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Is Telecommuting Right For You?

April 20, 2012 By 8 Comments

When you think about working from home, do you picture a small business owner, or a corporate employee?

Some people forget that not everyone who works from home is an entrepreneur. Along with those of us who work for ourselves, corporate sales reps and other corporate employees work from home full-time, too.

Another group of people who work from home are telecommuters, those who work from home a few days a week instead of working in a corporate office every day. Whether you used to work from home and then had to go back to the corporate world, or you want a more flexible schedule, or you want to avoid a daily commute, telecommuting may be the perfect solution for you. Before you approach your boss about telecommuting, ask yourself a few questions. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Working at home Tagged With: , , ,

5 Ways to Show Your Clients You Care

February 8, 2012 By Leave a Comment

source: schipulites

My friend’s grandma used to say, “Don’t do special for me.” She didn’t want anyone to make a fuss over her because she knew her family cared and they didn’t need to prove it to her.

What about your clients? Do they know you care? Meeting your clients’ needs, completing their projects on time, and helping their business grow is part of your commitment to your clients. It’s also one way to show them indirectly that you truly take an interest in them.

Consider these five easy, inexpensive, yet more direct ways to show your clients that you care.

#1 Congratulate your clients on milestone events

When a client is celebrating a birthday, anniversary or a promotion, you can send an e-card, but a card you send via snail mail can mean even more. Don’t just sign the card…include a short, personal note. Although you’ll want to acknowledge happy occasions, don’t forget the sad ones. One of my clients recently lost her husband to cancer, so I sent her a card and made a donation to the charity included in her husband’s obituary. It was a small gesture but I wanted her to know that I was thinking of her during a difficult time for her and her family.

To read the rest of my guest post on Success Your Way, click here.

 

Filed Under: Working with clients Tagged With: , , ,

What Do You Do When Your Horrible Boss Is You?

July 7, 2011 By Leave a Comment

The movie “Horrible Bosses“ opens soon. While I didn’t write it, I could have inspired it.

I used to work for a horrible boss. This boss demanded long work hours, allowed limited breaks and scheduled deadlines that were impossible to meet.

The horrible boss I worked for, was me.

If you’re ready to work for a boss who is understanding, reasonable, and respectful of your time and talents, there are a few simple changes you can make.

  • Limit the number of hours you work each day. When your commute is only seconds away, it’s easy to go to work early and stay late. The key is knowing when to stop working and when to start enjoying your personal life.
  • Keep your to-do list reasonable and remember that you can’t do everything. Instead of scheduling a long list of tasks to finish in one day, limit your list. [Read more...]
Filed Under: Balancing home/office Life, Time mgmt./Productivity, Working at home Tagged With: , , , ,

It’s Not What You Say…It’s How You Say It

June 27, 2011 By Leave a Comment

I’m trying to settle a disagreement between two of my friends. One is remodeling her home and the other is an architect. I convinced my remodeling friend to hire the architect to help her create the perfect plans.

I thought they’d work well together.

I was wrong.

Relationships aren’t always as they seem

Last week I sent my remodeling friend an e-mail to ask her how things were going with the architect. She sent me a one-page e-mail describing everything that had gone wrong with the project. She couldn’t understand why I would have a friend as nasty and unprofessional as my architect friend. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Working with clients Tagged With: , , ,

Don’t Believe Everything You Hear About Entrepreneurship

April 12, 2011 By 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: , , ,

Is a Franchise or a Non-Franchise Business Better for You?

January 24, 2011 By 1 Comment

Guest post by The Franchise King®, Joel Libava

Please read the title of this post again. Look at the last two words. That’s right; it’s about what is better for you. Please don’t base your decision on what your well-meaning friends, relatives, and MBA friends suggest.

The business model of franchising is totally different [Read more...]

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

Don’t Beat Yourself Up When You’ve Let Yourself Down

January 12, 2011 By Leave a Comment

don't beat yourself up when you've let yourself downYou know those days when everything clicks and you can’t believe how amazing you are? You replay the highlights of the day in your head, tell yourself how you can accomplish anything and even psych yourself up for the next day. You are awesome!

But what about the bad days? [Read more...]

Filed Under: Balancing home/office Life, Working at home Tagged With: , ,

Move it Where You’ll Use It

January 10, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Last week, a contractor doing some work on my house looked at my barbeque grill and said, “You’d probably use that more if you moved it closer to your kitchen door.”

Um, why didn’t I think of that?

I moved my grill and now I use it almost every night. That guy’s simple suggestion made something I’d quit using, useful again.

Move it where you’ll use it is a simple idea but one that so many of us forget (obviously myself included). Consider a few ways to make it easier to use what you have. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Home office design, Home office setup Tagged With: , , ,

See Your Home-Based Business Through Your Clients’ Eyes

January 5, 2011 By 2 Comments

Image from cbs.com

There’s a show I’ve watched a few times called Undercover Boss.

The premise is that the owner, president or CEO of a corporation, goes to work as a regular employee. The manager or person in charge of the store, manufacturing plant or other type of business who’s in charge of training the new employee, doesn’t know that he or she is dealing with the “head cheese” of the company. It’s a brilliant idea!

By going undercover, Mr. or Ms. Cheese sees first-hand what’s wrong with the company. The best part is that [Read more...]

Filed Under: Making money from home, Working with clients Tagged With: , , , ,

You Never Know Where You’ll Find Your Next Business Idea

January 3, 2011 By Leave a Comment

When I need to solve a problem or come up with my next, great idea, it never hits me right away, no matter how hard I try. In fact, the more I push myself, the more I can count on not accomplishing anything. It’s a little frustrating.

Some people think of their best ideas while they’re in the shower. I think of my best ideas before I go to sleep and when I wake up in the middle of the night.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Working at home Tagged With: , ,
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