The "Work From Home Helper"

Still There?

2007-03-25T18:13:00.000-05:00

Hi all,

Sorry it has been so long since my last post. Many reasons can be given for my absence but I am not going to go into deep detail. Let me just say that I have learned a lot about myself and how much each one of us needs to trust in God to pull us through hard times.

I am about to start in a new home business venture. I will be posting more on this in my next few posts (and no it won't take a year...).

Remember, the home is to be a place of production, not just consumption.

Until next time...

Craig
http://www.bornagainbargains.com
http://www.workfromhomehelper.com
http://www.jewelrybyjaime4jesus.com

FIVE STEPS TO FINDING A WORK-AT-HOME JOB

2006-05-30T20:23:00.000-05:00

FIVE STEPS TO FINDING A WORK-AT-HOME JOB

Work-at-home jobs have become more prevalent with the growth of the Internet. Hundreds of jobs can be found on any given day. So it’s always a surprise to me when I receive email from people asking if telecommuting is a myth. It’s not a myth. In fact, approximately 24 million people telecommute in some form. The key to finding work-at-home jobs is knowing how and where to search, taking the time to learn about companies, and submitting a quality resume.

Step One: Learn about Telecommuting

Despite what scammers would have you believe, you don’t sign-up to work at home nor will you get paid to stuff envelopes or assemble miniature dollhouses. One of the first things people need to understand about work-at-home jobs is that they require skill and experience just as any job would. You may get paid to type but most likely you will also be responsible for doing the research, synthesizing and organizing the data, and then typing it. You might find a job doing data-entry but you may need experience in keying or you may be responsible for gathering the data, entering it and creating queries.

Another fact about telecommuting is that you don’t have to pay for a work-at-home job. Legitimate employers never charge to hire you, ever. Learn that rule and don’t forget it. Because anyone who says you can get hired at work-at-home job for any amount of money is selling you something and it isn’t work.

Step Two: Inventory Your Skills

In step one you learned that work-at-home jobs require skills and experience so step two is to inventory what you have to offer. When listing your skills and experience, don’t limit yourself to jobs. Include anything you have learned or can do that is related to a hobby or interest or volunteer experience as well. Skills that translate well into a work-at-home job include researching, writing, computer-related skills, phone and communication skills, and sales experience.

Step Three: Search for Work

The key to finding work-at-home jobs is to search where people post jobs. Employers are not looking for home workers. They are looking for qualified people to fill a position. It is the position they advertise and they advertise it on job-related sites. That doesn’t mean that scams are not posted in job sites but for the most part you can be sure that work-at-jobs won’t be posted in search engines.

You need to realize that most likely you won’t find your perfect job on your first search attempt. People complain to me all the time that they find hundreds of jobs they don’t want to do or can’t do. But how many jobs listed in the Sunday classifieds would they be interested in doing? Probably only a handful out of hundreds. Why would a work-at-home search be any different? A work-at-home job search requires the same amount of effort and diligence needed to get a traditional job.

Step Four: Submit a Quality Resume

“I want to work at home. I have a computer and can type.” Would you hire someone who sent you this? Probably not. Why? Well for one, there isn’t enough information to determine if this job applicant can do the job. And two, the job applicant hasn’t put forth a great deal of effort in getting the job. I am surprised sometimes how informal people are when trying to find a work-at-home job. This sort of note would never be sent in a traditional job search but for some reason people do it all the time in a work-at-home job search. The fact is that you must submit professional quality resumes and applications. Your written submission is the first and only chance you have to make an impression. The competition for a work-at-home job will be fierce. You need to set your submission apart from the rest. Here are some tips:

Learn about resumes and cover letters

Submit your resume to a person.

Follow the directions indicated in the job announcement.

Gear each resume to the job you are applying to.

Step Five: Don’t Give Up

I believe everyone can work at home. But it’s not easy. It requires a great deal of effort and often a willingness to venture into something new. Many people give up too early or when the effort becomes too discouraging. If you have been looking for a job for more than six months, you need to re-evaluate your efforts. Are you looking in the right places? Are you willing to consider a variety of jobs? Have you been submitting quality resumes and applications? Have you been working on your goal on a regular basis for six months? (Wishing to work at home for six months isn’t the same as actively looking for a job for six months).

You can turn your work-at-home dream into a reality. By following the five steps above, you can bring yourself that much closer to finding a telecommuting job.

======================================

Copyright 2003, 2005 Leslie Truex. Leslie Truex has telecommuted for online companies as well as offline in the areas of education and social work. She is the author of Jobs At Home: A Complete Guide to Finding or Creating a Work-At-Home Job http://64him.wahsuccess.hop.clickbank.net which provided step-by-step details on how to find and obtain a work-at-home job.

Affiliate Marketing - Why it Works

2006-05-10T22:19:00.000-05:00

Affiliate Marketing – Why It Works
Copyright 2006 – Craig Binkley

There is no denying the fact that Affiliate Marketing is very popular right now. The main reason for its popularity is simple: it benefits both the merchant (the supplier of the product or service) and the marketer (the person promoting the product or service) in many ways. Presented below are two short lists of several benefits enjoyed by both merchant & marketer, respectively.

Benefits for the Merchant:

1. Instead of a sales force of one or two people, by using Affiliate Marketing a merchant can have a sales force of thousands or more. Their products will be seen by hundreds of thousands of visitors instead of only those that they alone would be able to promote their product to.

2. The merchant does not have to worry about hiring, firing and all the other tedious tasks that come along with having employees in a business. Software programs can run the affiliate program and do much of the mundane work.

3. Affiliate Marketing allows the merchant to get exposure for his product without incurring a huge expense. Many affiliate programs pay the marketer a percentage of the products sale price. Utilizing this type of program, the merchant wouldn’t pay anything to the marketer unless his product actually sells.

4. The advertising costs for the merchant are minimal compared to the aspect of the merchant doing all the promoting themselves.

Benefits for the Marketer:

1. Most affiliate programs are free to join. You can join numerous programs and have a myriad of products available to promote, depending on your situation.

2. Your overhead should be low. You don’t have to buy the products up front. Your job is to get people to visit the merchant. When the visitor makes a purchase, the merchant handles the transaction and the shipping of the product as well as any refunds that may be required.

3. There is no need to hire employees. You can promote many different affiliate programs from one website. This makes it an ideal way for a person to earn some extra income without a lot of work being involved.

4. Since the merchant handles the transaction, there is normally no customer interaction needed. Of course you may get the odd email asking questions about the product, but under most circumstances there is no need for interaction between you and a potential buyer.

5. You have the option of changing products/programs as you see fit for your particular site or situation. This wouldn’t necessarily be the case if you were promoting your own products. If a certain product is not selling, you can easily exchange it for another, or perhaps even decide to stop promoting it altogether.

In Conclusion:

Affiliate Marketing works because it benefits both the merchant and the marketer. Each party benefits from the program in several distinct ways, thereby making Affiliate Marketing a wise and cost efficient way to sell products or services.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Craig Binkley is a husband, father and home business owner. Visit his Work From Home Directory at http://www.workfromhomehelper.com for legitimate work from home opportunities and ideas.

Choosing the Right Domain Name

2006-05-04T20:49:00.000-05:00

Choosing the Right Domain Name
Copyright 2006 – Craig Binkley

It doesn’t matter what type of business you are preparing to start-- if you plan to have a presence on the Internet, choosing a proper domain name is an important step that should be given serious consideration.

Take a moment and think about some of your favorite websites’ URL’s. More than likely they will have a couple of things in common: 1) they express, in some way, the content of the website and 2) are short in the number of characters utilized. These are both good points to keep in mind when choosing your domain name. Let’s take a closer look.

