Many more people these days are taking advantage of the Internet to work from home. It might be that they run an online business, or it might be that they have a job that allows them to “telecommute”, so they can do all of their professional work online. A great many telecommuting based jobs allow for flexible hours and pay on a freelance basis.
Working from home has freed up a lot of people’s time and given them more opportunity to spend with their family, take care of emergencies with children, keep up the house, run short errands, make sure dinner is cooked, and so on.
Cutting out the commute time and the preparation time (showering, shaving, getting dressed up, packing a lunch, etc) really adds up to a lot more home and personal time. The flexible work hours are extremely helpful, since work can be scheduled around home and personal life, rather than the other way around.
The Internet revolution has helped many moms work from home. Now Hockey moms, PTA moms, and mothers with small children can have good paying, satisfying jobs or businesses without undue stress. They no longer need to sacrifice or put off the fulfilling experience of motherhood.
Clearly there is a catch to all this freedom and that is the increased personal responsibility. Not having to be at a job outside the home at a specific time five mornings a week and not having to stay at work until a set time each day can be a double-edged sword. The work at home freedom of routine can, and does, lead to lack of discipline for many moms. It can make some women suddenly inept at managing their time – whether work time, personal time or both.
Work and home life must still be balanced. There are ways to achieve this so the benefits of working from home can be maximized and enjoyed.
1) Keep a work schedule if you have flexible hours.
This sounds similar to commuting to an office and it is, but with a couple of very important differences. You can break or change the schedule temporarily whenever you feel the need. You can put family first without losing your source of income. You can work during hours when it’s most convenient or productive for you. Just keep it as regular as possible.
2) Keep your “office” very organized.
No, the children cannot play around in it just because it’s part of your house or not “really” an office. Keep your office as if you have a manager who is going to come in and inspect it.
3) Don’t use your work-at-home status as an excuse to neglect your family or yourself.
Some people say, “Great! I can do chores, run errands, and spend time with my husband and children whenever I want. Now, I don’t have to worry that I’m not spending time with them anymore!” Not so. Be conscientious of non-work time. If need be, keep a schedule for these times too so you are not spending too much time working and no time with your family.
4) It may help you to work two or three part-time sessions per day.
Depending on your temperament and the nature of your work, you might get burned out after just a few hours. You don’t have to force yourself (assuming you have flexible hours) to work non-stop for 8 hours straight. Work some, then take personal time, then go back and work again later in the day. This can make you much more productive. Once again, try to keep a fairly regular schedule.
5) Be judicious.
It may be best for the work at home mom to schedule her work time for when the kids are in school and/or asleep at night, rather than try to work “around” them. Whatever it is that you need to work around in your personal life, do so if it makes it easier for you to balance work and home.
As a work at home mom, you do have the luxury of a flexible schedule that you have more control over. That shouldn’t mean you spend every day in an uproar because you haven’t set some guidelines and routines. Find a routine that works best for your family and your business and go with it.
The best home business that you can start is one which you start ON YOUR OWN with YOURSELF as the capital! Remember that, as you decide to start this business, it’s important not to stop halfway through the selection process! Go over the following six steps and start a business which is not only home-based but is also successful.
1. Figure out your talents
Find out things that you are really good at. These might be even some inborn characteristics, for e.g. you may be good at talking or a very hardworking person. The basic foundations for any good business venture are your talents!
2. Look over your skills
These are things that you can actually do! Don’t get confused between talents and skills; talents are inborn and skills are those which you learn. For example, someone creative might have excellent poetry writing skills or fictional story writing skills. A person who is very attentive to detail may have good argumentative or organizational skills.
3. Sum up your talents and skills and bring them together
So now that you know the talents and skills that you have, think about what type of business you can start. Keep your skills and talents in mind, and draw up a list of possible business options for yourself. Don’t worry about whether they are feasible or not at this stage. Just write them down, you can cross out any ideas you don’t like later on.
4. Run your ideas through the home-based business test
Now that you have a list, you have to realize that not all business are suited for “home based” category. For example, you can start manufacturing dolls if you are living in a small apartment or you can have a consultation business in case you are living in a big household. Now take your time and go back to your list and cross out any unsuitable ideas!
5. Estimate the profit angle
Remember if people aren’t willing to buy your product or service, your business isn’t going to work. So ask yourself these two questions:
How much will people give me for this product or service?
Will I get enough income from this business?
Run back to your list and assess how much profit you can get from each business and keep it on your list only if you have satisfactory answers to both the above questions.
6. Draw up a business plan to assess the viability of your new home-based business
Prepare a business plan just to make sure that your business idea will become successful. Research and think in all possible ways to ensure that your business will be successful. Keep working on such a plan until you find one that suits you the best. It’s rarely that people find the right business for them before drawing up at least three plans. So don’t give up and keep drawing up business plans for all the ideas on your list until you pick the best one.
Good luck!
Summary
A home business is a much more advantageous field as it involves small start up costs, less tax outflows, provides flexible work hours, gives you more control over your business (by being your own boss) and enables you to utilize your creative ideas to the maximum benefit.
Bizymoms.com has been helping moms work from home for over 10 years. Visit today to enjoy free resources including live chats, interactive message boards, informative articles, and of course, the best home based business ideas on the Internet! Bizymoms also offers complete home business packages that get your business started right away!
posted by Chris Simpson
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For those who want to work from home or run their own business, two common ways to do so is through a direct sales business or a multi-level marketing company. Many people use the terms interchangeably, and although they can be similar, they aren’t exactly the same thing. So, what is the difference between direct sales and MLM companies? Let’s take a closer look to help you understand.
