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Work For Mums At Home Benefits

By Annette on Thursday, July 29th, 2010 | View Comments

Welcome back! If you haven't done so already, please get your Free copy of the 7 Day Boot camp Series on Home-Based Businesses by filling in the form on this page. Thanks for visiting!

There are many benefits for mums by looking for work to do at home, and there is a great variety and choice of jobs for mums readily available to enable you to have a great life. So now let’s look at those benefits and there are so many I am sure that you can come up with some of your own!

Firstly, you will not have to deal with all the hassles and stresses in the morning to get to your job – you know the ones I am talking about – getting up before you have finished sleeping, get the children up and dressed and fed, lunches prepared, fighting for the bathroom and then having to head out of the house with a headache in all sorts of weather after a lot of yelling and screaming plus don’t forget that huge hunt for the car keys. Then you will not have the traffic to contend with, find a park and possibly run out of fuel or the car breaks down!

Also you will not have to put up with a bad boss who demands your attention and who insists you work when he wants you to, not allowing for your family commitments. Plus you will not have to put up with the office politics, worrying about losing your job or dealing with insufficient or poor equipment.

Not only will you save yourself all this stress, you will also save money by reducing your vehicle expenses, buying your lunch, office attire to buy and dry clean as you can wear your casual clothes and keep your professional attire for those official times you need them. Your childcare fees will be reduced as you will be able to look after your children yourself. You will also save by not having to pay out for gifts or collections for all your co-workers various life events (birthdays, babies, engagements, weddings and retirements).

When you work from home you are in control of how much you earn which is limited to a set rate that you have to haggle to get increased. You earn as much as you are willing to or able to put in. This results in you being able to fulfill all of your dreams such as paying off your debts (including your mortgage), buying a new home or car, having a wonderful family holiday, or shop until you drop!

The children will be happier because as you are your own boss and have a flexible schedule you can work around the family, thus you will be in a calmer and better mood to take care of everyone. You will be able to spend quality time with them teaching them all sorts of things, guiding, eating and playing with them, listening to them, take them to school and to events, comfort and take care of them when they get hurt or sick (all children need their mum and no one can give that special hug but mum!) You will also be there to enjoy and experience all those special growing events with them rather than others having the pleasure, thus creating life long memories for all. Your children will know and feel loved by you which is the most important thing of all! The other upside of this is that they will be better behaved as you will not have stress and pressure that will be affecting them.

Don’t forget your partner – they will be happier and less stressed out too as you will be able to love them more and give them the care and attention they deserve and do more things together.

Pets will also benefit as you will be around to give them play time, walk time, and, take care of when they are sick too!

Your friends and other family members will also be happier as you will be able to spend more quality time with them too!

All this means that your own health will be greatly improved as you will not need medications just to get you through the day, thus enabling you to have the benefits of the joys of life, work and family!

So, as you can see, everyone wins when mums look for those jobs for mums to do at home. Put your family at the top of your priority list and get looking for work for mums to do at home!
Thank you for reading this article. Don’t forget to apply for your Free copy of the 7 Day Boot Camp series on Home-Based Businesses by filling in the form on this page.

Marketing For Top Home Based Businesses

By Annette on Tuesday, July 27th, 2010 | View Comments

There are many varied marketing tools and methods for top home based businesses and they range in price from free to very, very expensive, and some require more time and effort from you, so you will need to work out which ones are best for you.

Business cards are a great way to advertise. They are small but can contain enough detail about you and your product or service plus you can always have some on hand wherever you go. One lady I know has printed cards for her young son to hand out promoting the family business as he really enjoys being involved and tells everyone he meets about the business. Printing prices can vary due to paper, the number of colors, number to be printed and if printing is to be on both sides, so shop around and compare what you are paying for. There are printing websites that offer free cards so look there as well but beware of any hidden costs!

