Visit the Shaks

One of the things that can really help your home business Web site is understanding how to properly optimize your site. When you work from home, the Internet is your lifeblood, and SEO (search engine optimization) is the lifeblood of the Internet.

This means that you need to choose your subject, and your keywords, carefully. You need to be able to rank high in the search engines so that potential customers will find you. Wendy Piersell offers some great SEO advice for adding seasonal content to your home business Web site on eMoms at Home:

Write articles around seasonal trends. You don’t necessarily need to write about back to school shopping, but you can use it as a launch for a metaphor post.

Use seasonal keywords in post titles. Just mentioning a hot keyword in your headline pulls more traffic, but if your post has nothing to do with Halloween, then the boost will be short-lived.

A survey was just released with some rather "shocking" results: Telecommuters are more satisfied with their jobs. I work from home, and I could tell you this without the results of a survey. I am much happier working from home than I was when I went in to the office for a 9-to-5. Here are the results, reported by MarketWatch, with the science to back up what we already intuit:

Seventy-three percent of the remote and home-based workers surveyed said they are satisfied with their company as a place to work compared with 64% of office workers, according to the survey in June of about 10,000 U.S. workers.

Now this survey covered people who work for someone else from home. I'd imagine the job satisfaction would be even higher among people (like me) who work from home for themselves. The survey also pointed out that there was more company loyalty for the company in telecommuters. So...is this the scientific proof we need to move more people into work from home mode?

One of the impressions that I get from the iPhone is that it is out to replace all of those little gadgets that we like to carry around with one ubergadget. But is it a good idea for your work from home business? As will all things new and hyped, it is a good idea to step back and take a breather. After all, the first returns of the iPhone began on the very day of its release (you know, wait in line for three days, get the iPhone at 6 a.m., return it by 3 p.m.).

Unfortunately, it may not be the best choice for your work from home business. After all, it won't really replace your laptop, since the screen is small. If all you need to do is keep up with emails, and be able to make phone calls, it's not so bad. But if you are creating presentations and writing a lot (like I am), then a laptop is still the winner for all-purpose. Plus you can still use a laptop on a plane.

Don't get me wrong. I think the iPhone looks great (once all the bugs are ironed out), but the iPhone service contract, which is a bear, is a total turnoff. And, unfortunately, I don't have the hacking skills to free an iPhone from the onerous service contract imposed by AT&T.

When one decides to become a home-based worker, it is often in the same vein as Cindy, who says she "wanted to make my own schedule -- a schedule that works around my kids." Cindy (who requested that I not use her last name) has an interesting job as a home-based worker. She's a phlebotomist (someone who draws blood). I met her when she came to my home to check my vitals and...draw my blood.

I'm increasing my life insurance coverage on my Universal Life policy, and the company wanted some fluids (urine and blood) and information on things like blood pressure and heart rate. Rather than have me go to a lab or clinic, the company uses a state-certified professional that comes to my home. Cindy gave me a call and scheduled an appointment at her convenience. I was intrigued. So as I sat there finding out that my blood pressure is abnormally low, I asked her about her job.

"There are jobs like this available in several states," Cindy told me. "A lot of lab techs and LPNs do them. You have to have training in how to draw blood, and how to check things like blood pressure."

This is a cool home-based worker job that reminded that there are a lot of opportunities out there that we may not think about, even in the medical field. Have training as a nurse? You might be able to make home appointments to do all sorts of things from home-hospice care to take blood and urine samples. There are also work at home medical transcription jobs.

Cindy's favorite part of the job? "Meeting news and interesting people." Fascinating. That's my favorite part of working from home.

One of the ways you can send more people to your home business Web site is by starting a blog. A business blog can be a great marketing and traffic directing tool. However, it can be time consuming to maintain a blog, and to come up with quality blog posts. Yvonne Russell at Grow Your Writing Business, however, offers some tips for better blog posts:

Record ideas while they're fresh. I keep a notebook nearby so that I can jot down any ideas that come to mind. I also like to keep newspaper clippings and magazine articles that spark an idea. I keep them in a file, and when I need an idea, I go through the file. Yvonne Russell points out that you can also start a blog post. Just go into your platform and get started. Just remember to hit "save" rather than "publish"!

