2011 April

Get Up, Get Dressed, and Get Out There

April 29, 2011 By Lisa Leave a Comment

The Internet makes it easy to connect with people around the world, but you can’t tell what someone’s thinking or know their true personality through e-mail. You can tell whether or not they can spell and how often they check their e-mail, but that’s about it.

Sure, you can use Skype to work with clients and to network, but you’re still not shaking hands, hugging (I’m a big hugger), or getting the opportunity to read someone’s body language.

When I first started working from home several years ago, I couldn’t wait for the FedEx or UPS delivery person to drop by. That was my first clue that I needed to get out more.

I know it’s easy to sit in your home office in your comfy clothes and connect with other business owners online. Not many people who work from home miss having to dress in business suits, skirts or heels for work every day. I don’t.

Sometimes, though, you need to leave your home office.

10 Ways to Guarantee You’ll Hate Working From Home

April 27, 2011 By Lisa 4 Comments

1. Spread papers, files and products all over your house instead of setting up a functional home office.

2. Don’t set boundaries and let friends and family interrupt you while you’re working.

3. Work day and night instead of setting a schedule and sticking to it.

4. Share your computer with the whole family and make sure your kids load as many of their games on it as possible.

5. Never leave your desk throughout the day except for bathroom breaks.

6. Isolate yourself from other home-based business owners and only communicate with friends and colleagues online.

7. Stock your pantry and refrigerator with the unhealthiest snacks you can buy. The more sugar, the better.

8. Keep your eyes glued to your handheld and unless your family contacts you through texts or emails, ignore them.

9. During your peak productive hours, throw in a load of laundry, clean your kitchen counters and grout your bathtub.

10. Don’t bother using any type of To Do list…just wing it. Focus on easy tasks instead of the ones that will help you make money.

Do all of these things and I guarantee that within a few months you’ll hate every minute of working from home. Do the opposite of everything on this list and you’ll enjoy the freedom that comes along with avoiding a daily commute and working comfortably at home.

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

The Right Goals Can Keep You on Target

April 25, 2011 By Lisa 2 Comments

Last week I e-mailed a few home-based business owners and clients about goals and whether or not they set them. I found out that half of them do and half of them think goals are a waste of time.

Truth be told, I stopped setting goals at the end of last year and finally started setting them again two months ago.

Why? Because they work.

In my “Need to move your business forward?“ blog post, I focused on the fact that if your business gets off track, it’s a good idea to look back and figure out what worked before. I needed to kick my business up a notch and realized that what had always worked before was to set goals. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Balancing home/office Life, Home office organizing, Working at home Tagged With: goal-setting, Home Office Tips, Setting goals

4 Ways to Stop Running in Place

April 20, 2011 By Lisa Leave a Comment

Have you ever noticed that on some days you’re incredibly productive and have something to show for all the time you’ve spent in front of your computer, while on other days not so much?

When you work for yourself, it’s easy to feel that you’re always playing catch-up or running in place. We all have days like that…some more often than others.

One of my clients described it as feeling like a hamster on a wheel. She was on the go constantly, but never accomplished anything.

There are a few ways to get off the hamster wheel.

Determine what your time is worth. Are you spending time entering e-mail addresses into your contact management program, updating your Web site, or handling tasks that someone else could take care of? If so, hire someone to help you. You could hire a virtual assistant or a freelancer to take care of routine tasks that are taking you away from handling moneymaking tasks. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Balancing home/office Life, Home office organizing, Time mgmt./Productivity Tagged With: home office productivity, Home Office Tips, working from home

Need to Move Your Business Forward? Take a Look Back

April 18, 2011 By Lisa Leave a Comment

When I drive with my sons and sing along to the radio, it really annoys them. It’s not only because they think I’m a bad singer (although I am). The reason is that I know the words to some of the new songs.

No, I don’t spend all day driving or listening to the radio. I know the words because so many of the songs are remakes or they include samples from old songs. I think that falls under the category of “everything old is new again.”

The same applies to your business. There really aren’t any new ideas out there…just new ways to put ideas into action.

