Home Business

A question I often hear is 'How much should I plan on spending during the first year of my home business?". Obviously, that is a pretty loaded question. Every home business differs in its scope and offering. A franchise could run you upwards of $100k and a small network marketing business like, say Avon, may only run you a couple of hundred to get started. My rule of thumb when advising new entrepreneurs on a start-up is to always plan on spending MORE than you planned.

Why? There are things you will need for your business, like office supplies or marketing materials, which you may not account for when you first get started. For instance, maybe you bought a product starter kit for $150, which gives you the tools you need to start hosting home parties for a company like Pampered Chef. But what you didn't account for are the office supplies, display food, materials and business cards needed to successfully host every party. Things can add up pretty quickly.

To help you make sense of how to determine start-up costs, here are some great resources to check out:

• Start-Up Expense Calculator Tool from Entrepreneur
• Determine Your Start Up Costs
• Know Your Break Even Point..etc.
• Home Business Loans and Financing Options

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Marketing is what makes the world go round. Seriously -- everything from politicians to news media to businesses use marketing to try and get someone to change their behavior. Being able to master the skill of successful marketing will get you some amazing results -- whatever your objective.

I ran into this article and found it to be full of excellent and understandable advice. Laura Lake, About.com's Marketing Guide, has broken down the enormously complicated beast of marketing into 11 easily digest-able bites. She touches on things as basic as "what is marketing" to things like "how to create a 90 day marketing plan". If you have a home business or are in the world of marketing anything, take some time to read this excellent resource...Read more.

More Suggested Reading:

• Marketing 101
• Guide To Create a Successful Website
• Guide To Getting Customers

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Working from home as a writer is a lot of fun. It is also incredibly flexible because you don't have clients calling or customers who may need you during the day. You can pick your perfect schedule and you get paid to create thoughts on paper. Does it get any better than that?!

Whether you are an experienced writer who has already taken paid gigs or or a great writer with no professional experience, consider applying for a work-from-home freelance writing spot with About.com. About.com is a New York Times Company and offers over 900 different topic sites. There are always opportunities available to write as an expert Guide for a new or existing website. If you have experience in a topic area, writing skills and an enthusiastic voice, consider joining the About.com team. Right now there are many writing spots open. Here are just a few of the Guide topics available:

• Autos - Car Tech
• Food - Australian & New Zealand Food
• Home & Garden - Rugs & Carpets
• Finance - Retirement Planning
• News & Issues - Middle East Issues
• Health - Urology
• About en Español - Celulares [Cellphones], Computadoras Mac [Mac Computers], Email, Música mexicana [Mexican Music], Muebles [Furniture], Ropa para niños [Kid´s Fashion], Zapatos [Shoes] & Parques de diversión [Amusement Parks]

To see all the available writing positions, learn more about what writing for About.com is all about or apply to write for About.com, visit this link: http://beaguide.about.com/

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My last blog post painted working from home as a very rosy picture. I won't lie, there are many wonderful reasons to start a home business or telecommute from your living room. But, in all fairness, there are also some reasons why this situation could really suck for you.

If you aren't exactly a disciplined individual or you enjoy the social aspects of employment, working from home could prove to be disastrous -- especially if you already invested some money into the situation. I would implore you to take some time to investigate all the pros and cons of working from home. Check out these 10 reasons you should NOT work from home...

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Image (c) Steve Wisbauer/Getty

At one time or another, nearly everyone has wondered whether or not working from home is a good idea. Whatever the reasons pushing you into that mindset, it is important to consider all angles before making a decision. Many successful companies have been born from a home business and many individuals have been able to better balance the needs of their family because of a work-from-home situation.

If you are wondering whether or not you should work from home, consider these 10 reasons you should!

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Sure, you may think this doesn't have much to do with home business, but it actually does. Heck, a girl's gotta eat and so do you. Creativity comes from a satisfied and full tummy, so yes, this new food app has EVERYTHING to do with home business! (Alright, that might be a bit of a stretch, but I think the app is cool and want to make sure you had a heads up.)

Depending on how avid an "About.com-er" you are, you may or may not know that About.com has over 900 websites dedicated to just about everything in the world (i.e. Action Figures...). Many of the most successful websites and topics revolve around cooking and recipes. That is why About.com decided to create an easy-to-use iPhone application dedicated to helping you feed those in your life (including yourself).

Powered by About.com, Real Recipes (for iPhone and iTouch) gives you the kitchen tools you need, including thousands of recipes with reviews and ratings, your own personal Recipe Box, step-by-step tutorials, and customizable food timers and alarms. You also get free access to the Recipe Spinner, which finds the perfect recipe for you in seconds.

...and did I mention the app is free? Download the app now and start cooking -- heck you may even get good enough to start a catering home business!

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Image (c) About.com

Just because you left corporate America in favor of working from home, doesn't mean you have to give up all the comforts of a good office. Your environment is proven to have an impact on your work output and quality levels. Most people do not have an entire room to devote to their home business, however, these tips can apply to any size space -- even a closet! Here are three steps to help you take charge of your home office:

• Step 1: Planning You Dream Home Office
• Step 2: Selecting Home Office Furniture & Equipment
• Step 3: Setting Up Your Home Office

How important to you feel a great home office is to the success of a home business?

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Thanks to the accessibility of the Internet and the advances of affordable tools, anyone can sell anything online. If you are just getting started on your site or are ready to take your ecommerce to the next level, consider these excellent resources from About.com's expert, Ajeet Khurana:

• Ecommerce Marketing: The basics of an ecommerce focused marketing plan
• Affiliate Marketing: How to design an effective affiliate marketing plan for your online business
• Referral Marketing: A simple comparison between referral marketing and affiliate marketing

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Image (c) Danilo Rizzuti/www.freedigitalphotos.net

Time is money, there is no doubt about that. Are you using yours efficiently?

In hopes to save you time AND money, here's a running list of some of the many free or affordable home business tools you should consider using for your business:

• 5 Online Email Marketing Tools
• 4 Affordable Mobile Credit Card Processing Tools
• 7 Affordable or Free Logo Making Tools
• 5 Inexpensive Online Time Management Tools
• 5 Home Business Accounting Tools
• 8 Free Online Image Providers:

Have I forgotten something? What tools do you use for your home business?

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Image (c) Siede Preis/Getty

About.com's Online Business guide, Bryan Haines, recently highlighted a very interesting company called oDesk. You need to know about oDesk because it could possibly help you with your work-from-home dreams. oDesk offers the world's largest, most comprehensive and fastest-growing online workplace. According to oDesk's website, "more online work happens on oDesk than anywhere else on the web. In 2011 alone, businesses posted over a million jobs and contractors earned more than $220 million."

If you are interested in something as simple as data-entry work or as complicated as website development, consider using oDesk to search for, and find freelance work you can do from home. To learn more about oDesk, check out this interview Bryan conducted with oDesk CEO, Gary Swart...Read more.

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Logo (c) oDesk