Sunday, January 30, 2011

Pros & Cons... At Home Job vs. Home Based Business

Many times individuals go out on their work from home search without a clue on what they are looking for. All they know is they would like to work from home. We all have different reasons for wanting to work at home that range from not having a commute to staying home with our children to having time freedom to wanting to change our lives and situation. The list goes on and on for every individual, but those reasons can be very different for the person searching. That is where it ultimately comes down to the individual and what they want. The first few things you want to ask yourself are...

~ Do you know the difference between a Home Job and a Home Business?

~ Have you researched what scams to look out for?

These questions are a big part of starting your search. Once these are answered you will know what truly is best for you... a Home Business or a Home Job. There will be a lot more Home Business opportunities verses Home Job Opportunities but you do have a choice and options. If you are looking to really change your life and your circumstances a Home Business is your best choice, now if you are looking to supplement a little income or keep yourself occupied both a Home Job and Home Business are good for those reasons. There will be many choices to choose from and many scams that you come across along the way so be very careful. Search wisely but also stay very open minded as there are many ways to work from home.

Home Job ~ (Pros and Cons)


Pros ~
* You are paid an hourly or base pay (Usually $7 to $12 an hour for customer service home jobs)
* You have no commute or gas to pay
* You can work from the comfort of your own home
* Do not have to deal with the corporate world
* You can "usually" work around your families schedule
* Saves money from gas to lunch, and other costs that were involved working outside the home
* No Dress Code
* Less Stress

Cons ~
* Many cases you still need a babysitter or daycare
* Daycare Costs might still be needed
* You will still have a Boss to answer to
* Most companies require a quiet background
* You cannot miss work just the same as working outside the home

Home Business ~ (Pros and Cons)


Pros ~
* Time Freedom, you make your own schedule always
* No Boss to answer to, just yourself
* Get to be with your children everyday
* Opportunity to make great money
* Six Figure Income potential or more
* It is YOURS, no one else's and cannot be taken away
* Residual Income (get paid month after month, year after year even when you are not working)
* Bonuses and many perks to win like vacations, cars and more
* Doing something you have a Passion for
* With in just a few years can change your life and circumstances completely
* No Glass Ceiling ~ You can acheive as many goals as you want
* Tax Write Offs

Cons ~
* Learning how to deal with balancing work and family
* The first couple of years are the hardest
* For the first couple of years sacrificing time and energy into your business
* Overwhelming at times
* Distractions

The bottom line is both are great ways to work from home, but you must choose what is best for you. A Home Job can make your situation a bit better for the time being. A Home Business can change your life and circumstances forever. The Pros definitely out weigh the Cons in both cases!  Just remember no matter if you choose a Home Job or a Home Business they both require self-discipline, self-motivation, a lot of energy, dedication, drive and most of all Heart!

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Why should I work from home? Top 6 reasons to work from home

In these tough economical times so many are trying to find "Plan B" and are wanting to have security in income. This is very difficult to find this day in age. With job security going out the door and now no one is able to find a good company to work for that will allow them to dedicate their lives to and retire at a good age. These are very rare finds and now with the economy as tough as it is... there is not enough job security to go around. Many are lost, confused and tired of their same old situation.

Many steer away from work at home opportunities because of the fear of no job security. They get scared they will not be successful, that it will fail and they will still be in there same position. Well, what most do not come to realize is anyone can be successful working from home. It all comes down to the person! If you are willing to work from home seriously and treat it like a Business or a Job...  with dedication, determination, heart and drive it can bring you home full time and give you that financial security and freedom you are looking for.

If you look around to local Small Businesses, Independent Contrator's, etc. Many worked very, very, very hard and invest thousands upon thousands to become successful. Even the large corporations started somewhere... like Microsoft and Apple, they both started in basements of their homes. These companies and businesses understood what it took to be successful. We all have this opportunity right in front of us for a lot less investing and hardship.

Having an opportunity that will give you the same chance to become successful and financially free is something most feel is not out there. Well, it is definitely out there. You can find many legitimate companies that allow you to work from home, you just need to make sure you invest the time necessary to make it successful.  There are many sites that will tell you come make thousands in just minutes a day. That is all a scam. A Home Business takes the same effort you would give growing a business outside the home or a job outside the home. What is great it does not take half as much time as a business outside the home does! And eventually you can be working only a couple hours a day max bringing in six figures.

