Treasures Old and New...just minding my little business: May 2006

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Working From Home?

Working From Home?

By Laura Koss-Feder

www.clubmomlinks.com

When Trish Cetrone, the president of a home-based public-relations-and-marketing firm in Orinda, California, first started her business, she avoided out-of-the-office meetings like the plague. "I was really focused on billable hours. I didn't want to waste work time fighting the crazy Bay-area traffic," she recalls. But after a few clients insisted on some face-to-face sessions, she realized that "efficiency isn't everything," and she began to welcome the break. "When you work from home, you have to force yourself to get out regularly," says Cetrone, who now makes sure to plan meetings with colleagues and clients at least once a month.

According to the National Association for the Self-Employed, an organization based in Washington, D.C., the nation has 17 million home-based entrepreneurs like Cetrone, many of whom are constantly faced with the isolation that comes from being a one-person operation. The same goes for full-time telecommuters, especially long-distance ones. While most home-based workers relish their situations, spending the majority of your workday solo is inevitably draining; virtual contact via email or phone can only go so far. The adjustment is often especially difficult if you've just made the transition from the busy, bustling corporate world to the quiet of your home.

Finding creative ways to beat this loneliness is important if you're going to succeed long-term. "You have to create the right kind of environment and schedule from the beginning," says Rudy Lewis, the president of the National Association of Home Based Businesses. "If you're alone too much, feelings of isolation can worsen as you grow your business."

The only way to beat isolation is to get out and make human contact. But if you're trying to build a business—or please a faraway boss—it may be a struggle for you to walk away from your desk, even for an hour. "It's okay to give yourself permission to be out of your office," assures Ellen Parlapiano, the coauthor of Mompreneurs: A Mother's Practical Step-by-Step Guide to Work-at-Home Success (Perigee). You may also find it difficult to escape if one of your goals in working at home is to spend more time with your children. "Even though you may be paying for child care, you should still take a break and see others during the day—just as you would if you were working in a big company and went out to lunch with a coworker," says Cetrone, who has two daughters, a six-month-old and a three-year-old.

Time-out Strategies

Replace your chained-to-the-desk habits with these new ones:

Get involved with local chapters of professional associations in your industry and/or your chamber of commerce.
This has the added bonus of allowing you to network. "Going to business-related events is constructive for your career and can keep you from burning out," says Deborah Arron, a Seattle career consultant. Most organizations have monthly meetings and various committees and boards that you can join. To give yourself extra incentive to participate, offer to chair a committee or organize a special event.
Pay in advance to attend events.
That way, you'll feel almost forced to go, advises Arron. Knowing up front that you have a function to attend will allow you to better budget your time while you work.
Start your own group.
Joining professional organizations is a good way to meet other mothers in your field. Use this as a stepping stone to form a small circle of such moms who meet on a regular basis, recommends Parlapiano. She founded a group of her own eight years ago.
Consider combining time away from the office with an outing with your child.
New York City career consultant Eva Wisnik has taken her six-year-old son, David, with her to clients' offices to drop off holiday gifts. These brief meetings—five to ten minutes each—allowed her clients to get to know her on a more personal basis, plus they gave her son a taste of the business world. But, she cautions, "I wouldn't do this with an infant. Take a child who is old enough to understand the concept of a 'client,' and keep meetings brief."

Laura Koss-Feder is a business writer based in Oceanside, New York.

Will Your Teen Make Money This Summer

I ran across this article and since I have a couple teens looking for some extra money this summer, I thought this was great and I'm going to have my daughter look at the website and see what we can come up for her this summer. Hope it helps some of you as well!

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

By: Joelle Davidson

Summer is coming. Most teens start thinking about earning extra money during the months between school terms. Is your teen looking for a J-O-B or is he or she thinking of starting a business?

Let's look at the benefits of each to help you and him decide which way to go.

1. Income Potential
JOB: You're guaranteed a set hourly income and only the amount of hours offered by the company.
Own Business: You earn money based upon your hard work, creativity and innovation. It is not guaranteed, but there is potential for more money if you work harder.

