In the News

Usually I'm the one publishing articles, but this time I'm the subject of one. The Fairfax Connection interviewed me about my story in Chicken Soup for the Soul: Count Your Blessings. So if you're interested in reading a bit more about me, check it out: http://www.connectionnewspapers.com/article.asp?article=335567&paper=63&cat=104.

Until next time,

Sarah

Asking Customers What They Want

One of the biggest challenges to small-business owners, including home-based businesses, is finding out what your customers want. A recent article in USA Today gives some good tips on how to do this.

In a nutshell, simply ask your customers on a one-on-one chat what they like and don't like about your buiness. Give customers questionnaires to fill out and offer a freebie of some sort as an incentive. Also, hiring a telemarketing company or your teenager's friends to call a sampling of your customers for feedback on your company.

I'll tackle this topic more in-depth in an upcoming At Home News issue. Don't forget you can sign up to receive this free, monthly e-newsletter by clicking on the newsletter tab.

Until next time,

Sarah

Work From Home Numbers Grow

Yet another article about the growing number of people who are working from home, this time in the Wall Street Journal: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703819904574555710881471416.html.

The article tackles more at-home employment rather than home-based businesses. Kind of interesting the amount of telephone-answering type work there is out there, as well as medical-field work.

As always, be extra careful of scams, which are proliferating like bunnies. Ignore any email, ad, Internet site or phone calls that ask for money or personal information in order to receive job information or employment.

It looks like more and more companies will be exploring at-home employment options, so sharpen those skills and keep your eyes and ears open.

For more tips, check out my July 2009 At Home News that explores how to become a contract worker.

Until next time,

Sarah

Progress Report

So it's day nine in my quest to write a 50,000 word article and the writing bug has bitten me good. I have typed 15,000 words thus far, which is a great start.

But as I get into the writing, I find that I do not want to do other things. All I want to do is hole up downstairs in the office and write. It's hard not to be annoyed when the kids want or need something. But I have to be disciplined to make the most of every minute in order to accomplish my goal, which is what most of us have to do on a daily or weekly or monthly basis in order for our at-home businesses to succeed.

So I'm off to write a few more words before getting dinner on the table, that if my 16-month-old and three-year-old will stop grabbing my arms and wanting to be in my lap!

Until next time,

Sarah

Another November, Another Novel

Once again, November is nearly upon us and that means it's time for another National Novel Writing Month contest (http://www.nanowrimo.org/). I have my idea and I'm raring to go! Here's to writing 50,000 words in 30 days.

Until next time,

Sarah

Chicken Soup for a Rainy Day, or a Shameless Plug

So it’s a cold, rainy day, the third consecutive such day, and the children have been going a little stir crazy. It seems like the sunny days, they don’t want to play outside (not that they have a choice) and on the rainy days, all they want to do is play outside. Ah, the fickleness of children.

But all this rain has made me crave a cup of hot tea, a bowl of steaming chicken noodle soup, and a good book to curl up with, perferrably with one of my cats to warm my lap. Currently, I’m reading Charlotte Bronte’s The Professor for my next book club meeting.

If you’re looking for a little light reading, the Chicken Soup for the Soul series has two new books coming out this fall that feature a story from yours truly. Chicken Soup for the Soul: All in the Family (Oct. 20 release date) has heartwarming and humorous stories about families, while Chicken Soup for the Soul: Count Your Blessings (Nov. 3 release date) has stories about thankfulness in the face of adversity.

My family story centered around my experiences as a foster sister to the many foster children my parents took in over the years. I also shared our thankfulness for God’s provision after a huge tree nearly bisected our house during Hurricane Isabel.

So pull up a chair, pick up your favorite book, and sit back to enjoy a nice rainy day.

Death of a Book

I just received news from my publisher that they will not be reprinting Hired @ Home, which essentially means the book will officially go out of print and not be available for purchasing online or in bookstores.

