2010

If You’re Serious About Business, You Need a Web Site

December 1, 2010 By Lisa

Last Friday — I couldn’t stay away from the mall — I met a woman waiting in line who offers a service my clients could use. When I asked her for her Web site address, she told me she doesn’t have one because she works on a referral basis. I tried not to give her a strange look but the thought of someone running a small business without a Web site, threw me.

The bottom line is that if you’re serious about owning your own business, especially one that’s home-based, you need a Web site. There are several things a Web site can do for you. [Read more...]

How a $5 Gig Can Lead to More Business

November 24, 2010 By Lisa

A few days ago I needed someone to handle a small graphic design project with a quick turnaround. My business coach (you’ll learn more about him in a future post) suggested I find someone on Fiverr. I clicked on the site and found people with talents I didn’t know existed.

The services (actually gigs) on the site range from creating music for your next video, to getting advice on how to get your story or event covered in the local news, to creating a blog. Then there’s a guy who will post a sign on his “badass motorcycle” and take a picture, a guy who will call someone and take the blame for you and another person who will mail your pet a Christmas card. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Making money from home, Working at home, Working with clients Tagged With: Fiverr.com, Home office, Small business, working from home

How Will Your Next Idea Help You Make Money?

November 22, 2010 By Lisa

A good friend of mine has been annoying me for months. Whenever I throw out a new idea for my business, he asks me how it’s going to help me make money. Aaargh!

After a recent phone call, when I was about to delete his phone number from my cell phone, I realized he was right. I’ve been more concerned about how much I’ll enjoy following through with a new idea, than considering how the idea can improve my bottom line.

Thinking of an idea is one thing, while actually implementing it is another. Now when I think of a new aspect of my business that I want to pursue, I put the idea through a short series of questions. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Making money from home Tagged With: FileZilla, Home Office Tips, Small business, Turning ideas into profit, working from home, YouTube

Pack it Up and Move it Out of Your Home Office

November 18, 2010 By Lisa

Take a picture of your home office and study it closely. You may be surprised at what you see. It’s sort of the same as listening to yourself on a recording and saying, “That’s not how I sound!” but it’s exactly the way you sound to others.

When you work in the same home office year after year, it’s easy to lose sight of how your home office really looks. When you’re ready to make a few changes to your workspace, ask yourself a few questions.

Does your home office look like an ad for a furniture store? Take out any chairs, tables or lamps that somehow made their way into your home office. That includes anything that you threw into your home office the last time you redecorated your house. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Home office organizing Tagged With: Home Office Tips, organizing your home office, small business tips, working from home

4 Ways for Staying Focused While Working Naked

November 16, 2010 By Lisa

Does this sound familiar: it’s almost noon, you’ve been sitting at your desk in your pajamas, workout clothes or um, your birthday suit, all morning and you still haven’t taken a shower?

This happened to me a few days ago. I started to leave my house early in the morning to go for a run, then one of my clients called. I finished the call and because I was in my home office anyway, I checked my e-mail accounts, tweeted and then updated my Facebook page.

I got sidetracked. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Balancing home/office Life, Home office organizing, Time mgmt./Productivity, Working at home

Do What You Love, But Make Money Doing it

November 12, 2010 By Lisa

How many times have you heard someone say, ”Do what you love and the money will come?” I know I’ve said that to others, but after reading an article by Chris Guillebeau, author of The Art of Non-Conformity, I’ve changed my thinking a bit. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Balancing home/office Life Tagged With: Chris Guillebeau, small business tips, The Art of Non-Conformity

You Don’t Have to be Embarrassed to Work From Home

November 8, 2010 By Lisa

While I was traveling cross-country to work with a client on her home office, I spoke to the person sitting next to me. He told me about his business and I asked him whether he worked from home.

He seemed flustered and didn’t give me a direct answer. Then he admitted he works from home. I could tell that he was embarrassed to be home-based.

Sure, there are a few reasons why you could be embarrassed about working from home, but there are several reasons why you shouldn’t.

First, why you could be embarrassed: [Read more...]

Filed Under: Making money from home Tagged With: Home Office Tips, Small business, working from home

Ways to Tighten Your Belt to Fit Your Budget

November 5, 2010 By Lisa

When you’re a small business owner, you need to watch your bottom line. Considering that most of us don’t have the same large budgets as our corporate counterparts, saving money can be as important as saving time. Consider these five ways to save money while working from home.

1. Use an all-in-one machine. Rather than use separate machines to print, copy, scan and fax, use one machine to handle all of those tasks. You’ll save money and space.

2. Buy supplies ahead of time. When you have to buy supplies late at night or last-minute, you’ll pay a premium. Stock up on paper, printer cartridges and any other supplies you use often. Don’t buy more than you can store, but buy [Read more...]

Filed Under: Balancing home/office Life Tagged With: Home Office Tips, Saving money, working from home

5 Antidotes to Hating Home Working

November 3, 2010 By Lisa

Guest post by Judy Heminsley

I wrote recently about 5 reasons to hate working from home and a lot of people seemed to identify with them all. But the best thing about home working is that you’re the one in charge, and so you can plan your life to minimize the pitfalls and make the most of the possibilities. Here are my suggested antidotes: [Read more...]

Filed Under: Balancing home/office Life, Time mgmt./Productivity, Working at home Tagged With: Home Office Tips, Judy Heminsley, working from home

Set Your Own Rules and Live Your Own Life

November 1, 2010 By Lisa

I used to read dozens of books each year. I’d read one book at a time and wouldn’t pick up another book until I’d finished the first one. Then my business, personal tasks and life in general, got in the way.

Now at any one time, I’m usually in the middle of two or three books. That was until I read The Art of Non-Conformity by Chris Guillebeau, from start to finish. Without sounding too dramatic, this book has changed the way I view my life and my business. It’s all about taking risks, doing what you feel is right, instead of doing what everyone expects of you, and taking the “live each day like it’s your last” approach to life.

Without sounding preachy, Guillebeau shares the life lessons he’s learned by traveling around the world, putting money and possessions aside, and finding meaning in everything he does. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Balancing home/office Life Tagged With: Chris Guillebeau, The Art of Non-Conformity