Set a deadline. You can make your own deadline for your blog posts. This way, you know when you want it done by. If it turns out you need more time, you have learned how long it takes you to create a blog post. This is a good thing.

Have an interest in your topic. Russell points out that it is important to be interested in what you blog about. This cuts down on the amount of time you have to spend doing research. Have a list of blogs and Web sites that you like to visit to get expert information on a subject. Then you zip on over when needed to get ideas. Just remember to link to your favorite sites as well.

Just start writing! One of the best ways to overcome writers block is to just start writing. Write down what you are thinking about, and it could likely turn into something coherent. Russell also recommends an outline, which can be helpful for some people. The important thing, though, is to get started.

Not to long ago, in a post about making sure your business Web site domain name is properly renewed, I mentioned that your Web site is your home online. So, how does it look?

Just like you would want a business in a more traditional office to have a professional look to it, your home business Web site also needs to have a professional look. Home Biz Notes points out that your home business is still a business, so it needs to look like one. Make sure that your business Web site is professional and easy to navigate. Offer appropriate information and helpful tips on your business blog. You want to come across as a professional, and an expert.

I think it very interesting that when it comes to achieving the work-family balance, most of the focus is on women. We are only beginning to acknowledge that maybe men need to have this balance as well. Perhaps it's because there are more women in the workplace now than there were in the past, so men are starting to wonder why they can't have a fulfilling family life and work as women can. At any rate, a post on PR Squared takes a look at the situation from a PR angle. Although the article looks at it mainly as a female issue, the same can apply to men who want more time with their families. The company in question has offered some interesting options those who want to improve the work-family balance, and they might help you figure out what you can ask for if you work for "the man":

We've set up arrangements including Flex Time and Telecommuting, and, we have even expressed a willingness to investigate Job Sharing and Daycare Assistance. For a handful of women, a situation where they work 3 days in SHIFT's offices and 2 from home has worked well.

These arrangements work well in some fields, such as PR, and other communications-type fields where one may need to come in for meetings, but projects can be done from anywhere. And advancements in technology make it easier to stay connected no matter where you are. It is possible to work from home without owning your own business. But it usually requires that you go in to the office sometimes, and you might have to arrange your schedule around project completion dates.

When I first started working from home, I knew immediately that a babysitter was going to be necessary. "Wait a minute," you say, "don't you work at home so you don't have to hire a babysitter?" Well, sort of. I work at home so that my son doesn't have to go somewhere else as much.

While there are several good productivity tips for increasing the efficiency of working from home, and I use them most of the time, it just became necessary that my son be gone somewhere else some of the time. Not everyday, mind you, and not all day. I found that taking him to a day care (preferably one with some emphasis on learning something) three times a week for three hours in the morning was extremely helpful. It wasn't very costly (and I could deduct it on my taxes), and I didn't feel bad because he was only in for nine hours a week.

Now, of course, my little boy is in preschool, and next year he'll be in Kindergarten. This provides built in opportunities for me to work. But boy am I glad I opted for day care when he was younger. It gave him a chance to socialize with kids his age, and it gave me nine dedicated hours a week.

One of the biggest challenges many of us work at home moms (and dads!) have is kids in the house. Working from home can be a great blessing, but sometimes it can be difficult to get anything done because, well, the kids. Happily, there are some things you can do to increase your productivity when working from home. Web Worker Daily offers some work at home tips, and I've picked out my favorites:

Be an early riser. This isn't always a lot of fun, but I am more alert in the morning anyway, and it gives me time to get a lot done. You'd be surprised how much you can get done in half an hour.

Take turns. If you have a spouse, take turns with the kids. Get your work done while your spouse handles the kids. A truly supportive partner understands that you each have things you need to do without the kids.

Stay up later. If you can't get up early, this is a great solution.

Teach the kids to entertain themselves. Ever since he was little, we've been teaching my son to play by himself for hour clips at a time. Often, all that is needed is for you to play one board game with them, and they are content for another 45 minutes or so.

Let them enjoy the great outdoors. Send the kids outside to play. Sometimes I even take the laptop out with them and get some work down outside (even at the park!). And it's amazing how little your kids need you when they have the world of nature to entertain them.

