The Work At Home Link Blog

Archive for the ‘Work At Home’ Category

Why do so many new businesses fail? Many people start new businesses - particularly online businesses - with a lot of drive and hope, but only a small fraction of people who start online businesses actually succeed.

Here are some of the reasons so many online businesses fail. A lot of these reasons apply to any type of small business.

1. Failure to plan.  Business success is not something that just happens. It’s something you have to make happen. The way to make it happen is to make a plan with specific steps. Your plan has to include a strategy for making your business grow. For example, if you start your own website, you have to make a plan for getting traffic to your website. This may include free methods and paid methods or both. Above all, it must include paying attention to what’s working and what’s not working. Your plan needs to include getting a handle on what you’re doing with your time, because in business, time is money.
2. Lack of action. Many people talk about starting an internet business. They purchase ebooks, software and other products. They read ebooks, watch videos, listen to audios. But they never get started. They never set up a marketing campaign to promote a particular project, or they never get started writing their ebook, even though that’s what they mean to do. This ties in with #1:  what do you plan to accomplish today or this week or this month? What deadlines do you have for completing what you’re starting?
3. Going in too many directions. Internet marketing has a huge learning curve, and you can’t learn everything in a day or a week. You need to pick a direction and go in it. You can only learn one thing at a time. Slow down. Learn one thing thoroughly, then move on.

If you are new to internet marketing, there is a ton of information coming at you on a daily basis. How do you stay focused? Learn more about information overload in my next post.

Technorati Tags: Start Your Own Work at Home Business, Work At Home, work at home business

Keeping good business records is an important part of owning a home business. You need to be able to document how much money is coming in and how much is going out for several reasons:

• You need a clear sense of whether your business is actually making a profit. It’s only by clearly seeing your business trends that you can make decisions such as whether to invest more, spend less, or change your strategy.
• You need to be able to document your income for tax purposes.
• Good business records will be required if you seek outside financing. The larger your business grows, the more documentation will be required by outside auditors and investor.

For many business owners, record keeping is one of the less pleasant aspects of running a business. But if you develop good habits of organization early in the game, you won’t find yourself digging through mountains of paperwork at tax time.

Here are some basic tips for keeping good business records:

1. Open a separate checking account for your business and keep business transactions separate from personal transactions.
2. Keep receipts and invoices in a folder labeled “Expenses”. Also create clear documentation of any cash transactions. Expenses included advertising, bank fees, licenses and permits and inventory.
3. Document all income in a spreadsheet or a separate folder labeled “Income.” Track any cash or checks received as well as PayPal payments.

Spreadsheets are a great tool for documenting income versus expenses. Consult with a tax professional to find out what expenses should be tracked besides those listed above. Get in the habit of filing and recording transactions daily

Keeping good records is the only way you will know for sure whether your business is actually making a profit.  Good habits developed early will ensure that you are able to stay on top of your business decisions at all times.

Technorati Tags: business records, record keeping, Work At Home, work at home business

Job boards such as http://www.elance.com, http://www.guru.com and http://www.rentacoder.com are sites where jobs for freelancers are posted. There are several marketable skills in demand on these sites including web programming and design, translation, administrative support and sales and marketing.

One of the most in-demand skills at these sites is writing. If you enjoy writing and need money, there is no need for you to be a starving artist. All over the web, there are website owners hungry for people to help them fill their websites and blogs with content. They are searching for writers to outsource this work to.

If you have no experience, spend some time browsing websites and become familiar with the type of content that is typically displayed on websites. Remember that people online are scanning the web pages, not reading them. Content needs to be brief and to the point. Subheadings are helpful to break up large blocks of text.

Practice writing articles modeling them against articles that appear online. Web content is typically 300-600 words an article. A good place to review sample articles is http://www.ezinearticles.com.

Put together a small portfolio of articles on various topics such as money, health, parenting, self-improvement, etc. Most of these freelance sites will allow you to upload sample articles to your portfolio on their site. Better yet is if you have your own website to showcase your work along with contact information.

Most freelance job sites allow you to browse available jobs before becoming a member. You may need to bid on the low side to get your first jobs, but if you deliver quality content in a timely manner, you will quickly have more work than you know what to do with.

Be sure to network with other writers. One good place to start is http://www.wahm.com/forum/ . Look for the forum titled “Wahms who write.” Another good place to get information is to do a google search on freelance writing blogs. One freelance writing blog that also posts writing jobs is http://www.freelancewritinggigs.com/.