Naturally, this news is very distressing to me, as writing a book is akin to giving birth. We plant the words on the page and water them sometimes with our tears, sometimes with our sweat. We carefully craft the flow of the book and send it off to the publisher to be transformed into something magical. We await with eager expectation the arrival of the book in printed form with high hopes that it will find its place in the world, that it will make many friends and find a good home in many lives. We follow its progress through the outside world. Will it find an audience? Will it succeed? Will those who read it find it inspiring and worthwhile?

Then the crushing news that, a mere 15 months after its arrival into the published world, the book is dead, a victim of rapid changes in Christian publishing and the retail world (according to the publisher). And you as the author are left with a choice: purchase the inventory and hope to somehow sell the copies yourself or let it pass into obscurity.

As of this post, I have no answers. I cherish the readers who have contacted me to say the book has made a difference in their lives. I still believe in Hired @ Home, but am mourning its death, at least as far as my publisher is concerned.

So I'm left with passing along the sad news to family and friends.

Until next time,

Sarah

How to Know When to Move Your Business Out of Your House

An recent article in Entrepreneur magazine tackles the question “Have You Outgrown Your Home Based Business?” Some of you might think that day will never come, but some might already be looking around and realizing that space constraints are making it harder to run your business.

The article outlines key indicators that let you know it’s time to find a new place to do business: product-based businesses that are filling your home to capacity and beyond; increased customer or vendor flow into your house; trouble separating work from home; and the need to hire employees.

Developing an “exit” strategy for your business before you need to move can help you make the transition from home office to an outside location. A commercial real estate agent can help you find the perfect office space for your former home-based business.

Until next time,

Sarah

Picking the Right Time

An interesting article in Inc Magazine talks about how for entrepreneurs, it’s never the “right” time to start a business. Juggling work and home life can be a struggle, especially when building a business.

“Balancing Acts: If Not Now, When?” discusses how running your own business can become a series of “not right” times or about postponing (fill in the blank). Check it out for inspiration to move beyond the “not right” into the “right now.”

Until next time,


Sarah

Russia Ball anyone?

Today, I taught my oldest child and one of her friends one of my favorite childhood games, Russia Ball. Why it’s called that, I have no idea, as there’s nothing inherently Russian about it. Basically, the game involves tossing the ball into the air and catching, with variations. It can be played with one or more people, which makes it a great solitary game as well as a fun group game.

I practiced Russia Ball for hours on my own as a kid. And, years later, I can still do it very well, if I do say so myself. So I got to thinking, does working from home and my childhood experience with Russia Ball have anything in common?

First, Russia Ball and working from home takes practice. Sometimes we catch the ball right away and sometimes we have to lunge to make the catch, only to miss the ball completely. Don’t be discouraged when you make a mistake related to your at-home work. Maybe you lost a client or maybe you had to put in extra hours on a project because something went wrong. You can do it, you might just have to go about it a different way than you had originally thought.

Second, Russia Ball and working from home takes patience. I had to develop patience with myself as I learned how to perform the routines necessary to perfect Russia Ball. Sometimes, we need a lot of patience when performing our at-home jobs. Be persistence and patient, especially when starting your business.

Third, Russia Ball and working from home takes persistence. Doing the same routines over and over again until I had mastered the skills necessary to play the game well took persistence. I spent many a summer’s eve outside banging the ball against the sidewalk in an attempt to “win” the game. That persistence is what’s necessary to be successful with your at-home work, too.

So when you’re feeling discouraged with your home-based business, take a minute to recall your favorite childhood game and the practice, patience and persistence you needed to perfect that game. Then use that memory as a way to encourage you to get right back into the swing of things.

Until next time,


Sarah

PS: If you're interested in finding out how to play Russia Ball, send me an e-mail through my contacts page and I'll send the instructions.

25 Million Freelancers and Counting

As a freelance writer and editor, I’m always interested in reading about how freelancing is growing in the United States. For instance, the U.S. Department of Labor reports that there are around 25 million freelancers in the country. Another recent survey finds that approximately 20 percent of employed Americans (one in five) work as freelancers or for themselves.

