Visit the Shaks

One of the things that many home business owners overlook is the need for business insurance. Many with a home business mistakenly believe that their homeowners insurance will suffice. Unfortunately, this is not always the case, as many policies are not designed to protect the home business. You might be unpleasantly surprised should something happen.

Home Biz Notes points out that you should consider these types of business insurance for your home business, depending on your needs and the size and scope of your operation:

* Property coverage.
* Liability coverage.
* Business interruption.

You might want to consult with a professional about what you should do to make sure that your home business is adequately protected.

When first starting out with a home business, it can be difficult to find everything that you need at an affordable price. One way you can expand your resources, suggests Kelly McCausey at WAHM 2.0, is to offer to barter.

That's right: You can exchange a product, service or knowledge for something that you need. McCausey points out that right now, common skills in demand include:

* Blog design.
* Wordpress customization.
* Writing.
* Graphic design.
* SEO

If you have these skills, you might be able to barter for something that you need, such as marketing help, or advertising space. A word of caution from McCausey, though:

Your level of skill and experience will correspond directly with the value of the resources you’re able to swap for.  When you’re new and inexperienced, you have to make your barter offer especially attractive.  This may mean that you give more than you get.

So think about what you can offer -- and then see if you can work a deal.

When it comes to marketing your business, social networking is rapidly becoming a must. And one of the common tools used now is Twitter. But sometimes things get a little heavy-handed on Twitter. In such cases of social media, blogging and marketing, ProBlogger almost always has relevant words of wisdom. Such is the case when it comes to affiliate marketing on Twitter. Here are 8 tips offered by Darren Rowse:

1. Be relevant.
2. Personalize.
3. Genuine recommendations.
4. Be conversational.
5. Indirectly link to affiliate products.
6. Be moderate.
7. Listen to followers.
8. Be useful.

I think #1 and #8 are especially applicable, as is moderation (#6) and being genuine (#3). If you are just trying to sell something, eventually (or not so eventually) people will figure it out and you will likely be shunned. And that does no one any good.

When engaging in home business blogging, it is important to have a plan for what sort of voice and style you will have. Additionally, you want to be able to exude a sense of authority with regard to your subject area, coming across as an expert. I really like some of the thoughts and tips on writing offered by Lenin over at Cute Writing:

* Develop a writing style.
* Know your audience.
* Do adequate research.
* Write what you know.
* Be diligent in your efforts.

I think these are essential items if you are looking to improve the quality of your home business blogging. Can you think of some other tips that can help improve your writing?

If you have a home business, you have probably noticed that things are getting tight. Not only is the economy slowing (and your income slowing as a result of customers spending less), but the financial crisis is causing a liquidity problem that makes it difficult to get more credit. And $700 billion bailout isn't doing much to ease the credit crisis.

The credit freeze is causing a huge problem for many small and home businesses. Here is what Jamila White points out in an interview with Sparkplug CEO:

The current financial crisis is already affecting small business owners’ access to capital. A few months ago, the US Small Business Administration put a freeze on backing SOHO loans (”Small Office Home Office”) — loans aimed at the smallest of the small businesses, which usually are less than $20,000.

When you look at the big picture, the hypocrisy is unbelievable. Here you have small businesses, which are *creating* jobs in this bad ecomony when big businesses are not, getting shut down on access to capital, and then you have the SBA essentially out of money to back loans for small businesses.

Back in "the day" when my husband and I both jobs outside the home, it was easy to save money on heating bills in the winter: Keep the heat turned down while we were at work.

Now, though, things are more complicated. I work at home, we have a son who is at home half the day and my husband comes home to study some days. So we need a new plan. Happily, over at My Two Dollars, there are some great tips on how to save money on heating bills in the winter:

1. Programmable thermostat, so you don't have to remember to keep resetting it. We have our heat turned down at night.

2. Install storm windows and doors. Do it in stages, instead of all at once.

3. Open the curtains and blinds during the day to let the sun in to warm things up.

4. Make sure your furnace is serviced and in proper working order.

5. Insulation for ducts exposed to the cold.

6. Seal your attic door temporarily.

7. Close the ducts in rooms that don't need heat. We do this in the guest room, and then open them up the day before guests arrive.

8. Make sure the temperature on your water heater is reasonable.

9. Seal an unused fireplace.

10. Fans on low speed can move warm air through the house.

Do you have tips for saving money on heating bills?

It is important to understand what net profits are in your home business. After all, just because you are bringing in an income, it does not mean that you are making a profit. In fact, it may take a few years before your home business is profitable.