Here a some of the TOP Reasons people want to work from home...

1. Financial Freedom / Working on your own Terms... Working from home gives you not only the schedule you want, the time off that you want, the time with your family and friends, being able to be a parent 24/7, and much more... It brings the Income also. Income is a big reason why people want to work from home. Having a Home Business can create six figures or more if you work hard, put in the determination, dedication and heart it needs. What job outside the home can you say does that? The ones that do require years and years of school, by the time you can enjoy your life and money you can't even spend the time to enjoy it because you working consistently. Working from Home gives you the Freedom and the Income you want.

2. Stay at Home Moms, Work outside the Home Moms and Single Moms... This gives Moms the opportunity to change their lives and their families lives. Even if it is a part time income as a goal, they have an opportunity to be able to acheive that without leaving their children. Which is one of the main reason's people want to work from home... to be with their children. It allows them to be a Mom and earn an Income at the same time.

3. Inexpensive to start a Home Business / Low Cost Start Up.... With a Home Business or Opportunity you are allowed to have the same and even more potential than a business or career outside the home.. but you get all the other great perks that go along with it! Being able to have a six figure income potential with a small amount of money to start is an amazing opportunity to change your life. You have to think about how much it is to start a business outside the home then compare it to a Home Business. Most Home Businesses are very low cost... there are many that are under $100 to start up. You can take advantage of growing a great residual income with out all the thousands of investing.

4. Getting out of the 9 to 5 day to day... Working from Home gives you the chance to get out to the Rat Race. Being underpaid for your job, dealing with traffic, gas, daycare costs, lunch costs, office drama, not being home with your children and ultimately having not one ounce of control on your life.

5. Tax Benefits / Write Offs... Having a Home Business and Working from Home allow you to have a great amount of Tax Benefits and Write Offs. These include many things from traveling expenses to everyday home bills like utilities, internet, phone, etc. Your Home Office is with in your Home which allows you to have these Tax Benefits. You will want to make sure you consult with a Tax Expert for more details on how this works.

6. Looking for Work (Losing Jobs and just Part Time Work)... This is an alternate to many of those who cannot find a job outside the home or need that additional income. With how bad the economy is in the last year finding a job is getting more difficult. Many are looking for something to allow them to be in charge of their income, not someone else telling them when they can work or lose their job. A Home Business can also be a great way to bring in Income on the side for part time work. It allows those who work full time to work around their schedule and eventually come home with in just a year to a few short years!

There are many Home Businesses and Opportunities to choose from. Make sure you do your research, you know your passion and you are willing to learn how to build it online and offline successfully. When choosing something, put your all into it and do not let anyone stop you. You will have obstacles and walls but they will be worth it. Remember... do you want to work 40 hours a week for 40 years for someone else's dreams to come true or do you want to work 2 to 4 years smart to make your dreams come true?

Saturday, January 22, 2011

Website Set Up How Too...

If you have your own business of any kind, be it Avon or Massage Therapy, your business should have a website at this point. Many people, myself included, want to come home and check out a companies site before actually calling for an appointment. If I like what I see on the site, it ups my chances of calling because I am already comfortable with the business...

For many people the thought of building a website is terrifying. They hear words like Java Script and HTML and want to run screaming. At one point you needed a college degree to build a fully functional website. Today, that's just not the case! I have personally build a number of websites, none of which required a lot of headaches. In today's world the idea of creating a website shouldn't be scary at all.

Websites like FreeWebs and Yola all by walk you through the process. My personal favorite is Yola, but I have used others as well. It really is very simple to do. Once you sign up for an account you will pick a style. There are a number of free options and some more complicated ones that you have the option to pay for. Go through them and find one that fits your needs. If your website is more about jewelry than it is trees, don't pick one that is covered in forests... It's really that simple.