A recent blog on The New Entrepreneur (on Business Week’s Web site) talks about the “rise of the freelancer,” and how “freelancing is a permanent condition of our economy, not a temporary condition caused by the most recent economic crisis. … Freelancing has been on the rise for decades.”

The blogger writes that “these new freelancers have been celebrated for their independence and entrepreneurial spirit. They are the living example of Adam Smith’s economic actor. They live in the neo-liberal land of our new economy, beholden to no one and rising only by pluck and luck. There is no safety net, most labor laws do not cover them, and they have no benefits--only opportunities. They survive and thrive by their own wits.

“But freelancing is risky. The average freelancer takes no vacations, is scared of the future, and is always frantic to find the next gig. Freelancers do not balance work and family, instead they blend the two into a hybrid lifestyle. Much of the economic risk has been shifted to them and they feel it.”

I can personally attest to the difficulty in keeping my work life separate from my home life—and being a stay-at-home mother of four young children makes that a feat worthy of any circus some days! There’s the inevitable business calls around the lunch or dinner hour, especially since I often talk with article sources who live in different time zones. Nothing like a screaming toddler in the background to make you feel like a not-so-professional person!

But I’ve found most people have been very understanding of my work-from-home limitations, that sometimes there is that childish laughter or screaming when I pick up the phone (usually that starts after I answer, otherwise, I let the voice-mail pick up for me!). To me, this type of article is very encouraging, as it seems to point out the many opportunities there are for freelancers of every ilk and also how commonplace it is for a freelancer to call his office home, too.

Until next time,

Sarah

Health Care and Self-Employed Taxes

Recently, I came across this Business Week article ("The New EntrepreneurThe Self-Employment Tax: Into the Swamp") that talked about how the current health-care reform bills would impact self-employed workers who purchase health care. While I am covered under my husband's employer-provided plan, it was enlightening to read about the percentage the self-employed are taxed on healthcare premiums.

The article is also a very lucid description of how the self-employed (those who receive 1099 forms as contract workers) pay taxes. I highly recommend reading it--it certainly opened my eyes to exactly how my taxes are figured out and at what rate they are paid.

Check it out at http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/running_small_business/archives/2009/08/the_self-employ.html.

Worker, Beware

Once again, there's another article about work-from-home scams, this one in a recent Washington Times edition (http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/jul/13/ads-for-big-money-can-just-be-scams/). The article beings as follows:

"The ads are everywhere: in your mailbox, online or tacked to telephone poles in your neighborhood.

They all make similar promises. Earn big money! Work at home!

With unemployment at a 25-year high and even people with seemingly secure jobs feeling uneasy, it can be tempting to respond to offers to turn your computer into a cash machine or help you earn big money for doing simple tasks. There are some legitimate work-at-home opportunities, but there are also countless scams that could cost you money — and even get you into trouble."

Just a friendly reminder to thoroughly check out any job before committing to it--and especially if the company asks for upfront money!

Until next time,

Sarah

Blogging About Life

I've begun blogging about, well, life at StageOfLife.com under Raising a Family and Home Ownership. It's a relatively new site that has some interesting info, so check it out.

Until next time,


Sarah

Veggie Stories

This growing season, I have the opportunity to blog about my CSA (community-supported agriculture) and the bounty I receive each week for the Washington Post’s food blog. Along with others who are CSA members, we talk about that week’s produce and what we will or will not be doing with it. Check it out at http://voices.washingtonpost.com/all-we-can-eat/csa-scout/csa-scout-when-a-farm-needs-to.html.

Until next time,

Sarah

Is Now a Good Time to be a Contract Worker?

A recent Business Week article (“Now Hiring: Contract Workers?”) seems to indicate that more firms are hiring contract workers instead of permanent employees, which can be great news for those of us who work from home. May employment data shows that businesses are keeping or hiring contract employees while staying wary of hiring full-time workers.

Something to think about if you’re looking for ideas to work from home. I’ll discuss specific ideas relating to contract work in the upcoming July “At Home News” e-newsletter, which you can sign up for free by clicking on the newsletter button at the top of the page.

