Advantages of Working from Home

As the song goes, "the times they are a changing". More and more people are working from home now. With the onset of technology it is becoming commonplace. Whether they are setting up their own home based businesses or working for someone else but doing it from their own home, there are many advantages.

First off is the cost savings, this cannot be easily ignored. If you do not have to go into the "office", you are saving on transportation costs which include gas, parking and wear and tear, clothing costs, food and beverage costs and other expenses that just add up when you are commuting to the office.

As for the employer, there is also a cost savings of not having the extra work stations and with remote workers, a business can have minimum office space if its workers are virtual.

Let's not also forget the reduction of cars on our roads reduces the impact on the environment, so the benefit is felt not only for the individual and the employer, but for the community also.

Followed closely by cost savings is time savings. For those that have a long ride to the office, you can be saving two hours or more from your day. Instead of getting up at 6am and leaving the house at 7am to start work at 8am - you can roll out of bed at 6:45am and get a jump on the day by 7am!

If your children are old enough or are in school, you can also schedule work around the times that they are away or sleeping. Many work from home moms do a lot of work once the kids are in bed for naps or the night. This allows them the flexibility to spend quality time with them during the day and also save on child care - which can be really expensive especially with more than one child.

Another advantage is the flexibility of the work schedule. If you have appointments or other commitments, it is possible to work around them, work later or do some extra time on weekends. One must however be committed to getting the job done and not just let those non-work commitments take over.

Which brings us to the question, with all these advantages of working from home, is it for everyone? Only the individual can answer that question but generally, if you can work independently, are motivated and committed, then you too can enjoy all these advantages and work from home.

How A Handwritten Card Can Increase Business

If you are a small business you will know that a large part of your time is spent attracting new business and referrals and one of the most effective and best ways to do this is by sending out hand written notes and cards to customers.

At first glance this may not seem practical to a business owner for the following reasons.
1. You need to develop a system to track people's important dates/information, which can be overwhelming when you think about the number of people you meet.

2. You then have to go to the card store and find the right card. This can be a very time consuming and costly if you have to drive.

3. After that it's the writing and posting of the cards.

4. The cost of the cards could average between £1-2.00 per card depending on what you get.

However do not overlook this method. There is something powerful about sending a client or patient a hand written note or card. It conveys that you are thinking about them and that they are worth your time and effort to write. Believe me in an age where the personal touch seems to be missing from many aspects of our lives. It speaks a lot.
If you are just starting out you may be able to do this for every customer, if not provide this service to your very best customers.

You do not have to say much, even if it’s only to thank them for their purchase and offer some after care. People appreciate it and even if they do not contact you straight away, they are more likely to keep the card and come back to you eventually, providing you follow up. If you fail to follow up regularly you may lose that one customer that could turn your business around.

Out of sight is out of mind. Someone who may not need your services now, may need you in six months time, but will they think of you first before anyone else. By keeping in touch regularly and sending them a hand written personal card from you, they have no choice but to stop and think about you, even if it is only for a moment. Do this several times a year and you will be in the forefront of their minds.

So get into the habit of sending out at least three hand written notes or cards a day thanking clients for their custom and offering help.

A. Keep a stack of letterheads, cards, envelopes and stamps with you at all times.

B. Write the note immediately after seeing or interacting with customer while the details are still fresh.

C. Keep the note or card personal and sincere.

D. Keep the note short and sweet.

E. Be alert for any opportunity to send out a handwritten note or card.

Not only will you feel better about yourself and make a difference to others but see an increase in repeat business and referrals.

3 Simple Steps to Empowered Action

One major challenge to operating a home based business is overcoming the challenge of being in action everyday. Have you ever experienced being in a rut? Of ending the day without having done anything or having done very little? Do you tell yourself tomorrow will be different and then it's not? Have you had thoughts of quitting on your dreams because you are feeling helpless and less and less motivated?

These feelings are very common and are faced by most people who have the courage to begin a home based business. Taking action can be intimidating and scary but it can also be the most empowering thing you can do. Action is the fuel that keeps people motivated; that supports a persons dream for having a lifestyle business.