2. Schedule
JOB: Your boss determines your schedule. He or she may be flexible. Or not.
Own Business: You schedule your own hours. This may mean working more or less than an hourly job. You can work around your life schedule.

3. Pay scale
JOB: You can earn your hourly rate and not much more. The potential to earn more is dependent on whether or not the boss can give you more hours.
Own Business: You determine the value of the work you're doing and your asking price. You often can earn more money with fewer hours.

4. People
JOB: You may have a great boss and co-workers who you enjoy. Or not.
Own Business: You deal directly with your customers. You choose whom you do business with. Because your livelihood depends on it, you need to learn how to work with people well, even if you may not like them.

5. Experience
JOB: You get trained on the job.
Own Business: You teach yourself. The more you commit yourself to learning, the more your business will grow and develop.

It's a tough choice. If your teen isn't ready for starting a business completely on his own, then work together with him to make a family business a success. The key, however, is that he has to want it, or you'll be fighting a losing battle. Start the discussion with him now and see if his own business might be the right choice this summer.

About The Author
Joelle Davisdon welcomes you to http://www.showkidsthemoney.com where you'll find plenty of free information to help your kids start their own businesses.

Where DO You Get The Time

By: Stephanie Foster

Why does it so often seem like you turn around and it's midnight when you're raising your kids? It seems like no matter what you do sometimes, there's still a lot more work to do by the time you are ready to go to bed. What can you do?

The first thing you need to do is figure out where your time is going each day. Try making notes one day about what you do and how long it takes. If you're feeling really ambitious, you can try this for a week, since every day is going to be different, but even one day will give you an idea as to where you're using up all your time. It may feel like you're wasting time writing these things down, and they will slow you down a bit for that day, but it can be a big help.

Take a look at what you spent your day doing. Now assign a priority to each. How much time would you prefer to spend on each?

Now if you add all these up, you'll probably find out your day is more than 24 hours long if you include time to sleep. That's how it is being a parent.

The first thing you need to do is figure out what items can be done less often. Can you stand a little mess in the house? Can everyone else? Can you get more help from your spouse and the kids in keeping the house clean? You'll have to decide which solution is right for you.

What about time spent surfing the internet or watching TV? Give yourself time limits on each of these. If you have a Tivo or a VCR, try recording your favorite shows and watching them a little later, skipping the commercials. Not only does this allow you to choose the time you watch your shows, it can cut down their length.

Sometimes it can be hard finding enough time in your day to be with your kids, yet most parents will call this a priority. Just remember that time with your kids isn't just about having fun. Even small children can help out with making dinner, which can be a great time for talking with kids of any age. My three year old daughter has been helping make salads since she was two. The lettuce ends up in either rather large or very small pieces, but she has fun helping and we get some great time together. Older kids may or may not appreciate this time, but it's good for them to help out.

I definitely do not recommend cutting back on whatever meals you insist on eating as a family. This is a great thing to do as a family, and if you aren't making time for family meals, find a way to do so! Even if it's just dinner one night a week together, no activities or sports to run off too, your family needs the time to relax together.

Finally, are there things you can cut out all together? If you feel as though you've been pushed into doing things for others because you're at home and "have time," don't feel guilty about telling people that you do not have the time to do things they want you to do. Your family comes first. If you really want to volunteer, think about either cutting back the number of hours when you need more time for yourself or your family, or volunteering for something you can do as a family.

There are only so many hours to a day, and so many things you'd love to get done. Take a good look at what you need to do, want to do and don't really need to do, and you can find ways to feel a little less overwhelmed most of the time. You'll go through times where there just aren't enough hours in the day even when you know your priorities, but you can cut down on the less important stuff and relieve a lot of your stress.

