Category: Home-Based Business

Creativity & Persistence

Working from home can be a very rewarding decision. There are so many benefits including freedom to create your own schedule, choosing the type of business that you want to represent, and being able to raise your children yourself. However, running a business can also become a very stressful situation. It takes time to build a successful business and many entrepreneurs become discouraged if they don’t achieve immediate results. Often times they give up too soon and regret it later. This doesn’t have to happen to you. Let us share with you what we found to be two top secrets to help you achieve success at home.

One important thing that many work-at-home moms do not recognize is that it can take six months to a year at minimum for your business to be successful financially. If you are aware of this going into the business and have planned accordingly, then you are already one step ahead of the game and won’t become unnecessarily discouraged.

Also, be aware that the time frame it takes to start a business will vary depending on the type of business that you are starting. For example, for those that are starting in direct sales, you may be able to jump in, hold some home parties, and see an income right away. In this case, then you just need to focus on maintaining this income to keep it successful.

However, if you are starting an Internet business selling your own products or services, it may take much longer to see the fruits of your labor. For some, it can take a year or even two to create a “presence” online and for people to recognize and seek out your products. You will find that the benefits are well worth the time and effort in the end, but it can be discouraging waiting to see a profit.

So, how does a person make it in the work-at-home world? I think the two most important aspects of running your own business from home are creativity and persistence.

Creativity
Be creative in how you market your products and/or services. Start by thinking of ways that you can reach customers that will make you stand out from others who offer similar types of products. Design contests, free offers and other types of marketing strategies that will bring customers to your website. Then, try to determine what your customers are looking for once they reach your website and offer the most popular products on your front page. Keep in mind that it’s important to keep your website fresh so consider changing the items or text on your website’s front page often. This will continue to pique the interest of your customers each time they visit and encourage them to come back.

Persistence
This is key when you are running a business from home. Don’t start out strong marketing yourself in every way possible and then simply stop marketing because you haven’t seen many sales. Most profitable businesses must continually be marketing their services to keep it successful. Try to think of a successful business that does no advertising. Can they just sit back and let the sales roll in from their website?

Not really. It just doesn’t work that way. EVERY business must continue to advertise in some way to stay successful. For example, we found at Christian Work At Home Moms (CWHAM.com) that those that achieve the most success are the consistent advertisers, the ones who advertise regularly and keep their businesses, banners, and other promotions in front of their potential clients.

This does not mean that you must spend hundreds of dollars a month to advertise your home-based business. What it does mean is that you must be persistent in the advertising that you choose to do. Budget your advertising dollars in a way that you can do a small amount consistently. Get involved in groups online and ask advice from other successful moms. Whatever you do, don’t stop talking about your business!

And most importantly, don’t give up. Success IS possible. Take the time to be creative in how you are marketing your business. Be persistent and don’t expect profits immediately. Set realistic goals for your business and be patient while your business grows into something you can be proud of. Soon you’ll be among the millions of work-at-home moms who are enjoying it all: Being home with the kids, financial freedom, and the pride of having their own home-based business.

One of the oldest and most traditional ways to work from home is to make and sell handmade crafts. In the past, crafters would sell their wares at craft fairs, flea markets, consignment stores and more recently, on eBay or their own websites. Unfortunately after the fees and travel expenses involved in these markets crafters would end up with minimal profits. Fortunately, there is now a new virtual venue, Etsy.com, where crafters can sell their homemade goods.

Etsy.com is called a “marketplace as unique as the goods themselves.” Crafters of all kinds now have access to the world through this virtual marketplace. Etsy.com is just over a year old and already has somewhere in the range of 75,000 registered members. This doesn’t include the thousands that come to Etsy.com to browse through items listed by over 16,000 sellers.

Etsy.com is not an auction-based site. Instead, each seller sets the price that they feel is fair for their homemade items. The fees on Etsy.com are incredibly affordable compared to other similar virtual shopping sites. Sellers pay a $0.10 listing fee per item and a 3% commission per sale. Each listing can be left posted for as long as six months. Each seller also receives a complimentary “shop” where they can list all of their items.