Other printed items include fliers, banners, lawn signs, car signs and various other items such as pens, mugs, t-shirts, key rings, mouse mats so you may want to use some of these things as giveaway items to potential customers. Again, prices vary so do your homework.

If you have a computer and printer and know how to use certain software programs then you can design and print your own fliers and cards doing only as many as and when you need, thus saving money, but you will be using your own time and energy which may be better utilized in your top home based businesses. There are many different types and sizes from which to choose. Then you can letterbox drop them youselves even whilst you are on your daily walk or get your family involved as it is a great way for children to earn pocket money. There are companies and people who can do this for you too for a fee. Also, keep on the lookout wherever you go for community notice boards as these are a great place to put up a flier with pull-off tabs on them.

Print ads placed in various publications is another good method. Depending upon your budget and location you can place ads in your local papers or in the larger national papers or magazines. Prices vary greatly with this method due to the size, style, color, and distribution of the publication. Sometimes the companies give discounts if, say, you put the ad in for so many weeks or a few of their papers or magazines, so ask them.

The social media sites are another great way, however, you must not deliberately advertise – it must be done very, very subtly, so be careful otherwise your accounts on the sites will be shut down plus you will alienate your potential customers instead of attracting them. It is best to get advice from experts when you do this method.

You can also purchase customer contacts called leads via companies over the Internet who have put out questionnaires for people who are looking for certain things. Prices vary here too depending upon the type of lead or how old they are. These are a quick and great way to get customers as these are people who are already wanting a particular product or service.

Another way is to have a blog or website and then use various methods such as writing articles, doing videos and using the social media as well as the methods I mentioned earlier to promote and get customers to it. There are many and varied costs to this system and there is a lot of hard work involved.

Now that I have given you some ideas on marketing for your top home based businesses you now need to sit down and investigate them, checking them against your budget. Work out a marketing plan that uses more than one at a time as not all methods work well at the same time. Continually review and change it so that you can reach as many customers as possible and make adjustments as required.

Wishing you well in your marketing so that you all will have top home based businesses.

Thank you for reading this article. Don’t forget to apply for your Free copy of the 7 Day Boot Camp series on Home-Based Businesses by filling in the form on this page.

How To Set Up Your Office To Earn Extra Income From Home

By Annette on Sunday, July 18th, 2010 | View Comments

When you decide that you are going to earn extra income from home you will need an area in which to work to earn that money.

Now, depending on your particular business, you will want to select an area in which to work. Some require more space than others and others have specific needs such as very good ventilation.

You may decide to use a spare room, the garage, an area in the lounge, dining or rumpus room, or use a section of the kitchen. Part of your selection criteria might be that you need to be able to see and hear your children. Or you may want an area that is free from all distractions so that you can concentrate on the task at hand.

Whatever the type and location you choose there are some other things for you to consider.

You should select an area that has good lighting as you do not want to get eyestrain or make mistakes. If the lighting is not good you may be able to fix this by installing better lights or use lamps. Or it may simply be the actual placement of the furniture to maximize the lighting that is currently there.

The area should also have enough room for you and all your equipment to work comfortably as it has to be extremely functional and you do not want to be cramped for space which then will become messy and frustrations will set in which is not an ideal situation.

Ensure also that the area is safe. Do not have power cords running through the room, either cover them over with tape or rugs or invest in a few more power points. Keep the floor area free of items as these can cause someone to trip and fall.

Choose furniture that is good and solid because if you do get the cheaper, poorer quality it can break down and will cost you more in the long run, however, if funds are tight and you know that you will need it only for a short time then go ahead and use the cheaper ones but be careful as you don’t want it to break with all your precious things on it. Also invest in a good ergonomic chair so that your back will and neck will thank you – back aches and headaches are not fun and they cause loss of productivity.

It is important that you office is well organized so that you can work efficiently. There are plenty of storage and organizing containers that you can use and it is in this area that you can save money by reusing items you already have. Put you thinking caps on as I am sure you can find just the right containers for your items. If you are crafty you can make certain types as well as decorating others.

