Home Business Information

There are many of us that want the opportunity to start a business from home. You only need to do a search on Google or Yahoo and you will come up with thousands of web sites that talk business opportunities from home. So, where do you start?

First of all you should find out if you really want to work at home and be your own boss. I have been in the work force for more than 40 years. I have worked with people that did not like me, I worked with people who were gossipy and talked about me behind back, I worked with people who would run to the boss because they did not like the smell of my hand lotion. Oh, I made a lot of life long friends through work as well, but after awhile you don’t want to deal with office politics at all. So, opportunities to work at home have interested me for quite a while. What about you? If you were taking advantage of some of the home based businesses opportunities, would you be lonely? Do you look forward to talking to your co-workers and getting the latest gossip about the office romance?

If you think you would be lonely at home and enjoy the daily commute to be with people, than a home based business opportunity is probably not for you. I have been working to find my niche, and I really want to do this. I need to make some money of my own, as I am taking early retirement this fall. I don’t think I will run out of things to do.

So, analyze your own personality and work on your preferences. There are some ladies who ride home every day on the bus with me who chat away to each other all the way home. They obviously work together every day. If one of them did not go to work for a day, they would probably really miss out on some good one on one. They would probably go to work even if they were sick because even though the boss may think that they are dedicated, it is the office rapport that is keeping them there. So, that is the number one consideration-whether you would like staying at home or not. Be your own best friend and think about it and talk to yourself. Business opportunities from home may not be your thing at all.

Count the Cost of a Home Based Business

Many people get themselves so excited over the prospect of starting a new home business, they forget that there are costs associated with EVERY business venture, even "so called" FREE opportunities. Most every new business venture has "potential", but there is always the possibility that you could end up heading down the "wrong path" and end up in a place you NEVER intended when you first started your new business.

Proper examination of your new business structure and proper planning of its management are crucial to avoiding the pitfalls that many fall prey to. But, let's consider the alternative - possible outcomes of starting down the wrong home business path as a result of poor planning and/or inadequate examination.

First, if the business doesn't succeed in bringing a profit in the first few years (at least), you could very easily end up in debt up to your eyebrows. You'd probably be surprised at the number of "entrepreneurs" that have ended up broke and in debt because their ill-fated business venture sapped them dry. Many end up filing for bankruptcy which has an effect on every business and financial transaction they attempt for YEARS down the road.

A "bad" business experience could easily land you in divorce court. Financial burdens like those listed above are typical causes. Long hours away from family (or WITH family that doesn't want to be there every waking minute) trying to keep the business afloat. Arguments with your spouse over where and how the money is being spent. Many marriages have been torn apart by this sort of thing.

And what about the health effects of going down this path. How much stress can a person realistically deal with day after day? Financial stress over whether the business is going to "make it" and whether next month's rent will get paid. Emotional stress from not getting enough time with family.

Of course, there is also the physical stress from too many long days and short nights. Additional physical stress caused by poor eating habits (which are very common among people who have so little time on their hands).

Many people seeking to begin a new business don't think about all of those issues. All they can think about is the new freedom they're going to have and the increased income. The dollar signs in their eyes keep them from seeing all the potential traps a home business brings with it.

Count the potential cost of your new business BEFORE you begin and make sure you're willing to pay that price. Moreover, remember that money is NOT the only potential cost and could be the least of the costs associated with your new home business.

What Could Go Wrong?

Plenty. How about the "up and coming" 2 month old MLM company you just signed up with went belly up immediately following your purchase of $1000 in product and a $500 display for a local trade show. What now?

Or, you decided to break into the wholesale/retail business. So, you just purchased $2,000 in gold-plated techno widgets. Unfortunately, last night on "60 Minutes" a report on your brand of gold-plated techno widgets showed that they're junk. Now, you've got $2,000 worth of inventory that most people won't buy and you'd feel terrible selling anyway.

Or maybe you've been spending every waking hour the last 6 months creating, modifying and promoting a website for your new business (because the company you've gotten involved with doesn't offer a website or any significant promotional tools).

Your business is making some money, but your spouse could care less. Quite frankly, your spouse wishes you had stuck with your 9 to 5 and your kids are beginning to wonder if you moved out.

You definitely do NOT want to become one of these examples, and I hope you'll do everything in your power to make sure you don't.

Road to Riches or Path to Ruin?

A new home business could be the most likely "road to riches" for you. However, it could also be the "path to ruin" through which you destroy your financial future as well as your family. Be careful. That doesn't mean you shouldn't take any risk. In most cases rewards are directly proportional to the risk taken. Just make sure any risks you take in your new business are well thought out and weighed carefully.

There are a number of options when it comes to working at home from your computer. It can be confusing to sort through all the options (especially when trying to figure out what is legitimate and what is not). While there are many options, I will discuss four in this article that I have experience with so that you can come to an intelligent decision.

When looking for a home business, keep in mind that some options are better for some people than others. Whether you are interested in a few extra dollars now and then, or you are serious about making lots of money and willing to do whatever it takes to get it, there are legitimate options that you can explore. Different programs require different levels of commitment, so be sure you research carefully, especially if it requires investing money. Too many people invest money before they know what they are getting into, and then they lose it.

Paid to Read Emails

These programs will earn you pennies a day, but if you sign up for several programs, you might be able to earn an extra $20 now and then. It takes only a few minutes each day to open the emails you get and view the ads. Sometimes you may see something that actually interests you. Many of them have referral programs that earn you money when people you referred view ads as well. Make sure you read carefully what kind of benefits you will get, though. Some pay points that are redeemable for coupons or other offers--so you must decide if this is something you are interested in before you sign up.

Paid Surveys

Paid surveys are a notch or two above paid-to-read emails. In general, most of the paid survey companies out there will give you a survey to complete, and often you have to sign up for some offer to be able to get the money. For example, they might pay you $20 to get a sample of ABC Skin Lotion. In order to get the bonus, you have to request the sample--and pay for shipping. However, shipping might be only $5, so you earn a net of $15. It should never cost you more in shipping than you are earning, so you will always make a profit. Some have very low payout and don't require you to pay for any shipping or anything like that. If you are doubtful of the company, try one or two of these first and then if you get credited, it is probably safe to invest in shipping to get the higher earnings. Keep in mind that you must reach a limit before you can cash out your earnings. The limit varies from company to company.

