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Home Based Business Workshop Part Two

The different types of work available to a home-office business is almost unlimited and is certainly equal to the number of tasks performed on a computer by anyone sitting in a cubical or at a desk in any office anywhere in the world.

There are basic equipment and software requirements regardless of the type of assignments you intend to target for your home-office. We will look at those essentials and give recommendations of some great free stuff that will really add value to your home-office business by increasing the number of projects you can apply for.

PC, Mac or Laptop - Ideally this should be a piece of equipment less than two years old to ensure it has sufficient operating capacity to meet all your needs
A reliable high-speed broadband/DSL internet connection
Those are the only absolutely vital pieces of equipment you will need to set up your home-office business and start applying for remote jobs and projects. Of course there are other pieces of equipment your home office will need later on and most are already a common component in the most basic of family computer packages.

Scanner
Printer
Fax
Scanners, printers, fax machines and even all-in-one combos are available at all computer stores and these days they are relatively inexpensive. If for any reason you don't have the funds to invest in equipment right away and all you have is a lap-top and an internet connection; you really can get by with just that for quite some time.

There are few projects and assignments that require you to have the equipment with well over 90% of basic office admin jobs being completely paperless. But if it is a case of getting by until you can get the equipment then you can find the facilities to scan print or fax at most local libraries and internet cafes.

Do I need a website?

I knew you would be thinking about this quite early on; so I will touch on that briefly.

You do not need a website straightaway and not having a website will not stop you from getting work or running your home office business. Your website is something that we will talk about in depth when we discuss your online presence.

However you should get yourself some cheap web hosting - firstly so you can purchase and register your desired domain giving you the domain email that you need to communicate with any employers you get immediately, using the brand identity you will ultimately be marketing.

Some freelancers are content with using a Gmail address, but if you intend to build yourself into a recognizable and branded business unit that must be perceptual as well as actual; so identity is important.

And of course once you have all the physical elements of your home based office business set-up you are then ready to work on your website straight away as soon as you ready. I will talk about structuring your website in later posts; but for now purchase a domain name at the very least - there is a button link to a good provider that I use myself on the right of the page.

Okay, so now to look at the software other essential resources you will need...

An office software suite for word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, graphics, databases and all those capabilities you would associate with the likes of office software suites such as Microsoft Office, Works and Corel; to name a few.
It is highly recommended that you also take advantage of an open source software suite such as OpenOffice which can read and write files from all the other office software programs; it is completely free of charge and can be found at Openofficedotorg

As many of the popular instant messengers as possible - i.e. Yahoo Messenger & Windows Messenger

A Skype account - Skype is a free software application that allows you to make free voice and video calls to other Skype users - There are also very reasonable packages available where you can make telephone calls to landlines and cell phone numbers worldwide as well as being able to purchase your own Skype telephone number - you can even choose the area code you want.
It is fast becoming the preferred method of communication by employers; the free aspects of Skype to Skype communication, the low cost of calling packages combined with a generous fair use policy set at 10,000 minutes a month also makes Skype a sensible, reliable and inexpensive communication solution for your home office.

Package costs range from $8 to $16 per month depending on whether you want just domestic or international calls; you can also have your own phone number that you can use online or from any Skype compatible own cell phone.

The maximum annual cost for a Skype phone number and unlimited international phone calls is $242 - this is cheaper than many of the regular phone and cable companies.

But to start with all you need is to actually download the Skype application at rel=nofollow http://www.skype.com/intl/en-gb/get-skype/on-your-computer/windows/

For your rel=nofollow [http://yourarmchairoffice.wetpaint.com/]home-based business you will only need to consider one of the calling packages once you start applying to projects that require make and receive phone calls

File storage, File back-up and File transfer are all functions that you will need to have readily available on an ongoing basis. You have to remember that all the files on your computer, both your personal files and clients work in progress and completed work that is ready for delivery are all vitally important; and if anything happens to your computer and that is the only place you have your files stored then you have lost it all.
There are several ways to store and back-up files; the simplest method is to transfer your files to CD or to an external hard drive on a regular basis; or if and when you do have web-hosting there will be generous file storage included in any package.

What you then also have to bear in mind is that, not only do you need some secure storage for your files but you also need to be able to receive files from your employers and be able to deliver drafts and completed work to them.

Most email hosts cannot receive or send files larger than 10MB and you will have to transfer larger files on a regular basis, so you will need a simple and reliable solution.