Another thing you can do, especially if you have school-aged children, is to prepare ahead of time for the mornings. This is one of the busiest times for me, but I find that if I have everything set out the night before, I can get more work done while the kids take care of themselves.

When you work for yourself, you will find that not business opportunities are created equal. And I found a rather interesting post by Des Walsh on Thinking Home Business. He points out that a home business can be a lot like fishing:

• being in business for yourself can be a lot like fishing - a lot of casting and waiting, without always getting bites
• some tugs on the line turn out to be very modest proposals, not even meal-size

This struck me as quite true. After all, when one first begins working from home, one is desperate to make it work. I know I've accepted some pretty lame and exceptionally low paying work, just to have work. But in the end, I noticed that I put in a lot of time for a small return. That time probably could have been spent looking for better business opportunities -- opportunities that would provide more in the long run.

Now, of course, I evaluate the work opportunities that come my way. And sometimes I "throw them back." Politely, of course.

Not too long ago, I mentioned that I am a WAHM (work at home mom) and that sometimes it's nice to talk to someone else who can relate. Well, one of the growing trends in child-rearing also encompasses stay at home dads. Many times, we forget that SAHDs (hmm...maybe this acronym isn't quit right...) are becoming an increasingly familiar sight. Before I became a WAHM, my husband was a SAHD. And it would have been nice for him to have someone to talk to, rather than weird looks from the moms in the playgroup.

So, as the working from home revolution continues, it will naturally merge with desires to spend more time with family, including appearances by WAHDs (work at home dads -- are the acronyms driving you crazy yet?). One of my favorite sites (and my husband's) is Rebeldad.com. It offers great advice and help for SAHDs.

Your business Web site is your house on the Internet. It's where people come to see you. The problem is that a domain name is something you rent, rather than something you buy. And every so often you have to renew the lease, paying more money in order to keep your business domain name. Mary Emma Allen of Home Biz Notes points this out:

Whether you’re an author, artist, or other type of home business owner, you generally own your domain name for only so long, then you renew it before the expiration date.  I’ve heard of others who lost their domain names, even those that include their personal name, because someone snapped it up the minute it expired.

This is a very important point, especially if you have a successful business and Web site. There is usually someone waiting around to snap it up. And continuity is very important. You want your loyal customers and clients to be able to find you, and it can be difficult when you change your cyberaddress.

So, keep track of when your domain name expires. Put a reminder on your computer, and make sure that you keep your info updated with the company that you rented your domain name from, so that you can receive the email notices they send you about renewing.

Jim is always pressing Franki to get a better desk chair. She may want to know that I found this really cool blog called Urban Kinetics that featured the Elfo Chair by Gruppo-Sintessi.

Honestly, I don't think a home office can get any more modern and stylish than this and sometimes you just have to accept style over comfort when it comes to accessorizing your home office. I mean, isn't that what ice packs and massages are for?

My dad sent this to me. I thought it warranted a post. It's only a hoax, but if this is what we really had for a home computer, would any of us be working from home? Would there by any hope? Once again the human knack for innovation and technology has spared us from the unthinkable. From a fake 1954 issue of Popular Mechanics:

Yesterday we took a look at the kinds of people that can really stymie your business growth. They are what the blog Escape from Cubicle Nation refers to as the "integrity challenged." Today we will look at some things that Escape points out can protect you as you start your own business:

Observe others for quite some time before actually trusting them

Clarify all documents and agreements (discuss them as well)

Research the background of the person or business

Don't forget that some situations may call for a lawyer (do this before entering into any important partnerships)

Leave as quickly as you can legally as soon as evidence of unethical behavior presents itself

Use a credit card to pay (you are less liable, and the credit card company refunds you if someone doesn't deliver on the goods)

And when something bad does go down (as it will at some point), take it as a learning experience. I had a rather unfortunate experience with doing a great deal of blogging for one client. $2,000 later (others  got jipped as well) I decided that I would charge at the beginning of the month rather than the end for large clients. And I learned that reputation is important. When I left the deadbeat, one of his major clients came with me because I was ethical and the deadbeat was not.

