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Unlocking the Best Guest Posts

April 5, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Best guest postsI like to think I know everything, but I know I don’t. That’s why I ask home-based business owners from different fields to share their expertise on Working Naked. Over the past several years I’ve had an impressive group of guest bloggers contribute. In case you’ve missed any of them, here are a few guest posts from the past.‏

Knowing What You Could Earn May Bring You Home

By Steve Anderson

Working from home was a dream long before it became a reality, and that’s because I needed plenty of time to convince myself that leaving the corporate office was not some crazy dream.

How to Protect Your Small Business

By DeAnn Flores Chase

As a small business lawyer, I work with entrepreneurs, business owners and professionals on a daily basis. For new business owners, I advise that an entity be formed from the start. For existing business owners, I advise that an entity be formed as soon as possible.

6 Tips for Staying Safe While Searching for Virtual Jobs

By Sara Sutton Fell

Almost 3 million Americans work from home (or telecommute) full-time, and another 15 to 20 million work from home at least one to two days each week, so it’s no surprise that interest in telecommuting jobs is growing. And with that growth comes an increasing number of work-from-home job scams prowling the Internet every day. It’s estimated that only one out of every 60-70 work-from-home jobs is legitimate and the remaining listings are scams.

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How To Make Friends Appreciate Your Time and Expertise

February 8, 2013 By 3 Comments

others taking advantageLast week while I was juggling three projects that had to be finished by the end of the week, I received this text:

“I need the name of a good flooring company and painter…now!”

The text was from someone I’ve known for years, but haven’t spoken to in months because she’s a user. She appreciates what I do for my clients, but she doesn’t respect my time or ability. She doesn’t consider that the time I spend helping her with a project at no charge, will take time away from my clients who do pay.

What do you say?

When a friend asks for a favor, do you tell your friend NO and risk insulting him or her? Or do you put your clients aside and help your friend because you don’t want to lose that friendship? If you can answer those questions honestly, either you’ll keep letting others take advantage of you, or you’ll realize that your friends need to see your value, the same way your clients see it.

What do you do?

Take a mental inventory of your friends and figure out which ones are users. Decide whether or not it’s worth spending time with them or with others who appreciate your abilities. My guess is that when you take time to think about who appreciates you, you’ll spend less time with the users, and more time with your friends who don’t want anything from you but your friendship. Those are the friends who rarely ask you for anything, but when they do, you’ll help with no questions asked. I have a handful of those friends who, day or night, know they can count on me.

What about next time?

The next time a friend asks you to do yet one more favor, consider what your expertise is worth. Think about what you will you have to give up to help someone who will ask you to do something for him or her again. Consider why a friend thinks it’s OK to ask for your time, help, and advice, for nothing. Sure, doing favors for friends is part of any friendship. but at some point enough is enough and your friendship will change from a mutually beneficial, give-and-take relationship, to a one-sided, constantly-giving relationship.

The site Freelance Switch — I’m one of their newest fans — published a comic that illustrates how hard it is to turn someone down, especially when you’ve always considered that person a friend. Something to think about.

 

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Stuff Happens When You Work From Home

January 17, 2013 By 7 Comments

home office challenges small business

A friend of mine I’ve known since grade school likes to say that “life is messy.” She’s right.

I like to say that home office life is messy, because it is. But it’s a life that few of us want to give up, because dealing with the messes outweighs the alternative: working in a corporate office.

Consider whether you’ve ever had one of those days when:

  • The dog gets sick. This time on the product samples you need to send to a client.
  • Your in-laws decide to visit you the same week your biggest project of the year is due.
  • Your child is home from school and in a lame attempt to entertain him, you show him how cool your new shredder is. Everything’s fine until you realize you’ve accidentally mixed up your “throw away” pile with your “extremely important” pile of paper.
  • You’re wearing a suit (finally) and as you’re ready to leave your car, it starts raining. That’s when you remember that you never replaced your broken umbrella.
  • Your printer runs out of ink when you need to print a proposal and you’re already running late.
  • Your smartphone quits working the week after the warranty runs out.
  • Your favorite client is laid off and now you have to deal with his boss who’s a jerk. It’s hard to take him seriously considering all that your client has told you about him, including what happened at the last company Christmas party.
  • You lose your Internet connection right before a videoconference call you’ve had to reschedule three times.
  • Your car is on empty, your meeting is across town, and you don’t have any time to spare.

Working from home has its challenges, and every day isn’t going to go as planned, but that’s true in a corporate office too. The difference is that when you work alone, you’re the one on clean-up duty.

So the next time anything listed above (or anything similar) happens to you, try not to get discouraged. Instead of working from the comfort of your home office, you could be stuck in traffic, cornered by a co-worker describing his latest surgery, or leading a boring corporate life.