There are many options on the internet; if you perform a search with phrases such as 'free file transfer' of 'free file storage' you will find lots of sites where you can sign-up for a free membership. With most of the resources you will find there is always a free membership level that gives you limited use of the service.

Even though most of them offer very generous free file storage space at the basic member level, uploading and downloading files is slow; the faster priority service being reserved for premium membership accounts that pay a monthly or annual fee.

Here are two resources that I strongly recommend as they give the best function and control in the storage and transfer of files at the free basic account level and offer the best value for money at the premium account level should you need to upgrade in the future.

4shared.com is a resource that gives you 10GB of space at the free account level and allows you to share as many files as you want that are no larger than 200MB each. You are able to manage your files via the website or alternatively you can download the desktop application. When sharing of file is selected by you a URL link is created for you to provide to the people you want to give the file; you also have the option of including password protection access to any shared file.

Upgrading to a premium account will increase your storage space to 100MB and the maximum single file size for transfer to 5GB. The cost is $9.95 per month with discounts available for 3, 6 and 12 month packages
rel=nofollow https://www.dropbox.com/ This resource gives you 2GB of free storage space, but you can increase this by inviting friends and earning an additional 250MB per friend that accepts up to a maximum of 8GB; so 10GB total available with a free basic account. Files are shared by inviting the intended recipient to share the folder that the files are contained in; of course you can create one file for each individual or invite multiple people to a folder for multi person collaboration. Once an invitation to share a file is accepted that person can take delivery of anything that is put in the folder.
There are two levels of premium account - 50GB of storage for $9.99 per month or $99.00 per year or 100GB of storage for $19.99 per month or $199.00 per year.

An additional feature with either of the premium accounts on Dropbox is that you have permanent file recovery; any files that are deleted or removed from any folder that you have created can be retrieved at any time.

Okay so that is everything you need to get started on the task of finding remote jobs and projects and earning your income from your home based office business.

Now you need to know where to find the work, how to construct your application proposals to maximize your success and what viable additional revenue streams there are available to you - I will cover all of that in [http://www.yourarmchairoffice.com]future posts real soon.

You can earn steady income online from the comfort of your own armchair.

Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Home-Based-Business-Workshop-Part-Two&id=4633965] Home Based Business Workshop Part Two

How to Set Up a Mom Friendly Work at Home Office

Gear up for in house mobility

Unlike the typical work at home pro who can tuck themselves away in a separate room with the door closed, you need to be in a place where you can keep your eye on the little ones while working away. For example, in the morning you might be in the kitchen serving breakfast. A couple of hours later you're in the family room for play time, then back to the kitchen during lunch. In the afternoon you're in the den supervising homework time. Running back and forth between your office and the room your child is in just won't do. You need to think like a road warrior and that means mobility.

The Mobile Home Office Set-up

You will be conducting business on the run and there is no way around that. Here is what you need:

Wireless ready notebook computer - Mac or PC is up to you but a 15 inch screen is the smallest we recommend. Be sure you have Microsoft Office, a web browser, and any other software required for your work loaded on the notebook.
High speed Internet connection such as DSL or Cable
Wireless router - This connects to your high-speed Internet modem. Setting this up is not terribly difficult but if you are a complete technophobe your Internet provider or a home computer service pro can set this up for you.
Dedicated business phone line w/voice mail - Must have to keep your personal calls at bay while you focus on your workday.
Cordless Phone w/ wireless headset
File tote box

The Home Office Base Station

Now that your set-up to be a work at home mom on the run, you still need a dedicated workspace to use when you have alone time and tasks that require maximum focus. Pick a location in the house where you can have some privacy. A spare bedroom is ideal but any space where you can have relative quite and privacy will do. Once you settle on your work at home space, it's time to convert it into an area that is meant for business. The goal is to make you feel like you've left your home and entered into a business environment. At the very minimum, paint the walls a different color then the rest of the house. Avoid using bedroom lamps. Instead, use halogen desk lamps sold at office supply stores that look industrial and can be dimmed.

Home Office Layout

At its most basic, a home office needs a desk, bookshelf, and a filing cabinet. Depending on your office location and space type, you may need additional furnishings to give you privacy. For example if you do not have a door to close off your space you should bring in cubicle walls or room dividers. Resurrecting you own walls will help keep you out of sight and mind of the family, as well as block outside noise.