Let's lay out the three steps to support empowered action:

1. The first thing you will need to do is to own that your business is where it is because of your lack of action. The importance of owning this is that you have a base to work from. Ask yourself this question, "where would I be today if I had taken the necessary actions instead of avoiding or being anxious?" The answer helps you to be clear on how taking action will support the growth of you and your business.

Now, let's decide what is the first action you will take to get this ball rolling. Where is your business right now and what specific situations do you want to change or improve? Look at different aspects of your business - financial, development, web presence, customer service, and any other areas that need to be identified. Now pick one easy, productive action you can take today to improve your business. This does not have to be a big action, any action will help to build momentum.

2. Now that you've chosen your action step, you will have to commit to pushing yourself to accomplish this action - no matter what! Whatever has stood in your way, push past it. Ask yourself this question when you encounter fear or uneasiness - "what is the worst thing that can happen if this fails?" If the answer is anything but "death", keep moving forward! Most things we fear really never happen except in our minds.

3. After you have completed the identified action, congratulate yourself and keep moving onto the next action. Remember, action is the fuel of your business like gas is the fuel to your car. A key is to end your day with a list of actions you can take and complete the next day. If you accomplish small actions everyday, in less than a month you will be amazed by the amount of progress you have made and how much better you feel about your business.

Continuing to take action then becomes the new habit versus the old habit of inertia, anxiety, and fear. You made a decision to have a home based business for a reason. Remind yourself what your reason was and what lifestyle your dreams and visions will support for you, your family, your friends, and the world.

10 Tips to Finding More Clients!

Getting new business clients or reviving old customers are much simpler than we make it. Most times we cannot see the forest for the trees, so here are ten tips to bring back the basics into your business.

1. Tap into old business for new business. Begin to ask your existing clients for more business when they are buying from you; e.g., remind them of all the products or services you have that they might need. Ask satisfied customers for new referrals - everyone knows people you don't know.

2. Pitch a stranger. Let strangers know who and what you are about. Always be prepared to showcase your company without forgetting about meeting the needs of the new prospective client.

3. Be direct. Don't waste time "warming up" clients. Know what you're going to say - be well-prepared. People will appreciate you are getting to the point intelligently and quickly. If you are communicating via email, make sure you get to the point sooner than later. You only have about ten seconds to get their attention and keep them reading.

4. Discuss your failures. What? My failures? Yes, discussing your failure actually builds credibility. Everyone makes mistakes so being able to admit your mistakes and failures shows clients you're human. Telling a client how or why you lost a customer and what you learned would be a welcome change to the norm.

5. Create a "loss-leader." Creating a loss-leader helps relationships build over time. Allowing clients to get to know you through loss-leaders helps develop trust.

6. Get sold yourself. Visit your most successful competitors and allow them to sell you. By playing the customer you can learn what and how their approach works. As you are being the customer, be aware of how you feel and what techniques are most effective. In the auto industry this is a common practice - buying a car or truck and going over the vehicle with a fine-tooth comb results in lots of great information.

7. Pitch an enemy. Seek out someone who is very disagreeable and pitch to him or her. By doing this, you will find out if anything you said made a difference or if any of their negative comments had any merit. Don't defend anything - stay detached. This exercise will show you what you or your business might be lacking.

8. Create an email newsletter. This is a great way to reach out to your customers on a regular basis. Develop a newsletter that "you" would look forward to receiving. Don't always be trying to sell them something, instead, give away lots of information.

9. Share testimonials. Ask your satisfied clients to share their experiences of your business. These testimonials also add credibility. It's best to use the full name of the person. "JO from Chicago" is not nearly as credible as "Jon Owens" from Chicago."

10. Ask questions. This cannot be emphasized enough in growing and developing a business. The act of allowing people to share their needs make them happy and lets them know you are listening.

It may seem strange, but we get so caught up in "doing" our businesses that we overlook simple strategies that are right in front of our noses. The better you take care of the client in front of you the faster your business can attract new clients and grow.

Cashing in on the Green Movement

Everywhere you look you are being bombarded with the green movement. If you aren’t being asked to recycle or reduce your carbon footprint, you are being asked to help the planet out by being earth friendly.

