The page of possibilities is now live!

I thought it would be nice to start a page of possibilities, but I need some help with it. What online jobs do you know of that should be listed here (link or no link)? I have a few to start off with, but I want the page to be more well rounded that it presently is. So far I have writing, photography, and gaming…what other work at home jobs would you like to see listed on the possibilities page? There’s a lot more out there than those three…let’s brainstorm. shall we!

Are there still work from home options?

I’ve gotten a lot of spam emails lately about the latest and greatest work from home opportunity and it’s a little disheartening to see. Mostly because there are a lot of people who would love to just work, home or otherwise, and these scam artists are praying on them like locusts. But the truth is there are REAL work from home opportunities out there. They just aren’t as in your face as the scam artists.

What do you look for? For one, a real company backing you up. If you decide to freelance, start by looking for work on Craigslist and freelance job boards that have been around for a while. (preferably those that don’t cater to India and actually pay you for your time..but that’s a personal opinion.)

What else…how about other people who do what you do to talk to. If you want to be a bookkeeper, find a bookkeeping forum and chat away. If you want to see dental insurance, there are forums for that…There’s a forum for writers, bakers, cleaners, shoe repairman..you name it, there’s a forum for it. If you aren’t alone, you aren’t being scammed.

One last tip…find something that makes you happy to do what you do. If you don’t love what you do, you’re not going to do it for long. You also aren’t going to do it well. Be yourself. Don’t be afraid to ask questions and above all don’t answer any email that swears you won the lottery in a country you’ve never visited, have no family and is written so poorly it might as well have been written on swiss cheese.

Enjoy the hunt!

Did You Forget Something This Morning?

One of the biggest problems with working from home is the decline in personal hygiene. I mean, seriously. We do our work, we clean the house, we run after the kids…but did you remember to brush your teeth before 10am? Or how about that shower you put off till right before leaving the house? Hey, we have all done it. Even those who don’t work from home slacked off on our days off in this area. But it’s also an area that we need to maintain as one small slip here could lead to a larger slip down the pike.

Now don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying you smell or anything. It’s just something that’s been brought to my attention and that of several other at home workers as of late. We all need to be more aware of how we treat ourselves and how we present ourselves even in our own home.

It’s about personal respect and all those rules of etiquette our parents and grand parents attempted to drill into us as kids. But more importantly it about presenting a clean and hygienic image to anyone who shows up at our doorstep or our kids as they roll out of bed. Bad breath aside, mom in her pajamma’s at 2 in the afternoon when she isn’t ill is going to cause issues when the kids want to follow suit. So lets make a packt. Each of us, from here on out, will do our best to get up every morning at a reasonable time. Get dressed before logging onto our computers. brush our teeth before answering email and will put our best foot forward no matter how we are feeling or how much stress is looming. Can you do it?

Have You Fallen in Love With What You Do?

It’s a common situation among those who work from home. We fall in love with what we do, how we do it and the freedom that goes along with it. Our schedules are ours to command, for the most part. Our lives are more our own and less run by outsiders. It’s heady stuff and not for everyone. I mean, really. You have to schedule your own day. YOU have to decide when to get up, how to manage the kids, the household chores, the yard, the cars, the errands, and your work. YOU have to find time for things like marketing and web maintenance. Oh wait, didn’t you do most of that when you worked for someone else? OK, you didn’t have to do marketing unless you were in the marketing field. Perhaps you didn’t have to deal with a website or a blog, but is that really so hard? An article a week or if you’re like me a month per blog?

Working from home is all about prospective and having the ability to tell yourself what to do. There are those that are not cut of out for that. I’ll be the first to admit that I cannot market. Nope, just can’t. I’ve tried. But the good news is, I don’t have to. My clients like to read. Shocking and unusual I know, but through my blogs and the random articles I post throughout the web my clients find me. It also helps that I limit the number of clients I am willing to take on at any given time.

