Many people dream of working from home. Operating your own business from home can be a dream come true or a nightmare, not only do you have the full benefits you also have total accountability. You alone are responsible for the success or failure of your business. There are many and varied benefits, some quite unexpected, which go along with the many challenges.

Some challenges include the following:-

Sorting out any legal and insurance issues.

Lack of company - working alone does not suit everyone. Many people enjoy day to day “water-cooler” banter which occurs in a work environment.

Lack of skills - there are many aspects to working from home, and you may find you are not expert in all areas. The learning curve can be quite steep.

Lack of support - many work environments offer working in teams as a benefit - teamwork provides an opportunity to share ideas and get feedback. Teams also help with problem solving.

Interruptions - some people may regard your time as less valuable when you work from home and feel they can bother you at any time.

Lack of guaranteed income - the knowledge that you no longer have the regular income a job can provide can be quite daunting. One solution is to commence your home business on a part time basis while still employed and build it up.

Family pressures - small children will naturally enjoy your presence and may hinder your work activities. Set boundaries and choose a work schedule to suit your family’s needs.

Time management - determine your work schedule. Remember that you cannot be “at work” 24 hours a day.

Distractions - phone calls and visitors can be very distracting. Ask your friends and family to respect your core work times.

Lack of understanding - many people, particularly, those who grew up in a time where people had a “job for life”, don’t understand the “work from home” concept. It requires a paradigm shift your extended family may not be capable of making straight away. Don’t expect unreserved support from your mother-in-law!

There are many benefits to working from home, both to you personally and the planet. Your daily commute changes from driving your car in bumper-to-bumper traffic to strolling down the hallway. This benefits you on many levels including:-

Saving money on fuel and vehicle maintenance.

Saving time - depending on your old commute time this can amount to a staggering numbers of hours per week saved.

Avoiding the stress of driving in traffic

Increased safety due to less time on the road.

Reducing your carbon footprint - being “greener”.

You really can work in your pyjamas.

You can schedule your work day to suit your own personal body clock and lifestyle.

You control your work environment, temperature and background music.

You can schedule your business to enable you to attend those precious family events, like your child’s first recital.

You have personal freedom.

You’re not locked into corporate political struggles, long business lunches or office gossip.

You can eat whenever you get hungry. Those leftovers need never go to waste again. Plus it costs far less.

You can claim tax deductions for your home office.

You extend you skills by venturing into areas your traditional job may not allowed.

You can be creative putting together advertising or a new brochure.

You can set yourself up for a secure future.

You can shop at non-peak times for a more relaxed experience.

You can take long weekends without asking anyone for permission.

You can tend to an ill child without feeling guilty about taking time off. Likewise you can arrange for deliveries or repairs without paying extra for after hours service.

Personal growth is something which will occur as part of developing your home based business. Broadening your abilities, and developing an understanding of all aspects of business will never allow you to get bored. Work related satisfaction will soar.

Overall, working from home has many benefits. Your work from home could be an extension of your previous employment or something totally new. Many people start off part time to gain confidence before resigning from their regular employment. It’s hard to put a dollar value on flexible working hours, a more family friendly schedule and lower stress levels, but you will instinctively realize the value on a personal level.

Tags:
Business Success,
Home Business,
Online Business,
Online Profits,
Small Business

Source: Online Profits

The Survey Pro

Those interested in doing “paid surveys” online must realize that although some sites are legitimate, others either want money in exchange for registration into their data bank, or simply want to collect as much information about you to sell to telemarketing companies.

Thesurveypro.com is of the latter.   I clicked on the site and entered some basic information, such as my name, address, age and e-mail address.  I then pressed the button to “join” the site, that promised to pay me for participating in online surveys.  Thesurveypro.com then sent me a confirmation e-mail.

I went to my inbox and clicked on the confirmation link and was directed again to the site where they asked me to participate in a brief “20 questions in 2 minutes” survey.  Some of the questions they asked me consisted of the following:

Would you ever consider working from home?  I answered “no.”  In my experience, answering “yes” to such a question is giving the “go-ahead” to receive dozens of calls and e-mails from unscrupulous “work at home” scam companies.

Are you interested in an online degree?  I answered “no.”  Ever since I foolishly answered yes by mistake at another survey company, I get, on the average, four calls a week from “online education” sources using hard sell tactics to try to get me to “better” my education.  At first I was nice, now I simply hang up.

Do you carry more than $10,000 in student debt?  I answered “no” and this is the truth.  But a “yes” answer will signal calls from debt consolidation companies, which are always bad news.  Signing up with such a company ruins your credit as it is actually viewed as filing a Chapter 13 Bankruptcy.

Do you own a home or a condominium?  I lied and said “no.”  Because I know if I said “yes,” I would get a ton of mail asking me to refinance my home.

Do you feel it is important to know your credit score?  I said “no.”  Because I know if I said “yes” I would get mail and phone calls trying to “help” me raise my credit score.

