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Home Business 101 - Advantages and Disadvantages of Working at Home

ADVANTAGES Of Working At Home:

Flexible Work Schedule - subject only to communication needs with people in different time zones, you can work just about when you want to, or when schedule permits.

Short Commute - from your bedroom to wherever your home workplace is going to be. And think of the reduction in commuting costs - you save money as well as time.

No Handicap or Travel Restrictions - working from home is ideal for someone who is disabled or partially disabled and who may have difficulty getting to and from work, or in the workplace. Also travel, required in many jobs, is never a factor, so someone like a single mom with children to care for, does not have to deal with that problem.

Tax Deduction For Use Of A Home Office - for many people who work at home, this can be a big one. You are allowed to deduct expenses for that portion of your home that you use for business. But be cautious, deduction for business use of the home can be a red flag for tax auditors. To make sure you are deducting only those expenses you are entitled to see IRS publication 587. For more information go to business.gov and look for "Business Use Of Home."

You're The BOSS - you no longer work for an demanding insensitive (and sometimes stupid) individual. Now you're the big cheese, you make the decisions, you set the schedule. One of the most common answers I hear when I ask why did you leave your job is "I couldn't get along with my boss."

DISADVANTAGES OF WORKING AT HOME:

You're The BOSS - wait, you say "I thought that was an advantage?" Yes, but as one of my mentors, Michael Gerber, used to say "Be careful about going into business for yourself. You may go from working for a demanding insensitive and sometimes stupid boss, to find yourself working for a dithering idiot." And, when you begin to feel the pressure of cash flow, decision making, scheduling, and seeing all the hats you will have to wear as an entrepreneur, you may find this all too true.

Lack of Benefits - paid vacation, paid holidays, sick days, health insurance - all gone. You're on your own now and you suddenly realize just how much those benefits were worth.

Flexible Schedule - a flexible schedule can be both an advantage (as described above) or a disadvantage. When you control the schedule there is nothing to stop you from scheduling things that are not priorities. Let's take me for example; I started this Article right after lunch today. Worked fairly steady for about an hour and then decided to take a break and go to the store and pick up some stuff I needed (I could set my own schedule - right?). Came back, opened the mail and made the mistake of opening my emails. Of course you know what happened, and here I am at 7:45 in the evening just getting started on the Article again.

Distractions - Demands of Others - imagine you are a work at home mom, trying to finish a project for a demanding client who needs it in the AM. Your oldest child "Mom, there is someone at the door." Ten minutes later, your youngest child "Mom, Jimmy hit me." - Jimmy "But mom, she spilled juice on my game." Twenty minutes later, "Mom, I'm hungry." and so it goes until your husband comes home and says "what's for dinner."

Clutter - unless you are a master at space planning and organizing, and have a lot of space to store and file, you won't believe the amount of clutter a home business can generate. I said in a prior Article in this series, that I had six piles of paper on the floor of my home office connected with unfinished projects that I was unable (or unwilling) to put away. Guess what, they are still there.

Lack of Social Interaction (& support) - don't think you will miss inter-acting with co-workers every day? Unless you are a very anti-social person, you better think again. When you work from home almost all your communication with anyone other than your immediate family is on the computer and the telephone. You have to work at scheduling enough time to even have lunch with a friend - or client - on an occasional basis. Human beings are herd or pack animals, and it's hard being a lone wolf (or in our case hopefully eagles).

Record Keeping / Paperwork - I don't know very many people with a Home Business, that can afford a Bookkeeper, but guess what - the books have to be kept. And even if you can afford to use an off site bookkeeping service, there are still records to deal with. My suggestion - QuickBooks. I'd be lost without that program. It's quick and it's easy, but it's still bookkeeping.

There you have it. Five advantages, seven disadvantages. Hopefully for you, the advantages will outweigh the disadvantages.

