by: Lynn Bode

Despite what many may think, working from home takes a lot of time and a lot of work. I’m sure you’ve heard someone say, “They don’t really have a job, they just work from home.” That statement couldn’t be farther from the truth! Running a home business takes almost all of your time. Therefore, many other things drop down on your priority list. Probably one of the first ones to drop is fitness.

When you have a never-ending to-do list, a house that never seems to get clean and family and/or friends who demand attention, it’s understandable that exercise can take a back seat. But, it shouldn’t.

Exercise offers so many important benefits that it should always be part of your weekly routine. Of course, we all know that exercise can help you stay slim and fit. But, do you also know about all the other great results of exercising? Daily physical activity reduces stress and can help you sleep better – two things that are especially beneficial to busy at-home workers and business owners. Fitness helps keep you healthy and has been linked to reducing the risk of some diseases and to warding off depression. Researchers also believe that strength training can help prevent osteoporosis. If that still doesn’t convince you to get moving, then keep in mind that exercise also improves self-esteem, increases stamina and ultimately helps you be able to do continuous work for longer. What more could you ask for?

It all sounds great, right? But you still don’t think that you can find any time in your hectic schedule for staying in shape. Don’t worry. There are a lot of creative ways to fit it in. Below are some tips to help you get started.
Schedule time for working out. When you work at home it’s so easy to work around the clock. To help avoid this think of yourself as having a traditional “office job”. In most “office jobs” when you go home for the night you leave work behind and concentrate on personal things. Even though going home for you may simply be walking down the hall, you need to set boundaries in order to find time for you.
During working hours, take several 5-10 minute breaks and run up and down the stairs (or even just walk). This will also help rejuvenate your mind.
Sitting in front of a computer can be hard on your body, especially your posture. So, find a comfortable place where you can occasionally stand to do your computer work.
It’s not necessary for you to find 30 continuous minutes for working out. You’ll get just as much benefit if you break your exercise into small chunks. Try 10 minutes before you start work, 10 minutes at lunch and 10 minutes after work (re-read # 1 above if you just said you have no “after work” time).
If you don’t won’t to spend a lot of time in the kitchen but still want to eat healthy, cook large portion meals on the weekend that you can freeze. Then simply defrost and warm for dinners during the week. This saves you the time of having to make dinner and you don’t have to compromise calories as you would if you instead opted for take-out.
One great advantage of working at home is that you can workout over your lunch hour while never leaving your office plus you don’t have to pack your workout clothes and toiletries to take with you to work. This saves you travel time, which you can instead spend on grabbing a healthy bite to eat. And, if you don’t have any face-to-face meetings scheduled, then you don’t have to worry about looking perfect after your workout.
If you haven’t already done so, invest in a good hands-free headset for your phone. This is a great way to multi-task because your hands are free to do other things while you concentrate on your conference call. You can even do some simple (but worthwhile) exercise moves. Some good choices are squats, tricep dips, lunges, wall push-ups, etc.
Keep healthy snacks available for when you need an energy boost or simply just need something to chew on to help you get through some tough work. Don’t forget to keep water on hand and sip some all throughout your day.
Purchase an exercise stability ball. While there are dozens of great toning exercises you can do with the ball, it’s also beneficial to simply sit on it. Try sitting on it instead of a chair for even short periods throughout your day. This will help build your core strength (your trunk area).
Don’t forget the importance of stretching. Take a couple of minutes every hour to stand up and stretch your entire body.

As you can see, exercise offers huge benefits even with just a small amount of effort. And if you have kids, by exercising you also set a great example. So, to help you, your business, and your family it’s time to stop making excuses and just start moving!
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Lynn Bode is owner of http://www.workoutsforyou.com/ an Online Personal Fitness Training company. Workouts For You offers online exercise programs for weight loss, strength training, nutritional planning and race training. Personalized programs can be designed for all fitness levels.
The programs are customized to meet your individual needs and lifestyle (based on the extensive profile you provide when enrolling) and include a motivational accountability system and a huge library of exercise technique demos. You receive all the trainer benefits without the expensive price, and you can workout wherever and whenever you want.
To receive a FREE, no-obligation fitness evaluation, visit us at http://www.workoutsforyou.com/. Need a quick gift –we provide gift certificate delivery within 24 hours of purchase.
info@workoutsforyou.com
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by: Sylvie Charrier

If you’ve spent any time online, you will already know that there are lots of scams out there! You might have even begun to doubt that there are any work-at-home positions available for serious jobseekers. If this sounds like you, you aren’t alone!

