Decisions...

Working from home works for me and for our family. I LOVE it.  Even though everyone here drives me nuts, and they don't take my "job" as seriously as ANY OTHER PERSON who works in our home, I'd do it again if I had to do it over.


The main struggle is self-motivation when it comes to effort.  I'm motivated, however without a "for sure at the end of the week" paycheck, I tend to feel as my family does:  it takes the back seat to pretty much everything.

It's true.  Evaluate your decisions, your time, and how you run your business.  Be honest.  Do you take hours (or days) to do something that could be done in mere moments?  Do you often set something down, knowing you'll get to it soon or later? 

Even my begging for recognition from my family can be seen as procrastinating when I'm honest (of course, it's possible--I've owned my own business since February 15, 1997--the lack of acknowledgment I never got/get that someone who leaves the house gets/got, could have come first, but I digress...).

Here's the chuckle, I realized this while working out, after having added a new extension to True Crime Fanatic (because I have so much time, I need MORE to do). I've always loved exercise and sports, therefore it really hit hard when I got COPD and couldn't do much physical because even making a bed wears me out.  It's HARD for me (but very important to us all to exercise).  That means, to workout 2 hours a day is tough.  Sometimes I want to throw in the towel because no one expects me to try hard, so why bother?  Then it hit me... as I'm running on the machine, I'm telling myself, why are you in such a hurry? What else do you have to do?

It never occurred to me that it wasn't even the pain from moving that made me antsy, call off a workout, or leave early; it's my impatience. I'm in such a hurry, to take the TIME is what was negative. I never feel like I have enough time.

Asking myself what else I had to do saved me.  Because here's my life in a nutshell:  my husband, our kids, writing, business.

And that's it!  That's all there is. Why am I in such a hurry? And that led me to wondering where all the time is going. Why am I always behind?  It's like I'm running to stand still (thanks Bono) and I've been doing it all these years. Just running and doing and never satisfied.

That moment gave me permission to finish what I started and at one "sitting" AND it allowed me to ask the same question when I need to make a cold call or I get online to research.  Call, because there is nothing else you need to be doing at this moment.  Grab the daily research list and do it because there's nothing else you need to be doing.

You see the beauty of it all, right?  Once I realized I CAN finish and nothing's going to fall apart or go missing by my doing so, I not only did "it," but I became more organized because I could finish and put it away (physically or mentally). By default, I also came up with a great new and natural attitude, which in turn, made me more productive, which is the second biggest need in running a successful business.

Random Organization Tips

Organization is about knowing where everything you need is at the moment you need it.  What are the five most important tools you use in your business? Can you, without showing physically nor while you are physically seeing everything, explain to a ten year old where to find each of those items?  If not,  reconsider your organization practices. 

 ~Keep a garbage can near the place you most open mail; throw unsolicited mail away immediately.

~If you set up any type of filing system and you find yourself buried in an unorganized paper mess, cut your losses and try a different method.  For instance, someone drowning in un-filed papers might simply relabel their file folders by months rather than by product, bills, receipts, etc.

~Consider using a file wallet for receipts until you know which file system works best for you.

~If you don't feel like doing something now, decide if you'll want to do it later. If not, either do it now and forget about it, or rethink what you're doing.

~Before you put off today what you can do tomorrow, figure out if late fees are involved if something comes up and you can't get to it.

~Don't put that there!  Not taking a moment to put things all the way away will add up to hours searching for that one thing you really need but can't find.

~It's worth your time and effort to set up a space, no matter how small, to designate for your work.  When you need something, it will always be there. 

~Invest in SPAM software if you do not use a big company email (such as Google's gmail), as SPAM is a time thief.

~Use a timer when "checking your email" or browsing the web "for work."  Give yourself five minutes to do what you need to do, then move on.  

~Use your Rolodex for all it's worth - store your passwords with the name and other important information for easy access; when you meet a potential client, use the front of your Rolodex card for name and contact information, use the back for notes that will mentally remind you who the person is and how you can be of help to each other

~Do you currently use gmail?  Google's gmail comes with a calendar that emails reminders when you want and sync's with most smart phones.  Better yet, if you are a Mac user, iCal will keep your days completely organized with a little help from you.

~Look at your calendar at the end of the evening (an hour before bed is great) and add to it if necessary; check out your calendar first thing in the morning - you will save valuable time by incorporating these two small things into your daily life (EXCELLENT for work and personal life)

~Clean up your desk top at the end of the day, this way you won't be tempted to avoid it the next day.

