Forum Moderators: LifeinAsia
I often see people posting questions about "where to find jobs" and how to promote yourself.
How many of us are there that always have work and the work finds us?
>> how wonderful it is that I don't have to miss these simple moments (kids)
Amen! That's what it's all about.
The good news: When it snows, I don't have to drive to work or wait for a bus in a blizzard.
The bad news: When it snows, I'm the one who gets to shovel the sidewalk. :-)
True - but when I traveled to work I had to do this (and the driveway) anyway so I'd be out there at 6:30 with the snowblower and shovel. Now at least I get to do it a few hours later after a morning run. As long as I get to it before my wife has to leave for her job (she owns the restaurant so it's not too bad).
Re: kids - it's the primary reason I've severely reduced my hours working for someone else. My daughter is 2.5 and I only have a few more years before she'll be all grow'd up. *sniff* Gotta make everyday count.
I run my store from home, after I get off from work and on weekends.
I admire those who sell $80,000/month. If I reach that point, I will work full time home.
I sometimes stay up till 2:00am, as I need package stuff and take to post office next day lunch time. I feel tired sometimes and lost some social life as I am working both for someone else and myself.
I like to work for myself full time if I can sell $80,000 ;-)/month
I like to work for myself full time if I can sell $80,000 ;-)/month
When I quite my job and came back home I had monthly sales of $12,000 to $20,000. You just need to make that leap... pay your bills (maybe) and eat mac & cheese for a month if you need to.
If I could do it all over I would have quite when monthly sales were $5000 per month. At that point, I knew the business could work - everything else has just been follow-through and determination... mixed with screw-ups.
EDIT: Corrected punctuation error.
thanks for your response. I read your msg again. It seems your sale jumped from $15,000-$20,000 to $80,000/month in 10 months time (From Jan 2003 to now).
My current sale level is about your starting point when you started working from home. How can I jump to $80,000 in 11 months? That is a great challenge.
All the best ....
How can I jump to $80,000 in 11 months? That is a great challenge.
I keep adding more product lines. I have 3 product categories now - jewelry, health and outdoors (real general here). Each category has many products. I currently have 3 merchant accounts to handle the different products, but I am working on consolidating it to 1 account (have to careful of chargebacks). Systems, systems, systems... I can't overemphasis the need for a solid system. I have the same opinion for sales and marketing script. Do NOT write the same crap that your competitors have... be different in as many aspects of your site as possible. Heck, I talk openly about the cons of my main product and if people feel uncomfortable purchasing it at that point I direct them to my #3 product.
I am not worried about how I can fit dissimilar products into 1 site. I build multiple sites with each site selling much of the same, but each site is also different in what it sells and what methods I use to sell. A couple of sites are product specific in that they only sell 1 product (they rank very well). I change marketing and sales methods on a regular basis and track the results. For advertising, I am currently using Overture, Adwords and LS. I have not yet expanded into other marketing areas.
I am about to add another product category that according to my research should give me an additional $40,000 to $60,000 in sales each month (maybe more).
(I am also looking to manufacturer this last product line myself. If this works out, I will likely drop the other categories and stay with just this one because my profit margins would be incredible.)
If I were in your spot again, I would look for a product line that was completely different from what I currently sold. I would keep my currently product sales steady and market the new product. Don't neglect the old product, but just concentrate your marketing on it. When it gets to $15,000 (or whatever), pull back and work on marketing *both* product lines at a steady pace.
The above is what I have done and it worked for me. Of course there were *many* problems, but just keep at it.
...my first order on my very first product was for $300 worth of product (and that was stretching the budget). That was a year ago in September.
Anyway, I noticed a few people talking about the problem with meeting clients. It was already mentioned that you could meet at your client's workplace or a coffee shop. In addition, there are companies that run small business office centers (not really sure what the right name is). They're basically a conference room or two and a receptionist to answer the phone and schedule the meeting rooms. You can choose just to use them for meetings or to handle telephone/snail mail/fax. If you have a lot of clients bugging you to meet at 'your place' then it's worth looking into.
Good for you woop01
Ditto that. Best of luck, hope you enjoy the new found freedom to do what you want to do.
TJ
My wife and I had our first kid back in April. It was great to be able to go to all the obstetrician's appointments and to be here and see all the changes over the past 7 months. I was actually the first one to see him roll over--my wife was in the other room.
Working at home gives a new meaning to "casual Fridays", too!
About the only two problems with working at home are:
1) You're never at work.
2) You never leave work.
It can be tough to segregate your work time and your home time.
Michael
I was considering to move and work from different countries. Several companies sell an airline ticket for around $5kUSD that lets you travel anywhere you want in the world for one full year. Since all I need is a laptop and internet connection to work, and the cost of living in most places is lower than the United States, I thought of it as an adventure.
Have any of you tried somethinglike that? What are your thoughts?
..when I do, I go to the office to meet the other guys ;)
As for the other job, I do everything from home...
anybody listening ....just kidding :-)
Regards,
Pravin
But until that happens I guess I'll have to wear my pants to work.