The next "challenge" is actually creating content, or the stuff on the page. Again, this part will vary a bit depending on what your business is... But generally you will need the following pages in a good website:
  1. Welcome/Home Page - This page will be the first thing that visitors see when they type in your web address. It should be colorful and eye catching as well as have a simple and informative message that welcomes new and old visitors. 
  2. Business Overview - This can be combined with the Home Page, but that can get to be a bit overwhelming. So I generally recommend a second page for this. You'll want to write a few informative paragraphs to introduce your business or company. Make sure to include your mission statement (if you have one) as well as a little about how you got started. The more people know the better and safer they will feel using your business over another.
  3. Product or Service Overview - This page is exactly what it sounds like. You will want to review your products or services in detail. If you make jewelry, talk about how it's made and what you use, if you clean houses make sure to cover how you got started, what area you cover and what you can do for a person's home. Of course these are examples, so, make sure that you tailor your page to your business.
  4. Business/Employment Opportunity - If you are someone that has started a business from scratch and isn't looking for employees, skip this one. But if you have a franchise style business, will be needing employees or are looking to expand through others this is a must have page. Explain what you are looking for in potential employees or business partners and how they may contact you if interested. What are the benefits of working with you? And why should they choose you over a competitor?? These are very important things to include!
  5. Contact Us - No matter if you have a multi million dollar corporation or a small home based business visitors to your site are going to want some way to contact someone be they have questions. On this page you'll want to thank them for visiting and invite them to contact you with questions or comments. List whatever contact information you are comfortable giving out. This should include at least a business email and or business phone number. You could also list the business address if you have a store front.
Of course these are simply the "should haves" for a website. You can include as much or as little as YOU want. Remember to keep it colorful with lots of pictures. You'll also want to do your best to keep it informative without being to bulky... A new potential customer wants to be able to visit your website and get comfortable with you and your business, they don't want to read a novel.

Generally I also advise against listing any prices on your site, unless they will be ordering directly from it. The reason for this is simple. If your cost goes up and your prices change you don't want to be loosing money because you listed a price six months ago...  You'll want to show some examples of your work if you are selling things or describe the services you provide. But I generally suggest a "call for pricing" notice. Offer a "free consult" or "free estimate" which will leave them the option of calling, listening to your prices and still saying no without feeling like they are cheating you. If people feel like they are roped in to buying something just by calling with questions, they won't call.

Once your website is set up and ready to go you will have just a few things to do before you are ready to list it on your business card. FreeWebs, Yola and most other website creator sites will give you the option of a free web address. This will look like www.YOURSITENAME.yola.com, it's long and hard to both remember and refer to... They will also give you the option of buying a "domain name" through them. However, I do not generally suggest doing this. Instead you'll want to go through a site like GoDaddy to purchase your domain name. Again, it's a very simple process.

You'll want to visit www.GoDaddy.com and sign up for an account. There will be a box where you can search for a domain. This is where you will type in what you want your site name to be. However, there is a chance that someone else has already taken it, and you will have to try again. You will also have the option of having a .com, .org, .biz, .info and more. Choose the one that best fits your business. Although .info tends to be the cheapest, .com tend to be the easiest to remember.

Your cost for a domain name will vary from as little as must $1-$2 to as high as a few hundred depending on what you want. Obviously I suggest finding one that's not already owned this way you can get a .com for about $10. This will give you the highest amount of views.

So, once you have built your site and purchased a domain name you will need to connect the two. If you are using Yola this is very simple. You will simply click on the Publish My Site button in the top right hand corner of the site builder.  It will give you 3 options, the last of which is I already own my domain name - choose that. Then it will ask you to "Please make sure your domain name is pointing at Yola" and you can click "How do I do this" that will walk you through it. It's very simple to do.

Once you have built your site, chosen and bought a domain name, linked the two and published the site it will take about an hour for everything to show up...  You will have the power to update and add to your site at any point, so don't worry that it may not be perfect. Just remember that after you add content or change anything in the future that you remember to click the update button (which is where the publish button was) so that visitors see the changes.

And you're done. Feel free to use your new business website on business cards, signs, ads and more... You will be surprised to see the growth!

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Four Simple Ways to Save Big This Year!

Most of us work hard day in and day out to earn an income and support out families. But we don't realize that some of our every day habits are bleeding that same money from our pockets. So, what are some simple things we can do to save money? We all know about coupons and sales, but who really wants to worry about all that? Who has the time?? Here are four basic easy things you can do to help yourself save money without having to break up your routine...

Clean Up Your Closet!
  When your closet is a mess it's easy to forget  about those little things you have, or items you have owned for a long while. The average American woman waists over $300 a year buying things they already own, but don't know they own, or they can't find. Remember that cute black belt you bought last July?? If you can't find it, you can't wear it.