That’s another thing…now your limits. When you know what you can and cannot do, you are more realistic about how you will get your work done and the time allotments you will need to get them done. Can you really handle 7 clients simultaneously without forgetting a task or without mixing up what you are doing for whom? Can you handle more? How? Do you need help to manage the day to day workings while you handle the actual work load? Oh yes, we can’t always do everything ourselves. Take me and the marketing. But instead of asking for help, I just write blog posts…humm, perhaps I should take my own advice when I need clients next.

So, is working from home good. Most certainly. Is it for everyone? Nope. Can you do it? That is entirely up to you. Have fun deciding and by all means, fall in love with your work.

Home office 101: Are walls required?

It seems like a simple question, but when you work from home there are no simple questions. Determining how you setup your office and whether or not you work in it are subjective and have more to do with the type of work you are doing than anything else. You see, if you need quiet to get work done, than yes, walls are a good thing. If you need to concentrate and limit distractions, walls are a good thing. If you simply need to work and watch the kids or keep an eye on the gardener or roofer, walls become the distraction.

When you work from home you choose how you work best. You have to make the decision as to the type of environment that will inspire you to work productively. This can mean working in the kitchen or at a table in the living room. It can also mean closing yourself off in a spare room, preferably a sound proof one, so you can have absolute peace. What you do, how you work, how you concentrate on things will determine what you need and don’t need in your home office environment.

If you work for someone else, they may dictate how your office sounds. For instance, if you work as a tech support specialist and are required to answer phone calls you will obviously need a quiet home office environment. That usually means walls, but only if you have noises outside those walls that you need to keep out. Not everyone who works from home does so because of family. Some individuals work from home because of physical limitations or personality traits that make it simpler to stay where they are.

My opinion on the question: Are walls required?

No, walls are completely optional. It’s up to the worker to choose the work environment that works best for them.

To pay or not to pay…

Opportunities for work at home jobs come in many shapes and sizes. The general rule of thumb for discerning a scam from a legitimate opportunity is if you have to pay for it…but some opportunities that are legitimate require you to buy into the program to prove you’re really interested in the opportunity.

Lets take Ameriplan for example. (not picking favorites, just came to mind) In order to work with this company, which has been in business since 1992 and has been growing since day 1. They legitimately offer health savings products (not insurance). Their sales representatives buy into the company and can earn income through their linked networks or through their own sales efforts.

The point isn’t what Ameriplan is or isn’t. What is does or doesn’t do. The point is that in order to become a sales rep you first have to pay Ameriplan for the opportunity. Is this fair? That depends on your prospective. On the company side, yes. If you buy in, you are making a statement that you understand what you are getting into and truly want to succeed. Without that buy in there is nothing linking you emotionally or physically to the product. On the other hand, as a consultant it seems like all you’re paying for is training on products that you might not be equipped to sell. You’re going to be second guessing yourself on many levels and for some, wishing you hadn’t shelled out the $50 or so to figure it all out.

Are they legitimate? yes.

Is it worth the investment? That depends on you and your sales ability, experience, and drive to succeed.

Does this mean that our idea of what a scam is and what a scam is not is wrong? Not really. A scam is where you get pay and receive nothing in return. Usually, a scam opportunity has not true company linked to it. They haven’t been in business for years. Don’t have a reputation in the industry they claim to be in…It’s all in how you determine a true scam from a potential opportunity.

To those with serious sales skills, I tip my hat. I do not possess these skills and though you can learn bits and pieces, it is impossible to learn it all. It’s like learning how to program a website or practice medicine. It’s a seriously fantastic skill and one that we should all know a little about, but leave the heavy lifting to the professionals.

see you all later in the week!

Is this legit?

I have heard more often than not that some of the web links I’ve posted are bogus, scam’s, crap. Well, let me ask you then. Where do you go to find legitimate telecommute (work from home) opportunities? It’s not like there is a single source for such things on the net. If you think popping onto Craigslist is going to give you a chance you might as well yell from your roof that you’re looking for a job. You might actually get better results that way.