It is even more crucial that you read carefully before signing up for a paid survey company. Many of them will enter you in sweepstakes as a thank you, or give you coupons or points instead of cash. If you want to make money, you will need to manage things carefully. But it can be done.

In general, if you are interested in making money online with surveys, I would recommend starting with one company at a time, and give it 2-3 days to see if you like it before you add another. Otherwise you will get overwhelmed with emails. Also, you should consider opening another email account to deal with this--otherwise it could overrun your current email and make messages from family and friends hard to find.

Google Cash Programs

The basic idea behind Google cash programs is that you find a product or service you want to promote that pays you when you refer a buyer. To make this productive, you will need to find a number of them. Then you open a Google Adwords account and write ads for the products. This can be a very lucrative business, with very little time invested, once you learn how Google Adwords works and are good at writing ads. If you are interested in this, I would recommend that you look into Perry Marshall's Guide to Google Adwords (http://perrymarshall.com). It is one of the best ever written, and will help make your work successful.

Keep in mind that you will have to pay Google for the ads, but you only pay when people click on them, and if you have good ads, you are almost guaranteed that some of the people that click on the ads will sign up. Once you have an ad that earns money, you will be able to earn money on that ad for a long time without ever doing anything else.

It is possible to do this by advertising for free, but it is much harder and slower than Google Adwords. Free ads are less likely to be seen.

Network and Marketing Programs

Network and marketing programs are some of the most lucrative options out there--but you have to be careful. You should only get involved in them if you are serious, because they require that you invest money, much more than any Google cash program, and your results will vary depending on a variety of factors, such as your persistence, time and money invested, where it is invested, etc.

If you decide that this option is something you want to explore, you should find a company that lets you join for free. Of course, you won't earn any money if you never invest, but if you have to pay money before you understand the program, it probably is a scam. So do your homework. In general, if you are just starting, you should start with one or two companies that have an affiliate program which requires a low investment (say, $10 a month), and then promote them to get members signed up under you. When you start making on those companies, then instead of taking that money as profit, you should invest it into promoting another company--such as an MLM company that you always liked (Amway, Melaluca, and Mannatech, for example) or some other program that you enjoy. This is called Funded Sponsoring. You fund your own proposals.

There are different ways to advertise; some are free and some you pay for. Of course, the paid ones are more likely to get results, so weigh your options. Don't spend money you don't have, but then again, don't be too stingy or you'll never get anywhere.

Whatever system you choose, you will need to grow a list. Every good marketer will tell you that the money is in the list. Your name will be on your upline's list, and you can see how he/she works it. As your list grows, you will be able to tell your downlines about special offers you have.

In summary, there are a lot of options out there. I have only scratched the surface in this article. In general, be very careful of "buying" information until you have verified that it is legitimate. You can probably get the same information for free if you keep looking.

Are you running or thinking about running a home business? If so, then you need to be sure that you are doing it right. Running a home business does not have to be hard, but it can be if you do not take the time to make sure that things are operating as they should be. Here are some do’s and don’ts of running your own home based business:

Do: Know Your Passions - Before you start your home business, make sure it is something you like to do. Stick with your interests. While you may see people making a lot of money in certain fields, you may not enjoy those home business concepts as much. You will be much more successful if you do what you love.

Do: Know If You Need Education - When you are thinking about starting a specific home business you need to be sure you have the proper certification or training to do what you desire. Is there a certification needed? College education? Do your research beforehand.

Don’t: Fall for a Scheme - There are all kinds of offers on the internet that seem too good to be true. That is because they are. Stay away from home business schemes, because they will not make you any money. In fact, you will probably lose a lot of money.

Do: Create a Workspace - When you have a home business, it can become easy to work anywhere and everywhere in your home. However, if you have your own workspace you will find that you are much more organized and function better. The more efficient you are the more effective you are…making you much more successful.

Don’t: Be Afraid to Ask for Help - Running your own home business has its challenges. You will need to learn how to ask for help. There is no weakness in asking for support and assistance. You may need your family to give you some extra quiet time or you may need to turn to a mentor for advice. Most people are very willing to assist you – you just need to ask.

Don’t: Dismiss the Idea of a Business Plan - Yes, a business plan takes time, but it will be one of your best time investments. It will allow you to create goals and a vision for your home business. You will be able to see what kind of business you want to build and know how you want to build it. It allows you to see clearly all of your goals and helps you set down how you are going to achieve them. It also allows you to troubleshoot what may come your way down the line.

Do: Remember to Market Your Business - Marketing is the key to a successful business. If you do not know how to effectively market your home business, do your research. Good marketing can make or break any home business. Keep business cards on you at all times, and look upon every situation as a networking opportunity. It does not mean you have to be “salesy,” it just means you have to be smart and willing to discuss what you do.

Do: Assess Your Costs - When you are creating the plan for your home business, you should also do a realistic assessment of your costs. Do not let them deter you, but do allow them to shape how you build your business. If your costs are too high, then you may want to start your home business on a part time basis. Knowing your personal and business budget needs will help you create a successful business.

Starting a business is hard work.

Let me repeat that...STARTING A BUSINESS IS HARD WORK.

Did you get that? If you have had obstacles this week as you have attempted to start your own profitable business, if you have reached the point a couple of times this week where you wanted to give up, if you wonder if it is all worth it, JOIN THE CLUB. Everyone who has ever attempted to start a business has run into adversity, discouragement and crisis. It's part of the game.

But don't give up just yet, let me tell you what ELSE is a part of the game:

Financial prosperity is a part of the game. Over 90% of the people in the United States who earn over $250,000 per year, do so from their own business.

Freedom to be who you are is a part of the game. When you stop working for someone else and start working for yourself, you have the FREEDOM to be honest about who you are, what you like and how you like to do things.

Family is a part of the game. When you own your own business, you have more opportunity to set you own schedule to be at the important things in your family life. In addition, you actually own something that you can pass on to your children.

Friends are a part of the game. When you leave the work-a-day world behind, and start working with other people who have their own business, you will find some of the best people in the world. You don't really get to be successful by being rude and inconsiderate-you become a success when you learn to be gracious, when you learn to be a friend to others. The people you will meet from owning your own business are a treasure no money could ever buy.

Many people are looking for opportunities to earn money at home.