For more information about Home Businesses, look for the next article in this series; "Home Business 101 - A Business Plan For Your Home Business"

Dick Bendtzen, author of "Yes You Can Start And Run A Small Business" offers advice on small business topics on his website and forum - http://www.smallbusinessyesyoucan.com and in a monthly Newsletter Small Business News and Views. You can also tune in to Dick on Blog Talk Radio at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Dick-Bendtzen

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Tips to Avoid the Home-Based Business Family Mutiny

This is especially true when you're first starting out. You can never find enough time to do the business, especially when you have a full time job to go along with it.

Branding, Networking, Blogging, Tweeting, Posting, Learning, Teaching and Presenting take a lot of time out of our day. So where do we find the time to devote to our family?

A lot of people make the mistake thinking that their spouse/partner, kids, pets and friends will understand the devotion we have to make to the business, but in reality, it's not an easy thing for them to understand. As it is with most things, the excitement and motivation wears off after time, and then throw in the fact that very few of us make any worthwhile money for the first year or so, it's easy to understand how the tension can build up in the family. The support for the venture soon turns to animosity, jealousy and eventually mutiny. I see it happening every day.

So how do we combat this? How do we continue to get the support from the family?

Some of the things I've personally done, and learned from my Mentors is that you have to schedule time with your family and take a couple days off from your Home-Based Business regularly.

I for example devote Sundays to my family. I very rarely do work on Sunday (that is unless I'm up early and everyone else is sleeping in. Shh, don't tell my wife). I also schedule every other Thursday as Date Night, were we get a babysitter and just my wife and I go out to dinner and a movie. We use that time to reconnect. I also drive my wife to work 3 days a week so we can at least spend time talking about whatever is on our minds. Sometimes it's about her work, or the business or whatever is on our minds.

Another key thing that I've done is to dream with my family. What I mean is that we talk about our dreams and set goals for things we want to do or want to have. My theory is that if everyone is on the same page as far as where we want to end up, it makes the time sacrifice a little easier to bear.

For example, we love to travel, so we've set vacation goals and planned vacations that at this time we can't afford, so it gives us a common goal to work towards. My son wants to go to Egypt and see the Pyramids before his Passport expires in 4 years. We've also set a goal to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro together on the same trip. Since he knows that this won't happen unless my business takes off, he's more understanding. Another goal we have is for my wife to be able to retire by the end of this year, so whenever she hints that I need to take a break, I remind her that I'm working towards HER retirement. ha ha

My point with all this is that you have to include your family in your plans and dreams, or they'll feel disconnected from you. And if that happens, your Home-Based Business will become more of a chore than a path to freedom.

And that's why we're doing this in the first place isn't it? So that one day in the near future we're successful enough to work our way out of the business and live off the royalties.

So put your family first or at least a close second. Otherwise, you may end up dreaming alone.

To Your Success! Because Your Success Matters!

David Haines http://www.davidahaines.com

(215) 268-6696 Anytime!

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Prime Advantages of Working From Home on the Internet

Save time on commuting
The first advantage is that there is no commuting time spent while working on home internet business. You don't have to travel to reach your office destination. So harassment of traffic congestion is absent. Also, you can save a significant amount of time and money that you normally waste on travelling to office. If you hate driving, this is for you.

Have More Freedom
Everybody loves to live freely but there are limitations. They are engaged to a working life for someone else and they can't be flexible with their time. But when you start your work from home business you have enough time to spend it with your family. You can set your working schedule, what time to start and when to take a break. You become your own boss. It really works when you have a young family or live in a life-style location.

You get to keep the money you make
In work from home business, the harder you work, the more money you can make. You don't have to wait for a raise or a promotion. It depends completely upon you. If you want more money you have to spend more time or work smartly. The income opportunity is directly proportionate to your own performance. You will also save money on lunches and other relevant cost at work.

Tax benefits
Work from home offers a number of tax advantages. In home based businesses there are lots of opportunities of business deductions. One needs to check country specific rules and regulations.

