I have to share this story with you about some special people in my life. Both lost their jobs, both in their 40’s and both in very specialized career paths before this happened. I have always said that God gives you certain talents, which will enable you to survive, and both of them are living proof of this.
Having been a police officer for about 15 years, now in his mid 40’s being without a job was not only a shock but also emotionally shaking. This career had been the core of his life for all these years and now he would have to find another career path. Having always had an interest in medicine, this would be the opportunity for him to find the positive aspect in his situation and begin studying for this field. After attending classes, both on campus and on the internet, he decided to go ahead and apply for a position as a firefighter where he could utilize his medical schooling as a firefighter and EMT. Being in excellent physical condition, he was able to go through firefighter school and performed higher than many of the younger men in his class. After finishing firefighter school, it was time to apply for positions with different departments. Because of the recent freeze in hiring in the state where he lives, at the present time the only positions available were to get on as a reserve, which he has done. This enables him to keep up his firefighting and EMT skills until he can get onto a department permanently. It also allows him to spend more time at home, working as a mentor at one of the local high schools and coaching a sports team.
Then there is the Project Manager, also in his 40’s, which specialized in projects building the buildings where microchips are manufactured. After many months of attempting to locate another position with no results, it was time to deal with the problem directly and start a company to do home repairs and remodeling. With his organizational skills and building experience both of commercial and some residential building, it was logical to begin a home repair business. In today’s world, people are spending money to remodel and update their present homes rather than to sell, taking huge losses on their investments, and purchase another home. From the moment he let others know of his new endeavor, work orders have been constantly coming his way.
Both of these men seem to be so much happier now. They have learned that life may through you a curve ball, but you can still step up to the plate and hit a home run! If you are given lemons, make lemonade!
I guess what I am trying to tell you is that it is never too late to reinvent yourself, to pursue your dreams and your goals as long as you are willing to put in the efforts to do so. I can hear enthusiasm in their voices whenever I speak with them, they are excited about the new opportunities that they have and the new doors that have opened up for them in their lives.
I wish both of them much happiness and success in their new ventures.
Showing posts with label self employed. Show all posts
Showing posts with label self employed. Show all posts
Friday, March 25, 2011
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
High Demand Jobs
The hottest job market now and in the future is going to be in the health care industry. The need for doctors, registered nurses, limited practical nurses, certified nursing assistants, physical therapists, are all going to be needed desperately.
Hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living facilities and in home care required help will be in high demand as our aging population is now living longer than ever before. The trend now is to age in place, which means that there will be needs for trained personnel to assist them in their home. Therefore, LPN’s and CNA’s will be very busy fulfilling these needs.
Most state now require complete criminal background checks as well as current TB vaccinations on all their medical student applicants.
Training required for an LPN (Limited Practical Nurse or LVN- Licensed Vocational Nurse) will take approximately a year to complete and can be done at universities, community colleges and technical schools. There will also be a requirement to have hands on experience working in a medical setting in many states. The cost is between $8,000 and $20,000 depending on the school selected. Then you must take a state certification test and register with the state nursing registry and pay your dues.
Salaries will average between $40,000 and $48,000 right now but expect this to increase as demands for LPN’s increase in the coming years.
CNA ( Certified Nursing Assistant) training can be done extremely quickly depending on what state you are living in, determines their requirements. Classes can be from four weeks to twelve weeks in length and the cost will run between $400 and $800. Because of the high demand for these positions, many hospitals, nursing homes and long term care facilities will help you with your tuition with a commitment to work for them for a period of time after graduation. Usually you will be asked to commit to them for a year’s service, while others will ask you to just repay the amount of the tuition that they paid up front.
Salaries will start around $18,500 to $20,000 depending on the state, the shift differentials and the number of hours you work. You will need to take a test, get registered with your state nursing agency and pay your licensing fees.
Plumbers and Electricians
Plumbers on a national scale make between $36,000 and $67 ,000 a year while Apprentice wages, average from $27,000 to $42,000 per year.
Trade Schools, on line classes, apprenticeships with hands on work can range from 3-5 years.
Licensing is required by the state in order to work independently. Some states also require licensing at the county and city levels as well as at the state level.
Some universities run classes under their Mechanic and Repair Technologies Studies, Construction Management and Trade Programs.Manual dexterity, good physical condition for lifting, mathematics abilities are all requirements to doing this type of work. As a Master Plumber you will probably want to start your own company and hire others to help you. Then you will also need to be sure to have good bookkeeping skills to keep track of wages, taxes paid out to others and of course materials lists.
Electrician
Apprentice programs where you learn to read blueprints, electrical theory, electronics and math. You will work 3-5 yrs with an electrician learning the trade. State testing and licensing is required. Classroom as well as on the job training, which usually is from several years to as many as six years before you are ready to strike out on your own and take the state test and get your license which would allow you to work o your own and have your own business.
Trade schools, the Armed Forces and universities that offer a trades curriculum will be places to get your education. Then you will need to find a good company to work for to do your apprenticeship training.
Salaries range from $36K- $64K depending on your location and your experience. Master Electricians will usually own their own business and have crews with both experienced and apprentice electricians working for them.
Auto Mechanics
There will always be the need for an experienced mechanic to get under the hood of your car and fix whatever is wrong. With today’s automobiles and all of the computerized functions and machines that can be plugged in to analyze the problems, pinpointing a problem is much easier than it was in years past.
Many begin their training with classes in high school and many schools actually have shops where people can bring their automobiles to be repaired by students at a reasonable price. Of course these students are supervised by an experience teacher, guiding them in their diagnosis and repair of problems.
You will use both mechanical and electronic skills to perform your job. There are Associate degree programs offered by Technical Schools and universities and the Armed Forces. Having good English skills, so that you are able to read repair manuals to use with good diagnostic and problem-solving skills, and be trained in computer and basic electronics, should have the best chance of obtaining employment.
Salaries will average from $23,000 to $44,000 per year.
Home Repair People Home Remodeling Contractor
The ability to go into a home and assist with general home repairs from replacing a faucet, putting down needed flooring, refinishing kitchen cabinets, to painting or building a patio or an outbuilding
Older homes have many areas that may need fixed whether it is replacing plumbing in the bathroom to fixing a ceiling fan or redoing a kitchen.
Or adding handicap features to a bath or widening door openings and building ramps. In newer homes it would be more like adding decks and patios, perhaps water features to yards.
If you are not able to perform all of these tasks yourself, you will need to subcontract out work, such as extensive plumbing or electrical work, which will need to have a certified licensed contractor and be inspected by a city or county inspector before you get paid for your work done.
You will want to be licensed as a general contractor and be bonded.
Knowledge in architecture and carpentry skills are a must along with manual dexterity.
Low overhead because you can work from home is a definite advantage and there are going to also be tax breaks, so be sure to inquire.
Knowledge of the construction trade skills and knowledge of how things must be done and when will be a must for knowing when to schedule certain repairs and subcontractors.
