Today’s home offices are busier than ever. Gone are the days when all we needed was a writing desk, small filing cabinet and a few envelopes and stamps. Many home owners now have separate home offices, outfitted with computers, printers, fax machines, copiers, scanners and more.
How is your home office doing? Do you have a clear desk, comfortable seating, good lighting and a place for everything? Or is it an overwhelming cluttered space, full of papers and unidentified objects? Home offices need not be disorganized, boring and sterile. Even an office situated in a basement with poor natural light can be transformed into a bright and cheerful environment with good lighting and decorative accessories.
Before you get started on improving your home office, it is important to identify all of the activities that take place in there. Are you simply paying a few bills, filing some statements and sorting mail? Or do you also like to use the space for your children to do homework, browsing on the internet, sorting photographs and wrapping gifts? If you are running a home-based business, it’s important that you try to keep it separate from your household office, even if it’s just in another area of the room.
For your home office to function properly it should be comfortable, with functional and ergonomic furniture. It should also be free of paper clutter. Invest in office organizing products to keep paper clutter at bay, so that you can enjoy your office, instead of fearing it! I have listed a few of the typical activities that take place in today’s home offices. If you also run a home business, it is imperative that you have the necessary office supplies and equipment to run your business efficiently. Use this as a guideline to help you to organize your space:
Sorting Mail & Paying Bills: Purchase an organizer with slots, trays or cubbies to divide up bills, mail, envelopes, stamps and address labels. As soon as a bill comes in, place it into the appropriate slot immediately!
Tip: A mail organizer with a small drawer for stamps and small office supplies will keep your desktop neat.
Accessing Office Supplies: Your everyday office supplies should be kept at arm’s length on your desk or in your desk drawers immediately!
Tip: Avoid messy drawers by purchasing compartmented junk drawer organizers.
Checking Your Schedule: Place a monthly calendar on the wall so that you can quickly view upcoming events.
Tip: Use a magnetic dry erase message board to write brief notes and reminders.
Dealing with Action Items: You might feel more comfortable keeping your action papers on your desk in a “neat” pile, for fear of losing or forgetting them. Unfortunately, papers left out can be easily misplaced or even accidently thrown away. There are many different options available for organizing your day-to-day papers, including desktop trays and step-up files. Consider your options and invest in organizing products that will work for you.
Tip: Spend a few minutes each day reviewing your action files on your desk.
Filing Papers: A file cabinet is essential for storing important documents and statements. If you do not have a cabinet, consider purchasing a file crate or file box. Stackable file crates are convenient, affordable and take up minimal space. In addition, a fire-proof safe is recommended for important documents, such as birth certificates and passports etc.
Tip: Make copies of all important personal and household documents and store them either off-site or in another part of your home.
Looking up Telephone Numbers: A manual or electronic rolodex is a handy tool for quickly accessing contact information.
Tip: Keep the local telephone directories handy in case you want to look something up quickly. They can be stored in magazine holders or on a durable letter tray near the phone.
Handling School Papers: If you have school aged children, set up a system to handle all of their incoming and outgoing school papers. Try a portable hanging file holder, file crate, file cabinet or wall pockets.
Tip: Show your school aged children where they need to place their school papers each day.
Using Technology: Identify the equipment you need for your home office. If you have space and budget constraints, but would like to have it all, consider purchasing a multifunction printer, with an integrated copier, scanner, fax machine and photo printing capabilities. You’ll save space, time and money.
Tip: Consider purchasing a fax/printer organizer with drawers and/or trays to hold paper and office supplies.
Finally, don’t be afraid to decorate your office! This is not a corporate office, so decorate it as you wish. Use color and accessories to liven up your space. This is your space, so make it one that you will love to be in!
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Monday, May 25, 2009
How an eBay Store Can Boost Your Business
Author: Angie Sandy
Set yourself apart from your online auction competition with your own unique eBay">http://www.auctionaddons.com/category_1/eBay-Store-Fronts.htm">eBay store design. Angie Sandy is a Certified eBay Store Designer and owner of Auction Add Ons, your source for making the most of your online auction business.
