Work From Home

Disasters or family tragedies can strike families in many forms – Mother Nature, sickness and even computer problems can cause major difficulties for your business. Do you have a plan of action on how you will handle your home-based business if disaster were to strike? If not, you absolutely need to. Having a plan ensures that you can not only keep your business running, but decrease stress because you have already prepared for the unexpected.

Below are four tips to help you handle the unexpected.

1. Work around the events –Your customers will understand as long as you communicate with them.  Be honest that things may take a little longer than usual, but keep your customers updated as often as possible.  Communication is the key. Most people will understand the delay as long as they are aware of it.  If you get to the point where you cannot work or cannot finish a project, but sure to be clear and honest about the situation and try to make an arrangement that will be acceptable.  Also, let them know as soon as possible so they can prepare.  Don’t wait until the last minute to advise them of a potential problem.

If you’re struggling because of a child being sick, try to work when the child is sleeping and don’t stress yourself out to work at other times. Make a schedule of what needs to be done, so that you can accomplish as much as possible during these times. 

2. Don’t be afraid to ask for help – As moms, we tend to feel that we should be able to handle everything that is thrown at us. Unfortunately, this just isn’t always the case. There are times when we need to allow ourselves to ask for help. When a tragedy occurs and you are simply overwhelmed, find someone who you trust and ask them for help. Many times, just having someone reply to customers on your behalf can take the pressure off your shoulders.

Allowing someone to help you when necessary can also be uplifting to them as they feel they can be a part of helping in a difficult situation. So don’t’ shy away from letting others know. We all benefit when we work together and help one another.

When our one-year old had surgery he didn’t handle the pain medication well. He was wide awake for the better part of two days. In this case, I knew ahead of time when the surgery would occur, but I had no idea what his recovery would entail. It was impossible to work while he slept, because he wasn’t sleeping. I realized that I not only needed help business-wise, but I needed help with him as well so that I could get some rest. While it was humbling to admit that I needed help, that I couldn’t do it all, it turned out as a great time spent with family that we would not have had if I hadn’t asked for help.  

3. Prepare for the worst – Because we never know what the future holds, it is always better to be prepared. As the old saying goes, “Better safe than sorry.”

One of the best resources to help you prepare is the Home Office Recovery Plan: Disaster Preparedness for Your Home Office by authors Diana Ennen and Patty Gale. This e-book covers all the bases of getting a Disaster Recovery Plan in place now so that if disaster strikes your home business or an emergency arises, you are able to get your business back up and running quickly and smoothly. 

Ennen states, “In my case, this guide has been a lifesaver as a resident of South Florida.  I have prepared for eight major hurricanes in the past two years with Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Wilma taking a direct hit on Broward County where I live. I was without power for two weeks with Hurricane Wilma.  Had I not prepared, my clients would have suffered as would my business.”

Gale also knows the importance of this book having lived in New York after 9/11 and had the task of preparing a similar guideline for a company she was working with at the time.  Both know the importance in ensuring your business will withstand whatever this hurricane or any disaster (including a theft in the office or fire) has to offer.

4. Get a Plan – There are times when life becomes overwhelming and you simply aren’t able to accomplish everything on your own. It’s for these times that you need to have some type of log of what you do and what needs to be done. Keep a spreadsheet of tasks that you do, how often they are done and mark them completed as you are able. Keep a list of passwords in a safe, secure place. Make sure that your family (or whoever may be helping you during this time) is able to carry on even in the event that you are away from home.

If possible, train someone that you trust to do the things that you do each day (at least the key things), so that when the unexpected arises you won’t be caught off-guard.

Tragedy comes in many shapes and forms, but if you are prepared much of the unnecessary stress can be avoided.  When tragedy strikes, you want to be focused on the important things in life, your family and you.  By advance planning you are able to do so.

For more interesting work at home opportunities and advice, free information and resources visit
http://workathomeopportunites.info

For a great home work business visit wikaniko
eco business

As Work at Home Moms, we talk about our “Why” as a positive thing. Our “Why” is our purpose, our reason, our muse. We refer to our ‘Why’ when we need inspiration or motivation to reach outside our comfort zone, to try a little harder, to keep going even when it’s hard. Our ‘Why’ helps us to succeed.

Today I was asking “Why work from home” in a slightly different tone. Today, I am home with a sick puppy and am up to my eyeballs in puppy puke.

I’m new to this puppy thing. I was warned up and down about how much work a puppy is, and I thought “I have two children. How hard can a puppy possibly be?!” Well, one difference is that newborn babies aren’t born with fangs — at least mine weren’t. So, in between changing the gauze patches on my shredded arms (those teeth are sharp!), and hours of puppy school, I fell in love with this furry beast. He was added to my list of “Why’s”.