CONTENT OF SITE: Many effective domain names can tell a potential visitor what the website is about without even clicking on the link: I.E. Wal-Mart. Most people, if not everyone in this galaxy, know that the Wal-Mart .com domain is going to have something to do with the giant retailer. The association is immediate. This is the effect for which all online businesses should strive. From a visitor’s standpoint, a domain name consistent with the content lends credibility to the website. Search engines may not be as concerned about the domain name given the importance of the title meta tag right now, but that doesn’t change the potential visitor’s interpretation of your URL when viewing search results. Think about it. If your search query results for “bicycle repair” presented you with a choice between two websites, one of which was “easybicyclepair dot com” and the other “mynameissmith dot com”, which one would you most likely choose? It’s basically a no-brainer.

SHORT AND TO THE POINT: If at all possible, make your domain name short. This translates to less typing for the surfers, as well as a lesser amount of recall required remembering the location of your site (just in case they forgot to bookmark it). Securing a short domain name isn’t always an easy task to accomplish. Many of the short names are already taken, so it may require a little brainstorming on your part to create something you’re happy with that’s short & also associated with your content. Though it may take a little longer to pinpoint just the right name, it will pay off in the long run. For instance, you could come up with a domain that’s “catchy” or even “cute” with a little extra effort & time spent. This will definitely help solidify your site’s location in your visitor’s minds. Advertisers have long known this to be true & have utilized its potential through television, radio and billboard ads for years. A good domain name will do the same thing as an ad jingle: get stuck in a person’s head. If you can create something short & catchy that also points to your content, you’ll have the best of both worlds. Furthermore, if you ever do plan to advertise through those other avenues, a catchy domain name could mean the difference between a potential customer either forgetting your site or wondering why they can’t seem to get your dot com out of their head.

IN CONCLUSION: Don’t overlook the importance of choosing a good domain name as a vital step in your business-building plan. While the domain name doesn’t always mean the difference between success and failure, a short, descriptive and catchy domain name may just be money in the bank.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Craig Binkley is a husband, father and a home business owner. Visit his Work From Home Directory located at http://www.workfromhomehelper.com for legitimate work from home opportunities and ideas.

How To Attract More Visitors To Your Website

2006-04-19T15:05:00.000-05:00

How To Attract More Visitors To Your Website
Copyright 2006 – Craig Binkley

There are numerous factors to consider when evaluating the potential commercial success (i.e. profitability) of a website. A few of these include content, quality of the content, items being marketed, appearance, etc. I could go on forever about the various website building blocks needed in order to be successful, but without traffic (visitors), no website is going to be profitable.

You may think that the site you have created is top-notch, but if the only ones visiting it are your family and friends then chances are very good that you’re not going to make many sales (or whatever it is your site is designed to accomplish).

So how, as a Webmaster, do you tackle the seemingly huge task of getting traffic (that’s so vitally important to your success) driven to your site? To answer that, we first need to look at two types of visitor categories:

Non-targeted: A non-targeted visitor is defined as a person that is not truly interested in, or searching for, what your site offers. They may have stumbled across your site while searching for something else. While they may or may not purchase goods/services from your site, it should be assumed that they were not actively searching for what you’re marketing.

Targeted: A targeted visitor to your website would be a person that found your page using some type of search parameter. This person would have been actively searching for the content that your site offers. This person is much more likely to purchase from your site than the non-targeted visitor. Obviously, targeted traffic is what a website owner needs in order to be profitable.

Now here is the dilemma of the day: How do you generate traffic and then how do you determine if that traffic is targeted or non-targeted? Below I have listed some of the major ways of driving traffic to your website along with the type of visitor to expect from each one.

Search Engines: If you have optimized your site correctly, visitors you receive from the major search engines such as Google, MSN, and Yahoo (and many of the lesser engines) should be targeted to your site. These people have actively searched out the keywords that have led them to your page. The best thing about this traffic is that it is free.

The downside of generic search engine traffic is getting your site ranked high enough so that people actually find your site. Most people will not look much beyond the first three pages of search results. So if you are not in the top thirty results for a certain keyword, the chances are good that you’re not going to see much traffic from them.

Pay-Per-Click (PPC): Pay-per-click, much like the generic search engine results discussed above, should be highly targeted traffic. The basic premise with PPC is that you place your ad with the different search engines, directories, etc. and then they distribute your ad according to your selected keywords. When a person clicks on your ad, you pay a set price. When done correctly, PPC can be an excellent way of driving targeted traffic. The downside of PPC is that you pay for every single click. Though many of the top PPC companies allow you to set up a monthly budget, it can still become very expensive.

Cost-Per-Action (CPA): Cost-per-action works much like PPC. The main difference between the two is that you pay only when the visitor performs a required task at your site (purchase, sign up, etc.) Of course the cost for this service is much higher than standard PPC. Also, CPA services usually require that you place a piece of code on your “Checkout” or “Thank You” page which alerts them to the fact that the visitor came from their service in order for them to charge you accordingly.

Traffic Exchanges: A traffic exchange website (Traffic Swarm, etc) is based on the idea of “You scratch my back, then I’ll scratch yours.” I.E. they will display your ad the same number of times that you’ve clicked to view someone else’s. Some offer ratios of 1:1 (meaning for every time you click on another ad, your ad will be displayed), while others offer differing plans. The downside of traffic exchanges is that most of the people clicking on the ads are doing it for the same reason you are – to get their ad placed. Therefore, any traffic generated through a traffic exchange will more than likely not be targeted. It is possible to make the occasional sale or sign up through these services, but they will probably be few and far between.

Article Submission: Writing & submitting articles about a subject that’s relevant to your website content is an excellent way to receive targeted traffic. This can normally be done for free or at a very low cost. An added benefit is that each time a website posts your article you will receive a one-way link to your website-- which is highly favored by the search engines.

The process is really quite simple: 1) Write an article about a subject that visitors to your site would be interested in. At the bottom of the article place a “resource box” that contains a little blip about you and/or your website along with your link. (See my example below entitled “ABOUT THE AUTHOR”). 2) Submit your article to the many online article directories. This can be done manually or with software programs designed to automate the process for you.

If your article is well written, it may be placed on hundreds of highly visited websites. When a person reads your article and decides to click on the link you’ve provided in the resource box, you get the [usually] free targeted traffic. It doesn’t get much better than that!

Link Exchange: Once upon a time link exchanging was the BIG thing. I believe that has changed and no longer is as heavily-weighted by the search engines. The whole point of exchanging links was supposed to be because you believed your visitors would benefit from your link partner’s content. Link farms changed & abused all of that, so the search engine “points” given for backward links have been adjusted down. Don’t count them out completely as a way to drive traffic to your site, but don’t count on them solely either. Exchanging links with like-minded websites can still deliver some decent traffic, which, in theory, should also be the coveted targeted type.

In conclusion: As a website owner, targeted traffic is the name of the game. You can have the best looking site with the coolest graphics, but if no one can find your site then all your work isn’t going to do you much good.

Seek out highly targeted traffic for your website. Optimize your site for the search engines and then choose a few of the options listed above to start driving visitors to your site today. Once you get the visitors there...well, that’s another article for another day.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Craig Binkley is a husband, father and home business owner. Visit his Work From Home Directory legitimate work from home opportunities and ideas.

Today's WAHM and the Internet

2006-04-07T08:15:00.000-05:00

Today's WAHM and the Internet
by Laura Humphries

The alarm sounds and rudely awakens me from a deep slumber. It is another early Monday morning which means it's time to get up, get dressed and take my oldest daughter to school. I then head home, turn on my computer and get to work. Mornings for me are the most difficult as I struggle to balance spending time with my youngest daughter (not quite school age and still at home) and muddle my way through and respond to the endless emails in my inbox. Who am I? I am a WAHM.

WAHMs, or work-at-home moms make up many of the small online businesses we find among the plethora of Websites which exist on the Internet today. Why have so many of today's moms taken the plunge into online business ownership? While every mom's situation and circumstance is unique, most moms start on the path to home-based entrepreneurship for two main reasons: First, most moms want to be at home in order to take part in the primary parenting responsibilities. Also, many moms find it difficult to make ends meet on their spouse's income alone. This forces many moms to make a decision as to whether or not go back to work or to find work out of the home. For many moms, the demands of the corporate world are overwhelming and too demanding, so they decide to start their own online business in hopes of controlling the work day in terms of flexibility and scheduling.