If you're already selling on eBay or are thinking about it, you might be wondering if an eBay store give your business an edge? Absolutely! eBay makes expanding your business, and of course your profits, an efficient and straight forward process. Best of all, eBay provides a wealth of tools, tips, and resources to create a profitable store - a store that will increase your business traffic, broaden your audience, and increase that all important bottom line.
Here are just a few of the benefits of having your own eBay store.
Increase Awareness
eBay currently reports more than 84.5 million members worldwide. That's a huge audience that other online auction sites just don't have. Now, of course not every member is going to be interested in your products however tapping into this audience will help you reach a targeted group of people who are interested in your products and services and an eBay store will help you reach them.
Increased Traffic
Driving traffic to your eBay store couldn't be easier. As a store owner you receive a unique URL and home page. This storefront and URL is customizable, which makes it easy for you to consistently brand both your eBay store and your online business.
Store owners also receive an email newsletter function, which is crucial for being able follow up with your customers and to get them to buy from you over and over again. A basic store owner can send 100 email newsletters each month. Search tools, cross promotion tools, and assistance with print products like business cards and flyers are all provided by the eBay team specifically for store owners.
Beyond the Basic Store, Featured and Anchor store owners receive promotional dollars which they can then use on the eBay keywords advertising program. It's an option definitely worth looking into.
Store pages. Each store receives a number of pages for their site. These customizable pages include an "About Me" page, policies and procedures, sizing and order information, and an FAQ page - helping you create better customer service and confidence from your buyers.
Great Return on Investment
A Basic eBay store costs $15.95 per month and offers a wealth of resources including payment and fulfillment tools and resources via PayPal.
You can easily save time, and money, with eBay's automatic re-listing feature for store owners. This tool lets you set listings for 30, 60, 90, and 120 days or "Good 'til Cancelled. If you're worried about the high cost of insertion fees, it isn't a problem. As a store owner, insertion fees start at $0.02 for 30 day listings. The maximum you'll pay is $0.08 for 120 day listings. Best of all, your insertion fee covers up to 1000 items.
eBay is a wonderful resource for internet entrepreneurs looking to grow their business. It costs very little to get started and eBay offers an abundance of tools and resources all designed to help you sell more and grow your business. If you plan to sell a large amount of goods on an ongoing basis on eBay, an eBay store is definitely worth looking into.
Set yourself apart from your online auction competition with your own unique eBay">http://www.auctionaddons.com/category_1/eBay-Store-Fronts.htm">eBay store design. Angie Sandy is a Certified eBay Store Designer and owner of Auction Add Ons, your source for making the most of your online auction business.
10 Ideas to Create a Successful Craft DIY Business
- Take the Leap.
I think the most important advice is, you'll never know if you don't try! Have you got passion? Do you enjoy what you make? Have people complimented you on your items? All very good reasons to just give it a go.
The number one reason most craft businesses never make it, is because their owner is too scared to take the plunge, too scared of failure. Don't be! If failing is the worse thing to ever happen to you in your life then you're pretty darn lucky :P - Do some ground work
You have to be passionate about your business. Try to get out of the head space of just items on a table at a market. Try to get into the head space of a larger corporation. Start looking at all those larger companies out there that millions buy from each year. What is there image, what colours do they use, what is there brand name? Start a folder with a bunch of clippings that you can go back to over and over.
Also start a savings fund, although start up costs can be relatively small, there will be a point where some extra money may be critical in advancing your business - Start thinking about your own name
Brainstorm for some catchy names, ask family and friends for input. Make sure the name is short, catchy and easy to remember. Also make sure that when you google it, a hundred other names don't come up, because you'll end up having to try and compete with all those other names already out there! - Start thinking about your own image
Who are you planning on selling too? Start thinking about the colours you would like to use, or the look of your logo. Look at your competitors sites, what have they done that you could imitate from? If you're confident in design, create your own, or if not, do a search for a graphic designer to help you out. There are some inexpensive graphic designers out there who can offer you a design logo package for under a 100 dollars. If that seems expensive just remember that the logo design will be yours for life :) - Build up stock
Make sure you actually have enough things for people to buy from. Nothing worse than having only a few items! - Photograph your items!