So, today, while I was composing my work at home mom newsletter, in the background I hear my furr-ball start to vomit — again. The thought that ran through my mind initially was not a happy “Why”. It was more like:

* “WHY in the world am I home to deal with this while my husband gets to sit in a quiet office all day?”

* “WHY isn’t HE dealing with cleaning up the 8th pile of yucky stuff?”

* “WHY don’t I get any peace and quiet while I work?!”

After I cleaned up the puppy, rubbed his head and got him clean blankets, threw in another load of laundry, and climbed into bed with my sick 7 year old and my 3 year old to read stories, I had time to collect my thoughts. A little bit (ok, a LOT) of puppy puke was sure worth it.

And, later, when I made my phone call to my husband to tell him about our day, it wasn’t the puppy-puke I was telling him about….

I told him how our daughter said that she wanted to plant some jelly beans to grow a jelly bean tree. And, how the kids were playing the game of Life and I overheard their rules. They decided that the person who got the most parents into the car won. That’s why I stay at home.

And, if a furry little tail starts wagging when I walk into the room? Well, that’s sure an added bonus.

So, the next time your warm and loving “Why” turns into a plea for help, take a deep breath and think of all the memories you would be missing — both good and not-so-good, if you weren’t a work at home mom.

For more interesting work at home opportunities and advice, free information and resources visit
http://workathomeopportunites.info

For a great home work business visit wikaniko
eco business

When I started my first business I didn’t have a solid, well thought-out business plan. I threw together a rough one that I used to apply for a bank loan (which I didn’t get, by the way).

I’ve found the best way to make sure a business is going to be successful is to create a business plan. It doesn’t need to be pages long and take you days and days to complete. Below I’ve created a quick 30 Minute Business Plan.

A good business plan will help you figure out approximately what your business will cost to get off the ground. You don’t want to guess at this. Knowing your costs will help you decide what you’re going to charge.

The 30 Minute Business Plan below also includes information about your competition. Don’t forget about them. In one way or another they exist and you’re going to want to get to know them.

The bottom line – most businesses fail because they don’t have a clearly spelled-out business plan. Don’t make that mistake.

For those of you who have been in business for awhile, don’t think a business plan can’t help you. Your business plan should be taken out on a regular basis, reread and updated.

Your 30 Minute Home Business Plan

1. What is your business exactly? Explain in one or two sentences. (If you can’t describe your business in a couple of sentences, rethink your business and focus your idea).

2. Is your particular business needed? List the reasons that make you thinks so.

3. Where do you see your business in one year? In three years? In five years? (Be specific.)

4. How will you fund your business? Savings, credit cards, loans?

5. What equipment/office supplies/licenses will you need to get your business started? Total Cost?

6. What organizations and trade publications will you need? Total Cost?

7. Who is your target customer? Describe them.

8. What other businesses will you be competing with?

9. What makes your business different from your competitor’s business? (Include price, quality, unique services, etc.)

10. Where will you set up your home office? Is it going to cost me money to make a nice workable office? Cost?

11. Will you use daycare everyday or once a week? Cost?

12. How much money do you need to make each month to help my family survive?

Once again, this is just a partial list, but there are enough questions here to give you a good idea of what you’ll be facing with a new business and the costs involved.

A business plan is essential to your successful home business. As one great quote says, Those who fail to plan, plan to fail. – Author Unknown

For more interesting work at home opportunities and advice, free information and resources visit
http://workathomeopportunites.info

For a great home work business visit wikaniko
eco business

About six months ago (September 2007) I started looking on the web for ways to make money from home; I’m an online college student who has a lot of time on his hands. I was surprised to see so many different avenues of income possibilities; I quickly realized a lot of these programs were scams. I’m a young guy who was new to internet marketing; I fell for the get rich quick schemes and lost a couple hundred dollars. We all hate loosing money but when you are going to school and not working that money becomes even more important. I was very depressed, but decided to not give up; once I realized I had to work hard and research what was out there, I began to see results. I became interested in finding a proven way to make money from home and then offer people the same opportunity. My major in college is Human Resources; it’s in my nature to help others better themselves; I have definitely been doing that since I started internet marketing. With the web flooded with several different ways to make money from home; it’s important to separate yourself from those other programs like your own. What I try to do is point people in the right direction and allow them to lean on me for help. It’s great having my own website but that’s just something people see on a screen. I go a step further and allow people to contact me with any questions they may have; sometimes all people need is a little help.

