How To Start A Profitable Work at home and Home Business

The only way to keep up with the latest about work at home and home business is to constantly stay on the look out for new information. If you read everything you find about work at home and home business, it won't take long for you to become an influential authority. Starting a profitable work at home and home business does not have to be a struggle, though it often is for many people. If you want to make the best of any work-at-home opportunity, it might help you to follow a few simple steps. First, take stock of your interests, skills, and potential. No one can start a profitable business by sheer luck. You personally have to bring something to the table, so to speak. Your home business will ultimately take on the character that you give it,it will ultimately reflect who you are as a person. If you are disorganized, your business will be disorganized. If you lack focus, then your business will lack it as well. Before you even think if starting a profitable home business, you must first understand yourself and what you can offer. All of use have different strengths and weaknesses, and it is vital that you understand yours. Take your strengths and translate it to a competitive advantage; take your weaknesses and eliminate them. (Or at the very least, downplay them.) If, for example, you are an excellent salesperson, you might want to take the lead in selling your own products. If, however, you have poor sales skills, you might want to leave that area to someone else. Similarly, if you are good with numbers, you can do your own business accounting, but if you're not, it might be better to hire an accountant. Take advantage of what you can do well, and leave others to do the things that you are poorer at. Second, understand exactly what it is that you are offering to the market. In other words, understand your business. Know it inside and out. You can't expect to have a profitable work at home and home business if you are playing catch-up the entire time. Do everything you have to in order to be up-to-date. Read up on all the trade publications, magazines, etc. Observe, even interview your competitors. Find out what they are doing right and what they are doing wrong. Obviously, you should strive to imitate what they do well, and avoid their mistakes. Generate ideas through any means possible, they will keep you ahead. Knowledge can give you a real advantage. To make sure you're fully informed about home business, keep reading. Lastly, understand the market itself. Who exactly are you selling to? Remember that you cannot hope to sell everything to everyone. You need to specify exactly who you will be dealing with, then exert all efforts to reach that market better. If you are looking to reach the youth demographic, then obviously you will use advertising methods that will draw them. That, however, will not help you reach senior citizens. In other words, you have to choose. Starting a profitable work at home and home business does not have to be difficult. By thinking it through before you jump in, you will maximize the chances for success. Take time to consider the points presented above. What you learn may help you overcome your hesitation to take action.
Article Source: http://www.work-at-home-article.com
* The best home business ideas and opportunities that will enable you to start making money from your own home. * www.4instant-online-business.com I Will Build Your Own FREE Website Ready To Take Orders in 24 hrs ! www.4instant-online-business.com/pips.html

Ways To Earn Money From Home

For parents, having the burden of child care expenses can be draining. Maybe it's time to explore ways to earn money from home.One way to earn money from home is to start your own at-home business. If you are a people-person, developing a business in which people come into your home (such as a clothing shop or daycare) or being a salesperson (such as candles or cosmetics) might be a great option for you.If you have space in your home (such as a garage or den) which could be converted into a business area, having your own shop would be a fun way to earn money from home. Specialize in a hobby or interest you enjoy such as hunting or antiques or make your own products to feature as sales items like jewelry or candles. To earn money from home by being a shop owner would, of course require some investment like restructuring, extra utility costs, decorating, advertising, product costs and possibly employee payrolls. Some people however, prefer to work alone. Dealing with co-workers is one of the top 10 reasons professionals quit their jobs. In this case, providing a service in which you excel would be a good way to earn money from home. Decide on a business endeavor in which you could spend at least 90 percent of the time working by yourself, such as an at-home accounting business or book proofreader. All jobs though, include some person-to-person contact such as phone calls or asking businesses to display advertising for your company. Perhaps you are not one who likes dealing with people but still have always dreamed of running your own company. Consider buying an empty building or existing company and be a business owner who collects all the profits. Sure, you'd have to make an appearance from time to time to check on business matters. But for the most part, having your own business could consist of paying employees and management to do the job for you. It is a reasonable way to earn money from home while never having to lift a finger.Telecommuting to work is also an option to earn money from home. Talk to your boss or supervisor about possibly doing your duties from home and either e-mailing or faxing it in. If this isn't possible, there are many companies out there who need people to work from home doing secretarial, bookkeeping or writing work. Advance in your career and do the job you've always enjoyed. The only difference would be that you now have a virtual office and no co-workers or heavy-breathing bosses surrounding you.Another option to earn money from home that is similar to telecommuting, is to freelance. Turn your skill or hobby into a profitable career by doing contract work for businesses. Set your own schedule, haggle your own fees and still have time for your family.To Your Success
Article Source: http://www.work-at-home-article.com
Obinna Heche. Los Angeles - California Delivering the best home based business ideas and opportunities so you can work at home successfully.. www.homeincomeportal.com/obhmy365/

Some Simple Steps To Start Your Home Based Internet Business Today

So, you've finally decided to take the plunge and start your very own home based internet business. You've decided that it's finally time to stand up and be counted and claim your share of all that internet wealth you keep hearing about. The only problem is, now that you've finally made your decision, it seems like a pretty intimidating task deciding what to do next. Using the term "information overload" to describe the dilemma seems like a gigantic understatement. Well, if you're really serious about starting your own home based internet business, the next step really doesn't have to be that difficult at all. There are several reasonably simple ways to start making an online income and one of them is sure to fit your particular plan of what it is you would like to do. So, just relax, take a deep breath, and read thoroughly the following ideas until you find something that strikes your fancy. Sign-up for One or Several Affiliate Programs This is undoubtedly one of the easiest and fastest ways to get started making money online. The Internet is loaded with products that have affiliate programs that you can join and most of them pay handsome commissions. When you sign-up for an affiliate program, you are simply making an agreement with the owner of a product or service that you will earn a commission in exchange for referring a prospect to that person's product (usually a sales page that you have sent the prospect to via your unique affiliate link) if that prospect ultimately makes a purchase. Begin by selecting a product or service that interests you and then visit some of the websites that have achieved top rankings for the keywords that best describe that topic. You're certain to find the top affiliate programs for that niche or industry relatively quick. Or, try visiting one of the many affiliate program directories (you can find them easily enough on Google) and scan their listings and recommendations until you find something that you believe will work for you. This is a good Internet marketing solution for newbies since you don't even need your own website to get started. You will, however, need to learn how to use a variety of traffic generating strategies, both free and paid, so you can get some targeted traffic to your affiliate link. Once you start generating some income from these sources, you can then start reinvesting some of your profits and get yourself set up with your own website. By that time the concept of getting set up with your own website won't seem so daunting. Join a Recurring Income Program Recurring income programs are somewhat comparable to affiliate programs in that you typically get paid for referring a prospect to the program's website if that prospect follows through and makes a purchase. However, the difference exists in the fact that with these programs, you also have the opportunity to earn a monthly recurring income if the prospect you refer becomes a paying member of the recurring income opportunity program. For example, I join one of these programs myself. If a prospect comes to my website and clicks on a link which takes them to the sales page for the product or service that I am promoting, and they buy, then I get a commission. However, if that prospect also decides to become a member of the recurring income opportunity program, then I get a check every month as long as that prospect remains a paying member of that program. People tend to be cynical of these programs and get them confused with pyramid schemes. The way to tell if one of these programs is a pyramid scheme is to simply verify if the company in question offers a real, legitimate product or service. If so, it cannot be classified as a pyramid scheme and you should be okay. Don't be frightened away by the fact that you will most likely have to pay a monthly fee to participate in the recurring income opportunity. If you can build a downstream revenue source for yourself in one of these programs, the monthly fee will be insignificant compared to the probable recurring income you could earn. Many of these programs will provide you with your own ready-to-run website, which is okay if you are just getting started. Some, like one of the opportunities that I offer on my websites, not only provide the ready-to-run website and hosting, but also all the products you need to sell AND the ability to edit and customize the site to your liking. Again, use the various traffic generating strategies to start generating some traffic and then work on getting your site customized and personalized so you can start to build your own opt-in list. Sell a Hard Good or Downloadable Info Product Alright, I know this one doesn't sound as simple and easy as you had hoped, but to be honest, it truly not as hard as it might seem. Selling a hard good involves offering a real physical product (like custom car accessories, for instance) for sale in your own online retail store. If this idea really appeals to you, go for it. Brainstorm some products you would enjoy selling, then do some keyword research in Wordtracker to build a targeted niche within that market (hot rod parts?). Then, you can use a drop ship source directory or the search engines to find suppliers or distributors who will drop ship the product for you (meaning they ship it directly to the customer and you don't have to carry any inventory). Then go to EBay or Yahoo and sign up for one of their stores. They'll even provide you with a shopping cart feature and help you get set up with a PayPal account (so that you can accept credit cards). Additionally, you'll get some built-in traffic since millions of people are using their shopping directory to search for products every day. As far as the website is concerned, not to worry. Most hosting providers today have some type of site building solution available for those customers who don't know html code from java script. Believe me friends, I have seen technically useless and HTML challenged technophobes do this, so YOU can, too. Now, regarding the info product of which we were speaking. By the way, I mean YOUR OWN info product. Everyone on the web and their mother will tell you that this is the best way to make the really big bucks online. Write about something you know and/or in which you have a deep interest. The topic of internet marketing seems to have been way overdone. Unless, of course, you are a true subject matter expert on some niche within internet marketing, then definitely do it. But please, don't do it just because everyone else is. As for the actual writing, you don't even have to do that if you really don't want to. You can check out a site like elance.com and post your project and have writers bid on completing the project for you! And there are so many easy to use PDF ebook creators available that formatting the book should pose no technical challenge whatsoever. I offer several that you can read about on my websites. Set up a simple, little one page sales website with a link for payment processing, optimize the site for the search engines, implement several forms of advertising (free and paid), find some JV partners, and you're in the money! Now, just to be fair and honest, you probably won't attract too many JV partners until you have something to offer in return, i.e. a big, paying list of customers.By the way, I know of some guys who have about 10 or 15 of these little mini sites set up selling simple reports on niche topics and raking in an average of $2,000 a month from each site. And they're incredibly easy to set up and practically run on autopilot once you do! Well, there you have it. Just a few relatively simple ways to get you started on your way mining YOUR share of the internet gold mine! All the best in your success.
Article Source: http://www.work-at-home-article.com
Don Resh is CEO of WebForce, Inc. A more detailed bio is available at: WebForceSolutions BizBuildSoftware TurboMaxSoftware