No dress code
You don't have to wear a uniform, a shirt and business suit or anything else that might be uncomfortable. You can wear anything in which you are feeling comfortable.

More time for friends and family
If you choose a work from home business opportunity you can spend more time with your family. Especially when you have children, you can spend more time with your dear one. You can take care of your child. Also you have more fun with your friends and relatives. It's really provides good work-life balance.

Less Stress
Since you're working from home you have to no longer tolerate office politics or a moody boss's instruction. You can do anything you want really. Stress from other coworkers and work environment is now a thing of the past. Depending on what field you work in, you no longer have deadlines to meet, hard to please customers and the stress of not getting paid what you're worth.

As highlighted above there are many advantages to working from home. All in all, it is apparent that working from home allows individuals more time, freedom, which all contributes to a more relaxed working life which is what many people see as their ideal situation. Above all, it provides a low entry point to set up your own empire, slowly but steadily.

To know more; visit http://www.e-shopnetwork.com/dubli_home_business.php

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Ten Tips For Organising For Success When Working at Home

Get washed and dressed as soon as you can in the morning. Just because you are working at home it does not mean that you should spend your days in your pyjamas. Getting ready for the day ahead as if you were going out to work helps you develop a positive attitude towards the day.
Set yourself targets. Decide what you want to achieve and what you need to achieve each day. Make a to do list and sort the list into order of priority. Tick off as you go. Time is limited so concentrate on the need to achieve list first.
Set aside a particular room or spot in the house as your work space. Try and ensure it is somewhere with relatively few or even no distractions.
Ensure your family know when you are in work mode. Have a way of signalling when you can or cannot be disturbed without having to say anything. It could be something as simple as the shutting of the door.
Set yourself break times so that you do not spend your day on endless snack breaks. When you take a break make sure that you get up and move around. Get some fresh air if possible. Exercise helps as well to get endorphins flowing, reinvigorate your mind and body and will generally help your well being.
Outsource where and if possible. Money spent on outsourcing site design and development can save you time and stress. Find a good freelancer to write some of your content for you. Just because you work at home it does not mean that you have to be responsible for everything, particularly if you are not an expert in an area.
Make sure you are achieving a reasonable level of work/life balance. This can be hard because you are blurring the distinction between work and home. However, there are lots of resources that can help you with this aspect.
Remove clutter. That goes for clutter in your home, your workspace and your in-box. Clutter gets in your way, is a distraction and wastes lots of time. If you work at home you will always be aware of the ironing pile in the corner or the washing up in the sink.
Organise your meals. Menu planning helps your family and you by reducing the 'What is for dinner?' panic. Menu planning can alleviate a lot of stress, particularly for work at home mothers.
Set yourself some 'me' time as well as family time. By ensuring that you have some time for your hobbies or interests you will ensure that you do not neglect yourself.
Those are ten simple tips to help you make more of your time and ensure that you are creating a greater chance for the success of your work at home business together with a sensible work/life balance. You will see that the main elements to consider are organisation and routines.

Amanda Davey is a freelancer who runs her own freelance business [http://www.adfreelancewriter.com]www.adfreelancewriter.com where she provides articles, ebooks, proof-reading, transcription and other services for clients. She also provide resources and support for other freelancers. You can find more information and resources to help you organise your home and business for success at her site.

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How to Quickly Earn Money Working From Home With an Online Mentor

There are many people who work online and who earn money from home who don't have to face early morning traffic or rush through the kitchen preparing food while keeping an eye on the clock before rushing out to get to work. You can make good money when you work from home and feel better about yourself because most people who become self employed usually choose work that interests them.

For the most part, starting an online business to earn extra cash occasionally starts as a part time endeavor. What most people suddenly find out whether they work at home uk to earn some extra cash or work from home because they have no need for a boss is that there is a way to earn money from home just by having a home computer.