It’s a shame we have to come across a lot of people who like to make a quick buck off of those just trying to find their way in life. Internet marketing is very competitive and if you don’t know what you’re doing, you’re in big trouble. Working From Home Works!!! You just have to find that right person and program to help you get started. If you find a good program you can start out by putting in about 8 to 10 hours a week; once you start grossing some income you can step it up and make it your full-time job. When I graduate in July of ’06, I will be able to work from home full-time and use my degree to get a side job of my choosing as a hobby. Working from home is great but it’s important to get outside and get away from your computer once in a while.

For more interesting work at home opportunities and advice, free information and resources visit
http://workathomeopportunites.info

For a great home work business visit wikaniko
eco business

If you are just starting out online then you are definitely beginning to figure out that sometimes everything can be difficult and even a little bit overwhelming and discouraging. There is definitely a lot for you to learn when you are trying to make money online and there is a lot more work involved than a lot of people would think. You cannot just get online and automatically start making millions of dollars just by clicking a few buttons and reading a few get rich quick books. Most times that is not how it happens at all, but is that not true for all things in your life? Try thinking of one skill that you did not have to develop over the course of your life in order to become something like an expert. The steps to mastering the internet are no different than learning to ride a bike for the first time — there are a lot of little setbacks but it is impossible not to progress if you just keep on trying and learning new techniques and setting new goals for yourself.

One of the tricks to online success is to not jump in all at once and just think that you will succeed based on sheer force and effort. Work is a big part of making money doing anything but you still need to be trained and learn what to do and how to do it in the most effective manner. So the first thing that you need to know how to do is to set reasonable goals for yourself that you think are manageable and that you can reach while you are still learning about how everything works. This means that you will be more focused on how to reach the goal than actually just jumping in and putting all your eggs in one basket so to speak.

Sometimes it can be rather difficult to train yourself how to do something and you need outside sources to assist you. Well, there are definitely a lot of tools on the internet that you should start checking out because they are really there to help you and to teach you about things that you may not yet know. One thing that you should check out online is the Pro2 system which is basically a step by step guide to success that shows you how to do affiliate marketing and tells you all the best ones to work with. One of the greatest things about this program is that it shows you how to use ClickBank. ClickBank is a cyber mall with any product you can imagine and probably even more beyond that. So it is almost impossible to describe the immense possibilities there are with this site. You can choose to sell or promote any products on the site and you can make sure that those are the products you know about so you can learn how to promote them. Also, you will gain credibility online and, perhaps most importantly, start getting checks from those affiliate sites that you have been working with.

For more interesting work at home opportunities and advice, free information and resources visit
http://workathomeopportunites.info

For a great home work business visit wikaniko
eco business

If you answered yes to the above question, then you really need to take a look at the below statistics – the numbers amazed even me!

There was an important news story recently, that never made the 6 o’clock News or the front pages – but it has fundamental implications for the future of online business.

Hidden away was the news that spending on Internet advertising is going to exceed 10 Billion Dollars this year, for the first time ever. The actual figure for the year is over $13 billion, and roughly translated into real money that’s £7.5 Billion.

Why is this important and what’s this got to do with your home-based online business?

Let me put this in perspective. In 1999, at the height of the dot com boom, spending on internet advertising reached $4.2 Billion – so we’re now at three times the spending of the dot com boom! This is dramatic news. We’ll look back on these years and realise we’re living through the real internet revolution, right now!

The possibilities this offers your online business are tremendous. The downside is that many people are going to get left behind, because they realised too late… that in 2005 and early 2006… it’s absolutely essential that your business is also an Online Internet Business.

Internet sales are increasing as a result of this advertising as well, which wasn’t necessarily the case with the dot com boom!

To give you an example of why this is the case, rather than fight my way into town by car or sit on a congested train yesterday… I sat back, made myself a cup of tea and did a little online shopping. I actually found some great deals online, and when delivery is free, you can often buy more than you’d otherwise buy!

But here’s where it gets interesting… This week, I’ve also bought (online) a spare part for a car (needed urgently by a family member and delivered the next day), a dressing gown (present), some envelopes, a new door bell, two new detail sanders (for the guys currently working on my house), some software, and a new road map for the car.

Now, I could easily have popped into town and collected all these presents, parts or items, but the point is that I didn’t. And, if the companies I bought from didn’t have an Online Business, they simply wouldn’t have received that sale from me.

On the face of it, one sale may not seem very important, but if you look at today’s society – where no-one has the time to stop in the street and complete a survey (yes I’m guilty of that too), no-one has the time for lunch, and everything must be ‘quick’, ‘now’ and ‘instant’… you simply have to offer a painless, quick and instant Online Business service if you want to survive.