How To Start A Profitable Home Business

The only way to keep up with the latest about home business is to constantly stay on the lookout for new information. If you read everything you find about home business, it won't take long for you to become an influential authority. Starting a profitable home business does not have to be a struggle, though it often is for many people. If you want to make the best of any work-at-home opportunity, it might help you to follow a few simple steps. First, take stock of your interests, skills, and potential. No one can start a profitable business by sheer luck. You personally have to bring something to the table, so to speak. Your home business will ultimately take on the character that you give it,it will ultimately reflect who you are as a person. If you are disorganized, your business will be disorganized. If you lack focus, then your business will lack it as well. Before you even think if starting a profitable home business, you must first understand yourself and what you can offer. All of use have different strengths and weaknesses, and it is vital that you understand yours. Take your strengths and translate it to a competitive advantage; take your weaknesses and eliminate them. (Or at the very least, downplay them.) If, for example, you are an excellent salesperson, you might want to take the lead in selling your own products. If, however, you have poor sales skills, you might want to leave that area to someone else. Similarly, if you are good with numbers, you can do your own business accounting, but if you're not, it might be better to hire an accountant. Take advantage of what you can do well, and leave others to do the things that you are poorer at. Second, understand exactly what it is that you are offering to the market. In other words, understand your business. Know it inside and out. You can't expect to have a profitable home business if you are playing catch-up the entire time. Do everything you have to in order to be up-to-date. Read up on all the trade publications, magazines, etc. Observe, even interview your competitors. Find out what they are doing right and what they are doing wrong. Obviously, you should strive to imitate what they do well, and avoid their mistakes. Generate ideas through any means possible, they will keep you ahead. Knowledge can give you a real advantage. To make sure you're fully informed about home business, keep reading. Lastly, understand the market itself. Who exactly are you selling to? Remember that you cannot hope to sell everything to everyone. You need to specify exactly who you will be dealing with, then exert all efforts to reach that market better. If you are looking to reach the youth demographic, then obviously you will use advertising methods that will draw them. That, however, will not help you reach senior citizens. In other words, you have to choose. Starting a profitable home business does not have to be difficult. By thinking it through before you jump in, you will maximize the chances for success. Take time to consider the points presented above. What you learn may help you overcome your hesitation to take action.
Article Source: http://www.work-at-home-article.com
* The best home business ideas and opportunities that will enable you to start making money from your own home. * www.4instant-online-business.com I Will Build Your Own FREE Website Ready To Take Orders in 24 hrs ! www.4instant-online-business.com/pips.html

Make Money on the Net - Build a Website

If you are interested on how to make money on the net, you are not alone. This is one of the most popular topics that you will come across while you are playing around online. But even though this topic is very popular, there are still a lot of people that have no clue on how to get started making money. The good thing is that most people make this harder than what it is, and with a bit of knowledge you can get started making money today.By building a website you will be giving yourself a great chance of making a lot of money. There are so many different options that a website can give you as far as making money is concerned that many people do not even know where to start.The first place that you may want to start is by placing ads on your site. This can be done for free by using Google Adsense. To get started with this, all you need to do is sign up with an account. Google will then determine if your site is worthy, and if it is you will be ready to go in no time at all. The way that this program works is simple. Google will send targeted ads to your site that will be displayed wherever you decide. Every time one of your customers clicks on the ads, you will get paid by Google! Along the same lines, after you have built up some traffic, you may be able to get rid of the Google ads and start searching for higher paying alternatives. In addition to ads, another great way to make money on the net is by using affiliate programs. Again, if you have a website this is very easy to do. The only thing that you have to do is find an affiliate program that corresponds with your site. For example, if your site is about how to make money gambling, you will want to seek out affiliate programs that are offered by online casinos. This way you will already have a built in audience that is interested in this topic. Every time you send a visitor or customer to your affiliate, you will get paid. The good thing about affiliate programs is that you can run more than one. So instead of simply getting set up with one online casino affiliate, why not get started with four of five. This will increase your chances of making more money.If you want to make money on the net, look into building a website. By having a website you will have hundreds of money making options at your disposal. A website is one of the most cost effective and efficient ways of making money online.
Article Source: http://www.work-at-home-article.com
John Seidl, 651-463-8948, info@athomebiz.ws website: www.athomebiz.ws

5 Tips To a Successful Work-At-Home Search

Navigating the telecommuting job maze can become overwhelming, not to mention downright frustrating. I know- I have been there, done that myself and I assist 9,000 daily readers of my wah ezine to find their perfect balance between work and family. Over seventy percent of working women surveyed stated that their ideal career situation would be to telecommute. For some, it's not feasible as there are certain jobs that obviously could not be performed offsite. For others, their employers staunchly oppose the thought of not having their employees onsite. Although mistaken, they fear that productivity declines when telecommuting occurs. Quite the contrary: teleworking has proven to reduce turnover, decrease costs and productivity actually increases. Why? It's a win-win situation for all involved. Satisfied employees stay on the job and give 110%. With swelling numbers of the workforce seeking work-at-home jobs, how does one get an edge on the competition? After fourteen years of telecommuting for various companies and helping others via my ezine the past two years, I have found the following tips will ease and shorten the time in your search : Network! I cannot stress this enough. Tell everyone that you know that you are seeking a wah job. Approach those with small businesses that may need help. Others that work from home that may be looking for a virtual assistant or a bookkeeper, etc. 75% of all jobs, albeit brick and mortar or telecommuting jobs are found via networking. The squeaky wheel does indeed get the grease! Apply for jobs that you feel would eventually be a candidate for working from home. Recruiting, scheduling and data entry are just a few examples. Get your foot in the door , prove your worth and then approach your employer with a well- executed telecommuting plan. Be ready with answers for the questions and obstacles that he/she will present to you. Provide facts and statistics showing that teleworking is effective. Subscribe to wah ezines and post your resume at telecommuting and freelancing job banks. Speaking of freelancing...it's a super way to turn a short-term position into a full-time one. Often, if someone is outsourcing projects, the need for additional work will surface. It's also a good method to find what field(s) you're interested in and excel at. Polish your skills if they're rusty or you feel out of touch with today's technology. Take the time before you start your job search to bring yourself up to snuff. The Internet abounds with no-cost online training sites where you can learn the latest software at your own pace. Your resume needs to be top-shelf quality to shime over the multitudes that wah ads produce. I recently ran an ad for a company that was in need of eight at-home data entry workers. They received over four thousand responses! That's why it is absolutely imperative to insure that your resume is professional. Follow these tips and the telecommuting maze will be much more navigable!
Barb Niehaus is webmaster and editor of Moms@ Home Working. Barb is commited to helping others achieve their goal of working form home. To receive wah jobs daily at no cost, e-mail momsworkingathome-subscribe@yahoogroups.com Visit her site at: http://www.moms-home-work.com For personal wah career coaching, contact Barb at: MomsSuccessCoach@aol.com

Wanted: 100 Referral Partners

The best way for any self-employed professional to get clients is by referral. But the process of building sufficient word of mouth to produce the number of clients you need can seem daunting. How to increase the size of your circle to include more people? If you've been in business for more than five minutes, you already know that the best way for any self-employed professional to get clients is by referral. But the process of building sufficient word of mouth to produce the number of clients you need can seem daunting. You can count on some referrals from your existing clients and people who already know you, but that's a fairly limited number. How can you start getting referrals from people outside your circle? Actually, a better question is how to increase the size of your circle to include more people. In order to refer you business, people need to know, like, and trust you. They want to be sure that you will take good care of the clients they send you. For that, they'd like to be better acquainted than just hearing your name. Imagine that you had a group of 100 people who were willing to refer clients to you. Now, imagine further that this "circle of 100" were people whose own work put them in touch with your potential clients every day. Sounds ideal, doesn't it? Building a circle like this of your own may be easier than you think. One of my clients, a graphic designer, set about doing exactly this when she first launched her business. She identified a list of people in her city who were likely to be strong referral sources, and began methodically making their acquaintance. Within a few months, she had a steady stream of new clients. Better still, since all these clients were referrals, they were usually ready to do business when they first contacted her, and required little selling on her part. To use this approach effectively, it's not just a matter of knowing enough people. You have to know the right people. Here's how to begin: 1. Create a most-wanted list of ten occupational categories whose members are frequently in touch with the type of client you desire. For example, a graphic designer who specializes in working with small start-up businesses might choose accountants, attorneys, bankers, business coaches and consultants, business teachers, career counselors, entrepreneurship center staff, office supply vendors, printers, and secretarial services. 2. Make the acquaintance of ten people in each occupation. Seek them out, meet with them, and familiarize them with your expertise and the benefits of the service you offer. Find out more about what they do and the type of clients they serve so you can refer business to them as well. 3. When you connect with someone who seems open to sending you referrals from time to time, you have found a referral partner. Add their name to your list. Ten people times ten occupations equals your circle of 100. No matter what your business is, if you can define your niche, you can identify others that serve it. A marketing consultant might target web designers, copywriters, and graphic artists. A massage therapist could seek out chiropractors, acupuncturists, and yoga instructors. If you have trouble coming up with a list of occupations, ask your current clients who else they currently do business with. When you have a specific goal like this in mind, your networking can become much more focused. As you meet new people, you'll be able to decide just from looking at the title on their business card whether following up with them should be part of your plan. Whenever you meet someone whose occupation matches one on your list, ask, "I think we might be able to refer each other clients. Can we get together and talk about that?" Share your most-wanted list with others, and ask for introductions to people they already know. For example, if accountants are on your list, ask your clients, colleagues, and friends who their accountant is. Or if you are seeking business instructors, ask friends for the names of instructors they have taken business classes from. When you aren't able to make enough connections through networking and your existing contacts, don't be afraid to just look them up. You can find people in almost any occupation listed in your local phone directory or on the web. If you approach them as a colleague and express your desire for the two of you to help each other be more successful, you'll find many people willing to get better acquainted. Regardless of how you first get in touch, some of the people you talk to won't be receptive to getting to know you better or the idea of referring each other business. That's okay. You only need ten names for each occupation, and there are plenty of people to choose from. Just move on to the next possibility. Also, don't be concerned if you fear that you won't have any referrals to give the people you're talking to. Neither of you are making a promise to send each other clients; you are simply expanding your circles to increase the likelihood of that happening. As you get to know more people in your niche, it's quite likely that you will find yourself making referrals more often. One of the most useful elements of this strategy is that it is both simple and systematic. All you have to do is look at your most-wanted list, and you'll know right away what needs to be done next. Do you need to add more occupations, or do you need more new names in any group to reach your total of 100? Just follow the suggestions above until you get there. Once you have 100 names listed, you can change your tactics from getting acquainted to following up. Stay in touch with everyone on your list at least once per quarter. With only 100 names, you should be able to do that easily. Over time, you may find that some of the people in your circle aren't particularly good referral sources. That's to be expected. The reason you want so many names to start with is that only a few of them will consistently refer. You can always add more names later to replace some of the people who don't seem as helpful. It's likely, though, that just a few steady referral partners will be more than enough to keep you busy. C.J. Hayden is the author of Get Clients Now! Thousands of business owners and salespeople have used her simple sales and marketing system to double or triple their income. Get a free copy of "Five Secrets to Finding All the Clients You'll Ever Need" at http://www.getclientsnow.com

Can I Get Paid Doing Surveys?