Home Biz Notes offers this insight into net profits:

Today our word or term is net profits (net income).  This refers to the amount of money left after you’ve deducted all your expenses, at least your operating expenses.  The fact that you take in a specific amount of money doesn’t mean you have that amount to live on or are even making a profit in your business.

It is important to consider the costs of running your home business, and to subtract them from what you bring in. Only then can you get a reasonably clear picture of your true earnings.

Yesterday, I posted a video interview about selling advertising on your home business blog. Today, I thought I would address one of the items that can make your blog more attractive to advertisers: increased pageviews.

Pageviews are the number of times your blog posts are viewed. Right now, pageviews are considered one of those vital metrics used when determining whether to advertise on a Web site or blog. Problogger (always seems to know what to do) has some easy ways you can boost your pageviews:

* Self-link. Link to old posts you have written, and to products and services you offer.

* Add related posts. At the end of your article, you can add related posts. There plug-ins for different platforms (WordPress especially) that automatically do this based on category and tag.

* Make use of your sidebar. You can use your sidebar to link to most popular posts, best posts and other areas of your blog.

* Multi-page posts. If you have a longer post that you have written, use the "read more" feature to make your post two or three pages long. Just be aware of the fact that too many multiple page posts starts to get annoying.

Can you think of other ways to boost pageviews to your home business blog?

Many are finding that it is possible to make a little extra money by offering advertising on the home business blog. This goes beyond just using AdWords. It's about ads with images in addition to text ads on your home business blog.

Wendy Piersall at Sparkplugging interviewed John Chow about getting ads for your home business blog. It's some good stuff.

One of the great things about the Internet and technology is that you can do all sorts of things. And one of the things I did recently was create my own business cards at Moo.com.

Moo.com is a company based in London. It's very basic -- offering simple templates for business cards, greeting cards and even not-traditional placards. However, it is limited.

But if your needs are simple, and you only want a small batch of cards at a reasonable price, Moo.com can be a great decision. I know I'm happy with my business cards.

The Street offers an in-depth review of business cards by Moo.com.

Around my neighborhood, there is a plethora of home day care and home preschool businesses. At last count, on my way out of the subdivision, I think I saw four. At any rate, this is a very popular home business idea. The idea of home day care is very appealing to many. And if you can handle it, it can be very rewarding.

Over at Home Biz Notes, there is a great series on getting started with home day care as your business. Here is one interesting caution about running a home day care business:

Running a home daycare is much like working outside your home. Just because you are home does not mean you will be able to do laundry or clean your bathroom. You have children to care for and their needs come first.

So, this is an important consideration. If you still think a home day care is the right home business for you, head on over to Home Biz Notes and read the rest of the articles in the series.

If you're like me, sometimes it is difficult to say "no." Whether to a project, a family member or a neighbor, it can be hard to turn someone down. (It's especially hard when it's a freelance project and means a few extra bucks.)

However, if you get too stressed and too scheduled, things start to fall apart. Is that extra money worth the time I won't be spending with my son and husband? Is saying yes to some neighborhood party worth the extra stress I would feel by having to re-arrange the rest of my schedule?

Sometimes, in the name of sanity, you just have to learn to say no. It doesn't have to be in a mean or rude way, but you can say something like, "I'm sorry. I just don't have time for that right now."

Do you ever have a hard time saying "no"?

One of the promotional tools you can use for your home business is a blog. I really like these 12 Tips for Writing Better Blog Posts over at KoMarketing. Here are 12 ways you can improve the quality of your blog posts -- potentially pulling in more traffic for your home home business:

1. Write with clarity.
2. Identify the objective as quickly as possible.
3. Make your blog post titles strong.
4. Images can help bring interest to your post.
5. Organize your writing (subheads, bullets, etc.).
6. Focus on the subject.
7. Reference sources.
8. Link to related posts.
9. Be concise in a wrap up at the end.
10. Get some feedback before publishing -- even if all you do is edit it yourself for spelling and grammar.
11. Consider timing.
12. Evaluate and learn from the results.

Do you have any tips for writing better blog posts?

When it comes to your home business, it is important to keep business accounts and personal finances separate. This means that you should have a separate account for your business income and expenses and for your personal finances. This means that you will need to add another step to your cash flow. Even if you do not have a business set up (like an LLC), but are using a sole proprietorship, it is a good idea to keep things separate.

Here's how your extra step will work. Instead of depositing your money from your home business income directly into your personal account, you will put it into a separate business account. Then you will write a check from the business account to yourself for deposit into the personal account.

Be warned: Most banks do not allow same-day withdrawal. This means that once you put the money in your business account, you will likely have to wait a day before you can write a check for your personal account. Then, your funds may not be available for another day after that. So, it is important to plan ahead with your cash flow needs.