Basic Work At Home Office Gear and Supplies

Here is a basic checklist of the items you will need for your home office:

Fax Machine 0r Fax Software
Printer
Label Printer
Printer Paper
Pens, Pencils, Paperclips, Stapler
Highlighters
Several 3 Ring Binders
Paper Trays
Notepads

Keep It Green, Clean, and Orderly

When your home office is ready for business follow these 10 great tips on how to make a rel=nofollow [http://www.athomemoms.com/10-ways-to-green-your-home-office/]green work at home office that is kind to environment and your energy bill. Also be sure to keep it clean and orderly. No matter how much time and effort you put into the design and layout, it will all go for naught if you let paper and trash piles build up. Having a disorganized office will slow you down. Take time each day to tidy up and file paperwork. The best time to do your filing is at the end of the day. Not only will you have an organized desk when you start your next work day, the routine of filing the day's work away will help you mentally separate yourself from work for the rest of the night.

We would love to hear your work at home office ideas. If you have some to share please use the Comments section below.

By Will Bernstein, At Home Moms.com

About At Home Moms.com: Online since 1998, At Home Moms.com is dedicated to helping you be a successful [http://www.athomemoms.com/]work at home mom.

Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?How-to-Set-Up-a-Mom-Friendly-Work-at-Home-Office&id...] How to Set Up a Mom Friendly Work at Home Office

Starting Your First Online Business - Part 4 - Organization

Materials:

Now that you know that in order to succeed you cannot treat this like a hobby, it is a business and you need to treat it like one. You are going to need a few things to keep your business organized.

I use a notebook program called Microsoft Office OneNote. It allows me to keep all of my websites separate and organized. So I have one notebook for each website and another notebook that I use to keep track of my goals and what my next action steps will be. I use this program every day and organize my days so I know exactly what I need to do that day.

Microsoft Excel or any spreadsheet program will work too. Or you can go old school and get yourself a few three ring binders. You are going to need something you can use to write on every day to stay organized. You'll need at least one notebook with dividers for each website and a separate notebook for your game plan.

I also carry around a little pen on my key chain and a small notebook that fits right in my pocket so I don't ever miss out on any thoughts or ideas I have during the day. This might be something that would benefit you as well. If you prefer to use the computer but just don't have a program to use, I recommend Simpleology.com. It's free and easy to use.

Staying organized will help soften the blow you feel from being overwhelmed by all the information thrown at you. If you plan everything out and create a daily plan and course of action, it takes all of the guessing game away. You then can just focus on the things that you know that you need to do each day, and focus only on getting your daily goals done. Find something to help you do this and write everything out. Stay organized with and plan each and every day accordingly.

Wade enjoys writing to help others and has been making money online for the last three years. He also owns and operates a plethora of websites all designed to offer free consumer information. His newest [http://laptoppoweradapters.org]Laptop Power Adapters website gives information about [http://laptoppoweradapters.org/cheap-laptop-batteries/]Cheap Laptop Batteries and where to find them.

Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Starting-Your-First-Online-Business---Part-4---Orga...] Starting Your First Online Business - Part 4 - Organization

Starting Your First Online Business - Part 4 - Organization

Materials:

Now that you know that in order to succeed you cannot treat this like a hobby, it is a business and you need to treat it like one. You are going to need a few things to keep your business organized.

I use a notebook program called Microsoft Office OneNote. It allows me to keep all of my websites separate and organized. So I have one notebook for each website and another notebook that I use to keep track of my goals and what my next action steps will be. I use this program every day and organize my days so I know exactly what I need to do that day.

Microsoft Excel or any spreadsheet program will work too. Or you can go old school and get yourself a few three ring binders. You are going to need something you can use to write on every day to stay organized. You'll need at least one notebook with dividers for each website and a separate notebook for your game plan.

I also carry around a little pen on my key chain and a small notebook that fits right in my pocket so I don't ever miss out on any thoughts or ideas I have during the day. This might be something that would benefit you as well. If you prefer to use the computer but just don't have a program to use, I recommend Simpleology.com. It's free and easy to use.

Staying organized will help soften the blow you feel from being overwhelmed by all the information thrown at you. If you plan everything out and create a daily plan and course of action, it takes all of the guessing game away. You then can just focus on the things that you know that you need to do each day, and focus only on getting your daily goals done. Find something to help you do this and write everything out. Stay organized with and plan each and every day accordingly.

Wade enjoys writing to help others and has been making money online for the last three years. He also owns and operates a plethora of websites all designed to offer free consumer information. His newest [http://laptoppoweradapters.org]Laptop Power Adapters website gives information about [http://laptoppoweradapters.org/cheap-laptop-batteries/]Cheap Laptop Batteries and where to find them.

Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Starting-Your-First-Online-Business---Part-4---Orga...] Starting Your First Online Business - Part 4 - Organization

Tech Essentials For Your Home Business

Laptop Computer - You have your desktop computer for everyday use but what about keeping in touch and productive on the road? Or taking advantage of a beautiful sunny day by taking your work out of your home office onto the deck or to the local park (or beach even.) To be most useful your laptop should be able to do almost everything that your desktop can as well as be easy to carry around. Laptops, like most technologies have dropped in price over the last few years but take the time to shop around a little before you buy.

A Good Office Suite - Every business needs a good office suite software. Microsoft Office is of course the most popular and the one that comes immediately to mind for most people. 2010 saw the advent of a free version of the famous productivity tool offered online, a savings of several hundred dollars for the startup business owner.

If you prefer to go open source Open Office is another free option and documents and presentations can be saved in formats that are compatible with most other office suites.

Accounting Software - Keeping track of your home businesses finances is of course a must. You do not have to spend a fortune on accounting software though. The average home business owner should find QuickBooks Simple Start or Microsoft Office Accounting Express have just the right amount of features to handle their basic bookkeeping needs.

VoIP - Businesses of all different sizes are beginning to embrace VoIP technologies like Skype as a far more cost effective way to handle business phone communication. Such services are a great option for home businesses that work internationally (freelance writers especially.)

Good Portable Data Storage - For many home businesses a loss of the data on their main computers would essentially cripple their business, so an efficient way to make sure all that crucial information is safely stored elsewhere is essential. Making the larger investment in a good portable hard drive is probably a better idea than maintaining multiple smaller flash drives that can be easily misplaced.

For more advice for the home based business professional and for helpful links to and reviews of real work at home opportunities please visit http://myworkathomeresources.com/

Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Tech-Essentials-For-Your-Home-Business&id=4091519] Tech Essentials For Your Home Business

Infinity Downline Review - Legit Products?

Membership is $25.00/month.

The income opportunity revolves around your enrolling others into the program, selling memberships. You get paid $25 per month for each membership you sell, There are two exceptions to this as you do pass your second and fourth enrollees up to your sponsor and they become part of your sponsor's organization, not yours.

What you get access to, the product for Infinity Downline, is a gigantic library of tools, trainings and resources related to marketing and business development, and which range from "how-to"s on the "Microsoft Office" applications to "Guerilla Marketing" tactics.

The Infinity Downline could theoretically be used only as a way to expand one's job skills. For some people a simple lack of computer skills is the difference between job and no-job. But I wouldn't generally recommend a job for anyone. That is of course unless you desire to work yourself to death for low pay, for years and years and years, with no real hope of getting ahead, and while making someone else wealthy.

So, the trainings on the Office programs are thorough. And in fact, there are hundreds of hours of audio and video trainings on dozens of helpful topics. Here are some of the training titles:

"Cyber Law";"Guerilla Marketing Tactics"; "Adobe Photoshop For Newbies";"Business Metamorphosis";"All About Clickbank";"Leveraging Public Data";"Viral Marketing";"Breakthrough Sales Solutions";"Consumer Tested Buying Triggers";"Profitable Websites";"Persuasion Strategies";"Outsourcers Bible";"Writing Super Profitable Articles";"eBay Profits"; "Blogs and Adsense"; "Webmaster Training Serires"; "Easy Niche Riches";"Microsoft Office Training Series"; "Windows Vista Training Series", and a whole lot more.

Yes, it would seem that a majority of the Infinity Downline training materials are oriented around marketing, specifically internet marketing, which makes sense since the idea is to get you effectively marketing your Infinity Downline business. For marketers, who are perhaps looking into Infinity Downline as a business line, here is the point: The product is universal, offering something for everyone, not solely marketing based, but very broad in it's usefulness.

When you bring in a new person to you team they usually aren't sure what to do to get started. Here the strategies are laid right out for them within the program itself. I like the idea of having a business where the product itself teaches one to market his business. Be sure to see the resource box below and follow the links if you want to find out what are the true secrets to dominating in any company, in your company, in the network marketing industry.

Discover the true secrets for success in [http://www.alancosens.com/InfinityDownline/]Infinity Downline, or any other business. There are answers to be had and these answers can allow you to completely dominate your company and explode your home business. This [http://www.alancosens.com/infinity-downline-review-series/]Infinity Downline Review comes from Alan Cosens, a top-tier network marketer, trainer, entrepreneur, and visionary.

Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Infinity-Downline-Review---Legit-Products?&id=3893129] Infinity Downline Review - Legit Products?