About The Author
Stephanie Foster is the owner of Home with the Kids, a site for stay at home parents. If you want to learn more about time management as an at-home parent, please visit http://www.homewiththekids.com/time-management/

Sell Books on eBay? Don't Make This Deadly Mistake

I had to share this article with you by Elaine Krieg Smith (I'll get back to my story in a day or so). I have purchased a couple of Elaine's products and they are packed full of helpful information if you want to sell books on eBay (and other stuff too - but she focuses on books). She also has a blog (see links below) you can read about specific books that she finds selling on eBay, why some books sell for more than others.

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A half-used tube of toothpaste, an ex-wife's wedding gown,
snow, a newborn's name, a "haunted" picture, a kidney, a grilled
cheese sandwich with the image of the Virgin Mary. What do all
of these things have in common? Yes, you're right - they were
sold on eBay.

Because many unexpected and normally undesirable things sell
on eBay, people say that, "ANYTHING will sell on eBay".

WHY THEN DO LESS THAN 40% OF ALL BOOKS LISTED ON
EBAY ACTUALLY SELL?

An auction only needs ONE BID from any one of the millions of
daily shoppers to close successfully. And yet these millions
of shoppers are passing over 60% of all books listed.

WHY?

It is really very simple.

The number one mistake made by eBay booksellers is trying to
sell books NO ONE WANTS.

Just because a book is worth reading, does not mean it is worth
selling.

It is an issue of DEMAND and SUPPLY.

Bestsellers may be in demand, but the supply is so huge, you
cannot sell them profitably. Why buy it on eBay (and pay
shipping) when you can:

- Get it from the library
- Borrow it from a friend
- Pick it up at GoodWill
- Buy it at the local paperback swap store

Many other books just have no demand. They sold well in their
day and were enjoyed by many, but are now out of date or the
topic is no longer of interest. Some books should never have
been printed. These books are now showing up in thrift stores
everywhere.

Thousands of sellers incur eBay fees every day listing books that
NO ONE WANTS.

It is NOT true that you can sell anything on eBay. You can only
sell what people want to buy.

SO WHAT IS A SELLER TO DO?

Many sellers don't seem to realize that you can find out ahead
of time if an item is likely to sell. eBay makes closed
auctions available for two weeks for just this purpose. There
are also other places online where you can check the supply
and potential price of a used book.

Every wise seller will have RESEARCH as an important part of his
business practice.

Before you spend the resources to list a book, look it up in
completed auctions. Does it sell? For how much? Is it really
worth spending the time to list? Add up all the time you spend
getting an image, creating the auction, communicating with
the buyer, packing and shipping, etc. Now divide this by your
profit to determine how much you will make per hour.

Do you really want to work your fingers to the bone listing low
dollar books?

It is best to not even buy books NO ONE WANTS. Do research
before you go to that library sale or thrift store.

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HOW TO DO RESEARCH

For a book you already own:

1. Enter the title into the "Advanced Search" box.
2. Check the box that says: 'Completed listings only'.
3. Sort by highest to lowest.

Before you book shop, spend time each day learning what sells.

1. Go to eBay's home page.

2. Choose Category: BOOKS

3. Choose a sub-category such as Antiques & Collectibles,
Fiction, Non-Fiction or Children's.

4. Scroll down. On the left sidebar is "Search Options".
Check "Completed Listings".

5. Enter a price range in "Items Priced _ to _"

6. Click on "Show Items".

7. Sort any way you like. I prefer "Date Listed: oldest first"
because this ismy last chance to see these before they drop off
the search database. (eBay only keeps the most recent two
weeks forcompleted listings searches.)

8. Save this search in your favorites to save time in the
future. You may need to re-enter "Completed Listings" and re-
sort each time.
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Research, research, research.

This one practice has made more money for me than any other.

I no longer spend time, money, effort, and space on books that
NO ONE WANTS.

You cannot learn the price potential of every book out there,
but if you focus on the high sellers and memorize them, you
will know to pass over all the rest.

Research IS time consuming and does require some analytical
skills. If you are lacking in time, then BUY the research. It
will be an investment that repays you many times over.