Working from home online has many lucrative rewards as well as many physical comforts since you have the free use of your home to take a break in or to fix meals. The most rewarding part of working from home online is the privacy of your home office in the security and comfort of your home. There are many self employed people who have learned one lesson in being gainfully employed by themselves. They have learned to value their own judgment and to set their own hours.

If the idea of being gainfully employed by yourself at home interests you but also leaves you confused as to how to start and where to look for the right online business, you might just need to be guided by someone who is already working online from home. Someone who is willing to share with other mums and dads or single people how to make the first step into fulfilling a wish that most employed people have, that of being their own boss.

Finding the right online mentor to help you to leap through the initial stages of finding the right work from home opportunity, can be the quickest way to start working online making extra cash or becoming self employed. It only takes a desire to work for yourself to make your online work a reality.

A desire to work for yourself coupled with the right online mentor is a sure combination to break free from early morning dashes to work and exhausting end of work day rushes back home to begin your next job of taking care of family and yourself. Working from home lets you decide when to work and for how long, each and every day that you do online work.

If you have the discipline, have faith, perseverance, and are willing to follow in the footsteps of those that have gone before, please apply with me at [http://www.work-from-homebusiness.biz/]http://www.work-from-homebusiness.biz/. I look forward to helping you reach the lifestyle, Freedom, and income you have always dreamed of, and helping you tell your boss, "You're Fired!"

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Dealing With the Many Issues of Working From Home

This isn't always correct. Often, you have numerous critical cut-off dates and employers that you need to balance, sometimes it's even more demanding than a normal job. But how can you explain this to most people?

A critical way of showing this is to ensure you work to a tight and regular timeframe so that people take your work seriously. If you keep regular hours and stick to them, most people will come to respect that.

Importantly, for people you live with, you should have a sign that you can put up that tells them you are busy and that you will be free at a certain time. If it is a crisis, you can figure out a policy for dealing with that as well.

Naturally, one of the benefits of working from your house is that you can keep flexible hours. Thus, it can be good to take a break or mix your schedule up sometimes. But this should be the exception not the rule.

You can make these simple allowances every so often. If you want to go and watch your child's sports game, that's fine. However, you should work later that night to compensate.

Not everyone will necessarily believe you at first. Maybe you could show them your productivity log or tell them how many various projects you are managing. Be understanding but resilient.

Make sure you respond to all enquiries and tell them that even though you can break your own rules sometimes, you have to pay for it at some point. Make sure they know that your timetable is often as unrelenting as theirs.

David Champley has been writing articles about working from home for the past two years. He also likes to write about home supplies, such as a rel=nofollow [http://www.plasticsleeve.org]plastic sleeve and rel=nofollow [http://www.plasticsleeve.org/archival-plastic-sleeves]archival plastic sleeves to protect various types of items.

David Champley

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How to Stay Motivated About Working From Home Online

If you let the frustration take over, you may not get anything done and your home business will suffer. In this article you will get some tips how you can stay motivated about working from home online.

If you find yourself procrastinating and not motivated at all for the tasks you should be doing - take a break and exercise. I know it is such a clich� and you probably already know this, but it is so effective! Even though you haven't been able to do any work, your frustration may have stressed you out and you may feel overworked. That's fine, don't worry about it, just get up and take a walk to clear your mind. You will be amazed how refreshed you feel when you come back. Try it.

Another great way to stay motivated about working is to change your workspace a little. Rearrange your desk or move some furniture around in your home office. If you've felt down about your work for a longer period of time, you may even consider changing the colors and repaint the room or get new wallpaper. Changing and renewing your working atmosphere has a really positive effect on your mind. Sometimes it can help you to stay motivated just to purchase something new. It doesn't have to be big or expensive, just something that can oomph up your attitude about working a little bit.

Last, but not least, make sure that you give yourself plenty of pats on the back. If you have accomplished something or achieved one of your goals, reward your self! Even the smallest reward helps to move you forward. It can be just a small simple thing such as allowing yourself to take a break. If the achievement is a big one, maybe you can go out to eat dinner at a restaurant tonight. How big or small the reward is, is not that important, but make sure you do acknowledge when you have done a good job and give yourself some praise for it.