Bookkeeping skills, to record, wages, withholding taxes, materials purchased lists, office and business operating expenses.
Home Inspection Service
You will inspect every part of a home for structural integrity, from the foundation, electrical, plumbing, a/c heating and insect damage.
You need to have a solid knowledge of local building codes so that you know what aspects of a home are passable and what are not.
You will require certification, city and county permits and a business license. Your state may also require that your company be bonded.You will need errors-and omissions insurance protecting your assets in case of mistakes.
If you have experience working for a construction companies that is a plus, since you’ll already have many contacts and know local, regional and state requirements for certification and also job referrals.
Equipment investment will be about $500 for the basic tools to do your job. You may need to spend a little more to buy non-invasive electronic inspection devices. You will need ladders, gloves, coveralls, masks and a hard hat while crawling into attics and below in crawlspaces. You will also need to have a pickup truck or panel truck to haul it all.
You can also purchase a home inspection business franchise from $45,000 to $150,00 which will provide all the hands-on-training and materials you need. Check out The Franchise zone for information on franchises.
You can also get information and training from programs offered by America Home Inspection Society and the National Association of Home Inspectors, Inc. for less money. Depending on your location, and the type of environment you are working in, salaries can range from $50,500 to $75,000 per year to start.
Hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living facilities and in home care required help will be in high demand as our aging population is now living longer than ever before. The trend now is to age in place, which means that there will be needs for trained personnel to assist them in their home. Therefore, LPN’s and CNA’s will be very busy fulfilling these needs.
Most state now require complete criminal background checks as well as current TB vaccinations on all their medical student applicants.
Training required for an LPN (Limited Practical Nurse or LVN- Licensed Vocational Nurse) will take approximately a year to complete and can be done at universities, community colleges and technical schools. There will also be a requirement to have hands on experience working in a medical setting in many states. The cost is between $8,000 and $20,000 depending on the school selected. Then you must take a state certification test and register with the state nursing registry and pay your dues.
Salaries will average between $40,000 and $48,000 right now but expect this to increase as demands for LPN’s increase in the coming years.
CNA ( Certified Nursing Assistant) training can be done extremely quickly depending on what state you are living in, determines their requirements. Classes can be from four weeks to twelve weeks in length and the cost will run between $400 and $800. Because of the high demand for these positions, many hospitals, nursing homes and long term care facilities will help you with your tuition with a commitment to work for them for a period of time after graduation. Usually you will be asked to commit to them for a year’s service, while others will ask you to just repay the amount of the tuition that they paid up front.
Salaries will start around $18,500 to $20,000 depending on the state, the shift differentials and the number of hours you work. You will need to take a test, get registered with your state nursing agency and pay your licensing fees.
Plumbers and Electricians
Plumbers on a national scale make between $36,000 and $67 ,000 a year while Apprentice wages, average from $27,000 to $42,000 per year.
Trade Schools, on line classes, apprenticeships with hands on work can range from 3-5 years.
Licensing is required by the state in order to work independently. Some states also require licensing at the county and city levels as well as at the state level.
Some universities run classes under their Mechanic and Repair Technologies Studies, Construction Management and Trade Programs.Manual dexterity, good physical condition for lifting, mathematics abilities are all requirements to doing this type of work. As a Master Plumber you will probably want to start your own company and hire others to help you. Then you will also need to be sure to have good bookkeeping skills to keep track of wages, taxes paid out to others and of course materials lists.
Electrician
Apprentice programs where you learn to read blueprints, electrical theory, electronics and math. You will work 3-5 yrs with an electrician learning the trade. State testing and licensing is required. Classroom as well as on the job training, which usually is from several years to as many as six years before you are ready to strike out on your own and take the state test and get your license which would allow you to work o your own and have your own business.
Trade schools, the Armed Forces and universities that offer a trades curriculum will be places to get your education. Then you will need to find a good company to work for to do your apprenticeship training.
Salaries range from $36K- $64K depending on your location and your experience. Master Electricians will usually own their own business and have crews with both experienced and apprentice electricians working for them.
Auto Mechanics
There will always be the need for an experienced mechanic to get under the hood of your car and fix whatever is wrong. With today’s automobiles and all of the computerized functions and machines that can be plugged in to analyze the problems, pinpointing a problem is much easier than it was in years past.
Many begin their training with classes in high school and many schools actually have shops where people can bring their automobiles to be repaired by students at a reasonable price. Of course these students are supervised by an experience teacher, guiding them in their diagnosis and repair of problems.
You will use both mechanical and electronic skills to perform your job. There are Associate degree programs offered by Technical Schools and universities and the Armed Forces. Having good English skills, so that you are able to read repair manuals to use with good diagnostic and problem-solving skills, and be trained in computer and basic electronics, should have the best chance of obtaining employment.
Salaries will average from $23,000 to $44,000 per year.
Home Repair People Home Remodeling Contractor
The ability to go into a home and assist with general home repairs from replacing a faucet, putting down needed flooring, refinishing kitchen cabinets, to painting or building a patio or an outbuilding
Older homes have many areas that may need fixed whether it is replacing plumbing in the bathroom to fixing a ceiling fan or redoing a kitchen.
Or adding handicap features to a bath or widening door openings and building ramps. In newer homes it would be more like adding decks and patios, perhaps water features to yards.
If you are not able to perform all of these tasks yourself, you will need to subcontract out work, such as extensive plumbing or electrical work, which will need to have a certified licensed contractor and be inspected by a city or county inspector before you get paid for your work done.
You will want to be licensed as a general contractor and be bonded.
Knowledge in architecture and carpentry skills are a must along with manual dexterity.
Low overhead because you can work from home is a definite advantage and there are going to also be tax breaks, so be sure to inquire.
Knowledge of the construction trade skills and knowledge of how things must be done and when will be a must for knowing when to schedule certain repairs and subcontractors.
Bookkeeping skills, to record, wages, withholding taxes, materials purchased lists, office and business operating expenses.
Home Inspection Service
You will inspect every part of a home for structural integrity, from the foundation, electrical, plumbing, a/c heating and insect damage.
You need to have a solid knowledge of local building codes so that you know what aspects of a home are passable and what are not.
You will require certification, city and county permits and a business license. Your state may also require that your company be bonded.You will need errors-and omissions insurance protecting your assets in case of mistakes.
If you have experience working for a construction companies that is a plus, since you’ll already have many contacts and know local, regional and state requirements for certification and also job referrals.
Equipment investment will be about $500 for the basic tools to do your job. You may need to spend a little more to buy non-invasive electronic inspection devices. You will need ladders, gloves, coveralls, masks and a hard hat while crawling into attics and below in crawlspaces. You will also need to have a pickup truck or panel truck to haul it all.
You can also purchase a home inspection business franchise from $45,000 to $150,00 which will provide all the hands-on-training and materials you need. Check out The Franchise zone for information on franchises.
