Rethinking Everything

You're still here, I see. How about this, are you still running a home business? Are you loving it? Does it pay your bills or provide what you need it to provide?

If you are unhappy, rethink your business. Do you need to reimagine your role? Is there a possibly the market was oversaturated and it's difficult to compete? Are you a lazy record-keeper?

There are a few things you can ask yourself to help decide if you should continue to push forward or if you should consider cutting your losses.

Are you in love with the idea of working from home, running your own business, or are you simply passionate with something that happens to be run from home? Chose one, two, or all three; it doesn't matter as long as you are honest with yourself.

Is it YOU that is faltering? Is it the economy where your product or service is falling short?

Whether you lack the passion or lack the skills there are so many things you can do but one of them is probably to stop what you are doing and change it. You see, if your way isn't working, you MUST try another way--even if it hurts a little.

Freelance Writers
I've gotta say this: Do not fall in love with your words unless you are only writing for yourself (have at it!). If your goal is to earn money, yes, you have to write what you know and it's also good to be enjoying it, but you'll sell nothing if you are not satisfying the market. And when I say "market" I mean what your market really is/who they are not what you believe it should/they would be.

All Others
It's a new year and a new you, make it a "like-new" business where you work harder to succeed where success lives.





Still here? I'm just rambling because I am so dang tired and busy trying to figure out if I should change that I tithe 90% of my work because you know what? My needs completely changed but my work and my business didn't. Time to grow up.

Page A Day: 6/365

6/365

Writing a page a day is great––if you are actually doing it. Are you? Many writers find being accountable to someone other than themselves keeps them on track. Do you need a push? A tugging? Pulling? Join a writing group and tell them what you are doing, why, and when you expect to be finished. Write them when you have a down day. Someone just may have the solution to motivate you to keep writing even when you do not feel like it. Check both on and offline.

Final Word

" It is the province of knowledge to speak, and it is the privilege of wisdom to listen." ~ Oliver Wendell Holmes

Page A Day: 3/365

3/365

Good day to all Page A Day writers! Thank you for staying with us, we are pleased and pray you are as well.

If the Page A Day turns out to be too much for you, try five minutes a day. You will be surprised how much five minutes a day adds up. If it still adds slowly for you, perhaps you will feel how I feel: "At last! I feel like I’m worth something once again. I've been writing daily and I have never felt better."

Avoid the Truth

There are "experts" who believe that in your writing you must please everyone. We don't. If you are too liberal, you will become stuck in a rut and, sooner or later, your work/writing will take second place and being politically correct will take first and is bound to get you into trouble at some point either way.

If you must, put a disclaimer in the front of your book, stating "for ease of flow in reading…" Fear of being a sexist pig is the number one avoidance, according to too many books and writers (thank you Complete Idiot's Guide to Grammar and Style).

Pick a pronoun and stick with it. That works and pleases real readers in the long run. If it works for you, it should work for them.

Final Word

If you are writing a page a day for a book, please do reply. Let us know: which day you started, if you have found it to be fairly easy, if you have hope this will work for you, and any tips and ideas you can share with others.

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Taxes: Home Business

Home business owners, freelance writers and photographers, and direct sellers (in no particular order):

Please click on our TAX "label" for any information we may have published about taxes in general.  We are NOT a tax service, but we do have to file taxes like the rest of you. We're simply sharing what we wished someone shared with us (or... sharing what some lovely person HAS shared).  Always, always, ALWAYS, keep in mind that tax tips are only as good as the day they are written, but usually, they are great guides, regardless.

Taxes for Writers by Cyn Mason

"...legislation that creates the tax laws we are bound to has been active where authors (and artists and film makers as well) are concerned. It isn’t difficult to get tax advice regarding simple items such as what form to use and what records to keep. What is a lot harder to find is information about the particular legislation aimed directly at this industry. The law is easier to understand if you trace back the prior rules first."

