Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Free Tools For Home Business Entrepreneurs

When resources are scarce it's important to maximize results and stretch every dollar. As home business entrepreneurs, we don't have the ad budgets of Coca-Cola and Disney, we can't afford to throw money away.

There are a number of free resources that make building and promoting your website a whole lot easier.

Web Site Design - page layout (http://www.steves-templates.com)
Steve provides free web page templates which are nice looking, professional and can be used free for personal and business websites. Check out all the variations and pick a template for your site. Another way to use this is as a springboard for your own creativity. Perhaps you like an element on template 1 and the navigation of template 7. Get some ideas for creating your own site from scratch. There are also designs you can buy for under $100 and you gain access to a number of images, clipart, sounds, fonts etc.

Web Site Design - graphics (http://www.cooltext.com)
Cool Text is a wonderful tool for creating great looking buttons and logos. It's free and the combinations of shape/color/texture/font are virtually endless. You can create professional buttons and logos with just a few mouse clicks. I use this site any time I want to "freshen up" my site or create buttons/logos for my customers.

Web Site Performance - images (http://www.gifworks.com)
Nothing slows down your page like heavy graphics. Did you know that you can dramatically reduce the file size of your graphics without compromising the look and feel of your site? That's where gifworks.com comes in. Run their free "optimization" tool on your gif images and watch as they get more and more streamlined. Your web pages will load faster. Gifworks has a paid service as well, allowing you to buy images, get custom work, etc.

Web Site Performance - code (http://validator.w3.org/)
Is your website correctly coded? This free validator from the W3 examines your html and reports missing tags, missing attributes and other errors that make your code non-standard and therefore difficult for some web browsers to serve up. With line-by-line validation, you can easily find the places in your code that will cause errors. I love this validator, it makes sure my pages work across all browsers and platforms. No more trying pages in every browser/OS configuration. When it validates here, you can be sure that it's up to W3 standards.


Web Site Promotion - blogging (http://www.blogger.com)
Blogger is Google's blogging tool. It's free, easy to set up, and gets your site indexed by search engines (all of them, not just Google) faster than you can believe. If you want to increase your search engine positioning, forget all that SEO stuff, start blogging today. In a world where "Content is King!", a blog provides you a platform to provide constantly changing, completely interesting and relevant content to your web visitors. It gives them a reason to come back, you form a relationship with them by providing good quality information, and you increase your conversion rate, resulting in more subscribers and more sales.

Web Site Promotion - marketing (http://www.articlemarketer.com)
I'm not the first person to tell you that article marketing is the number one method of driving targeted traffic to your website. Writing articles for others to publish is free advertising and you should do as much of it as you can. The problem is the dreadfully tedious process of article submission. Article Marketer took that off my plate. Their free service sends articles to over 2000 people to be published in ezines and newsletters, and they have a paid version that gets to over 30,000 people. It works - after all, you're reading this article, aren't you?

These tools are free for the asking. You can't beat the price, and your results will skyrocket as you improve the look and feel of your website and spread the word about your business.

Sunday, April 04, 2010

Top Work From Home Opportunities

There are many great ways that you can earn money from home, using work from home opportunities. However, there are some things to think about as you start to find opportunities that will suit you the best. When it comes to these types of opportunities, you want to be sure that you are not going to be ripped off, and that you are going to have a great way of making money from home.

First of all, as you are looking for work from home opportunities, you are going to want to be sure that they fit your needs as a person. They should be something that you can easily do, which means that the top work from home opportunities are going to take into account the things that you are already good at, and the things that you would like to learn how to do better. There are lots of these types of opportunities that you will be able to find when it comes to ways to earn money from home, so you'll want to be sure that you are able to get all of the satisfaction that you need from your job and that you are going to enjoy doing it for the long term.

Secondly, an opportunity that allows you to earn money from home is something that you are going to want to think about carefully in terms of the skills that you already have. This is different from simply doing something that you like – this means that you are doing something that you are good at. When people do work from home opportunities, they want to be sure that the job is something that ties into their own skills. This will allow them to get the most out of the job that they are doing, and will allow them to be happier with the job that they have chosen.