Believe me, there are real home based jobs, but what most of the work at home sites omit in their information packages is that it takes work to get work. Finding a telecommuting job can be a full time job in itself, but if you don’t have all the facts, you will be spinning your wheels trying to get somewhere or you will probably give up within a few weeks. That would be a shame, because there aren’t enough high quality telecommuters as it is!

Look, I know you’re skeptical. So was I, a few short years ago. That was before I started implementing some very unique strategies that allowed me to generate so much work from my small home office, that I needed to hire extra staff just to keep up with it all!

The strategies I used are actually very simple, and you can duplicate these ideas to become a very successful telecommuter. In fact, I want you to copy my techniques, even if it means I create my own competition! Why? Because every time a new person starts to work from home more successfully and efficiently, that means one more employer is happy with the concept of hiring homeworkers! That means everyone gets more jobs, and more opportunities to do what we all love to do…working at home in our pyjamas!

So, let’s cover the top 5 simple techniques you can use to work at home forever, shall we?

Never pay for any job! There is never a good reason to pay for work, and I am amazed at how many jobseekers waste precious time and money chasing after schemes that will never pay. It wastes a lot of time you could better spend targeting your jobsearch to legitimate and valid work.

Get your materials ready! You are going to need to be ready before you start looking for work. You will need a specialized telecommuter’s resume, an excellent cover letter template, and an online portfolio that showcases samples of your work. Without these things in place ahead of time, you will not be ready for rapid response when an employer needs to see your stuff.

Make sure you have all the equipment and software you’re going to need! Depending on your skill set, you’re probably going to need special software and equipment to do your job right. Don’t expect an employer to pay for these things. A prospective employer is more likely to hire the next person who is properly equipped, rather than hire you if you expect the employer to pay for what you need to do your job.

Know what you do for a living! This is an absolute necessity if you want to work from home. You may think that you want to do “typing at home”, but if that’s all you can think of, then you’re wasting time. Think about how your typing skills will be useful to your employer, come up with creative applications of that skill, set up samples to show what your service looks like, and plan ahead on how much you will charge for that service. Be willing to tell prospective employers exactly what you do and how much you charge for it.

Change your strategy! Instead of looking for jobs that have already been posted online, and have already been taken, look for companies that are well suited for your talents. Create your own work by contacting companies that have not yet posted jobs online, and eliminate the competition. But, make sure you know exactly what service you plan to offer that company, and why it is useful to them. Don’t bother contacting companies by sending vague resumes. That technique never works! Contact targeted companies with specific services in mind, and let them know you are open to alternate suggestions.
These techniques work extremely well, and using them allowed me to build my home based service company from scratch, without spending a dime on advertising. I was broke when I started working from home, and I didn’t have a computer. Using these techniques, I was able to slowly build my business and develop a client base that has consistently earned me more money than if I was working onsite. You can do it too!
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*Copyright © 2003, Sylvie Charrier, Author of “Telecommuters Work in Their PJs”
http://www.inyourpjs.com/

This article is excerpted from “Telecommuters Work in Their PJs”, a real world guide to telecommuting. Sylvie Charrier works from home full time and wrote this book to share her unique techniques with others. You can download your free trial copy of “Telecommuters Work in Their PJs” by visiting http://www.inyourpjs.com/

This article is available for free reprint on your site or newsletter, provided it is copied in its entirety, and the byline remains intact. The only allowed change to the byline is to replace http://www.inyourpjs.com/ with your unique affiliate link so you can make money from any sales of “Telecommuters Work in Their PJs”.

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by: Donnie Baird

We live in the age of the internet. No where has the internet made a bigger impact than in the area of the “work at home entrepreneur”. You want to start your own home based business. But, there are so many different ones. Some are legitimate, some aren’t. Since the purpose of your starting a business is to make money and free up some free time eventually, you certainly don’t want to waste your time and money on a scam. So, therein lays the problem. What do you look for when starting your own work at home business? The following is a list of just a few things to look for in a home based business opportunity.