You want to do some surveys to earn money. How do you tell the real ones from the scams?

First off doing paid online surveys is a very easy way to earn money at home. It is without a doubt one of the easiest ways to earn money; it takes very little effort and is quite enjoyable. When I first started looking for income sources on the Internet, surveys were the first I came across in the search engines. At that time I really was na�ve in that I didn't realize you could get paid for doing surveys. I signed up for a few of the free surveys companies and not long after my email was full of offers for free stuff for filling out a survey. I was offered prizes, free trips, free meals at my favorite restaurants, and best of all free entry for a GRAND prize. I dutifully filled out the free surveys with the information sent them in by deadline, only to get an email that I didn't meet the qualifications for this survey and to please try the next. I did receive a lot of mail both at home and in my email account offering package trips to places I never heard of, and places that had land for sale. You know they had a bridge to sell me that lead to nowhere. So you are probably thinking that all surveys companies are the same. Not true. Most legitimate survey companies ask you to pay a small fee for taking part in the survey groups. For a small payment fee you will get access to a database of companies that actually pay you for your opinions, not the survey companies. Your payment will also include industry updates and any additions to the online databases. Companies all over the world are spending a small fortune advertising their products and services. How do they know where to target their advertising budgets? Through market researches, who do it through surveys! This is the way it works for the corporate world. Taco Bell just started a 'Grilled to Order" in some of their newer restaurants, they first sent out a team of market researchers to ask peoples opinion on the new way of preparing the food. The market researchers had people in various parts of the country fill out surveys! The opinions came back in favor of the new approach and a new product was put in place at the newer restaurants throughout the country. Why would you want to pay to take a survey? One reason is to avoid the scam companies who are just there to gather your information so they can sell it to anyone willing to pay their price. Do a search on any search engine and you will see ads wanting you to join through their free websites and not to pay for any database. These people are not out to save you money, they are working for each of these companies and they receive a commission if you sign up through their link. They really don't care how much junk mail you receive or if you earn any money doing the surveys. I signed up for one of these services and within a day my email account was filled with junk mail, I was receiving phone calls from companies I never heard of, my mailbox was full of junk. The "surveys" I was being sent were really poor. When I filled in the initial questionnaire, I put down that my husband and I were retired, and I soon received mailing about property for sale in various parts of the world. These were the worst mainly because the ads assumed that we had money to throw away on some get rich quick scheme. If I had money to spend freely, I wouldn't be doing surveys! Paid online surveys require no special skills to take part. You can complete when you have time, as long as you complete them before the deadline. You can do a short survey in as little as 5 minutes. I have received free samples of everything from a 5-pound bag of dog food to toilet paper. Paid online survey companies pay their members various ways. Some use Pay Pal, some pay by check once a month, gift vouchers, some have point systems where you earn points that you save up and redeem for either products or cash.
I have found that the cash payments for taking part in online surveys is small, but if you want to earn good money doing surveys you need to join a large number of paid online surveys. The easiest way I have found is to join one or more paid online survey database companies. This way you get access to a large database of reputable paid online survey companies. Since most surveys only take a short time to fill out, you can do several each day and build a steady income stream.
I highly recommend paid online surveys as a way of making money from home. The one time fee, which you will earn back in a very short time, for access to their database is worthwhile when you consider the junk mail you will not receive plus the added benefit of actually getting paid!

Is working from home working for you?

Is working from home working for you? This article is about one of the easiest ways to take control of your home business by structuring your time. It costs you nothing yet will improve your productivity, making your home business more profitable. Make no mistake about it; working from home is a serious undertaking that will need your concentration. If you are thinking that working at home is easy, then you are in for some big surprises. There are alot of people who would swear that they are putting in more time and effort into their home business that what they used to do while they had a 9 to 5 job. Your home business is a serious business that needs to be taken seriously by you. Working form home takes a special person who is a self starter and is dedicated to work when at times, it seems as if that is the last thing you want to do. Some times that can be difficult but, the rewards of having your own business are huge.I have been self employeed for several years now and I have learned some very valuable lessons along the way. I hope that by sharing with you some of my knowledge, I can help you with your home business and save your valuable time by learning by my mistakes. Every thing is this article applies to any home business from internet marketing to baking brownies wholesale.I think the first lesson I learned was that I needed to take my self and my business seriously. When I first began my own home business, I didn't structure my time at all. I thought that I could do what I wanted when I wanted. Because of my slacker ways, I let myself take off from work early , take too many sick days, personal days and generally goof off too much. I was too nice of a boss to myself. That is fine to do that once you get going and are making some money, which is one of the ultimate goals of self employment but at that time I wasn't making much money and it was not a good idea for me to be so relaxed. I wasn't making much money. Soon, I realized that I had to take my business seriously or I would end up broke. It dawned on me one day that I had never been such a slacker working for someone else. I wouldn't have dared for fear of losing my job. If I didn't work, I wouldn't have money. Why wasn't I doing the same thing for my business? I had to apply the same work ethic to my business that I had shown to other employees that I had worked for. I had to show myself and my business the same kind of respect. I asked myself, why would I be such a diligent employee to someone else's company and not to my own business? It didn't make any sense for me. When I asked myself those questions, I began to see things in a different light and I made a decision then and there that to work as hard as I knew I could plus more. My business is worth a stellar effort on my part. I had to split my personality into a boss and an employee and I had to lead my employee self by my boss self and expect good hard work. When I began doing that, my life began to change. I took my business seriously, made a commitment to both selves and soon I started making a good living. Finally, I was gainging my respect. One of the most helpful things that I did for me and my business was that I wrote out a schedule for myself and stuck to it. I wrote out a schedule as if I was an employeer, and then I expected myself to be present on the job. Not half way present but all that I could give present.I began reflecting on my past job experiences and what I had done to be successful with other companies. I took those experiences with other jobs and realized that for me, if I had been given a guideline, clear expectations for my job and goals, that I would jump through hoops to get it done. Didn't my business deserve that same respect? Wasn't it worth the same kind of dedication that I had given to other companies? When I worked for someone who wasn't as demanding, well, I didn't give my all. It was the same thing in school, too. I always did better for the teacher that expected the most from me since they knew I could do it. I had to expect that same work standard from myself and once I did, things did change. Not overnight but steadily.It took me to realize that my business is just as important if not more, as any other business and I needed to treat it that way. The critical factor for me was writing out a schedule for myself. I report to work in the morning (which is my downstairs) dressed and ready to go. By dressed I don't mean a suit but something other that my pj's. Some people can work in their pj's but not me since I need structure. It is too relaxed for my personality. I shut the door behind me and do not answer any personal calls (unless REALLY urgent) only work related calls and the same goes for email. I take an hour for lunch and that hour is for me to get lunch and run errands like going to the post office or bank. I do not use my work hours to do personal errands like I used to. Since often what would occur would be that I would go to the bank in the morning and in transit would decide to go to the grocery and then maybe I could go work out and then on the way home I could stop by a friend's house and visit. Next thing I knew, I was telling myself that I could start work later but then too often though, by the time I got home I wasn't motivated to work and and would tell myself that I would be super good tomorrow and work twice as hard to make up for lost time. That very rarely happend. Kind of sounds like some of my attempts at dieting! After my one hour lunch, I go back downstairs, shut the door and beging work again until it is time to home. Before I leave though, I clean my desk and get organized for the next day so I won't waste time first thing the next morning.To tie all this together, the easiest, least expensive way to increase your productivity is to act like a boss and write out a schedule and expect your self to stick to it. Doing this will really help you obtain the kind of business and lifestyle you want.Don't you think that you and your business are worth it? I think so! Now is the time to put this simple action into practice. Before you do anything more today, write out a schedule for yourself and post it where you can see it. Start following it right away, stick to it and I assure you, you and your home business will benifit from this. The good thing about this advice is that it is free and it can do no harm. If anything, it will help improve your business and your life.
Thank you so much for reading my article and I hope you find it useful and sign up for my next article! Next weeks article is about how to focus on your home business and not being distracted by so many unimportant things. Please look forward to more informative articles about my experiences working from home! Sara Remberthttp://www.AllNeedMoney.com