Why do so many moms choose the Internet as a venue to start a home business? There are a couple of reasons: The Internet (Websites) and email allow for ease of communication. For example, traditional businesses usually handle correspondence via telephone or in person. Can you imagine trying to conduct business over the phone while in the background your child screams for more ice cream? Or imagine as a mom business owner that you have an office and that a client comes in to see you for a meeting, but suddenly your child who is in your office as well, has a potty training accident. What mom could or would ever attempt to conduct business in this fashion? Thus, conducting business via an interactive website or through email allows a mom to accomplish those business tasks which would have otherwise been impossible in traditional settings.

The second reason is the cost involved when starting a business. Traditional methods require a business owner to obtain a commercial office, and of course there is the overhead which is associated with such an office. In comparison, it is relatively in-expensive to start an online business. Most Web authoring tools are cost effective and extremely easy to learn, making the cost of designing a business website almost obsolete. Also, the price of maintaining an online business presence through a Web host is a fraction of the cost of maintaining a commercial office. These are some of the contributing factors as to why more and more moms are turning to Web business ownership.

Today's moms are able to make their dream of working at home a reality, but some overlook one important factor-balance. While it may seem that the WAHM has it all, a closer look might reveal otherwise. WAHMs struggle to maintain a healthy balance between work and life. As with most of life's challenges, there are solutions that can help the work-at-home mom successfully manage work and family life, some of which include the following:

--Set boundaries. If possible, set limits on the amount of hours you will work each week.

-- Set a schedule. In addition to setting boundaries, incorporate a daily schedule to follow so that you will not become over worked or burned out.

-- Make time for your family. Remember that you started your online business with your family in mind and be sure to spend as much time with them as possible.

Although every WAHM's situation and circumstance is unique, one common factor remains: To achieve the ideal work/family balance. Incorporating the techniques mentioned above, the WAHM will be able to focus and will gain the confidence she needs to run a successful Internet-based business and a happy home.

About the Author
Copyright 2006 Mommy Today Magazine. This publication is a courtesy of Mommy Today Magazine.

Setting Up Your Home Office

2006-03-30T22:02:00.000-06:00

Setting Up Your Home Office
Copyright 2006 – Craig Binkley

Whether you are currently working at home or are seriously considering the possibility, setting up & properly maintaining your home office should be part of your overall plan. Don’t make the mistake of overlooking the importance of a home-business friendly environment. It may even determine your level of success.

The following list constitutes some items that are of the utmost importance when setting up your home office. Many people often overlooked these when starting a home business.

LOCATION:
Where you set up your home office will depend on your particular situation, but if at all possible use a spare room. Your best bet will be to set yourself off from the rest of the house in order to afford you some privacy. If this isn’t an option in your home, try to find the next best place where this could be accomplished. You need not be totally secluded from all intrusions, but you’ll want the option to be able to keep distractions to a minimum when necessary.

LIGHTING:
If your office has a window you’ll receive natural lighting during the day. But if you plan to work in the evening or you don’t have the option of using a window, you will want to provide good artificial light that’s friendly to the eyes. Special light fixtures and bulbs made just for reading are readily available and could make a world of difference for a few extra dollars. Whether you choose overhead fluorescent lights, desk lamps or another type of fixture, be sure your office has plenty of good lighting.

DESK:
The best scenario here would be to have a nice, professional-type desk. That’s not always possible, nor affordable, for many who are just starting out. If your work area will not permit it, or it’s just not in the budget at the moment, do whatever you can with what you have available. In time you’ll want to invest in a good desk with plenty of work and drawer space for your PC, files, supplies, etc. You don’t have to spend a small fortune to upgrade. I’ve found a few solid models at second-hand shops that needed only minor touching up. Check with your local Salvation Army Thrift Shop or on Yahoo Groups Recycle lists for your area, as people often donate desks they no longer have a need for in their homes/offices.

CHAIR:
It may not sound like a major thing, but if you sit at a desk for long periods of time (and you shouldn’t do that anyway - take a five minute break every hour!) you’ll want to invest in a good chair with support for your lower back. Once again, you can find some really good deals if you keep your eyes open for them. Also, be sure to replace your chair when the padding is worn or you may start experiencing increasing back pain over time.

SUPPLIES:
Know beforehand what you are going to need to run your business smoothly and then always try to have them readily available. It is inevitable that at some point you are going to run out of that thing you forgot to pick up at the store at just the wrong time. Nothing defeats productivity more than having to stop mid-stream, go pick up supplies and then try to get started back on your project again.

ORGANIZATION:
I know that no matter how well-organized an office starts out being, there are some people that are just not going to let it stay that way. They aren’t, and never have been, organized themselves. With that said, do your best when setting up your office to keep organization in mind. Have the things you use often close by. Try to keep your files in the same location so that when you need to locate one, it’s where its’ supposed to be and you won’t find yourself running all over the house looking for it.

As for filing, this can be the worst and most-dreaded (but necessary) part of office work. My best advice: keep up with it. Set aside one time-slot each week to do the filing, or any other type of paperwork drudgery that’s necessary to keep it from piling up around you. Your job will be must easier in the long run.

PHONES:
Depending on the type of business you have, the phone system you choose may not be a major issue. If you rely heavily on your telephone, find one with the functions you need. Likewise, if the phone is merely a source of interruption to you, then invest in a phone that offers a built-in messaging system. For many home business owners, a standard cordless phone is sufficient for their office also. A word to the wise: keep an “old-fashioned” corded phone on hand to use during power outages.

COMPUTER:
If you rely on your computer for your home business, get the best one you can afford. It need not be expensive, but it MUST be reliable. If all that you can afford right now is a PC that’s considered to be outdated & slow, so be it—as long as it won’t cost you more money and time in repairs than you cannot afford while you’re just starting your business. Old & slow is fine for the interim, but beaten & broken is not. You don’t need major technical problems rearing their ugly heads while you’re in the middle of a project. When you can work it into your budget, upgrade to something a little more current, but don’t settle for something in the meantime that isn’t reliable.

IN CONCLUSION:
Most everything you have in your office, from your chair to the lights, will affect your productivity in some way. While staying within your budget, try to get good equipment and furniture. Keep in mind that many of these items can be purchased second-hand. Along that line, eBay is another option to keep in mind. (Tip: always check a seller’s feedback rating before making a purchase online from someone you don’t personally know to be reputable.)

Your office space should be user-friendly, comfortable and private. Whatever you do with the space you have set aside for your office, keep these things in mind and you’ll be more productive over the long-term.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Craig Binkley is a husband, father and home business owner. Visit our Work From Home Directory for legitimate work from home opportunities.

Pay-Per-Click - What Is It & Where Do I Start?

2006-03-24T09:10:00.000-06:00

Pay-Per-Click - What Is It & Where Do I Start?
Copyright 2006 - Craig Binkley

Does the following scenario sound familiar?

You've done all the behind-the-scenes work on your e-commerce business. You've researched your products and pricing. You've chosen a domain name and found a dependable hosting company along with developing a very well designed, customer friendly website. You're all ready to start making sales. Time to sit back & count the money as it rolls in, right? Well, not quite yet. You need customers. (Oh yeah! Customers!)

So now you submit your website to all the popular search engines and directories, fully expecting a fair amount of traffic to start showing up on your webstep. NOW it's time to sit back and start counting your money, right? Not really. You now realize that virtually no one (except maybe your mother) is visiting your website. How are you going to make sales if you have no real visitors? It can take weeks, months or even longer to get a new website pushed up in the rankings in the better search engines.

This is the point where many webmasters turn to pay-per-click (PPC) programs. But just is a PPC? PPC advertising means having your ads placed on different search engines and/or directories, then paying a set amount of money each time a visitor clicks on your ad. Hence the name "pay-per-click." (Ingenious, huh? Shame I didn't invent it.)