You can also get information and training from programs offered by America Home Inspection Society and the National Association of Home Inspectors, Inc. for less money. Depending on your location, and the type of environment you are working in, salaries can range from $50,500 to $75,000 per year to start.
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Going It Alone
“I can’t find work so I guess I’ll just go into business for myself” are words that I am hearing more and more often. Hold your horses! It all sounds like a great idea, heaven only knows we need more small businesses, that will be what finally helps pull this country out of our present economical situation. In today’s job market, with many people unable to find work, they are stepping out in faith and starting their own businesses. This can be an exciting adventure which unless thought out thoroughly, can have its’ pitfalls as well.
What Type of Business Will You Start
If so many other people are out of work and those who are working are watching their spending like a hawk, what product or service can you offer them at a reasonable price? Will what you offer be something they need vs. something that they just want? What makes you think they will deal with you over and above another company? Hard questions to ask yourself I know, but ones that must be asked and evaluated.
It will be important to not only consider what your passions are, which will be a driving force to help you through the lean times of getting started, but you also must think long and hard about the type of business you want to start. We hear a lot about niche marketing, it is a buzz word that is used often by those who are setting up Internet businesses. Is this what is truly needed in today’s economy? If you are too “specialized” the need for your services are going to be very limited.
Be sure to put together a business plan, outlining the structure of your organization, the advertising and marketing program, the bookkeeping system, demographics of the customer base and projected sales and income.
Look At Your Customer Base
What can people afford to pay for the services that you will render with your new company? Will the company carry high priced items and services that only a few clients can afford or will you want to appeal to a larger client base? What products and/or services are needed by the majority of people right now?
Investment
Consider how much can you afford to lose not how much you expect to gain. How much can you personally afford to invest in starting your company? Do you have cash on hand or will you have to attempt to borrow funds from a bank or credit union? Right now if you don’t have A-1 credit, the chances of securing funds from a lending institution are slim. Do you really want to use money from your savings account or worse yet, remove funds from a 401K or IRA before maturity to fund this venture? If you are considering these options, think of not what the potential might be to replace those funds quickly, instead think about it as funds to never be regained and replaced. As money lost! Now are you still ready and willing to take that risk? Invest what you only can afford to lose.
Your Business Structure
Will you be purchasing products to start your business or will you be utilizing your own personal set of skills to provide services?
Are you planning to be a sole proprietor, a limited partnership or an S Corporation. Consider the advantages and disadvantages to each type of business structure available. Some will give you more personal protection both tax and liability wise than others. Research and then make the decision either on your own or with the assistance of an attorney and a tax adviser. This is one area where making an extremely wise decision is important.
Hidden Initial Expenses
There are numerous expenses that are not often thought about when beginning one’s own business. There is the physical location of the proposed business, the contract arrangements for leasing or purchasing the store front. The cost of deposits for utilities and insurance on the structure, the materials to display merchandise, such as counters, racks and of course a cash register for those sales you are anticipating. Setting up a bookkeeping and inventory system along with a marketing program. This could take months to put into operation before you can even open the doors to the public.
There is also establishing your inventory. Are you going to be paying cash upfront to stock items in your store or perhaps having items drop shipped; what is their return policy on items that don’t sell?
What? Still No Paycheck?
That’s right, be prepared not to pay yourself a pay check for at least six months if not a year. It is going to take that long to get the business established. Mortality rate on new businesses is extremely high. Figures have changed over recent years from stores closing in five years to seven years if they are not making a profit. So don’t expect to come out of the starting gate being able to pay yourself as well as possibly any employees, replenishing merchandise stock and meeting all the expenses of the operation with monies brought in from sales to customers. It just isn’t going to happen!
Getting Up and Starting Over
As one who ventured out and followed my passion of starting my own business, I feel I can advise you honestly of what some of the upsides and downsides are. Was I successful? Let’s put it this way, it was fun while it lasted and I spent way too much money before I had to acknowledge to myself that this just wasn’t profitable. I thought I had done my homework, started with enough capital, had a good business plan and marketing and advertising program in place. Then disaster struck, something totally outside of my control and sharply business dropped, I lost several good accounts that were the backbone of my business and I eventually had to close up shop. Lesson learned, be prepared for the unthinkable and unforeseen problems that lay ahead. I suffered like many others because of 9/ll, because products I was purchasing came from back East where the Anthrax scare was. Two of my largest accounts were in the housing and real estate sector and there was a major slow down and cut back in that area. Within months, even with heavy advertising to try to develop more accounts, I saw my business caving before my eyes.
Having a Plan B or Plan C If Necessary
So what do you do when the bottom falls out? You consider your options first of all. Have going out of business sales and liquidate the stock, or try to find a buyer for your business as is. Sell your business name and all the stock intact if it is a long established company. Perhaps you have just an Internet business and you can sell just the business name if it has been getting good traffic up until now.
Consolidate your bills, refinance your home and get enough money to cover the outstanding debts you have incurred. Become as debt free as possible so that once again you have breathing room.
Go to work for someone else as you decide what to do about starting over again if you think you want to try another business venture of your own.
Find work that you can do from home to bring in an income.
Decide on another business venture and find investors who will be willing to take a chance on you and back the business; or form a partnership with others and build on the strength of all of your expertise and credit ratings to secure a loan to begin again.
There are plenty of opportunities out there and believe me, I am not trying to discourage you from taking that step venture out on your own. I do want you to be informed and ready for all the challenges that you will be facing.
What Type of Business Will You Start
If so many other people are out of work and those who are working are watching their spending like a hawk, what product or service can you offer them at a reasonable price? Will what you offer be something they need vs. something that they just want? What makes you think they will deal with you over and above another company? Hard questions to ask yourself I know, but ones that must be asked and evaluated.
It will be important to not only consider what your passions are, which will be a driving force to help you through the lean times of getting started, but you also must think long and hard about the type of business you want to start. We hear a lot about niche marketing, it is a buzz word that is used often by those who are setting up Internet businesses. Is this what is truly needed in today’s economy? If you are too “specialized” the need for your services are going to be very limited.
Be sure to put together a business plan, outlining the structure of your organization, the advertising and marketing program, the bookkeeping system, demographics of the customer base and projected sales and income.
Look At Your Customer Base
What can people afford to pay for the services that you will render with your new company? Will the company carry high priced items and services that only a few clients can afford or will you want to appeal to a larger client base? What products and/or services are needed by the majority of people right now?
Investment
Consider how much can you afford to lose not how much you expect to gain. How much can you personally afford to invest in starting your company? Do you have cash on hand or will you have to attempt to borrow funds from a bank or credit union? Right now if you don’t have A-1 credit, the chances of securing funds from a lending institution are slim. Do you really want to use money from your savings account or worse yet, remove funds from a 401K or IRA before maturity to fund this venture? If you are considering these options, think of not what the potential might be to replace those funds quickly, instead think about it as funds to never be regained and replaced. As money lost! Now are you still ready and willing to take that risk? Invest what you only can afford to lose.
