by BlondieWrites on June 26, 2008
Getting organized is the key to making your life as a work at home mom efficient and, relatively, stress free. If you can get and stay organized, your business and your home life will flourish. Without taking some simple organizational steps you’ll be swamped with work and overwhelmed with laundry in no time.
One of the most important parts of getting organized as a Wahm is to establish business hours. Setting up specific working times during each day has many benefits. First, you’ll be more consistent with your work. Once you’ve gotten used to starting and stopping at a specific time each day you’ll work more efficiently. You’ll manage your work time better and reduce distractions like checking your e-mail or watching television. You’ll also be less likely to pick up things to do here and there, like laundry or taking time to errands. If you have set working hours, you’ll schedule those tasks around your work time so you’ll be more focused during your work time. It will help your family and friends understand that you are working while you are at home, and you won’t be available during those hours.
Next, you need to start delegating tasks to other family members. It may seem easier to do everything yourself, but once you have work duties on top of household duties you’ll realize how few hours in the day there actually are. There is nothing wrong with asking your children to fold the laundry, or having your husband cook dinner a few nights a week. By sharing the household duties as a family, you’ll have more time to get your work done and feel more rested. The important thing to remember when you delegate is that things won’t be done the way that you would do them. However, they are getting done.
Planning your work and family activities will make the whole house run smoother. If you don’t have a daily planner, then you need to get one. It doesn’t matter if it is a paper planner or a computer application. When you use a planner to write down everything that needs to be done, and then plan each activity for a specific time then you’ll have the opportunity to manage your time more wisely in and out of your home office.
Organizing your home at large will help make your business more organized. While it may take a while to establish some organizational habits in your house, your efforts will be well worth it. Don’t try to get organized in a weekend or even several days. Work up to a level of organization. Start small with your desk space. Organize the things in your desk and top of your desk. Make sure that everything that you need has a place, and toss or donate things that you don’t need. Then move on to another portion of the house. When something is out of place, it’s easy to put it back in its home once you’ve taken the time to organize your storage spaces around the house. If need be, take a trip to an office supply store or home improvement store and buy items like bins, cabinets and shelves that will help you stay more organized.
Getting organized as a Wahm does take some time and effort. Realize that with time your organizational system will get better. Work with your family to make your home run efficiently, and then you’ll be able to concentrate on your work when you need to.
Popularity: 18% [?]
by BlondieWrites on June 24, 2008
There are obvious pros to running a home business and working at home, such as not having a boss to micromanage you and not having to commute through that morning traffic. But, there are quite a few other advantages that are not quite as apparent. There are many expenses that a person working outside the home has to deal with, including many that you might not pay much attention to.
When working outside the home there are costs associated with buying and maintaining career clothing. These costs include of course the purchase of a wide variety of work clothes, which often have to be updated every year. But there are also the costs of alterations, dry cleaning and the time and transportation costs associated with those. Over the course of a year it can add up to quite an expense.
Another major expense for some, of course, is childcare. Even an inexpensive childcare facility can be $500 or more a month for childcare for only one child. Imagine the cost of high-quality care for one year. People with multiple children are often simply unable to afford this expense and opt to start a home business to avoid it.
The commute to work, even if it’s a relatively short distance away, is still costing you money. As fuel costs continue to rise, along with automobile repair expenses, the commute to work is getting more expensive by the month. The wear and tear on the car is an expense that often costs just as much as the fuel when you tally the oil change and repair costs. To be able to do your work from home is an amazing savings on commuting expenses, leaving you with a higher profit for your time.
Many people also benefit from the home office deduction, which is a nice savings on income taxes. The deduction allows for the expense of the portion of your home that is dedicated to the business, and makes the process of earning a profit even easier. With more money staying in your pocket, you can make a better profit with your business. Add to that the money you save from childcare costs, commuting costs and clothing, the amount of money you bring in with your home business counts for more than the amount you would make working for someone else. Even if you make only half what you did in an office job, much more of the money is staying with you, making your home business income higher than the income you had before.
Popularity: 19% [?]
by BlondieWrites on June 24, 2008
One of the hardest issues to contend with as a Wahm is the perception of others that you aren’t working. Many people think that working at home isn’t working at all, and that you have all of the free time in the world. Those who have spent any time working at home know that there is a lot of time and energy that goes into effectively working at home. Friends who call in the middle of the day, spouses who expect you to be doing more while home or family members who make offhand comments, can undermine those efforts.
