What you need to ask yourself is whether you want a work from home business or a work at home business. The difference is the type of work you will be doing, but either way it should be something you are good at doing as well as something you enjoy doing. I can't underscore the importance of enjoying your choice.
Lets face it: most people won't do things they don't want to do ... we will find a million excuses and other things to do instead and sure enough, the business will fail from neglect. Don't let that happen when making your choices.
Typically, most work from home business operations involves service-related jobs such as plumbing, electrical or some other form of home improvement. Consultants often develop a work from home business and this type of work can be done through telecommuting while working for someone else. While salaried work from home positions are few and far between, they are available on a very limited basis.
There are many advantages to a work from home business, beginning with a low overhead and being able to use a portion of your home's operating expenses as a tax deduction. There are specific rules governing business use of your home so be sure to check with a tax advisor before claiming it on your income taxes. If you end up being ineligible for this deduction it could cost you dearly in the form of penalties and interest.
Robert Kiyosaki talks about building a business team and your account or tax advisors are critical members of your business team. They are worth the investment, and often the costs of their services are business deductions.
By working from home you can usually establish your own hours and your own dress code. This is great when you are sitting at the computer, but when you are out networking or meeting with clients, a professional appearance is a must.
Motivation is another must ... which ties back into the need to enjoy what you are doing.
You will also have to have the motivation to get up and work from home even on those days you really do not feel like it, just as though you were working for someone else in their office. You have to show up in order to get your work done.
If you are thinking of working from home, and you still have a full-time job, you should consider starting your business on a part-time schedule to get started. This will involve giving up some of your spare time to start building a business that will earn you more money. As the business establishes, you can then decide to walk away from the full time job. It's a less risky way to start, but again, requires motivation and dedication to go to work when others are playing!
You will also have to remember that when you work from home you are generally treated as a contract employee and all matters pertaining to taxes will be your responsibility. Money paid to your self will require certain tax forms and your income taxes will have to be paid on a regular basis, just like any other business does for their employees.
Make your website an asset to your visitors. If you are an accountant, your website should be an educational tool. Communicate tax code changes, and explain how the changes might affect them. Provide relevant content that may be of interest to your clients. Talk less about how great you are, and more about your customers? needs. Provide hints, articles, interviews, podcasts, or even short video clips about relevant topics.
Write articles about your expert area. If you have a dry cleaning business, you might write articles about the benefits of the earth friendly chemicals you use. You can post the articles on your website. In addition, you can encourage other website owners to post your article on their sites. In exchange, you could post an article about their services on yours. Update your website content regularly. Your customers will appreciate a website with relevant content. A stagnant website communicates neglect.
Have a professionally designed website. Gone are the days when any website would be acceptable. If your cousin built your website, you might make him very proud but your customers will be less amused. Amateurish websites communicate a message that you are a hobbyist, and not a real business. You wouldn't want your cousin to do your corporate taxes, or remodel your office, so don't ask him to build your website either. The right website will require a professional company with expert designers, programmers, and Internet marketers. Your website is your business, treat it accordingly.
Having a website with spelling errors, bad images, and poor design is worse than having no website at all. Avoid errors of all types. Encourage your customers to bring errors to your attention. Your customers can provide you with feedback as they browse your site, and you can quickly make the necessary changes.
Clearly, explain what security measures you take to keep client information safe. If you pay for a third party security logo such as HackerSafe or ControlScan, make sure your customers understand the benefits. I would recommend ControlScan as opposed to HackerSafe because the word, Hacker? may have more of a negative effect than positive.
Both Jennifer Lavoie & George Meszaros are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Jennifer Lavoie has sinced written about articles on various topics from Work From Home, Computers and The Internet and Work From Home. Jennifer Lavoie is a home-based business coach. Using Robert Kiyosaki's teaching, she helping others to build passive income businesses and retire early and free.. Jennifer Lavoie's top article generates over 14800 views. to your Favourites.