The process of actually choosing the right business opportunity can be very difficult because you have to match your skills and interests, your financial targets, your budget and the business opportunity to pursue.

If you do proper research on the internet, you will come across the right business opportunity with which you will succeed. You must look for references on the business opportunity and also make sure that the business opportunity is legitimate.

Now that you have found the right business opportunity, and you are driven to make this business very successful, you will need to know about some critical ways through which you can ensure that your business will succeed.

The top 8 ways and things you can do to make sure that your home business is a success are as follows:

1. Specify your goals right from the start. What do you want your home business to do for you? Replace your day job's salary, or to just earn you some extra cash? How much would you like to earn in a year? Your home business is not to be treated like a hobby; so you must specify the goals that you want to achieve.

2. Visualize what you want to get after your home based business has become successful. By doing this, you can keep in your mind what you want to achieve and this will guide you towards your goals.

3. Put your goals into action. Dreamers are people who just wish for things without applying the necessary effort to work towards achieving those dreams. If you want to earn money with your business; then you must take action. If you want financial freedom and would like to earn money online, then start a home based business today. If you already have one; then make sure you have specific goals and a course of action to help you achieve those goals.

4. Broaden your knowledge. This is very important for your business and to also keep you motivated to become successful. Read books, take courses, enroll into some personal development programs, read motivational books. The internet is full of free resources and also some that you have to buy. If you want to be successful in your home business, you must have a strong desire for knowledge about how to grow your business and also to broaden your mind.

5. Get rid of any negative thoughts and unproductive habits. Successful internet marketers are disciplined people. You must be optimistic, and you must stop any habits that distract you away from your goals.

6. Manage your time effectively! Each and every day, do something that will help you towards building your business. Never neglect your business. Have a 'to do' list every day, and stick to it.

7. Be persistent. Remain focused on your goals and keep on working towards them. Do not be discouraged even if you do not see any results yet. Your home business is just like any other business - you will need to give it time to grow.

8. Stay focused. Many people fail in their home business because they fail to stay focused. They jump from one business opportunity to another without giving the business an opportunity to grow to its maximum potential.

Most people spend their childhood watching their parents go back and forth to work. From a child’s perspective, work often appears fun and exciting. As a child gets older and realizes that jobs are how people make money, the idea of work often becomes even more compelling. Once you have money, you get buy all the things you want, right?

Many young adults rush out to get jobs then quickly realize they’re not all what we made them out to be as children. The days are long. The money doesn’t go as far as they thought it would and they end up spending their work time daydreaming about what they’d rather be doing at home.

This daydreaming often turns into a wish or dream…and eventually a goal…of many working people to gain some control of their lives and work from the solitude and comforts of their own homes. In some industries and with some companies, this is allowed. People can take their work home with them and work on it when they choose…so long as it gets done!

In other industries, working from home just isn’t practical. Workers in the retail services industry can’t work from home. Waitresses can’t work from home. Construction workers can’t work from home. You get the point. For workers in these industries, the only option is to consider doing something else that will allow them the ability to work from home.

Where do they turn? They normally start by looking for opportunities in the local classified advertisements of the newspaper. After that, they turn to magazines and the Internet. It’s often a frustrating and overwhelming process…weeding through the legitimate and non-legitimate home-based job and business opportunities.

There are plenty of questionable (and sometimes illegal) moneymaking systems out there. Although I’m sure there are some people who make money doing these things, the vast majority of people who take try them out fail. Here are a few examples:

Chain letter or pyramid scheme.

This scam involves sending cash in the mail to a list of complete strangers. Afterwards, those strangers supposedly put your name on a list and forward it to other people, who allegedly send money to you. Avoid this scam at all cost! I’ve never seen anyone make money doing it and it’s simply a pyramid scheme!

Multi Level Marketing (MLM).

You are taught to use high-pressure sales tactics on your family and friends and get them to purchase overpriced products that they could easily buy at the supermarket...for much cheaper. If you’ve been in the working world very long, you’ve probably already been pitched by one of these MLM systems. Some people make money, but the majority of people don’t make it.

Envelope stuffing system.

You get paid cash for stuffing envelopes…as long as the envelopes meets the company’s "standards." You stuff and send hundreds of their letters. They choose not to pay you because the envelopes don’t meet the company “standards”. What a load of garbage.

There are many systems and plots out there to assist you in making money and working from home. The bottom line is most don’t work for most people.

The goal of this article is to give you an overview of a few ways you can make money by working from home using your computer. It is important to remember though, that the individual results will differ with each person on any work from home system. Many people are looking for “get rich quick” schemes and that doesn’t occur very often. The term “work” still applies…even with “work from home” opportunities. Find the system that sounds best for you and “work” it!

Every day I receive emails from folks asking me about mystery shopping. My very first mystery shopping assignment was for Domino’s Pizza. I don’t know their system today, but many years ago, when I was a mystery shopper for them, I would receive one large 2 topping pizza from them each month in return for taking notes and submitting a questionnaire to them about my overall experience.

Many companies rely on mystery shoppers to help them see the shopping experience through the customer’s eyes.

Mystery shoppers are used in fast food restaurants, in electronic stores and in many retail establishments.

As a mystery shopper you will take note of things such as the name tag of the person helping you and whether that person is dressed according to company code. You’ll be asked if the facility was neat and clean. You’ll be asked to time how long you wait to be helped. Each store has a different set of criteria they ask you to take notice of. Many shops do not allow you to have children with you when you shop. You are always told this right up front. Read through the rules thoroughly before accepting the job.

Unfortunately there are many scammers out there who want to scam you out of your money, promising that for a small fee, they will provide you with books or databases of companies that will hire you to be a mystery shopper. Once you pay, the company is gone and you are no closer to being chosen as a mystery shopper than when you began.

I can not say it enough. DO NOT EVER PAY money to become a mystery shopper. The scammers will say they will reimburse you after you complete your first assignment. This is not true. Scammers will say they are trying to sort out the serious from the not serious. Again, this is not true. One more time, DO NOT EVER PAY money to become a mystery shopper.

So where can you start if this appeals to you? One place to start is secretshopper.com . You can apply once you read the introductory information and take the introductory test. Each new store you shop at will require that you pass a test on that store’s criteria to have you shop.

