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Top Summer Business Ideas

March 31, 2010 By 2 Comments
Starting a Home Daycare: Where to Begin

A few weeks back there was a job fair at the zoo close to us and my mind starting wondering. How great it would be to spend the beautiful summer days enjoying the sunshine and fresh air, while still making money of course. This week’s Work at Home Wednesday is dedicated to spring and summer businesses you can get started on right away. (Sure, you may not be working at HOME but you will still be your own boss!)

Dog Walking – What better way to earn extra cash and get into shape this summer than by walking your neighborhood pets. Print up some door hangers or flyers to drop off with your neighbors and you are in business.

Lawn Care – Chances are you have a few busy folks or elderly people in your neighborhood that could use some help in maintaining their yards and gardens. Offer to mow, weed flower beds or plant gardens.

Cleaning Service – My sister-in-law has her own cleaning service and is constantly turning people away because she has no room for more clients. She also makes a very good living. Have your clients supply their own cleaning supplies to keep your overhead even lower.

Window Cleaner – If you are even more ambitious when it comes to cleaning, offer to do windows. This job gets dropped to the bottom of everyone’s To Do List. Who wouldn’t want to hire someone else to take care of it?

Painting – Indoors or out, spring is the time we want to rejuvenate our homes. If you have some skill when it comes to painting, have your client buy the paint you bring the brushes.

These are just a few ideas, but let your mind wonder. What skill or passion do you have that can make you money during the spring and summer months?

Filed Under: Home-Based Business Ideas Tagged With: , ,

When Freelancing and Affiliate Marketing Combine

March 30, 2010 By Leave a Comment

I believe it was about a year ago when I first started hearing buzz from other Virtual Assistants that they were starting to delve into affiliate marketing. This wasn’t being done as a way to replace their VA business, rather a way to earn additional revenue from their recommendations.

The concept is simple and really a no-brainer when you hear it. As a freelancer, there is always certain software or applications that you prefer to work with. When a client comes to you for a recommendation, you tell them what you work with and pass along your affiliate link.

For example when a client would come to me needing a newsletter set up, Aweber was the product I was using for most clients at the time. I would explain the benefits of that service and email them my link. When they signed up for the service through my link, I would receive a small kickback for my referral.

I also have a referral network with other service providers. If a client needs assistance in an area that I don’t specialize in, I have a list of other trusted individuals to refer them to. They in turn give me a flat fee or percentage of contract for each new client I refer to them. I do the same for these providers as well. If they send someone to me, I pay them a percentage for their recommendation.

As mentioned previously in my posts, there are affiliate programs available for almost anything under the sun these days. If there is a product you use and are regularly recommending to your clients, see if they have a referral program. You may be surprised at the programs available for the recommendations you are already making.

The marriage of freelancing and affiliate marketing is a simple one. They compliment each other well and affiliate marketing is easy to implement into your routine. At the end of the day, you will be working smarter not harder!

What recommendations are you making to clients that you would like to find an affiliate program for?

Filed Under: Running an Online Business Tagged With: , , ,

Email Autoresponders

March 29, 2010 By 4 Comments

Starting my online business with a limited budget left me searching for affordable options anywhere I could find them. I tried a few free autoresponders when setting up my list only to be sorely disappointed. I even let my list go for quite some time due to my discouragement. Then I gave AWeber a try.

AWeber lets you build multiple lists, set up HTML and RSS to email campaigns, automatically takes care of sign-ups, unsubscribes and bounce backs, and tracks everything for you.

Additional Autoresponder Features

In addition to the basics noted above, AWeber also gives you additional autoresponder features. It has templates, signup forms for your website, email authentication and many others. The most important feature in my decision-making process was the WordPress Plugin and third-party integration features. With so many of us using WordPress for our websites and blogs, Plugins are an added benefit any blogger can appreciate. And let’s not forget Facebook integration! Fan Pages are a must-have for any business with an online presence, why not give your Fans the option to signup for your newsletter without ever having to leave your Page?