Your Business Structure
Will you be purchasing products to start your business or will you be utilizing your own personal set of skills to provide services?
Are you planning to be a sole proprietor, a limited partnership or an S Corporation. Consider the advantages and disadvantages to each type of business structure available. Some will give you more personal protection both tax and liability wise than others. Research and then make the decision either on your own or with the assistance of an attorney and a tax adviser. This is one area where making an extremely wise decision is important.
Hidden Initial Expenses
There are numerous expenses that are not often thought about when beginning one’s own business. There is the physical location of the proposed business, the contract arrangements for leasing or purchasing the store front. The cost of deposits for utilities and insurance on the structure, the materials to display merchandise, such as counters, racks and of course a cash register for those sales you are anticipating. Setting up a bookkeeping and inventory system along with a marketing program. This could take months to put into operation before you can even open the doors to the public.
There is also establishing your inventory. Are you going to be paying cash upfront to stock items in your store or perhaps having items drop shipped; what is their return policy on items that don’t sell?
What? Still No Paycheck?
That’s right, be prepared not to pay yourself a pay check for at least six months if not a year. It is going to take that long to get the business established. Mortality rate on new businesses is extremely high. Figures have changed over recent years from stores closing in five years to seven years if they are not making a profit. So don’t expect to come out of the starting gate being able to pay yourself as well as possibly any employees, replenishing merchandise stock and meeting all the expenses of the operation with monies brought in from sales to customers. It just isn’t going to happen!
Getting Up and Starting Over
As one who ventured out and followed my passion of starting my own business, I feel I can advise you honestly of what some of the upsides and downsides are. Was I successful? Let’s put it this way, it was fun while it lasted and I spent way too much money before I had to acknowledge to myself that this just wasn’t profitable. I thought I had done my homework, started with enough capital, had a good business plan and marketing and advertising program in place. Then disaster struck, something totally outside of my control and sharply business dropped, I lost several good accounts that were the backbone of my business and I eventually had to close up shop. Lesson learned, be prepared for the unthinkable and unforeseen problems that lay ahead. I suffered like many others because of 9/ll, because products I was purchasing came from back East where the Anthrax scare was. Two of my largest accounts were in the housing and real estate sector and there was a major slow down and cut back in that area. Within months, even with heavy advertising to try to develop more accounts, I saw my business caving before my eyes.
Having a Plan B or Plan C If Necessary
So what do you do when the bottom falls out? You consider your options first of all. Have going out of business sales and liquidate the stock, or try to find a buyer for your business as is. Sell your business name and all the stock intact if it is a long established company. Perhaps you have just an Internet business and you can sell just the business name if it has been getting good traffic up until now.
Consolidate your bills, refinance your home and get enough money to cover the outstanding debts you have incurred. Become as debt free as possible so that once again you have breathing room.
Go to work for someone else as you decide what to do about starting over again if you think you want to try another business venture of your own.
Find work that you can do from home to bring in an income.
Decide on another business venture and find investors who will be willing to take a chance on you and back the business; or form a partnership with others and build on the strength of all of your expertise and credit ratings to secure a loan to begin again.
There are plenty of opportunities out there and believe me, I am not trying to discourage you from taking that step venture out on your own. I do want you to be informed and ready for all the challenges that you will be facing.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Help Me to Help You
In order to better meet your needs for information I need you to interact with me and tell me what you want to know.
What types of articles would you like to see here?
Do you wish to have me stay with just the job opportunities ?
Do you need or want articles that go into other areas such as
how to cope with job loss, adjusting your lifestyle to living on a reduced budget, how to cut corners in order to survive, money management and budgeting?
If you are interested in not working at home but wish to return to the regular workforce, would you like to see articles on how to write a resume, how to handle interviews in today's job market, how to dress for success?
You are the reason for this blog! So tell me what YOU want to read and learn about. Please leave me some feedback so I know if the articles I've been writing are helpful, or if there is a particular subject you would like to written about.
What types of articles would you like to see here?
Do you wish to have me stay with just the job opportunities ?
Do you need or want articles that go into other areas such as
how to cope with job loss, adjusting your lifestyle to living on a reduced budget, how to cut corners in order to survive, money management and budgeting?
If you are interested in not working at home but wish to return to the regular workforce, would you like to see articles on how to write a resume, how to handle interviews in today's job market, how to dress for success?
You are the reason for this blog! So tell me what YOU want to read and learn about. Please leave me some feedback so I know if the articles I've been writing are helpful, or if there is a particular subject you would like to written about.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Cough, Sneeze, No Voice.... but I can still work!
I have no idea what it is that is going around, but whatever it is I got it! It all started out as what I thought were allergies with a stuffed up nose, scratchy throat and coughing. Then it progressed down into my chest, wheeze, wheeze as I breathed in and out. Then the other morning I woke up and guess what? Opened my mouth to speak and all that came out were little squeaks of what should have been my voice! Gargling and hot tea with honey didn't help one bit.
If I had a conventional job, I would have been calling in sick but since I work from home and have a few options open to me, I was still able to work. Now granted I wasn't able to get on the phone and speak with customers but I could sit here and do transcriptions till my heart was content. If I needed to get up and go get an aspirin for my fever, needed to stop and cough my head off, there was no one to be the wiser. I could work a couple hours and then take a break and come back later. It is so nice to be an independent contractor!
Now I do have to tell you that I don't make as much doing transcriptions as I do when I am speaking with customers and filling their orders. But by the same token, I am still able to work and not have a total loss of income like I would if I worked outside my home.
So many times when we are sick and work in a conventional work environment, we are really forced to go back to work before we are fully recovered and it isn't unusual to relapse in a week or so. We worry about infecting our coworkers but we also worry about losing our jobs if we stay out longer than management thinks we should.
Thankfully I am on the mend and hope to be back up to full speed here by the end of this coming week!
If I had a conventional job, I would have been calling in sick but since I work from home and have a few options open to me, I was still able to work. Now granted I wasn't able to get on the phone and speak with customers but I could sit here and do transcriptions till my heart was content. If I needed to get up and go get an aspirin for my fever, needed to stop and cough my head off, there was no one to be the wiser. I could work a couple hours and then take a break and come back later. It is so nice to be an independent contractor!
Now I do have to tell you that I don't make as much doing transcriptions as I do when I am speaking with customers and filling their orders. But by the same token, I am still able to work and not have a total loss of income like I would if I worked outside my home.
So many times when we are sick and work in a conventional work environment, we are really forced to go back to work before we are fully recovered and it isn't unusual to relapse in a week or so. We worry about infecting our coworkers but we also worry about losing our jobs if we stay out longer than management thinks we should.
Thankfully I am on the mend and hope to be back up to full speed here by the end of this coming week!
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
OK So You Have To Get Dressed!