Stability - With so many scams out there, one thing to look for is a stable opportunity.

What I mean is this: Look for a business that has been around for a while. I’m not saying that there aren’t new opportunities that are not worthwhile but I always like to know the business has been successful. Also, a stable company will usually let you join for free so that you can take a more detailed look at it before you invest your time and money into it.

Product - What product(s) will you be offering to others? Is it something that most people need, use, or would want? More importantly, is it something you need, would use, or want? It is impossible to market a product that you don’t use, because if you don’t use it, how can you convince anybody else to use it? Also, keep in mind that most times, you will be selling the opportunity as well, so you need to be convinced that it works before you can convince others.

Investment - How much does it cost to join this opportunity? How much is it going to cost to market your product? How does the compensation plan work? How long does it usually take before I at least break even? Compare what you will be spending to the money making potential of the business.

Training - So, you find a stable company with a product and opportunity you really like. The next step is to make sure you will get the training you need to get the word out that you have that product and opportunity. Nothing is more discouraging than having something to sell, a business to promote, something that will benefit others, and not know how to advertise it. Make sure your business gives you ideas on how to market your product. It’s even better if they show you how to do it. Look for ways to get people to join you while your business is growing, like Guaranteed Sign-ups, or an advertising co-op.

Up-line - This goes along with the training you will get from your business. Can you get in contact with others in the business that have been successful? It’s nice to know the path others have taken to become successful in your business. They can give you helpful ideas and they can help you avoid some of the pitfalls they have encountered. It is really nice if the opportunity has a chat room or message board so that you can get ideas on how to start, how to promote and advertise, and how to respond to others as they join your business.

Potential - All the above leads to this last quality I look for in a home based business. How great of a potential is there to make money in the business? After all, that is the bottom line, isn’t it, to make money?

Your Gut Feeling - Don’t forget your most important tool-your common sense. If something doesn’t seem right, you need to back away until you get all your questions answered. First and foremost, you have to believe in the opportunity and what it offers before you can sell it to others. Make sure to get a handle on what is going on before you commit to it. Once you make that commitment, give yourself some time before you decide it won’t work.

Obviously, there are other things that you can look for. These are just some basic things to look for when trying to find just the right work at home business to place your time and money into. But, I believe if you will use these basics as a starting point, you will be in good shape on making a decision.
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Donnie Baird has been involved with work at home businesses for 4 years and is the webmaster/owner of http://internet-work-at-home-opportunity.com/. He lives in North Carolina with his wife and two children.
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by: Rhoberta Shaler, PhD

There’s a big opportunity here! The holidays bring a change in spirit in most folks. Even though they may be more tired than usual from all the demands of the season, they are filled with holiday cheer. Key time to heal relationships at work!

Do something nice for those you work with. Sounds simple, enough, but you may have some resistance to the idea. Perhaps it seems like a phony or superficial thing to do. On one level, maybe, on another more important level, it is simply wise. They are going to be there after the holidays, too!

Use this time for new beginnings. Demonstrate your willingness to improve your working relationship. Go first. Give first. This is a time-honored tradition that really works. Step out of your ‘He/she done me wrong’ mode. Un-Grinch and give.

The simple act of surprising someone with chocolate, flowers or a gift certificate for a cappuccino can make a huge difference. Think about it. How would you feel if you were on the receiving end unexpectedly?

Sure, there are a few folks who would grumble, “What’s this about? You expect me to forget the past year?” or who are suspicious of your motives. Truth is, most folks want the problems to go away, too. When you give first, you are saying that you think there is hope. Maybe we could do something about this.

If this is too Pollyanna sounding for you, consider the alternatives. If you don’t do it, the holidays will be over and nothing will have changed. At least, by taking a step to improve the relationship, you’ll know you’ve held out the olive branch and said, “I’m human over here.”

Remember what Malachy McCourt said: ‘Resentment is like taking poison and waiting for the other person to die.” Why would you want to do that? It is only you that suffers.

If you are having trouble with someone at work, think of them as the driver who purposefully cuts you off on the highway. You can be yelling and cursing them in your car, but they are hearing nothing! You are the only one who is agitated, red-faced and screaming. Why do that to yourself?