~Need more room?  Use a tall bookcase, a baker's rack, or even stacked crates to give you extra space (if you like the baker's rack in the picture, ask ME how to earn it free by hosting an online At Home America party). 

~Do you use your bedroom for your office space?  Without going into the ramifications of the office on your sleep, utilize all the space you can - use underbed boxes to store things you need, but do not use often.

~Use dry erase boards and/or cork boards near your workspace to keep important papers and information in constant view and easy access.  When you walk by, or sit down to work, you'll automatically be able to see what's urgent and deal with it.

~Unless you are expecting a specific text, resist the urge to "glance" at each text that comes in while working, if you have a hard time ignoring it and refuse to turn the phone off, schedule one minute each half hour to check your phone.

~Never be afraid to answer those who ask for favors "because you don't "really" work," or because you are home "all day long," with a strong and hardy "NO, thank you; I'm busy."

Successful Home Business Tips

Regardless your business, there are many ways to successfully market your business, yourself, or both.  We've all created and used signatures in our emails and electronic groups by now (now is a great time to change it up a bit), but there is more you can do. 

Writers!  Tithe your writing once in a while. Write for a magazine, newspaper, or website FREE.  It gets your name, bio, and website out there and gives you experience and writing clips.

Home party specialists can offer a product, wrapped nicely with a catalog and information card, to local charities raising money.  For instance, if your local high school is hosting a quarter auction, give away a gift you'd like to win.  You'll have advertising in the program, during the auction, and again by word of mouth from the winner (a bonus is those collecting the prizes and putting the event on will ALSO be checking you out and are potential future buyers and/or hostesses).

As a victims' rights advocate, I speak at local schools (free of charge) and offer information. Rarely is there not at least one person who contacts me outside of the event for themselves or another or to offer assistance.

I've tried to give examples of things that have worked for me personally in the past, but that's not close to the end of the list. I've taught classes, performed public speaking, sent out monthly and weekly newspapers to specific audiences, advertised on and offline, donated services to different events and charities, as a new At Home America homestyle specialist, I'm constantly looking for ways to share the opportunity without being aggressive.

For those of you who have physical products to share, get yourself a booth at the local craft fairs, or other such crowd gatherers.  The people are there specifically to see your stuff!  You can not only earn sales, but you can plant seeds for home parties.  Throw in a cool drawing, a great prize in return for giving you information (name, email, number, address, do they want to host a party, are they interested in earning full time money working part time, etc.).

Opportunities are endless.  They're all around you. I encourage you to take five minutes and list as many ideas for marketing your business as you can, no matter how crazy or silly. Don't stop for anything, just write.  Then come back here and share the best of the best!

  

 

How to get organized in your direct sales business

30 Days to Make a Habit

Dear Home Based Business Friends:

It takes 30 days to make a habit. We also learned what five minutes a day can do for you. Therefore, if your downfall is paperwork, you can guess what to do: five minutes a day to organize it, then every day, for 30 days, take those five minutes to maintain your files.  Do not leave it for later, because it starts piling up until you are overwhelmed, and that leads to loss of sales. 

30 days.  Make your five minutes a daily habit.

Best wishes,

Teraisa

Organization: Simple Receipt Management for your Home Business

It's nearly tax time.  We've talked about organizing and managing your business, regardless of your space, time, and income; let's talk about receipts.

Receipts: can live without them, but for tax purposes (and refunds, returns, and exchanges), we will not.

For the sake of simplifying and working in a small space, let's try the easiest and smallest method available (aside of the computer program).  If your home business has become  so big you need a complete and elaborate method, not counting a computerized program, you may need to move your business to a separate location. While this receipt system can pretty much work for most businesses, it's not the best solution for a multi-million dollar business.

Using an inexpensive accordion file wallet with at least twelve tabs (each accordion wallet file shown here is under $4 and has 12 tabs), label one tab for each month (if you use a fiscal period, start with the first fiscal month).  Mark the front of the wallet with the year (when using fiscal years, use the actual year your twelve month file ends).

File each receipt into the corresponding tab, always filing each receipt behind the one that came before (this is an easy habit to get into and is more likely to find your receipts in dated order).

Make notes on the back of receipts and circle business items and amounts on the front. My businesses are small enough that I actually file ALL receipts in the wallet, even copies of the receipts I give away, and copies of items shipped to me.  Do what works for you.

Keep your wallet in the same place throughout the year; consistency makes for good habits.