Direct Sales Business
A direct sales business is one in which you can work for an already established company. The company normally sells products or services and they look for representatives to help them do so. This allows an individual to become a representative via their own business and sell the company’s products.
This makes it easier for someone to work for themselves without the overhead costs associated with starting a business from scratch. Many times the individual will also be able to sell the products without maintaining an inventory. This saves the rep money as well because there is no need to house the products yourself or pay for storage.
The company will already have packages set up that include product samples, promotional material and more for the representative to use. A good direct sales company will also provide training and other resources to help the business owner grow their business. These packages do cost money to purchase but many times it’s a one-time fee and the individual will be able to use these items as long as they are working with the company.
You then use the material provided and sell the products of the company. In turn, the company pays you a percentage of all the sales you make. Depending on the company you are working with you might be able to set your own sales price and keep any money left over after you’ve paid for the items from the company.
For instance, let’s say the cost for you to purchase an item is $1. According to the company’s policy you are allowed to mark up the sales price to whatever you choose so you sell the item for $2. Once you receive the money from your customer, you pay the direct sales company their dollar and you keep the remaining dollar for yourself.
There are tons of direct sales companies out there that allow someone to start their own business by selling for them. A few common examples, that you may have heard of include, Avon, Tupperware, Home Interiors and Mary Kay.
These companies sell kitchenware, make up and other products but look to expand their company’s profits by working with business owners around the world who like the idea of running their own business, but want the security of something already well established.
Multi-Level Marketing (MLM) Companies
With multi-level marketing companies, it’s common to see the same names as you do with direct sales companies. As a matter of fact, most direct sales companies have some form of MLM in their business structure for those interested.
Multi-level marketing is just what its name implies – multi-levels of income potential. Let’s use an example to help you understand how it works. You’ve just signed up with Company X to be a representative and sell their products to others. You’ve also been offered the opportunity to recruit others to also sell the products.
You book a party and the hostess (we’ll call her Susan) decides she would like to sell Company X products as well. You sign Susan up and she becomes a member of your “down line.” You will now make money from the sales received from your customers and you’ll also make money when Susan sells products as well. Susan can do the same and depending on the company policy, you might be able to make money on sales that Susan’s down line creates as well.
Although the terms direct sales and MLM are used interchangeably, they aren’t the same thing. The reason is because most direct sales companies do not require their reps to participate in the multi-level aspect of the business. There is more money to be made when an individual chooses to recruit others, but for some that just isn’t their cup of tea. Companies realize this and many are just as happy to offer both options to their potential representatives.
posted by Chris Simpson
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Wednesday, October 29th 2008
If you are taking advantage of working from home via the Internet, you are one of a growing number of at home workers. Cutting out the time, stress, and expenses associated with a commute, having more flexible hours, and not needing to spend a lot of money on clothing to wear just for work are just a few of the amazing benefits of working from home. You also get to spend more time in the home you love and still pay the mortgage.
In order to maintain these benefits, you still have to work and make money. This means that you need self-discipline and a huge sense of responsibility. It’s easier to be accountable when you are forced to get dressed and go to work on someone else’s time. One way you can make working from home easier is to be organized.
One of the most important aspects of success when you operate your own business is organization. Businesses are often referred to as “organizations”. There is a reason for this. Without organization, a business will not flourish.
One mistake so many make when setting up their home business has to do with their own office. When you don’t create a home office that’s neat, orderly and organized, you’re creating a formula for failure. A disorganized home office allows for distractions and for a web based business these disturbances can easily, and quickly, spell disaster.
There are ways to keep a home office organized. Here are four of the more common tips to get you on track to a controlled and profitable work area.
1. Always keep your home office neat. Neatness influences performance, even when we are in private. Granted, some people’s definition of “neat” is more uptight or strict than others. If you keep things in their place in your home office and keep it neat according to your standards, you will feel and act professional. Even if you do work in your pj’s!
2. Keep your home office distinct. Ideally, you should use a spare bedroom or den or even the basement (as long as it doesn’t resemble the Dungeon of Despair) for your office. If you don’t have these spaces free for your use, working online makes it easy to create a make-shift office. You can set yourself up just about anywhere in your home. Even if you work on a laptop you should try to set up your daily workspace in the same place all the time.
Many people use their kitchen and if that works for you, great, but stop and think about how disorganized the kitchen table can get, do you really want that distraction. No matter where you set up shop, get it into your mind “this is my workspace” so that when you are there you are kick-started into work mode.
3. Have a nice desk or work table for your computer. Make it as nice as you can afford. Get a true sense of being professional and successful into your mind. Remember the old adage, “Dress for the job you want, not the one you have.” This rings true for home offices too. If you want to make a six figure income, act like it. Allow your office to dress the part as much as your budget and space will allow.
4. Set your computer up for work first and foremost. Have your office software suite, folders of often-used notes or material, digital calendar, most frequented work-related website links, etc. all right there on your desktop. Clear off anything related to personal stuff or entertainment. Yes, this means your mp3 files that are used for your musical “fix” while you work.
Don’t get rid of these things. Simply move them off your computer desktop. Remember, you are an organized professional so play the part and you can grab your music from the program list anytime you need it; just don’t let it distract you the minute you sit down to work.
Looking and acting the part of a business owner is crucial for success. When you feel like a business owner, you’ll start to act like one too. The first place to start making the transition is your home office. It’s where you’ll spend all your working time; therefore make it represent the type of business you want to operate.
posted by Chris Simpson
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