How is resentment working for you? Decide how you want to feel, what state you want to live in, what thoughts you want to dwell on. Act accordingly. Sure, it’s not going to make the other person stop gossiping, doing sloppy work or failing to meet deadlines, but, it will make you feel better. You do create your internal environment.

Take this opportunity to change your workplace relationships. Works at home, too. A pleasant surprise can make a big difference at any time of year! Welcome folks back with a treat.
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Rhoberta Shaler, PhD, speaks, coaches & conducts seminars for organizations who want to motivate their people, and for individuals who want to achieve their dreams. For further articles, free ezines, upcoming teleseminars and booking information, visit http://www.optimizelifenow.com/ today. For permission to reprint this article, please contact mailto:Jane@OptimizeLifeNow.com
RS@OptimizeLifeNow.com
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by: Vishal P. Rao

With the holidays around the corner, you may find yourself struggling to keep your home-based business and your home life separate and running smoothly. And you’re not alone.

Operating a home-based business has many benefits as you already know, but its main drawback is that it often causes the line between your work and your personal life to become permanently blurred. Unlike those individuals who work outside the home and who know their day at the office ends when they get in their car and start the commute home, home business operators do not usually have a definite end to their day.

The reverse situation is also possible: they may not have a definite start to their day either. If you have a hard time breaking free of your work responsibilities or if you sometimes have trouble settling in to tackle them, these tips will help you bring both aspects of your life into equilibrium.

Separate Your Office From Your Home

If your work computer is in the living room where everyone in the family congregates, chances are you are being bombarded by distractions. Plus, when it is time for you to relax, you may find it difficult with the computer right there as a constant reminder of all the work you still need to finish and all of the communications you still need to respond to.

The answer is to set aside an area of your home just for work. If you have an office or an extra bedroom where you can set up your space, then you can block out the distractions simply by shutting the door. Also avoid putting anything in your home office that might prevent you from getting your work done, such as a television.

If you don’t have an entire room to dedicate to your office, move your computer and materials into a room that is rarely used or that is normally unoccupied when you need to be working, such as a bedroom. Once you have separated your home from your office, you will find it easier to stay focused on your work but also to leave your work in its space so you can relax and enjoy the remainder of your home.

Create Specific Working Hours

One of the best things about running a home-based business is undoubtedly the flexible schedule, but it can also have negative consequences. On the one hand, your schedule may be so flexible that you only work 30 minutes a day or so hectic that you find yourself working at all hours of the day without taking a break.

The answer is to set your own office hours. Creating your own schedule still has benefits. For one, you can decide what time of the day you start, so if you’re not a morning person, you don’t have to get up at the break of dawn. Also, if you prefer to stop working when your children come home from school, you can consider that when you decide when to stop for the day.

Another benefit is that you provide clients and customers with a specific times when you are available to work with them. The most important thing to remember, however, is to set hours for yourself that you can live with. Once you decide on a schedule, you need to stick with it long-term, so be realistic about how long you can work without taking a break and how much time you’ll need to accomplish everything that needs to get done.

And, no matter how much you may be tempted to keep working, you need to stop when you say you are going to stop. Taking a break allows you to come back refreshed and more alert, so you can be more productive. An overworked, overly stressed person simply is not an effective worker at home or in an office.

Draw the Line Between Home and Work Communications

Has this ever happened to you? You and your family have just sat down for a dinner around the table when a client calls to talk about your current project or a customer phones with questions about a recent purchase.

The easiest way to prevent work from interfering with your family is to keep communications separate. Start by having a second phone line dedicated to your work and attaching an answering machine or voice mail to the line.

When your work day ends, you can turn on the machine and let it handle any after-hour calls. An extra phone line also allows you to maintain professionalism. Imagine the embarrassment of having your young child answer the phone when an important customer calls.

You may also want to set up a post office box for all of your business-related mail. Not only will this prevent your important mail from accidentally getting thrown away with the junk, but it will also offer you and your family a level of privacy.

After all, you do not want to make your home address available to everyone; it’s just not safe. If you use email or instant messaging as part of your business communications, you’ll also want to establish separate accounts for those as well.