It doesn't matter if you only have a cheapest digital camera, as long as you've learnt to use macro and utilise natural sunlight, you can really create some fabulous results. Start looking around at your favourite craft sites, why are they your favourite? Often a big reason is how well, presented their products are. Start paying attention to the background. Have they used a white background or maybe something more fancy?If you do a google search on light boxes, there are some easy cheap tutorial out there for the hand-made variety. This will heap to achieve a natural light upon your products
- Start writing product descriptions
When you start to write the description, it's useful to picture your target audience in your head. Perhaps you knit shawls and your target audience is in the older generation bracket. Imagine who your average customer would be and as your writing the description imagine you're talking directly to her about why she should buy it. Don't just list colour, size and materials (although these are very important) but list why it's good, and what would be in it for the customer if they bought it. Again check out how other successful sites do it. - Make sure you do all the boring things!
It's the least favourite part but you have to make sure you're registered as a business and you have programs in place to keep in track of expenses and orders (for tax purposes) Staying ahead of it at the start will save major headaches come tax time! - Set up your shop
Maybe you have a large budget and can afford to have your own website, great! But if you're not in that category why not try a site like etsy.com. It allows you to create your own little shop space. It's a great alternative and you'll be able to build up a customer base from and perhaps start saving for your own site. - You could be giving away 100 dollar bills, but....
If nobody knows you're out there, whats the point? You have to get the word of mouth out there, start with family and friends and tell them to pass on the word to other people. They'll be the most keen in the start to help you out! Add your site's link to your email signature. This will be sent out at the bottom of every email and is a nice friendly way of getting the word out there. Wear your products everywhere, people will comment on how pretty something is and then you can let them know about your site! Contact craft blogs and let them know about your site. Send out samples and press releases to magazines. There are so many ways to advertise on a cheap budget and you only need to do a quick Internet search to find many more!
Never see your mistakes as failures, for really they are just another opportunity to really learn and remember, you'll never know if you don't give it a try! Most importantly, good luck!
A Few Web Design Elements You Should Avoid Having on Your Site
As a web designer, you should design your websites to give your visitors the greatest ease of use, the best impression and most important of all a welcoming experience. It doesn’t matter if you had the greatest product in the whole world — if your website is poorly done you won’t be able to sell even one copy of it because visitors will be driven off your website by the lousy design.
When I’m talking about a “good design”, I’m not only talking about a good graphic design. A professional web designer will be able to point out that there are many components which contribute to a good website design — accessibility design, interface or layout design, user experience design and of course the most straightforward, which is graphic design.
Therefore, I have selected some features of the worst web designs I’ve come across. Hopefully, you will be able to compare that against your own site as a checklist and if anything on your site fits the criteria, you should know it’s high time to take serious action!
What have you done for your business today?
Wrote By Our Mom 2 Mom WAH Member Olivia
Every day is a new opportunity for your business. Meet someone new, find a new advertising method, stumble across a new networking avenue. There is always something you can do everyday that is not always the same.
Before you say you can't do something everyday lets ask why? You committed to building a business. With that commitment comes sacrifice. Nobody likes to sacrifice but it is a necessary element when building a business. As a WAHM you do not have less sacrifices. As WAHM you may have more.
Sending out a website link is simply not enough. Sending out an ad is not enough. You have to actively interact with potential customers and close a sale, book parties, educate, network. When you think you have done enough, do more. Learn to effectively market your business. Marketing is more than advertising. It encompasses the overall strategy for success. As Yoda would say "Do or do not, there is no try".
