Wednesday, January 30, 2008

The Drawbacks To Working At Home

By Jo Han Mok

Working at home is one of the fastest growing trends in careers today. However, many people jump on the freelancer bandwagon without considering all of the drawbacks to working at home. While some people are naturally inclined to work at home, others find the transition more difficult to make. There are many benefits to working at home, but the drawbacks need to be considered before you make the choice.

The first drawback to looking for a work at home career is that your current career may not easily transfer to a work at home situation. If you work in the medical field or are a police officer, being a freelancer might not be an easy transition unless you are willing to change careers entirely. Sales and administrative positions transfer well, as do creative jobs like design and writing. For those in jobs that can't make the work at home switch, you'll have to think carefully about what you want to do when start working at home and start investigating that field.

Cost is another important factor in deciding if working at home is right for you. Although many mothers start working at home to save on childcare, there are added costs to being a freelancer. If you need health insurance, it will have to come out of your pocket instead of being paid by your employers. There are also many taxes that you will have to pay. Your record keeping must be excellent in order to keep track of your income and expenses, and to fill out your income tax return at the end of the year.

Working at home with children is not always as easy as it seems. If you have young children that aren't in school yet, it may be difficult to work when they are awake. This can mean lots of busy naptimes and late nights to get your projects done when they are sleeping.

Family members can help take care of your children from time to time, but the responsibility of both your children and your job will be firmly in your hands. With older children, it is sometimes easier to work from home. But you will still have to start and maintain a fairly balanced schedule in order to get everything done.

Freelancers have to be very self-motivated and disciplined in order to get their work done on time and correctly. If you are the type of person that is motivated by outside factors (such as a supervisor), then working at home may not be your cup of tea.

When you work at home, there is no one there to look over your shoulder and make sure that you are still working. Distractions like the television, Internet and housework can be hindrances to your work at home success.

Isolation is another problem for freelancers. Working at home alone can get frustrating and lonely. Make sure you are comfortable with spending time alone, and that you take steps to combat isolation. If you are especially prone to being depressed, then the isolation that comes with working at home may make you feel withdrawn and sad. Taking steps to combat loneliness is an important part of any freelancer's success.

After considering these factors, you may decide that working at home is not right for you. However, thousands of people deal with these drawbacks and still have successful work at home careers. These reasons should not stop you from becoming a freelancer if that is really what you want to do. Just make sure you understand the realities of the work at home lifestyle before you commit to it.

Article Source: http://www.articlehighlight.com

Jo Han Mok is the author of the #1 international business bestseller, The E-Code. He shares his amazing blueprint for creating million dollar internet businesses at: www.InternetMillionaireBlueprints.com

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Popular Scams Online Survey Companies Use

By hardeep

Anyone who's ever been online should, by now, be aware of the hundreds of "work from home" internet based companies that are consistently advertised in various websites. One of the more popular is "doing surveys for cash."

There are literally hundreds of online survey companies. Most of them are not legitimate ways to make money, although a few of them can earn you a few bucks. These companies target stay at home moms who want to make a few extra dollars while taking care of the kids, the unemployed who want to make a few extra dollars while watching dozens of daytime court TV programs, the elderly who are not afraid to use the computer, and teenagers who think they know everything but aren't yet wise to the ways of the world. And let's not forget the very greedy people of low intelligence who think they can get rich by answering a few simple questions to which a five year old can respond.

These people are prey to unscrupulous methods used by some online survey companies. These scams include the following:

1. The fee for joining
There are some sites out there who charge a "fee" to join. They promise you an opportunity to earn up to $100,000 a year, sitting home at your computer taking surveys. The fee is usually less than $50. These sites are always a scam. If it was possible to earn $100,000 a year doing surveys online, the roads would be empty because no one would be going to work. Everyone would be home, in front of their computers, earning easy money. These sites prey on the greedy and / or lazy people of little intelligence. By the time they figure out that their "get rich quick" scheme isn't working, they're out $50. It's not a crime to be greedy, lazy or stupid. And, unfortunately, it isn't a crime to prey upon them in many cases. These sites are careful to add "disclaimers" stating that not everyone will earn this amount of money. They promise nothing, but include testimonials on their site from people with no last names who claim to be living the high life from the comfort of their homes. They usually have photos of flashy cars and huge houses on their websites. People need to stay away from these sites like they would avoid the bubonic plague. Unfortunately, PT Barnum was right when he said that there was a sucker born every minute. Which is why these sites continue to exist.

