Visit the Shaks

Yahoo recently posted an interesting list: The happiest jobs in America. According to Yahoo, the top 10 jobs belonging to the happiest people are:

10. Airline pilots/navigators
9. Industrial engineers
8. Mechanical and repair
7. Science technicians
6. Actors and directors
5. Special education teachers
4. Architects
3. Travel agents
2. Firefighters

And the #1 happiest occupation is CLERGY.

As you might guess, for most of these jobs, compensation isn't the main factor in determining contentment. And I thought of that in terms of my freelance writing. I could make a lot more money with my home business, but then I wouldn't have as much time with my son. And that sort of defeats the purpose of working from home.

Do you like your job?

Videos featuring Hitler in modern technology situations, from Twitter to to XBox Live, have been on the Internet. And now there is one addressing the real estate bubble and housing market crisis.

Happy Friday!

Many people in home business like to gift holiday gifts to clients. It can get expensive, but there are ways, in these times of economic and financial uncertainty, to create thoughtful, simple gifts on your own. Get Rich Slowly offered 34 ideas for do it yourself holiday gifts, and here are the few that I think are especially appropriate for a home business:

1. Homemade truffles.
2. Made from scratch cookie kits (I did this last year for neighbors).
3. Gift basket.
4. Homemade hand warmer, scarf and/or hat.
5. Personalized calendars.
6. Stationary sets.
7. Teacup candles.
8. Handmade cards.

Do you have any ideas for holiday gifts from your home business?

One of the issues plaguing many right now, small business, home business or independent contractor, is the fact that hours are being cut, and another round of layoffs is on the way. This makes things increasingly difficult in terms of how much workers are expected to produce as this economic downturn continues.

And, unfortunately, they aren't getting paid for expected increases in productivity, reports MarketWatch:

Workers' real compensation has fallen over the past year, suggesting that workers were not able to demand greater wages to offset the higher prices they paid for energy and food. If employees don't get raises to match the increase in prices, the inflationary spiral is severed.

I am a self-employed freelance writer, but that doesn't mean I'm not seeing some of the effects. One of my regular clients has significantly cut back on the amount of work he has for me. Which means I am trying to make up for it elsewhere. And, I'm sure that home business and small business owners are scrambling to find ways to protect their employees AND the bottom line.

In this economic climate, however, I don't know how effective those efforts will be.

Today is Election Day. And it is important to exercise your civic duty/right and head out an vote.

Both Barack Obama and John McCain claim to be best for small and home business, but only you can decide who will best serve your interests. So, if you didn't vote early, head to the polls today and cast your vote.

However you like.

I loved this when I heard it sampled on NPR. I thought it extremely funny: More "proof" that Barack Obama is a communist.

Happy Friday!

On days like today, I am rather forcefully reminded that there are no sick days when you work from home. There are still deadlines to be met (especially at the end of the month) and decisions to be made. I love to work from home, but it would be nice to be able to take a sick day.

And, of course, every SAHM, WAHM and WOHM (and most dads, too) knows that there are no sick days for you when you have kids. So there's been homework to help with along with the fact that I've been fuzzy and distracted all day.

I'll get it all done. But it may take a while.

With social media and social networking finding an increasing place of prominence in the world of home business, people are starting to redefine their relationships. I mean, thanks to Facebook, I'm "friends" with people I've never met.

If you are looking to grow your home business network, though, it can help to know the difference between contacts and connections. Here is a definition of both from a posting on Sparkplug CEO:

She said that contacts are those people who you may have talked to or met once and you know each other but not well. A connection is a person who you have a mutual solid relationship (more so as a friendship) with and a person you can count on as a resource.

I like these definitions. They set up some relationship boundaries, and provide workable definitions that can help you in your social networking efforts. The goal is to turn contacts into connections who can be used as resources. And, of course, in the reciprocal world of social media, you are expected to act as a good connection as well.

One of the most difficult things for those of us working from home is knowing when to quit. Most of us do not have traditional working hours. We just sort of do things when we can. And sometimes we get caught up and forget to stop working.