 

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Corporate Employees See Benefits of Working From Home

January 10, 2013 By 4 Comments

working from home office surveyThose of us who have worked from home for years know the benefits of a home office and would have a tough time going back to a cubicle. Who needs a boss looming over your shoulder, or co-workers who can’t stop bothering you?

In the article Top 10 Benefits of Working From Home, Forbes shares the results of the Microsoft survey, Work without Walls. In the survey, corporate employees ranked what they consider the top benefits of working from home.

10) Environmentally friendly (23%)

9) More time with family (29%)

8) Less stressful environment (38%)

7) Quieter atmosphere (43%)

6) Eliminate long commute (44%)

5) Less distractions (44%)

4) More productive (45%)

3) Avoid traffic (47%)

2) Save gas (55%)

1) Work/home balance (60%)

Do you agree with this order?

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5 Steps for Accident-Proofing Your Home Office

December 26, 2012 By 6 Comments
source: ell brown

source: ell brown

When my sons were little, I baby-proofed my entire house. Between cabinet latches, toilet locks and baby gates, our house was safe. I realized it was time to remove the locks when my younger son showed his babysitter how to use them.

Taking the time to make your home safe for your kids is important, but who’s keeping your office safe for you? All it takes is one fall to break a leg and you’re out of commission for weeks. If you don’t have a staff or a virtual assistant, who will keep your office running smoothly?

Whether you work by yourself, or with others, an injury is still inconvenient. These five steps can help you make your home office safe.

1. Keep your path clear.

Avoid accidental falls by securing loose cables instead of letting them snake throughout your home office. Keep your home office from becoming an obstacle course by putting things away where they belong or close to where they belong. I used to put things on the floor “for now” and would forget I did that until I tripped over whatever it was I should have moved earlier. Graceful is not my middle name!

2. Place items strategically.

Set up your home office so you can reach the equipment and supplies you use often and reduce the strain on your back. You may not notice the effects of regular up, down, and twisting motions until you feel a sharp pain shooting up your spine or down your neck.

3. Strive for support.

Avoid neck, back, and even wrist injury by using a chair that supports your back while absorbing and distributing your weight. In other words, don’t use your kitchen chair or dining room table chair in place of an ergonomically correct chair. Sharp pains or a throbbing in your neck are a sure sign that your monitor is either too low or too high (usually it’s too high). When you use an adjustable chair, you can set it so the monitor is at the right height. Or you can use a monitor riser to help you reduce neck strain.

4. Manage stacks.

It’s easy to think you’ll be able to tackle the stacks of magazines you’ve saved all year, but who has the time to read everything? Instead of stepping over stacks, tripping over plies and seeing your blood pressure go up as your stacks rise, recycle them. If you want to read a certain article, you’ll be able to find it online. Also, not only will you be able to save space in your home office, you’ll be able to save money on subscriptions to magazines you’ll never read.

5. Ensure that you’re insured.

You may have homeowners insurance, but make sure that you know what it covers. Not all policies cover home office equipment. The time to find out that you’re not insured is before, not after, you have to turn in a claim.

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Working Naked Workout Tips

December 13, 2012 By Leave a Comment

When you’re working for yourself and handling everything on your own, squeezing in a workout can be nearly impossible. Before you completely dump the idea of fitting a workout into your day, consider more tips from others who are working from home.

“For the greatest energy and focus, take a break from your desk every 90-120 minutes. Use the time to take a brisk 10-minute walk, do a few crunches and push-ups, or stretching exercises. You will return refreshed and rejuvenated.”
— Ellen G. Goldman, M.Ed., Cert. Wellness Coach

“Work out first thing in the morning. It motivates me to get up and get moving. Doing so sets me up for a better mood throughout the day and it’s already done and out of the way. One thing immediately knocked off the daily to-do list!”
—Melinda Massie, Melinda Massie Events and Consulting

“My problem has always been finding the time to work out as the days seem to fly by. My solution has been to buy a 1-hour kitchen timer. I set it for the amount of time I need for the task at hand and then when it rings, it’s enough to interrupt me from what I was concentrating on. I then set it for 10 minutes and do a short stretch or weight workout.”
—Jeffrey Strain, SavingAdvice.com

“Be realistic about the amount of time you have to devote to training and schedule realistic workouts that take only that amount of time. Avoid setting yourself up for failure with grandiose plans of multiple hour workout sessions, 7-day-a-week training and other plans that don’t fit your workload or schedule.”
—Charla McMillian, Fitness Expert

How do you work out when you’re working from home?