The sites I’ve listed in the past and will likely list in the future have options that YOU need to consider and then look into further. Are there valid opportunities on them, yes. Are there are few scams in the mix..likely. It’s hard to avoid all scams as some are designed to slip past the primative scam avoidance guidelines used on most blogs. Does this mean I don’t care? of course not. I want to know when something isn’t linking properly. I want to know when you find something better or when something stops working.

I can’t manage other peoples websites unless they ask. I won’t post things that are obviously scams. What I am trying to do is provide options for those who are hoping to find legitimate opportunities to work from their home. I hope you will help me succeed at this.

Do you have a conversation?

For those that don’t know, I follow the Jaffe Juice blog. It’s more a video blog, but it has great information on marketing and social media that I find interesting. I can’t say I always follow the advice, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t good advice. Last week’s blog post of social media conversations was extremely interesting and scarily accurate. a lot of social media conversations consist of nothing more than “likes” and “I agree” comments that do not further the conversation. Come to think of it, they actually can kill a conversation.

I’m not saying you can’t “like” a particular comment. The button wouldn’t be there if you couldn’t. The problem stems more from a lack of conversation in the comments than from agreeing with the comment or liking the comment. If we all take the time to actually respond to a particular statement and those of others who have responded to the comment then and only then do we have a conversation. It’s not about how many platforms the conversation runs on, as you can only follow a conversation in one location. It’s about actually creating the conversation.

For more on this top, check out the Jaffe Juice conversation here.

Join the conversation!

5 myths about blogging

I had the opportunity to sit down with some truly creative bloggers yesterday. It was awesome. I’m still decompressing and trying to straighten out my thoughts so I can actually integrate some of the ideas into my blogs. During this amazing event I found several bloggers’ (new and old) who were confused about several myths of blogging. These myths, if not debunked, can stifle a blogger. So to free my fellow bloggers’ I would like to address the top 5 blogging myths. Please keep in mind that I am human and my opinion is my own. Please feel free to comment if you have a different take on any of these.

Myth #1 – A blog post has to be a certain length.

This is so not true. A blog post is whatever you want it to be. It can be a statement, a quote, a letter, an article…It’s your blog and your choice for length.

Myth #2 – Blogs are only written.

So false. There are video blogs and photo blogs and literary blogs and multi-format blogs. If you see something you want to share, do so. Again, it’s your blog. If you want to share something, share it. If you feel the need to explain what you’re sharing, explain it. Don’t feel you have to stick with one format just because that’s the one you started with.

Myth #3 – You have to post daily

Again, so false. It’s your blog. Write as often as you are comfortable. The main thing to remember is to be consistent. If you plan to post weekly, do so on the same day each week. This way your readers will know when and where to find you and your ideas, information and insights. (Don’t be like me in this regard. I’ve been far too scatterbrained as of late for my own good.)

Myth #4 – You have to write on what you know

You can write on whatever interests you. If you are learning about alternative energy or quantum physics, blog about what you’re learning. If you prefer asking questions, ask them. Keep in mind that whatever you blog about you are putting into the world and should be commented on. You may not agree with the comments, you may not like the criticism, but that’s the life of a blog. Blogs are a platform for dialog and individual interpretation. Flow with it.

Myth #5 – You have to broadcast your blog to the world to be noticed.

This can be taken in many ways, but the one I’m speaking of is the thought that you need to continually tell people you blogged. Yes, you can do this. But in truth, if they are following your blog they already know this. It’s more important to let your core group know when you start your blog and then link your blog to your social networks. Let the networks do the hard work of letting your friends know of new posts. Let the networks build your readership through comments, connections and referrals. Once you’ve introduced your blog to the world all you need to do is blog. (and remember to use keywords so your posts can be found easily.)

So, I hope this helps some bloggers’ in finding their blogging path. For those who have been blogging for a while, don’t be afraid to try new things and explore this ever expanding medium. Blogging is not just about drawing in business. It’s about sharing information and opinions with the world. Will you share yours with me?

What’s your plan?

We all have a plan for how we are going to manage our careers. For some it’s that all important moment when we break through the glass ceiling. For others it’s escaping the confines of an office and breathing fresh air for a change. For others, it’s just about being able to live the life we want.