When I worked for a government affiliated agency, my hours were 9:00 to 5:00, although my time there was actually more like 8:00 - 6:30. They were long, hard days punctuated by an occasional day off.  When I was off work, it always struck me how many cars were out and about and I wondered, “Doesn’t anybody have a job?”

So when Steve titled a post with this exact question, I had to laugh.

If you go to Costco or Bloom (a grocery store) during the day, there are a lot of people there.  There are cars on the road.  There are people out and about all day long, and I always wonder – are these people who don’t work, or who work irregular hours, or who work at home?  How can there be so many people out and about from 9 to 5?

While he doesn’t have an answer to that question, I think part of the reason is there are a lot of people who work different shifts.  I also really wonder about how many live on the government dollar - welfare, social security, disability, etc.

Steve also provides a link with tips on finding a job, including:

Sincerity is important when networking, as is helping others. You are looking for help from others, so you should be prepared to help others. If you can introduce people who might work out for each other, do so. You can also answer questions and mentor.

Very true.  They say most jobs can’t be found in the newspaper or on job boards, but form knowing people. Good luck!

Okay, I have to come clean.  I’m partial to the laptop. 

Two years ago, we purchased the laptop for my husband to use while he’s mobile.  That never really happened, so we’ve had two home computers, the desktop and the laptop.  I’ve remained fairly partial to my trusty desktop until it’s recent virus. 

I’ve used the laptop for a few weeks now.  Saturday, my two-year-old decided to see what would happen when his fruit drink was poured into the expensive “toy”.  The hard drive is fried.  So, until we locate the system setup disc, we’re back to the desktop.  And I am realizing how much I took advantage of the convenience of my laptop friend!  Here I sit, facing the wall, working…while my husband is watching television, and talking on the phone.  I feel like I’m in time out!  At one point during our solitary laptop use, I was working in the passenger seat of the car while my husband was driving! 

So, while my desktop remains my friend (my only one right now), I do see myself converting sometime in the near future.  It’s all about the convenience.  And I miss it!

Photo by Arbron via Flickr Creative Commons.

Perhaps the reason I still have my very UNcomplicated cheapo flip phone!!!

One of the most difficult aspects of owning your own business is committing to a schedule.  This can mean many things, depending on the nature of your business.  But, for all of us, there comes a time when our “normal”, money making tasks are slowed, and we witness some “down time”.  Frequently, this times goes to waste, and not much is accomplished.  But as time has passed, we’ve learned to use this time to our advantage. 

My husband’s business is 100% mobile, and his work is done outdoors.  So obviously, rainy, drizzly, or snowy days are slow.  Use of this time has become essential in keeping up the “paper” side of the company.  Patrick uses these days to catch up his books, make deposits, make follow-up phone calls, and set appointments.  We try to use our unusually slow days to brainstorm marketing strategies, as well. 

These days won’t always fall into your perfect schedule, and you’ll probably have to take a few “regular” days to do some of this, as well.  But don’t look negatively at your down days.  Look at them as opportunities. You never know what’s at the end of that rainbow!

Photo by Peter Kaminski via Flickr Creative Commons.

Photo by I Don’t Know, Maybe via Flickr Creative Commons.

I actually just have a quick note here where phone book advertising is concerned.  Did you know that the online services offerered by the phone books can be purchased separately from that expensive ad printed in the books?  The sales guys with several of the local books were all over us…but those ads in the books are quite costly.  Finally, after realizing that we weren’t going to purchase thousands of dollars worth of written ads, they let us in on their little secret.  Advertising online only costs just a fraction of the book price! 

I’m not saying here that the books themselves are not useful, just more costly than some can afford.  Many people never open a book to find a phone number anymore, so we figured this was a pretty good deal!  Ask up front when exploring this kind of marketing.  It’ll save you a lot of time and money!

Photo by How Can I Recycle This via Flickr Creative Commons.

Last week, I discussed the ups and downs of advertising, and it’s importance in the success of small businesses.  I’ve decided to expand a little and discuss some of these marketing tools individually.

One of the easiest, and perhaps most inexpensive, forms of marketing is the business card.  Many companies offer great deals on starter cards, and Vista Print even has a large number of cards free.  We leave our cards EVERYWHERE! 

• At restaurants with our tip (not recommended if you’re a bad “tipper”)
• Bulletin boards whenever we see one
• Any giveaway “bowl” offering a prize for a drawing
• Hairstylists
• under the wiper or tucked into the window of a car with broken glass
• in the offering plate at church…JUST KIDDING…Were you paying attention???

We leave our business cards with ANYONE with whom we exchange phone numbers.  Business cards are a perfect size to tuck in your wallet and keep with you.  You see it briefly as you fumble trying to find cash, your license, or a credit card.  But when the day comes that you need that particular service, you have to go no further than your purse or pocket.

Photo by vectorfunk via Flicker Creative Commons.

One of the hardest things about working from home is the fact that there are so many distractions. And, of course, no matter where you work, your computer is an endless source of distractions. You can help cut down on distractions when working from home if you try to have a set time to work (preferably when the kids are at school or down for a nap), and by having a dedicated space for your home office.

But what can you do about distractions on your computer? Freelance Folder offers some insight into freelance writing tools that can help you increase your productivity, many of them by making adjustments to your screen so that you can only see what you are typing, or that limits you to accessing one application at a time.

1. WriteMonkey (Windows)
2. WriteRoom (Mac)
3. Dark Room (Windows)
4. Think (Mac)

You can also use something called RescueTime that tracks the type of web browsing that you do, logging your visits and helping you pinpoint the biggest time wasters. Then you can focus for a certain amount of time, while RescueTime blocks out the distracting sites.

These are interesting productivity tools, and they can help your reduce distractions and get more done.

For a home business, it is important to get “out there” in cyberspace, reaching customers. And one of the best ways to do this is through search. When you think of search, though, chances are you come up with the big guys: Google and Yahoo. These outlets can be expensive, especially as you struggle to recover from the recent recession.

One way you can still take advantage of search advertising online is to go to alternative search engines like eZanga.com and advertise. You can save between 30% and 50% over Google and Yahoo in some cases. Here is what eZanga points out on its web site:

Our innovative and proprietary technologies push the limit of Meta search technology by retrieving search results from multiple search engines, we then re-rank and display the most relevant results without duplication. We also provide online advertisers with local, regional, and national advertising focused on generating high Return on Investment (ROI).

It’s an interesting option for the home business that is looking to keep up with online advertising, but doesn’t yet have the resources to pay the big bucks.

No, FCC, I am not being paid to shill for eZanga.com.

One of the most common ways to work from home is to do so a freelancer. Whether you are writing or doing graphic design, you can earn a decent living with a freelancing home business. I know. I’ve been freelance writing for years now, and am lucky enough to be making a good living at it.

Over at the Freelance Folder, Laura Spencer offers her thoughts on 5 things you can do to kickstart your freelance business:

1. Develop an online presence: Start a blog or a web site showcasing your abilities.

2. Social media profile: Make sure your LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and other social media includes freelancing availability.

3. Bidding site: Build a profile on a bidding site, just to get started.

4. Apply for jobs at online boards: Look around and apply for jobs you see on the many job boards out there. Just be careful of work from home scams.

5. Offer a freebie: While you don’t want to make it a habit, you can do one or two things for free, just to build your portfolio and maybe garner a reference.

In the end, there are ways to get going with a freelancing home business. While I’m not a fan of the freelance bidding sites, I did get two gigs that way. I’ve had way more success, though, landing jobs through LinkedIn, Twitter and even StumbleUpon.