Cameron
Do I miss working at home?
Yes :) - I miss the slipper commute and showers at noon ha! I miss jumping to my machine at the moment of inspiration… home laptop is just not the same as my workstation.
Good news, when our Baby is born this April, I plan to work from home for a few months. Should be fun! Keyboard in one hand and Baby in the other whooo! I can’t imagine.
Annnnnywaaaaay
I believe working from home has its advantages however only if you are working for your self and that you have the motivation to work.
If I had staff I would prefer to have an office, have everyone together, share ideas, build together and help each other produce good work.
When all the staff are working at home its difficult to keep track of work progress, time management and efficency.
Us webmasters had the advantage of being able to work anywhere, with a laptop, internet connection and our knowledge.
I used to work in a restaurant decided enough was enough, studied web design, seo and php programming. Most of my projects are my own work however this year I'm producing projects for others :)
Working at home is a real comfort, but I do find that getting up in the morning is harder and I do tend put things off more then before.
If I had to be in an office maybe I would push harder to get the job done as it needs to be done in that time and not at home.
Working from home can also make you feel isolated but then it can help you relax and be more productive.
I think working from home only works with certain types of people who will sit down and work instead of making a cup tea every 2 minutes or switching the TV on etc. Too many distractions at home for some people.
All in all I like working from home, but sometimes I do miss going out to the real world and meeting real people :)
I found three problems to working from home.
First: I forget how long I've been working. There is no "quitting time". If it weren't for bathroom necessities I would probably be mummified in my chair. I have recently developed a "computer belly" softness. Still working on solutions to this one.
Second: Lack of social interaction. My solution is (work): extensive online collaborations (including now WebmasterWorld, thank you!) to discuss problems that arise and industry news. It is a relief to be able to rant to someone who understands; (off work): taking in every art and music event I can. The atmosphere and the people I meet keep mind and body whole.
Third: I found that I had to institute structure in my life. Horrible. A week without bathing, shaving, dressing, etc. is simply disgusting! So I now am in the habit of "going to work" bathed, shaved, and properly dressed (pants and shirt - no tie!) even if it is just "down the hall". Found that feeling good I work better. Spoils the image of a home worker though.
Finally: It beats commuting and cubicle life hollow. I occasionally do contract work out of clients' offices. Great reminder of why I do what I do as I do!
Yup. It's a requirement if you want to be successful.
I think it's very important to develop AND KEEP a healthy work routine. If you're single and not yet 30 - yeah, I can't blame you for not leaving your chair till 5am but I'm too old for that anymore - and all of you 20 somethings will be too. It's very important develop good work habits and nurture your health now before the bad habits catch up with you and wreck your health.
Discipline is the key. Determine the path you need to follow, build a daily routine, stick to it, and constantly monitor your progress against your plan. Consistent late night binges will catch up with you.
BTW -- I think it's a good idea to develop a business plan for anyone thinking of working at home - even if you don't plan to visit a bank for a loan. It just helps you layout the foundation for what you hope to achieve. And any good business plan should provide you with milestones to use for checking your progress.
First the idea, then the plan, then the business. All the time, everytime. No matter how small, no matter if only part time, without a business plan you might as well buy a lottery ticket.
Properly done it sets out how you will do what you want to accomplish, what you will need, and how to get there. It needs to be updated yearly so that as you are overwelmed by day to day business hassles the path remains clear.
Taking the thing to the bank is much less important than focusing your vision. The e-commerce bubble is proof of that.
Of course if you don't ... the rest of us will have less competition. ;)
Scary thought to me...but I still bite the bullet and just quit. ;)
C
I am in a similar boat to yourself, and if permanent work was still as reliable & dependable as it once was, the jump to self-employment would be hard. However where I work ft there are continual headcount chops, outsources abroad, and so on (am in UK) so I think the jump, when it happens, will be less of a wrench/scary prospect than maybe it could be. Here's hoping, maybe in the new year..
DoU
It is NOT a good idea, it is absolutely essential!
Working from home, being self employed, scheduling your own time for work and play is the best possible life anyone could ever wish for.....as long as you do it right;)
The best part about "working from home" in the technology environment is that you don't actually have to work from home!
If you feel like a few weeks in another country you simply pack up the laptop, underware (AKA work clothes), swim and party gear, and go enjoy yourself in a place where the sun is shining, the birds are singing and the alcohol is flowing :)
After 20 years in a corporate environment my first 2 years of "working from home" were a relief and somewhat enjoyable.....since then I feel the way Nelson Mandela must have felt the day he was released!
My only regret is that I didn't do it 15 years earlier.
Too many people end up back to working for someone else not because they can't make it out on their own, but because they just don't know how. They haven't sat down to figure out what works and what doesn't. Unfortunately, there's a lot more to being successful than just being good at what you do.
We work 60+ hrs a week to get every think done and then still studing for certs ...
[edited by: DaveAtIFG at 4:08 am (utc) on Dec. 6, 2003]
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