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Elaine Krieg Smith turns your eBay bookselling learning curve
into a fast and easy profit curve in her book, "How to Sell
Books Using Online Auctions"

Get a jumpstart on your book research with this free report:
"Twenty over $50 ~ Examples of Hot Selling Books"

========================================
Copyright 2005 Elaine Krieg Smith
(used with permission)

Ebay - Can I Really Make Money?

When I mention to people that our family has a little Ebay business, one of the first questions I get is “can you really make money at it?” and my honest answer is YES! Ebay is one of the simplest home businesses you can start up, that doesn’t cost any extra overhead. You don’t even have to buy product to begin making some extra cash - start by selling unused items from around your home!

There are so many wonderful books and e-books available today to help you start selling, that I’m not going to walk through everything step-by-step here. Instead I thought I would share with you a little about my Ebay experience, and share some of the products I have used to help improve my little business.

According to Ebay, I have been a member since December 1998 - WOW - I can’t believe it has been that long! I started out like most people, buying. I looked for books for my homeschool, toys for the children, little things here and there. It was a great place to find a bargain.

I had been toying with the idea of selling, but was a bit nervous to take that first step. One day my husband came home with a large stack of audio tapes he had purchased at a garage sale for about a buck each. After giving him the “evil eye” for spending money - he told me I should sell them on Ebay - that they might do good. So, I started looking through the seller section to see how to do this. I consider myself pretty knowledgeable with a computer and am a fast learner, so I figured out the basics, and had my first few auctions running in no time. Pictures - LOL - this was before we had a digital camera and scanner so I used my web-cam - LOL! Not the best pictures, but they worked!

All that week I watched my items, and they started getting bids! I was excited! When they ended, we had made back all the money my husband had spent on those tapes - PLUS extra. Most of the tapes sold for between $7 - $10! I WAS HOOKED! LOL

I then began looking around my house for things I could get rid of and maybe sell on Ebay. Anything was fair game - and my “little business” was born.

For the next few years, I sold off and on. Usually homeschool books we didn’t need anymore, or clothing the kids had outgrown that were still in excellent condition. During that time, I re-discovered an old love of mine - Painting. In high school I loved to paint, but it took me forever to get anything done (the perfectionist in me came through too often). Decorative painting however was quicker, so I purchased some books and taught myself how to do it. I didn’t want to do craft shows however because my time was limited with homeschooling, so I began to research Ebay to see if hand painted stuff would sell - and sure enough there was a market - so I started selling my painted items.

When you are selling hand-crafted goods on Ebay, it’s a tough start up - but if you have a good product, and stick with it - you will start to develop a following, and customers will buy from you again and again. Consistency is the key. Always have something up for sale. If you list - they will come!

I loved selling my hand painted items on Ebay, and slowly started to develop a following. Problem was, I just didn’t have the time to paint and list, so sales were here and there. About this same time I began to notice my husband’s commissions were starting to drop due to the industry he is in. I needed to find a way to help supplement that, and the painting wasn’t going to do it. So I began to do some research.

Next time I will continue my story and show you what I found in my research, and how it has affected my selling.

Having a Family Business

One plan I have for my children is to teach them entrepreneurial skills so they can be self reliant. I have found a wonderful website that caters to families (especially homeschoolers) in helping them to start their own home business, and include their children in the process. Stephen Beck has a heart to help other families, and speaks at conferences across the country, helping families get started, and offers some of the best products to do that with. I can’t tell you how much I have learned from him over the past few months that I have been receiving his newsletter. Check out some of the products had tutorials he has to offer at FamilyEbiz.

Awesome Offer

I just have to share a wonderful offer for you. If you are a homeschooling mom, here is a great set of ebooks valued at over $80 for only $24.97. It's available for only a short time so you need to act quickly. Titles include:

How to Start Your Own Business
Menu Planning Made Easy
Homegrown Business
The Bread by Hand e-book
Momma's Guide to Growing Your Groceries
Simply Centsible Suppers
Thriving on One Income
and several more.

Remember, this offer is only available for a short time so don't let it get by. For more information click HERE

Till next time...