The mind is really powerful and just changing the way you think a little bit can give you a huge leap forward. To learn more about how you can stay motivated about working from home online, [http://www.workingfromhome-online.com/shattering/]click here to get your FREE copy of 'Shattering the Myth' - a FREE eBook that shows you how to adopt the right mindset and get the internet to work for you.

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What Do I Need to Start an MLM Business?

1. You will need the start up fee. Each company has different start up options. Most are somewhere under $100. Some of the home party plans are a bit higher as they give you full-sized products to get you started with your first party. This start up fee should get you your initial supply of catalogs, a few sample or demonstration products and all of the necessary paperwork. Ask your sponsor what the start up options are. Sometimes the larger kits offer more products at a very reduced price. You can later either give away or sell those products for a higher profit margin.

2. You will need a phone line. I actually use my cell phone. It's with me at all times, making it very easy to reach me. Customers will call you, the company might call you and team members will call you. At different times I've had a land line, an 800 number and even calling cards. All are options once you have a phone line. You don't need a separate business line, however I do suggest that if you're using your home phone for business, you put a professional greeting on the answering device, not your child singing the ABC's.

3. You'll need time. While an MLM business can be worked at any point in a twenty four hour day, you will need to invest time each day. I work outside my home, so my time invested in my MLM business is first thing in the morning, lunch time at work, evenings at home and of course on the weekends. If I receive a phone call during the day, I take a break from work and take the phone call. This is one reason I love using my cell phone.

4. You'll need some people skills. People skills can be learned. I've worked with women who were not yet comfortable to say hello to a stranger. With time, work and desire, these same women today lead large teams and have huge customer bases. MLM is a people business. You need to understand people and have a desire to work with people.

5. The last thing you'll need is a plan. No business can succeed without a plan. Plans tell you what you're doing and show you an expected result. As an example, you're reading this article. Writing articles is part of my plan. I know that as a result of my writing articles, people will click to my website. Plans can be very basic. I believe without a plan, many people never get their businesses off the ground. Work with your sponsor and develop a basic plan to get going.

With these five things, you can start an MLM business and create success. Here's to your personal success in your business!

Audrey Okaneko has been in direct sales since 1983. You can read more of her articles at http://mydirectsales.com or you can [http://www.recipe-barn.com/tupperware-consultant.html]Become a Tupperware Consultant

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How To Manage Your Time When You Work From Home - Staying Focused With A Home-Based Business!

The first thing you have to remember when you have a home-based business, is that there will be no one around to tell you what to do, when to do, and quite often no one even tells you how to do it. And no one is going to tell you how to organize your time.

So how do you keep it all pulled together? Organize... organize... organize. Everything happens "on purpose" when you work for yourself. But if you take it seriously, choosing to work from home can become the best decision you've ever made.

So, here are the five most important tips that I've found extremely helpful.

1. Minimize Your Distractions. Things like email, instant messaging with friends (non-work related) and desk clutter can cause you to have an unproductive day. I find it very helpful to "shut it down" while I'm trying to focus on my work. Distractions can kill your home-work time more than anything else. Turn it all off... (including the TV) and treat it like you would any other 8 to 5 J.O.B.

2. Plan in advance. Don't leave your day to whatever you can come up with. Lay it all out in advance... ON PAPER... so you'll know exactly what you need to accomplish for the day.

3. Set your priorities. Do you know exactly what you need to do to make sure that your business is successful? Write these things out in the order of importance, and then set your priorities for the day accordingly.

4. Take a Break. I know that this one might seem a little unproductive, but just like any other job; you need to give your mind a rest for a few minutes. No... not an hour or two but walk away and give your mind time to revitalize. Take a real lunch hour; just don't forget to go back to work!