2. The cell phone scam
In this popular scam, you'll be asked for your cell phone number to "confirm" your membership. Seconds later, you will receive a call on your cell phone. The call will end up costing you anywhere from $1.95 to $4.95; depending on the company. These companies don't usually end up charging you too much because they figure you'll never miss a couple of bucks. But it adds up for them and that's how they make their money. They will then periodically send you text messages telling you that you've won a prize; and to claim it, you simply need to reply to the text. This will end up costing you more money. Do not give out your cell phone number to any website.

3. The Switcheroo
In this scam, you will be participating in a survey and then be directed to another website. They will ask you to show an "interest" in obtaining more information from one of their marketing partners. You will continue to answer "no" and keep getting more offers; the survey will never end until you answer "yes." Now this scam might not cost you any money, but it will cost you time. Because when you say that you are interested in learning more about health insurance, expect to receive an average of 10 calls a week from telemarketers trying to sell you health insurance. And the insurance they are trying to sell you is a lot more than you can expect to pay than if you contact an insurance agent in your area. I know this for a fact as I've actually done price researching. And the telemarketing company will ask you for both your social security number as well as your bank information (so they can send in a deposit with your application). It's dangerous to give out such information to anyone over the phone. Legitimate companies will send you any information you require by mail.

4. The phone bill scam
You'll sign up for a survey company and provide your telephone number. Then you'll proceed in completing a survey and receive an offer for a free issue of a magazine. You'll think to yourself - what's the harm? You'll give your name and address for the magazine and hardly notice when a fee for a year's subscription shows up on your telephone bill. If you read the fine print, however, you will see that when you provided the company with your name and address to receive your "free" magazine, you authorized them to bill you via your telephone bill. They figure that you won't even notice the extra $12.95 attached to your phone bill. And many people don't.

These are just four of the scams that I've actually encountered during my foray into the world of online survey participation. I consider myself a half-way intelligent person, but I got caught for $1.95 for the cell phone scam and $12.95 for the magazine subscription. I've also been called about 20 times so far by different "health insurance" company representatives who requested my social security number and bank information over the telephone. These companies have yet to send me anything by mail. Luckily, I know better than to give such information over the telephone.

Online survey taking can be fun, but be careful. Do not give out your cell phone number under any circumstances. Do not give out your social security number or bank information. Do not ever express any interest in receiving information from health insurance providers. And avoid the "online education" inquiries as well. Do some research prior to joining any company, do not pay a fee, and beware of anyone or any website that promises to make you rich.

Article Source: http://www.articlehighlight.com

Gagan Kainth is the author of this article, he is a well known internet marketer from the last 6 years. He Loves to help People for doing home based business, Every time whenever he see any best home based business opportunity he tells it to the world. Because once someone also helped him to start his home based business. Click here to adsense ready website package to make money on internet Instant Adsense Website Templates to Build Adsense Empire for Successful Home Based Business to Earn Extra Money at Home. Visit here to get answer about Online Work at Home Data Entry Jobs to Make Money on Internet Instantly

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Working From Home -- The Online Business Reality

By Arvinder Jeet Singh

According to a recent Harris poll, 72% of American households are thinking about starting a home based business. This is quite frankly a staggering statistic. Almost three quarters of Americans are unsatisfied with their current employment situation for one reason or another. Many of these unsatisfied workers are turning to the Internet to fuel their work from home dream jobs.

Quitting the never ending rat race is a personal decision that many work from home entrepreneurs face. Their reasons for wanting to work from home vary. Some people find that they simply have no other choice but to work out of their home office. Perhaps they have to take care of their elderly parents or their children, or they themselves are house-bound. Some people are retired and find that finally having an opportunity to spend time in their own home is a huge comfort and joy. Even college kids, stay at home spouses, and those recently downsized are finding that the Internet is simply the best option for starting and running a profitable home based business.