Problem: People have no time to shop. Solution: Offer a way in which people can buy from you 24 hours a day, and from the comfort of their own home.

When you do, I guarantee that your online business will experience phenomenal growth. All you need is a half-decent website and the correct marketing strategy behind you.

For more interesting work at home opportunities and advice, free information and resources visit
http://workathomeopportunites.info

For a great home work business visit wikaniko
eco business

There are countless reasons for you to start your own work at home business. I would venture to say that the main reason is to generate income. But what will you use the extra income for? The reasons may include getting out of debt, saving for a child’s college education,  buying a home or car, early retirement, overcome insufficient income, or just to improve your lifestyle overall. Whatever the reason, it is important to your success to identify it and stay focused on it. There are several reasons for this.

First off, identifying your why will get you started. I don’t know how many people investigate starting a work at home business but never get started. A strong why will enable you to take that all important first step. If your why is strong enough, you can attain it and you will do what it takes to achieve it.

Secondly, when you identify your why, you have a goal to work towards and a target to aim at.  Staying focused on your why enables you to keep going as you are reminded why you are doing all the hard work involved in working at home.

Thirdly, identifying your why will help you get through those days when things look bleak. I can tell you from experience that there are times when you will want to quit.  There are many ups and downs when working at home. You will begin to doubt that that this just won’t work. When you stay focused on your why, you are constantly reminded to not give up. In the end it will be worth it.

Fourthly, focusing on your why will enable you to battle the doubters. You know them. They are the people, often close to you, that tell you how foolish your undertaking is. They let you know up front that you are wasting your time. But your why, if you stay focused on it, will help you overcome these dissenters.

Fifthly, identifying your why will help you in making decisions about your business. There have been times when I had a decision to make about my work at home opportunity. Should I spend money on this, should I take the time to do that?  My why was always there, enabling me to make a decision that I would not have made had I not had a goal or vision that I was working towards.

Sixthly, your why will cause you to work harder and longer. There may be days when you just don’t feel like working. You would rather sit in front of the TV or go somewhere or just take a nap. Once that “why” is engrained in your soul, you won’t be able to ignore it. You will spend the necessary time to work at becoming a success with your business. That doesn’t mean that you ignore your family. It does mean that you will use more of your free time to work towards your goal.

Finally, identifying your why will cause you to be a success. If your goal is strong enough, you will succeed. A strong why will cause you to do pretty much whatever it takes to achieve it. There is nothing that will cause you to push forward like a strong why. The question is, “Have you identified yours?”

For more interesting work at home opportunities and advice, free information and resources visit
http://workathomeopportunites.info

For a great home work business visit wikaniko
eco business

Let’s talk digits.  Let’s talk number of digits and why exactly you currently have no connection to them.  Here we go: 10.  10 digits that are all in one specific number.  The number is this: $1,000,000,000.  That’s a trillion dollars.  I wish I had one of those great exemplary anecdotes about bills being stacked side by side and being able to stretch from here to whichever appropriate location.  But, I’m thinking that its not necessarily necessary and that you get the general idea that a trillion dollars is a lot.  So what about it?  That’s the revenue generated by work from home businesses, that’s what.

What I’m saying is that there are sometimes, at least I can certainly speak for myself, preconceived notions about work from home businesses that don’t have too many nice things to say.  Scams is a word that pops up immediately.  I think that frivolous and a silly last alternative, which will offer the business’ operator not much more than a homemade business card with the word “President” under his/her name (which in a society that seems to hold superficial status in such high esteem, maybe that’s not nothing, but really something) to show for their efforts.  But, a trillion dollar economy seems to indicate somebody’s buying something; and somebody else is making a living. 

So, the question is: is running a work from home business right for you?  Its about the aspects of the running your own business from home that will ultimately determine your ability to make the correct decision.  You’re certainly able to work with whichever type of area of interest that you may have from books to computers to advertising.  You can do sales or service.  And the bottom line is that the money is there.  The money is there and you can get in on it if you feel a home business is for you.  So make up your own mind and get going.

For more interesting work at home opportunities and advice, free information and resources visit
http://workathomeopportunites.info

For a great home work business visit wikaniko
eco business

“The trouble with most people is that they think with their hopes or fears or wishes rather than with their minds.”
Lady Nancy Astor

Fear of the unknown and doubting ones ability to achieve success have stopped many good people from achieving their goals.

If we could see the future, we all would be rich. Our lives would be almost mistake free and we would have very few problems. But, alas, we can’t see what will happen down the road. It’s this fear of the unknown that has held many people back in many areas of their lives, especially in the area of starting their own business, particularly a work at home business. I realize there are many scams out there but there are also many legitimate ones that you can make money with and the negative mindset has stopped many people from even trying.