Everywhere you go online you hear that you must focus on a niche for your business. If you are new to Internet Marketing, this is advice you will want to pay close attention to.

Every day thousands of people come online for the first time in search of wealth. Many jump right into the markets that are already completely saturated and then wonder why they are not making money.

Given unlimited time, money and patience, they might succeed. For those that do not have unlimited supplies of these precious resources, aiming for a targeted niche market can be a much smarter way to start your online business.

So just what is a niche?

If you want the long answer, you can buy any one of the thousands of ebooks being sold online about niche markets. You can go to a dictionary and see what definition of niche it gives. But the short answer is niche simply means distinct or individual.

Everyone and their mother wants to start a business focusing on Internet Marketing. This is how the big guns are making all their money, so it must be the way to go. That is the problem. The market is totally saturated with people who have years of experience in this area. A new person trying to compete in such a broad market does not have much chance of success.

On About.com, Susan Ward defines Internet Marketing as "the strategies that are used to market a product or service online, marketing strategies that include search engine optimization and search engine submission, copywriting that encourages site visitors to take action, web site design strategies, online promotions, reciprocal linking, and email marketing".

A new person coming online to start a business has little chance of knowing enough about all the above areas to be able to compete in this market.

So how is a new Internet Marketer to have any chance at success?

Thing Smaller - Think Niche!

From the above definition you can gather the following niches:

Marketing

Search Engine Optimization

Copywriting

Web Site Design

Promotion

Linking

Email Marketing

Even if you are lucky and are extremely experienced already in one of the above niches, you will still have a lot of competition in such broad niches. This may be what you decide to do in the end, but at least be willing to explore niches within the broader areas. You may find a niche you are much better suited to.

When it comes to finding a niche market, a good resource available online is Wordtracker. Wordtracker brings several tools together in one place for those trying to find a good niche to go into.

Wordtracker is a breeze to use. If you want to narrow Internet Marketing down to targeted niche markets, just type "Internet Marketing" into Wordtracker and look at all the ideas that pop up. Each of these can become keywords that you decide you want to focus your business on. Or you can pop in and analyze those keywords and keep fine tuning your niche.

With Wordtracker you will end up with a list of niche keywords that you can focus your Internet business on. Having a smaller niche will give you a much better shot at being successful than trying to build a site around a broad topic like Internet Marketing.

Remember, success in any business comes from supplying a product that the public has a demand for and that the market has room for. Find the right niche and you are on the right path.

If you are debating whether or not to set up a home office or to lease commercial space, it will probably be better to initially set up your office in your home. A home office will provide you with the greatest flexibility, the least amount of travel time, allow you to even work in your pajamas if you are not seeing clients, and permit you to easily work your children’s activities into your daily work schedule.

If you are not operating a true retail-type business or expect large numbers of clients to regularly visit your office, your face to the marketplace should be your products, your services, your literature, and your marketing campaigns and not your location. As a home-based business owner, it is imperative to spend your money in those areas that your customers can really appreciate since you do not have the expense of leased commercial space.

A home office should provide privacy and enough space to house the equipment and furniture required to effectively conduct your day-to-day business activities. If your business requires client meetings in your home office, look for a room or rooms in your home that are removed from your family surroundings so that you can accommodate your clients in comfort and without distractions.

Your business plan’s budget should include a line item for office furnishings and equipment. Before you spend any money, make a list of what you need to set up your home office. This ‘needs list’ should match the line item total in your business plan. When you have your shopping ‘needs list’ completed, go shopping in your home first to see if you already have any of the items on your list (i.e., pens, paper, scissors, extra phones, tables, chairs, and desks) that you can utilize in your home office. Don’t forget to lie out a floor plan to determine the placement of your office furnishings before going retail shopping.

You may also want to inquire about an occupancy permit if you intend to run a business from your home in a residential area that is not zoned for business. The City’s Building and Zoning Department or your subdivision’s homeowners’ association will be able to provide you with the necessary permits and advise you on all local zoning and deed restrictions.

The best of both worlds would be to maintain a home office and then operate an extension of your home office from your satellite locations all over town for your larger meetings. Here is how I work it. I let my clients know that I have a home office in Southwest Houston; however, I can also meet at any of my satellite locations all around town. My satellite locations are situated in places like Denny’s, Luby’s, Chili’s, Bennigan’s, Starbucks, etc., in any section of the city.

As another alternative; if your business requires large private group meetings several times a month, you may want to consider maintaining your current home office and entering into an executive suite agreement for those several times a month when you need a large conference room in an office setting. It is much cheaper than leasing commercial space.

If you can afford it, have someone other than yourself answer your phone. Hire a part-time receptionist, or enlist the assistance of a friend or family member to assist you two to three times per week. You will be pleasantly surprised at what a great professional impression this makes on outsiders when you have a human being answering your phone. Your appearance will be that of a very well established business owner.

Your first focus should be on running your business. Eliminate distractions such as children, neighbors, and friends during your prime work hours. Make sure your friends and family understand that you are serious about this venture. Make sure that everyone is aware that they just can’t pop into your office whenever they have the urge. Condition yourself not to wander into other parts of your house and start other home related projects or start to wash dishes or begin washing a load of clothes during your prime working hours. Only answer personal calls and check your e-mails at designed times. Any type of diversion will hamper your effectiveness in managing and growing your home-based business. You must continually remember that you are at work even though your office is in your home and that you are not really in home sweet home during your designated working hours.

Be sure that your home-based business has all of the amenities of a traditional office or storefront business. You should work towards having professionally printed letterhead, envelopes, colored brochures, and business cards. Create a logo and company motto and begin branding your company’s identity through consistency in design, color, and through a company motto.

Want to work from home but not sure what you can do?

Do you want to earn a degree that could lead to a successful job working from home?

Do you know what kinds of jobs are best for telecommuting?

There are many opportunities to earn a great income with a job that can be done from a home office.

Workers are attracted to home based jobs these days, since the concept has becomes more economically and socially acceptable. The technology necessary to set up a home office is commonly available and fairly inexpensive. Workers today want to spend more time with their families and are seeking flexible schedules to care for children, and perhaps aging parents.