The creators of Etsy.com have also built in many unique and fun ways to browse through all of the items listed on the site. Shoppers can sort by color, by most recently listed and, of course, using the standard categories as well. This unique way of browsing the items is a great way to hook shoppers and keep them on the site.

There is a great sense of community between the sellers on Etsy.com. The founders have created a mentoring program that pairs up new sellers with an experienced user. This allows those who are new to the site to have a way to interact with sellers who are experiencing success on Etsy.com and to have a simple way to have their questions answered. This not only creates a camaraderie between merchants, but also alleviates that sense of “virtual insecurity” that one feels when using a new website. Instead of leaving new users to fend for themselves they have established a fabulous way to plug them in and make them feel connected to the community.

During an interview on the Inside the Net podcast (twit.tv), the creators of Etsy.com stated that they even though they have only been in business slightly over a year, they already have people making a living using Etsy.com. They stated that they knew of a number of people that had been able to quit their day jobs and stay home and sell on Etsy full-time. They mentioned the story of one woman who had quit her job and was now living out her dream of living in Europe. She makes her living selling her homemade items on Etsy.com and no longer has to live each day in the rat race of corporate America. Dreams do come true.

Etsy.com is a valuable tool for handmade craft sellers because you’re not in competition with cheap mass-produced items. What is considered “handmade?” From the Etsy.com FAQ, “You can sell anything that is handmade or, a bit more loosely put, hand-assembled or hand-altered. For example, screen-printed shirts are OK. A custom-built computer is OK, as long as you’re making the case and not buying prefab. Furniture is OK as long as it’s nothing mass-produced (yes, you can use power tools to build it). If human hands put some love into the object, odds are you can sell it on Etsy. Please note: we do allow some non-handmade items in the Supplies & Vintage categories.” (http://www.etsy.com/faq.php)

What may be the most unique part of Etsy.com is that they seem to truly care about the success of their craft sellers. They have gone out of their way to help their merchants to achieve success in making sales. They have incorporated numerous unique ways of browsing the shopping categories and they keep fees minimal and offer complimentary virtual stores to each seller. Crafters now have a better chance than ever before of making a living making and selling their homemade goods from the comfort of their own home.

Stop by Etsy.com today and shop, set up a shop, or both. With the holidays rapidly approaching, this can be a great start to the season.

Many families today rely on two incomes to pay their bills not being able to make ends meet month to month. They face several options to secure that extra income they need, one being obtaining a part-time job and the other a home-based business. It’s a decision with advantages and disadvantages to each. I want to provide some suggestions to help you make the right choice.

When deciding between a standard second job and a home-based business, it is important to consider the expenses incurred in both. For those considering a second job, many do not take into account the numerous extra expenses that go along with childcare, clothing, gas, etc. Crown Financial Ministries offers a worksheet online (http://www.crown.org/Tools/mommake.asp) to help you determine how much you will actually make once these expenses are deducted from your income. By breaking it down and seeing the guideline, you can see just how much extra you really bring home each week.

A home-based business also incurs expenses, but most of your business related expenses will be at least partially tax deductible. The IRS looks favorably on home-based businesses. The more money that you save with legitimate tax deductions, the more finances you’ll have to increase the size of your business. This in turn creates more revenue for the IRS.

A home-based business can also offer flexibility that a second job cannot. You can work from the comfort of your home – often in your pajamas if you choose. You can work the days you want and the hours you need. Your schedule is up to you! For example, Diana Ennen, author ‘Virtual Assistant the Series, Become a Highly Successful, Sought After VA’, states, “I enjoy the flexibility my home-based business provides. You can easily wake up at 5:30 a.m. to work or work until 2:00 a.m. whatever fits your personality. Many people enjoy it because they can start work after they have put the kids the bed and work a couple hours and earn extra money without having to hire a babysitter. Plus, it’s all in the comfort of your own home. No costs on dry-cleaning, travel to work, gas expenses, etc., and you can’t beat the one minute commute to the office!”

