you can find no information of the product offered, use extreme caution. Many scams today are smart enough to change the name of their products and/or company names on a regular basis in order to escape the terrible reputation they have made for themselves.
Tip #3. Ask questions. Once you have found a course with a good honest reputation, ask members questions from the forums you come across. Ask students how easy the course is to follow and if the information given is covered in great detail. Also ask how easy it is to get questions answered. Since most courses are online courses or are mailed to you, good support and effective information is very important.
Tip #4. Do not spend more than you can afford. There is nothing worse than spending money you don't have with the thought that you will get it back right away only to find that making your own business takes time and effort. My advice is to find courses that are not only reputable, but also do not carry an out of range expense.
There are several courses I might recommend to you that would get you on the right track, but please do your own research before spending your money. Right now there is an effective course on the market called Profitlance that is worthy of your consideration. The cost is minimal and passes all of my testing as an effective online marketing course. Here is a link to it and a few other reputable courses are reviewed here under 'Best Programs Reviewed':
http://melmar.thebestbizreview.com/
In my next posting I will be going over the necessary skills you need to be successful with your own work-from-home business.
Tip #1. Look out for advertisements that promise big riches right away. The reality is that the skills necessary to be successful in online marketing takes time to build. It can be done in a relatively short time if you discipline yourself, but do not expect to generate a large income right away. Look for courses that promote long term skill building and caution students from jumping in too soon.
Tip #2. Research online forums, blogs and high traffic areas for the general opinion of the course offered. If you want to know the creditability of a work-from-home offer, do your research. One of the benefits of the Internet is that by searching for information of companies and businesses is as easy as tying your shoes. If the course or offer is creditable you are going to find a lot of Internet buzz about the product. If you can find no information of the product offered, use extreme caution. Many scams today are smart enough to change the name of their products and/or company names on a regular basis in order to escape the terrible reputation they have made for themselves.
Tip #3. Ask questions. Once you have found a course with a good honest reputation, ask members questions from the forums you come across. Ask students how easy the course is to follow and if the information given is covered in great detail. Also ask how easy it is to get questions answered. Since most courses are online courses or are mailed to you, good support and effective information is very important.
Tip #4. Do not spend more than you can afford. There is nothing worse than spending money you don't have with the thought that you will get it back right away only to find that making your own business takes time and effort. My advice is to find courses that are not only reputable, but also do not carry an out of range expense.
There are several courses I might recommend to you that would get you on the right track, but please do your own research before spending your money. Right now there is an effective course on the market called Profitlance that is worthy of your consideration. The cost is minimal and passes all of my testing as an effective online marketing course. Here is a link to it and a few other reputable courses are reviewed here under 'Best Programs Reviewed':
http://melmar.thebestbizreview.com/
In my next posting I will be going over the necessary skills you need to be successful with your own work-from-home business.
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