Thanks to technological developments, especially the Internet, home-based workers have greatly increased their capabilities. If you have thought about earning your degree in a field that can translate in to a home based position, check out the following jobs that can be easily done from home:

Medical Transcriptionist

Medical Transcription is highly specialized field and requires certain skills and training. Medical transcription a process where a person accurately and promptly transcribes medical records dictated by doctors and others. The dictation will include medical history and physical reports, clinic notes, office notes, operative reports, consultation notes, discharge summaries, letters, evaluations, lab reports, etc. Transcriptionists receive dictation by tape, digital system or voice files, and then use earphones and a foot pedal for start-stop control along with a word processing program. There are several word-processing systems that are used. This job requires exceptional listening and language skills, computer skills and knowledge of medical terminology. Many medical transcriptionists work from home-based offices as employees or subcontractors for hospitals and transcription services, or are self-employed as independent contractors.

Transcriptionists need to complete postsecondary training through vocational schools, community colleges, and distance-learning programs. It is highly recommended for medical transcriptionists to complete a 1-year certificate program or 2-year associate degree that encompasses work in anatomy, medical terminology, legality in healthcare documentation, and grammar and punctuation in English.

*Medical Transcription is one of the leading home-based professions in the United States.

Graphic designer

The Internet has opened a whole new world up to graphic design professionals . Graphic designers and illustrators often work in the industry of web design and development, and can reach the world via the Internet. These jobs can be done from virtually anywhere on the planet. All you need is an Internet connection to run a successful and lucrative design business

Graphic designers create visual solutions to communicate. They use a variety of print, electronic and film media to effectively get their message across to others. Graphic designers use computer software to develop the overall layout and production design of magazines, newspapers, journals, corporate reports and other publications. Overall, these professionals come up with strategies for layouts and artistic concepts, and they must be able to create visual images that engage, attract and sell their clients products.

Roughly 70% of graphic designers do go to college and typically major in art, or art history, or product design. Associate degrees and certificates in graphic design also are available from professional schools. These programs generally concentrate on the technical parts of graphic design.

*Solo designers, who freelance report median earnings of $60,000.

Accounting

Small businesses are finding it increasingly more economical to outsource their accounting and bookkeeping needs to contractors. These contractors often work from home offices. With a few basics such as a fax machine, copier and computer with the proper software, you can be on your way to a lucrative career as a home based accountant.

As an accountant, you work with businesses and individuals to provide tax planning and preparation of tax forms, monthly financial reports, audits, billing and payroll services. Accountants sometimes offer broader services that include budget analysis, financial and investment planning, and info rmation technology consulting. As an accountant, y ou should be very comfortable working with numbers, and be detail-oriented - and most of all, organized.

Accountants are required to hold a bachelors degree in accounting or a related field. Additional professional recognition can be obtained through certifications or licensure, a master's degree or proficiency in accounting software. These supplementary credentials can give you an advantage when you are marketing your home-based accounting business.

*Bookkeepers earn anywhere from $22,500 to $52,500 per year

Other popular work from home careers include, but are not limited to:

Real estate agent

Although these positions are telecommute-friendly, real estate brokers and sales agents often work evenings and weekends and usually are on call to suit the needs of clients.

*The median annual income of a real estate agent is $58,720

Recruiter

Employment, recruitment and placement specialists recruit and evaluate applicants and attempt to match them with client firms. Drawing the most qualified employees and matching them to the jobs for which they are best suited is important for the success of this career.

*Recruiters made on average $80,958 annually

Computer programmer

With advanced technology so readily available, telecommuting is becoming common for a wide range of computer professionals, including computer programmers. With the expansion of computer networks, programmers can be utilized to make corrections or fix problems remotely by using modems, e-mail and the Internet to connect to a customer's computer.

*Median annual earnings of computer programmers $62,890

Financial advisor

Personal financial advisors for the most part evaluate the financial needs of individuals, providing them a wide range of options. Personal financial advisors, also called financial planners or financial consultants, use their knowledge of investments, tax laws and insurance to recommend financial options to individuals.

*Median annual earnings of personal financial advisors $62,700

Public relations specialist

Public relations specialists handle organizational functions such as media, community, consumer and governmental relations political campaigns interest-group representation conflict mediation or employee and investor relations. These professionals prepare press releases and contact people in the media who might print or broadcast their material.

Are you looking for a work-at-home job? Have you searched online only to become frustrated and confused with the array of offerings? Are you weary of looking at site after site trying to make sense of what is real and what is a scam? How can you know whether or not a work-at-home job offer is legitimate?

First of all, there are certain things you must beware of in your search for legitimate home-based work. If you are unsure about investing in a particular program or offer, ALWAYS use the contact information listed to get answers to your questions. In addition, beware of the following:

*Sites that make outrageous claims about earning potentials; they should be considered scams.

*Outdated listings containing phone numbers, links and/or email addresses that don’t work.

*Work-at-home sites and companies that claim to find you jobs but only sell you information on how you might be able to make money.

*Pyramid schemes that try to get you to join them without selling a product or service.

*Someone who asks for your money without answering your questions.

Use your common sense. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Are there legitimate work-at-home jobs? Yes, they can be found if you know where to look. There are thousands of companies worldwide, on and off the Internet, who are willing to pay people to work from home.

Some companies require you to spend some time working at home and some time in a regular office environment. There are many major corporations now that offer this kind of flexibility for their employees. You might even be able to convert your present job into a telecommuting one. It never hurts to ask your employer.

There are many companies that allow you to work exclusively from home. The types of jobs available in this category include customer service, telemarketing, writing, sales, etc. These jobs are usually pay-per-project or commission-based and can be full-time or part-time. If they are full-time, they may provide benefits such as health insurance, vacation time, and retirement plans.

There are many web sites that specialize specifically in work-at-home jobs. Some of these sites offer a list of job openings that can be viewed by category. Some of these categories include, but are not limited to, accounting, administration, clerical, finance, graphic design, marketing, sales, web development, and writing.

Other work-at home sites provide only a list of companies that will hire employees to work from home. A lot of these websites also offer excellent information on starting and maintaining a home business.

Legitimate work-at-home opportunities require certain skills and experience just as any regular position would. For some of these jobs you will also need office equipment such as a computer, software, printer, Internet access, phone, and sometimes a fax machine.

In your quest to find a job, you should research all opportunities available in the work-at-home industry, as well as other online resources. There are many sites where you can search for home-based work. Some of the best places to look are:

*Company and corporate websites - (IBM, Penney’s, Disney, etc.) Whatever store, company or corporation you can think of, they will probably have a website. If they have a website, there will be a link for jobs.