The 7 Secrets of Home Business Success

If you look at the word "success" you will notice that it has 7 letters. Well, there are also 7 secrets to home business success and each one can go along with the letters of the word "success." Hopefully, sharing this with you will give you the knowledge and motivation you need to achieve the success you want. Ok let's take each letter of the word "success" one at a time to give you 7 secrets of home business success: "S" stands for Solo focus. This means that whatever you want to do with your life, your home business or anything else, you MUST have a solo, or one focus. You can't allow yourself to be distracted. You must identify your goal and go for it and not allow outside influences distract you. If you can't get past this first thing it is going to be very hard to get anything to work efficiently for you. "U" stands for Undying belief, leadership and imagination. You must, at all costs, have total belief for what you are doing in your home business. You must believe that what you want to do is not only possible but critical. You must develop imagination when dealing with home business problems because some things are not going to have straightforward answers. You must learn to think outside the box to keep your business moving ahead. Again, you must do this totally and completely. "C" stands for Crystal Clear path. You must visualize the path in front of you. You must know exactly where you are headed with your home business. You will run into obstacles along the way but you cannot, under any circumstances, allow anything to throw you off your path. "C" stands for Connection to the heart. This is something nobody can teach you. What this means is this... You must LOVE what you are doing. It must be something that if you don't do it you will not be fulfilled. This must be one of the most important things in your life and home business. Use your brain to think. But use your heart to drive you. "E" stands for Extraordinary Energy. This doesn't mean that you have to be able to run a marathon. But you have to be enthused to run your home business. You have to want to wake up in the morning and get to work. You can't lie around watching the TV. You can't make excuses that you're too tired. Your energy level MUST be high because building a successful home business is very hard work. Without the proper energy, you don't stand much of a chance to go the distance. "S" stands for Skill Set. I'm not saying you have to know how program a computer, be a web design expert, a guru marketer, or anything else like that. I'm talking about your people skills, your communication skills. You must be able to communicate with people. You must be able to get people to have confidence in your ability to help make them successful especially if you're promoting a home business opportunity. You must be able to communicate your sincerity and belief in the business. "S" stands for Stop at nothing. The main point of this is not to allow negativity of others get to you or let failures bring you down. There will always be people who are going to try to convince you that you're wasting your time doing what you're doing. You must be absolutely determined that you will succeed in your home business, and nothing that anybody says should be able to convince you otherwise. Failures are certain but you cannot let them stop you. The moment you quit is the moment you guarantee your home business will never succeed. There you go. Those are the 7 secrets of home business success. Notice I didn't say anything about needing to be super smart, a great ad writer, an amazing marketer, a good copywriter, or any of the other things you were probably thinking of. Everything in this list is ALL about your attitude and mindset. If you have a totally positive attitude you'll succeed in your home business and anything else you do in life. If you don't, you won't. Don't let anything get in your way. It's that simple! Trent Brownrigg has run a successful internet marketer and home business mentor. Visit his home based business opportunity website at http://www.work-at-home-jobs-iowa.com and he will personally help you build a successful home business.

How to Promote Your Online Business Offline

Promoting your business through the media is a method that many overlook or completely forget about when it comes to advertising their online business. For many people, reading an advertisement in the newspaper or a magazine is a more trustworthy way to respond to an advert. This article is going to cover a few of the basic steps that you can use to promote your work from home business opportunity, using offline tactics. Some are free, others require hard earned money. Newspaper advertising is still a very beneficial way to go about advertising, and can be extremely profitable. Just about every household these days subscribe to their local and even national newspapers. There are different ways to advertise in a newspaper, you have quarter pages, half pages and full pages. This will take a lot of money but if you can afford it, it will be worth your while. For a simple and cheaper way to go, you can place an advertisement in the classified section under the category of your product or service. The price will depend on the amount of words and style you use. In our local newspaper you pay for two advertisements and get the third one free, but the advertisement must run for three consecutive days. Flyers are a very effective tool in promoting your work from home business offline. They are extremely cheap to produce. When you use your computer, it is free. You can either distribute these flyers your self or make use of your local postal delivery service. Put some flyers up at the local supermarkets, pretty much anywhere that you think people will be interested in, in what you are promoting. Just make sure in advance that the management of the establishment approves it first. Be sure to include your URL in the flyer. Business cards are accepted willingly, in the business culture of today. There is a phenomenal amount of different ways to promote your work from home business offline that was not covered. Start to explore these different avenues of promoting your business. Willem Steyn is retired, started a home business to stay productive and motivated, to still play an active part in the local society. For more information, on how to start your own internet home business opportunity and to find out how you can achieve this work from home goal visit http://www.profit-online247.com

How Can I Get Rich Blogging?

Many people are making money blogging. Learn how you can too. Whether you're looking for a bit of money on the side or a full-time income from home, writing a blog could be the solution that you're looking for. Many people are indeed making money from their blogs. Unfortunately, many people are also NOT making money from their blogs, so it's important to do things right. The first thing you want to do is choose a niche topic that you know a lot about. This could be anything from knitting sweaters to auto mechanics. The topic should be broad enough that people are searching for it, but small enough that you don't have a whole lot of competition. Then, simply start writing a blog. There are many different methods to do this. Blogger and Wordpress are two of the most popular. Blogger is free and does allow advertisements. The no cost version of Wordpress does not allow advertisements, but the paid version does and is a bit more robust than Blogger. If you have a bit of money to invest, Wordpress is the way to go, but if you don't, Blogger is more than acceptable. Once you've got your blog up and running, you want to increase your traffic. This is perhaps the most difficult part about blogging. The more traffic you have, the more money you can make from your blog. You can boost traffic using blog directories, writing articles, or participating in blog carnivals, among other things. Then you can start incorporating your money-making methods. The most popular ways to monetize your blog are: 1. Adsense. Hands-down the most popular method of monetization, simply sign up for adsense, copy and paste the code onto your site, and wait for the money to roll in. When a person clicks on an ad, you can earn some money. The good thing is that it's easy. The bad thing is that you may only be getting a few cents per click and it may take a long time to reach the $100 minimum payout level.2. Contextual Links. Contextual links are a newer concept. These companies will analyze the text on your blog and insert advertising links directly into your text. This is also very easy to do, however payments tend to be low and some readers find the links distracting.3. Blog-ads. Companies will pay a some money to place ads on your site. This can be profitable, but it may require a lot of traffic. Companies want to know that they are getting their money's worth.4. Affiliate programs. These run on the idea that if you suggest a particular product to your fans and they buy it, you can get a percentage of the sale. This can be the most profitable of all monetization methods, but it requires an audience willing to buy things.5. Donations. Some people do quite well just by asking for people to donate a small amount of money to the site. If many people are donating money, it can add up very fast.It can take quite a bit of time to start seeing financial results from your blog. Many people report that it took them up to a year to start seeing results. However, with a good amount of effort, and the right know-how, you will be able to succeed more quickly.Madeline Crogan has been making money from her blogs for many years. She currently lives with her husband in Hawaii.For FREE blogging tips and videos as well as information on how you too can be making money from your blogs, click here:http://lilmisssun.bttb1.hop.clickbank.net/

Work At Home Scams

There are thousands of scams out there designed to sucker you out of your money. You've probably seen truckloads of them and they all pretty much look the same:"Make $1500 a week while working from home!""Let me tell you how I made $1,000,000 while working only 2 hours a day!""Read books for money!""Medical billing experts needed! No experience necessary!"You've probably seen these scattered throughout magazines, in the newspaper classifieds, and on flyers posted around town. You look at them and think, "Wow, that sounds great!" Unfortunately, for those who have fallen for them, they never are. Usually, you only end up out anywhere from a few to several hundred dollars with nothing to show for it but some junk that they sent you. There is a way to avoid these scams, and that is by carefully examining them before you sign up.Every city is usually littered with flyers saying that you can make some incredible fee with some small amount of work; usually doing some mundane task such as stuffing envelopes, working on crafts, clipping coupons, or going door-to-door selling magazines. These are pretty good money-makers, but only for the folks who are selling the scam. Usually, they sell you some monumentally overpriced "start-up" and then they walk away with your hard-earned cash. This is not good. But by carefully looking at the advertisements, you can see that they are pretty fishy at best.First off, nobody ever got rich by learning about a business from a lamppost. It is only there to attract the suckers. Do not be one of them. All you will end up doing is paying them for some sort of "information packet" or "start-up fees" and they will walk away laughing. If it is posted for anybody to see, that is because they don't care who answers the advertisement. Just as long as they leave cash behind.Another thing to watch out for is a promise of a certain dollar amount. If it is really a business that is based at home, the dollar amounts can vary wildly. Unless they are paying you a salary, which they won't, you are not "Guaranteed to make $10,000 your first month!" Think about this. There is no such thing as a guarantee in an at-home business.Remember, any business that requires a start-up fee paid to them in order for you to start work is a scam. If you don't think that's the case, think about how many times you have been required to bring a $20 down payment to an interview. That should tell you all you need to know.Often, these scams are just pyramid schemes. Pyramid schemes are set up so that you give someone else money in order to allow someone else to give you money, of which you pay a certain percentage to the person who signed you up. This is not only a scam, it is illegal. Essentially, everybody is trying to get something for nothing and that can make for a very bad business model that will quickly collapse. Don't fall for it. Keep your money and invest it in yourself.Pyramid schemes differ from legal multi-level marketing schemes in that multi-level marketing schemes actually offer products for sale. That is why people who have joined Amway call themselves "Amway distributors" instead of "Amway salespeople". Either way, multi-level marketing can be a rather shady business all on its own, and you should probably avoid them. Yes, some people do become very successful working through multi-level marketing schemes, but they are also the sorts of people who can already "sell ice to the Eskimos". If you are one of those people, you would probably get ahead a lot faster if you just went ahead and sold used cars.Another thing to watch out for is the term "interview session". If it is an interview, it is an "interview". If it is an "interview session" it is probably just a bunch of people listening to someone give them a pep talk about why they should drop anywhere from $20 to $1,000 on a lot of stuff they don't need. Initial investment is nice, but it should not be to the company that you are supposed to be working for. If they expected you to bring in returns, why would they be begging you for money? Be careful when you hear this phrase, or you will end up in a large auditorium listening to someone trying to separate you from money that would be far more profitably spent on groceries.There are a lot of scams and scammers out there looking to part you from you money. You will see them everywhere and they will be tempting. Just remember to think carefully about what they are saying and what they are promising. By doing that, you can avoid falling into the trap of throwing money into an empty investment.