Yesterday, I mentioned that there are some ways that you can learn to market your home business on Twitter. But what about other social networking? There are plenty of social media sites out there, and you can build a profile and connect. Interestingly, The Wall Street Journal offers some insights on four social networking mistakes that can be made:

1. Basic, bare profile. Make it interesting, and add background information.

2. Little personality. It is important to be yourself, and present yourself as a person. Facts about your home business are dry and boring.

3. Too much hype. While social networking can be a good marketing tool for your home business, you can't be overly promotional. People get annoyed if all you do is sell, sell, sell without actually engaging.

4. Scarcity in terms of fresh content. Regular updates are important, or your profile will go stale.

I also think that it is important to add that too many social networking profiles can be a problem. Identify the communities to which you want to belong, and focus on three or four profiles that you have time to develop.

Do you have any social networking tips?

There are many different opportunities -- especially with social media -- to promote your home business online. And one of those ways is through Twitter.

If you are looking for some help with how to market your home business using Twitter, there is help in the form of a free ebook from Geekpreneur. There are plenty of good, practical tips you can use to help you leverage this social media phenomenon for your home business.

Hat tip: Home Biz Notes.

One of the things I know as a freelance writer working from home is that a steady and traditional "paycheck" is one of those things that you cannot rely on. Sometimes it can be a hassle getting paid for your work at all! There will always be clients that try to stiff you, or who disappear as soon as you send an invoice.

But there are a couple of things you can do to try and come up with some sort of a work from home "paycheck":

1. Set aside money when you have a really good month. When you work from home, it is important to have a really big emergency fund. Because freelance writer (or any other freelance work) income is anything but steady, you need to plan for the lean times. If you make bank this month, see that you set a good portion aside for next month -- just in case.

2. Figure out a regular "paycheck" schedule. This is a great idea from Tamara Berry at Freelance Parent. She suggests that you figure up your annual income (you can use your tax return) and then divide it by 12 to get a "paycheck." You can live off this money each month, and use the rest for your emergency fund.

Do you have any ideas for creating a steady "paycheck" when working from home?

I read a very interesting post over at WAHM 2.0 on Sparkplugging. It's about whether or not you have time to work from home. The insights come from a single mother with a young teen. She points out that the time she has to run a home business is different from many WAHMs:

The moms who marveled at my accomplishments had very different family situations.  Most were married - and face it - men take time!  Also, most of them had more than one child - or their children were far younger than my young teen, requiring more effort and time overall.

I had to laugh at the "men take time!" line. Don't I know it. If you want to maintain your marriage, you need to devote time to your husband as well as your children. So time becomes a very real consideration when deciding whether the WAHM route is right for you.

Honestly answer these questions as you think about whether or not to begin a home business:

* Right now, before becoming a WAHM, do you have time to do what you need to?

* If you quit an outside job, can your family finances survive while you establish a home business?

* Would having a home business cut into valuable "me" time?

* If you have a husband, would he be supportive of you as a WAHM?

* Are your children to a point where they can take care of themselves to a certain extent? Or do you have the means to hire a little extra help if needed?

Can you think of some other considerations that may affect whether now is the time to become a WAHM?

You have probably heard all about how you need a blog for your home business. Your home business may even be based around a blog. But in order for it to work, you need a successful blog. And while good content and good writing can take you a long way, you need a little bit more than that to get the extra oomph that puts you into success territory.

Things you need -- in addition to content -- for a successful blog

Darren Rowse, the Problogger himself, has a list of some extra things that you need to make a successful blog. Here is what he says you need:

* Mojo. You know, that "it" factor.

* Luck. Yes, luck.

* Trust. Are you authentic?

* Expertise and authority. What qualifies you to give others tips and avice?

* Charisma. An ability to connect.

What do you think it takes to build a successful blog for your home business?

One of the things I did last year, as the taxes for my home business become more complicated, was finally hire an accountant to take care of tax preparation. Perhaps the most useful home business tax tip is to have someone else figure your taxes. Chris Bibey at the Tax Center offers this regarding your taxes:

As a new small business owner you may feel pressured to wear many hats. Of course, there are some things that you will do well and others that you will need help with. One area in which you may need help is with taxes. Do yourself a favor and hire a certified public accountant to assist you from day one.

I found that it is much easier to keep track of my income and expenses, and then have someone else take care of the taxes. The headaches, the time spent deciphering forms and trying to make sure I've got all the deductions and credits I'm entitled to just isn't worth it any more.