*General employment sites - (jobs.com, monster.com, careerbuilder.com, etc.) There are MANY websites for general job searches. Just do a search for ‘jobs’ and you’re off!

*Online Newspaper Classified Ads - Whatever newspaper you can think of, they will most likely have a website. You can also do a general search online for ‘online newspaper classifieds’ and you will get thousands of links.

*Work-at-Home Directory listings – If you do a search for ‘work at home’ or ‘work at home directories’, you will receive thousands of possibilities. (Use the tips listed under ‘BEWARE OF THE FOLLOWING’ before making any investment.)

*Paid online survey sites listing companies seeking marketing research participants – Do a search for ‘paid online surveys’ and you will amazed by the number of results that come up! There are many legitimate survey sites available that will put extra money in your pocket.

The only requirements to finding a job online are time, commitment and perseverance. If you stick with it and stay focused, you WILL find something that works for you. There ARE jobs out there and there are good jobs out there. Hopefully, the tips listed above will help you in your search for legitimate home-based jobs.

I just got a mailing from a well known company who was attempting to solicit my business, and no, I won’t embarrass them by revealing their identity.

Here’s a direct quote from their marketing piece:

“According to a recent independent study, our search engine converts prospects to customers at a rate that is 57% higher than Google and 48% higher than Yahoo”

After reading this, my immediate response was, “Are you kidding me”?!

So let me ask you, do you have any ideas on why this is such an insane statement, and why it caused me to react the way I did?

For starters, more and more companies are using this “independent study” garbage.

In most cases, I’d be willing to be that there was no independent study done at all.

Rather than using all this mumbo-jumbo and crazy lingo, companies should just let us see comments from their happy customers.

This is known as “social proof” and it’s a whole lot more powerful (and believable) that telling us that you’ve done an independent study.

When I used to own the cleaning business, I always took photos of my happy clients, as well as - before and after photos of the work we did for them. I’d then ask the client to write about their experience with my company, in their own words.

I then used all of these materials when presenting my services to future prospects.

And let me tell you, that was some SERIOUS “social proof”! Those before and after photos always had a major WOW effect on anyone I showed them to.

There was no disputing the photos. They told the story for me.

And…

The photos allowed me to sell a whole lot more of my cleaning services (and at higher prices I might add).

Once I showed a prospective client the photos, they were sold. I hardly had to say a word.

Hmmmm.

There’s a great marketing lesson in there somewhere.

But let me get back on track here, because there’s a major point I want to make.

Let me remind you of the quote from the marketing piece.

Here it is:

“According to a recent independent study, our search engine converts prospects to customers at a rate that is 57% higher than Google and 48% higher than Yahoo”

Here’s what really irritates me about this comment.

These guys are trying to make us believe that their product (which is a pay-per-click search engine), will actually provide better results (and make more sales) than Google or Yahoo.

And that my friend, is a complete and utter lie.

If you’re not a very good marketer, and you don’t know how to position your product in a way that makes people beat a path to your door, with money in hand, ready to buy what you have to offer, it doesn’t matter where you put your ad.

It ain’t gonna work anywhere!

Not on Google, not on Yahoo, and not on this search engine (name withheld to protect the not so innocent) either.

As a small business owner, it’s up to you to position your product or service in a way that automatically attracts prospects to you, who already want what you have to offer.

The key words in that last sentence are “already want”.

By doing so, it virtually eliminates the need for cold calling or face-to-face selling.

You let your system do all the prospecting and selling for you… automatically.

This frees up your time to do the more enjoyable things in life, like spending time with your family or taking a vacation.

The reason why most home-business owners starve, while only a few make the really BIG bucks, may surprise you.

To understand why this is, all you gotta do is take a look around.

And the funny thing is, most people will never figure it out.

The reason most home-business owners fail is because they’re concentrating on the wrong things.

They’re completed fixated on their product or service, rather than how to properly market that product or service.

I’ll tell you right now, you’d be a whole lot better off having a so-so product that’s backed by great marketing, than having the world’s BEST product, with lousy marketing to back it up.

But before I go on, it’s important that I blow this huge myth out of the water right now.

There is no BEST product or service.

Now don’t get me wrong here.

There are plenty of great products and services, but if you don’t have great marketing to back them up (and nobody wants em), they’re completely worthless.

Most people never get this.

My good friend (and brilliant marketer) Scott Tucker, explains it this way:

“If I say “car” you probably think of Ford or GM.

Yet you must understand, these companies are MARKETERS of cars, and they’re not really manufacturers.

In fact, most of their parts aren’t even made in-house, because they outsource the majority of this work.

And really, both companies make as much on financing as they do on the actual sale of their cars, which means that they’re really banks and marketers.

The companies they outsource to can’t market, and as a result, make very little profit because they participate in lowest-bidder pricing.

And that stinks!”

As a home-business owner, you don’t want to get wrapped up in this kind of craziness.

Instead, you’ll want to do like me and my smart followers, who realize that marketing is the key to putting the big bucks in your bank account every month.

When you have a great marketing system in place, people will beat a path to your door, clamoring to buy what you have to offer.

So…

If your business isn’t producing the kind of income you want, maybe it’s because you haven’t yet discovered that you need to be in the business of “marketing”.

When you get started with a home business, you have two options: You can promote your product or service to people that could benefit from them or you can promote the business itself and grow a larger team which expands your influence and makes it possible for even more people to learn about your product and service. You should find a way to balance both. No matter how you approach people, it all boils down to communication. There are good ways to approach people and there are very bad ways to approach people. Because most people start home businesses with no prior business experience, they tend to choose the bad ways without realizing it. If this might be you, don’t loose hope. No one is born knowing anything more than the most basic of communication skills (Hint: Waaaaahhhhh!). Now, crying is not going to help you build your home business. The point is that everyone had to learn how to communicate and that is the key to successful promotion. You need to learn how to communicate.

Or more specifically, you need to learn how to communicate on purpose.