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5 Tips For Taking the Stress Out of Traveling

November 28, 2012 By 2 Comments

During the past few weeks I’ve been traveling for business and for pleasure. While I was flying home last week, I realized that not everyone flies often and some people haven’t flown in years.

They’re the passengers who argue with the TSA agent about bringing a bottle of water through security. One woman tried to flirt with one of the agents and convince him to let her bring her bottle through. It didn’t work.

Another guy tried to explain that he couldn’t get his cowboy boots off easily so he should be able to go through the scanner with his boots on. Although we were in Texas, the rules about boots still applied.

While I was trying to be patient — I’m not one of those people who go in front of someone while they’re trying to take off their shoes — I wished I had printed a list of the tips below to hand out to everyone.

1. Bring a current ID. While I was showing my ID to the TSA agent, the guy at the next stand was getting out of control. He didn’t understand why they wouldn’t accept his expired driver’s license. It’s one thing to remember your license and another to make sure you’ve renewed it.

2.  Make sure the name on your ticket matches the name on your ID. Last year I didn’t realize until I was already at the ticket counter that the name on my ticket didn’t match my driver’s license. My client had booked the flight for me and confirmed the itinerary with me, but I forgot to mention that Lisa is my nickname, not my legal name. After providing everything but a blood sample, security let me board the plane.

3. Store your liquids in a clear bag and keep the bag within reach. As I was taking my laptop out of my bag and pulling out my bag of liquids, I looked over and saw a woman taking everything out of her suitcase. She couldn’t find her shampoo, perfume and mouthwash bottles. I couldn’t believe how much stuff she had packed and how casual she was about what she was unpacking. When you see a stranger’s undies, I think you need to buy them dinner or at least a drink!

4. Wear the right shoes. Boots with long zippers and adorable sandals aren’t ideal for flying. You’ll look fabulous while you travel but you’ll curse your shoes while everyone behind you in line waits for you to take them off. A better option is to wear shoes that are easy to slip on and off. It’s even better if you remember to take them off. Trust me, when the gate agent points at your shoes and shakes her head, you’ll remember to take them off.

5. Remember where you park your car. Normally I use The Parking Spot so I can avoid paying more than $20 a day to park. When I was on the bus from the airport to The Parking Spot after another trip, I found two tickets that listed my parking space. I didn’t know which ticket was from a prior trip and which was from the current trip. After walking through half of the parking lot looking for my car, I won’t be making that mistake again.

Before your next trip, take a close look at these tips. Traveling doesn’t have to be stressful.

 

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How to Protect Your Small Business

November 23, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Guest post by DeAnn Flores Chase

As a small business lawyer, I work with entrepreneurs, business owners and professionals on a daily basis. For new business owners, I advise that an entity be formed from the start. For existing business owners, I advise that an entity be formed as soon as possible.

Business owners have several business entities to choose from, including corporations and limited liability companies (LLCs). In my opinion, it is critical that a business owner choose one, and not do business as a solo proprietor or partnership.

A properly formed and maintained business entity, such as a corporation or LLC, can provide the following benefits: [Read more...]

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When Was the Last Time You Thanked Your (Virtual) Friends?

November 14, 2012 By 8 Comments

Personal friends (ones with no business ties to you) are good to have, but sometimes business friends are even better.

While I was taking a break from a busy day, I thought about all of the business friends I’ve made online. I wondered if I’d thanked them enough for all they do for me.

To describe business friends as “business connections” sounds too sterile and impersonal. What we have in common is that our businesses interconnect and that we help each other when we can.

Whether you tweet on a business friend’s behalf, share his or her latest blog posts on Facebook, or refer clients, the point is to be there for each other, even if you’re hundreds of miles apart.

The Internet has changed the way we work from home and while we don’t have the support of the corporate workplace, we can help each other succeed. It’s all about working together. Isn’t that what being an entrepreneur and working for ourselves is all about?

So to my online business friends who work thousands of miles away from me, thanks for helping me grow my business. I couldn’t do it without you.

Is there anyone you haven’t thanked lately?

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Knowing What You Could Earn May Bring You Home

November 9, 2012 By Leave a Comment

For several months I’ve nagged asked my friend Steve to write about how he decided to go from a corporate job to working from home. The wait for his article was worth it.

Guest post by Steve Anderson

Working from home was a dream long before it became a reality, and that’s because I needed plenty of time to convince myself that leaving the corporate office was not some crazy dream.

In hindsight, I’m sure I wasted too much time agonizing over the potential drawbacks. “I’m with a successful business, making great connections, challenging myself professionally. How do I leave this?”

It was good to ask those questions, but I needed to also ask myself another obvious question: “How much would I have to be offered to leave it all?” Could I leave for the same salary? Could I work from home for 10 percent less? or 20? or 30 percent? [Read more...]

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