10 Easy Money Making Ideas

With all the choices of Money Making Idea�s there are, how do you decide which ones are for you? By reading this article you are on your way to finding some ideas on how to make money. 1. Are you good with computers? Do you have skills that can help others learn? Offer one-on-one computer training and support services to customers in their home or office. Although there are places that provide computer classes, people find that they just cannot get the one-on-one help that they require in the classes. 2. Office Work is your forte you say! You can make money by contracting with local companies to complete data entry, typing or any other office related work. They save money by not having to pay for the employee and you make money. 3. If you like to travel why not become an at home travel agent, or cruise agent. You plan, arrange, and book travel for clients at many destinations all over the world. Or book cruise reservations, for group, individuals, companies. You can receive training as you work in this industry.4. Do you have a decorating flair? Become and interior decorator, you can design, re-arrange, or give ideas to people who want to make changes in their homes, but do not know where to start. You do not need any formal training to be an interior decorator, but having knowledge of how it is done is of course a big advantage. 5. The Home Inspection industry is one of the highest growing ways of making money. You would work with local real estate companies or advertise on your own. You will go out and do home inspections prior and after the sale of the property. The courses for this usually take around two weeks and then you�re off. 6. There is big money to be made in cleaning services. You can choose to clean homes, or office buildings. Many companies are looking for people to clean their offices at reasonable rates. You need no experience, and can start this immediately.7. Are you a skilled handyman or woman? You will go to people�s homes and check or fix whatever they needs fixed. You can specialize in one area, and if you others who have skills in other areas, bring them in too. You will need to supply your own tools. 8. Become a seller on the online Auctions. Many people are making money doing this already. No experience necessary, you can start with items that you have around your house, such as old books, figures and more. 9. Create or start a lawn care business. Offer services, with the equipment you already have and you can be making money tomorrow. Put out some business cards and start telling your friends that you are running a lawn care business, offer them a deal and watch the money come in. 10. Hand made crafts are selling like hotcakes at trade shows, craft fairs and flea markets. You will need to make sure that you are well stocked and have a small variety of different items to sell, but you should do very well. These are just some Money Making Idea, there are tons more out there and I am sure you can think of a few as you are going through the list above. Just remember to be creative and have fun.

Make Money Work At Home!

Whether you currently work outside of the home, or if you are a stay-at-home parent, you really can make money working at home! The problem that most people encounter when they decide that they want to work from home is simply not knowing what type of business to start. But determining what business is right for you is easier than you may think.First, take a look at your skills. Write them down, then scratch off the things that you absolutely hate. Many of us have attended college, and obtained degrees. The problem is that we were about eighteen years old when we decided what our area of study would be, and had no idea what direction our lives would take, or what interests would develop. So, even if you have a degree in one of your skills, but it bores you, or you just absolutely hate doing it, mark it off your list. You should enjoy your work. That is one of the benefits of working at home.Also, when looking at your skills, don't think in terms of business. Otherwise, you won't write down skills that really could become a business. Many people make money working at home doing things that you never realized could be a business! So, be sure to write down all of your skills.Next, write down your hobbies. Even the ones you aren't necessarily good at. If you enjoy it, or have more than a passing interest in it, write it down. Now, look over your list, and really think about each item, and think about ways that your interests and skills could become a business - a way to work at home and make money!If you aren't in a position to start your own business from the ground up, but you have usable skills, such as writing, coding, website design, accounting, or virtual assistant type skills, you can easily sign up with one of the freelance sites, such as Rentacoder or Elance and start selling your services that way. This will give you the opportunity to learn how to operate a business, and it will allow you to start building a client list. It can also give you the money you would need to start a full-fledged business. Many people make freelance work such as this their full time make money work at home business!Finally, you can also choose to join affiliate programs that will allow you to sell products that you are interested in. This way, you can design a website around a theme that interests you, then choose several different affiliate products that fit into that theme to sell from your website. At that point, you have entered the realm known as affiliate marketing, which, when done right, can be quite lucrative.You have so many options open to you. Most people don't take the time to stop and think about what all of their options are, before rejecting the idea of working at home, or diving into the wrong type of home business for them. Some careful thought and consideration will have your making money working at home in no time at all!

Work at Home Tips

We've all done it!
We sit for hours in front of our PCs searching, submitting and scrutinizing, while the very freedom we are building a home business to achieve, dwindles to stolen moments in between search engine submissions.
I can be almost certain that from the very moment you got your first check in the mail that you became hooked on the idea of working entirely from home. So much so that everything else in your life has had to take a back seat while you build your dream.
Having a dream and pursuing it is a very noble concept but when our home and family life suffers because of it then it can become a big problem. It doesn't have to be this way. Here are a number of points that may help you in keeping a balance. 1.Discipline yourself - When it comes to the amount of time you spend building and running your online enterprise. Set a time limit and don't stray over it. 2.Don't drop or cut down on family activities because of your business. For instance don't stop taking your kids swimming because you want to learn how to build a website. 3.Help in the house chores when they need to be done. The last thing you want to do is alienate your husband/wife when they are probably already very sceptical of your new found enthusiasm in all things cyber. 4.Get the family involved where possible. Show them what exactly it is you are doing and explain to them that your ultimate goal is to earn enough money working at home to be able to spend more time with them. 5.Don't forget to splash out on the family when you eventually start to earn some cash from your online ventures. My wife soon became a believer when she saw some extra money on the table. Well who wouldn't:-)? In closing I'm hopeful you have gotten the gist of this article, get your priorities right and ensure that everyone is as happy and enthusiastic in your striving for financial freedom as you are. I wish you every success in your business dealings. =============================== Mal Keenan is an established internet marketer of five years and owner of countless domains/websites including his very first http://www.freeadvertz.com To subscribe to his newsletter visit http://www.home-business-tips-newsletter.com or send a blank email to listadmin@home-business-tips-newsletter.com?subject=subscribe+hbtn

Genuine Work At Home Opportunities So You Can Quit Your Day Job

Although, many may be skeptical about how one can make money online, there are a few options that one looking to work online can choose from. Freelancing as a writer or programmer and designer can often earn one tens of thousands of dollars annually, especially if you are well trained and have the skills and the marketing "know how" so that you can constantly find clients. Affiliate programs where you are paid to promote the products of many companies are also another great way to earn money online. Obviously, if you can create your own product and promote it, that would be the ideal situation as you would be able to keep all revenue that you earn rather than just 10% or 20% of the total sale value. Still, the most popular way that those who work online are earning a stable income is through the creation of web sites and the sale of advertisement space and the use of programs such as Google AdSense or the Yahoo Publisher network.

CONTEXT FREELANCING
For those who have worked to hone their skills in writing or web site design and creation, freelancing is probably the best online job opportunity. It allows them to run all aspects of their business from finding clients, completing the work, and/or subcontracting the work. Although this may be more work than if you worked in a team with a group of people, as a solo freelancer, you keep all of the money you make, rather than splitting it among the members/employees of your company. There are a numbers of freelance opportunities available today. Content WritingIf you love to write and have strong writing skills, you should seriously consider offering a content writing service where you provide articles for magazines and web sites to publish. Forum PostingForum posting is also another option. It involves contacting the owner of a new forum and to see if they are willing to pay for posts to help get their forum off the ground and boost activity. The best way to get a steady job forum posting is to visit webmaster forums where many of these owners are often searching for posters. Webmaster forums are also a great place to find content writing jobs, but there are many other web sites that offer an up to date list of the latest content writing opportunities and thus these sites should be utilized as well. A content writer or forum poster who puts the time required to be successful into working can earn up to six figures annually.Article Submission ServiceArticle Submission and Directory Submission is also a way that many freelancers can earn some extra money on the side. It involves submitting a web site to numerous web directories or submitting an article to many article directories. The purpose of this service is to help webmasters gain links to their web site. Link Building Service Direct link building is a great way that those who either own a large network of web sites or know someone who does can earn thousands online. Link building requires one to obtain back links to their client's web sites on other 3rd part sites. Link builders are usually paid at a flat rate per link that they secure and payment can range from $2-$10 a link and beyond. Web design and ProgrammingFinally, for those who are familiar with web site design and programming, freelancers in the web site creation industry can get paid anywhere from $500 to $10,000 and more for a project depending on the amount of work required. This is one of the most lucrative online opportunities available, but to be successful, you will need to get the proper training so that clients are satisfied with your work and you are hired to take on larger, better compensating projects.

AFFILIATE MARKETING
Affiliate programs are another very popular way to make money online. One can create a web site and put utilize space on their web site by advertising a certain product. The advertisement will be a link to an eStore where the product is being sold, and if an affiliate is able to drive a customer to the eStore, the owner of the eStore will pay the affiliate a certain percentage of the sale. Many major companies, such as eBay, Sears, Wal-Mart, and hundreds of others that sell products online have affiliate programs. To sign up for one of these programs, you should visit and sign up with Click Bank and Commission Junction. These are the two web sites that most companies who have affiliate programs use to keep track of earnings, and to be able to participate in affiliate programs, you will have to be a member of one of these two web sites. Recently, many affiliates are using pay per click advertising program such as Google AdWords where they pay a certain amount of money for each visitor who clicks on the advertisement. The advertisement is an affiliate link so if the one clicks on the link makes a purchase, you can earn money through affiliate programs without even creating a web site.

RUNNING WEBSITES
Finally, we reach the most popular way of making money online, running web sites. The key to building a successful web site is coming up with a new fresh idea so that you will draw traffic. Once you have got an idea, the first thing you need to do is secure hosting at a popular and reliable web host, such as GoDaddy or BlueHost. You can sign up for an account and pay for a certain hosting plan. The more you pay, the larger a web site you can create and the larger your bandwidth is. If you are unsure about all the technical aspects of running and hosting a web site, you should check with your web hosting provider what plan is best for you and your needs. Your host will also help you get a domain and transfer all files to get your site up and running. Once you have a site live on the Internet and you are marketing it and drawing traffic, it is time to think about monetization. With a web site, you can either sell your own products that customers can purchase online or create a website for a service, such as the ones mentioned above. Those who may not have as much time, often opt to create a web site, get traffic, and use a program such as Google AdSense where they are paid each time a visitor clicks on an advertisement. Webmasters may also sell links to advertisers directly to earn more revenue from their web site.There are a lot of great online opportunities available on the Internet, and if you are willing to put in the time and effort requires, you can make enough to quit your regular full time job and work from home online.