If you’re calling someone on the phone, writing an advertisement, or planning a presentation, everything boils down to communication. The better you learn how to do it, the more success you will have. This is a great reason to have a mentor in your home business as well. If you were in sports you would practice and do drills. You would do this because it makes you better when the main event comes along. You don’t limit yourself to only practicing and drilling but rather you work it into your routine so you’re applying the skills you have (which is a form of practice) or you are focusing on the act of practicing to learn something new or to improve your current skills. Effective communication follows the same needs.

Here’s a tip: Record yourself with a tape or digital recorder. This is a great way to train yourself in spoken communication. Listen to the playback and take notes. Do you sound relaxed? Do you do all the talking or are you having a conversation with your prospect? Don’t worry if there’s something you need to improve. All people, at all levels of experience will make mistakes and can always improve. Make yourself aware of where you are now in order to improve.

Before you contact someone about your business, consider your intent. Is your intent to sign someone up, make a sale or to earn a commission? If it is, your prospect will pick up on that and your success will be limited. Instead focus your intent on how you can help others get what they want. In order to do that effectively you need to know what it is that your prospect wants and needs. You won’t be able to find that out if you’re doing all the talking so have a conversation. As you converse you may find that the person you’re calling isn’t ready for, or doesn’t need, what you have to offer as a solution. If that’s the case, don’t offer it to them. You won’t be rejected because you haven’t offered anything. Just continue the conversation, in case you haven’t uncovered what it is you really need to know, and finally end it just as you would any other call to a friend.

Effective communication is not about manipulation or convincing someone to do something. It’s a process that involves two parties in what should seem like a graceful dance when done properly. If your prospect doesn’t know how to “dance” that doesn’t matter. The more you develop your own communications skills the more you will be in control of the conversation, the more people you will be able to help get what it is that they want and more the more rewards you will receive by doing it.

We all know that the Internet is a perfect channel for home based businesses. What the "pros" don't tell you is that succeeding with your home based business is not as simple as "If you build your website, they will come." See where I'm going with this?

Even the most unique product ideas, fancy website visuals, and relentless promotional efforts still leave millions of us sitting around by our home computer just patiently waiting for the miraculous overnight success where the website traffic pours in and the big dollars follow!

So we ask ourselves and others; "What's the next step?" "How do I take action that might actually make a difference?" Let me throw out a suggestion. First of all, STOP DOING WHAT EVERYONE ELSE IS DOING! Do you realize I can go on any given website on the Internet right now and every single one of them will tell me the same thing about "How to Succeed in Promoting Your Website."

Quick, I'll save you some time...here's the MAGIC FORMULA THAT EVERYONE IS FOLLOWING: Search Engines, Link Sharing, Email Campaigns, and basically just spend a whole lot of money and sooner or later, someone might notice you! Feel better?

Here's the truth. THERE IS NO MAGIC FORMULA THAT WILL HELP EVERYONE SUCCEED! Think outside the box a little bit. Quit trying to follow the "trends." You need to come up with unique ways of promoting your business both online and offline. Get off your chair and do something.

Search the Internet for unique little opportunities. Spot new marketing channels that might let you get your foot in the door for free or at low cost. Talk about your business every single chance you get to EVERYONE! Sooner or later, you have to find the right marketing channel for you and your business. No one else can give you that.

Put as much thought into your marketing ideas as you did your home based business, and THEN AND ONLY THEN, you will find success. You may or may not like this answer but it's the truth!

Work at home opportunities can be the best option ever, for example, who want to be there for their family and kids. Or for anyone who has a dependent relative who needs help at home. Perhaps you might suffer from some kind of disability yourself and need to work from home.

To make money from work at home opportunities, your most important asset is to be self discipline. For those who need external motivation and somebody to keep them on their toes, a more traditional work environment or a place where you feel like working may be a better idea. For self motivated people, who can rely on themselves to put in the necessary hours and stay focused despite distractions, working at home can certainly be a wonderful way to make a living and that too in comfort at your own place.

If you're already convinced with the working style of work at home opportunities, you'll be wondering that is the most suitable opportunity that can exist for me? There are a wide variety of possibilities, and the most attractive part is some of them requiring minimal skills and some requiring no skills at all. You can opt to filling in surveys, this pays better than you might expect, and there are claims that you can make up to $100 an hour doing it.

The key to success when looking for a work from home business solution comes with finding the right type of business for you. This involves doing something that you will enjoy and something that you are good at. If you enjoy what you are doing and already possess the skills to do the job, you are likely to put the time in that is needed to make it a successful business.

You might consider setting up online auctions. You need to be fairly Internet savvy for this, but it is fun and can be a lucrative market strategy or you might opt of something that might not require much of proficiency in internet. If you dream of starting up your own business, either on the Internet or otherwise, then finding a grant for your purposes could set you off to a great start.

Starting Your Own Business:

The global nature of the new economy is really leveling the playing field for those who want to break into business, as well as those who have a business background but who are ready to strike out on their own. For example, with modern technology, an importer of a product can quickly and profitably find an exporter of the needed product. Connecting buyers and sellers is that basic, and can result in profits all around; there has always been a wealth of opportunities, and now people can capitalize on them.

There are so many people in whom the entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well, and there are home based business opportunities that are perfect for showcasing this enthusiasm. The modern marketplace is changing, rapidly. Today's home based business opportunities allow people to contribute their energy and vision to the evolving commercial arena.

Email, fax and phone are the power tools of this new era of the successful home based business. These affordable and readily available tools are letting entrepreneurs work like the pro's. Franchising can mean big dollars and exciting work in the world of business, and today's work at home opportunities are opening doors for a lot of people!

With franchising, you can start your own home business from a platform of already-established knowledge and expertise. It's a good way to benefit from someone's else's experience and market research, and also to feel supported as you begin to work for yourself. More and more people are looking to work from home and be the boss, and importing and exporting offer a wealth of opportunities.

You can start your own home business in an exciting field; everyone needs goods, and commerce makes the world go around. Stepping into the flow of international commerce makes you a vital link in the world of business. Work from home opportunities abound in the area of wholesale merchandise, as more and more people are discovering.

So you want to make money online, who doesn't? Who wouldn't want to make money sitting at their computer right from the comfort of their own home?

Lets start with the people who don't have a website. How can you make money online? Well you can make money through affiliate marketing. Affiliate marketing is basically selling other people's products to receive a percentage of each sale. If you want to do this I recommend joing clickbank (www.clickbank.com) or commission junction (www.cj.com). These are two of the larger "middlemen" for affiliate marketing.

