Making money from home

Finding the Right Time to Work When You’re Working From Home

May 2, 2011 By Lisa Leave a Comment

When you work from home, your family’s schedule or your clients’ time zone may affect when you work, but other than that, you can set your own hours.

Lately, though, I’ve talked with some home-based business owners who think that if they’re not working 9-5, the way they did in their corporate job, they’re probably not as productive as they should be. They say that they’re working late at night, as early at 5 a.m. or whenever they can “get into the flow.”

Last week I asked a few business owners about their work schedules. They told me that their traditional and not-so-traditional work hours work for them for a few reasons. [Read more...]

Get Up, Get Dressed, and Get Out There

April 29, 2011 By Lisa Leave a Comment

The Internet makes it easy to connect with people around the world, but you can’t tell what someone’s thinking or know their true personality through e-mail. You can tell whether or not they can spell and how often they check their e-mail, but that’s about it.

Sure, you can use Skype to work with clients and to network, but you’re still not shaking hands, hugging (I’m a big hugger), or getting the opportunity to read someone’s body language.

When I first started working from home several years ago, I couldn’t wait for the FedEx or UPS delivery person to drop by. That was my first clue that I needed to get out more.

I know it’s easy to sit in your home office in your comfy clothes and connect with other business owners online. Not many people who work from home miss having to dress in business suits, skirts or heels for work every day. I don’t.

Sometimes, though, you need to leave your home office.

10 Ways to Guarantee You’ll Hate Working From Home

April 27, 2011 By Lisa 4 Comments

1. Spread papers, files and products all over your house instead of setting up a functional home office.

2. Don’t set boundaries and let friends and family interrupt you while you’re working.

3. Work day and night instead of setting a schedule and sticking to it.

4. Share your computer with the whole family and make sure your kids load as many of their games on it as possible.

5. Never leave your desk throughout the day except for bathroom breaks.

6. Isolate yourself from other home-based business owners and only communicate with friends and colleagues online.

7. Stock your pantry and refrigerator with the unhealthiest snacks you can buy. The more sugar, the better.

8. Keep your eyes glued to your handheld and unless your family contacts you through texts or emails, ignore them.

9. During your peak productive hours, throw in a load of laundry, clean your kitchen counters and grout your bathtub.

10. Don’t bother using any type of To Do list…just wing it. Focus on easy tasks instead of the ones that will help you make money.

Do all of these things and I guarantee that within a few months you’ll hate every minute of working from home. Do the opposite of everything on this list and you’ll enjoy the freedom that comes along with avoiding a daily commute and working comfortably at home.

Filed Under: Making money from home, Working at home Tagged With: working from home

Need to Move Your Business Forward? Take a Look Back

April 18, 2011 By Lisa Leave a Comment

When I drive with my sons and sing along to the radio, it really annoys them. It’s not only because they think I’m a bad singer (although I am). The reason is that I know the words to some of the new songs.

No, I don’t spend all day driving or listening to the radio. I know the words because so many of the songs are remakes or they include samples from old songs. I think that falls under the category of “everything old is new again.”

The same applies to your business. There really aren’t any new ideas out there…just new ways to put ideas into action.

Your business may be growing faster than you thought it would and if so, there’s probably no reason to change what you’re doing. On the other hand, you may have reached a point in your business where you have fewer clients than you did a year ago and you want to kick your business up a few notches. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Making money from home, Working at home, Working with clients Tagged With: growing a homebased business, Home Office Tips

Don’t Believe Everything You Hear About Entrepreneurship

April 12, 2011 By Lisa 2 Comments

Before I started my first home-based business, I put in my time at three different corporate jobs. By my second year in my last job, I was ready to go out on my own.

At first, my co-workers were skeptical and figured I’d be back within a year, begging for my old job. Many years later, I’m still working for myself and some of those same employees are still working for the company I left. I’ve never looked back.

Now whenever I run into anyone from my old job, they usually tell me that they wish they could work for themselves too. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Making money from home, Time mgmt./Productivity, Working with clients Tagged With: Carol Roth, Entrepreneurial myths, Home Office Tips, Small business

Reporters Not Responding to You? Here’s Why

April 8, 2011 By Lisa 2 Comments

Guest post by Lizzy Shaw

You’ve been submitting like mad to leads you get from free media pitch aggregating services like HARO (Help A Reporter Out), Pitch Rate, Reporter Connection, etc. – but no one’s picking up your story or using you as a source. How come?