At the end of the year, secure with elastic band or ribbon, tuck into your tax box or set aside until you're ready to file.  

Once taxes are filed, store your receipts, wallet and all, in a safe place for however long is necessary in your line of work.  

Many business owners scan and electronically file their receipts, throwing out the hard copy, however, the wallet is affordable enough to use a new one each year, keeping the old one for storage (this method also saves you time - no scanning and labeling).

Okay, do you understand the system?  Get a receipt; file a receipt.

Not Enough Space?

Having an office away from the house is ideal, but for us, working from home is realistic. However, some of us don't have much space and often, our work is spread throughout house and when that one really important paper or order or interview [or insert your own misplaced important information here] comes up missing, we realize: our work needs its own space.

For me to simply say use a spare closet is silly. Who has a "spare" closet?  I didn't when I had seven kids and an extra mother at home and I do not now. In fact, I'll be so bold to say, I doubt I'll ever have a spare closet because somehow, someway, I will fill it up to the brim and force the door to close. Then I'll pray no one dares open it.

There are ways around it.  You can always pare down to basics, empty a closet, set up a TV tray or book shelf, and have instant storage for your products, a place to file paperwork, perhaps, even a mini desk (if you still use desktop computers, it's possible to get that in there, as well, but probably it's elsewhere... one of the pitfalls).

Set up a simple card table in the corner of a room. Some of us have available corners, others do not.  Find a place, any place.  You can have a chair to work, use half of the table for items you need daily (pens, stapler, paper) and the other half as your workspace.  Under the table, away from your feet, store your files. You may need to keep products elsewhere, if your business requires products on hand.

Let me say that if you have so many products, there simply is no room at all, it's possible your place of business is not the problem, providing your intentions are to be at home working. It may be that your home business is a bit unrealistic.  Some businesses are NOT meant to do from home (and that's okay).

Another wonderful item is a simple TALL bookcase. Utilize the height on the top of the walls, by building higher rather than wider.  If you have bigger items, put them on the bottom so that their sticking out won't look so bad, if that's what you are worried about (I'd rather you worry about whether someone is going to trip over it or bump into it).  Use trays to group things you use together. It's easy to take the tray down, work at the kitchen table, and put it back. Nice, easy, quick.  You can use open files (no lids, as nice as they look, they will be a hassle in the long run) or use in/out boxes.  How you fill it is unique and a no brainer, these are merely suggestions.

One thing I cannot stress enough: be willing to change and adapt as needed.

If keeping your pencils and pens separate seemed like a great idea and looked great but isn't working; change it. Change it until it works for you-if it doesn't work for you, it works against you.

Our kitchen is always a work in progress. When we moved (we've moved three times in less than a year's time), I requested the cupboard and shelf plans in advance and pre-placed everything.  It looked good and it was reasonable.  Until we used the cookie supplies, all these months later and we still did not have a clue how difficult it would be to get out and put away (for the kids).  I thought of alternatives and found nothing better, which made me think another way. What would work better in the place of the cookie utensils?  Nothing.  Next, I asked myself, "Self, how often do you use these cookie things?"

"Use" turns out to be the key.  We seldom use these items. Knowing that nothing fit in their place better than they did, and that we rarely use them, why not keep them where they are and have a bit of discomfort (for lack of a better word) once or twice a year?

Using the kitchen again, our spices are in a cupboard near the stove, where we cook (never over it).  It stands to reason the sugars and flours would be there, as well.  But I rarely use cinnamon, sugar, flour, sprinkles, etc. while I cook and the cupboard doesn't hold it all anyway. I tried moving it to the larger cupboard by the side of the sink.  When anyone cooked, the spices would invariably be left near the stove, rather than being put away.  I asked why and knew it was because as easy as it is, too many steps to do such a small thing was, well, too many, which led to too many more, now that we'd have to go back later, put them all away, and then some.

Who says all the spices have to be together?  We grabbed all the spices we cook with and put them near the stove. The others, mainly used in baking (where you put everything together outside the oven, mix, or what-have-you), were stored in the larger one by the sink. We call that the baking cupboard. We've included pancake mix, flaxseed, baking mixes, etc., and it works. For us. Whatever works for you, is a blessing.

The point is, create your space the best you can. When it works, it works and do not mess with it. When it does not work, don't fight it and force yourself to make it work, change it until you get it right.

Use the space you do have and use it wisely. For my home businesses, I use the area behind the door, and the wall near the bathroom.  For my writing, I use my table and the space below it holds my files. It's all neat, organized, and usable.