So now that you know what PPC is, where do you start with choosing a program? If you type in "pay-per-click advertising" in a Google search, you will most likely see over five million results. Not all of the results will be PPC companies, as many will be articles, tutorials, etc., but it can be mind numbing just trying to gather a little information--to say the least.

Here's a very short list that I've put together of some of the top PPC advertising companies along with a few "pros and cons" for each one. This is by no means meant to be an all-encompassing guide to pay-per-click advertising. Consider it just enough to give you a little background on the PPC "biggies".

GOOGLE ADWORDS:
Pros: Not only is Google one of the most-used searches on the web, their PPC ads are also placed on other networks, including AOL, Ask Jeeves, Earthlink and others.
Quick sign up and no monthly minimum spending or monthly fees.
Very good support and their CTR (click-thru-rate) can help lower your cost per click.
Cons: There aren't many. There is a five dollar set up fee and they do have a $.05 minimum bid per click.

YAHOO/OVERTURE:
Pros: They offer a large amount of traffic. If your ad ranks in the top ten, they place your ad on other high traffic engines/directories. They were the original PPC company. Very helpful keyword selector tools.
Cons: High cost-per-click rates. Slow customer service (compared to others). Minimum $0.10 bid requirement and they also have a minimum spend-per-month.

FIND WHAT/MIVA:
Pros: Normally lower cost-per-click rates than Overture. They offer an easy-to-use website with user-friendly tools. Delivers traffic at much lower cost than many other PPC companiess.
Cons: May have a wait of up to three days for keyword approval. Seems to be getting better though.

SEARCHFEED:
Pros: Bids start at $.01 with no minimum spend or monthly fees. Mass keyword submission available. Dependable and helpful customer service. Use-friendly tools help with keyword selection.
Cons: Lower traffic than Google, Yahoo and others, especially on lesser-used keywords. Typically you can expect a couple of days of waiting time for program approval.

This is just the tip of the iceberg. Choices abound, but please do some more research before spending anything. You'll be glad you did. Pay-per-click can be a great tool for your business, but it can also be very expensive. Do yourself a favor and read up on each program before jumping in. It can be a costly learning experience if you act in haste.

IN CONCLUSION:
PPC companies & services vary widely, but can give you a good return for the money spent. Used properly, pay-per-click programs can give your website a tremendous boost, helping to get it in front of the people looking for exactly what you have to offer. It can also be a great way to give your business a "jump start" during slow times. Hopefully I've given you some good PPC starting points & you're site will soon be meeting or exceeding your traffic expectations.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Craig Binkley is a husband, father, and home business owner. Visit our Work From Home Directory for legitimate work from home business opportunities.

Introduction To Online Business 1-2-3

2006-03-19T18:10:00.000-06:00

Introduction To Online Business 1-2-3
by Chris Cobb

As you read these words, there are millions of people making a full-time income on the internet, working part-time hours from the comfort of their own home. These people set their own working hours, live wherever they choose to live and have a ton of spare time (and money) to spend with their family and friends, simply doing things they love to do.

Does this sound like something you would like to be doing?

Well, rest assured, you've made the right decision if you would... Because you're about to learn everything you need to know to get started on your internet business and be pointed in the right direction towards online business success.

In this guide, you'll not only learn the basics to starting an internet business but you'll also learn about the many different online business models you can choose.

You can even analyze over 50 successful online businesses which you can then imitate!

But before we get started, just so you're as excited as I am about doing business online. Here are some of the main reasons most people decide to start an online business:

* It takes very little money to start

Unlike a business in the "real world", an online business DOES NOT need a lot of start up money. All you need is an idea, a domain name, internet access and hosting...all of which can be obtained for very little indeed.

* You choose when you work

Who says you must work from 9 to 5 everyday? People who are NOT Internet Business owners!

The Internet Business is the biggest proof why the statement "working from 9 to 5" is no longer true. With an Internet Business, you don't have to wake up in the wee hours of the morning so that you can get to work by 9am anymore. You can start work at anytime since you're your own boss!

* Work from the comfort of your own home

Where you put your computer is where you'll be working! And since you're going to be working from home, you'll be saving at least two hours of your time each day by not having to travel to and from your work place - during rush hours when everybody else is going to work or heading home.

That means you'll be saving at least 730 hours a year! Wouldn't you shudder at the thought of wasting 730 hours a year doing nothing productive?

* With the internet, the whole world is your market!

By sitting in front of the computer, everyone in the world is now within your reach. You leverage on free or low-cost software and hardware and the Internet Infrastructure, all of which when combined will give you leveraging power that far exceeds any conventional business, allowing you to achieve more and more with less and less work!

* You can fully automate your online business

If properly set up, some Internet Business models can be fully automated. I have a number of fully automated income streams at present.

* No need to work 8 hours a days every single day

Once you've automated your Internet Business in some way, you can use the time you save to start other income streams, improve your existing business, or however you like.

You just spend the time online checking your e-mail, promoting and expanding your business - all in front of your computer. And there's absolutely no need to spend even more than four hours online.

* Spend more time with family and friends

Owning an Internet Business allows you to spend more time with your family, or watch your children grow up. This is what most busy parents crave for.

If you're one of them, then you'll do well to seriously consider starting an Internet Business.

* Your online business can be all about your hobbies and passions

And this is my favorite reason for anybody wanting to start an Internet Business! The Internet Business allows your passion and dream to come to life, which is also the most important component of any businesses. * Online businesses have very little expenses

Believe it or not, some Internet Businesses can be set up and running at zero cost, if not a very low cost. Other Internet Businesses can be run with monthly operational expenses so low that they're negligible!

* You can have more that one!

Since the cost of setting up and running an Internet Business is so low, and you can automate their operations, you can operate multiple Internet Businesses as a one-person Internet Business owner. You don't need to hire employees since your Internet Business system is doing most of the job, if not all, for you. It works 24/7 for you. It won't call in sick. It won't give any excuses. And it definitely won't blame you if it ever had problems!

* The internet is a huge market (the whole world) and it's getting bigger as you read these words

According to the Computer Industry Almanac, there were 934 million Internet users up to September 2004; and there will be 1.07 billion in this year.

Now, is there any doubt that a 934 million-user pool is a very attractive target given the leverage you have on the Internet?

Given all the wonderful reasons for starting your very own Internet Business, I'm sure that by now you have already made up your mind whether starting an Internet Business is for you...

About the Author
http://www.internet-profit-opportunities.com

Chris Cobb CDC Marketing Ltd

Using Articles To Promote Your Business

2006-03-16T10:39:00.000-06:00

Why Use Article Marketing To Promote Your Business
by Biana Babinsky

Everyone knows what an article is, but how does an article help you promote your business? Here are seven reasons to write articles and use them to promote your business and get more clients online:

1. Promote Your Expertise Online. Writing articles really helps to further establish your expertise online. One thing that all experts have in common is that they have written something - articles, books, reports, etc. Writing articles is your first step to becoming a well-known expert in your field.

2. Get More Newsletter Subscribers. To increase the number of your newsletter subscribers, use the Resource Box of your articles to drive more traffic to your newsletter subscription page.

3. Reach More Potential Customers. When you submit your articles to article directories, they may be re-printed by other business owners in their blogs, newsletters and web sites. Many people will see your articles, thus, exposing you and your business to more potential customers.

4. Get More One-Way Links to Your Web Site. Since the Resource Box that is attached to your articles contains links back to your web site, you will gain many one-way links back to your web site when your article is re-printed. Now people who read your articles will be able to follow these links to your web site.

5. Get Better Search Engine Rankings. One-way links to your web site are great for improving search engines rankings and getting more search engine traffic. Since search engines put more weight on one-way links, than on reciprocal links, getting one-way links with your articles will help you with your search engine strategies.