Until next time,

Sarah

On the Air, part 3

I'm on Woman to Woman radio this week and you can listen to my interview with Phyllis Wallace at http://www.womantowomanradio.com/default.asp.

Phyllis and I chatted back in February about the joys and challenges to working from home. I'd love to hear what you think!

Until next time,

Sarah

Pain and Misery Love Company

I had a scare last week when the left side of my jaw partially dislocated with a horrendous popping sound! I moved my jaw and another popping sound indicated the jaw was back in place. Both movements causing much pain and when I went to the emergency room (of course, this occurred on a Sunday!), I discovered that I had most likely stretched the ligaments around the jawbone and socket (TMJ). In layman’s terms, that means I had to eat soft foods and pray that the internal swelling would dissipate and my jaw would realign itself.

As I’ve had a week’s worth of soups and other soft foods (let’s just say my 11-month-old is eating crunchier foods than I am—and he has no teeth!), I’ve been reflecting on how the best-laid plans can go to pieces. Now, I should add that on top of my jaw discomfort, my kids have been sick and cranky, so my household hasn’t had the best week.

But what’s even more serious than that is how quickly my attitude goes downhill along with my physical discomfort and with the increasing whininess of my children. I couldn’t accomplish hardly anything on my lengthy to-do list.

It took me a few days to slow down enough to realize that perhaps this was my work this week—the cranky kids and my sore jaw. That I needed to focus not on what I wasn’t accomplishing from my to-do list but on what I could accomplish in relation to my children and myself.

So I tried being grateful for my aching jaw and for my children’s less-than-sunny dispositions. And I did just what needed to be done in regard to my freelance work, not what I wanted to be done.

I’m happy to report that just over a week later, my jaw is doing much better, my kids are finally over their illnesses and life in our home is nearly back to normal. That is, until school gets out next week.

Until next time,

Sarah

Jumping Into Summer

Our neighborhood pool opens tomorrow, and boy, are my kids excited! No matter that the water will be freezing, they can go swimming.

Summer might officially start June 21, but for many of us, Memorial Day heralds the beginning of summer. Summer is a wonderful time to take time to relax and let ourselves play hooky from work more often.

One of my summer goals is to plan some adventures with my children on a regular basis, remembering the adage that no one ever said they wished they had worked more. With careful planning, you can have a delightful summer and still accomplish all that you need to with your at-home business.

Until next time,

Sarah

Spring (Mind) Cleaning

Ah, spring is finally coming to Virginia. The birds have returned, the flowers are blooming, the trees are regaining their foilage. And my thoughts naturally turn to attacking those dust bunnies under my bed and other furniture.

When you think about spring cleaning, do not neglect to clear your mind. It might sound silly, but we all store junk in the far corners of our minds that need to get cleaned out every once in a while. Thoughts that need to be realigned, old habits that need to be rewired, those types of things.

By thinking of what's going on in our mind, we can kind of restart ourselves on a new path, a path that can lead to better relationships, better business practices and a better us.

So as you're cleaning your house and closets this spring, take a few minutes each day to think about cleaning out your mind, too.

Until next time,

Sarah

Ah, Spring!

The birds are returning to Northern Virginia, as the weather vacillates between warm and cold temperatures. With last Friday the first day of Spring, my four-year-old daughter informed me that she could go “bare toeses” now that it was officially Spring. Of course, Friday’s weather was nice and chilly, nixing the idea of going outside without socks or shoes. Perhaps next week if the weather cooperates.

With the start of Spring, my mind turns to spring cleaning, but working from home—and four young children—doesn’t leave a lot of time for more extensive tidying up. But I don’t want to completely forgo the yearly ritual, so I’m devising a schedule whereby each week, I’ll tackle one spring cleaning project. I’m hopeful that by breaking down the spring cleaning into manageable tasks, I’ll actually get everything sparkling before Memorial Day.

Use this time of blossoms and warmer temperatures to tackle those annual or semi-annual tasks that you put off over the winter. But don’t forget to take time to relax and enjoy watching spring unfold.

Until next time,


Sarah

PS: Check out my articles on eHow. You can search under my user name, seshva, to read my articles.

