Once Upon a Porch Swing

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Small Business Revenue

Intuit recently released a new report showing the health of small businesses. The report found that small businesses in the technology, scientific and professional fields have revenues that exceed pre-recession levels. Health care and social assistance businesses had a small drop in revenue but only beginning in 2011.

Overall, Intuit found that small businesses are slowly recovering from the recession, which is good news for home-based businesses.

How's your business? Let me know by using the contact form on my website and I'll post the results in an upcoming blog.

Until next time,
Sarah

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Work-From-Home Job Spotlight: Copywriter

Each Thursday, I’m highlighting a work-from-home job or business.

Job Description: Copywriters write advertisements and marketing pieces to promote the sale of a product or service, working with a client to craft ad jingles, slogans and themes.

Education: A bachelor’s degree is necessary, plus applicable work experience.

Skills: The ability to develop promotional pieces that will motivate customers to purchase the product or service.

Job outlook: U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) finds that “employment of writers and authors is projected to grow 6 percent from 2010 to 2020, slower than the average for all occupations. … Strong competition is expected, given that many people are attracted to this occupation.” Check out the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook for more details.

Possible employers: Check out leads on job postings on the websites of the Professional Copywriters Association, the National Association of Independent Writers and Editors and Writers Access. Craig’s List and other job boards could furnish leads as well.

Preparation: Join the Professional Copywriters Association for additional training opportunities.

Get your foot in the door: Consider volunteering your services for a local nonprofit group to generate a portfolio plus possible contacts with local businesses.

Testimony: From her St. Louis home, Rebekah Matt writes direct marketing and advertising copy for health sciences publishers that sell professional references to doctors, nurses, veterinarians, dentists, and allied health professionals. She spends five to fifteen or more hours per week, depending on the workload and time of year, as some months have more mailings than others.

“Finding uninterrupted time is a challenge. I’ve trained myself to do quite a bit in tiny increments of time,” she says. But she loves working from home. “I don’t believe I could ever work in an office again—I’m spoiled!”

Until next time,

Sarah

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Content Creation

Finding content to post on your blog, website or social media can be a daunting task for anyone, but especially for small businesses. In "5 Ways to Create Dead On Content," John Jantch gives some pointers.

Questions. Think of things your customers have asked you about your business. Or perhaps brainstorm with some friends about what questions come to mind when talking about your business. Then create content around those questions.

Other blogs. Subscribe to other blogs via RSS feeds and see what's being talked about in the small business or home-based business worlds. You might find interesting topics to cover from a fresh perspective.

Publications. Newspapers, magazines and other publications can have news or feature stories that would make a great jumping off point for a blog or other content.

Bookmark Sites. Sites like Reddit and Delicious let you see what others are bookmarking. That might spur some creative thoughts for your own content.

Intentional reading. Look at books or articles with a purpose in mind. In other words, if you're thinking about dog training, read books related to that topic, such as dog training manuals, and tangential books as well, such as human behavior manuals or how to train people to be leaders.

These five points should help jumpstart your own content planning.

Until next time,

Sarah

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Work-From-Home Job Spotlight: Sewer

Each Thursday, I’m highlighting a work-from-home job or business.

Job Description: A sewer sews various articles of clothing or household goods, such as bedspreads and curtains, for clients. Sewers also alter clothing.

Education: None necessary.

Skills: The ability to sew.

Job outlook: U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) finds that “Employment of sewers and tailors is expected to experience little or no change, growing 1 percent from 2010 to 2020.” However, “job prospects should be best for highly skilled workers who have experience.” Check out the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook for more details.

Possible employers: Ask if you can put up signs advertising your work at dry cleaners, especially if you offer alterations. Contact fabric stores about posting information on their community bulletin boards. Consider offering classes teaching sewing to expand your client base.

Preparation: Join the Association of Sewing and Design Professionals. The association also offers certification to become a master sewer.

Get your foot in the door: Offer a special price to first-time clients in exchange for testimonials you can put on marketing materials, such as postcards, flyers and your website.

Testimony: Carolyn Wayland of Midlothian, Va., sews around 25 hours per week making window treatments. “Even though I have a master’s degree in another field, sewing has been a great ‘fit’ for our family,” she says. She loves being able to fit her sewing projects into her daily activities. “I still go to my weekly Bible study, grocery shop, etc,” she says. Carolyn finds the schedule, money, and the satisfaction of seeing projects completed as some advantages to working from home.