When you reach a certain age, it is really difficult to find work in a regular "brick and mortar" environment. Many "senior citizens" either have retired or have health problems that make it very difficult to work in a regular, structured environment but they have the desire to either stay busy working part time or do so out of necessity to supplement their other income. There's nothing like being self employed no matter what your age is!
Lillian is lucky to have a green thumb and she earns extra money by starting seedlings which she sells at the local farmer's markets starting every spring up to early fall. She has invested some money into grow lights, good growing medium and little pots. Not only do her plants supply her with additional income, but she enjoys going to the market and visiting with people and sharing her knowledge of growing healthy vegetables and plants. You can also find local farmers there selling their produce.
You will find Jackie and Hank at the local craft shows. She makes jewelry, from bracelets to necklaces and earrings and he makes handcrafted cutting boards and old fashioned wooden toys.
Sue on the other hand, finds it very difficult to get around so through word of mouth she has built up a business right at her home. People bring her their clean laundry for her to iron and do hand mending. She is able to work at her own pace and take breaks whenever she gets too tired.
Cindy has a unique job. She started a personal shopper service. Some seniors at her church were homebound or didn't enjoy going shopping. She has some people that she does their grocery shopping for them every week. They give her the grocery list and the money and she does their shopping for them. She charges for her time and the gas for her car. She also has several customers that will call her and ask her to pick up their perscriptions for them.
There's an elderly man at one of the local senior apartment complexes that hires out his services as a dog walker.
There are some pretty creative seniors who also design websites, write for the internet, write and publish books that all work from home.
So you have to get dressed for most of these jobs, but while you are growing your seedlings for sale, creating your jewelry or woodworking projects, you can work in your jammies!
Lillian is lucky to have a green thumb and she earns extra money by starting seedlings which she sells at the local farmer's markets starting every spring up to early fall. She has invested some money into grow lights, good growing medium and little pots. Not only do her plants supply her with additional income, but she enjoys going to the market and visiting with people and sharing her knowledge of growing healthy vegetables and plants. You can also find local farmers there selling their produce.
You will find Jackie and Hank at the local craft shows. She makes jewelry, from bracelets to necklaces and earrings and he makes handcrafted cutting boards and old fashioned wooden toys.
Sue on the other hand, finds it very difficult to get around so through word of mouth she has built up a business right at her home. People bring her their clean laundry for her to iron and do hand mending. She is able to work at her own pace and take breaks whenever she gets too tired.
Cindy has a unique job. She started a personal shopper service. Some seniors at her church were homebound or didn't enjoy going shopping. She has some people that she does their grocery shopping for them every week. They give her the grocery list and the money and she does their shopping for them. She charges for her time and the gas for her car. She also has several customers that will call her and ask her to pick up their perscriptions for them.
There's an elderly man at one of the local senior apartment complexes that hires out his services as a dog walker.
There are some pretty creative seniors who also design websites, write for the internet, write and publish books that all work from home.
So you have to get dressed for most of these jobs, but while you are growing your seedlings for sale, creating your jewelry or woodworking projects, you can work in your jammies!
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Employee or Independent Contractor?
Do you know the difference?
Both can work from home
The employee is told by the company what hours they are to work and what days they can take off. They are usually only allowed to work a certain number of hours which are determined by the company. In most cases you are prohibited from working at home for another similar type company and must sign what is known as a "non-compete" contract. The employer withholds both their share of FICA and Income Taxes from your check and at the end of the year gives you a W-4 form.
As an Independent Contractor, you are the one who determines when you wish to work and how many hours you wish to work. Now don't get me wrong, the company or companies you work for do have the right to evaluate your work not only for quality but also for quantity of time put into working for them. Some companies adhere to the requirement that you work a given number of hours for them every week or every month and you can be terminated for non performance or poor quality of work. You can decide how many hours you wish to work in a day or a week. Perhaps you wish to work just a couple hours a day on some days but work 8-10 hrs on another and as an independent contractor you can do that. You also can work over 40 hours in a given week if you so desire. There might be times when incentive pay is offered if you work during certain hours but you do not get over-time pay as an independent contractor. As an independent contractor, you will be given a 1099 form by the companies that you have provided services for. It is your responsibility to pay all (they don't pick up part of the tab) of your FICA and income taxes for both state and federal taxes. Since you are self-employed, a good rule of thumb is to consider 28-33% of what you make will need to be held out to pay your taxes. You may decide that paying your taxes on a quarterly basis is better for you to do than to wait until the end of the year and have to come up with all the money all at one time.
By working at home, either as an employee or as an independent contractor, you are the one who is responsible for the purchase and upkeep of your computer equipment, maintaining the security of documents both in your home office and on your computer. You are required to have what is called a "designated landline phone" which means you must have a phone line totally separate from your personal home phone line and number.
Some companies that you work for as an independent contractor, will also require that you incorporate your business.
Presently some states are passing legislation which makes it either very difficult or impossible to work from home as an independent contractor. Please check with your state laws to be sure that you are eligible to work as an independent contractor.
In prior articles I have given you some websites to check out. Don't just check them out the one time and forget about them. Many of them may not have had an opening the first time you checked but they may have some now. There are places like rat race rebellion which will continually have new listings.
Both can work from home
The employee is told by the company what hours they are to work and what days they can take off. They are usually only allowed to work a certain number of hours which are determined by the company. In most cases you are prohibited from working at home for another similar type company and must sign what is known as a "non-compete" contract. The employer withholds both their share of FICA and Income Taxes from your check and at the end of the year gives you a W-4 form.
As an Independent Contractor, you are the one who determines when you wish to work and how many hours you wish to work. Now don't get me wrong, the company or companies you work for do have the right to evaluate your work not only for quality but also for quantity of time put into working for them. Some companies adhere to the requirement that you work a given number of hours for them every week or every month and you can be terminated for non performance or poor quality of work. You can decide how many hours you wish to work in a day or a week. Perhaps you wish to work just a couple hours a day on some days but work 8-10 hrs on another and as an independent contractor you can do that. You also can work over 40 hours in a given week if you so desire. There might be times when incentive pay is offered if you work during certain hours but you do not get over-time pay as an independent contractor. As an independent contractor, you will be given a 1099 form by the companies that you have provided services for. It is your responsibility to pay all (they don't pick up part of the tab) of your FICA and income taxes for both state and federal taxes. Since you are self-employed, a good rule of thumb is to consider 28-33% of what you make will need to be held out to pay your taxes. You may decide that paying your taxes on a quarterly basis is better for you to do than to wait until the end of the year and have to come up with all the money all at one time.
By working at home, either as an employee or as an independent contractor, you are the one who is responsible for the purchase and upkeep of your computer equipment, maintaining the security of documents both in your home office and on your computer. You are required to have what is called a "designated landline phone" which means you must have a phone line totally separate from your personal home phone line and number.
Some companies that you work for as an independent contractor, will also require that you incorporate your business.