Also, you need to be sure that when you are looking at work from home opportunities, you are finding things that you can do which will lead somewhere. This is perhaps one of the most important parts of work from home opportunities, because they'll provide you with a chance to really go somewhere when you work. This is something that not every job can afford you – some jobs are just going to be stationary, meaning that no matter what, you'll be stuck in the same old, same old just as if you had a regular job. Therefore, the top work from home job opportunities that you are going to be looking to find are going to be those that you are going to be able to go somewhere from. Look at the starting place for the work from home job opportunities, and then see if there is somewhere to go from there. If so, you'll know that you have found an excellent career path for you to take.

If you are able to find work from home opportunities that fit your needs, you'll see that you can have a successful career working, and that you can really earn money from home.

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Five Tips to Stay Away From Work At Home Scams

There are many different types of work at home jobs. Not every job opportunity is legitimate. Thorough research has to be done before you pick the right opportunity. Caution needs to be exercised. A lot of people fall victims to scam opportunities. In the process they lose a lot of their money. Here are my tips on how you can separate the good opportunities from the bad ones:

1. Do you have to pay? If you have to pay to sign up for a work at home job offer then it's something you have to stay away from.

2. Do your research: 'Google' the company and scan through the results you get. If anyone has been burnt by the company then they probably shared their story on the internet. Also try to search for the company name and the word 'scam' together. However please bear in mind that if you don't come across any bad things written about this company it does not necessarily mean it's a good opportunity.

3. Speak to others: If you know someone who has also signed up with this company, try to speak to them and get their thoughts and experiences about the company. Forums are another great way to get information about the company.

4. Street Address: If a company has no street address but only P.O box address then you have to be cautious. Why is it hiding its street address? Beware.

5. If something sounds too good to be true then it probably is. No one can get rich without putting in the hard yards. Don't be tempted by offers that promise the world to you.

Always use your common sense. If you have any doubts then stay away from the opportunity. Its better to be cautious than to be burnt and lose money.

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

2 Work at Home Ideas Using your Computer

Are you doing some online research, trying to find one good work and home idea? There are many ways to work at home using your computer that you may want to consider. In this article we will talk about two ways you can do just that.

There are a lot of ways that you can earn money with computer. You need to determine what those ways are and then pick one that would work out well for you. You can make money online if you are willing to do what it takes to make it happen for you. It won't always be easy to do but it is definitely something that anyone can do if they take the time to learn how to do it.

Here are some ways that you can earn money with computer.

One: You can find products that you buy at a local store near you or you can find a company that will sell you products on wholesale than sell them online through your own website, on eBay or both. You may even be able to find products that you can have dropshipped for you.

Dropshipping is something to check out because you do not have to handle the product. One of the easiest ways to earn money with a computer is selling on eBay.

Two: You can start to make money online by signing up with affiliate programs for free. You will need to learn how to run a business this way but once you have the education you need you can very easily make enough money to retire on.

Affiliate programs are a way to use a computer because everything you need to get started is provided for you. You get products, websites, training, banners, shipping, stats, and commissions, all taken care of for you. Your job is to learn how to get website visitors. Many affiliate programs will pay you commissions of 50% or higher because of how hard this job is!

These are just two of the easiest ways that you can earn money with computer. There are many other ways to make money online. Always remember that any work you do on the Internet to learn yourself money will take a lot of time and hard work.

So don't give up no matter what because you can very soon be able to quit your job and work from home full time.

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Finding The Time To Work From Home

When you begin to work from home, it probably seems like you are going to be able to work any time you want. It might seem like a wonderful luxury to be able to sleep a bit longer and to start work in your bathrobe. It is very nice indeed to not be tied down to a bosses schedule or to have to decide things based upon what a boss says you can and can not do. Its also nice to be able to get work done in advance and take a few days off of work without having to worry about whether or not anyone is going to miss you at the office.

However, finding time to get your work done can actually end up being something of a hassle. Suddenly, when you start to work from home, there are things that need to be done at home and you find yourself needing to do them. There are errands to be run that you never had time to do before you started to work from home and there are things that you are trying to get finished that you think you can put work aside in order to do. You might find that its hard to find the time to work from home, because suddenly there is a lot more to do than you thought there was.