Add value to yourself and ditch the sympathy and pity sale. Pity sales are those where you point out how you are needing money. This only tells people your business is not successful. It doesn't matter the reason and understanding. If you make no money, you are not succeeding. Steer clear of the guilt sale while you are at it. These are the sales that forces another into a sale because you "helped" them out so now its your turn. This is not harsh, this is reality.
So back to the original question, what did you do for your business today? No excuses. If you did nothing, own up to it and move on. Don't make a habit of it. Become a self-starter and self-motivated. As a WAHM working for yourself you have nobody telling you to get back to work. You are the boss now.
Every day you must do something for the good of your business. You cannot succeed doing nothing.
Lost for ideas? Comment and ask others. Have ideas? Offer advice to those seeking them.
Olivia Vidal
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Your Image Means Everything
Written By Our Mom 2 Mom WAH Member: Olivia
In the WAHM world we come across women from all walks of life. One thing that never changes in the professional image we expect from a business. No matter whether you are the frugal mom trying to help provide for your family or the seasoned owner building the bigger and better business, your image is everything.
When we speak about image, we are not always talking about the physical sense. We will talk about the physical sense though. For now this is more the details in which we operate our business. This can start with your website and end with your business card and everywhere in between.
As a WAHM myself I am far more forgiving than the neighbor down the street seeing and hearing about what you have to offer for the first time. Because of this, you need to think in the shoes of a customer purchasing from a business no matter the size. Here you have a specific standard and want nothing less. Being the business owner (as a consultant you are also a business owner) you can't expect your customer to be understanding of you being the WAHM and excuse a less than expected image. Your customer feels the same about you as they do about any business and is not going to lower the standards just because you are a WAHM. This is the harsh reality and why it is so important to focus on this area.
If you can only spend money in one place for your business, make it your business cards. Get high quality glossy cards. Do not make your own here. The cost is cheap because they quality is cheap. Now that sounds brutal but amateur printing sets the tone for an amateur business. If your first set of business cards has to be done at home, keep it simple, keep production small. Upgrade ASAP though. Another sign of amateur is ordering free cards and advertising for that company stamped on the back. These things do not sound important and you may be told by several close to you this is OK but think about a multi million dollar company doing this. No you are not a multi million dollar company but you are a business and should show the most professional abilities available to you.
Now you may think these costs are too outrageous just starting out. As the old saying goes - it takes money to make money. You just need to plan well. Before starting any business, you need to have a plan and part of that plan includes a financial budget. In your budget you should include marketing. Business cards and such are part of this category. If you started your business before planning, it is not too late. Break out that notebook I am always talking about. Start working out a plan.
Previously we talked about goals. This is another reason why goals are so important. You need to know where you are going and how to get there. Advertising and your image are part of your goals. In your notebook you should already have jotted down an idea of where you want to be financially. For you to make a profit this month after paying for products and services, business suppliers, advertising, what number have you given to make that happen? We will get more into budgets in the future but for now you need to keep these in mind. Having that goal and knowing how to get there allows you to follow a course and not just stumble your way there.
Another big no no but a common project is printing your own catalogs on standard paper. Not only do these bleed through, crease easily, they look terrible no matter how clever your attempts. Many times there is an obvious printing margin set by your printer that looks out of place and shows you printed these items. Now this does not mean never do it. You can explain you printed them a catalog so they can see the products and you will be sending them your normal catalog soon. If you must print your own, create a border that looks like it belongs, use a nice card stock or specialty paper (available at office supply stores), don't go overboard with unnecessary graphics.
If you don't want to take my word for it, look at those who are making a good living doing what they do. Are you getting flimsy business cards and self made catalogs? Are you getting cheap flyers that bleed through due to double sided printing? Are they crinkled because of wet ink?
Another part of image we forget is our fun profiles. We sign up for social networking sites for business or pleasure but we forget others are watching even the personal pages. Those sexy pictures that lead to an active imagination are not the pictures you want your clients to see. They may not be actively looking for them but may stumble upon them. If you must share these, make them private and not available openly in public areas. Another is watch your language. In a fun atmosphere you feel free and let the words flow but those words can portray a very unsavory business person and turn people off. Not to say you shouldn't let loose and enjoy but watch how much you partake in and how far you take it.