This is one of the curses of working from home: You can get just one more article done or put together just one more cute handbag to ship out from an order at your eBay store. In fact, there's always something to be done, and the fact that your work is also at your home means that it can be tempting to just do it.

But, like a more traditional job, sometimes it is important to just step back and assign yourself a "quitting time." Just because you work at home doesn't mean that you always have to be working.

"We're trying to develop this community that can get stuff done," Barry Krusch tells me. "It's real world business practice that can also advance the economy." Krusch is one of the founders of the Intelligent Community Initiative. The idea is to connect business people -- and small and home business people could benefit from this a great deal -- with others who can help them find the resources they need.

I really like the idea behind this initiative. It seems like a good way to get things moving right now, as well as provide valubable resources to people who otherwise would not have access to a certain level of expertise in a variety of areas. The Initiative could help you with market research, press releases, software analysis and more.

In an email, Krusch fleshes out some of the benefits of the Intelligent Community Initiative:

Through its Business Incubation and Facilitation Division, the ICI will provide
a network for businesses that are integral to (and support) the community. A
not insignificant benefit to this approach is that more tightly linked businesses
and individuals beholden to their bonds in the community require much less governmental
intervention. The ICI plan radically reduces the need for government regulations
that limit efficiency.

This is a fundamentally different approach to what we have today, enormous banks
using the government taxpayers’ funds at a time when the economy is already depressed.
If we stay married to this paradigm of screwup and bailout, we will become more
dependent on the government instead of more self-sufficient.

Krusch admits that the iniative isn't quite there yet: "We've got this blueprint, and there are people who are contributing and working to build it up."

But, if it's not there yet, I hope it will be. It certainly looks worthwhile.

What do you think? Is this something that would be useful to you?

One of the things irking many small and home business owners is the lack of attention that they get in presidential politics. NJ.com offers this on its blog:

"Small businesses are the lifeline of the economy," said Cynthia Nannen, who owns a gift shop called the Back Door in downtown Somerville. "And it wasn't until the last debate that small business was even mentioned in this campaign."

It is true that small and home business owners haven't been seeing a lot of play in this election (or any election for that matter). And neither candidate appears to be overly concerned by the really small business -- the businesses that have less than 100 people. Most of the time, a small business in the minds of candidates, is one that has less than 500 people, but more than 100 people. For many of us, the small business is a home business with just one person -- ourselves. That's true for me.

For these folks, then, it is important to look at individual tax policies, since in many cases what you make from your home business ends up being taxed as personal income. And, of course, it is time to make yourself heard and demand attention from politicians.

I love The Office. I'm glad its back on again. Anyway, enjoy this look at The Office as a crime drama.

Happy Friday!

One of the things that I've been thinking about lately is aging. Now, I'm really not old at all, but as 30 approaches, I start to reflect. And I've been watching my mom complete her college degree and start a job as a teacher at the age of 53.

As the Boomer generation ages, and our definition of retirement and what a "senior" is changes, all of this is going to apply to the home business. Ideally, one would think that working from home is ideal for someone who is aging. But is it?

And what are the effects your age will have on your home business?

This month, over at Home Biz Notes, those very issues are going to be explored. I urge you to head on over and join the conversation.

I am TIRED. Mainly because I went to bed sometime between 10:30 and 11:00 last night and then got up at 4:30 this morning. One of the great things about working from home is that you can set your own hours. One of the bummer things about it is that if stuff has to be done, it has to be done.

Even if you have to get up at 4:30 a.m.

And I did. It's fast approaching the end of the month, and I have plenty to do. Which means that I need to do it sometime. But with a family to juggle and company staying in the house, I have a much more limited schedule than normal.

So it's up early.

Are we ready to get serious about truly fixing the economy? Or do we just want a $700 billion band-aid?

Happy Friday!

My devotion to The Office (and waiting for the season to start on the 25th) continues in this week's Friday Fun Video. Plus, I get to combine it with my devotion to Batman.

This. Is. Awesome.