If you need a phone there think about getting a cordless one that has several handsets as this will enable you to answer the phone wherever you are in the house as well as reducing the number of cords and cables that causes such a messy problem. One with a headset is great too as this again will prevent neck strain.

Another item to consider is your comfort level in the extremes of winter and summer. Ensure that the area can have the temperature controlled easily and cheaply.

The most important feature of the area is that it is one in which you feel comfortable and is pleasant and enjoyable to be in as you will be spending quite a bit of time there and you will want to look forward to going there to be creative and productive.

Do not worry about getting it perfect straight away, just start with the basics and as you continue to work in it all the items will tend to find their own special places that work best for you.

Have fun setting up your office area, put in your own special personal touches such as flowers, photos or paint the walls in your favourite colours, be happy, creative, productive and enjoy yourself while you earn that extra income from home.

Thank you for reading this article. Don’t forget to apply for your Free copy of the 7 Day Boot Camp series on Home-Based Businesses by filling in the form on this page.

How To Earn Money Quickly At Home

By Annette on Thursday, July 15th, 2010 | View Comments

When you decide to earn extra income at home and earn it quickly you will need to find a business that will give you what you need. In doing so beware of those that claim that you can earn money very quickly as in many cases it does not happen that way. Yes, you may earn a lot of money but only after a variable period of time and effort which applies to all businesses. The best way is to be organized and be structured and to plan out everything.

One of the first things you should do is to work out a budget which will enable you to maximize the income you earn whilst at the same time keeping your costs down thus increasing your profit. This will assist you when selecting a business to earn money quickly at home. You will need to continually work on and refer to your budget and modify it as your circumstances change. There is no point in getting lots of money in if there is more going out than you are earning as this is the quickest way to extreme financial stress and it is the exact opposite of what you are trying to achieve.

Try to find a business that has different income streams and different investment levels, that way you can work out which option is best for your starting point and then you can gradually work up the levels as your profits increase. It is far better to start off slowly and gradually build momentum than to start off high and then worry about trying to recoup your outlay so that you have the money to pay your living expenses.
To get income in you need customers, and to get customers you need to advertise your product or service to as many people as quickly as possible and as cheaply as possible to again maximize your profits, so marketing is another item you need to plan. Obviously though, the more you can put in the better, however, if money is tight then you again will have to start out slowly and select the cheaper and free options so this is where you use your budget together with your marketing plan.

If you want to earn money quickly at home and you want to get to as many customers with a small outlay then work out a mixture of advertising options – free and paid and hit the ground running. You can use the Internet but this takes longer so I suggest that you put this in your plan for later on (you can start looking into it now to get it running, in other words, do your preparation work on it) but do not plan to use it now if you are looking for a fast start. Another idea is to use more than one method of advertising at the same time because not all methods will work as well as each other at the same time, because as the saying goes “variety is the spice of life”.

By doing the above methods you can achieve your desire of earning money quickly from home, however, please do not try to rush it as it is too easy to crash and burn out. One other word of advice, please, please remember to have a good work life versus family and recreational time balance as this is what life is all about and why you are working from home.

Thank you for reading this article. Don’t forget to apply for your Free copy of the 7 Day Boot Camp series on Home-Based Businesses by filling in the form on this page.

Legitimate Business Opportunities Selection Checklist

By Annette on Monday, July 12th, 2010 | View Comments

To choose a legitimate business opportunity that is going to suit you, it is a good idea to write up a criteria checklist which you will then use to make your final selection. However, as every person is looking for different types of businesses plus they have different lifestyle and financial needs and each type of business has it’s own specialized areas that need to be checked out to enable you to be sure that you choose the one that is for you, you will need to tailor the list accordingly.