Never show up to a party in a t-shirt and jeans. It is inappropriate. If you must wear a t-shirt wear khaki slacks and business casual shoes. Not tennis shoes. Jeans and a t-shirt should be reserved for athletic activities not parties. Keep hair clean and simple, jewelry simple, makeup appropriate, tone down the perfume (some are very sensitive), shoes always clean.
There is always somebody watching. They watch how you run your business, interact with others, how you dress. Everything. Nobody wants to deal with someone unprofessional. Don't give anyone reason to not want to do business with you.
Olivia Vidal
© 2009
http://sochicbagboutique.com/
In the WAHM world we come across women from all walks of life. One thing that never changes in the professional image we expect from a business. No matter whether you are the frugal mom trying to help provide for your family or the seasoned owner building the bigger and better business, your image is everything.
When we speak about image, we are not always talking about the physical sense. We will talk about the physical sense though. For now this is more the details in which we operate our business. This can start with your website and end with your business card and everywhere in between.
As a WAHM myself I am far more forgiving than the neighbor down the street seeing and hearing about what you have to offer for the first time. Because of this, you need to think in the shoes of a customer purchasing from a business no matter the size. Here you have a specific standard and want nothing less. Being the business owner (as a consultant you are also a business owner) you can't expect your customer to be understanding of you being the WAHM and excuse a less than expected image. Your customer feels the same about you as they do about any business and is not going to lower the standards just because you are a WAHM. This is the harsh reality and why it is so important to focus on this area.
If you can only spend money in one place for your business, make it your business cards. Get high quality glossy cards. Do not make your own here. The cost is cheap because they quality is cheap. Now that sounds brutal but amateur printing sets the tone for an amateur business. If your first set of business cards has to be done at home, keep it simple, keep production small. Upgrade ASAP though. Another sign of amateur is ordering free cards and advertising for that company stamped on the back. These things do not sound important and you may be told by several close to you this is OK but think about a multi million dollar company doing this. No you are not a multi million dollar company but you are a business and should show the most professional abilities available to you.
Now you may think these costs are too outrageous just starting out. As the old saying goes - it takes money to make money. You just need to plan well. Before starting any business, you need to have a plan and part of that plan includes a financial budget. In your budget you should include marketing. Business cards and such are part of this category. If you started your business before planning, it is not too late. Break out that notebook I am always talking about. Start working out a plan.
Previously we talked about goals. This is another reason why goals are so important. You need to know where you are going and how to get there. Advertising and your image are part of your goals. In your notebook you should already have jotted down an idea of where you want to be financially. For you to make a profit this month after paying for products and services, business suppliers, advertising, what number have you given to make that happen? We will get more into budgets in the future but for now you need to keep these in mind. Having that goal and knowing how to get there allows you to follow a course and not just stumble your way there.
Another big no no but a common project is printing your own catalogs on standard paper. Not only do these bleed through, crease easily, they look terrible no matter how clever your attempts. Many times there is an obvious printing margin set by your printer that looks out of place and shows you printed these items. Now this does not mean never do it. You can explain you printed them a catalog so they can see the products and you will be sending them your normal catalog soon. If you must print your own, create a border that looks like it belongs, use a nice card stock or specialty paper (available at office supply stores), don't go overboard with unnecessary graphics.
If you don't want to take my word for it, look at those who are making a good living doing what they do. Are you getting flimsy business cards and self made catalogs? Are you getting cheap flyers that bleed through due to double sided printing? Are they crinkled because of wet ink?
Another part of image we forget is our fun profiles. We sign up for social networking sites for business or pleasure but we forget others are watching even the personal pages. Those sexy pictures that lead to an active imagination are not the pictures you want your clients to see. They may not be actively looking for them but may stumble upon them. If you must share these, make them private and not available openly in public areas. Another is watch your language. In a fun atmosphere you feel free and let the words flow but those words can portray a very unsavory business person and turn people off. Not to say you shouldn't let loose and enjoy but watch how much you partake in and how far you take it.