Article Source: http://wah-articles.work-from-home-directory.com/

Do Your Homework Before Starting a Home-based Business

Net Guides Publishing, Inc.
http://www.work-at-home-net-guides.com/


Glance at any magazine aimed at mothers and chances are you will find at least a half a dozen ads extolling the huge profit and minimal effort involved in home-based businesses.

Here are a few samples from a recent issue of Working Mother: "Stay home! Make money addressing envelopes." "90 percent profit! Home-based, honest, ethical, extraordinary." "Earn money reading books." "This is big. Best nutritional home-based business opportunity in America."

If it sounds too good to be true, it is. Just recently, the Federal Trade Commission blew the whistle on a medical billing business opportunity that claimed people could make $10,000 a month starting up computer-run billing centers - without leaving home. The company agreed to pay the FTC $100,000 and turn over a corporate jet to reimburse defrauded customers.

Not so long ago, the Better Business Bureau of Western Pennsylvania issued a consumer alert about a company called A.M.I., which promoted an envelope-stuffing operation it claimed could net people $2 per envelope. Few details were given about the work, but would-be business owners had to send the company a $39 "refundable" deposit to get started.

Unfortunately, the real agenda behind envelope scams is to get people to sell other people on the idea of addressing envelopes for money. Machines do most of the large-scale envelope stuffing, according to the U.S. Postal Service.

On the bright side, there are some legitimate opportunities for making money at home. Like anything worthwhile, they require hard work, training and experience - all of which honest business promoters will tell you from the outset.

"Discovery Toys works if you work - you do need to put time into it," says Emily Krisko, a sales director for Discovery Toys, a California-based company that sells educational toys, books and software.

Mrs. Krisko, who sells $100,000 in Discovery products every year, got started in the business in 1979, a year after the company was founded. She was living in Hawaii, raising four children and began selling the toys to family and friends.

Building the business doesn't happen right away - that's a mistake a lot of people make. If you're coming from a full-time job, you have to expect a change in income. Discovery sales representatives must make an initial investment of $99 to get started selling products. Although money is made from product sales, bonuses also are awarded for lining up new sales consultants. This is known as a "multilevel marketing opportunity," which can be lucrative if you are one of the first to sign up customers - and the product is appealing.

Similar direct sales opportunities exist with cosmetics, nutritional products and cleaning supplies. Familiar names include Mary Kay, Amway and Avon, but there are hundreds of lesser-known companies based on the same merchandising techniques.

If you are drawn to this type of work, you must be willing to pester friends and relatives for initial sales. Once you've tapped this market, it could be tough to find new customers. One thing to consider: How many other consultants would you be competing against? The company should be willing to provide this information so you have some idea of how big a market you can expect.

Before signing a contract or sending money, be sure to get in writing from the company a list of what you are expected to pay and what the company will provide for that money. You should also get details on any restrictions you might face in selling products and written substantiation of potential earnings. Be sure to talk to similar investors and verify all income claims.

Books

* "The Work-At-Home Sourcebook," by Lynie Arden , Live Oak publications. Discusses legal, tax and other practical considerations of working at home.

* "The 21st Century Entrepreneur: How to Start a Home Business," by Michael Antoniak, Avon Books. Offers good discussion about what it takes psychologically to successfully run a business from home.

* "How to Run Your Own Home Business," by Coralee Smith Kern and Tammara Hoffman Wolfgram, NTC Publishing Group. Gives history of home-based businesses and explores different aspects of working at home.

* "Start Smart Your Home Based Business," by Bernadette Tiernan, Simon and Schuster Macmillan Co. This book provides an in-depth look at the technological needs of a home-based worker.

Online Resources

* The Better Business Bureau keeps track of complaints about work-at-home schemes at its Web site (http://www.bbb.org/). The site also includes a tip sheet on how to recognize common work-at-home scams and advice on how to sort out legitimate opportunities from scams.

* The Federal Trade Commission (http://www.ftc.gov/) is a must stop for anyone seriously considering a work-at-home business opportunity. The FTC posts news releases on companies it has prosecuted, as well as giving out general information on how to avoid scams.

* Consumer fraud information also is collected by state attorneys general. In Maryland, the Web site is: http://www.oag.state.md.us/ (click on the consumer protection division). This site also gives computer users the opportunity to file a complaint against a company working within the state.

* The National Consumer League maintains two Web sites of interest: http://www.natlconsumerleague.org/ contains general consumer information, news releases and upcoming legislation affecting consumer issues; a second Web site, http://www.fraud.org/, is dedicated to tracking on-line fraud.

About The Author
James Martell is a successful author, stay-at-home dad of two boys and two girls, husband and a work at home professional providing valuable insight to those wanting to learn how to earn extra income on the Internet using affiliate programs. His numerous articles offer real-life tips and techniques for getting the most out of a homebased business.

Five Key Rules on How to Work at Home and Make Money

MAKE MONEY WORKING FROM THE COMFORT OF YOUR OWN HOME! How many times have you heard that phrase? Lots, I'm sure. It is used so much because marketers know that staying home and making money is the dream of millions of people.
And why not?
Did you know that the majority of fatal heart attacks happen at 9 a.m. Monday morning? It's true. It seems a lot of people would rather die than get back to the old grind after a weekend of freedom.
So when someone offers an opportunity or plan for you to take your job and shove it, yet still make enough money to live and pay all your bills, it sounds blissfully irresistible.
Of course, bliss and reality are always two different things. Is it really possible to run a business from your own home that is more than a hobby or source of part-time income? Can you get rich working out of your own home? Can you really trade your commute and necktie for blue jeans and the comfort of your own home?
Well, for your information, home-based businesses are one of the fastest growing kinds of enterprises in America today. Some 40 million Americans are doing at least some form of work out of their homes, and the numbers are growing rapidly. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, as many as 70 million people will be working out of their homes by the year 2005. Government studies have indicated that as much as 75% of all work done in this country could eventually be moved home.
The overwhelming majority of home workers, however, are not exactly getting rich. The average work-at-home American earns less than $15,000 per year. That may not be bad as a supplemental income, but let's face it, fifteen grand as your total income is not much above the poverty level.
However, you can have it all, you can stay home and make as much (and more) money than your current job provides you.
In this article, I will outline and discuss five key rules on how to work at home and make money, no matter where you live.
RULE 1. It Takes Commitment
Is it any secret in America that most people detest their jobs? Study after study proves that most people simply dread going to work Monday morning, and they live for the freedom of the weekend. But even that freedom is tainted, because we know that it is only temporary.
Why do people hate their jobs? Everyday, there is a lot of butt kissing that needs to be done. There are endless meetings which usually accomplish nothing. There are pointless interruptions, a lot of drifting this way and that, and lot of idiot supervisors who do nothing but waste your time and then dog you for not getting your work done. There are co-workers you hate, and who would stab you in the back in a minute if it meant recognition for them instead of you.
When you work for someone else, you live a regimented life. Your body may not want to get up at 7 a.m., but you have to be at work by 8 a.m. so you stumble out of bed still half asleep.
People who choose to work at home are doing more than just escaping the yoke of their master; they have made a deep, firm, life-altering decision which says that health, happiness and prosperity depend vitally on the freedom to work for ourselves, and do so in the comfort of our home.
I want to really emphasize the fact that to be successful in a work-at-home situation, you have to be nothing less than a fanatic; a zealot, who is utterly committed to making work-at-home not only a successful venture, but a profound commitment for life. You must be convinced that a return to an outside office job would be the equivalent of a death sentence.
Many people hate their jobs, but they have made an inner compromise with themselves. They have convinced themselves that their job is "not so bad," pays the bills, and that they can stick it out because they have to.
If you want to be truly successful at quitting your day job, there cannot be any room for such compromises in your soul. You have to take the attitude that to work any longer at your hateful job will sicken and kill you.
RULE 2. Eliminating the Home-Office Mentality
To move your work home, however, does not mean you eliminate every single thing about the traditional American office. Rather, you should select what is useful and what is not.
It's a mistake to quit your job and go home with a "home-office mentality. By this I mean thinking small, and believing that you will automatically sacrifice a decent income in exchange for your freedom. Please! DO NOT THINK SMALL!
Working at home provides many benefits. We can save a lot of time because we don't need to commute and you have more control over your schedule. You can save a lot of costs because you don't have the overhead requirements of larger businesses. You can cut your stress (and so have more energy) because you avoid many of the characteristic problems of life in the traditional work place. You must work these advantages to your profit.
RULE 3. Your International Headquarters
Today, to make the entire world come into your living room, all you need is a phone jack.
We live in a unique time in history. Satellites, fiber optics, the integrated circuit and other communications miracles means that you can be just about anywhere in the developed world and establish communication with anyone.
The telephone, the fax machine, the computer, the modem; all of these are not only affordable by any middle-class citizen; they are the key to eliminating your need to drive a hectic freeway everyday to get to a place of business outside your home.
With these devices at your disposal, you should allow yourself to "think globally." Too often, home-based businesses focus on the narrowest market, the neighborhood, the county, the city or state. This is fine if you are providing a local service and are content with a certain moderate level of income. But if you want the big bucks, you should "think globally." Also, you should not believe that, just because you are home-based, you cannot compete with the big boys.
The purpose of any business is to seek out every possible market for its products and services, to ascertain whether these markets have the ability to buy these products/services, to determine whether there is sufficient profit in these markets to warrant approaching them, and, once positive assessment has been made, to launch a sustained marketing campaign that gets a significant percentage of this market to purchase your product or service.
Your home telecommunications machines will not only enable you to do this, but they can also help you overwhelm larger, more cumbersome traditional businesses that are your competition.
As a home-based entrepreneur, you will not have all of the disadvantages of your more traditional competitors: no office rent, equipment or expense; no employees to pay salaries and fringe benefits for; no time wasted on meetings, employee problems, paid sick leave, etc.
All the money your competitors spend on heating the office and buying furniture could better be spent on the actual marketing itself.
As a home-based business, you will be already positioned where the traditional business is currently struggling to move: toward the lowest possible overhead and the greatest possible concentration of dollars on product/service development and product/service marketing.
So, a home-based business takes full advantage of three major goals of modern business success:
(1) Vastly reduced overhead(2) Easy access to a global market(3) Full advantage of telecommunications.
RULE 4. The Computer
You should pay close attention to what computers can do for you in your plans to escape your job and make your work-at-home dreams come true.
People who want to run a home business usually have a very small staff -- in fact, a staff of one -- you! The rest of your needs can be handled by independent contractors, depending on the kind of business you are in and the services you need.
Today, by connecting a computer to the phone line with a modem, your machine becomes more than a data storage system and repetitive task handler. It becomes a multi-task, multi-level communications processing center that connects you to the world.
Such things as e-mail, on-line services, the Internet, the Web and more can't help but revolutionize the way business is done. If you do not become a part of it today, you certainly are going to suffer for it greatly in the near future.
The Internet is definitely where a lot of innovative things are happening. It's a great place to exchange ideas, find out what hot, what's not, and stay on the cutting edge whatever your particular business is.
RULE 5. Your Business Hours
If you've been paying attention to the first four rules, you're well on your way to becoming a successful home-based business owner. Now I don't want you to blow it by thinking you can keep banker's hours.
The global market, is a 24/7/365 market. Let the others sleep late on Saturdays and take Sundays off. Those times could be your day to move and corner loads of customers that the others miss.
You should get up earlier and quit work later. You should be open for business on holidays and be available 24-hours a day, either personally or through your voice mail.
"But wait a minute!" you might be thinking at this point! "I thought that working at home was all about freedom and an end to drudgery. This sounds like nothing but endless work!
Well, here's the thing. For most of you who quit your regular jobs to go to work for yourself, you'll discover something magical. You'll discover that when you are working for yourself, when you are building your own business, a lot of what you do, does not seem like work at all.
When you stop selling your body and soul to some company or corporation and start giving your energy to yourself, work has a way of turning into inspiration and play.
The perfect work is that which you don't think of as work, yet doing it makes money and provides you with the bread and shelter of life. You'll see what it's like if you make a true commitment to being self-employed, put all your energy into it, and stick with it for the long run.
About the Author ---- Jim Capobianco, the author of "10 Steps to Your Own Home-Based Business", has been self-employed for over 25 years, both on and off line. At his web site, Cap-Tech.com and in his newsletter, The Cap-Tech Times, he shares his experience and expertise when it comes to owning your own business. Come pay a visit at: http://www.cap-tech.com