Write down what interests and talents you have, anything you may already be wanting to do, equipment you have that you can use in your business, your family and social commitments, how much time you have available and how much money you have available to setup the business. Also include how much money you are looking to earn in your legitimate business opportunity. Write down things that you do not want to or cannot do for example you do not work on Sundays or you do not want to do parties at home or recruit your family and friends. Add to this list all the items or questions you want answered to assist you in your decision as to whether an offer is a legitimate business opportunity that is going to suit you.

To give you an idea as to the type of questions you may want to get answers and to get you started, I have listed a few examples for you. Just select the ones that you want to use and then add any other specific business or personal ones such as the ones I mentioned earlier.

1. Is it a good, solid safe company.
2. How much to join.
3. Ongoing costs and fees, what are they and how much.
4. Does it involve having a team of people to train and support.
5. Is there training provided.
6. Is it something that people want or need in other words is there a market for it.
7. How much time is involved.
8. Do I need qualifications or licences to do it.
9. How can I market the product and to whom.
10. What equipment do I need and do I already have it or do I need to get it.
11. Are the raw materials readily available.
12. How long before I get any income and how long can I wait.
13. What marketing materials are provided.
14. Is there backup and support provided.
15. Do I have to do parties.
16. Do I need to recruit or sell to my family and friends.
17. Do I need to personally carry or handle stock.
18. Do I have to actually handle money or is it handled for me.
19. Will I have or want people coming to my home.
20. How much time am I able to put in.
21. When can I work on the business – what is my schedule and my commitments.
22. Is it going to conflict with my strict no go or no work zones.
23. Is it flexible enough to fit around my lifestyle, family and emergencies.

Once your own personal list is set up you can go out and search for your legitimate business opportunity. But please remember to ensure that you put on your list your boundaries, that is things you will not do and times you will not work, especially your important family events and your rest and leisure times. However, of course there may be the odd time when you may have to encroach on these, but those times should be the exception and not the rule. Always wait until you have checked all the criteria items off before deciding against any opportunity as you may be able to work around them, after all, it may just be the one for you and you don’t want to miss out on it just because of a few items that you could work around.

Wishing you well in your search. Have fun.

Thank you for reading this article. Don’t forget to apply for your Free copy of the 7 Day Boot Camp series on Home-Based Businesses by filling in the form on this page.

How to Find A Legitimate Home Business That Is Just For You

By Annette on Friday, July 9th, 2010 | View Comments

There are many home businesses available but you need to find one which is a legitimate home business because, after all, it is your valuable time and money that you will be investing into it so you don’t want to spend it on the scam businesses.

You need to spend some time on researching the various companies and opportunities available.

The Internet is the best research tool around as you can search by the name of the company (if you know it), the type of business, or you can go to various forums to discuss legitimate home businesses with others. If you are just setting up and do not have a computer with internet access at home, then go to your local library or an internet cafe. There are also magazines and newspapers around which talk about various businesses, so either purchase these or again, go to the local library – also some of these have online versions.

To find a legitimate home business you need to find out things such as the security and stability of the company (are they listed on the stock exchanges) – how long have they been around – are there any bad reports about them? You should also to find out how long they have been in business, although this is not necessarily going to let you know that they are good or not – it just indicates to you that they have some form of track record so they should be a little safer to get involved with.

Legitimate home businesses are also very upfront as to what it will cost you to join them and what the ongoing costs to keep with them are. They will also let you know what other benefits you will get from them such as training, ongoing help and support, and various marketing materials they will have already done for you to use.

Please do not allow yourselves to be pressured into joining a company without finding out as much as you can beforehand – if they are offering a deal of a lifetime and it seems to good to be true then it probably is. I was taught that if you are being pressured into doing something quickly and are being made to feel as if you are going to miss out on something really big or special and it has a time limit on it preventing you from being able to analyse and research the offer/business properly then take a step back from then don’t join it even it does prove later that you have missed out on a good one. It is better to have your money intact than to take a chance – this way you still have your money ready as there is always another good one coming along.