It’s funny, but not too long ago, if you cared about the environment you were labeled a tree hugger, and were often looked on as a “nut”. Now days’ being green is politically correct.

The green movement is gaining momentum and those who aren’t eco-friendly are being looked on with disdain. Gas guzzling behemoth cars like the Hummer, were once a status symbols. Today they are being looked down on as the earth un-friendly vehicles that they are. Between the nose dive of the economy and the trend towards more fuel efficient cars, Hummer has gone out of business.

The upside of the green movement is that there are many more opportunities for people to earn a lot of money. More and more companies have either gone green or have pledged to go green. Even the retail giant Wal-Mart is planning a new labeling system that will give consumers more information about products sold. The labeling will give consumers more options to buy earth friendly products.

As other companies are working to reduce their carbon footprint, their research and development departments are studying the market to find the next hottest craze that will not only help saves the environment, but make them much money.

Another benefit of the green movement is that there is a whole host of new products and new technologies being developed. Many of the common products we use every day are being made in a more earth friendly manner. From biodegradable sponges, to compact fluorescent light bulbs, solar products, and organic foods and more, we see new products on a daily basis.

For many the green movement will be an opportunity to earn a lot of green as in green money. This new green movement will bring with it the opportunity for new jobs, new products and new businesses. If you are looking to earn more money, now is a great opportunity to go green.

Setting aside the debate over whether global warming is a real threat, and putting aside your skepticism over the doctored data presented by some of the scientists, you have to realize that the green movement is good, especially when it comes to your bank account. Think green and you have the opportunity to make a lot of green.

How to Boost Computer Productivity

Being highly productive today in this economy is one way to try to stem the tide of lay-off possibilities. Have you noticed that your computer has an automatic switch, that when triggered, it brings on a delay for you to continue working?

Just imagine, you are working along on your latest project when out of nowhere your system slows down. Ultimately it "freezes". No more typing, or movement can be detected. It's amazing how these occurrences happen almost daily.

It could be a million things, but really probably two options are at play here. The first is a windows auto update is being installed on your PC. The next option is probably beyond the scope of this piece because it delves into the dark world of Viruses, Trojans, bugs, malware, cyber-terror, remote key loggers and other tools that cyber-criminals use to 'phish' for your personal data in an effort to steal and profit from your identity.

So, we will focus on how to handle the Windows automatic updates that come switched on or set as default when you first purchased your computer.

For Windows XP you can alter your configurations easily. You can set your computer for manual updates. With manual updates switched on, you will no longer have Microsoft updating Windows, and a whole host of problems can arise if you do not keep a regularly updated copy of their operating system. So do not ignore updating your PC manually in hopes of greater efficiency.

Here are the steps you would take first, if staring at your desktop.
1. Navigate over to Start, Control Panel, and select Automatic Updates

2. Selecting automatic updates, choose a good time for your schedule when your PC would be left on. This would allow Microsoft to provide the regular updates but when you want them. Sometimes, these updates are two or three a day. It just depends on what Microsoft has to do. For some clients, leaving their computer on all night once a week eg. Sunday night is a good time. You would then select the exact hour you would allow them to update your system. It could be 3:00 AM if you like, just remember to leave your PC on all night.

3. Lets just recap these steps. When your in the Automatic Updates window, they offer four choices.
a. Automatic- where you choose a good time (Every Sunday, once a day etc. are all available.
b. Download updates for me, but let me choose when to install them.
c. Notify me but don't automatically download or install them.
d. Turn off Automatic Updates. This last option is not recommended. Mainly because the Windows frame work is very unstable and has many security weak points. This is especially true of Windows 2000 and Windows XP.

After your system receives an update, the system forces a reboot. This is very problematic. One solution Microsoft attempted was a button that said, "would you like to install later?"

Unfortunately, it does not work. The systems next screen says "your system was just updated and requires immediate rebooting." Regretfully, the update started prior to you saving the document.

Quite frustrating when you failed to complete that spreadsheet and it is now 4:57 PM and time for your daughters soccer match. So much for your productivity.

You can take the time right now which is really quite short, to customize your PC to update when you are less likely to need it. Some experts suggest updates once a week to be sufficient. Anything else appears to border on humans working for the computers.