IRS small business tax center:

http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/index.html

IRS tax tips for direct sellers:

http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=175146,00.html

IRS business use of home:

http://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc509.html

IRS home office deduction:

http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/article/0,,id=204169,00.html

IRS deducting travel, entertainment, and gift expenses:

http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=167363,00.html

Tax Lists for Writers by Riley & Associates:

"...The artistic temperament simply does not interface well with the exacting rule-filled world of federal and state taxation. Writers tend to avoid the whole matter and consequently leave themselves vulnerable to bad advice and to overpaying taxes. The secret to overcoming this phobia is to develop an understanding of the mechanisms of the tax code and some simple, effective ways of complying with this onerous task. I often use the analogy that you may not need to know how to fix your car but it is helpful to know how it basically works. In so doing you will pay less in taxes and you will be less likely to fall prey to erroneous tax information and disreputable [advisers]." 

Tax Tips for Writers: 

"... Freelance writers who have made any income the previous year will need to fill out a long 1040 as well as a Schedule C and a Schedule SE (self-employment tax) to report profit and loss. Keep in mind that if planning to deduct a lot of expenses, additional forms will need to be filled out as well. Consult a tax professional for extensive returns."

IRS: List of Guilds, etc.

http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/industries/article/0,,id=100602,00.html

Direct Selling Association

Direct Selling 411

Nolo (Law for All):

The Home Office Tax Deduction

"...you can still deduct ordinary and necessary business expenses that you incur at home -- for instance, long-distance phone calls, a separate business telephone line, and the cost of office supplies and equipment. The above IRS rules apply only to the expenses of actually running and maintaining your home, such as utilities, rent, depreciation, home insurance, mortgage interest, real estate taxes, and repairs."

We'll add as we gain new insights and information and always, we'll label it as TAX so it's easy to find.

It's a New Day

Each day you wake, you have a golden opportunity: You can make the day better than the day before. Meet and exceed goals you have yet to meet,  relax and enjoy your family, you can make a meal that you've been wanting to try for years... it's all up to you.  We don't need "New Years' resolutions;" we need day to day resolutions. 

For those of us working from home, it can be difficult to separate home and work.  Those are the best days, because they remind you of how flexible you and life can be.  Don't take it as a frustration, take it and make it work for them and YOU.  Take that time, rest your thoughts about work and lists and goals, and hold your angel.  Listen to them. Give them undivided attention.  Hear them. Respond to them. Love them.

When all is said and done, aren't they why you choose to work from home?  And honestly, when all is said and done, aren't you in a better frame of mind when you come out of that moment and get back to work?  Aren't they?

By the way, if you can't get back into your work, take the time to sit down and read a good book. For direct sales, it's always good to study tried, true, and proven methods.  For writing, there are thousands of books and it's hard to select only a hundred, so I'll give you a couple of my past favorites. Anything from the late great Gary Provost is a good read and informative.  Screenplay writing... you can't go wrong with Syd Field, he'll show you how to get into your screenplay and propose it so you have a fighting chance.  I'm saving my favorite for last.  I LOVE, love, love William Goldman.  There's no better screenplay to read than one of his. I've read quite a few, including Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, but my all time favorite to read (for my learning purposes) is Absolute Power. I could understand the acts, the direction, the characters, and the words quite easily.

The Skinny on Direct Sales: Your first 100 days

 

 

Be a Party Plan Superstar: Build a $100,000-a-Year Direct Selling Business from Home

The Screenwriter's Workbook (Revised Edition)

Screenplay Workbook: The Writing Before the Writing

  

Absolute Power: The Screenplay (Applause Books)

Making Money from Home: How to Run a Successful Home-Based Business

You Gotta Love It!

My favorite part of owning a home business?  Every moment is a moment of its own.  You can be depressed or devastated easily, for many reasons, yet it takes so little to turn that frown upside down.

A lead. A sale. An offer to host a home party.  ~At Home America specialist

Someone asks. Someone listens. Someone changes.  ~Victims Advocate

A story informs. A story persuades. A story entertains.  ~Writer

A hug. A kiss. Both.  ~Mother

A thank you. A "let me do that for you."  An I love you.  ~Wife

An ear when I pray.  ~That's all God