The key to running a home-based business is balance. While it may be difficult to stop working on that important project or to concentrate on work while your preparing for the holidays, striking that balance is essential for your well-being, your family’s security, and your business’s success.
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Vishal P. Rao is the editor of Home Based Business Opportunities - A website dedicated to opportunities, ideas and resources to make money from home. Visit him at: http://www.home-based-business-opportunities.com/
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by: Janusz Wyrwa

Mc WORLD AND RAGE AGAINST Mc WORLD

Mc World - that is a world in which we are living. Multinational corporations (more and more powerful, for instance thanks to fusions like Daimler-Chrysler, Star Alliance or Time Warner; beyond a democratic control and “famous” because of affairs similar to “virtual accounting’s” issue of Enron) just like Mc Donald’s launching fast foods rule the world and often possess more money than several countries of the Third World. What is more maybe tomorrow there will be hundreds of Mc Worlds. Narrator of David Fincher’s “Fight club” (starring Brad Pitt and Edward Norton; based on Chuck Palahniuk’s underground novel) predicts (ironically), that after future exploration of deep Space there will be a Microsoft Galaxy, Planet Starbucks, IBM Stella Sphere!

On the grounds that gap between the rich, highly educated, technologically advanced and the poor countries is greater and greater: according to economist Paul Bairoch difference of income between the richest and the poorest was 1 : 3 at the Roman Empire times; 1 : 30 at industrial revolution times and like 1 to 180 nowadays! Famous Polish journalist and writer, author of the “Emperor” said that dwellers of the USA and Somalia seem to live on two distant and completely different planets (we could see that in “Black Hawk Down” by Ridley Scott). Those tensions are very dangerous (terrorist attack from the 11th September in New York). Fast development and expansion of predatory capitalism of globalization era and technological progress (so called information revolution - appearance of Internet, personal computers, palmtops, cellar phones, satellites, nuclear power plants, solar, wind, sea wave “clean” energy, industrial robots etc.) has enormous after-effects. It causes reduction of costs and salaries, later massive unemployment, social tensions and anti-globalists’ protests (like in Seattle), great rage against Mc World.

BIG BROTHER

Your place of work is turning into a besieged castle, reality of a totalitarianism from famous George Orwell’s novel “Year 1984″ or simply a controversial, full of scandals reality show “Big Brother”. I mean You are under perpetual control and supervision of Your boss, Your company’s management. It is a common tendency to count employee’s working time (for example cashiers in supermarkets; they even wear in some Quick-a-Mart’s Pampers so as not to stop serving clients!). Thanks to GPS, magnetic cards opening doors, pagers and company cellar phones employer will nowadays find his employee or maybe slave everywhere. Management controls Yours e - mail, access to Internet, to web sites. For example to not chat in private matters and not watch pornographic web sites during the work time. In Japanese company toilets there are sensors searching for drugs in employee’s urine! Cameras, scanners, so called open space (people working in one enormous room or in glass boxes so as boss could observe and supervise employees all the time, even search - these all invigilation ideas destroy Your privacy, cause psychic discomfort, reveal Your secrets to boss who is turning into Big Brother. We have to possess hope, that for instance political police, a real Big Brother will not achieve an access to those information. How to refuse humiliating procedures of invigilation and supervision of Big Brother?

ESCAPE FROM DILBERT’S BOX

All of us know famous gazette comic strip “Dilbert”. Colleagues turned Dilbert’s life into a nightmare. His labor is a perpetual struggle with boss (who is an imbecile and cretin), a shouting guy, sweet and irritating idiot, conceited managers and diabolique animals: an omnipotent personnel chief Catbert, stupid Ratbert and his pet, clever and cynic Dogbert. Dilbert is forced to work in poky box, all the time attacked by colleagues and nonsense boss’ directives and orders. Millions of people read about Dilbert’s frightening and funny adventures. They laugh through tiers. Their dream is to escape from that nightmare called bureau work, boring nine to five job or simply Dilbert’s box.

Thanks to modern technology their dreams and wishes may come true. Thanks to modem, Internet, fax machine and a cellar phone so called home work is nowadays possible. What is more thousands of problems, like for instance sticking around in irritating traffic jams, crowded means of public transport (like subway in which there is no place for a breath), sexual abuse, bullying or mobbing, other forms of maltreating. Besides work without boss has many advantages. Your salary for example is greater, so as whole profit goes straight to your pocket. Boring X-mas parties, integrating camps and trips with singing around fire, softball or what is the worst thing - paintball, psycho tests and that whole staff with control and supervision of psychologists, personnel chiefs, your stupid and incompetent boss or cameras (look chapter titled Big Brother). Fallowing issues completely disappear: colleagues envious because of your promotion, chatting, gossiping, smoking pauses, desperately seeking of a parking place and finally, last but not least early waking up, work holism and that whole staff connected with boring nine to five job or simply Dilbert’s box!