Tough Economy Good for Creating Home-Based Businesses

A recent USA Today article reported that recessions are gold when it comes to home-based businesses. The Small Business Administration (SBA) found that when in a recession, more people create home-based businesses.

During the previous recession of 2001-02, the U.S. economy dumped nearly 2.7 million jobs overall, according to the SBA. However, during that same period, new and existing businesses with less than 20 employees added 853,074 jobs.

Lean economic times also can be good for one-person businesses. The SBA estimates that 1 million more people launched businesses in 2003 than in 2002, a 5.7 percent increase. “The bulk of those are home-based businesses, such as consultants, people selling on eBay, independent contractors,” said Brian Headd, economist for the SBA’s Office of Advocacy.

“Hard times also seem to spawn many one-person businesses, more so than good times,” the article said. “Such businesses can be born out of necessity by men and women who lose their jobs or just need to boost their household income.”

So don’t use the economy as an excuse not to start an at-home business—now may be the best time to do so.

Until next time,

Sarah

Oh, Woe is Me?

With the economy in a recession, more families are scaling back on outsourcing jobs, such as canceling cleaning services, and are eating more at home. A recent Washington Times article relates that this spells out more housework for mom.

The article’s tone is “woe is mom,” with one source quoted as saying: “The list of things that people were outsourcing we're finding are coming back home. And when they do, they tend to fall on the woman.”

Apparently, women still do most of the housework, even those who are married. For me, this wasn’t a big surprise, but to read the article, some scholars think it is big news. That, with more families tightening their financial belts, the first things to go are the things that you can do yourself—and those tend to be jobs that now fall to the woman of the home.

As a stay-at-home wife and mother, I believe it is one of my jobs to run the household. Not that my husband should be a slug-a-bed (he’s not) when it comes to chores, but since I’m in the home a lot more than he is, it makes more sense that I would do more of the daily chores to keep the home functioning.

Now, I don’t particularly like housework. Vacuuming, dusting, laundry, dishes, cooking, and other cleaning isn’t high on my list of things I enjoy. But I do try to take pride in my housework, and to train my children to be cheerful in doing it. Having a clean house, clean clothes and food on the table helps us to be a happier family.

A large part of that equation is my attitude towards housework. If I’m always cranky about the work, what does that teach my children? I might not like washing dishes, but I don’t need to complain about the job.

Also, I don’t think that my doing the majority of the housework in any way negates the importance of my work-from-home job as a freelance writer and editor. But the fact is, I sometimes have to turn down or modify freelance writing assignments if they might get in the way of taking care of my family, which includes taking care of the house.

Every family needs to look at how to make the household jobs work for each member, whether it’s children learning how to do chores, or a husband pitching in because his wife needs time to prepare a presentation for her at-home business.

Until next time,

Sarah

A Virtual Workforce

I came across an interesting article today (“How the Virtual Workforce Is Changing Everything”) about how telecommuting and crowd-sourcing are reinventing the traditional notion of jobs. The story explains what I’ve found in my talks with women who work from home: that freelancers can do just as good—and sometimes better—work than in-house employees.

Nearly any job can be done to some extent out of the traditional office setting. As the article points out, “workers with unique talents ply their trade from home offices and send the products of their work efforts to city-based offices. Often, these work-reception centers are located far beyond acceptable commuting distances. Today’s developing virtual workforce routinely telecommutes to work across the country.”

The story quotes Jack Hughes, founder of TopCoder: “Why go to an office when you can do same thing at home? Moving information around can be done on the Internet. Maintaining stores and spending time, energy and building costs all are part of the paradigm from the Industrial Age. Even management styles are based on that model.”

As you’ve probably guessed, “this shift in work location from physical office to virtual shop is driven by the Internet.” One source in the article points to three factors driving corporations and businesses to have telecommuter workers or freelancers: the need for an expanded pool of employees, the cost factors, and the better work quality.

Read the article in its entirety to find out more about this shift in employment locations. Like I’ve found in my own research, many jobs done in an office can be done in an at-home office.

Until next time,
Sarah