A good thing to do is to set a schedule for yourself and for your work day. Yes, its nice to be able to work at home and therefore to not have to do any work when you don not want to. However, we do need a schedule and a routine to make sure that we are getting everything done that needs to be done in our lives. In order to make sure that you are getting your work done, a schedule is something that is going to benefit you. You can still choose when you want to work, just make sure that you pick a big enough amount of time to get your daily work done, and then make that time of each day your actual work time.

Unplug the phone and try not to surf the web also, turn off the television and actually be at work. Even if you are in the comfort of your own home if you can do something that makes it feel like you are at work you are going to see that you are benefiting from being at work and able to get your work done. This is something that is very important because if you don not have a set time to do your work each day, there is a chance that you are not going to get your work done and that working from home will end up being less profitable than it could be.

Saturday, February 06, 2010

Computer Jobs That You Can Work From Home

Computer now is an essential tool in our everyday life. Almost every household now has personal computer. If they do not have one, they know that they can easily get an access to one. Wouldn't it be good if you can find computer jobs which you can work from home? It would be great if you don't have to worry about your boss any more. You can get rid of a lot of problems regarding the traffic and your transportation cost. You can have more time with your family. The question is how you can do it. How to find computer jobs which you can work from home. This article will deal with that.

Here are the steps that you can find computer jobs which you can work from home.

1. Go to the following site: Elance, Scriptlance and Rentacoder.The three are the sites that you can search for online. Look for the offers that you can take. These are the places that people look for someone to finish their works. It can be writing an article or making a web site or making a graphic design or anything else. Look for anything that matches your ability. You then make a quotation how much you want to do that work. If your bid is successful, you can work that out and earn your money.

However, if there is nothing in line with your talents, go to the next step.

2. Look at yourself and find what you are passionate for. Is there any market you want to be in? Find a market and see if you can continue working on it. Suppose you like dog and know how to train a dog. You can make a web site about that. You can write about dog training on your web site. If you have enough traffic, you can earn money from the advertising on your site.

3. One of the popular computer jobs which you can work from home is being in affiliate marketing. It is to promote other people's products and earn commission when a sale is made. There are a lot of products that you can select to promote. Go to Clickbank, Commissionjunction or Linkshare and you will find what you can choose. Affiliate marketing requires minimal amount of technical skill and can be lucrative if you know how to run it.

If you want to earn money from the work you did at your home, computer work can be one of the excellent choices. This article talks about how you can find computer jobs which you can work from home.

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Where Will you Locate your Work at Home Business Workspace?

When you first start think about setting a work at home business, one of the things that you must take into consideration is where you will have your workspace. Regardless of the kind of business you choose to run, you will need somewhere within your home to use as a base and thinking about this must be a priority before committing to any specific work at home business idea.

The first thing you need to consider is how much space the work at home business you hope to run will take. What kind of equipment will you need for the business? How much room will it take up? Will you need keep a supply of products/supplies ready for sale/use in your work at home business? Will you need to have a quiet space away from the daily noise activity in the home? Will you need power points? What about a telephone point?

Do you need to be able to observe your children as you work? Does your workspace need to comply with any laws (for example health and hygiene standards if you are thinking of starting a business involving food items).

Once you have identified the kind of space and how much of it you will need to run your proposed work at home business, take a walk around your home. Where can you imagine your workspace would work best? Where will it create the least disturbance to the normal flow of movement in the house? If you have small children, is there somewhere that you can lock your business materials and supplies where they can't access and investigate when you are occupied doing other things? If you need peace and quiet whilst you work, is there somewhere you can set up your business office that is out of the way of most daily distractions?

The ideal situation is to have a room that you can call your own, but for most work at home business owners - especially those with children at home - this is future dream and so some form of "doubling up" needs to be the answer to the workspace situation. For some owners, it will be the master bedroom that will take on a dual role, for other their family room or even the garage will become a major part of their day. If all you need is a desk for your computer and a shelf for paperwork, you should be able to incorporate this almost anywhere - even tucked away in a space under the stairs!

Wherever you choose to place your workspace, arrange any existing furniture so that you create a "cubicle" type of space that you can put off-limits to the rest of the household.