When starting your own business, you really get the chance to see the unscrupulous. Believe me -- freelance writing is fall of pitfalls. I've had two really big occasions where I've been completely betrayed. And such things cost a lot. So caution is necessary. But there are other pitfalls, no matter what business you are starting out in. In a great post on watching out for the "integrity challenged," the Escape from Cubicle Nation blog points out some of the shady characters that might come calling while you are starting your own business:

Marketers that say you can make a great deal of money in a short amount of time without doing anything.

Business partners that tend to have only their own interests (not those of the business or partnership) at heart.

Customers that try to stiff you.

Vendors and suppliers that flake out, are unreliable or refuse to take responsibility.

Online slanderers who visit your Web site or blog, or post things online in forums that can damage your reputation.

These are issues that you need to consider and address when you are starting your own business. You can't always completely protect yourself, but there are some steps you can take to minimize the damage. Tomorrow we will have a look at some of the things suggested by the Escape from Cubicle Nation blog to keep your risk down.

One of the WAHM jobs that is most compatible with a family life and working from home is freelance writing. I know not everyone does this. But I do, so it's what I know best in terms of working from home. And I thought I'd share some of the places I like to look for freelance writing jobs.

Deborah Ng offers a great list most days on the latest offerings in the freelance writing world.
Freelancewriting.com provides a number of high paying, low paying and non-paying gigs that can get you started.
Media Bistro is the place for all things media news and media-job related.

The above sites are free to use and browse. You do have to sign up for free at Media Bistro (they also offer membership in a writer's guild if you want to pay for it).

You can find all sorts of opportunities at Pajama Mommy. And, you can sign up for free at Guru.com (there are also paid levels) to bid on freelance jobs of all sorts (not just writing).

If you don't mind selling out for a quick buck, you can head over to Associated Content and sign up to publish. The pay isn't that great, but you can make money fast and they have a program that pays you per view, so you make recurring income on what you've done.

Are you a WAHM? I am. WAHM is one of those cute little acronyms. It means "work at home mom." Lately SAHMs (stay at home moms) have been getting a lot of press, but often us WAHMs get lost in the shuffle. Because we're not "out there" in the workforce, we're not exactly "working" moms, but we don't fit the traditional SAHM label either. And sometimes we need support.

One of the best things you can do as a WAHM is to look for online resources and chats. Message boards and chat rooms just for work at home moms can provide you with the support you need to keep going. And, many other WAHMs can offer helpful tips and hints as to how you can work a little better -- and improve your life outside of work.

One thing that you are going to need to do when you start your own business is to understand proper cash flow management. It is important to know where your money is coming from, as well as where it is going. Indeed, it is vital to understand this if you want to have a success business. A cash flow chart can illustrate, giving you something understandable and tangible to look at, where your money is going. This way, you can figure out where and when you get your money, and then follow it through to what you spend your money on. If you are spending more money on liabilities, rather than getting returns from assets, this is an indication that there may be a problem.

Not only is it important to understand your business cash flow, but you should also do a cash flow worksheet for your personal financial situation. When you start up your own business, one of the most important things you can do is to keep your accounts separate. So, the necessity becomes to create separate cash flow charts.

Even before publishing 20 Things Not to Do Before Starting A Business, I've been approached, nearly everyday, by someone anxious to start their own business, but who doesn't know if they're actually ready.  The following excerpt from The 4-Hour Work Week says it better than I can:

For all of the most important things, the timing always sucks.  Waiting for a good time to quit your job?  The stars will never align and the traffic lights of life will never all be green at the same time.  The universe doesn't conspire against you, but it doesn't go out of its way to line up all the pins either.  Conditions are never perfect.  "Someday" is a disease that will take your dreams to the grave with you.  Pro and con lists are just as bad.  If it's important to you and you want to do it "eventually," just do it and correct course along the way.

    Photo by kenchanayo.

We have been looking at retirement planning for the self-employed here at WorkShak for the last few days. Today's focus is on the Keogh  retirement plan. Usually, a Keogh plan is used when setting up to provide a retirement planning option for your employees. This is also known as an HR 10 plan. However, with a little help from a knowledgeable attorney or accountant, or from the IRS, it is possible to set up a Keogh retirement plan for yourself even if you do not have employees.

There are some specific advantages to having a Keogh retirement plan. Most of the them are similar to what you can get from a self-employed 401(k): pre-tax contributions, tax-deferred growth, 10-year averaging on some lump sums, higher contribution limits.