Working from home is a serious commitment that all entrepreneurs should consider. However, they must be aware of the negatives and risks of the Internet. The Internet is fraught with get rich quick schemes. It is also overflowing with misleading business building hype and flat out work from home lies. Any program or opportunity that promises big bucks with little work is a fraud. Proper research and common sense should eliminate many frauds and scams. Developing a solid Internet business requires partnerships with strong and professional companies.

Building a real business, no matter what kind of business, requires hard work. That's the bad news. The good news is there has never been a better time to start a business from home because the Internet makes it a low-cost and low-risk venture. Building an online business or work from home business does not require massive amounts of start up capital. With that said, it is possible to over spend on your business simply by neglecting the research.

Learning about web hosting companies and traffic building strategies in the beginning of your work from home business plan is a tremendous positive step. There are many web hosting companies that offer cheap domains and seemingly endless features. The problem many web entrepreneurs face is they invest in the wrong web hosting company at the start up phase of their business. They soon discover that they have not built an online business. They have simply built an online brochure that sits unvisited by the millions of web surfers. Now they must invest more and more money into building a bigger and better site, or paying a firm to optimize their web pages, or paying a search engine to display their ads.

A web business that sits unvisited is not a business at all. Online entrepreneurs know they need an income to be successful. They also realize that building an online business is a series of steps. They must rank well in the search engines by providing excellent content filled web pages. In return for ranking so well, the search engines send droves of targeted customers to the online business. Now that the online business has customers, it can begin to develop a relationship with them. It warms the customer by creating a welcoming and personal feel. All of the great information and the atmosphere of the website will build a trust between the business and its customer. It is this relationship of that leads to profitability.

Forget the long string of classic work at home dead-end jobs like envelope-stuffing and telemarketing. Use the Web to build something terrific that excites you, a business to be proud of, that you own, and that earns you substantial income. Working from home rewards entrepreneurs in so many ways. If you are interested in an online business or a work at home business, you must be smart enough to do the research. You may receive a free step-by-step guide to building your online and work at home business by visiting the author’s website.

Article Source: http://www.articlehighlight.com

For More Free Resources visit www.start-ownbiz.com

Saturday, January 12, 2008

Setting Up Your Home Business Schedule

By Aaron Aldama

Do you have a schedule for your home business? If not you will need one. Running a home business is a challenging task. Running any type of business is a challenge. In order to succeed you will need to work in order to build your business. Time management is key. Self discipline is a must when running your business. It is very easy to get sidetracked when running a business. Many business owners end up not succeeding in their business because of bad time management.

You must have the discipline to create a daily schedule for yourself and then stick to that schedule daily, until your schedule becomes a routine. The whole key in creating a schedule for yourself is to make your work ethic into a habit. Once your work ethic is a habit you will be well on your way to succeeding in your business.

Many people believe they have a great work ethic and they probably do have a great work ethic. But running a home business is different than working a job. First it is your business, you will not have anyone looking over your shoulder telling you to do this or do that. You will not have anyone to answer to, except yourself. Which is why you must hold yourself accountable.

I am willing to bet 90 percent of all home business owners follow this or a similar routine. Wake up and go to work. Get home and turn on the television and put off working on their home biz until tomorrow. Guess what, tomorrow they follow the same routine and put off working their business until the following day. Then the weekend rolls around and instead of working on their home business they decide to put it off until Monday.

Then their routine becomes a habit and they quit their business believing home businesses do not work. You see, that is the main difference between successful business owners and unsuccessful business owners. Successful business owners actually work their businesses daily, until it becomes a routine and then a habit. Successful home business owners form great work habits and unsuccessful business owners form bad work habits.

One thing you will notice with unsuccessful people in general is they always have one million and one excuses on why the job is not getting done. Oh I was tired from work, it was the season finale of "Dancing With The Stars" and the list goes on... Winners just get the job done period. Unsuccessful people also have another common trait, they tend to blame everyone else except themselves for their problems.Winners take full responsibility for their actions and learn from their mistakes.

Setting up a schedule for your business is the easy part. Do what works for you best. I like to take care of all of the business work I hate doing in the morning. Do what works best for you. But remember having a home business schedule is pointless if you do not practice it daily.

Article Source: http://www.articlehighlight.com

Aaron Aldama a home business expert wrote this article. Visit our site and get a free vacation, Home Business



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