Allowing your family to be a part of the business is another benefit that not many jobs can compete with and thus another positive benefit to home-based businesses. Depending on the type of home-based business you choose, there may be small jobs that your children can assist with in the daily operations. These include: Helping prepare your mailings, preparing packages if you have a direct mail company, or even answering the phone – depending on their age. Your spouse can also be a part of your business and may be able to help run the business when you are not able to be at home.

Helping others be successful working from home is another great perk of being a part of a home-based business. Most home-based businesses allow you to build a team of people to work along side you. Finding other people that are interested in owning a business and then helping them succeed is satisfying and can be financially rewarding as well.

There are, of course, negative aspects about working from home. The success of your business depends solely on you. You need to be determined, efficient and organized to be successful. You must take the time to work at the business or you will not see the additional income that you desire. It can be very easy to let your business slide when you are tired or feeling discouraged. However, if you are aware of these temptations, you can create a plan to overcome them when they arise.

The benefits of a home-based business can many times override the work and time you must devote. When compared to the expenses occurred by taking a second job it is a great alternative. Because of the tax breaks when operating a home-based business, it is many times a more profitable option. You may not make a million, but it may allow you the freedom and income that you need to make life a little easier. Even with the disadvantages, many who work-at-home wouldn’t have it any other way. I hope this helps you make the right decision for you and your family.

It can be a real challenge as a work at home parent to maintain an organized home office. Many times, the office or desktop is the last of our worries as we strive to raise our children, support our spouses and run our home-based business. However, keeping up with the clutter and chaos of your office may be just what you need to get you in a working mindset and help you to be more efficient while working.

There a few simple things that you can do on a regular basis that will help to de-stress organizing process:

* Address your home office/desktop chaos in blocks of time. You may need to set aside just a few hours, or you may need an entire day. Decide what will work for you and stick to it. If it’s not possible for you to set aside a block of time, consider using a headset while you are on the phone and be de-cluttering, too!

* Have the necessities on hand: a trash can, pen, file folders, mail baskets and other organization items that will enable you to sort, throw out and find a place for each item. Envision your goal and purchase the supplies necessary to create that environment.

* Clear the space you want to organize (the desk surface, one of the drawers, etc.). Then make a pile of all the paper. Begin to evaluate each piece of paper, sorting it by importance. Throw out as much as possible and find a place for each of the other items.

* If you start to feel stressed, take a break. Make a goal of how far you’d like to get during the time you have available and set an incentive for yourself if you reach your goal. It’s always easier to complete a task when you know you’ll be rewarded.
Once you’ve organized your office, it’s important to take small steps everyday to keep the room clean and tidy. It’s very easy to fall back into the routine of piling things on your desktop and around the room. There are five simple tasks that you can do daily to help maintain your organized space:

1. Clean out your “Inbox”. In today’s world this can apply to postal mail or email. Create a special basket for postal mail that needs to be taken care of right away, and another for items that can wait a day or two.
To keep your email inbox under control, create folders within your email program. Keep what needs to be done immediately in your inbox and distributed the rest into your folders. You can also use “rules” to help separate email and make it easier to manage.

2. Make sure all notes are transferred to your calendar, palm pilot or day planner. It is very easy to pile up a desktop full of paper by writing every note on a Post-it. You can also create an “Idea Book” to catalog all of your business ideas for future reference.

3. Remove all mail, catalogs & magazines from your desk. Put them in their proper place as you receive them. This will considerably cut down the amount of clutter on your desktop.

4. File as you go. This is the most basic and most important tip of all. If you file as you go your records will be in order, your desktop will beclear and you will feel like a professional.

5. Clean off your desktop each evening. There’s nothing better than sitting down at a clean workspace each morning. It helps to keep your mind focused on your business and makes finding important documents a snap.
By following these easy guidelines you will have a clean and organized home office in no time. Having a clutter-free workspace is the first step in creating an organized and professional home-based business.