Do you carry more than $10,000 in credit card debt?  I truthfully answered “no.”  This is just another attempt to get you into debt consolidation.

In the last 30 days, have you rented a movie?  Again I truthfully answered “no.”  This is an ad for netflix.  I’m not interested.

Do you consider yourself an expert in computer use?  Another “no.”  But I’m expecting to start receiving mail offering me instructions any day now.

Are you happy with your current body weight?  I truthfully answered “yes.”  I am one of the few Americans who is actually happy with my weight.  Constant aggravation caused by my two kids has kept me in marvelous shape.

Do you belong to a fitness club?  Gee, I signed up for three health clubs during my lifetime and ended up paying over $2,000 in fees.  I think I used the club about five or six times.  I wisely answered “no.”

Do you drink coffee?  I answered “yes,” but I am not interested in receiving free gourmet coffee every month through the mail.

Are you interested in receiving free gourmet coffee?  I answered “no.” 

After answering these questions, I was directed to yet another site where they asked me to “help keep their site free” and check “yes” or “no” if I was interested in getting more information from their sponsors.  As you may have guessed, most of their sponsors related to the 20 questions.  They included various online universities, Overstock.com, Taste of Home (which is a wonderful magazine, but available at the bookstore),  a few other magazine subscriptions and several “diet” sites,

I said “no” to all of these offers.  They then asked me to “consider” another optional offer.  I clicked on the site and saw a flashy car, huge house and the chance to earn THOUSANDS of dollars.  All I had to do was give them my name, address and telephone number.  Fat chance.

I clicked out of that site quickly and went to my inbox.  There I found a link to confirm my membership to thesurveypro.com.  I clicked on the link and quickly found how I can immediately earn $10 for only 30 minutes worth of work.  All I had to do was sign up for 20 other survey sites.

While thesurveypro.com is not technically a scam (they don’t want any money), it is not a legitimate “paid survey” site.  It is merely a tool used to get information for businesses.  The information that you provide to this site is sold to telemarketing companies that sell products such as diet pills, fitness equipment, magazine subscriptions, credit cards, debt consolidation, and - my personal favorite - online education.

Looking for a way to make a few extra bucks online?  Skip Thesurveypro.com.  Unless, of course, you have a desire to have your mailbox flooded with offers and like to talk to telemarketers.

CLICK HERE FOR A LEGITIMATE PAID SURVEY SITE!

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Source: Chapter 13 Bankruptcy

Copywriting is a great job that can weather a difficult economy well. This is because businesses always need to advertise their products despite the condition of the economy. A good businessman knows that cutting the advertising budget will only hurt sales in the long run, therefore they continue to employ copywriters in difficult economic times.

Freelance copywriting combines the security of copywriting with the benefits of freelancing. These include the ability to dictate your own work schedule, your paycheck, and you can work from anywhere in the world as long as you have an Internet connection. You can also make more money as a freelancer because you don’t have to deal with a parent company or advertising agency. You get to determine how much work you do and you get to keep all of your profit. This gives you greater control over your career and success.

Freelance copywriting operates on a project-per-project system. Meaning that copywriters work for clients on a contracted basis for a single project. The contract lays out what is expected from the copywriter and compensation for the work. Most projects have a timetable in which they have to be completed. The copywriter only has to complete the project inside the given deadline, other than that they can work whenever they want. They aren’t tied to a strict work schedule. But they must also manage their time well because missed deadlines severely hurt freelancing careers. Here are some helpful pointers if you’re considering becoming a freelance copywriter:

Go Online

Freelance copywriters can start finding work with online freelance marketplaces such as www.elance.com. You can create a profile, bid on projects, and post some of your best work as a display to potential clients. You can also have jobs that may interest you automatically emailed to your inbox.

You should construct a website. A website can host some of your work and act as a shop front window to potential clients. Your site needs to be easily read, neat, and professional looking. A sloppy site won’t get you any clients.

Network Yourself

You need to get your name into the market and industry. Otherwise you will have a very difficult time getting clients. Go to seminars and get to know other copywriters. Do some free projects in order to build a client base. You can also partner with other copywriters on larger projects. These things will help build a stable place for your business to grow.

Educate Yourself

No matter how skilled you currently are, you should always work to educate yourself and improve the quality of your copy. Since your writing is the foundation to your business, you should work extra hard to keep yourself competitive. There are plenty of online tutorials that help teach freelancing strategies. There are also different coaching course options by successful copywriters. These allow you to learn from the best copywriters out there and incorporate their success into your business. Check out some books by Dan Kennedy as well, he is a foremost expert in the field and his books can help you greatly.

You should also write everyday. Stephen King once compared working-out at the gym to writing: the more you do it the stronger you become. Therefore you should write everyday, this will help your writing improve immensely.

Hopefully you found this article helpful. Freelance copywriting is a great career with a lot of freedom and benefits. If you think freelance copywriting sounds good, then you should do some more research to see if it is right for you.

Source: marketing