Business – Page 7

Working at Home: Both Sides of the Coin

April 15, 2009 By Administrator

You May Find a Little Tarnish!
©Judy Vorfeld

If you’re considering a home-based business, why not begin a special list of the advantages and disadvantages of running such a business. While the following article may seem flippant, there is a serious side to almost every phrase.

Before you make your final decision, interview everyone whose comments might help you make. Here are some things I discovered during my interviews with experienced home-based business owners who formerly worked for large employers and couldn’t wait to escape the rat race:

Now you can complete projects without getting anyone’s permission, but there’s no one to review (proof and analyze) it and play Devil’s Advocate. Find people, and when necessary, pay them to help you. Even though you may have faced too much criticism on a project at work, you do need to hear from people with various perspectives.

You now have flex hours, but they can stretch to more than you or your family may want, especially in the first year or two. Give yourself some short- and long-term goals. Plan special activities for now and for once you’re better established. Make time for your family and yourself.

You may spend less on wardrobe, but remember, your spouse may put your clothing and shoe budget at $5/month.

You now have a designated parking spot, if you can still afford to have a car.

You spend less on eating out, an activity you loved. No more Big Macs or Jumbo Jacks!

You now have the authority to make your own decisions: when it’s time to empty the trash, back up the hard drive, and do fitness exercises.

Now you can maintain direct contact with vendors, clients, etc. You’re still working on avoiding telemarketing people who make your life a nightmare. You’re waiting for clients to call, not someone who says, “May I speak to the person who makes the purchasing decisions, please?”

You can apply your creativity and talent to your business. Figure out a different voice mail recording for each day of each week. Fix your broken office chair. Dust the furniture.

You pay your own benefits (medical, dental, insurance, etc.) and discover that they are so high you feel a heart attack coming on.

You are now responsible for legal and/or governmental rules and taxes.

Make friends with a CPA, and always, always, be kind to this valuable person. Speak nicely and send gift baskets at least semi-annually.

You make considerable capital outlay, including upgrades & repairs. One fried hard drive. Two telephone lines. Three file cabinets. Four reams of paper. And a partridge in a pear tree.

You live with the reality of sporadic, unpredictable income. Things are slow. You panic. You start searching in the Help Wanted section for a job for your spouse.

You experience personal satisfaction when things go well, but be prepared for the possibility for depression when things go wrong. Don’t let it happen. Leave the office. Take a walk, smell the flowers, read a great book, watch a Disney movie, go for a run, do something to get your emotional balance back. When you’re really feeling down, avoid over-the-counter medications that might bring on depression (sudafed makes me depressed), alcohol, people who don’t understand, and sweets. Pizza’s okay. But get outdoors if you possibly can.

Sometimes family members don’t (or won’t) understand your need for isolation, so you can focus and think without interruption. Marriages have weakened over such issues.

Family and friends think you have a part-time job, and call or drop in whenever they’re bored. After all, this isn’t a real job, right?

No excuses about how you’re no good with numbers, or writing, or marketing. You’d better be prepared to do all of the above, or have associates who can, if you want to succeed. Your business community will expect a polished, effective business the moment you open the doors for business!

There are lots of ups and downs in having a home-based business, but if you have a passion for your business, and help from friends who’ve been there and done that, and family support, you can succeed!!!

Ward Web Works now Digital K

March 31, 2009 By Administrator

Kelly Ward, who helped me build 4 Paws for Ability and Christmas Hills Tree Farm, just changed the name of her business to Digital K. She says:

To better symbolize my expanding range of services, I have recently changed the name of my business from Ward Web Works to Digital K.

There has been no change in ownership and I will be providing the same products and fine service on which I have built my reputation in the industry over the last seven years. It’s still the same great company, just with a new name.

You can visit her new website at: http://www.digitalKonline.com

In addition to being a dandy designer, Kelly is adept at working with the excellent WillMaster software: she’s a dandy programmer. She also offers e-commerce sites and Content Management Systems. She a savvy person who truly understands the scope of a website and strives to see that it is consistent.

I highly endorse this talented Wisconsin entrepreneur.

JTrek Announces Crime-deterring Software for Smartphone Users

March 10, 2009 By Administrator

JTrek LLC, a division of Xtel Communications Inc, just announced openings for beta testers to check out its personal security surveillance software.

Ever since I learned about JTrek, I’ve wondered about the many ways people can use their Smartphones to record situations that appear dangerous. Or situations where there’s been an accident or other incident. And how might this work for many people with disabilities?

Why? Because people with a JTrek account can, in such situations, hit a panic button, and begin recording an incident or person who appears questionable, and the info immediately appears on the JTrek website. At the same time, hitting the panic button will notify pre-arranged contacts via texting or email.

And JTrek uses Geotagging, as well. Everything is recorded on the website, and can later be edited (except anything to do with GPS, which can’t be edited).

Person photographing car accident with cellphone

Think about runners who constantly put themselves in harm’s way.

Think about students on campus who need that extra feature to protect them both in dormitories or on campus.

Think about people on night shifts who must use isolated parking garages.

Think about people out walking dogs (exceptions: German Shepard, Rottweilers, etc.).

Think about people in hotels who often leave and arrive at night. And many of these same people must use darkened parking garages as they travel.

Think about nannies and parents watching children in a park.

Think about people with disabilities who often must move more slowly in a given situation.

And JTrek has its beta testing open. If you have a Smartphone, consider testing this amazing software, and while you’re doing so, think of all the ways it can be used to deter crime and record incidents that need photos.

Here’s how JTrek sums up its product and the potential for deterring crime:

…once the application grows in popularity and the public becomes more generally aware of technology used in this manner, the application will undoubtedly provide a degree of deterrence to other crimes. For example, see how crime has diminished now that video cameras are installed in automatic teller machines.

We don’t claim to be able to prevent anything like this from happening to you, but once perpetrators learn of our video/photo technology with cellular-based Smartphones, we are confident they will likely avoid confrontation with you, rather than risk being identified.

Many of us are on the streets, in shopping malls, on campuses, walking, running, and traveling. Constantly. Consider being a beta tester for JTrek, and give your opinions to the JTrek team and via social networking.