Home with the Kids Newsletter November 23, 2004

The Editor's Desk - From Beneath the Clutter
Feature Article - Don't Like Selling? A Home Business May Still Be For You!
What's happening on the discussion boards?
Guest Article - Separating Work From Work at Home
Free Offers
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The Editor's Desk - From Beneath the Clutter

What a fun weekend we had! Went to my sister's house on Friday and made a gingerbread house. The kids had a blast. Since they range in age from 2 to 4, we didn't go for artistic, we went for fun! My sister and I assembled the house, let the frosting dry, then plastered it with frosting and let the kids have a go at decorating it. It was loads of fun watching them all decide just how they wanted to place their candies, and amazingly little candy was eaten.

One of the fun things for me was spotting another good possibility for a good Christmas present for Gage. At 9 months of age, he has tons of hand-me-down clothes and toys, so telling people what to get for him hasn't been easy. But my sister's girls had a little doggie xylophone that he had an absolute blast with. I tried to email an Amazon link to my mother to tell her, but the doggie was gone, so I found a similar one in the shape of a tiger to show her. I think it's really cute. Nice part is that at this age you don't have to give him much. The wrapping paper will probably be the most exciting thing to him.

Shopping for Ariel is both easy and hard. She's 3, so basically she wants everything. So far she's asked for a flute like her oldest cousin has, a guitar, a rolling pin, a kitten, a soccer ball, a baseball and glove, all kinds of Dora and Cinderella stuff... you get the idea. It's the age of "I see, I want." It's figuring out what will actually hold her interest that's the challenge.

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Chocolate Dipped Fruit!
Perfect for a gift. Perfect for yourself.

Feature Article

Don't Like Selling? A Home Business May Still Be For You!

One of the biggest fears a lot of people have about starting a home business is that they will have to sell. They just don’t feel comfortable asking people to buy their products, join their opportunity, etc. If you feel this way, don’t worry! You may still do well in a home business.

This is because there are just so many opportunities out there that one is certain to meet your needs, interests and skills. You might even enjoy telling others about your business, and that’s one of the best ways to sell!

We’ll start today by taking a look at how this works in direct sales opportunities, as this is one of the most popular ways to start a home business. Direct sales opportunities typically have ways to earn both from your own sales and those of your downline.

Ok, so maybe selling personal or household products isn’t for you. When you read about direct sales, classic companies such as Amway and Avon probably spring to mind, but there are quite a few other companies, and a tremendous range of products you can sell… err, tell your friends how wonderful they are.

And that’s what selling can really be if you love the products. You aren’t pushing, you’re telling people how great the products are. It could be toys for your children that you sell or products for your kitchen. Just take a look at all the possibilities in the direct sales section of my site if you didn’t know what’s out there now. If your child loves the toy you just gave him or her, aren’t you going to tell friends who have children of a similar age? If you’re representing the right company this can come across very naturally.

Of course, direct sales is not the only way to go with a home business. You can use your skills to work for other small businesses, for example. In such a case you’re really selling your skills, even if you think of it as finding work.

These days you have one tremendous advantage that wasn’t there when you were growing up – the Internet! Creating a website is a great way to sell without feeling like you’re having to pressure or pester family and friends. And it really isn’t that hard. There are places such as Site Build It where you get tons of help in brainstorming and creating your site, or you can learn to do it yourself using an HTML editor and finding a host. Then all the challenges of selling move into the virtual world, where you may never even meet your customers face to face. Of course, this has it’s own challenges, but also an amazing range of ways for you to express yourself and be creative.

You’ll often hear people tell you that you “sell” things all the time, and that’s why you shouldn’t be afraid of entering into a sales opportunity. Talking about a movie you enjoyed can be thought of as selling the other person on seeing the movie. There is a certain truth to this. Enthusiasm for what you do, whether you’re selling a product or offering a service, makes a huge difference.