WORKING IN GLOBAL VILLAGE OR NEW BRAVE WORLD

We are entering a New Brave World of modern technology. After great technological revolution (similar to industrial revolution and beginning of am agriculture) thanks to Internet, cellar phone, palmtop and satellite communication You may work as good or even better than in bureau, in Dilbert’s box at home or wherever You want. People from distant countries may be not only Your clients but also employers and employees. Cyberspace means the end of old Mc World and huge multinational corporations’ dictate. Not cereal, steel or coal, not even cars or planes are the most important and most sought-after and searched consumer goods of future but information. Thanks to Internet everyone’s invited to e - business, to that great gold mine of cyberspace’s library. Every computer user may become an Internet guru and new Bill Gates. Competition is great, dangerous and even small distant countries like Finland are overtaking in that race United States. Even countries of former East Block, post communist like tiny Estonia and in greater degree Asian Tigers or poor India (but with plenty of computer scientists) thanks to new technologies develop faster and faster. Working in a global village is a great opportunity, a chance for escape from Dilbert’s box - so don’t waste it.

FROM MONOPOLY TO E - BUSINESS

You are a computer nut; playing “Sim City”, Sid Meier’s “Civilization”, computer games from “Tycoon” series excites you? What is more You are a passionate of “Monopoly” and hundreds times You’ve become a virtual Rockefeller or Donald Trump?! Considering that You may establish a company similar to Microsoft o r Apple Computer. Possibly a success comparative with that which achieved Bill Gates or millionaires from the Silicon Valley is simply at the reach of Your hand. E - business is developing very rapidly. You may play at Wall Street, just like George Soros (transactions will last just few seconds). Equally it is possible for You to establish web sites, becoming web master, an internet guru. Self-home-work gives many advantages: freedom of choice of Your enterprise’s activity field. What is more, great flexibility, possibility of fast adaptation to changes on the market and to conjuncture. Crisis is not a threat for You. The whole world (places where is an access to Internet) is Your target market. Regarding You may satisfy demands and needs of small consuming group in distant country, You may easily find a gap in market (technological cycles are shorter; new inventions live not 30 but 7 years - so there is a demand for Your products). Thanks to e - business it is possible to compare prices and invest simply everywhere. What is very important the initial costs of investing input are extremely low. You are Your own boss. In self-home-work You decide alone about working hours (even the sick, disabled, young mothers or pregnant woman may work) and Your work’s pace.

To put it briefly it is a beginning of the New Brave World and global village at labor market, simply great and successful escape from boring nine to five job or Dilbert’s box!!!

For more go to http://www.homeworkebayshelter.com/.
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I enjoy sharing my knowledge and talents with small business newcomers and professionals to help them enhance their online presence. Get more at : http://www.homeworkebayshelter.com/.
janusz_wyrwa@wp.pl
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by: Kirk Bannerman

I started looking for viable work at home opportunities back in 2001. It was a time consuming process, but in retrospect, I give myself a pat on the back every month when I cash the check from my home based business. The purpose of this article is to perhaps help others make their selection with a little less time and effort than I had to expend.

Having spent many years running traditional “bricks and mortar” type businesses, I didn’t buy for one second the numerous heavily hyped, or worse yet, scam operations that touted the instant and fantastic riches that could be achieved (often with little or no effort required). While doing my research as to which business I would eventually pursue, this type of claim became an instant trigger for me to move on to check out some other “opportunity”.

I mean, give me a break, if those claims were close to being true, why would they share their “secret” with anyone else? They would just execute their “magic system” and in short order would have made all the money that exists in the world…yeah, right!

In the course of my investigations, a few other natural filters surfaced to help me narrow down the realistic and legitimate opportunities from among the far too numerous unfounded offers. Early on, I determined that the “get in on the ground floor” offers were essentially smoke. After all, if I wanted to take a chance on the lottery, I would have purchased a ticket. Because of my business management experience, it soon became clear to me that three of the primary factors that would influence my choice would be:

* successful longevity (how long has this particular company been successfully doing business?)