Best Free Autoresponder Software

When it comes to Social Media Marketing integration, AWeber has it all. Whether it’s for your website, blog, Fan Page, sending your GoToMeeting invites, AWeber can do it. It will even tweet a message when your newsletter goes out. It’s made my life a lot easier and renewed my enthusiasm in my own list building endeavor.

Click here for a $1 one-month trial of AWeber.

Filed Under: Online Business Tools Tagged With: , , , ,

HP Learning Center – More Free Online Training

March 25, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Today will be a short post as I attended a one-day workshop yesterday and didn’t have much time for getting today’s blog posts ready. In keeping with my current blogging schedule, today is Thirsty for Knowledge Thursday. I’ve got another freebie for you!

HP Learning Center is another no cost online training resource. They offer several courses focused on the home office and home business. A few available that pique my interest right now are Networking 101, Improve Your Personal Networking Skills and Adobe Photoshop.

They also have courses available in digital photography, Microsoft Office software, and beginner social marketing. Another area of interest is technology and kids. They have three courses available; elementary, middle school and high school students. I don’t have any children, but these may be of importance to those who do. There are a few courses in the Migrating to Windows 7 arena, which may come in handy for me in the near future.

They have the option to search by How-To Videos, which are quick tips of 5 minutes or less, and Quick Lessons, which are approximately 20 minutes. This is a good option if you only have a few minutes and you want to make them productive.

Hop on over to HP Learning Center and see what you can find to improve your self and your small business. Come back and let me know what you learned. I will give you the full rundown of my one-day workshop next Thursday. It was a-ma-zing!

Filed Under: Internet Business Training Tagged With: , ,

Home Business in Freelance Transcription Services

March 24, 2010 By Leave a Comment

This week’s Home Business Niche is freelance transcription. As this is a service I offered for some time in my VA business, it is something I feel comfortable chatting about. I am hoping to get some more guest bloggers lined up to educate you in other niches. (Come ladies, don’t be shy.)

Transcription is a service that I haven’t seen much decline in since I started my Virtual Assistant business in 2007. Internet Marketers need their webinars transcribed. Coaches want their workshops on paper. Some bloggers prefer to dictate their posts. Many lawyers prefer to dictate letters and meeting notes and get them transcribed by someone else (this was always my favorite). A lot of industries need and want this service, which is why it is always in demand.

When I started my Virtual Assistant business, I was starting from scratch and from scraps. There wasn’t much expendable income lying around for formal training. I was this close to taking out a loan for transcription training and backed out at the last minute. Instead I educated myself. It was a time-consuming process, but I did it.

If you have a computer, strong typing skills and good grammar, chances are you can start a general transcription service. It takes very little, if any, startup. Most of what you need you probably already have or can download for free.

The painstaking part was learning formatting, the different types of transcription, etc. Luckily, Loretta Oliver has written an eBook, Transcription Crash Course, on starting a transcription business offering general and legal transcription.

She covers what you need and what you don’t (this question has as many answers as there are transcriptionists), the different types of transcription and how to choose which service to offer, where to go to make you life easier and most importantly where to find work. Loretta is a transcriptionist herself, so she knows the ins and outs of the business.

She offers her eBook for $17 with a 60-day money-back guarantee. Included are bonus resources in communicating with your new clients, time management and how to handle the seasonal lulls in your business.

The only complaints I have about Transcription Crash Course is that it wasn’t available when I needed it. But, that’s the story of my life… It also made me want to consider adding this service back into my VA business, but I slapped myself back into “specialize, not diversify” mode. :)

What niches are you interested in learning about? Are you a woman entrepreneur in something other than Virtual Assistant or direct sales consultant? Contact me if you would like to share your story.

Filed Under: Home-Based Business Ideas Tagged With: , , , ,

How to Prepare a Home Business Budget

March 23, 2010 By 2 Comments
how to start a business budget for a small company

Just like personal finances, it is important to have a clear picture of your home business income, expenses and goals. When it comes to bookwork of any kind, I am a horrible procrastinator and would prefer to keep my head in the sand about money.