6. Reach Out to More Segments of Your Target Market. As your articles are re-printed on different blogs and web sites, you are able to reach out to the segments of your target market, that you would have never been able to reach on your own. However, with other people using your articles on their blogs and web sites, you are able to reach out to these customers.

7. Make More Money. Last, but definitely not least reason for writing articles is making money. While you will not be paid directly for writing, publishing and submitting your articles online, writing articles and promoting them online will result in more newsletter subscribers, and, ultimately, more sales in the long run for your business.

Start writing and publishing articles online - this strategy will help you get more newsletter subscribers, get better known and sell more of your products and services online.

About the Author
Get more newsletter subscribers and make more money when writing and publishing articles online. Submit your articles at the Business Articles Directory at http://internationalpractice.com/business to get more exposure for your business.

Work at Home Opportunities

2006-03-14T13:03:00.000-06:00

Different Types of Work at Home Opportunities
by Jessica Mara

Many people would love to be able to work at home, but aren't really sure what their options are. If you've been trying to find a way to earn enough income while still being able to work from home, first you must figure out what type of opportunity you are looking for. Here are 4 different ways that you can work from home.

1. Telecommuting - You can have a "regular" job, with set hours. You work for an employer, and the only difference between this and the jobs that most people have is that you will be working from home. Some plusses: You have the set pay, benefits, and hours you would have working a "regular" job, and you can work at home. Minuses are that you are still working for another company, so you have set hours, and vacation time.

2. Buying a Franchise - If you are interested in a business, but don't want to start from scratch, you can buy a franchise. You will own that particular business, and be one of many in the franchise. You will run the business and everything in it, but in return for your payments, you get the use of an established name, training, advertising, etc. Plusses: You still own your own business, but will get the benefit of help from others in the same business as you. You will also receive shared advertising. Minuses: It is your own business, so you have no set pay. You have to pay a franchise fee, and sometimes monthly or yearly royalty fees.

3. Direct Selling - This is where you join a direct sales company, such as Avon, Tupperware, Mary Kay, etc. and start to sell their products. You set your own hours, and usually there is only a small payment (if any) in order to sell for a certain direct selling company. Plusses: You can work when you want, and take whatever time off that you want. There are also others in the same situation, so you can talk to them about ideas or get help. Minuses: You have no set pay, and depending on the company, there may be many others selling the same thing you are.

4. Starting your own Business - This is when you decide to do something completely on your own. It can be almost anything, but you are not tied to another company in any way. This gives you total control as to what you do, and how you do it. Plusses: You are on your own, so you don't have to answer to anyone. You work your own hours, take off when you want, etc. Minuses: You have no set pay. You are pretty much on your own, since this business belongs completely to you.

Decide which of these seems most interesting to you. It is a tough decision, but hopefully this gives you direction to find a good fit for your skills.

About the Author
Jessica Mara has been researching different ways to make money while working at home. You can find out many different ways to work from home by visiting http://www.workism.com.

You Can Make Money on The Internet

2006-03-13T21:06:00.000-06:00

You Can Make Money On The Internet
by Sheila Warren

What would you say if I told you that it is honestly possible to make money on the internet, and I know because I'm probably the least likely person to make it work, but it works for me?

I was once very skeptical about whether or not it was at all possible to make any real money using the internet. I was surfing the web about 3 months ago, and came upon a concept called "affiliate marketing."

I'm a single mom, and I rarely use the computer for anything outside of email. I had absolutely no idea what affiliate marketing was, but I was curious. I'd seen some of the websites that belong to some of these affiliate marketers, and was so intrigued, that I purchased one of the packages that I'd been reading about.

It took me about two weeks to actually take the leap, primarily because I was still so skeptical about the whole "make money on the internet" thing. But I figured, why not? If I were learning to do anything else that was going to make me any money, I'd most likely have to purchase a manual, right? Thinking about it that way made sense. So I did it. I purchased one of those internet guy's manuals for making cash on the 'net. The site that I bought it on looked a lot like a giant infomercial, and I thought that was a little odd, but I went ahead and ordered it anyway.

Wanna know what happened? Ok. Here it is;

After ordering and downloading the e-book to my computer, I combed through it until about three in the morning. I couldn't put it down. Now, I'm not a techie by any means, but this was so interesting, I just couldn't stop reading. I couldn't wait to put this information to the test. It didn't sound like hard work, though it did sound like a lot of work...which I was okay with me. I can handle a lot of work...I don't like hard work much though.

So after forcing myself to put this thing down in the wee hours of the morning, I finally went to bed. But the following morning, I was at that computer bright and early, going through my money-making manual step by step, word for word. I started out at the very beginning, making absolutely no money. After implementing the steps that I found in this manual the checks started coming. They were small at first...six dollars and fifty cents was the first one. The next was for $25, one after that was for $75, but it would seem after that, that my little checks started multiplying themselves. Seventy five dollars turned into $152, the one after that was for $323, and so on. It seems to have leveled off to the point where I'm now making in the neighborhood of about $6500 per month, but I'm so thankful that I ordered and downloaded that little e-book. I was correct in my assessment of this process though, in the three months that it's taken me to get to this point, implementing the steps in this book wasn't hard work, though it definitely was a lot of work. But I think of it this way; if I were working for someone else for those three months, would I be making anywhere near $6500 a month now? I doubt it very much.

My advice about those e-books? Don't think just because one doesn't work, that none of them work.

Take a chance. Trust in yourself.

Sheila Warren.

Copyright 2006 Sheila Warren All Rights Reserved

About the Author
Sheila Warren is a writer and mother of two, who writes about her experiences with affiliate marketing. Sheila believes that we learn nothing about ourselves if we don't take chances. http://www.thewealthyaffiliate.blogspot.com.

Work At Home Forum

2006-03-12T22:24:00.000-06:00

If you are serious about making money from home,
you HAVE to visit the Work At Home
Discussion Forum.

You will be amazed at the friendly, helpful
people you will meet.

Have a great start to your week and I'll see
you at the forum.

Don't forget to visit our Work From Home Directory
for our 2006 "Top Pick" Work At Home Opportunity.

Craig
The "Work From Home Helper"

Mystery Shopping Jobs

2006-03-11T19:23:00.001-06:00

Mystery Shopping Jobs Are Fun And Rewarding
by Tim Lee

Part-time and work-at-home opportunities abound on the internet these days. So many households need the flexibility of a self-employed schedule as well as the additional income such efforts can produce. Near the top of this long list of potentially viable employment options are mystery shopping jobs.

Not only do mystery shopping jobs allow flexible scheduling and supplemental income but many find mystery shopping jobs a perfect complement to their already existing passion for shopping and dining out.

Many have referred to mystery shopping jobs as a dream come true. Let's face it, who doesn't like to dine out or shop or travel and get paid for it? The right opportunity with a well established company can provide the prospective shopper with several benefits in addition to the extra money.

The goods and services consumed or utilized by a mystery are free. One need only provide the necessary feedback regarding the quality of the merchandise and an outline of the consumer's experience. So a competent mystery shopper working for a bona fide company can perhaps be said to have one the best part time job.

But, breaking into mystery shopping may not be as easy as one might suspect. The seductive aspects of this type of employment have driven demand for these opportunities through the roof. Typically, one looking for mystery shopping jobs needs to start by subscribing to some type of referral service. This, of course, invariably involves a non-refundable fee. This becomes a challenge for the prospective mystery shopper.

Many of these "services" are shaky and unreliable as they tend to misrepresent their potential for helping a new shopper find jobs. This can be quite frustrating and rookie mystery shoppers should be forewarned before they sign up with any randomly selected service. Try to find out more about the company before you commit to a fee.

Once associated with a decent referral agency your path becomes easier as worthwhile mystery shopping jobs start the come your way. Good and have fun while you earn extra money!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
My site provides links of searchable mystery shopping company database.