If you want to write for money, there is plenty of opportunity out there. Get started today.

Technorati Tags: Work At Home, writing at home, writing for money, writing for profit

The explosion of the internet has opened up dozens of possibilities for people who are computer literate. One of the best starting opportunities for someone who wants to work from home is to work as a virtual assistant.

According to Wikepedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_assistant) a virtual assistant is defined as:

“a business owner providing professional level administrative, technical or sometimes creative assistance to clients, usually to other independent entrepreneurs and solo and small business practices. Virtual assistants work from their own office, hence ‘virtual’, thus making it a fairly popular and growing profession.”

Wikepedia goes on to state that there are currently 5,000-8,000 virtual assistants in the world, and that a minimum of five years experience in an office setting as an administrative assistant, office manager, secretary or similar jobs is usually expected.

Some skills needed to become a virtual assistant are:

• Writing. A virtual assistant should have solid language and grammar skills.
• Organization. Exemplary organizational skills are needed to be able to keep projects in order.
• Good communication skills. You will find quickly that many clients expect you to be able to read their minds. Being able to keep channels of communication open is a necessary skill for VAs.
• Good internet skills. You have to be comfortable using the internet to succeed as a virtual assistant.
• Entrepreneurial spirit. Starting a virtual assistant business is exactly that: a business. You have to be willing to do the work, whatever that entails, from hustling work to juggling more than one client to keeping your business records straight. You have to be self-disciplined enough to get the work done and to set a schedule for yourself when no one is looking over your shoulder telling you when to show up for work or what to do.
• Marketing skills. You need to have or be willing to develop the ability to market yourself.

You can charge by the hour, the project or the page. You may be able to get started finding work on sites such as http://www.elance.com.

For more information on becoming a virtual assistant, visit the International Virtual Assistants Association at http://www.ivaa.org/ or the Virtual Assistant Networking Association at http://www.vanetworking.com/.

Technorati Tags: Virtual Assistant, Work from Home Job

Can you really make money blogging? For many people, a blog is just a place to share their thoughts and opinions. But if you approach a blog as a business, there are several ways to make money blogging.

Selling advertising is probably the most common way to make money blogging. The more traffic your blog receives and the more you establish yourself in a particular niche, the more advertising opportunities will present themselves. You can get started by placing ads on your blog using the Google Adsense program. These ads will be consistent with the theme of your blog. You will be paid for ads that your readers click on.

Selling goods and services from your blog is another way to make money blogging. The most common way to do this is through affiliate links. You can also set up feeds to www.amazon.com or to www.ebay.com. If you are just getting started, establish a blog at www.blogger.com. It is very user-friendly to newcomers and will show you exactly how to do this.

A blog can be used as a way to advertise services. For example, if you are trying to establish yourself as a resume writer, you could set up a blog offering tips for resume preparation, but also establish that you are available to do this service. A blog allows you to show your expertise in a given area.

Consistent blog posting also establishes you as a blogger, and once you have done this you can bid on jobs that are geared to professional bloggers. Visit http://jobs.problogger.net/ for examples.

Keep in mind having an income from this source won’t happen overnight. It will require frequent and consistent posting and actively promoting your blog. One of the best ways to promote a blog or any other website is through forum posting.

Learn more about forums in my next post.

Technorati Tags: Work At Home, work at home business

You’re staring at your computer wondering how to make money online. You know it can be done, but how? The possible ways of making money online are probably about as numerous as the people who have tried them. But there are a few paths that are more likely to lead to success than others.

Here are the best ways to make money online:

Create a blog. Whatever your passion, you can write about it on a blog. This is a format that makes creating your own website informal, and allows you to have a place to drive traffic. It allows you to have a “home page” where people can find you and contact you if you are offering your own product, or if you are selling services.

Affiliate marketing. An affiliate is basically someone who makes money selling other people’s products. You get a commission from purchases made by people who have seen ads or text links on your site or blog. The key to success as an affiliate is actively marketing your product or the page with your affiliate links.

Auction sites. Auction sites such as eBay offer a way to begin making money online. Get started selling junk around the house. Consider buying items wholesale or through a dropshipping service.

Create your own product. By creating your own product, you can have something to sell that is uniquely your own. Many marketers say having their own product was the turning point to finally beginning to make money online.