Presently some states are passing legislation which makes it either very difficult or impossible to work from home as an independent contractor. Please check with your state laws to be sure that you are eligible to work as an independent contractor.
In prior articles I have given you some websites to check out. Don't just check them out the one time and forget about them. Many of them may not have had an opening the first time you checked but they may have some now. There are places like rat race rebellion which will continually have new listings.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Finding Your Inner Talents
In past articles, I have discussed working at home for other companies either as an Independent Contractor or as an employee. Of course as an Independent Contractor you are self employed and you are able to set your own work schedule, controlling the number of hours you wish to work and what time of the day or night you wish to work.
Now let’s take inventory of your skills and see how they can be turned into positions where you can work at home but starting your very own in home business. I am going to tell you about some people who have successfully started their very own businesses and I want you to mentally go through your own skills and see how they could relate to some of these people.
Sally worked for a local doctor’s office where she did all of the insurance claim work. She not only did the transcriptions of the medical files but she also handled the medical coding of all the paperwork that was submitted to various insurance companies in order to get paid for the company’s service to their patients. Sally loved her job; she worked Monday through Thursday from 9am to 4pm with an hour for lunch. On Fridays they only worked from 9am until Noon. Then Sally learned that she was pregnant and was concerned about working after the baby was born. The doctor that she worked for gave her a wonderful suggestion. Why not set up her own business at home doing medical transcriptions and medical coding for a group of doctors there in the building where she now works. She thought many of the other doctors would be receptive to the idea because they would not have to put her on their payroll as an employee, she would be an independent contractor. Sally followed up on this suggestion by making phone calls to some of the doctors to get their opinions on this idea. She didn’t actually ask them if they would hire her to do their work, all she did was ask for their opinions. They were extremely interested and gave her some great suggestions. By the end of the conversations she had many of them telling her to contact them when she was ready to start her business.
Sally ended up working for her doctor from home the last couple months of her pregnancy reducing her schedule to part time but enough so that she still had her insurance coverage for the delivery of her baby. On weekends Sally designed her brochures and price list to give to her potential clients. She made her contact list of doctors and drafted the cover letter she would use to introduce her new business. When her baby was 6 weeks old, Sally launched her business. She started out with just a few offices to work for which was fine, it allowed her to have time to spend with her new son as well as brought in income for the family. As her son grew, so did her business and she is no longer able to accept any new clients at this time.
Ed was a Navy man, having worked aboard a submarine tender for over 10 years repairing submarines. He was also a family man and loved to tinker around the house building and repairing things. But now he was retired and what was he going to do with his time? After several years of working as a consultant to many large companies, he decided he wanted something a little less stressful where he could utilize his skills in doing home repairs and maintenance so he started his own business where his company would go into homes or apartments after the tenants moved out and would do all the repairs and repainting work. Then the recession hit and business tapered off and he wasn’t sure what he was going to do. You have heard the expression of taking a sow’s ear and making a silk purse out of it? That is what he did. He contacted the different banks and mortgage companies that had repossessed homes and offered his company’s services to restore them so they could be put on the market and resold.
Fred was a free-spirit, a loner with an entrepreneurial spirit. He didn’t like working for someone else and was very inventive about finding ways to be self employed. At one time he drove a delivery truck for a company that delivered supplies to the Indian reservation in Flagstaff, Arizona. He loved that job it gave him lots of freedom, he worked alone basically, doing his route in the truck. Then his son was injured in a terrible automobile accident. He wanted and needed more flexibility and that is when he decided to become a taxi driver with his own cab, subcontracting with a company there in Flagstaff. He could set his own work schedule so that he could be off when his son needed him.
David and Jennifer were terrific cooks. David had worked for some VIP’s in Texas as their personal Chef as well as working for several Country Clubs. Jennifer didn’t have professional experience as a cook; she was just darn good at it, specializing in French cooking and elegant deserts. They purchased an established restaurant that was for sale in a small tourist town in Arkansas. They redid the interior themselves since both of them have that wonderful interior decorating talent. They established a new menu and business flourished. They had the business for several years when an offer was made to purchase it that they couldn’t refuse! They sold the restaurant and returned to Texas to be near family.
Mary runs a licensed in-home day care business. She originally worked for a bank until she married and had her first child. They had decided that once they started their family that she would work from home so that she could spend time with their children. Mary did her day care up until after her 2nd child reached school age. At that time she became an independent contractor working at home for several companies doing customer service work. After several years, she became pregnant again so she temporarily shelved her independent contractor positions and has returned to operating her day care business. She has enrolled in online college classes that began this January and is now working towards her degree in Elementary Education. She figures that she can work in the classroom or as an online tutor over the Internet.
Anne has two children in school and two at home who are still in diapers! She wants to bring in extra money to help the family budget but her time to work is limited. To relax she loves to sew, making baby accessory items and personalized baby gifts which are monogrammed bibs and blankets. So why not take that talent and turn it into an on-line internet business? There is a website called Etsy.com which specializes in letting you set up a “store” on their website very reasonable and the nice thing is that your products must be handmade. Right now many people want to purchase items that are handmade or handcrafted. She is now in the planning stages of starting her own on line shop.
As a youngster Scott learned to be a magician. He had mastered the art of sawing people in half, pulling rabbits out of hats, doing levitation tricks and the ability to perform these tricks at parties and get paid to do so. He had a gift of gab and was a wonderful entertainer. I knew him when he was only 15 and he was able to put on a wonderful magic show at that age. I’ve often wondered what he ended up doing when he grew up.
If you are out there and reading this Scott McKeon from Grand Rapids, Michigan, give me a shout!
What I have tried to show you here are ordinary people who have taken their personal God given talents and used them to make a living for themselves. Now not all of them are millionaires for sure, but they are doing what makes them happy and gives them the feeling of fulfillment. You can do this too!
I go to the craft shows where I am in awe of all the wonderful products for sale. Everything from handcrafted soaps, homemade honey, candles, household goods, interior decorations for your home, to homemade quilts and hand knit or crocheted items.
I am constantly answering my door to people who have started their own businesses from tree trimming to lawn mowing or as an independent carrier for the local newspapers. Now tell me why one of those lawn mowing people didn't buy a shovel or two and do snow removal this past couple of weeks?
We have one local grocery store here who has a terrific service. You can contact them by phone or the internet and give them your grocery order. One of their employees will do your shopping for you. Once completed, they call you and give you the total to which a delivery fee or pickup fee is added. You pay for it by charge card or debit card. You can come into the store and your order will be waiting for you, or if you paid for delivery, your groceries will be delivered right to your front door. I personally see how this could be turned into your own home business.
Are the wheels spinning yet? I hope so!
Now let’s take inventory of your skills and see how they can be turned into positions where you can work at home but starting your very own in home business. I am going to tell you about some people who have successfully started their very own businesses and I want you to mentally go through your own skills and see how they could relate to some of these people.