* reasonable income expectations touted by the top management of the company offering the opportunity.

* support systems and training resources available to help the participants succeed.

One thing that really struck home with me was a statement made by the founder of the company that I eventually selected for my home based business. It went something like the following:

“Hardly a day goes by that I don’t hear from an affiliate questioning why he or she is not seeing a big check yet. More times than not, the person asking hasn’t even been involved for more than 90 days and is only barely beginning to even understand how the whole system works. And frankly, even if the number was six months, it’s still much too early to be expecting a significant income stream to have developed.

I always say that if you’re not willing to give a business at least a year, don’t even bother getting involved. You need to understand that it takes time to get to know all the nuances of the compensation plan. It takes time to determine which products you want to lead with. It takes time to develop a game plan. It takes time to figure out what marketing activities deliver the biggest bang for the buck. Anything worthwhile takes sustained effort. If you’re not thinking long term, you’ve set yourself up for failure.”

To sum it up, the selection process should focus on reality (there is no “magic” in home based businesses) and reject any so-called “opportunities” that seem too good to be true.
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Kirk Bannerman operates a successful home based business and resides in California. For more details, visit his website at http://business-at-home.us/
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by: Lorraine Pirihi

Let’s look at your time management skills. Most of us have to work, and the more you can do in the least amount of time, the better. Working smarter frees you up so that not only do you have a job, but you have a life too!

Getting Back To Basics

The most useful “little helper” for business people must surely be the daily To Do list.

You have a couple of choices:

Write your list in the morning, as the first task at the commencement of your working day.

Step back a bit and take the time to do it before you finish up the night before - as your final flourish for the day. This helps to free your mind so that you don’t take your work home with you. Instead, you just leave it there to stew, all by itself, until you arrive next morning to take up the reins.

Write It Down

Effective time management means writing things down so you don’t waste your time worrying about what you’ve forgotten.

Avoid trying to create a To Do list in your head. It must, must, must be written down. And then left somewhere highly visible, such as your desk top. That’s why I suggest writing it in your diary, so you can juggle it with your other commitments.

An effective To Do list will almost always be updated during the day. It is not a static document. As your priorities alter with each crisis, your list will be a work in progress.

First of all, don’t be unrealistic. Steel yourself to list only the achievable projects and activities. If you are unable to complete a task on the designated day, simply transfer it to the next day or another suitable time in your diary. Look at the daily To Do list as the map that keeps you on track.

When you have written your list in the diary, go back and number each item in order of importance. Then, you can simply start with No. One and work your way through.

Your Work Book

In our busy working lives today, we are bombarded with so many different distractions that it is sometimes difficult to keep track of everything that’s going on, particularly if you work in an open-plan office.

Instead of recording on scraps of paper or sticky notes all the zillion thoughts that pass through your mind during these stressful periods, use an inexpensive spiral note book. Anything of importance that you write down can then be found again at a later date. Use it as an adjunct, or a companion, to your diary and as a great memory jogger.

You’ll find using a Work Book will help you focus your thoughts, remind yourself of past conversations and save time as you’ll no longer have to search for all those “back of envelope” notations.

Taming the Telephone

Murphy’s Law of Telephones and Deadlines means that when you are really pressed trying to complete a project on time, the telephone will take off, with a mind of its own.

The pro-active person will rejig their answering message to say something like this: “Hi, it’s Joe Bloggs. I’m unavailable right now however if you leave a message stating what your call is about, and the best time to phone you back, I’ll get in touch later in the day.”

On the other hand, if you have someone working with you who can screen your calls (lucky you) word them up to give a similar message. Asking what the call is about will help you assemble any relevant information before you call back. This will enable you to better plan your day, to return all calls sooner and more effectively.

The Final Word

Keep your time management systems simple because the simpler they are the more likely you will use them. Doing the basics will help you work smarter, not harder.

Have a great week!

Lorraine Pirihi
Resource Box:
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Lorraine Pirihi is Australia’s Personal Productivity Specialist and Leading Life Coach. Her business The Office Organiser specialises in showing small business owners and managers, how to get organised at work so they can have a life! Lorraine is also a dynamic speaker and has produced many products including “How to Survive and Thrive at Work!”

