I want a Home-Based Business!

The holidays give us various opportunities to meet new people and learn new things.  In my last blog, I wrote about a young woman I met in a social setting that was adamant about not working at home because her career "demanded" that she stay in close contact with her co-workers....well, the day after Christmas while visiting family I met another woman who is in a different place altogether.   A fairly recent widow, she is only now emerging from her sadness and is looking for something to do...she once raised prized, award winning race horses, she grows organic vegetables, she has published a book - an enormously talented woman indeed!   She was not sure what she wanted to do in the next phase of her life; she was on a soul searching journey.  How does she want to spend her time?  Does she want to work outside with her animals and garden or does she want to work inside writing and editing?  Does she have anything else hidden away that she has always wanted to explore?  These are the type of questions I asked her to get her started with making some decisions.  Starting a home-based business at a later age is the chance of a lifetime....it allows us to make the changes we want to make to ensure that our time is finally our own.  This lovely women mentioned that she is now in the phase of "I want"....she had never experienced that before.  A childhood of being provided only with the basic needs, she had never been given gifts she wanted - books, art, music, theater, etc.  She was asked "tell me what you need, not what you want".  Taking care of her family as an adult, did not leave too much time or money for her wants either...so now, she is finally at the point of nurturing herself, by herself and for herself.  There is a blessing in that....we all need to take care of our inner self and there is no better way of doing it than spending our time doing the work we love.  It inspires us, it motives us, it speaks to us.  So, for 2011, I ask that you are blessed with work that feeds not only you and your family, but also your soul.

  Love what you do and live the life you love!     Helene, http://www.thehome-office.com/

Work at home...or not!

I met a young woman last Saturday night...we were in a social setting and we started to chat about this and that...we ultimately got to "what do you do"?   She said she worked in Television Production....and I said that I taught people how to work at home.  She stated rather intently that she "could never work at home"...I asked her why not...and she said  "I need a place to go to...I have go somewhere outside my house...when I am at home, I am at home and I don't want to "work" while I am at home."   Well, okay...but then she went on about their recent move to the suburbs because they want to start a family, but she still plans to work...work is about 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours away in traffic and she works 15 hour days!  Her "plan" is to work 3 months and then take 3 months off...work 3 months, take 3 months off....she believes this would be a good balance.  I casually mentioned that when children come along we see things differenly and most women find it difficult to leave their babies....she flung her shoulders about and said "I don't feel that way - I always plan on working because that is who I am and what I like to do."   I then gently asked if "working at home" would be a good balance, as she is in a pretty good position and I'm sure she can accommodate some work that can be done at home.  Well, about this time she got a bit huffy - "NO, that will never work, I need people to see my work quickly and get back to me."  So, I backed off and silently asked for some divine assistance for this young woman.  Yes, of course, there are people who cannot work at home, but she wasn't even interested in exploring the options!  I knew of a woman who was in radio broadcasting; she was great at what she did but she just had a baby so she was torn between being at work and being at home.  Her station loved her and didn't want to lose her, so they built a mini-station in the basement of her home, about an hour away from the broadcasting studio....she loved it!   She did her show, she did her paperwork and she played with her baby afterwards.  She did go into the city for meetings and follow-ups, but for the most part she worked out of her basement...how great is that!  With today's technology, you can do practically anything from home on a highly professional level....it just takes initiative, it takes daring and it takes the mentality of : I CAN DO THIS!    So, let's make that our new motto for the New Year ahead....I CAN DO THIS in 2011!

Helene :)       http://www.thehome-office.com/

BALANCING A HOME-OFFICE

Okay, so today is another day where I get the chance to work those balancing muscles!   There is much to do in preparation for my new radio show: I just finished a training session with the tech people so I know what buttons are pushed and at what times...so I know what I'm doing on Friday 12/10 at 9:00am (pacific time)...now I am fielding phone calls and e-mail from my steady customers who are beginning to smell Year End Financial Due Dates!   On top of this I've got to confer with my Internet Marketing person who makes me look good online - her name is Erin and she is home-based....I also need to speak with John, my website guru to make the changes I need...he is home-based as well!  On the personal side, I've got thank you's to send out to the wonderful people who hosted us over Thanksgiving back in New England, as well as Andi and Steph who threw the Hannukah party this year.  I have also got to get organized for Christmas...presents, menus, invitations (thank goodness for e-mail!), etc.  It's a good thing that my husband, The Vice-President In Charge of Everthing, does his share, or at least the things I tell him to do!

How do I proceed with this long list of things to do:  I make a better list!   I've done this for years and it actually works for me.  You might try it and like it too!   I take a blank sheet of paper and draw a line straight down the middle.  Then another line right across the page, so basically I have 1 piece of paper with 4 squares.  In each square I give it a heading: Office, Home, Inside, Outside.  Office is of course my work and Home is my personal life.  I list things in both of these squares such as: Call Mark (producer of radio show) or Call Tine (my sister) about what she is making for Christmas.   The third square is Outside for things that need to be done outside the house: post office, bank, groceries, shoe repair, etc.  And the 4th square is Inside for things such as: move furniture and make room for tree.   I always feel much better when I have this list....even though I add to it throughout the day and it seems endless.