I know you will find a legitimate home business which is just right for you!

Happy researching!

Thank you for reading this article. Don’t forget to apply for your Free copy of the 7 Day Boot Camp series on Home-Based Businesses by filling in the form on this page.

Top Home Based Business for Mums At Home To Do

By Annette on Friday, June 4th, 2010 | View Comments

In my previous articles “Self Employment Jobs – What Is Involved (Part 1)” & “Self Employment Jobs – What Is Involved (Part 2) I covered many of the basic tasks that needed to be done to get your home based business started.

There are many top home based businesses for Mums at home to do.  You may want to create your own product, or you can sell someone else’s, do data entry work, cook your own specialty food; make jewellery or other craft items, or do telemarketing from home.  Many of today’s products all started out from someone who had a personal need or idea and they went out and created it at home with the facilities they had.  If they can do it so can you!

To make it easier for you to ensure that you have a top home based business, I suggest that you do the following steps:-

  1. Decide what you want to do.
  2. Research your choice(s).
  3. Work out what costs are involved.
  4. Get professional advice from accountants/financial planners/lawyers.
  5. Set up your work area.
  6. Get your equipment.
  7. Plan your schedule.
  8. Create your product.
  9. Market & sell your product.

By following these steps in your own time and as your own budget and family commitments allow, you will have a top home based business to enjoy!  It may mean that you still have to work for that boss a little while longer, but it will be a little easier to put up with as you are in the process of setting up your own top home based business and as each day goes by, your dream is that much closer!

There will be ups and downs, but please do not be discouraged – it will all be worth it in the long run!!  Just don’t give up as in the end you will be able to watch the money grow in the bank, have fun spending it and enjoy a wonderful life and future with your family.

Thank you for reading this article. Don’t forget to apply for your Free copy of the 7 Day Boot Camp series on Home-Based Businesses by filling in the form on this page.

Self Employment Jobs – What Is Involved (Part 2)

By Annette on Wednesday, May 26th, 2010 | View Comments

This article is following on from my previous article – “Self Employment Jobs – What Is Involved (Part 1)” in which I covered many items that must be considered in self employment jobs.

In this article I am now going to continue giving you a few hints as to what is involved in getting all self employment jobs up and running.

You should investigate as to whether you will require some training – do you have the skills to do the task required or do you need to be taught how to do certain things? Check out the organisations/associations involved in your chosen field or speak to others doing the same as you. Some courses do incur costs as well.

The next item you should consider is marketing. If you have a business then you need to tell potential customers that you are there and are ready for them. There are many methods of marketing – fliers, letterbox drops, advertising – radio, television, you tube videos; word of mouth and the internet are just some methods. All these vary in costs from free to expensive so you have to include this into your budgeting and you need to set up a plan and work out which one will best suit you. You can write the copy yourself if you feel confident to do so or you can pay to get someone to do it for you. Again, research the various methods and work out which is the best for your current budget. As you business increases you can then proceed to the more expensive options.

If you choose a self employment job that needs items to be sold then these can be done in a variety of ways – over the internet using pre-existing websites or even setting up your own, car boot sales, garage sales and advertisements in local papers are just some of the many ways to do this.

Self employed jobs are wonderful but you have to treat them like a real business, which they are! Therefore you should setup a good space for working in with good lighting, plenty of space and shelving to enable you to be organised. Setup a schedule/diary and stick to it as much as you can. When working out the schedule diary ensure that you work it around your family as they are your first priority – the business should come second.

Have fun exploring all the options out there – self employed jobs abound in the world – there is just the right one waiting for you and your family!
Thank you for reading this article. Don’t forget to apply for your Free copy of the 7 Day Boot Camp series on Home-Based Businesses by filling in the form on this page.

Self Employment Jobs – What Is Involved (Part 1)

By Annette on Monday, May 17th, 2010 | View Comments

This article is following on from my previous article – “How to Earn Extra Money from Home” in which I talked about the many ways in which extra money can be made from home.