Selling services. If you have marketable skills you can get started making money online by offering your services on sites like elance.com or guru.com. Some in-demand skills include writing, web design, translation, etc.

These are just a few of the ways people are making money at home with their computer.

Let’s take a more in-depth look at blogging in my next post.

Technorati Tags: Work At Home, work at home business

The internet has opened a world of opportunity for entrepreneurs. There are many ways of making money at home using your computer. Some are simple ways of making extra cash, such as doing surveys and paid-to-read emails. Others are turn-key internet opportunities. And then there is the option of starting your own website and building a business out of nothing.

It’s not as easy as it may seem at first. You may hear that all you have to do is turn on your computer, learn a few secrets and you will make a ton of money right off the bat. You will see stories of 18-year-olds who “cracked the code” and make five figures a month. Everyone seems to be making a lot of money without much effort, and everyone claims they are the one to show you how it’s done. For most internet-business-wannabes, confusion becomes a way of life.

The first thing you need to learn if you are interested in an internet business is that most internet entrepreneurs are not successful right away. There is a lot to learn, and like any apprenticeship, learning takes time. It’s confusing knowing who to believe, and if you start chasing a dozen different “gurus” around, you won’t accomplish anything. You can and will make mistakes, and it will be a while before you can quit your day job.

An internet business is a business. Businesses need to be thought out and planned. What are your strengths and weaknesses? How will you go about making money?

Let’s look at some of the ways people make money on the internet in my next post.

Technorati Tags: Work At Home, work at home job

A large percentage of new businesses fail in their first year. The more prepared you are when you open yours, the better your chances for success. What characteristics are required for a home business owner?

You must be a self-starter. Once you make the decision to start a business, nobody is going to make you do it. You will have to tell you when to show up, and you will have to enforce the rules. You will have to organize your time and strategically plan exactly where you expect your business to go.

You must be a problem solver. When your business is presented with problems, it will be your responsibility to solve them. Trust me, there will be problems, anything from where to obtain inventory to how to budget your money to be sure you can pay your taxes.

You must be energetic. In the early years of a business, you have to be 100% committed. Although you were striving for freedom, it may suddenly seem like you have less freedom than ever. Suddenly instead of working five days a week, you’re working seven days a week.

You must be decisive. Your business decisions must be made, and they must be made by you. You may need to make important decisions under pressure, long before you really know what you’re doing.

You must have a clear vision. A very wise person once said, “Failure to plan is planning to fail.” It is often recommended that you have a business plan before you get started. At the very least you should have clearly mapped out a plan mentally of where you expect to be in a year or five years and what it’s going to take to get there.

As a new entrepreneur, arm yourself with as much knowledge as possible. Study www.sba.gov for a lot of ideas and roadmaps. According to the SBA, about 50% of all new businesses fail in the first five years. Lack of experience is at the top of the list for the reason why. Lack of capital comes in a close second.

Many new business owners underestimate what is really involved in running a home business, then they get discouraged and quit. You don’t have to be one of them. Obtain as much knowledge as possible. Recognize that you are learning, treat mistakes as opportunities and be persistent.

If you have passion and drive, you can make it happen.

One possibility is an internet business. Learn more in my next post.

Technorati Tags: Work At Home, work at home business

Welcome to Work At Home Link Blog. I am excited that you have found your way here. If you’re looking for a place to find out the best opportunities for working at home, a place to find out how to recognize and avoid scams or a place to show you how to really start making money from home, you’ve come to the right place.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, over 20 million people spend at least some time working from home as part of their primary job. The statistic that isn’t available is how many millions of people wish they could work at home but don’t. For a lot of people, working at home seems to be an impossible dream. Experiencing only frustration, some start believing there are no opportunities, only scams. They may try a few opportunities but run out of money or hope before making any real progress. They give in to discouragement and frustration. They give up their dreams.

With patience and persistence, your dreams can come true. Don’t give up!

The first step in this journey is to get in touch with what you really want so you can make a plan to get it. There is a difference between needing a few extra dollars to fill the gas tank and wanting to be able to quit your day job. One is a path to financial relief – the other is a path to financial freedom. Different goals require taking different steps. My goal is to help you on your journey, whatever the direction.

What is your goal? Let’s explore the options and work toward them together.

Thank you for joining me today. Hope you will visit again soon.

Technorati Tags: Work At Home