Mystery Shopping Jobs

2006-03-11T19:23:00.000-06:00

Deciding to Work at home

2006-03-06T18:35:00.000-06:00

Deciding to Work at Home
by Kryssa Lighthall

I wish I could stay at home with my kids and work from home so I can be with my children and earn a living, but I don't know where to start."

If you've thought or even spoken those words, you're not alone. Many women get up early, get the kids dressed, drop them off at day care, drive in rush-hour traffic, and arrive at work exhausted, thinking, "There has to be a better way."

If this sounds familiar, I have just appointed myself the good news fairy. Yes, there is a better way--that is, if you really want it and are prepared for some hard work ahead. You'll be making some trades--some good (trading commuting for working in your pajamas) and some not so good (trading paid health insurance and retirement benefits for providing your own). Work-At-Home-Magazine.com isn't about wild dreams; it tells you truthfully how you can stay home with your kids and make some money while doing something you really enjoy.

"Women today are put into a difficult situation. We're made to feel we have to work, bring in that second income, and raise good, upstanding children. If we don't, we're failures. And when the family goes to hell, the mother takes the blame. Neighbors shake their heads and sigh, "She never spent any time with those kids or her husband. She was always working. No wonder that family is so screwed up."

If we do decide to stay home with our kids, we're blamed for wasting our education. "How hard can that be, really? She probably just sits in front of the television all day." If you stay at home, however, you're more than aware of all the responsibilities you have to juggle.

Choosing to work at home can be a tough financial decision. I love the Spanish proverb that says, "A rich child often sits in a poor mother's lap." Sometimes we lose sight of our priorities and forget where our true wealth lies. If you try to make everyone happy, you're going to come out on the losing end. Working at home is a perfect solution. You can stay home with your kids and do something for yourself, all at the same time.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Kryssa Lighthall is the founder of http://www.work-at-home-magazine.com. Work at Home Magazine.com is the leading online resource for work-from-home ideas. Work at Home Magazine is a community featuring work at home jobs, online business opportunities and home-based businesses and information and all the support and advice for work at home moms and dads.

Free Website Traffic - Writing Articles

2006-02-27T09:48:00.000-06:00

9 Ways To Get Free Traffic To Your Website

by Melanie Mendelson (c)2006
http://www.WriteArticles-GetWebsiteTraffic.com

1. Search Engines

Optimize your website to be search-engine friendly.
Submit it to various search engines and directories.

In addition to major search engines such as Google, Yahoo
and MSN, it's worth submitting to lesser known web
directories. If your website is listed in as many places
as possible, it can boost your rankings in major search
engines as well.

2. Affiliate Program

Set up an affiliate program where you pay people a
percentage of each sale for referring customers to you.

Spread the word about your affiliate program by
submitting it to affiliate program directories and
contacting the owners of related websites.

3. Link Exchanges

Create a links page that will contain the links to other
non-competing websites in the same industry.

Contact the owners of other websites with your proposal
to exchange links. You will add their link to your links
page, and they will link to your website in return.

4. Post On Forums

Visit the online discussion forums where people in your
target market like to gather. Post useful responses to
people's questions, and include a link to your website at
the end of your post next to your name.

5. Comment On Blogs

Visit other people's blogs on the topic related to your
website. Most blogs allow you to add comments about the
issues being discussed.

Add insightful comments about the blog topics, and leave
your website link. Your comment and your link will
permanently remain on the blog website.

6. E-Mail Signatures

Create an e-mail "signature" - your name, your website
address and a short tagline describing the main benefit of
your site. Set your e-mail program to automatically add
your signature to every e-mail that you send.

7. Traffic Exchanges

There are many times of traffic exchanges but the idea is
the same - you team up with other webmasters, and they
send you traffic in exchange for you sending them traffic.
Search the web for "traffic exchange" to find those
services.

8. "Pass-Around" Strategy

Create something of value that people will pass around.
It can be a report with useful information that you allow
people to give away. It can also be some kind of cool and
unusual webpage that people will want to e-mail to all
their friends.

Of course, the pass-around item will include your
advertisement and your link, spreading the word about your
website.

9. Writing Articles

Write articles on the topic related to your website, and
include a link to your site in your author bio. Submit
your articles to article directories, and allow people to
publish your article in their newsletters and websites.

Your articles will spread around the web like wildfire.
People will read them and visit your website.

The best part is that people who read your articles will
regard you as an expert, and they will be much more likely
to buy from you when they go to your website. How's that
for a free publicity?

About The Author:
Melanie Mendelson teaches how to write articles in 30
minutes (even if you can't write!). To increase your
website traffic, learn her "30 Minute Article Writing
System": http://www.WriteArticles-GetWebsiteTraffic.com

Home Business Organization Tips

2006-02-23T10:37:00.000-06:00

Organizing Your Work Day
by Rebecca White

In the beginning I was like so many work at home businesses I didn't know how to organize both my time and my work space.

After much learning and experimenting I was able to find what works for me.

Here are some suggestions that I have found useful. You will find what fits your needs and business as well. Try out the tips below, figure out what works for you. Only you will know what works and doesn't work for you.

1. Have a planner.

2. Have a notebook just to jot down ideas real fast.

3. Have pens and pencils at the ready.

4. Have an area to hold all your CD Roms that you use.

5. Have a file cabinet to hold all your files, sales receipts, etc.

6. Have a HUGE wall calendar to look at in a glance.

7. Have your phone near your computer with the answering machine on it

8. Have Caller ID, WHY? So you can glance at your phone and decide if you can answer the phone. I hate it when I am in deep thought and I get bothered by a non-important call, such as the newspaper salesperson or a recorded message that I could have listened to later.

9. Keep your printer supplies in reach. If at all possible, keep an extra ink cartridge, extra printing paper and extra highlighters, etc., so you don't run out.

Check in your area to see if Office Depot or Office Max will exchange your ink cartridge for paper. I never have to buy paper, as I have so many ink cartridges saved. I take one cartridge to one store and go to the next with another and thus have two reams of paper sitting at my table at all times.

10. Keep any books you refer to for work on or near your computer table for quick reference.

11. Have an index box to hold all your customer contact information.

12. Keep track of customer's birthdays and send them cards when it comes around.

13. Keep a diary. Why is this important? On those days you are so frustrated and just need to vent...write it all down! Get it off your chest! Then walk away for a while and do something else.

14. Have a brief case to hold any information for those times you go networking offline. Yep, I said offline.

To be really successful, no matter what you do, you need to do both online and offline marketing.

So keep a brief case or a file folder ready at all times to run out the door, you never know when and where your next client will come from.

Remember to be successful in a home based business you need to be organized. Start out each day knowing what it is you need to do for that day.

Don't spend all your time trying to get organized do it in small steps and soon your business and your life will be running smoothly.

About the Author
Rebecca White has been marketing online for over 3 years. During the 3 years she has used e-books and software products that she has purchased to help her become the well known WAHM internet marketing expert that she is today. http://www.experts4wahms.com

Work From Home A - Z

2006-02-19T09:42:00.000-06:00

Work From Home A – Z
2006 © Craig Binkley

Whether you currently work from home, or a considering the possibility of starting a home business, here is my A-Z list of things to consider. The items I have listed are both positive and negative things that you will probably want to consider. So without further ado, here is my list:

A – Attitude: A positive attitude will help when things may not go as planned.
B – Bank: You will need to choose a good bank with which to work.
C – Can Do: Don’t let others tell you that you it’s impossible to “work from home”.
D – Debt: Debt is a form a slavery. Stay away from it as much as possible.
E – Effort: Making a home business a success will take a lot of effort – are you up to it?
F – Family: This is a home business – get your immediate family involved.
G – Goals: Set short, medium and long term goals.
H – Health: Your health may determine what type of business you should start.
I – Insurance: What type and, how much coverage will you need?
J – Job: (Just Over Broke!) Is that where you are at now?
K – Knowledge: Learn all you can about the type of business you want to start.
L – License: Learn what your city, county, and/or state requires for a new business.
M – Money: It takes money to make money – there is no free ride.
N – No: Don’t take “No” personally. Move on to the next customer or prospect.
O – Organize: Don’t waste time looking for misplaced items - organize you office, emails etc.
P – People: Do you like to deal with people – this should go into your business decision.
Q – Quit: Don’t quit at the first sign of trouble. Persevere.
R – Rest: You can’t work 24/7. You’ll be more productive when you’re well rested.
S – Sprint: Short sprints are ok, but building a home business should be more like a marathon.
T – Taxes: There may be certain tax benefits from owning a home business.
U – Urgency: Learning to prioritize tasks that need your immediate attention.
V – Vision: Do you have a vision for your business? Write it down.
W – Work: Can you work without a boss looking over your shoulder? Be a self-starter.
X – Extra: Okay, I got a writer’s block on X. But it will take extra effort to build a business.
Y – Youth: Find a way to get your kids involved – pass the business on to them down the road.
Z – Zeal: Have zeal (enthusiasm) for the home business you choose.