Yes, it costs $473 for the accountant to take care of the home business tax stuff. But the $350 it cost for the business tax return can be deducted on next year's taxes -- and I can use the time I would have spent to make more than what I pay the accountant.

When it comes to promoting your home business, there are so many ideas. But are you overlooking some of the tried and true methods that have been around for a little bit longer? Sparkplugging offers these 4 ideas you might be overlooking as you promote your home business:

1. Button and banner ads. This is old hat on the Internet, but it may not be a bad idea to give it another glance.

2. Social networking. Consider the "big boys" -- Facebook, MySpace and Twitter -- but realize there are other social networking opportunities out there as well (Squidoo is one).

3. Local articles. You can get offline and check out whether local publications accept submissions. A great way to establish yourself locally as an expert.

4. Local networking. Again, you can get offline to meet other home business folks in your area. But the Internet can help with this: Meetup.com is a great resource for finding local people to meet with in person.

Do you have any favorite ideas for promoting your home business?

As a WAHM, I am well aware that sometimes children can be tricky when combined with the whole working from home thing. However, there are 4 things I've found that can make the whole experience much better. Here are my top 4 tips for working at home with children:

1. Have an office. Whether you just partition off the back part of the family room, or whether you have your own room, it is important to have an office. This gets the idea across that you are working when you are in your office, and it creates a space for you that is your home office, rather than a mere part of your home.

2. Figure out a steady work schedule. I have a general work schedule. I work in the mornings. This schedule is pretty regular. This schedule not only keeps me sane, but it also helps my son -- he knows exactly when I'll be working, and when he might need to amuse himself.

3. Take a break to play with your kids. I've found that if I take 20 to 30 minutes to play with my son, he's much happier for the next hour and a half to two hours. Before he gets to the pestering stage, I suggest that we play a game together or go for a walk together. That way he feels loved and attended to, and I have more peace to work with.

4. Train them in phone etiquette. I schedule my calls and interviews. If I need to interview someone, I explain to my son that I will be on the phone, and that he needs to wait until I am off. We shut the office door (which is usually open), and he plays by himself. If he has been very good while I am on the phone, I make sure to praise him.

Do you have any tips for working at home with children?

When it comes to starting a home business, there are some qualities that it is important to have. These are issues that move beyond whether you have a good idea and whether you are good at marketing -- and whether you have the space in your home and the time to commit to working at home.

Over at Sparkplug CEO, Wendy Piersall offers 15 abilities you need to run a home business. Instead of listing all 15, though, I'd like to highlight 7 of my favorites, shared with my own thoughts:

1. Delay Gratification. That's right. You can't expect overnight success. And you have to be confident enough in yourself to keep going.

2. Discipline. This is about seeing a great idea through, rather than constantly moving on to something "new."

3. Take Risks. I like this idea. In order to be able to make it with a home business, you need to have a measure of risk tolerance.

4. Be Uncomfortable. Sales, leading, and just the difficulties of starting a home business can make you uncomfortable. But you need to be able to view discomfort as an opportunity to stretch yourself.

5. Ask for Help. You can't do it all on your own. You need to know your support network, and ask for help when you need it. (The flip side is that you should be willing to help others as well.)

6. Know Thyself. You really should know what you are good at and where you need help. This is important. It will help you more effectively structure your home business -- and delegate tasks that you are less effective at.

7. Persistence. You have to keep trying. Sometimes you fail. But do you have the courage to get back up again? It's easy to run a home business when things are going well. But do you have the grit to see your home business through the problems?

One of the items that gets talked about a lot for women with careers in the "real" world is the work life balance. For us work from home moms (WAHMs), however, it isn't always addressed. It's just assumed that if we work from home, we must automatically have a work life balance.

Tell that to my husband when I disappear into the home office for days if I have a big project.

In my opinion, it can be harder to find a work life balance when you work from home. At least when you're "out there" in the workforce, you can most likely leave your work at work. When you work from home, sometimes you are snatching at odd hours, trying to fill in the pieces. And the work is always there, always accessible, beckoning you to just finish the project.

So I've tried to make a conscious effort to take a work time out when I feel like there's too much work going on. Maintaining that balance is an important part of healthy relationships -- and a healthy life.

What do you do in order to maintain a work life balance?

One of the ways you can raise the profile of your home business, while making money, is to publish a book. It is possible in this day and age to self-publish a book, or even to sell only in ebook form. But if you want to self-publish a book, you can get insight into the process from Mary Emma Allen over at Home Biz Notes.

Mary Emma has self-published an anthology of children's stories and poems that she wrote. It is inspiring and informational to read about the process -- and it might help you if you are thinking of publishing a book.