   Spend an afternoon organizing your closet like stores do: Group your stuff by category and color - jeans (blue, gray, black), skirts (short, long, dressy), etc. You'll see what you have and ger re-excited about stuff you forgot about. Plus spend less on replacements for stuff you lost!

Get Free Rewards
    With so many stores offering freebies and discounts for customers who sign up for free "membership" cards, you are basically throwing money away by not cashing in on all the bonuses...

    Ask EVERY store you shop in if they have a membership card, and carry them with you EVERYWHERE!


Forget About ATMs!
    When you go to an ATM that is not your bank's you get slapped with a fee of around $2. PLUS your bank may add an additional charge of up to $2. If you are doing this just twice a week that could easily add up to over $400 a year in fees!!!

     Take money out of YOUR BANKS just once a week. Also download Quicken Online Mobile with a free ATM-finder app to your iPhone; it uses GPS to figure out where your closest ATM is!

Clean Up Your Messy Wallet!
    If your wallet is jammed with receipts, cash, and coupons, you lose out three ways! You miss out on refunds (because your receipts get mixed up and lost), you end up shor on cash or taking out more money than you really need (who can track cash when it's all wadded up??) and you mis out on the discounts because your coupons expire or are lost.

    Find a wallet with at least three sections - one for cash, one for receipts and one for coupons and cards. Each week throw away out receipts that have passed the window for exchanges and refunds, coupons that have expired and organize cash by denomination.

Using these tips you could simply and easily save yourself $1000 this year - and a well deserved break!

Sunday, January 16, 2011

List of top work at home terms you should know

Many who are already in the work from home industry know most of these terms but those who are just searching and have not understood all that is involved in working from home yet... will not know most of these. This is where educating yourself before searching for work from home is necessary to find what you are looking for. Especially if you want to avoid scams and wasted time on your search.

Below are a list of terms to know when you are searching for work from home or already work from home. This will make it much easier for when you need to direct a word you do not understand in the industry.

Affiliate - An Individual who partners to a product / service and promotes/markets it to others for a commission.

Article Writing - Someone who writes articles online to earn an income or build their opportunity.

Blog - A place where individuals can write and share anything they desire (similar to a journal). You can utilize blogs for personal, promoting, earning an income and/or growing on the internet.

Downline - People you recruit or those under you recruit into your Home Business, Network Marketing, Direct Sales or MLM Company whom are in your organization.

Freelancer - A person who enjoys working from home performing tasks on their own time. They provide services to those companies or individuals who need something done on a temporary basis.

Groups / Forums / Message Boards - A place online where you can network, meet others, socialize, get advice and participate with in the subject you are looking into. You can find these on many Social Networking websites and directly online. On Social Networking websites they are considered 'Groups' and directly online it is considered a 'Forum / Message Board'.

Home-Based Business - Similar to a Direct Sales/Network Marketing company. Provides a service or product that allows you to work from your computer and phone. Without having to leave your home.

Independent Contractor - A person who is not an employee of the company, but provides a service for the company under a written contract or agreement. Also someone who is self-employed.

Multilevel Marketing/MLM - A binary or two leg system that allows others to grow a downline by placing people below each other. There are many forms of MLM systems.

Network Marketing - Networking/communicating online and sometimes offline with those who already work from home or those who are searching. Many home based companies are considered "Network Marketing".

RSS - Rich Site Summary or Really Simple Syndication is a format for delivering regularly changing web content. You will find this mostly on blogs.

Search Engine Optimization/SEO - The process of making a site and its content rank highly in search engines using keywords or keyword phrases relevant to a site's content.

Telecommute - To work for a company from your home. Utilizing your phone, computer and/or fax.

Upline - In Home Based Businesses, Direct Sales, Network Marketing and MLM this is considered the person whom enrolled you, your Mentor, those on your team above you and your training support.

Virtual Assistant/VA - Works from home providing different services from admin, phone work, filing, faxing, communicating through email, assistance to the company that they are working for or provides a certain service to Clients as their own VA Home Business.

There are many other terms you might come across. If you do and do not understand them or do and want to share them here you are more than welcome! We will either share what you do no understand or would appreciate a term shared that is not listed. Just comment below with any other terms you may think of or do not know about. Thank you!

Friday, January 14, 2011

Do Companies Hire People To Work From Home?