In this article I am now going to give you a few hints as to what is involved in getting all self employment jobs up and running.

Firstly, do some research into your chosen field.  This may be done by searching the internet, reading classified ads, newspapers, magazines or even talking to other people to see if there is an interest in it and to see what your potential “competitors” are doing to get an idea on what and how they are doing it.  This is an important step because you do not want to invest your very valuable time and money only to find out later that there is too much competition, it is too expensive to do or not enough potential customers for your product or service.  There are plenty of self employment jobs available so that if all this is working against your first choice, then do not get disheartened – just select another!

The next item to be looked into is the costing – what costs are involved?  There are many costs and these will depend upon your self employment job.  Some examples are licensing fees, new computer and related hardware and software, telephone bills, power, gas, sewing machine, joining fees, marketing costs, packaging, tools and equipment to do your chosen job, printing and stationery.  And, of course, there are possible accountancy and legal fees to be paid.  All of this should be weighed up against the possible income you will be earning – if your expenses are going to be greater than your income then you may need to change your chosen field or look at reducing the costs, where possible.

Another item to be considered is – what are the rules and regulations you must observe to do this job?  Do you need to have a license?  What are the council or local government regulations as to doing a business from home?    This is where you may need to talk to your accountant (taxation advisor) and/or lawyer to get their professional advice.  They can also advise you as to if this extra income will have an impact upon other areas of your financial situations.

There are many other items to be considered in setting up your own self employment job and I will cover those in my next article.  But, please do not let all these things that must be considered discourage you – they are detailed but they are important and if done correctly then you will have a successful home business and a wonderful life!

Thank you for reading this article. Don’t forget to apply for your Free copy of the 7 Day Boot Camp series on Home-Based Businesses by filling in the form on this page.

How to Earn Extra Money from Home

By Annette on Monday, May 10th, 2010 | View Comments

There are many ways in which you can earn extra money from home and I mentioned several of those in my previous article “Work – For Mums at Home to Do”.

To work out how you can earn extra money from home, the first step is to think about any special talents or interests you have. This is important as it has to be a fun and enjoyable time for you and your family and not just another “chore” that has to be done – this extra money from home is going to give you breathing space from your financial worries and enable you to have a few of life’s little luxuries that you otherwise will not have!

Here are a few ideas to get you started on how to earn extra money from home. Are you good at craft work? Do you like to cook or bake things such as jam, preserves or cakes? What about gardening – do you enjoy growing flowers or fruit or vegetables? Do you have good telephone skills? What about the computer and the internet – do you enjoy spending time on the ‘net’ and have some basic computer skills? Some people enjoy ironing – do you? What about restoring old furniture – do you like doing that? Do you like going “bargain” shopping at garage sales or picking up old items that people have put out for the hard waste collection day and restore or recycle these items? Do you play a musical instrument – piano, guitar?

Have you ever a desire to write you own book? Or maybe create your very own product that provides a solution to a problem you have encountered? Many of the products we see and use today have been created because someone had a problem or an issue and then went ahead and spent some time and effort and created a solution. So if they did it so can you!

These are only a few of the many ideas and ways there is available to earn extra money from home and I am sure that by now you are thinking of a few of your very own! The ways of earning extra money from home are only limited by your own imagination and abilities.

OK I can hear you say – that is great but how do I go about it – where do I start and what is involved?

Yes, there is a bit of work involved but it will all be worth it and if you choose something you love doing then it will not be a chore, it will be a labour of love!

In upcoming articles I will explore some of these ideas and give you help you to get started so that you can earn extra money from home.

There is a good life out there – go for it!!

PS Please don’t forget to get the whole family involved!

Thank you for reading this article. Don’t forget to apply for your Free copy of the 7 Day Boot Camp series on Home-Based Businesses by filling in the form on this page.

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