As my business is looking to make a lot more income this year and we just finished up my corporate taxes, I decided it was a good time to hand over the dirty work to my husband. For some crazy reason, he likes planning a budget so I let him. With the advice from my tax preparer and his plan, these are the categories we covered:

Expenses – We mapped out the expenses it takes to run my business from month-to-month. I have webhosting, internet, phone, membership fees, etc that have to be paid on certain dates throughout the month. He calendared everything out for me and calculated what it costs to run my business every month.

Income – I have several clients and most are a set amount of income each month. Others are variable, but usually bring in around the same amount. Like my expenses, he calculated where the money is coming from and when.

Goals – As I am anticipating more income this year, I also know I need to keep my tax liability down as much as possible. In the goal category, we included that additional income and slated it for some new equipment and training I need. This income will be kept separate from the rest and as it reaches a certain amount it will go for the things I want and need to build a bigger business.

Keeping on Track – Since it does me no good to create a budget if I’m not going to stick with it, we will now sit down every month and see how everything is going (no matter how much I kick and scream). Budgets can be adjusted easily, so don’t worry that having it on paper somehow means it is set in stone. If your expenses, income or goals change, adjust your budget accordingly.

Do you have a business budget? Do you feel it helps keep you on track and motivated?

Filed Under: Online Business Tools Tagged With: , , , , ,

Home Business Tax Deductions

March 22, 2010 By Leave a Comment
business expenses

When you start your home business, it is imperative that you keep good records. You not only need to track your income, but also any and all expenses you have throughout the year. Today I thought I would share a few of my favorite expenses to keep your tax liability down.

Corporate taxes were due last week, which meant I got to spend a couple hours with my favorite tax preparer. While I truly like her, tax day is always one of my least favorite days of the year. That’s one reason I always put it off until the last possible moment. To be completely honest, any accounting at all makes me cringe. In fact, I turned over my business books to someone else at the beginning of the year. I can’t stand bookwork.

Finding a good tax preparer is one of the best things I have done for my business. It took a few tries to find a good one, but she has been a lifesaver for my business. She is not afraid to rough me up a bit about what I need to be doing. And trust me, I get scolded every year.

My big downfall is spending money. I am a penny-pincher from way back. I want to keep all my money and she wants me to spend it. I have come around to her way of thinking, as I would rather spend my money on my business than give it away paying taxes. Here are some good ways to invest in your business and keep your tax liability low:

Training, Education and Seminars – I’m investing more into this goodie in 2010.

Membership Fees – your local Chamber of Commerce, online professional sites, etc.

Mileage – I’m horrible at this, but make sure you track your mileage when going out for supplies, client meetings, etc.

Postage – Mailing postcards, client thank you cards, business bills, etc.

Office Supplies – printer paper, ink and so on.

Office Equipment and Software

Advertising – those nifty business cards we talked about a few weeks ago, brochures, fancy stationery, postcards, etc.

These are things you are probably already spending money on, so be sure to keep track of them. Every little bit helps. If you start panicking every time you open your wallet like I do, please don’t. Sometimes you have to spend money to make money. And sometimes, you have to spend money so you don’t have to write big checks to the government every year.

What’s your favorite business expense?

Disclaimer
This blog presents general information. I am not a tax attorney or tax preparation specialist. Refer to IRS publications and refer questions to your tax consultant.

Filed Under: Working at Home Tagged With: , ,

Feedback Friday

March 19, 2010 By 2 Comments

Happy Friday, everyone. I wanted to take a few minutes today to respond to feedback I received on my posts throughout the week.

1. Free webinars – Loving the free webinars these days and it seems a lot of you are interested in them also. I try to pass them along via twitter as I see them, so if you are not already, feel free to follow me @thewahwife.

2. Affiliate Marketing – There are so many ways to make money with your blog. If you are interested in doing reviews, another great site to check out is Social Spark. I haven’t used it, but have heard good things.

3. Vista Prints – If there are a lot of things you want to order for your business, check prices with both ordering them all at once and with ordering them one at a time. They always seem to have stuff “free just pay shipping,” so maybe ordering one thing now and one thing next week will save some money.

I love all the comments I have received this week. Keep them coming! I am here to help however I can.

Filed Under: Working at Home Tagged With: , , , , ,
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