Is Working At Home Really For You?

I remember what it was like when I was still working away from home. I remember all too clearly how desperate I was to quit my job and stay home with my children. It was my mission in life. So....there was a lot of discussion between my husband and I. There were a lot of questions that we asked ourselves; Can we afford to do this? What kind of business could I start and run at home? Am I really ready to give up my demanding, stressful, rewarding career?
That last question was an important one. Was I ready to give up the daily adult interaction, the support of my peers, the stimulus of being out in the world each day? If the idea of being fairly isolated from others sounds about as appealing as several weeks in a sensory deprivation chamber, you might want to stick it out with your 9 to 5.
Before you make the jump, be sure you know what you're signing up for. Working at home can be very challenging, especially for those lacking discipline. You can't get a whole lot done if you just can't resist watching Regis and Kathy Lee and the next thing you know, Oprah's on. You also have to be able to say no. When people know you are at home, even if they know you are working, it's seemingly irresistible for them to ask favors of you. You have to be able to politely let people know that while you do work at home, you do have a schedule to keep.
With children at home, it's even more challenging. How do you balance the time between kids and work? How do you meet your professional goals and not compromise your children's needs? What are you going to do when your toddler decides to throw a tantrum while you are on an important call with a client? I find that it is extremely important to have a structured day so that I set aside time for the kids as well as my work schedule. I want to accomplish certain things work-wise each day, but I'm not willing to give up the playtime, the homework time, or the just being-together time with my kids. For me, I have found that if I identify daily non-negotiables for work, family time and housework, I'm productive and I get to keep my sanity (OK, I don't really get to keep it, but I have use of it most of the time).
I do have to admit that I am probably really well suited to this. This is mostly due to the fact that I am (according to my husband) extraordinarily stubborn and determined. I am also willing to be a mom most of the day, and then do my "other" job at night. I have been known to get up out of bed in the middle of the night just to work on an idea. Do you think that if I had to get dressed and drive to an office somewhere that I would do it? This is what notepads were invented for. It really can be like having 2 or 3 full-time jobs.
This is not to say that there aren't at least as many benefits to working at home. I get to set my own schedule. I can take a break to give piggy-back rides to my little daughter. I can work in my pajamas (of course I don't *really* do that). Working at home can be very rewarding for many people, but it's not for everyone. Make sure you realistically envision the impact it would make on your daily life, and whether or not it fits with your personal needs.
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Sharon Davis is the Mother of two girls, the owner of 2Work-At-Home.Com and the Editor of the site's monthly ezine, America's Home. In her spare time she reminisces about what it was like to have spare time.
Subscribe to her free ezine here:
http://www.2work-at-home.com/ezine/subscribe/ezines.shtml

How to Spot a Work at Home Scam

With all the work at home opportunities advertised today, it can be difficult to pick out the true jobs from the scams. Here are some tips that will help you determine whether a job is legitimate or a scam in just minutes.
Do they charge a fee? If so, it is a scam. A legitimate company will not charge you to work for them. Period. Occasionally, you will come across companies that charge for training, but most often they will deduct the cost from your first few paychecks. This is rare, however. Most companies will provide free training. There are also a few companies that will charge for the cost of having a background check performed on you. Again, this is pretty rare. Home business opportunities will often charge a start-up fee, which includes a kit containing product samples, training information and more. Don't confuse these opportunities with telecommute positions. Very often they are advertised only as "work at home" -- not telling you whether it's a job or a business opportunity. If there is a start-up kit you need to buy, it is a business opportunity. If there is a "fee" to begin working for them (often called an application fee, or administrative fee), it is a scam.
Is the website sloppy? This alone doesn't always point to a scam. I've seen some legitimate companies with horrible websites too. However, scammer websites are usually very sloppily put together, with tons of spelling and grammatical errors all over the place. Not always - sometimes they do have web design knowledge and a spell-checker. Also, are they using a free web host like Geocities or Bravenet? (Example: If the domain name reads http://XYZClerical.bravehost.com or http://www.geocities.com/XYZClerical - they are using a free web host. Owning their own domain, it would read like this: http://www.XYZClerical.com) Website hosting is so affordable nowadays, it is rare to find any legitimate companies that would use a free web host.
Contact information Click on the "Contact Us" (or "About Us") page of the website. Is there a street address and telephone number? Or just an email address or P.O. Box? Legitimate companies will give you their true contact information. Is the email address from a free email provider like Yahoo or Hotmail? This doesn't always mean it's a scam, sometimes companies don't want to use their main address and get bombarded with resumes. Still, use caution if you see a free email account being used, especially if it's the only form of contact available. If a phone number is given, call it. Do they answer with the company name like a real business? Or do you get dumped right into a voicemail box? Again, that might not mean it's a scam by itself, just something to consider.
Testimonials Does the website feature testimonials? These are usually glowing reviews from people who are allegedly working at home for this company. Why would a company want to do this? Remember this: testimonials are most often used in sales copy. They are trying to "sell" you something if they use testimonials. Legitimate companies will rarely use them. I have seen a couple of real companies with testimonials on their websites, so it does happen, but not often.
Excessive income claims "Easy work, great pay!" That's a big red flag. No legitimate employer is going to flaunt easy work for great pay. Instead they usually say, "Salary commensurate with experience." Meaning, if you have experience in that field, you will probably earn more money than someone who doesn't. If an ad claims, "No experience necessary!" -- be wary. There are certainly employers who will train you and don't require experience, but if an ad is flaunting the fact that you don't need experience and will earn great money, watch out. Especially for jobs you would expect to need experience for, like typing or data entry. If the job is extremely simple (like stuffing envelopes), ask yourself why a company would pay so much money for someone to stuff envelopes when they could buy a machine to do it for far less money? Use common sense. Compare the job to the income. Does it sound near what you'd earn in your local area? (Most work at home jobs pay LESS than what you'd earn outside the home, not more.)
Targeting particular groups Does the ad focus on one particular group of people like Moms, retirees or college students? This is usually a warning sign. Why would a legitimate employer care if their employees are moms, dads, grandparents or anything else? The only exception I can think of is perhaps contracts for models and actors. Obviously sometimes agencies have a need for people with a certain look, or from a certain age group. Otherwise, beware of any company advertising only to Moms or other groups.
Involving your personal accounts This is a biggie. There is a common scam going around right now that involves an overseas company wanting you to sell products on eBay using your own account, and accept payments from the buyers. You then subtract your "commission" and forward the rest of the money onto the company and they ship the product out to the customer. Wrong. What actually happens is the company takes the money and never ships the products, and you are now in big trouble with eBay for taking the money and not delivering the product. It is incredibly easy for legitimate companies to get a merchant account nowadays, there is no reason why they would need you to use your own account and forward the money to them. Don't fall for it. Another similar scam is a company (or individual) needing to send a large amount of money by check to you, they ask you to deposit the money into your account and then withdraw most of it (you get to keep a portion of it for your troubles) and send it to them by Western Union or other money transfer system. Unfortunately, the check takes a few days or even a few weeks to bounce, and you now owe that money back to the bank. Except you don't have it, because you already wired it out to the person who sent you the check! Steer clear of any type of "job" that requires you to use your own accounts.
Asking for too much information Does the application ask personal information like your marital status, how many children you have, your age, ethnic background, etc? Employers have no business asking these questions. It is illegal for them to base your eligibility on these factors, and you are not required to give this information. Also do not give your credit card number, social security number or banking information to any company unless you know they are legitimate. The company will only need this information if they are actually hiring you. I recommend leaving that blank when applying for jobs. If you get hired, they should furnish you with a real tax form to fill out, where you will supply your social security number. (Don't just send it through email to them.) For banking information, they only need that if you are signing up for direct deposit, and they should give you an actual direct deposit form to fill out and fax or mail back. They should not need your credit card number for any reason. If they are paying you through Paypal or another online payment system, you can provide your Paypal email address to them, but do NOT give them the password! (Yes, I've actually seen a "company" requesting that of applicants before.)
Whois Search Go to Whois.com and search for the domain name (www.company.com). Who comes up as the Registrant? The company name, or an individual? It is possible that the website domain could be registered under the owner's personal name instead of the company name, so this alone doesn't mean they are a scam. Is it a private registration (you can't get the details)? Again, that alone doesn't mean it's a scam necessarily. Finally, look at the date the domain was registered. If the website gives details about how long the company has been in business and the domain registration differs greatly from that, be wary. If they claim they've been providing work at home jobs for 10 years, but upon looking up the domain name you see they've been online for a couple of months, that's a red flag.
Do some research Write down the company name and the name the domain is registered under (if applicable). Go to Google.com and type the company name in quotations, plus the word Scam, like this: "Company Name"+scam -- see what comes up. Any negative experiences detailed on message forums? Do the same with the individual's name that the domain is registered under. (Also try replacing the word "scam" with the words, "scheme" or "fraud.") You can also search for pages that mention the company domain name, like this: "www.companywebsite.com" - Google will return results on any page that mentions that term. Then go to www.BBBOnline.com - www.RipoffReport.com - and www.ScamBusters.org and search for the company and individual's name.
Ask around If you still haven't found any negative information (or any information at all), ask around. Visit work at home message forums and ask about the company. Use the forum search function to search for the company name and individual's name. If it's a scam, surely someone has heard about them.
Finally, compare any work at home position with positions available in your local area. Does the online job seem like something you'd do in an office setting? Does the pay match the level of experience needed? Does the pay match the complexity of the job? Could a company automate the job functions rather than paying you thousands of dollars to do it? Remember that most companies are trying to save money, not make their employees rich.
Most importantly, listen to your gut. If something seems too good to be true, it probably is. I hear so many people say, "I had a bad feeling about it, but I wanted it to be true, so I took a chance." Don't do it. If you have ANY doubts or concerns, pay attention to them. You'll save yourself a lot of grief later on.
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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 home-based professionals, and those who aspire to be. Visit today for tools, tips and information on how you can create your own home-based career, or further improve the one you already have!