The Past... Still the Past?

I'm not a super private person, you probably know I've had a disease, COPD, for about 12 years now.  In case you ask, I've never smoked, it's from a house we had built for us, built wrong and, we had a serious crime burst into our life. Anyway, I say that so you are not shocked that I am still sick. For everyone in the house, it's come and gone, but for me, it's still here, though today is the first day I feel like this is it, I can make future plans!

One of the things I've noticed this time around is my lack of concentration. Even a good movie can't keep me attention, which is unusual and such a bummer for me personally (when you are sick, don't you love to cuddle with blankets and a good movie to keep your mind off of the pain?).  Today, though, I've managed to read a little and that's a feat, as it's been about two or three weeks that I've been off.  A GREAT sign.

As I'm reading and subsequently writing, I'm getting back into my old mold of teaching. I used to teach classes in writing and had a writers website which did pretty good in its day.  I not only love it, but I thrived.  It just so happens that the website went up for sale and the writing was off the day we evacuated that house for serious health reasons. I never stopped because I didn't like it. I didn't stop because it wasn't working. I didn't stop because I had better things to do. I stopped for the same reason I stopped being athletic; because someone was criminally negligent in building our home and someone was criminally negligent in taking what he wanted and it led to losing everything we had and starting completely over in so many ways.

I know I have so much to do. I know I have plenty to keep me occupied. I know I love what I do now, just wish I could do more and do it better... but I kind of want to teach again. I'm having a class on business management and organization soon, for people who, like me, live on federal land and have to have certain permissions and take several precautions, and, who, like me, have a significant other leaving for a year to a very scary place.  Maybe, just maybe, I'll be back in action all the way. I may not run a marathon or do flips around everyone, but maybe I can show them how and somehow, live on through them.

Home Party Business: Is Anyone Out There?

I've long since realized: I'm the only one reading this.  Still, I'll continue. Why? Because I'll go crazy if I keep this contained within myself.

Today, I practiced setting up my display for the first home show.  I've found tons of ideas, but I'm not happy yet with anything I've come up with. For one thing, most of the people with At Home America have special displays (which I plan on earning - the ONLY way you can get one) and they have different products than I do; making it hard to recreate their display.

I'm thinking about ordering a few more things to use in my display. I'd like to display in the way you might see a store display, rather than everything on one table. We'll see.

Another thing I'm considering is purchasing a few more of their yummy smelling candles, lighting them for the entire party, then giving it away in a drawing at the end of the night.  They provided me with cards for guests to fill out, enquiring whether they are interested in hosting a party or joining the crew... if they give it back, they just might win.  The only thing is that if I book a party from that party, I'll probably give away a completely different prize.  That way, the guests will be willing to go to more than one party, hoping for a shot at another cool gift.  We'll see. Again.

So much on my mind.

This new business is not all there is. Not by a long-shot.  I've been formatting the screenplay and have a children's book ready for an editor.  The website, True Crime Fanatic, well, that's taking longer than I'd like, but it's only due to lack of knowledge writing and working with CSS.  Always, I'm on the lookout for publishers and producers for my friends' work.  Ha! That's much easier than finding help for myself.  And lastly, I'm just about finished setting up a class to teach business management and organization on federal land. Yes, there's a need for it.

As with At Home America, if I find something I want or need and no one can provide it, I'll find a way.  And that's how things get done.

Tools of Success: Notebooks

So much is going on before my first party. I need to feel like I'm in control and I know and understand what I'm doing. I've now filled up TWO notebooks - and one is HUGE (so big it cost more than $10, but it's worth it), with notes, training, and ideas. Before you think you have to go through all this "trouble" for your own business, let me say that I am a visual learner. Preferably, words. You may be better by doing. AND I have no one to learn from by watching or attending another party. It's not work to me, either, I actually like it.

In fact, last night, my middle daughter said, "Gosh Mom, you're so organized!" Ah, those were words I needed and longed to hear. I've not always been. This time is different. I am VERY SERIOUS about what I'm doing. I am determined to put Hawaii on the At Home America map.

Another thing I've done to study and learn, is to browse and participate in the discussion boards set up on our AHA website and on the Yahoo Group's email list. If you don't have this where you are doing business, create it yourself! If you have questions and ideas, someone else will, too, and they'll be grateful someone took the initiative.

Something for the Work At Home Woman (or Man!)

Shared by a listmate:

Printables from Life... your way (personalized solutions for intentional living). Here's the link to their notebook for home management.