Happy Friday!

I think it is fitting to remember certain dates, and observe them. 9/11 is one of those for me. I think it important to honor the losses and sacrifices of others. I hope that if I am ever called upon to personally face such a thing that I can rise as magnificently to the occasion as thousands have done before me.

So this morning I have reserved some to reflect and consider.

Do you observe 9/11?

I love The Office, and so you get to see some more fun from that show. I just bought Season 4, and I am watching it regularly -- in preparation for Season 5.

Happy Friday!

One of the difficulties of working from home is that so often the schedule changes. This is true when school is out for the summer, and your kids are home more. It becomes true when they go back to school. And because my husband is still at university, our schedule changes every semester.

So, sometimes it is a little difficult to get everything done that I would like to. And there are days when maintaining anything that resembles a set schedule is an impossibility. But I suppose that's what makes working from home so appealing. It's a little more flexible than working outside the home.

Do you ever have scheduling issues? What are they? And how do you resolve them?

Sometimes (not during the summer, when my son is with me), I feel lonely here in my home office. When I worked in a more traditional office, I was never lonely. I had co-workers and clients to speak with.

Now, though, sometimes, when my husband is at school/work and my son is at school, I feel occasional pangs of loneliness. Sometimes I feel loneliness when my husband and son are at home -- loneliness for a little female interaction.

One of the main advantages of working outside the home is that you have people to interact with on a regular basis -- people who know where you are coming from because you have similar experiences with the same job. Even if joined neighborhood women for a gab session while the kids play, I find it hard to relate to them. I'm the only WAHM in the bunch.

So, I like to look online. I look for other WAHMs, and "chat" with them. And, every now and again, I take a  "lunch break"  and meet my aunt for some quality, face-to-face girl time.

What do you do when the home office gets lonely?

Image credit: Vmenkov

Many people are rather excited about the Summer Olympics. I must admit that I, for the most part, only watch the swimming events. Sometimes I watch soccer with my husband.

At any rate, there are all sorts of lessons to be learned from the Olympics, and some of them are even relevant to your home business. Here are five things that Brandie Kajino, at the Home Office Organizer, has learned from the Olympics:

1. Nothing replaces hard work.
2. Winning with your friends around rocks.
3. Life isn't always fair.
4. Everyone has a story.
5. We really can all get along.

I would also like to add that the Olympics inspires me with stories of persistence and dedication. Many athletes participating in the Olympics have admirable stories of persistence in the face of overwhelming odds, as well as dedication to see their training through. Both are traits needed for a successful home business.

Are there lessons you are learning from the Olympics?

By now, you probably know about the flap concerning John McCain and his using Paris Hilton in a campaign ad. (He used Britney Spears as well.) And you might have even seen this response.

But I love it. Paris is *totally* protecting her brand.

Happy Friday!

Yesterday I got a rather unpleasant surprise. Here in Logan, public school offers kindergarten for only 2 1/2 hours a day. This got me thinking about how much I had been counting on the public school system to help me out with creating work time for my home business. After all, the private preschool my son had been attending was 3 hours long. I expected public kindergarten (when I went to K, it was 4 hours) to be at least that.

Not so.

Now I am considering private kindergarten, pulling my son out of public kindergarten, so that I can get my work from home stuff done. This summer has been murder on my work schedule.

Do you think I want too much from public education?

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?

I really enjoyed this video, especially since I just got back from a rather distressing day of travel (following two weeks of visiting at my in-laws').

Happy Friday!

Sometimes it is nice to know where to go to find support and resources when you are a work at home mom (WAHM). One Web site that I find occasionally useful when looking for other WAHMs, or trying to track done leads for gigs, is WAHM.com.

The WAHM.com job listings can help you get started looking around the Web for jobs, and also offers some great advice as far as avoiding work at home scams:

* Don't pay to "get started" or "get information" or "learn a program"  or "buy software" or pay an "application fee." A legit work at home job does not charge you for you to work. Don't pay other people for the work you do!

Do you have work at home resources that help you on the Web?

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?