One thing to keep in mind is that these services have rules; it’s important to obey them, so make sure your submissions are in line with these – if they’re not, you won’t get a response. Also, these inquiries can elicit HUNDREDS of responses, so it’s hard to stand out.

To help you get a better response, I checked with a few journalist pals to find out the most common things that stop them from using you.

Here’s what they told me: [Read more...]

Filed Under: Making money from home, Working at home Tagged With: Lizzy Shaw public relations, small business public relations

It’s All in How You Communicate

March 30, 2011 By Lisa Leave a Comment

Guest post by Karen Cortell Reisman, MS

To build your confidence as a communicator, use a method I’ve dubbed “C – O – D”. Usually, those letters stand for “Cash on Delivery.” That is exactly what happens when you communicate clearly because you will sell yourself.

The “C” stands for Content — substantive information; “O” means Organization — speaking by design; and, “D” is for Delivery — pizzazz without angst.

Content – Say Something Worth Saying
Having evaluated over 6,000 presentations, the best communicators are those that contain the K, A, and C Factors.

“K” stands for Knowledge. You speak more comfortably, with greater vocal variety, and with heightened enthusiasm when you talk about what you know. In other words, stick to your area of expertise. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Making money from home, Working with clients Tagged With: How to communicate, Karen Cortell Reisman, public speaking

How to Write a Book: 8 Easy Steps to Get it Done Quickly!

March 23, 2011 By Lisa 2 Comments

During the past 17 years, I’ve written five books. Two books were published by major publishers, two were published by a small press and one I published through my publishing company.

I’ve lost track of how many times people have told me that they wish they could write a book. What they don’t realize is that they can. As with anything, the hardest part is getting started.

In today’s guest post, au thor Stephanie Chandler breaks down the process of writing a book into eight simple steps.

Guest post by Stephanie Chandler

Studies show that up to 80% of people have considered writing a book. And while this may sound [Read more...]

Filed Under: Making money from home, Working at home Tagged With: how to write a book, publishing, Stephanie Chandler

4 Ways to Simplify Your Home Office Life

February 14, 2011 By Lisa 2 Comments

I wish there were more hours in the day.

If I can work on something a little longer, I know it will be perfect.

As soon as I finish this project, I’ll have more time for family, friends, and even more projects.

Does that sound familiar? I thought that way for years until I realized that I can’t do everything and that actually, I shouldn’t. I was focusing more on how much I could accomplish instead of what I should accomplish. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Balancing home/office Life, Home office organizing, Making money from home, Time mgmt./Productivity Tagged With: Home Office Tips, Simplify your life, working from home

The Naked Truth…It’s Working Naked Day!

February 1, 2011 By Lisa 17 Comments

(Click here for the 2012 Working Naked Day post)

Happy 2^nd annual Working Naked Day! Today is the perfect day for those of us who work from home to celebrate the freedom we have to set our own hours, follow our own rules and live a life that doesn’t include reporting to a corporate job each day.

As part of today’s celebration, you can strip down and work in your birthday suit, or stay in your pajamas. Although when you’re working from home you don’t need a holiday or permission to do that.

Need a few ideas for celebrating Working Naked Day?

Skype with a friend who is working in a cubicle all day while you’re working on your sofa, bed or in your home office. Let them know how comfy you are at home.

Blog, brag and tweet about the freedom you have to work from home. Who needs a commute when you can go to work in less than 10 seconds?

Take your laptop to the park, beach or a nearby coffee shop (especially if you’re surrounded by snow, not sun) and get inspired. Working somewhere other than in your home office can get your creative juices flowing.

Take advantage of your flexible schedule. Take the morning off and do something special like meet a friend for coffee, catch an early movie or work out later in the morning when the gym is less crowded.

Convince your boss to let you work from home. The company will save money on rent and you’ll save money on gas, wear and tear on your car and dry cleaning bills.

Consider taking today off to truly celebrate the choice you’ve made to leave the corporate world behind. And if you’re not already Working Naked, today’s the perfect day to strip away your inhibitions and start your own home-based business. That’s the naked truth.

How are you going to celebrate Working Naked Day?

Filed Under: Balancing home/office Life, Home office organizing, Making money from home, Time mgmt./Productivity