I always stop "work" (when I leave my desk) at 5:30pm...I start dinner, my husband bbq's and sets table, we eat and clean up.  He heads for the Sports Channel and I head back to the office; I pick up what I have set aside for reading and research and head for the living room....we are physically in the same room - he is doing his thing and I am doing mine....I have found this to balance my time in a way that nothing is neglected and I don't go nuts moving back and forth from one thing to another.....so now, tell me what works for you?   How do you balance out your professional live with your home life if you've got a spouse and kids?   Hey, why don't you call me during the show and we can talk about it then?   THE HOME-BASED BUSINESS SHOW, Fridays at 9:00am pacific time....www.voiceamerica.com        Talk soon, Helene

Have Home-Based Business, Will Travel

So here I am 3000 miles away from my home-office and am totally linked to my business!  How great is this!  We are celebrating Thanksgiving with my husband's family and while he is helping them do chores and such, I am at the computer checking in with my clients, my website, my blog, etc.  This is one of the best advantages of operating a home-based business...I am completely mobile and can handle things no matter where I am.  We took off for a month earlier this year and each morning, with coffee in hand, I would sit with my laptop on the sunny balcony of the hotel room and check my e-mails.  After answering a few of them and ear-marking the rest for follow-up at a later time, I would then check in my students that take my online course on how to start a home-based business.  After that I would blog a bit and do some facebooking as well.  If there was still time before we took off for the day, I would so some research about things that are of interest to me and save the information for when I returned to my home-office.  

Today, I am reviewing the e-mails sent to me by the radio show tech people; after I read them, I can e-mail back my answers and together we can prepare for the premiere on December 10th.  The Home-Based Business Show will air at 9:00am PST and it will cover all aspects of the home-based business arena.  It would be great if you can call in or e-mail me while I'm doing the show and I can answer you questions live on the air!  Tell me what you want to know about home-based businesses!!!! 

I am so thankful that in the 20+ years as a home-based business owner I have helped so many people take control of their life and how they generate an income, by doing what they love to do!  HAPPY THANKSGIVING!    Helene, http://www.thehome-office.com/

Characteristics of a Home-Based Business Owner Are Not A Big Secret!

The characteristics of a Home-Based Business Owner are not a big secret…


Many of us have them. But, simply having these characteristics does not make you a home-based business owner. What makes you a home-based business owner is putting these characteristics into ACTION.

Characteristics of a Home-Based Business Owner:

This person is a Born Leader: self-starters; initiators; highly motivated and disciplined; willing and able to work alone, get their hands dirty, work hard, make mistakes; have high energy, good ethics, much enthusiasm, positive attitude; willing to change because it is a form of hope, a belief in tomorrow; flexible and adaptable to new ideas, new trends, new developments; not afraid to take the risk or of failing; enjoy the challenge of being their own boss

5 Top Reasons Why People Start Their Own Business:

Money: success is believing you earned every penny you make

Independence: You are the boss…you are in control of your life!

Office Politics: No supervisor or co-workers to annoy you or tell you what to do!

Traffic: Spend the time actually working and not just sitting in transit

Family: Spouse, children, parents, – today’s family structure forces us to seek new ways to earn a living so we can work smarter and enjoy life more!

Most home-based business owners know how to make a product or provide a service…there are many talented people out there!  And yet, they do not know how to manage their home-based business for success!  They get over-whelmed with day-to-day operations, with cash flow problems, with advertising that doesn’t work, with tax forms and accounting issues, etc.  What they should be doing is getting the help they need to get to the next level. 

We are the Home-Based Business Experts!  We can provide you with the services you need.  Our vast knowledge of home-based business start-ups and all the right business procedures will get you back on track so you can grow your home-based business and increase your bottom line!

Contact Home Office Management Experts today!       http://www.thehome-office.com/
Helene@thehome-office.com

Home-Based Business Survival

Ellen (not her real name) called me the other day. I contacted her about doing some work for me in an area that I am so confused about (social media!). She told me that she would be able to help me but on a limited basis as she had to take a part-time job to get financially stable. She sounded a bit sad about this. I first met Ellen through a popular business linking program that a mutal friend told me about...she referred me to Ellen as the person who helps people start their own home-based business. So we got together and talked and talked and talked! I gave her the basics and she did everything I told her to do to get her business started. That was about a year ago. She now needs to work for someone else a few days a week to stay afloat....my response to her was Welcome Aboard! Operating a home-based business means you have to do what you have to do to make things happen for yourself and to survive.