Work At Home Success

Just because a person has these characteristics, it does not ensure success and, on the flip side, a person is not necessarily doomed to failure just because he or she does not possess them all.

Have you ever wondered if those people that are successful in home based businesses share some common characteristics and, if so, what are the primary characteristics they share?The dictionary defines successful as: *having a favorable outcome, or *having obtained something desired or intended, or *having achieved wealth or eminence When applied to a home business, I think the definition of theword successful involves a combination of financial gain, time flexibility, and being able to call your own shots (being your own boss). The order of importance will vary from person to person.I have had the good fortune to be quite successful with home-based internet businesses. No, that is not completelyaccurate, I have had success because I have invested a lot ofsweat equity in my work at home business activities.Having spent many years in the corporate world, I am a firmbeliever in the team aspect of business and so I naturallygravitated toward network marketing instead of trying to gosolo selling products/services and competing with the big players like Yahoo, Amazon and the other well known names.After doing considerable research, I found a very well established and financially solid internet-based company to work with. Using my business experience in the "offline world" anddeveloping my internet marketing skills on the fly in an OJT (aka: on-the-job-training) format, things have gone very well andI recently spent some time trying to identify some of the primary traits that are common in my most successful team members.Whether you're breeding bird dogs, or race horses, or draftingcollege football players to play in the NFL...it's important todevelop "markers" that can be very useful in predicting success.From my offline, traditional, business experience I have known this from the get-go, but for some reason I was slow to learn (or, was it re-learn?) that identifying the people with a high likelihood of success is even more important when developing an online network marketing business that depends upon teamwork.Reflecting back on many of the truly successful people I haveworked with in network marketing, I made a list of the numerous success factors that emerged when I assessed each person individually. After compiling the list, three factors seemed tostand out as being the most common success indicators. In no particular order, these factors were: *approaching the business with a long term perspective. It takes a lot of time to become an "overnight success" *exhibiting the tenacity of a pit bull *being able to ride the emotional roller coaster (two steps forward and one step back) in the early stages of developing the businessJust because a person has these characteristics, it does notensure success and, on the flip side, a person is not necessarilydoomed to failure just because he or she does not possess themall.
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Kirk Bannerman operates a successful home based business and coaches others seeking to start their own home based business. Visit his website at http://www.business-at-home.us for more details.
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This article is freely available for reprint provided that the resource box at the end of the article is left intact and the article is published complete and unaltered. If you are using this article on a website or e-book, please make sure that the link in the resource box is live and clickable.

Work At Home Time Management

This article is based on Internet Business time management. It gives advice about how to manage your time more sufficiently.

Are you finding lack of time for your online business becoming more and more evident?
Are you finding it more difficult reserving well-needed time for your children and family?
Well, you are not alone. All too often, many home based business owners (unintentionally) fail to prioritize their time efficiently. I think time is about the most valuable and limited resource that we possess.
Balancing our personal and professional lives is indeed quite a challenge. This important task can be accomplished by taking a look at some significant small steps.
Goals
What are your business and professional goals?
Turn your dreams and intentions into reasonable, achievable goals by writing each goal down beginning with the most important and ending with the least important ones.
Purchase a special journal or diary all your own for this purpose. Keep this journal close by, on your desk at all times.Write down what you want to achieve yearly, quarterly, monthly, weekly and daily. Plan long projects by breaking them down into bite-sized pieces and dedicating so much time each day for achieving your goals.
Put Together A Work Routine Schedule And Stick With It
Keep A Business Daily Planner On Your Desk. Prioritize your home business according to specific deadlines. Make a note of tasks that need to be completed on a daily basis.
For example: Make a note to do your website updates on Mondays, Make important phone calls on Tuesdays, Do your business research on Wednesdays, and so on.
Carve out a reasonable schedule for yourself and base it around your business needs and goals. The most important thing about a schedule is of course sticking to it. Staying focused and consistent is the key element to achieving success in any home business.
Make Time For Yourself And Your Family
This is the most important issue home based business owners face today. You must reserve special time for yourself and for your family. If you don't make time for yourself, you run the risk of business burn out. You need time to yourself to feel refreshed, energized, and ready to tackle the next task that needs completing.
Take at least one half hour to a full hour each day solely for yourself. Take a walk, take a drive, take a nap, read a good book, watch a good movie or favorite program, schedule lunch with a friend. This is so important to you and also your business If you have children at home, you need to also involve them in this important time.
Take your little ones to the park, the zoo, out for lunch, anything...just as long as you take this special time just for you and your children. Always take time out for that special bedtime story, helping with homework, making that special breakfast, or just talking and cuddling. Isn't this the main reason for deciding to work from home...staying home with your kids and spending quality time with them?
Always schedule specific times with your kids, and also with yourself....this will help avoid getting over-stressed and over- worked with your home based business. Children like routine. You will also find that following a routine schedule will make you more productive and successful with your business.

Home Based Jobs

I remember what it was like when I was still working away from home. I remember all too clearly how desperate I was to quit my job and stay home with my children. It was my mission in life. So....there was a lot of discussion between my husband and I. There were a lot of questions that we asked ourselves; Can we afford to do this? What kind of business could I start and run at home? Am I really ready to give up my demanding, stressful, rewarding career?
That last question was an important one. Was I ready to give up the daily adult interaction, the support of my peers, the stimulus of being out in the world each day? If the idea of being fairly isolated from others sounds about as appealing as several weeks in a sensory deprivation chamber, you might want to stick it out with your 9 to 5.

Before you make the jump, be sure you know what you're signing up for. Working at home can be very challenging, especially for those lacking discipline. You can't get a whole lot done if you just can't resist watching Regis and Kathy Lee and the next thing you know, Oprah's on. You also have to be able to say no. When people know you are at home, even if they know you are working, it's seemingly irresistible for them to ask favors of you. You have to be able to politely let people know that while you do work at home, you do have a schedule to keep.

With children at home, it's even more challenging. How do you balance the time between kids and work? How do you meet your professional goals and not compromise your children's needs? What are you going to do when your toddler decides to throw a tantrum while you are on an important call with a client? I find that it is extremely important to have a structured day so that I set aside time for the kids as well as my work schedule. I want to accomplish certain things work-wise each day, but I'm not willing to give up the playtime, the homework time, or the just being-together time with my kids. For me, I have found that if I identify daily non-negotiables for work, family time and housework, I'm productive and I get to keep my sanity (OK, I don't really get to keep it, but I have use of it most of the time).

I do have to admit that I am probably really well suited to this. This is mostly due to the fact that I am (according to my husband) extraordinarily stubborn and determined. I am also willing to be a mom most of the day, and then do my "other" job at night. I have been known to get up out of bed in the middle of the night just to work on an idea. Do you think that if I had to get dressed and drive to an office somewhere that I would do it? This is what notepads were invented for. It really can be like having 2 or 3 full-time jobs.

This is not to say that there aren't at least as many benefits to working at home. I get to set my own schedule. I can take a break to give piggy-back rides to my little daughter. I can work in my pajamas (of course I don't *really* do that). Working at home can be very rewarding for many people, but it's not for everyone. Make sure you realistically envision the impact it would make on your daily life, and whether or not it fits with your personal needs.

Work At Home

I opened the newspaper and there it was. The article that would change my life.

It was called 'How to stay at home and earn a full-time income as a Virtual Assistant.'

Quit the day job and freelance from home? Yes, please!

At that time, I was feeling stifled, unfulfilled and unmotivated in my corporate office job. I had been an Executive Assistant for years, and life had become one predictable 9-to-5 day after another. I had always wanted to run my own show and be my own boss. Working from home would be the icing on the cake!

Soon, my evenings and weekends were devoted to finding out more about this exciting new opportunity. I transitioned gradually into working full-time from home as a Virtual Assistant and achieved this within a year. I have never looked back and finally feel rewarded, challenged and satisfied in my virtual career.

Thanks to the internet, it has never been easier to work from home. People all over the world are setting up home based businesses out of a desire for independence, flexibility and control over their destiny.

All of these new business owners could potentially use the services of a Virtual Assistant, without having to take on an employee.

The future of Virtual Assistance is certainly looking bright. It's one of the fastest growing industries on the internet and is expected to be a $130 billion industry by 2008 (Source: George Washington University).