So how exactly do you market these products? There are many many ways to do this and I will cover some of the basic ones. You can post on forums, advertise in chat rooms, advertise on services such as myspace and write articles (which is what I am doing now). Now these methods are all free.

Some the paid methods include PPC, paid targeted advertising services and paid classified sites just to name a few. The effectiveness depends on the time you put into it and also that you know what you are doing, which takes time as everything else does.

I believe having your own website is much easier. The reason being you can use all the above methods, but you will be directing everyone to the same place - your web page. Also when you have your own web page you have control over your sites SEO (Search Engine Optimization). SEO is basically things you do to get your web site a higher ranking in search engines. This is very important in order to be successful in this business. Do you ever go to the 100th page when you search for something? I don't think so.

Either way you go it is possible to make money online. Your success depends on how much you work at it. I know that is cliche, but it is true.

Some people think that it's impossible to start up a small business nowadays; but it depends what you have to offer. Usually the best thing to offer is a quality product: if you're selling something that someone else needs then it usually isn’t too difficult to make a sale, and so it is altogether possible to get your business off the ground. A more difficult business to get off the ground is a business that provides a service. For example, if you wanted to start a business that relies on you producing an online service, without providing a tangible substance, then you're going to need to prove that your service is a really great service, and is so much better than the competition - this is where most small businesses fail to take off.

If you do provide an exceptional service and you are so much better than the competition, or there is no competition because you are innovative, then there are still problem that you face as a newly created business. First of all, you may have some experience in your field, and be totally competent in your work, but you still may not be able to sell your service because other companies cannot risk getting into business with a new company that doesn’t have a proven track record. This can leave a small business with a catch 22 situation.

There are many hurdles out there to jump, so let's deal instead with where you start the race to be able to gain the momentum that you need to jump those hurdles. Well if you have a great product to sell, or you think there is a market out there for your service then first of all you need to get some capital behind you. There are many places to look for money - the high street banks are usually the best place to look. Barclays small business, for example, provides start up packages and loans, as well as bank accounts - it's best to open a business bank account as soon as possible.

Another thing to think about is the state of the financial market place. If the financial market place is awful at the moment, then it may be better to stay at your day job for another while. The internet is a good place to find out information on current financial trends. Financial comparison websites are a great place to start looking to first of all find out the value of things; average interest rates etc. so that you are prepared when you do enter the financial minefield of the world.

In answer to my question: How hard is it to start up a business in the 21st century? I would say - it is difficult, but if you take your time without diving in, and you have something great or unique to offer then there's every chance that your business can be the next big thing!

The only true business that can be run from your ‘home’ is a Bed and Breakfast Venture.

Taking a decision to run a Bed and Breakfast establishment involves much careful consideration, planning and financial calculations. Not only will it take up a large part of your life – although with careful planning this can be kept under control, but such a venture also holds out the prospect of making a very good income for you.

Location, location, location. This is the prime consideration in any business venture, more so in the Bed and Breakfast industry. A location can vary enormously from being right in the heart of a busy town to being a remote farmhouse. There is a demand for both.

Your location will probably define the type of clientele you will attract and the level of your operation, the amount you may charge per room, the number of bookings you are likely to receive etc.

Planning means - do you already have a house that can be easily adapted to cope with a business of this nature? Perhaps you have an extension, barn, old stables even an ex-granny flat or other buildings that would lend themselves to conversion. Into this consideration will creep financial calculations. The cost of conversion etc. If these are extensive, it may be that during the life of the operation of your business you may well not fully recoup these costs. Do not despair, when you eventually decide to sell and retire on your profits, you will be able to take the cost of conversion, plus the fact that you have a flourishing, going concern for sale, which will inflate the sale price considerably.

If you are in or near to a busy town then you will be more likely to attract business people and workers. Here it is necessary to think carefully – Business people and manual workers to not mix well, requiring different standards of accommodation, working different hours and have greatly differing habits and life-styles.

If your property is in a remote location it has advantages. You can try to attract people who are seeking to ‘withdraw’ from the rat race for a few days. If you are within striking distance of a local natural attraction, i.e., a well-known walk skiing country etc. then holiday makers are more likely to be your main source of income. One set of guests may be quiet and contemplative whilst the others will probably be enjoying their adventure in the great outdoors.

A remote property it is more likely to be of the farm-house type. Here you can capitalise on this fact. Do not go overboard in modernising your furnishings, people will expect to see the rural effect, but not worn out and dejected! However quaint the farmhouse effect may be, guests will still expect the wonders of civilisation to be readily available, i.e., good bathing and toilet facilities. So whether a bucket and chuck it at the end of the garden would be acceptable in the 21st century is a debatable point.

To all of these different types of accommodation and the types of guests you are likely to attract, you can add people who have relatives nearby who cannot accommodate them when they come to visit, wedding guests, people who are house-hunting in the area, etc. Also consider the possibility that you may attract a totally different clientele during the week to that which you attract at the weekend.

You will see from the above four categories that you will need to reflect and consider which course of business you will be operating.

Returning to the subject of careful consideration this means assessing whether you have the right personality to cope with such a venture. It Is essential for you to be of an out-going disposition, that you like people and are prepared to help them when necessary. You will also need to be able to ‘stand-up’ to the odd awkward customer, and will need the ability to do so in a polite, firm, fair and friendly manner. No fisticuffs at dawn! Remember a smile works wonders – but not a smirk.

For all of these variations on which type of operation you will eventually be operating, you will also need to be a good cook, keep a clean and tidy establishment and not resent people living in ‘your’ house.

This last point can be overcome if you have an out-building that can be converted into accommodation, and then quite frankly, 50% of your problems should disappear. You will be in your own domain and the guests will have theirs. You will not be constantly at their beck and call and will have more time on your own to relax. You will not constantly have to wear your ‘Bed and Breakfast’ smile. Your door will be locked and your time is your own.

However, if you do not have this extra building, do not despair. All that is needed is for you to make sure that your own accommodation really is yours. Can you arrange it so that you have your own shower-room, your own sitting room, or at least some part of the house that you can use for your own relaxation?

A full description on ‘Running a Successful Bed and Breakfast Venture’ can be found at www.bumbles-ebooks.com where you will also find an additional four part course on this subject.