Sally worked for a local doctor’s office where she did all of the insurance claim work. She not only did the transcriptions of the medical files but she also handled the medical coding of all the paperwork that was submitted to various insurance companies in order to get paid for the company’s service to their patients. Sally loved her job; she worked Monday through Thursday from 9am to 4pm with an hour for lunch. On Fridays they only worked from 9am until Noon. Then Sally learned that she was pregnant and was concerned about working after the baby was born. The doctor that she worked for gave her a wonderful suggestion. Why not set up her own business at home doing medical transcriptions and medical coding for a group of doctors there in the building where she now works. She thought many of the other doctors would be receptive to the idea because they would not have to put her on their payroll as an employee, she would be an independent contractor. Sally followed up on this suggestion by making phone calls to some of the doctors to get their opinions on this idea. She didn’t actually ask them if they would hire her to do their work, all she did was ask for their opinions. They were extremely interested and gave her some great suggestions. By the end of the conversations she had many of them telling her to contact them when she was ready to start her business.
Sally ended up working for her doctor from home the last couple months of her pregnancy reducing her schedule to part time but enough so that she still had her insurance coverage for the delivery of her baby. On weekends Sally designed her brochures and price list to give to her potential clients. She made her contact list of doctors and drafted the cover letter she would use to introduce her new business. When her baby was 6 weeks old, Sally launched her business. She started out with just a few offices to work for which was fine, it allowed her to have time to spend with her new son as well as brought in income for the family. As her son grew, so did her business and she is no longer able to accept any new clients at this time.
Ed was a Navy man, having worked aboard a submarine tender for over 10 years repairing submarines. He was also a family man and loved to tinker around the house building and repairing things. But now he was retired and what was he going to do with his time? After several years of working as a consultant to many large companies, he decided he wanted something a little less stressful where he could utilize his skills in doing home repairs and maintenance so he started his own business where his company would go into homes or apartments after the tenants moved out and would do all the repairs and repainting work. Then the recession hit and business tapered off and he wasn’t sure what he was going to do. You have heard the expression of taking a sow’s ear and making a silk purse out of it? That is what he did. He contacted the different banks and mortgage companies that had repossessed homes and offered his company’s services to restore them so they could be put on the market and resold.
Fred was a free-spirit, a loner with an entrepreneurial spirit. He didn’t like working for someone else and was very inventive about finding ways to be self employed. At one time he drove a delivery truck for a company that delivered supplies to the Indian reservation in Flagstaff, Arizona. He loved that job it gave him lots of freedom, he worked alone basically, doing his route in the truck. Then his son was injured in a terrible automobile accident. He wanted and needed more flexibility and that is when he decided to become a taxi driver with his own cab, subcontracting with a company there in Flagstaff. He could set his own work schedule so that he could be off when his son needed him.
David and Jennifer were terrific cooks. David had worked for some VIP’s in Texas as their personal Chef as well as working for several Country Clubs. Jennifer didn’t have professional experience as a cook; she was just darn good at it, specializing in French cooking and elegant deserts. They purchased an established restaurant that was for sale in a small tourist town in Arkansas. They redid the interior themselves since both of them have that wonderful interior decorating talent. They established a new menu and business flourished. They had the business for several years when an offer was made to purchase it that they couldn’t refuse! They sold the restaurant and returned to Texas to be near family.
Mary runs a licensed in-home day care business. She originally worked for a bank until she married and had her first child. They had decided that once they started their family that she would work from home so that she could spend time with their children. Mary did her day care up until after her 2nd child reached school age. At that time she became an independent contractor working at home for several companies doing customer service work. After several years, she became pregnant again so she temporarily shelved her independent contractor positions and has returned to operating her day care business. She has enrolled in online college classes that began this January and is now working towards her degree in Elementary Education. She figures that she can work in the classroom or as an online tutor over the Internet.
Anne has two children in school and two at home who are still in diapers! She wants to bring in extra money to help the family budget but her time to work is limited. To relax she loves to sew, making baby accessory items and personalized baby gifts which are monogrammed bibs and blankets. So why not take that talent and turn it into an on-line internet business? There is a website called Etsy.com which specializes in letting you set up a “store” on their website very reasonable and the nice thing is that your products must be handmade. Right now many people want to purchase items that are handmade or handcrafted. She is now in the planning stages of starting her own on line shop.
As a youngster Scott learned to be a magician. He had mastered the art of sawing people in half, pulling rabbits out of hats, doing levitation tricks and the ability to perform these tricks at parties and get paid to do so. He had a gift of gab and was a wonderful entertainer. I knew him when he was only 15 and he was able to put on a wonderful magic show at that age. I’ve often wondered what he ended up doing when he grew up.
If you are out there and reading this Scott McKeon from Grand Rapids, Michigan, give me a shout!
What I have tried to show you here are ordinary people who have taken their personal God given talents and used them to make a living for themselves. Now not all of them are millionaires for sure, but they are doing what makes them happy and gives them the feeling of fulfillment. You can do this too!
I go to the craft shows where I am in awe of all the wonderful products for sale. Everything from handcrafted soaps, homemade honey, candles, household goods, interior decorations for your home, to homemade quilts and hand knit or crocheted items.
I am constantly answering my door to people who have started their own businesses from tree trimming to lawn mowing or as an independent carrier for the local newspapers. Now tell me why one of those lawn mowing people didn't buy a shovel or two and do snow removal this past couple of weeks?
We have one local grocery store here who has a terrific service. You can contact them by phone or the internet and give them your grocery order. One of their employees will do your shopping for you. Once completed, they call you and give you the total to which a delivery fee or pickup fee is added. You pay for it by charge card or debit card. You can come into the store and your order will be waiting for you, or if you paid for delivery, your groceries will be delivered right to your front door. I personally see how this could be turned into your own home business.
Are the wheels spinning yet? I hope so!
Monday, October 26, 2009
Starting your own business, using your natural given talents
Do you remember that homemade doll that Aunt Sally gave you? How about the homemade stationery your cousin made for you for your birthday? Or the hand tooled leather purse or belt that your son made for you? The picture that Grandma hand painted that hangs proudly in your living room? That wooden wagon or rocking horse that your Grandfather gave you when you were little?
Perhaps you are a person who has natural craft talents that you may not even be aware of yourself that you can sell.
Have you ever given a homemade gift to someone and had them say to you "you really should sell this" or "I can't believe that you actually made this yourself."
As our economy tightens, so does our buying power but also so does our desire to help our fellow countrymen. There seems to be a big influx of people wanting to "buy American" right now. They are looking specifically for products that are made here in the United States. They are also looking for items that are basically nostalgic, which bring back fond memories of better times or of their own youth.