Not all stay at home moms work, and if you have friends who don’t it can be hard for them to understand that your days aren’t free. Calls during your working time, invitations to lunch and uninvited guests can throw a wrench in your work schedule. In order to get your friends to respect your time, it’s important to make your working schedule clear to them.
If you don’t have a clear work schedule, then it is time to make one for yourself. By setting office hours for yourself, you make it clear to everyone around you that you are serious about your work. It will also help set boundaries for your time. Tell your friends that you will be unavailable from a certain time to a certain time, but you’d love to talk before or after those times. You may even go so far as to turn off your phone. If you do answer the phone and someone wants to chat, politely let them know that you are working but can speak after a certain time. Also, schedule things like lunches or visits for one day per week. This way you’ll reduce the drop-ins and spontaneous invitations.
Spouses can sometimes have difficulty understanding why, if you are home all day, the housework isn’t done. This problem can best by solved by familiarizing him with the nature of your business. Show him exactly what you need to do each day, and how long it takes to do each task. Help him understand your work schedule, and how much time you need to work per day. Showing exactly how much money you are making will help him realize the benefits of your work as well.
Then ask him to help you come up with solutions for working at home and maintaining the household. Make a list of things that need to be done each week, and assign duties to you, him and the children (if they are old enough). Then taking care of the house becomes a family priority and something that you all share responsibility in. Notify him of any special projects by keeping a work calendar on the wall. That way he can see what is going on with your work schedule, and why you have ordered pizza for dinner three times in the last week!
Many Wahms can be hurt over offhand comments about working at home. Family or even friends can say things like “Well you have the time, because you are at home.” In situations like these, you have two choices. You can either get upset and offer a flustered defense or you can take their comments with a grain of salt and offer a calm response. Depending on the situation you can say something like “Well, let me check my work schedule. I know I am not available on these days” or “That would be great on Friday afternoon, which is when I leave time in my work schedule for those types of things.”
Remember, working at home is new territory for many people although the numbers of Wahms are growing. It may take some time for the average person to understand the commitment and scheduling that it takes to effectively work from home. You may never convince some people that you are actually working while at home but establishing respect for your own time is one way to make them see that your work is a priority.
Popularity: 10% [?]
by BlondieWrites on June 23, 2008
When people think about home businesses, they mainly think about sales businesses. Working in sales is the most common way to start a home business, but there are other ways to run a profitable business. One of those is to sell a service, rather than a product.
Services can be either services that you leave your home to perform elsewhere, or they can be services that are provided in your home via the internet. The types that are performed outside the home are services that can be run and coordinated from home, but require the service to be performed elsewhere on-site. This includes cleaning services, organizational services, babysitting, interior decorating, home staging, etc. All of these are done in the home of the client, but the business work of advertising, taking phone calls, etc., can be done form your own home and on your own schedule.
Services that can be performed in your home include home daycare and alterations. With alterations, people bring their items to your home and pick them up when they are completed. Daycare centers are highly regulated, but most states allow someone to keep two or three children in their home without having a home daycare license. Wedding planning can also be done from home. Some planners have couples come to their home for several meetings to discuss their wedding needs.
Tutoring children in specific subjects, such as math and reading, can be done at home and can be quite lucrative. There are also lessons that students can come to your home to take, such as piano, guitar or voice. People are willing to pay a lot for these types of specialized lessons for their children, making it one of the most lucrative home service businesses to run.
Other service businesses are done entirely online. Those with a talent for web designs can set up a web design service online, helping clients locally or across the world with their websites. There are also many opportunities online for freelance writers, writing website content, press releases and sales letters for clients all over the world.
There are online services for publicizing other people’s websites, doing online research and proofreading other people’s work. There are also many transcription opportunities available for those with the right experience. The internet is full of sites where those with special skills can find clients who need services completed. Many people make their living from just those sites.
Popularity: 8% [?]
by BlondieWrites on June 23, 2008
Leaving a job where someone else takes care of all of the business expenses can be a daunting task. But for those who seize the monetary advantages working at home can give them, working at home is actually quite profitable, and even more so than working for someone else. Working at home offers a few tax advantages that are not offered to anyone else. For those who work at home as employees of someone else, there is the home office deduction for tax purposes. This deduction allows the percentage of the home, apartment, etc., including utilities and other expenses, to be deducted from their taxes. And for those who are working for themselves from home, there is this lucrative deduction as well as many more ways to take advantage of business deductions.