There are companies that hire employees directly to work from their homes. Check the sites that list work at home jobs. Some of these positions are those where you cover a territory, for an insurance company or a consumer products firm, for example, and spend some time on the road and some time in your home office. There are also customer service, recruiting, sales, scheduling, technical, writing, and telemarketing jobs available. In many cases, the jobs are part-time, commission-based, or pay a lump sum for a completed project.

In other cases, you can work as a home based agent where you are an employee of the company who works from a home office, providing customer service to client companies. Virtual assistants provide administrative, secretarial, and clerical support, as well as creative and/or technical services for clients.

Work at home transcriptionists are usually independent contractors who transcribe and edit recorded reports onto their home computer. Online tutors work for internet based companies that offer help, within a variety of subject areas, to students of all ages.

If you're looking to make a little extra money, paid surveys are a possibility, but do be careful about avoiding scams.

Full-time jobs that provide health insurance, a pension, vacation, and other benefits while you work full-time from home, especially if you don't have experience, are few and far between. Finding them online is a little like looking for a needle in a haystack. But it can be done.

There are some sites that will enable you to quickly find such work, but please remember that these sites are not usually up to date on which companies are currently hiring, they are simply lists of companies that DO hire from home. You also need to understand that some of these websites earn their income from the ads placed on them and that these may not be as reliable as the site owner would home. Should you find a company that seems like a good fit for you - ALWAYS do your homework first!

For a list of legit home job companies put together by this blog's owner please visit http://sabrinascloset.yolasite.com and click Work At Home Jobs. *This site contains NO paid ads!

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Research A WAH Job

Work from home job postings are everywhere. There are listings for data entry jobs, research positions, multi-level marketing opportunities, and a variety of other ways to make a lot of money fast. In fact, there are so many of them that work at home schemes are on the National Consumers League's list of Top 10 Frauds.
Unfortunately, most of those positions aren't what most people would consider a "real" job or any kind of job at all. There are no benefits, no hourly wage or salary, only a promise of making money. Sometimes these opportunities are supposedly so lucrative that fees are charged to give you the listings, provide you information on getting started, or to set up your business.

Just Say No
The simple answer to the question of whether you should pay for work from home job listings, in a word, is no. Despite what the work at home ads and companies might promise you, legitimate employers pay you, not the other way around.

I do want to note that ALL real and legitimate home business opportunity (MLM or not) will and should require some type of investment on your part. Please review the Differences Between A Job & a Business for more information on the two.

Too Good to Be True
Take a look at these sample work from home ads:
$1000 A Day From Home
Automated - No Sales
Cash Money Every Day
Get Paid Paid Daily via ATM
With this one, you don't have to do much other than go to any ATM machine to collect.

Work from Home Part Time
Earn $10K or more a month
This ad had a disclaimer in a tiny font at the bottom of the page which said there is risk involved and you might not do as well. The "might not do as well" part was repeated at least four times in the disclaimer.

If you think about it logically, the chances of making money doing a minimal amount work simply aren't high - other than, perhaps, for the people making money scamming others. Think twice before you click on anything that sounds too good to be true - it is.

Find Company Information
If you're still not sure, and remember, companies can be very creative about how they advertise their opportunities because they want you to think that the position is legitimate, there are places to research work at home companies.

Better Business Bureau (BBB)
Enter the company name or the web site into the Better Business Bureau search box to find out whether there have been complaints and whether the company has an unsatisfactory record with the Bureau. I entered the name of a company I was interested in and found there had been seven complaints, all of which were unresolved and discovered that the company's record was unsatisfactory.

Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
The FTC provides information on commission actions. For example, operators of online malls that disguised themselves as legitimate business opportunities settled Federal Trade Commission charges that they were actually illegal pyramid schemes.

Scam.com: Work at Home Scams
The Work at Home Scams Bulletin Board has information on work at home scams and registered users can post questions about scams. There is also a MLM/Pyramid Scams bulletin board.
Finally, be wary and be careful. Despite the best efforts of computer systems and staff, it's hard for job sites to stop work at home scams from being posted. Posters are creative and sophisticated and are continually coming up with new ways to advertise their information.

Report a Scam
Have you been scammed or almost scammed? Here's how to report a scam, including where and how to report an employment scam.

Disclaimer:
You may see advertisements for work at home jobs on this page, because that's the topic of the article. Just because you see an ad here, that doesn't make it a legitimate company. Carefully investigate companies that you are interested in.
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