It may seem a trivial point to place such importance on when choosing your work at home business, but if you are restricted for space, it could be an expensive mistake to underestimate how much of a working area you need in order to make a success at the work at home business you create.

Monday, January 04, 2010

Work From Home Opportunities Available Online

One of the easiest things you can get into nowadays is making money online. Not only has it in really easy to make money online but there are tons of different ways you can make money as well as tons of different sites to help you make money. These sites offer informational tips as well as programs that you join, reviews and much more. There are several different sites that you can visit online for many different reasons as well. A few of the things you can do better work at home opportunities are providing services for people, freelancing, MLM or networking, or even other jobs you would normally take in the offline world such as secretary work, Web design work, legal work, and much more. So where do you go for all these sites? That's what I'm going to tell you in this article! Here are some information about the above jobs, as well as some sites to visit:

Web design, Web hosting, Web development - If your the type of person that knows how to do these things or that offer these services online. You can visit many marketplaces online such as digital point, name pros, warrior forums, Craig's list and many more you can easily create different packages for different people for different prices. People will come to you when they are looking for Web hosting for their websites Web design for there with templates or Web development for their new sites.

Back links And Article writing - These two services work hand in hand, you can write articles for people and include their back links with in the article. This works out well for you because a lot of people are looking for back links, but are also looking for good writers to promote their business companies or services.

Search Engine Optimization - This is a really good service to get into if you know how to do website optimization. People are willing to pay a pretty penny for search engine optimization, because a lot of people don't know how to do this. This is a great opportunity take advantage of!

Search Engine Marketing - As with optimization, a lot of people don't know how to market their websites, and become quite confused when it comes to promoting or advertising their websites. This is another great service to offer because people are always looking to hire someone for this kind of work. Some companies are just really busy with the actual work they provide, that they don't have time to dilly dally with new marketing techniques. So they hire someone like you, to do it for them!

Content Writer - A lot of people are under the assumption that a content writer is the same as an article writer. But this isn't true at all. People hire content writers to write blogs, posts, or information items such as brochures or pamphlets. A content writer usually gets paid per page per day. But there are several times that you will receive ongoing work, and will be asked to stay on for much longer than anticipated. All these service type jobs can be found on sites such as GetAFreelancer, Elance, or in other places like forum marketplaces, classified ads etc.

MLM or Network Marketing - I have never really gotten into network marketing I have heard that if you know how to sell, you can make an actual living at this. I'm a horrible salesperson thus the reason I stick to what I know. But if you get in with the right site online you could very well start making a residual income, which lets be honest, is what we all want! In MLM or Network marketing there is a HIGH chance you will have to pay a fee to join the site.

Professional positions - If you are a doctor, chef, lawyer, secretary or any other profession that involves a degree of some sort, you can find work online as well. Visit sites like GenuineJobs, MoneyMakingMommy, Craigslist, etc. There are ton s of people on site that are looking for someone with your expertise. GenuineJobs is my all time favorite job site. They have millions of jobs available, all are legit and you don't have to pay fees for any of them. NEVER pay a fee for a job online. This is called a SCAM. Notice a job and a network marketing program, money making system, are different.

Of course there are many more services, businesses and programs you can either join online or start online so that you can start working from home! Its a good idea to take a look at all the different ops online. You can either follow in other peoples footsteps or you could even start your own unique idea. For me, working at home is one of the most idealistic ways to live. I have a huge advantage that other people have never experienced before in their life. I can leave work when I want. I can take lunch whenever I want. I can work when I want (pretty much, anyway). If I really wanted to I could leave for several hours on end. Now tell me, where you can you work in the real world, and be able to do this? Rephrase. Where can you work in the real world, and get paid and not get fired for behaving this way? I cant think of one single place!

Another really alluring thing about working at home? You don't have your boss constantly looking over your shoulder, or that guy in the cube next to you making those annoying noises while he's eating lunch! This sounds too good to be true right? Well its not. But its not all fun and games either. In my opinion it takes a very responsible individual to work from home. Remember, your not going to have your boss hovering over you anymore, your not going to feel the "heat" from your boss if your late from lunch, or if you missed a deadline. You are your own boss. And just because you can do what you want, doesn't mean you should! Well not all the time anyway.. Good luck finding the perfect work at home job for you!