There you have it – my A-Z listing of things to consider when working from home. This list should not be taken as the only things to consider either. Use it as a springboard to other questions and concerns that you can come up with.

The reason for this list is to get you thinking; don’t start a home business without planning and research. Know what you are getting involved with. Home business can be a wonderful thing, but to be honest, it is not for everyone.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Craig Binkley is a husband, father and home business owner.
Come visit us at our Work From Home Directory @
http://www.workfromhomehelper.com

Home Office Tips

2006-02-14T20:41:00.000-06:00

Home Office Tips
by BB Lee (C)2006 mailto:smallbizbits@yahoo.com

You've decided to start a home based business. Now your next important step is to decide where to place your home office. You decide to place the home office in a corner of your bedroom. Or in the corner of a dinning room. Maybe even the family room surrounded by the kid's huge toy collection.

Heh, you reason, it's better than no office at all. Besides it takes up a small space and cost almost zero to set up.

Wrong...Wrong...Wrong!

If you operate your home office out of a room primarily used for another purpose you are making an enormous mistake.

A friend admits her first home office was a little nook in the corner of her den facing a noisy street. After constant interruptions and street noise she relocated her home office to an unused secluded spare bedroom. A very smart move on her part!

It is highly recommended by many experienced home business owners to place your home office in a separate area. Why? This will entitle you to a nice little tax benefit.

If your home office meets "Tax Qualifications" you might easily deduct everything from rent to office supplies.

Once again: You must remember to qualify for these deductions your home office must be a separate room used only to operate your home based business.

It should not be a room used for extra storage, or for the kids to gather after school or a guest bedroom.

Here's a few more deductions you might qualify for under current tax regulations.

-Your office supplies -Supplies used to clean your office -Equipment depreciation -Lease payments on equipment -Rental fees on equipment -Equipment repairs -Business telephone line -Business manuals -Business training/courses -Home mortgage or rental deductions Note: for up to date tax regulations visit the IRS web-site online.

And there's a few other very good reason why your home office should be a separate space. If your business involves personal contact with customers you certainly should never ever greet them in a messy bedroom/office. Think of the first impression you will make on your clients!

Makes you think...huh?

Not a very professional image!

And it's also a good idea to separate your personal and business life to boost your productivity. Thereby discouraging friends and/or family members from dropping by to chat during work hours.

-------------------------------------------------------- Article by BB Lee at SmallBizBits News Visit http://www.smallbizbitsnews.com for more articles, over 100 home business ideas, free eBooks, eReports, and more! Subscribe at:mailto46401-subscribe@zinnester.com

About the Author
BB Lee is a freelance writer and the editor of SmallBizBits News.

Setting Up A Home Business Office

2006-02-02T10:08:00.000-06:00

Your Home Business Office
by E. Christopher Keenan

Having an appropriate home business office is just as important as your business itself. Many factors affect how you approach your work at home business including distractions, proper office equipment and the overall environment of your business office. Setting up your home business office properly may not seem like it's really necessary, but try to picture how your office at work is set-up. Other than the fact that you may hate your job, your office is probably well organized, open and contains all the necessary equipment to perform your job effectively.

A carpenter would not arrive at your house to perform a remodel without bringing any of his/her tools would they? Of course not. Thus, your home business office should have all the tools necessary to operate a profitable business.

Place your office in a strategic location of the house. Placing it next to the baby's room upstairs or in the dining room are not appropriate places. Your chosen location should be free of all distractions like a washer/dryer, kids playing a dishwasher or a TV. (Taking time out to watch "Friends" while you work is not productive). Have the attitude that you work from home, not at home. Hibernating is fine for bears, but not for people. Go out to make new contacts and keep old ones alive as well. Particularly if you're a naturally reserved person, remember that your home's a base, not a permanent place.

Keep your office organized. Everyone has their own way to organize, but whatever you do, make sure that office supplies are readily available to you when you need to use them. Get furniture sized for home offices instead of standard office furniture. A number of furniture companies are manufacturing special home-office lines. Smaller furniture is better adapted to the entryways and available space in most homes. Supply your home office with a computer, printer, adding machine, telephone, pens, pencils, paper and possibly a fax. Get a comfortable chair for your desk. A cheap chair may save you some money in the short term, but remember, your mind will continue to work only as long as the rear-end can endure.

Your home office should also have plenty of natural and artificial light. Make sure there is a decent window in your selected room. (A pleasant view would be nice!). Place a light on your desk and in other parts of the room as well.

Lastly, enjoy yourself! After all, you are working at home without a boss. So go get a cup of coffee whenever you want, or take a long lunch!

About the Author
E. Christopher Keenan has been a successful banker and lender for over 25 years. He now offers home business articles, ideas and opportunities through his popular website www.bizmancan.com

Work At Home Moms

2006-01-30T14:01:00.000-06:00

The Top 10 Reasons Moms Choose to Work from Home
by Liz Folger

1. Big savings on daycare costs

2. No more bosses giving you the stink eye for not working due to kid issues

3. No commuting

4. Savings on lunches out and work clothes

5. More flexibility

6. The ability to start a business doing something you love

7. Make as much or as little money as you want

8. To be able to say "I own my own business"

9. Kids can learn how a business works

10. To be in control of your own destiny

1. Big Savings On Daycare Costs

According to the Children's Defense Fund and Runzheimer International parents are paying an average of $250 to $1,250 monthly for daycare. A mother who is making about $20,000 a year will probably find that she is really only bringing home only $5000 a year once all the additional costs of her working are figured in. Some moms are actually loosing money each month by working outside the home.

2. No More Bosses Giving You the Stink Eye For Not Working Due To Kid Issues

There's nothing worse when your daycare provider tells you that your kid is sick and they can't watch them because of it. So there you go, having to take time off work as your boss and coworkers resent you and your chances of promotion becomes slimmer and slimmer because you can't be counted on all the time.

3. No Commuting

No more commuting when you work from home. No long drives, bad traffic, added expenses for car upkeep (car upkeep costs about $250 a month on average). You can simply wake up in the morning and walk a few feet to your home office.

4. Savings on Lunches Out and Work Clothes

Between eating out and buying uniforms or clothes for work (even if you don't have to wear a uniform) you are looking at paying about $145 a month. Nice thing about working at home and being your own boss is you can decide what you want to wear to work.

5. More Flexibility

There are field trips to go on, sport programs to get the kids to, exercise classes, family that needs extra care at times that goes on in a moms life. Working at home offers the flexibility that is needed to do all these small things that add up and make a huge difference in everyone's life - including your own.

6. The Ability To Start A Business Doing Something You Love

The ability to be a work-at-home mom is the best gift you could ever give yourself, for so many reasons. The big one though is being able to create a home business around something you really like and enjoy doing. You shouldn't have to hate your job or the way you make money. This is the perfect opportunity to finally put your interests and talents to good use, and make money from them.

7. Make As Much or As Little Money as You Want

Being the owner of your own business you can decide if you can work full or part time. This can depend a lot on the age of your children and how much you can dedicate to your business.