Your business may be growing faster than you thought it would and if so, there’s probably no reason to change what you’re doing. On the other hand, you may have reached a point in your business where you have fewer clients than you did a year ago and you want to kick your business up a few notches. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Making money from home, Working at home, Working with clients Tagged With: growing a homebased business, Home Office Tips

Copyright Does Not Mean Copy RIght

April 14, 2011 By Lisa Leave a Comment

I’ve been using Google Alerts for a few years to keep up on the latest small business and home office news, to make sure I don’t miss any articles written about my business, and to track what’s going on in my clients’ industries.

What I didn’t realize is what a good detective Google Alerts can be.

Last week I opened a Google Alerts email and saw a link for a blog post with a title I’d seen before…on my site. When I clicked on the link I saw a site with several of my blog posts on it and someone else’s copyright at the bottom of the page.

If I were a cartoon character, you would have seen smoke coming out of my ears.

Apparently the owner of the site had no problem taking my hard work and calling it his own. My guess is that he didn’t think he’d get caught. He was wrong. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Home office technology Tagged With: Copyright infringement, Creative Commons

Don’t Believe Everything You Hear About Entrepreneurship

April 12, 2011 By Lisa 2 Comments

Before I started my first home-based business, I put in my time at three different corporate jobs. By my second year in my last job, I was ready to go out on my own.

At first, my co-workers were skeptical and figured I’d be back within a year, begging for my old job. Many years later, I’m still working for myself and some of those same employees are still working for the company I left. I’ve never looked back.

Now whenever I run into anyone from my old job, they usually tell me that they wish they could work for themselves too. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Making money from home, Time mgmt./Productivity, Working with clients Tagged With: Carol Roth, Entrepreneurial myths, Home Office Tips, Small business

Reporters Not Responding to You? Here’s Why

April 8, 2011 By Lisa 2 Comments

Guest post by Lizzy Shaw

You’ve been submitting like mad to leads you get from free media pitch aggregating services like HARO (Help A Reporter Out), Pitch Rate, Reporter Connection, etc. – but no one’s picking up your story or using you as a source. How come?

One thing to keep in mind is that these services have rules; it’s important to obey them, so make sure your submissions are in line with these – if they’re not, you won’t get a response. Also, these inquiries can elicit HUNDREDS of responses, so it’s hard to stand out.

To help you get a better response, I checked with a few journalist pals to find out the most common things that stop them from using you.

Here’s what they told me: [Read more...]

Filed Under: Making money from home, Working at home Tagged With: Lizzy Shaw public relations, small business public relations

Bare Essentials: Hot Home Office Products

April 6, 2011 By Lisa Leave a Comment

Too good to use
Have you ever had a dessert that looks too good to eat? This gorgeous wooden desk set is almost too beautiful to use, but when you work from home you need to be functional. So why not tape, open letters,store supplies and staple in style using mahogany and sonokeling wood accessories? After all, art and function are always the perfect combination.

Looking sharp
I don’t know what it is, but there’s something irresistible about oversized replicas of small things or miniature versions of large things. This giant pencil sharpener made from rubber wood, has plenty of room for pens and pencils and will look much better on your desk than a boring, regular size coffee cup.

Getting a kick out of tape
Last year I bought a red shoe tape dispenser — it works better when you add weights to the inside — so when I saw this black stiletto one, I had to upgrade. Those of you who are shoe lovers can appreciate the style and function of this not-so-ordinary dispenser. The purse Post-it note holder is optional.

Filed Under: Bare Essentials, Home office organizing, Home office products Tagged With: bare essentials, Home Office Tips, hot home office products

Tax Time Doesn’t Have to be Painful

April 4, 2011 By Lisa Leave a Comment

A few years ago, a woman from the IRS called to ask me what I charged for my seminars. I jokingly said that I’d give her a break on my fee if she’d give me a break on my taxes.

She didn’t think that my comment was funny.

The phone call went downhill from there.

While there’s nothing funny or fun about tax time, it doesn’t have to be painful. In the Business News Daily article, “10 Ways to Soothe the Pain of Tax Time,“ whether you’ve already paid this year’s taxes or you’re planning to get an extension, these tips can make tax time a bit more bearable.

Before you file: [Read more...]

Filed Under: Working at home Tagged With: Home Office Tips, Small business taxes, working from home