Independent contractors, including many people who work from home, can take advantage of per diem deductions. This allocates a specific amount of money to be written off from income each day. The amount may vary according to the region, but it is often enough to pay for many daily expenses. Taking this amount off of income and combining it with home office deductions and deductions for telephone, internet, and other business-related expenses often means that those working from home pay no taxes at all.
There are also deductions available for all of the office equipment used, even if it was previously purchased for personal use. Deductions are also available for any new equipment purchased and any services that must be outsourced.
In addition to the tax advantages, there are also many business expenses that those working from home no longer have to pay for. These include large expenses such as child care, transportation, and business clothing costs. It also includes the daily assault of other, smaller expenses, such as gifts for co-workers, dry cleaning, lunches out, etc. These expanses are part of the cost of working from someone else, and most can be greatly reduced, if not entirely eliminated, by working at home. Even if the income from home is less, the amount earned may end up being much more because of these savings.
With smaller expenses in many of these areas, combined with the many tax advantages offered to those who work at home, it is possible for tens of thousands of people a year to begin working from home. So many people now work from home that the stigma of not “really working” is gone, and more companies are outsourcing specific jobs to workers working from home. And websites and software facilitate employee accountability and billing. There are also many more ways to be paid online for the work done. All of this means more work going around, and employers are willing opt pay more to get good home workers. This creates more opportunities for profitable work, and fewer costs. All of these together make an exciting environment in which anyone working at home begins with advantages to assist them make a profit and continue working at home in pajamas.
Popularity: 8% [?]
by BlondieWrites on June 22, 2008
Following is an article that I wrote back in 2002 pertaining to handling criticism from an author’s viewpoint. While the article itself is obviously about handling criticism as an author, the overall meaning can pertain to other work at home businesses.
If you have ever had someone that does not even know you to speak ill of you to other people, I am sure you will get the meaning of this article. It’s important to remember that if you have encountered this (I have over the years), it’s better and more professional to take the high road and not allow the jealously of another to bring you down. Remember, to lose your professionalism is to lose potential customers and their business.
How to Handle Criticism
The inevitable criticisms that come with the prestige of being called an author could very well be thought as an author’s worse nightmare. How can anyone not be negatively affected by comments and articles that seem to be so harshly written against an author? It’s easier than you might imagine.
The most famous authors have received terrible insults, have been ridiculed, talked badly of, had horrible articles written about them. How do they handle this? You might say that being an author and in the public, this type of thing is bound to happen, and they must deal with it. This is true. But how do they deal with it?
If you are hoping and planning to be published one day, to be an author, you must learn to deal with the critics. It’s easier than one might perceive it to be.
Let’s start with the nasty email and letters. You go to your mailbox or check your online mail. What do you see when you open the mail? Terrible words, from someone saying all sorts of bad things? Or do you see an angry, jealous person who wants what you have, yet has not attained it? Think about it. Does the person that has written such bad things know you? Or are they simply striking out in a jealous rage? When they down you, are they really downing YOU? Or would you say they are projecting they own inner feelings and lack of publishing success?
If you keep in your mind that the people that want to criticize you do not even know you, and that they are simply writing something due to their immense jealously at your success, then you can laugh the criticizers off. So they say bad things about you. Is it REALLY about YOU? No, it’s not. Remember it’s nothing more than jealousy at your success.
Handling criticism also builds your character. If you intend to be published in the “real world”, you absolutely must be able to handle the criticism. It will come! If you cannot handle it, you’ll never make it in the writing business. You will never be able to please everyone all of the time, so don’t waste your time trying. There will always be someone telling you that you cannot write, that you do not know what you are talking about, etc. Who is right? Those few that say you cannot and are aweful? Or those many that let you know that you can? Easy answer!
Allow those that critique you to offer you their gift of help. Much to their amazement, they are actually helping you a great deal with each bad criticism they give you! How? By getting you ready for the real world of publishing. By toughening you up, giving you the power you need to succeed!
How does getting bad comments and criticisms give you power? Easy! Each one you get is like another battery charge! To get more is actually better than getting none. While these people think they are hurting you and humiliating you, they are actually ENCOURAGING you to keep going, because their jealously only shows that you are on the right track, and that you CAN do it! It shows that you DO know what you are doing, and that it is GOOD!
When those inevitable criticisms come, take heart and thank the person that sent it or wrote the bad article about you. They have NO idea how much they are helping you, and NO idea how much encouragement they have given you.
If nothing else, remember this one thing. You MUST be able to handle criticism in order to make it in this business.
