Author Archives: Michele Blandino

About Michele Blandino

Michele Blandino is a freelance writer based in central New Jersey. She is also a wife, mother (Jennifer - age 9 and Michael - age 4), daughter, sister, scrapbooker, Girl Scout leader, active church member, school volunteer, occasional walker, and long-suffering Rutgers Scarlet Knight fan.

Home Business vs. Telecommuting – How to Tell the Difference

When discussing their aspirations for a home business, many people use the words “telecommute” and “work from home” to describe the type of work arrangement they are seeking. Many are surprised to learn that while it may seem as though these words can be used interchangeably, they actually mean entirely different things. “Telecommuting” is a term that is typically reserved for people who work at home all or part of the time but who are employed by a specific company. During my days in the corporate world my employer, a large financial services firm, allowed me to work from home … Continue reading →

Diary of a Home Business Owner

Remember that large bulk mailing I was so glad to deliver to the post office last week? Guess what? It wasn’t mailed! To make a long story short, we got a phone call from the post office on Tuesday telling us that the mailing could not be sent out due to a “technicality”. We were able to resolve the problem – eventually – but the solution involved two Sharpie pens and a few hours at my kitchen table! Needless to say, that threw a bit of a monkey wrench into my plans for the week. And, in true home business … Continue reading →

An A-Z (Almost) List of Home Business Opportunities

Alright, it’s been nearly a month since this blog went live. During this last month, we have given you a glimpse into the ups and downs of owning a home business, provided some suggestions and advice for helping your business reach its maximum potential, and alerted you to some of the obstacles and challenges faced by nearly every home business owner. Hopefully, the information and advice we have provided so far has been helpful and has benefited you and your business in some positive way. We also realize that some of you may still be trying to find that “perfect” … Continue reading →

Finding a Business: In-Home Daycare

It’s no secret that daycare is a big business. With the cost of living rising virtually everywhere, many families are faced with the reality that both spouses must work which, in turn, increases the demand for quality, affordable daycare. Like most things, daycare comes in many shapes and sizes; there are on-site daycare facilities subsidized by many large corporations, franchised centers, and in-home daycare in which one person cares for one or more children at a time. In-home daycare differs from daycare facilities in that there is usually no formal education taking place. As a result, it may seem that … Continue reading →

Five Ways to “Fire” Your Inner Procrastinator

One of the biggest issues many home business owners face is the ease by which they find themselves distracted from their work. I am certainly no exception, in fact, when it comes to procrastination, I think I may have one of the world’s most comprehensive lists of things that I can do to in lieu of whatever task I should actually be doing. Procrastination is a skill that I honed during my college years when I found that using a cotton swap to clean the dust from the grooves in my clock-radio was usually much more important than beginning the … Continue reading →

Taking the Plunge – Part 2: Going the Direct Mail Route

In my last blog entry, I discussed the types of things to keep in mind when applying for work online. But, what if you intend to draw the majority of your client base from your local community? What is the best way for letting others know that you are open for business? There are probably very few home business owners who haven’t turned to direct mail at one time or another. Perhaps it is an initial mailing to announce the opening of your business or something that is done later on in an effort to cultivate more clients. Whatever your … Continue reading →

Taking the Plunge – Part 1: Applying for Work Online

Alright, so you finally settled on what type of home business you would like to operate, you’ve selected a catchy name for your company, carved out a little workspace in your home and now you’re finally ready to look for come clients. Depending on what type of business you have selected, you may decide to use the Internet to help find prospective clients. As we discussed in an earlier blog entry, there are thousands of Internet job board that list available positions in nearly every discipline you could imagine. Assuming this is true in your case, you spend a few … Continue reading →

Bidding for Jobs

If your home business involves the selling of services such as freelance writing, research or even graphic arts, you may be familiar with Web sites that invite you to bid on available projects. While there are probably hundreds of such sites out there, there are two major players: Guru and Elance If you are not familiar with these types of sites, they can best be described as the ebay of the home business world. Companies looking to have certain specific tasks completed post these jobs on the Web site; contractors such as you and me “bid” on these jobs and … Continue reading →

Diary of a Home Business Owner

It’s Friday and I’m feeling a little relaxed. I got a major bulk mailing completed for my on-site client a day early and a meeting to review the status of our fundraising efforts yesterday revealed that we have received a $5,000 donation toward our cause. All in all, it’s been a good week. As an added bonus, despite the fact that the calendar says it is January, here in New Jersey the temperature is supposed to reach 60 degrees this afternoon. As a result, I’ve decided to take it a little easy today because next week is shaping up to … Continue reading →

Minimizing Your Losses

If you decide to take your business into the virtual world, you should be aware that there are certain risks associated with conducting business transactions with people who are in all honesty, strangers. This doesn’t mean that you should shy away from the Internet; with some due-diligence and other precautions, you may be actually able to acquire a roster of clients who are exclusively Internet-based. As you begin to solicit clients online, here are some things to keep in mind: Check the email Address: While this isn’t an absolute (after all, if my memory serves me correctly, my initial contact … Continue reading →