8. To Be Able To Say "I Own My Own Business"

When you can say, "I own my own business" this is very empowering. As something Emeril might say, "It definitely kicks the self-confidence level up a notch or two."

9. Kids Can Learn How a Business Works

Your kids can learn first hand how a business runs. There will have no problem answering any questions like, "So what does your mommy do." Kids become very proud of their work-at-home moms. They love the fact their moms are there for them, and that it makes mom happy to make money doing something she loves.

10. To Be In Control Of Your Own Destiny

Work at something you love to do, have the flexibility to work around your families schedule, wear what you want to work and becoming the person you are supposed to be. These are all ways that you can have control of your own destiny.

About The Author:
Liz Folger is the founder of http://www.bizymoms.com. Bizymoms.com is the leading online resource for work-from-home ideas. The site offers home-based business start-up kits, online classes, e-books, chats and enthusiastic support for moms who want to have it all - a family and a career. Visit http://www.bizymoms.com for more information.

Building Multiple Income Streams

2006-01-25T15:16:00.000-06:00

Building Multiple Income Streams
Copyright © Thomas Seifert

One of the fastest growing trends of marketing online are Affiliate programs. You associate yourself with an existing company and receive commissions for any sales that you generate. It's a smart way to setup multiple streams of income for yourself. They can be setup for little investment on your part, a great way to start a business on the Internet with a small budget.

Most online entrepreneurs work part time, have limited time and may mainly be devoted to marketing a single product or network marketing program. If you are in this situation and need to increase your monthly income, your solution may be use of one or several Affiliate programs. Even full time marketers know the power of these programs, may be involved in a number of them and know of their powerful income potential.

Most of the programs supply you with personalized web sites, banners, sales material and other marketing help. If you have your own web site you can easily place a banner, button or text link to the company sales site or your personalized site that they supplied. The main reason these programs are becoming popular is that everything is made up for you already. All you must do is to signup as an Affiliate, add the link to your website and you are off and running. In many cases your personalized website is already set up with meta tags and can be registered at the major search engines very easily.

With a personalized Affiliate website you can also use the URL in ads, newsletters, free-for-all link pages, etc. This will result in more traffic and sales. In addition, you can advertise the Affiliate program and use your own website to create even more traffic. This gives your primary products and services more exposure.

You don't need a large budget to create these additional income streams. Many of the Affiliate programs are free. Most programs pay you a set percentage of total sales. What also makes these programs ideal is that they take care of the ordering process, credit card processing, shipment and customer service. Most will also notify you immediately by email when a sale is made under your ID. All you need to do is get potential buyers to your website.

About the Author
About the author: To find the best home based business ideas and opportunities so you can work at home, visit: http://www.webhomebizpro.com or send an Email: tom@webhomebizpro.com

Ready To Work Full-Time From Home?

2006-01-19T12:15:00.000-06:00

Are you ready to work full time from home?
Copyright © 2006 Suzanne Morrison

It’s now almost two years since I started dabbling on the internet, trying to make money online. At that time it was a bit of an experiment, kind of like a hobby - something that I did partly for the enjoyment and partly in the hope that I would make enough money to leave my day job.

Now, 20 months later my hobby has turned in to a business and it is generating enough income from for me to happily go part time at work.

Should I decide to do this I’ll be taking the huge step from working on my business in my spare time to earn some extra money, to working half the week for myself. I will then be depending on the money from my own business to pay my mortgage and bills.

If I manage to achieve the same success working from home during the day as I have over the last year working a few hours here and there in my spare time I’ll be well on my way to becoming a full time home business entrepreneur.

I know this sounds fantastic, but what if something goes wrong? If I eventually work full time for myself I’ll be giving up a regular full time salary, not to mention company pension, sick pay and bonuses. For this reason I decided to ask myself a few questions. I’ve put together a list of 5 questions that you need to ask yourself before you leave your day job

1. Do you have a financial cushion? Before you give up your full time or part time job, make sure you have some money in the bank in case something goes wrong. Preferably you should make sure that you have no credit card debts or loans and have at least 3 months salary in the bank just to allow you to get back on your feet if the worst happens.

2. Are you making enough money? Sounds obvious, but remember to add up your current outgoings to see if your online income will cover everything. Remember to take into account tax payments and allow for the fact that you’ll no longer receive paid holidays, health insurance, sick pay and a company pension. If you have a big purchase coming up in the near future, such as a new house, you may want to postpone your full time online career until you’ve secured your mortgage.

3. Are your income streams diverse enough? Are you making all your money from one source? If you’re currently making all your money selling similar items on Ebay or earning an income from a small number of affiliate programs or making money from a single program such as Google Adsense, you could be putting yourself at risk. What if the market for the products you are selling disappears? The affiliate programs you are promoting shuts down? You need to take a close look at the sources of your income. Ideally your income should be coming from numerous sources e.g. selling your own products, promoting different affiliate programs, using multiple websites in different niches.

4. Do you have a business plan? Since you are considering taking such a big step you need to have a business plan. This should include a description of your company and the products and services you provide, the analysis of your market, strategy and implementation along with a financial plan.

5. How will you cope with working alone? If you enjoy working with other people every day, it’s likely that you may find the transition to working alone quite difficult. You should consider possible strategies to cope with this change. For example you may want to make sure that part of your business involves working with other people, perhaps providing a service locally or consulting. You could fill the vacuum of not meeting people at work by joining a club or taking a part time training course. Making an effort to stay in touch and meet up with friends and former colleagues regularly will also help.

If you consider all these factors before quitting your day job, this should give you the best chance possible of becoming a successful full time internet marketer.

About The Author:
Suzanne Morrison is the webmaster and owner of Internet Business Ideas - the website that teaches you how to start your own internet business.

Online Paid Surveys

2006-01-16T12:59:00.000-06:00

Why Online Paid Surveys Work?
by Rob Mellor

Hundreds of web surfers these days are subscribing to paid survey websites. Many of these are also making a few handy dollars every week or month. Paid Survey is now a big business and is getting bigger every day. So why would a company pay these dollars to the web surfers? Obvious they are getting money from somewhere. Paid Survey website owners are certainly not doing charity. So then by which way do these site owners pay their staff, pay the site members and still make a handsome profit. Lets try to demystify the mystery, which surrounds this business.

Paid Survey sites are primarily of two types - 1. Paid Survey site database 2. The actual Paid Survey site

The first type in itself does not conduct surveys. They are merely directories of the Paid Survey sites. Most of them would have links which when clicked, takes user to the actual paid survey pages of a different site. They make money by two ways; first is they get paid for keeping the reference and links to the actual Paid Survey site owners and secondly some of them charge a registration fee to access their directories. Hence if you are paying to register to these directories, remember that they are not going to pay you anything. They would simply help you to find and navigate to the actual Paid Survey sites. Ideally, if you are a new Pair Survey worker then you should start with searching Paid Survey sites on your own through one of the search engines or register at a free Paid Survey site directory.

The actual Paid Survey sites host surveys on various topics. They could be conducting survey on some newly launched product or an advertising promotion. Most of the times the surveys are carried out for some manufacturing or service company. They often want to know their customer preferences and behavior. The Paid Survey site does the job for them and gets paid in return. Some site owners also help the consumer companies in analyzing the data and generate statistical reports. Some of the returns they pass on to the survey takers. Some dubious survey site owners pass on their member contact information to other companies. These companies then send mail promoting their products. This is one of the channel by which spam reaches your mailbox. Well known Paid Survey sites also make money by advertising others products or services. Quiet a few Paid Survey sites, this days charge a small registration fee for the new members joining the site to take surveys. This too adds to their revenues.

All the above ensures that both the Paid Survey Directory sites and the actual Paid Survey sites thrive on the Wonderland of Internet.

About the author:
Rob owns a blog and website helping people choose between paid surveys companies. Please visit the blog for more information on online paid surveys