I've heard many people speak of "days gone by" and how many of the natural talents that were once taught either in school or passed down from mother to daughter or father to son are no longer done.I know personally that if you asked either of my daughter's how to darn a sock they would laugh because neither of them would have the faintest idea on how to do it. The skills of darning, sewing, knitting, crocheting, tatting, and embroidering have all seemed to but disappeared. How many know how to make homemade butter, jams and jellies, do canning and preserving of food products. How many would have the slightest idea on how to make their own soaps or candles or make your own yarn and do your own weaving? Do you paint, make your own pottery or jewelry? Can you bake a cake, plan a party, make a piece of clothing?
The same with the skills that were passed from father to son, they too seem to have gone by the wayside. How many young boys know the art of fishing and which type of bait to use, tracking game such as deer or rabbits, how to set a trap or shoot a rifle, gut a fish, dress out a deer or skin a rabbit for food? Do many know how to tan hides or tool leather goods? A handful, if we are lucky. How many have been taught the art of woodworking? Do they know how to use carpentry tools or mechanical tools? Could they build a birdhouse or a bench or fix a car?
I know that I myself am lacking in many of the above skills, especially when it comes to the culinary skills. I hardly knew how to boil water when I first got married!
As a teenager, I knew a young man who was an excellent magician. He started his own business doing magic shows at childrens parties. His brother and a group of friends put together a band and they started playing at parties, weddings and high school dances.
A friend of my mother's came to America from France as a WWII bride and spoke little english, but she was an excellent seamstress and started her own business making and altering clothes for people just by word of mouth, operating out of her home. Her business became so well known, she eventually opened up her own shop.
What I am trying to get you to do is make you realize that you do have some natural given talents that are saleable.
You will need to do some researching to find out the laws in your particular state about getting a license for your products. Most states will require you to get a business license and collect sales tax from your customers and forward them to the state either quarterly, semi-annually or annually.
If you produce food products, many states will require that you have a separate commercial kitchen to prepare your products, not allowing you to use your own personal kitchen. You will be required to have a health permit and inspections either by the city or state health department. You will need to get the guidelines for labeling the contents of your products as to the ingredients and calorie content.
When it comes to making clothing, you will need to be sure if making items for infants that you follow guidelines on using materials with flame retardants when it comes to making night wear. Be careful using licensed materials such as disney prints or college insignia prints when making products for resale. You may be in violation of copyright laws and subject to fines.
If you make pottery goods, you will need to be sure of the properties of the clay, that if making products that will be eaten off of that there is nothing in them that will harm a person such as lead content.
When starting your very own business, be sure to put together a good business plan. Launching your own business without one is like a ship without a rudder and a sail. Depending on how tightly you structure the business plan will help keep your business on target, help you reach your goals and be the sail to your business ship. Also having a good business plan is an asset if you need to go to a lending institution to apply for operating capital. They can see your projections in black and white of what you feel the potential profits are for your business over a period of time. You should have figures together for years one through seven as this is when most new businesses will fail if they are not capitalized properly or structured soundly.
I guess what I am trying to say is what might sound like a wonderful idea on paper could not turn out so well if not thoroughly thought out and researched ahead of time but if you have done your homework and it all looks good, proceed ahead and launch your dream business.
Reference Resources: Check your public library for books on how to sell your crafts, Amazon Books and Borders Books also carry a nice selection of books on the subject.
Check the Internet for articles.
Perhaps you are a person who has natural craft talents that you may not even be aware of yourself that you can sell.
Have you ever given a homemade gift to someone and had them say to you "you really should sell this" or "I can't believe that you actually made this yourself."
As our economy tightens, so does our buying power but also so does our desire to help our fellow countrymen. There seems to be a big influx of people wanting to "buy American" right now. They are looking specifically for products that are made here in the United States. They are also looking for items that are basically nostalgic, which bring back fond memories of better times or of their own youth.
I've heard many people speak of "days gone by" and how many of the natural talents that were once taught either in school or passed down from mother to daughter or father to son are no longer done.I know personally that if you asked either of my daughter's how to darn a sock they would laugh because neither of them would have the faintest idea on how to do it. The skills of darning, sewing, knitting, crocheting, tatting, and embroidering have all seemed to but disappeared. How many know how to make homemade butter, jams and jellies, do canning and preserving of food products. How many would have the slightest idea on how to make their own soaps or candles or make your own yarn and do your own weaving? Do you paint, make your own pottery or jewelry? Can you bake a cake, plan a party, make a piece of clothing?
The same with the skills that were passed from father to son, they too seem to have gone by the wayside. How many young boys know the art of fishing and which type of bait to use, tracking game such as deer or rabbits, how to set a trap or shoot a rifle, gut a fish, dress out a deer or skin a rabbit for food? Do many know how to tan hides or tool leather goods? A handful, if we are lucky. How many have been taught the art of woodworking? Do they know how to use carpentry tools or mechanical tools? Could they build a birdhouse or a bench or fix a car?
I know that I myself am lacking in many of the above skills, especially when it comes to the culinary skills. I hardly knew how to boil water when I first got married!
As a teenager, I knew a young man who was an excellent magician. He started his own business doing magic shows at childrens parties. His brother and a group of friends put together a band and they started playing at parties, weddings and high school dances.
A friend of my mother's came to America from France as a WWII bride and spoke little english, but she was an excellent seamstress and started her own business making and altering clothes for people just by word of mouth, operating out of her home. Her business became so well known, she eventually opened up her own shop.
What I am trying to get you to do is make you realize that you do have some natural given talents that are saleable.
You will need to do some researching to find out the laws in your particular state about getting a license for your products. Most states will require you to get a business license and collect sales tax from your customers and forward them to the state either quarterly, semi-annually or annually.
If you produce food products, many states will require that you have a separate commercial kitchen to prepare your products, not allowing you to use your own personal kitchen. You will be required to have a health permit and inspections either by the city or state health department. You will need to get the guidelines for labeling the contents of your products as to the ingredients and calorie content.
When it comes to making clothing, you will need to be sure if making items for infants that you follow guidelines on using materials with flame retardants when it comes to making night wear. Be careful using licensed materials such as disney prints or college insignia prints when making products for resale. You may be in violation of copyright laws and subject to fines.
If you make pottery goods, you will need to be sure of the properties of the clay, that if making products that will be eaten off of that there is nothing in them that will harm a person such as lead content.
When starting your very own business, be sure to put together a good business plan. Launching your own business without one is like a ship without a rudder and a sail. Depending on how tightly you structure the business plan will help keep your business on target, help you reach your goals and be the sail to your business ship. Also having a good business plan is an asset if you need to go to a lending institution to apply for operating capital. They can see your projections in black and white of what you feel the potential profits are for your business over a period of time. You should have figures together for years one through seven as this is when most new businesses will fail if they are not capitalized properly or structured soundly.
I guess what I am trying to say is what might sound like a wonderful idea on paper could not turn out so well if not thoroughly thought out and researched ahead of time but if you have done your homework and it all looks good, proceed ahead and launch your dream business.
Reference Resources: Check your public library for books on how to sell your crafts, Amazon Books and Borders Books also carry a nice selection of books on the subject.
Check the Internet for articles.
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