Many people see themselves as failing before they even start. They see themselves as not having the time, money, or know-how to make their own business work. They see what they “think” should or will happen. They are also influenced by others who tell them they can’t do it. The basis of what they see is a mindset – one that says,”Others can succeed in this but I can’t.” So you see, people don’t start their own work at home businesses not because they don’t have the time, money, or know-how. They don’t start because they have a negative mindset. They simply believe that it won’t work for them. They feel they are cursed to failure, cursed to live week to week, cursed to always work for somebody else, cursed to working 40 or more hours a week, for 40 years, and hope they will have enough money to survive, much less do anything else.

“You can learn anything you need to learn to achieve any goal you can set for yourself; there are no limits.”
Brian Tracy

So, how do you change this mindset? Well, it isn’t easy. All of our lives, we have been told that, “You can’t do that” by friends and family. We have been programmed to think negatively. Reprogram your mind by flushing out the negative thoughts and replacing them with positive ones. I am not talking about some magical or mystical formula here. Although volumes of books have been written on the subject, here a couple of simple tips. First, try to surround yourself with positive people and avoid, as best as you can, the negative folks. Begin to read books written by motivational speakers such as Napoleon Hill, Jim Rohn, Dale Carnegie, and others that deal with thinking the right way and sit in on seminars and teleconferences that deal with changing the way you think. There are even work at home opportunities whose sole basis is showing people how to be successful by changing the way they think.

It won’t happen overnight but eventually you start to see yourself thinking in a different light. The “I can’t” will become “I can.” You will stop doubting yourself. You will begin to see that you can do it. You will step out and do things you thought you would never do. In closing, let me share a quote with you from Napoleon Hill:

“Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve.”

Think about it!

For more interesting work at home opportunities and advice, free information and resources visit
http://workathomeopportunites.info

For a great home work business visit wikaniko
eco business

The ads are so tempting, and just think — what if you could make hundreds of dollars a day working from home? Unfortunately, people are losing money every day to work at home scams. Don’t become a victim. Here are some ways to make sure you don’t become scammed!

You know you’re just about to get scammed by a work-at-home ad when…
· The very first line states you can make hundreds of dollars a week working from home.
· There is no experience needed.
· You can work just a few hours a week and still make a bundle of money.
· There is lots of CAPITALIZATION AND !!!!!! used in the ad.
· You read an extremely vague ad. You haven’t a clue what the business is about; but boy, could you be making the bucks.
· You’re asked to call a 900# for more information.
· For a fee, a company will send you a list of businesses that are looking for home workers.
· You are forced to make a decision immediately and are made to feel stupid if you say no to their offer.

How to Check A Company Out

Whether you have those funny feelings about the claims of a company or not, do some background research on them.
· Hire a lawyer. This may seem like a waste of money, but in the long run it could really save you some financial heartache.
· Call the Better Business Bureau (in the state the company resides in) to see if there have been any complaints against the company.
· Ask the company if you can talk to any of their happy customers. Please be aware that companies can and will give you false customers to talk to. If these people sound way too happy, I would be a little leery.

Questions You Should Ask If You Are Thinking About Buying A Business Opportunity

Find out from your sponsor, in writing, what is involved with this business; such as: Are you able to return merchandise if it doesn’t sell? Is there a money back guarantee? How long have they been in business for? (if it’s under a year, I would again be very leery). What is your total cost of this business opportunity, including fees, supplies, and equipment? Will you be paid on salary or commission and how often and who will pay you? Ask the program sponsor to write down every step of the business.

What To Do If You Become The Victim Of A Scam

First you need to write the company that you feel has ripped you off telling them you would like your money back. If they don’t agree with you, then you need to let them know you plan to notify officials. The following people should be notified:
· If you read about this work-at-home scheme in a magazine, let the editor know you’ve been ripped off by these people and you’re not happy about it.
· The Attorney General’s Office in your state or in the state where the company is located.
· National Fraud Information Center. Call them if you feel you are a victim of a “get-rich-quick” or an “easy money” scheme. Check out their web site for daily alerts or new scams. 1-800-876-7060
· Your local Consumer Protection Offices.
· Your local Better Business Bureau (BBB) and the BBB in the state of the scammer.
· Postmaster. Notify if you received the information through the mail.
· The Federal Trade Commission. While the FTC cannot resolve individual disputes, the agency can take action if there is evidence of a pattern of deceptive or unfair practices. To register a complaint, write to: Correspondence Branch, Federal Trade Commission, Washington, DC 20580.

For more interesting work at home opportunities and advice, free information and resources visit
http://workathomeopportunites.info