5. Stay Focused. If your family is home while you're working, let them know when your work hours are, and that they can't just barge in and take your time. I know that many of us choose to work at home so that we can be there, especially for the kids. But make sure that they understand that while you're working, you should only be disturbed if it's urgent. I've found it helpful to set some time during the day for them. They'll know that between 12:00 and 1:30, it's our time. I won't let work interfere with their time, and they agree not to interfere with work time. It's a very nice exchange.

Running a home-based business is very freeing, but if you're not making the money you need, it can be frustrating. To avoid falling into that scenario... the one of not making money, remember that when you "work from home" it's exactly that. It's a workday. Then, you'll enjoy it, you'll be productive, and EVERYBODY WINS!

You can print out a downloadable form from my blog that can help you stay on point. It really made a big difference in the way I approached my work-at-home day. Staying on track when you work from home is not an option, but a necessity... if you want success.

Rosalind Green is a self-taught internet marketing entrepreneur. After many years in top management with corporate America, she decided to join the home-based business arena on a part-time base, and soon found that it could surpass what the average person makes in a successful corporate structure. She now coaches and trains others to be successful using the internet as a main source of income. You can find out more about Rosalind and her resources on her training blog at [http://whoisrosalindgreen.com]http://whoisrosalindgreen.com. You can also find the form mentioned in the article here: http://whoisrosalindgreen.com/training-tip-of-the-day/home-based-business-how...

Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?How-To-Manage-Your-Time-When-You-Work-From-Home---S...!&id=3941279] How To Manage Your Time When You Work From Home - Staying Focused With A Home-Based Business!

Top Tips For Work From Home Moms

Create Your Own Work Space

You need a definite space of your own for your home business. You want to like your space and shape it to your personal needs. If you don't like where you work you won't work well. Consider lighting, ventilation, noise and sounds, storage and organization. It is obviously preferable to have your own room in the house but if this is not possible try to clearly delineate your work space with dividers or screens. You will need a phone of your own. Relying on a home phone means that your enthusiastic four year old may be answering your business calls!

Make a Deal with Your Family

The most powerful time management tool for work from home moms is a door that closes! Family life and all its wonderful chaos needs to be kept outside of your home business. Family often think that working from home gives them license to interrupt or demand your attention at any time. Set specific times when you take a break and deal with your family. Establish a pattern that works for you and your business. Be strict about sticking to these times and your family will get used to this routine.

Organize social time for yourself

Many people find they miss the social interaction of working for a company or organization when they start working from home. Avoid feeling isolated or lonely by organizing specific social time with friends. Schedule lunch or coffee with friends at regular intervals through your week so you have something to look forward to. It is much easier to settle down and work for five hours if you know that when you finish you will be meeting with friends to have some downtime. You can also establish a network of other work from home moms and organize social meetings which can be both fun and informative.

Work out How to Motivate Yourself

You need to know how to motivate yourself - nobody else is there to do it for you. On your own you are only as good as what you produce. So how do you keep yourself enthusiastic about your work and make sure you keep producing even when you feel like turning on the television or reading a good book? Remind yourself why you are working from home - the convenience, the flexibility, the fact that the harder you work the greater the rewards for you and that you are in charge. If you don't sit down and start working right away you may well end up back on the corporate treadmill! Take your laptop outside and sit in the sun for a while, reinforce why you are working from home! Another way to get motivated is to write down you goals for that day. Be very specific and make sure you can easily measure your goal. Reward yourself when you reach those targets.

Work from home moms enjoy many advantages. Properly managing any disadvantages gives your home business the opportunity to be both successful and fulfilling.

Find out about different work from home opportunities for moms at rel=nofollow [http://www.my-home-business-ideas.com/work-from-home-computer-business.html]Work From Home Businesses

Julia Derby has many years experience working in small business development. She left formal employment to be a work at home mom and has successfully started and developed a number of home businesses. Her free website [http://www.my-home-business-ideas.com]My Home Business Ideas provides good ideas and practical advice for people who want to start a home based business and enjoy all the benefits of making money at home.

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