That may be one of the biggest secrets to having a successful home business. It’s not just how much you get paid to sell; it’s how good you feel about selling. Your enthusiasm shows that you believe in what you’re doing.

If you’ve been avoiding starting a home business because you’re afraid to sell, the time is now to find something that you can be enthusiastic about. Running a home business is hard work, and enthusiasm can be all that keeps you going some days. If you choose correctly, you won’t feel so much like you’re selling. You’ll be able to relax and focus on what really matters to you.

Stephanie Foster is the owner of Home with the Kids, a resource that knows that there's more to staying home with your family than just business. For more stay at home tips, visit the site at http://www.homewiththekids.com/ and subscribe to the free newsletter.

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Guest Article

Separating Work From Work at Home

In order to work from home effectively, you will need to establish some limits or rules which you, your family and friends can live with. You and only you can decide what it takes for the perfect balance. When those balance scales tip in either direction, you are going to be facing problems you might not have been prepared to deal with. Here are some tips for helping to keep the balance in your business and your home.

Work Schedule Being self employed gives us the opportunity to work flexible hours and set our own hours, however you must also remain disciplined enough to spend the time necessary to make your business go. You can't expect to just set up shop and then walk away from it. Any new business requires 2 to 4 years of hard work before you can begin enjoying the benefits of being a business owner. On the other hand, you can't work constantly and not expect your family to end up resenting you for it.

- Set up a schedule for yourself that will not be too stressful. If you don't follow a set schedule, you could be adding additional stress to your life instead of avoiding it by working for yourself. Be sure to allow yourself time for family, exercise, play and business. You'll find that by using an appointment calendar, you can easily plan for activities without cutting any area short.

- Working from home allows you to work late into the evening. This could cause work "burnout", so be sure to make up a realistic schedule and stick to it. Symptoms of burnout include lack of energy, unhappiness with your business, poor job performance, isolation, negativity and increased illness. Take time for yourself as well as your business.

Housework Keeping your home in order when you have a home office can be difficult. If you're a tidy person, you probably won't be able to just walk past those dirty dishes in the sink or that pile of laundry screaming your name during your work hours. Resisting the urge to clean up is a "learned response". It sometimes takes practice to be able to step over the toys lying in the hallway instead of picking them up and putting them in the kids' rooms. If you can't learn to do this, you will probably have a difficult time concentrating on your business because housework never gets done and stays that way.

This would be a good time to get your kids involved in the household chores. Try using a weekly Chore Chart. On the left side of our chore chart, write a list of things that the kids can handle doing on their own; cleaning their room, feeding the dog, taking out the garbage etc. Provide blank spaces for additional chores the kids do on their own without being asked. Each evening the kids check off which chores they completed and at the end of the week, tally up marks and hand out allowances. Plan on using some of your free time in the evenings or weekends for handling the work that can't or doesn't get done.

Family When you work out of your home, you need to make special considerations with your family and pets in relation to customers in your home.

- Make certain your children know that your work space is off limits to them. Your office equipment, files and supplies are an important part of your business and should not left lying around the house. If your office is in a separate area of your home, teach your children to knock on the door, especially if your door is closed.

- Be sure to let everyone know your office hours to minimize unexpected drop-ins during your work or personal time. Having a neighbor drop in for coffee while you're servicing a customer or holding an important business meeting looks unprofessional, not to mention it could be embarrassing for you.

- If you have pets in your home, try to keep them out of the area where you are working. Some people have allergies and others simply don't like animals. If you are expecting a client to visit your home office, make sure your dog or cat is kept away from them.

Simple scheduling can make a big difference when you work at home. By finding the perfect balance between work and family, you'll find that you are much more productive in your home business and your family will be a lot easier to get along with.

Kim Haas is a WAHM and Founder of http://Womans-Net.com, a popular online networking community focusing on working from home and women in business and Owner of http://Article-Host.com. To learn more about Kim, visit http://kimberlyhaas.com Copyright 2005

Free Offers

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