For those adoring “fans” that have helped me along, given me so much encouragement and help, I thank you. I could never have come as far as I have without them. They have indeed been my biggest and best help!
Handle criticism with your heart. Allow it to build you up and take you closer to your dream……being an author.
The graphic that is with this article is not what you look like, absolutely not! Rather it’s what those that criticize you look like because they cannot get to you. (Grin again here).
Popularity: 6% [?]
by BlondieWrites on June 22, 2008
The internet has made being a virtual assistant one of the hottest new work at home businesses. The low startup cost and great income potential make being a virtual assistant one of the easiest home business to break into.
A virtual assistant is someone that works out of their home to do work for their clients. They use the internet, email, fax, snail mail, and the phone to communicate with clients and to do business.
The work might involve administrative tasks, medical or legal transcription, writing and editing such items as reports and business correspondence, web design and maintenance, answering email, data entry, research, setting appointments, making travel arrangements, bookkeeping, and desktop publishing. A virtual assistant might also design business cards, brochures, letterheads, and flyers.
Virtual assistants typically earn from $20 to $40 an hour, but can earn up to $100 an hour or even more, depending on the experience and task. Those who have clients on retainer often give the client a discount and set a monthly fee for work done.
A person doesn’t need any formal training to become a virtual assistant, although there are companies online that will provide training. Anyone that has been a secretary or administrative assistant would have little difficulty in starting a virtual assistant business at home. With the available word processing software programs that are available today, even someone who hasn’t been a secretary or administrative assistant would be able to begin this work at home business with minimal effort.
The basic equipment for getting started is a computer with internet access, preferably high speed, a fax machine, and of course a phone. Optional equipment would be a printer, copier, and scanner. Since most people already have a computer, phone, and printer, that leaves little is anything to purchase, hence the low startup cost.
There are a few things that one needs to do at the beginning of starting a home business as a virtual assistant. First, get a website set up. This means getting a domain name and hosting. Godaddy.com offers very inexpensive domain names and hosting. Once your site is set up, you will want to decide on what services you will provide and list them, along with prices, on your website, and a contact email address or phone. You might want to list your qualifications also.
Next, you will need to draw up a contract for clients. The contract is for your safety and that of your client, to insure that there will be no misunderstanding as to what services you are providing and how much your client is paying for your services. The contract should always be presented and taken care of before you begin a project for a client.
You will also need to decide how you will be paid for your service as a virtual assistant. You can opt for payment by check or through online services such as PayPal.
Now it’s time to start advertising your service. There are several ways to do this. You can promote your website listing your services by word of mouth, family, and friends. You can take out ads in newspapers and magazines. One of the joys of being a virtual assistant is that you can have clients from anywhere in the country and even internationally.
As you get business from clients, your business will flourish not only by word of mouth but by your reputation as someone who does their job well. This will gain you repeat business from clients and help to establish new clients for your virtual assistant home business.
Popularity: 6% [?]
by BlondieWrites on June 21, 2008
Hi and welcome to the brand new WAH Magazine. We are officially up and running! The past three days have been spent trying to work a kink out of the original blog template that I had planned to use. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, that particular blog template bit the dust. After hours of trying to find the perfect template for a work at home magazine blog, the present one was chosen. It fits perfectly.
The WAH Magazine is all about bringing you, the reader, information and resources about working at home. This includes not only work at home tips, but everything that working from home involves… parenting and kids, marriage and relationships, managing your time, balancing work and home life, taking time for yourself, etc. Working at home is great, but it can be stressful. The WAH Magazine hopes to help those who work at home or want to work at home by offering tips on these and other topics.
One thing that I do want to mention is that TheWAHMagazine.com does not and will not charge for our PDF magazine. Our revenue comes from advertising and ebooks, not from a magazine subscription. The magazine is separate from this blog, but the PDF issues of the WAH Magazine can be found on this site (coming soon). Those wishing to read the magazine will need to subscribe, but it’s totally free… no costs, no catches, no subscription fees ever, plus our blog will be offering WAH tips and resources on a regular basis.
We are able to offer our magazine free of charge because our magazine will be in a PDF format, meaning we aren’t putting out money just to make an online magazine look fancy on a website. The PDF format is also much easier to read, it’s easy for our readers to use, and it doesn’t cost us to put the magazine together using it. Other sites choose to charge readers for their fancy online formats. We choose to offer our readers a better service, keeping your money in your pocket.
Popularity: 4% [?]