I can't remember how many times I asked my mother to call me, just so I can be sure that the incoming phone line was working....nobody was calling me! Over the last twenty years I have had to take on several part-time assignments to make the income I needed to live on! It happened so many times that I decided to make it a normal pattern in my life as a home-based business owner. It's a good balance....I have three days a week to promote my business, work on my own projects, work on my "work at home clients", etc. The other two days I see my regular clients. This formula happily serves two purposes. The first one is that I get a steady paycheck every week! The second one is that it slows me down. When I am in that office, I work on their business only cause that is why they are paying me. I concentrate on them and in doing a good job for their business; this in turn brings me to to yet another good thing for me. Because I am away from my own projects and goals, I gain a bit of perspective. The two days I am "distanced" from my own business, gives me a new set of eyes to look at things when I get back to my desk at home. That is when I put the eraser to good use...I can hone in on what feels right and delete what suddenly looks too unreal or is just not accurate.

Home-based businesses are supposed to be fun! If yours is dragging you down or making you depressed because no one is calling, no one is buying, no one cares - well then, stop what you are doing, take a step back and re-think things. Lots of people make the transition in one step. They quit their full-time job (or it quits them), determing that they want to work for themselves and jump feet first. This is often foolish. Without proper planning they will fail. Businesses need to be planned out, they need to be researched, they need to be tested and they need to be funded. It is far better to start slowly. Get the legal things done first - register your business name, get the license and obtain the seller's permit if you are planning to sell a product. Now you are ready to begin...grow your business one step-at-a-time....build it on a solid foundation. Nothing makes me more crazy that someone telling me that they tried a home-based business and it just wasn't worth it....through conversation with this person I discover that they never knew what the competition was doing, never joined a group or networking environment and could not cold-call. Well then, whose fault is it when the business failed? Plan, research and be flexible. Home-based businesses need to be nurtured, just like any other living thing....water often, talk to it and then watch it grow! Good luck, Helene :) www.thehome-office.com

Yesterday I Worked At Home

Yesterday I worked at home...and loved it! I've had a home-based business for over 20 years and even though I am based at home, I must go to my clients in order to provide them with my hard-earned expertise. Over the years I have been able to explore other income-producing avenues that allow me to actually work at my desk....and yesterday was one of the perfect days! After a quick check on e-mails, I made coffee and got washed and dressed for the day. Yes, I was planning to work at home all day, but dragging around in my pajamas does not make me feel productive; so casual pants and a tee-shirt was my chosen attire.

I started with making a list of all that I wanted to accomplish for the day. Keeping it posted near the computer allowed me to cross off each item as I finished itl; it also allowed me to feel really, really good about my progress! My list included; client projects to work on, accounting for the businesses my husband and I manage, phone calls to prospective clients, etc. At the bottom of the list I also had: personal phone calls and e-mails to make and return, light housekeeping, make dinner. Next to each item, I recorded the priority number in red, so I can proceed in an organized manner. This helps me stay focused on what absolutely had to get time and at a specific time. For example, a client needed his financials done asap for his upcoming meeting with his attorney: I got this done right away.

Working at home takes structure and discipline. First you have to create the environment...is my desk organized is a way that I can reach for things I need without having to think about where I left them last? Are my client files neatly arranged so I can access them efficiently? Are my most important telephone numbers stored in the phone so I can use speed dial? When these type of things are not in order, you can be really surprised as to how much time they use up just trying to get to them...so taking the time and making the effort to set things up for yourself is a real investment = good time management!

Discipline is sticking to the plan you have set up. There are so many distractions when you work at home. Watching tv, taking a nap, chatting with a neighbor, playing with your dog, etc. create a real challenge when we are looking for a way to avoid doing the work! When I was first tempted with "doing other things" when I was supposed to be working from home, I set up a reward system. If I do two things on my list, I had a bit of ice cream. If I finished at least half of what was on my list, I actually left the office and took a long walk around the neighborhood. I also like to think of "buying" my freedom when I do all of the things on my list. If I hurry up and get everything done, I can relax in the evening and enjoy a nice dinner, a movie, etc. with my husband.

Speaking of husbands, mine is retired. We have a partner's desk in the home office, so he gets to have a place to sit and work on his "stuff". Most of the time he plays games or checks sports scores, but hey, he stays busy, he stays out of my way and yet we can still be together. He is the perfect assistant in my business too...he loves to run the errands: post office, bank, office supply store, etc. When I've got a question about something he is a great sounding board - he's background in management is a very good asset to my own management experience. And yes, when I'm running late, he will start dinner!

The weather yesterday was perfect. The sliding door to the outside, which is right next to my desk was open...I heard birds singing, I saw squirrels dashing about and the sun shone right across my desk. Working at home is the best possible way for me to earn my income. I love it so much I help other people do it too! Visit my website: www.thehome-office.com to learn more about what I do and how I can be of help to you to - if you want to work at home too!

Love what you do and live the lifystyle you create for yourself! Helene :)