However, it is worth noting that a Keogh retirement plan can be complex to set up, and there are some rather severe withdrawal penalties. And, there is a required withdrawal once you reach 70 1/2.

Last time, we looked at the IRA as a possible way to start retirement planning when self-employed. Today we will look at another option: the self-employed 401(k). The self-employed 401(k) is one of those options that many people are not aware of, mainly because it seems as though the 401(k) is something only offered when you work for "The Man."

The great thing about the self-employed 401(k) is that it is fairly straightforward and easy to set up. However, it is important that you realize that this is different from setting up a 401(k) for employees. That does get complicated. But for the self-employed 401(k), when you are just doing it for yourself, it is not very difficult. And you get some advantages over the IRA.

As we know, the limit for the IRA is $4,000 per year. The 401(k) limit is significantly higher ($15,500 starting this tax year) per year, so you can put much more in. And there are no income restrictions. However, even though your money grows tax free, and it can be taken out pre-tax, it is taxed when you withdraw it. I wouldn't recommend this option to replace a Roth IRA (keep that going as well), but it could be to your benefit to roll your traditional IRA into a self-employed 401(k).

We've all been warned time and time again about email etiquette. We all should know by now the basic no, no's of corporate emails. Don't type in all UPPER CASE, it implies yelling; Don't type in all lowercase, it implies laziness; Don't put something in an email that you wouldn't want the world to read; Don't email when you are mad...and the list goes on and on. But how many times have you authored an email that was completely misinterpreted? Studies say it is more times than you know!

Lynn Gaertner-Johnson at the Business Writing Blog touches on the problems with using sarcasm in emails and in her post Email and Your Ego goes on to show how often readers misinterpret emails. She points out how research studies show how consistently writers overestimate their readers ability to distinguish sarcasm from seriousness.

"In one study, writers estimated that their readers would recognize sarcasm 78% of the time but in fact the true number was 56%.

Email readers consistently overestimate their own ability to recognize sarcasm. In the study just mentioned, although they were correct only 56% of the time, they estimated their accuracy at 90%!

In another blog at Easy Street Business Blog  they discuss email misinterpretation and why our "High Tech" communication is not more effective?

  Michael Morris and Jeff Lowenstein are among the scholars who studied the benefits and dangers of email and other computer-based interactions. They identified three major problems which are discussed in a recent post on our own Shak and Jill.

They did a comparison between email and phone communications;
Check it out...

So the bottom line seems to be maybe along with our "High Tech" we need a little "High Touch" via the good old fashion telephone line. It just may go a long way for your business relationships.

Yesterday we took a brief look at the importance of retirement planning when self-employed. One of the most basic and easy ways to get started is to open an IRA. All that is required to open an IRA is that you have filled out a tax return. You need to be earning money in the U.S. and paying taxes on it.

An IRA comes in two forms: traditional and Roth. With the traditional IRA, the tax advantages are immediate: deductions. You can even count what you put in as pre-tax, lowering the amount that you owe in taxes. The Roth IRA, however, has more long term effects. You count the money as after tax, so that it is already taxed when it goes into the account. This means that your retirement account not only grow tax free, but when it comes to withdrawals, the Roth IRA means no taxes then, either (withdrawals from a traditional IRA are taxed as income). However, the Roth IRA comes with income limitations, and the traditional IRA does not. Both limit how much you can add to your account each year.

If you are self-employed, it is important to start your retirement planning. And one option is the IRA. Also, it is worth noting that a spousal IRA is also available. This is usually for spouses that do not earn money/pay taxes. But it does require that you file a joint tax return.

Even if you are self-employed, you need a retirement plan. After all, even the self-employed want to stop working from home ALL the time, right? This translates directly into a need to plan for retirement. Even if you may feel that you have too much on your plate (what with being your own boss and then working yourself too hard), you still need to think about your future. Who knows where Social Security will be, and you can't rely on the same employer-match 401(k) program offered by "The Man."

The good news is that there are options available when retirement planning, even if you are self-employed. Over the next few days we will look at the IRA (including Roth option), the SEP and the self-employed 401(k). But no matter which you choose, the important thing is to start today.

(Post by Miranda Marquit)