Never show up to a party in a t-shirt and jeans. It is inappropriate. If you must wear a t-shirt wear khaki slacks and business casual shoes. Not tennis shoes. Jeans and a t-shirt should be reserved for athletic activities not parties. Keep hair clean and simple, jewelry simple, makeup appropriate, tone down the perfume (some are very sensitive), shoes always clean.
There is always somebody watching. They watch how you run your business, interact with others, how you dress. Everything. Nobody wants to deal with someone unprofessional. Don't give anyone reason to not want to do business with you.
Olivia Vidal
© 2009
http://sochicbagboutique.com/
Getting Started on Etsy
Author: Angie Sandy
Set yourself apart from other sellers with your own Etsy">http://www.auctionaddons.com/category_26/Etsy-Items.htm">Etsy logo design. Angie Sandy is the lead designer and owner of Auction Add Ons, your source for making the most of your online selling.
Have you been looking for a way to sell your handmade goods online? Do you currently have a business website but long for more traffic and a larger customer base? If so, Etsy may be the answer. Etsy is an online marketplace dedicated to handmade products.
Opened in June, 2005, Etsy now represents more than 100,000 artisans from around the world - each artisan selling their handmade goods, crafting supplies, or vintage items with their own Etsy store.
Why Sell on Etsy?
·Etsy store owners receive their own customizable store, a URL to link to and drive visitors to, and an abundance of marketing tools and resources to build awareness and of course profits.
·Etsy is easy for both buyers and sellers to utilize. Store owners can customize their shops without the need for programming skills or knowledge. PayPal is the payment processor of choice so payment and fulfillment are easy for both customer and buyer. Etsy also offers sellers several pages including policies, profile, favorites, feedback and a custom request form so you can set your store apart from the others.
·Getting started is free! Much like eBay, Etsy makes money by charging a small listing fee and a 3.5% sales fee.
Your First Step to Selling on Etsy
Step one for selling on Etsy is to register for a seller account. This requires you to provide the typical information which will include your name, address and such but will also include adding a credit card to your account. There is no charge to sign up however your credit card will be used to pay for your listing and transaction fees and is therefore a requirement to signing up as a seller.
Make sure when registering your username that it accurately represents you. Your username will be your URL. For example, yourusername.etsy.com. If your username is difficult to remember, type, or doesn't relate to you or your business, it will be more difficult for customers to find you.
Making the Most of your Etsy Store
There are simple strategies and tips to follow to make your Etsy store as successful as possible. These tips and strategies include:
· Generate positive feedback. Like the feedback system on eBay, Etsy provides buyers the opportunity to leave positive, or negative, feedback. The better your feedback rating, the more confident customers will be to do business with you.
· Do your research. Spend some time finding out what other sellers, especially your competition, are doing on Etsy. How much are they charging? What payment options and procedures do they utilize? What can you do better to both attract and keep customers?
· A picture is worth a thousand words. Would you buy a sweater, candle or piece of jewelry without knowing what it looks like? Probably not and your customers won't either. Take good pictures of your items, from all angles, and show your customer how wonderful your products are.
· Describe your products accurately. A detailed product description will help sell it and if you happen to have a knack for creative and entertaining catalog copy then by all means use it. Share your item's story, engage your customer, and make them want to share the experience by buying your products.
· Categorize and tag your products. Etsy offers tagging features and categories. Utilize these features to make finding you and your products as easy as possible for your potential customers.
Whether you're selling vintage clothing, crafting supplies, or one of a kind homemade items Etsy is the place to sell them. Their continued growth rate, ease of use, and highly targeted audience make it an ideal place to sell your wares and grow your business.
Set yourself apart from other sellers with your own Etsy">http://www.auctionaddons.com/category_26/Etsy-Items.htm">Etsy logo design. Angie Sandy is the lead designer and owner of Auction Add Ons, your source for making the most of your online selling.
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