To subscribe to her free ezine visit http://www.office-organiser.com.au/

This article may be reproduced providing it is published in it’s entirety, including the author’s bio and all links. For further information please contact Lorraine Pirihi.
lorraine@office-organiser.com.au
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by: Kirk Bannerman

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

The strong growth in home based business activity continues and, according to the Small Business Administration’s Office of Advocacy, fifty-two percent of ALL small businesses are home-based.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Use good time management techniques. Keep a list of tasks by order of importance. There are many low cost and effective “day planners” or “organizers” readily available today.

ALWAYS take a little time to “smell the roses”.

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

As a final note, remember to observe Home-Based Business Week (it is always the week of October that includes the second Tuesday).
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Kirk Bannerman operates a successful home based business and resides in California. For more details, visit his website at http://business-at-home.us/
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by: Lorraine Pirihi

Why do you work from home? Hopefully you enjoy what you do and want to enjoy the lifestyle being at home can offer you, however is it because you want to make money so that you can have, be and do more in your life?

When you work from home you have so many advantages over many traditional businesses. You have more flexibility so when you do have to put in the extra hours, at least you’re at home and don’t have to spend long hours off-site.

However, just because you work from home doesn’t mean you shelter yourself from doing what any successful business owner would do. They recognise that their customers feed them.

Who pays you? Your clients do and never forget that. Unfortunately many people do. They take your money and then vanish off the face of the earth. And if you do hear from them you know they are only trying to sell something or business is not going well. The silly thing is, if you look after the hand that feeds you, they will look after you.

Keep in regular contact with your clients, particularly the top 20% (both current and past) who have provided you with the most income.

Still keep in touch with the others via newsletters etc. However the top 20% of very special clients need extra attention.

A monthly “how’s things?” call. Find out how life is treating them, without expecting to sell anything.

Send the occasional gift …a book, tape, movie tickets. Thank them for their business. When special times of the year occur send them a Christmas Hamper, New Year’s Calendar, Easter eggs at Easter. Little things which show you care.

When you get referrals, reward the referee with a thank you card or gift.

Do what most people in business don’t do. You will be amazed that if you consistently (that is the key word here) make the extra effort, you will continue to get repeat business or more referrals.

My Story

For the past two years, I had engaged the services of two separate property managers to look after our investment properties. The property manager of company no. 1 was never pro-active. The only time he spoke with me was when I initiated contact because I had a query or was unhappy about their services. Company no. 2 was exactly the same except that they kept in touch via a newsletter which really was of no use to me as it didn’t mention anything about property management. Mostly the information was about properties being sold.

It was very interesting that both property managers contacted me only when they had been notified by my new property management company that their services were no longer required. In fact, both of them were very upset. They were upset? I’m the one who was paying them, not the other way around. They both wanted to know why I was changing and I certainly told them.

When the new property manager did an inspection on one of the properties, the tenants were home. They told my new property manager that the old company provided very poor service and they were very slow following up any problems they had. I told that to the old company and the manager replied “tenants always say that”.

Anyhow the point of this story is to spell out that because people don’t say anything, doesn’t mean they are happy with your services. Also as a business person you need to be on the ball. Be pro-active, not re-active.

And to do all of this you need to learn how to get organised, manage your time and yourself as effectively as possible. These are not skills most people are born with. They need to be learned. When you work from home it is vital that you circulate in the real world and grow your mind.

The Final Word

There is plenty of business around, however most people spend heaps of time chasing it, take the money and run off to the next person. Yet it would be so much easier to look after what you already have. (And the same applies to your personal life.)
Resource Box:
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Lorraine Pirihi is Australia’s Personal Productivity Specialist and Leading Life Coach. Her business The Office Organiser specialises in showing small business owners and managers, how to get organised at work so they can have a life! Lorraine is also a dynamic speaker and has produced many products including “How to Survive and Thrive at Work!”

To subscribe to her free ezine visit http://www.office-organiser.com.au/

This article may be reproduced providing it is published in it’s entirety, including the author’s bio and all links. For further information please contact Lorraine Pirihi.
lorraine@office-organiser.com.au
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