Working From Home Could Save You Money

If you work outside of the home and you are considering switching to working from home, you may be wondering whether you can afford to make the switch. You know how to make your family’s finances work with your current income, at least most of the time. You are wise to be wary because many home-based businesses do take a while to start making money, but the transition may be more affordable than you think. The reason for that is that, simply stated, working from home cuts your expenses in a number of ways. For example, unless your home-based business … Continue reading →

Tips For Bidding on Freelance Projects

When you are just starting out as a freelancer, it can be hard to know which projects to bid on. Most freelance writing jobs are advertised by clients who are willing to pay what they say that they will pay for work which meets their expectations. Unfortunately, there are some clients who do not play fair. I know, because I have encountered a couple of them. The best defense against unscrupulous buyers is to be very selective about which projects you bid on. Here are a few tips that you can use while you are deciding which projects you would … Continue reading →

How Much Do You Identify With Your Home Based Business?

Sometimes, having a home – based business can really make you think about things. One thing that has been on my mind a lot lately is how much a person’s work becomes a part of their identity. Of course, the degree to which this is true varies greatly from one person to another and that is one of the fascinating things about it. For example, a senior executive who has spent the last twenty years of her career working her way up the corporate ladder may consider her identity as an executive to be an integral part of who she … Continue reading →

Plan Ahead for Sun and Fun

It seems like just a week or so ago we were still waiting to go outside until after lunch and wearing sweatshirts every day. However, for the past couple of days, it has actually felt more like summer than spring. After a winter that seemed to last forever, I’m not about to complain. Summer is so much fun, but for those of us with home – based businesses there is a bit of advance planning that must be done in order to ensure that everyone (including yourself) can enjoy it. With all of the family vacations and other fun things … Continue reading →

Small Business, Big Decision

Sometimes, home – based professionals must make big decisions about their home – based businesses. Sometimes, there is a need for quick thinking and swift, decisive action. Fortunately, I don’t have to make any decisions like that right now because when it comes to major decisions, I don’t like to rush things. Often, home – based professionals are aware that big decisions must be made well in advance of the time that they must make their choice. I am in the process of thinking through a major decision regarding my home – based law office. The big decision that I … Continue reading →

How to Tackle a Large Project

If you are a freelance writer or other creative professional, do you ever find that your agenda is filled with small projects? I do, and I since I am in charge of bidding on projects and choosing what I work on, I often wondered whether I would ever have the courage to bid on a big project. Writing is enjoyable for me, and I have been able to find small projects that allow me to express myself creatively while earning decent money. For some reason, though, until recently I did not have the courage to bid on any larger projects. … Continue reading →

Tips for Getting Work Done When you are Tired

Just like their peers who work outside of the home, home based professionals sometimes feel tired during the times that they are supposed to work. If you are feeling tired, rest assured (no pun intended) that you can in fact get some good quality work done if you just take your time. When you aren’t tired, it may be easy to zip through your work efficiently and effectively without making many mistakes. When you’re tired, mistakes can pile up quickly if you try to rush things. Working at a slow and steady pace is just one way that you can … Continue reading →

Setting Realistic Expectations

I used to think that it was just an odd coincidence that no matter how the beginning of my evening goes, I never seem to sit down to do my work until eleven o’clock at night. This pattern has become so predictable that I have incorporated the “nothing really gets done until eleven” principle into my work schedule, and I use it to schedule my work time. Sometimes I wonder whether that is a wise thing to do, whether I should be finding a way to sit down to work earlier so that I can get more done. Whenever I … Continue reading →

Finding Happiness in Odd Places

Sometimes, in my role as a home – based business owner, I end up saying, doing, and thinking things that I would never have expected. Last night, I found myself doing just that. I thought that it would be a good night to do my taxes, so I gathered the information that I would need and sat down at the computer. I knew that I had gotten an email from Turbo Tax a while ago, advertising that all of their fees (even on the home and business edition which I use) would be reduced by twenty five percent for a while. … Continue reading →

How to Make the Decision to Work from Home While Caring for Others

Working from home can give you the freedom to do many of the things that are important to you. If you want to be able to care for an ill or aging parent or spouse, or a child or other relative with special needs, working from home might be a good way to balance working with being available to care for your loved ones. Also, if you are ill or have a disability that might prevent you from working a full time job outside of the home, working from home can make work accessible to you on a schedule that … Continue reading →