These side hustle ideas can help satisfy your creative cravings -- and fill up your Paypal account too! Are you unsatisfied at work? Or maybe you’re not unsatisfied, but there’s something missing from your current role. Perhaps you’re looking for a creative outlet, or a chance to pick up a new skill. Side hustles, as they’ve come to be known, are part-time jobs you create for yourself in addition to a regular full-time job. The fact that they’re a hustle is usually an attest to the fact that they come back to a passion and aren’t just a money maker. Though truthfully, most side hustles are also a way to fill in the gaps as far as what you’re earning at your full-time job, and how much money you want to make to be happy. … [Read more...] about Side Hustle Ideas That Fit Your Passions
Work for Yourself
How to Stand Out Above the Crowd
There are few hurdles that both brick and mortar stores and eCommerce sites have to cross in order to become successful. The largest of the common hurdles is marketing. It doesn’t matter if you are having a bake sale or are trying to profit from your creative clothing designs, marketing is essential to your success. Potential website visitors need to know that you exist and where they can find you in order to become your customers. Creating an Eye Catching Website Prior to your first batch of product going into production, it is important to understand how to market a product online. After all, even the most impressive product ever will not turn a profit, if nobody can find it. One of the most important aspects to consider for your online marketing plan is the design and functionality of your company’s website. It is after all the page you want potential clients to find when they search for your type of product or service. Designing a successful eCommerce page combines some of the … [Read more...] about How to Stand Out Above the Crowd
What Every Business Plan Should Contain
For anyone looking to start a new business venture, a business plan is an essential tool in creating success. Whether or not you are seeking financing, it is still an important step that any hopeful entrepreneur should take. Taking the time to write a business plan will help you create the framework for your business, and will be the document you use to measure you success against the goals you laid out at the beginning of your venture. You want to write a plan that fits your exact business needs, according to Tim Berry, author of "3 Weeks to Startup." When you are creating your business plan, there are some common elements that should be included. Executive Summary Your executive summary is one of the most important parts of your business plan. This is where you include all of your company contact information, and where you highlight the information that is contained in the rest of your business plan template. You need to make this part stand out. If you can grab your readers' … [Read more...] about What Every Business Plan Should Contain
The Freelancer's Guide to Taking Holidays
Working as a freelancer has many benefits but there are some downsides to being a freelancer too. For example, when every customer or project counts as income it can be hard to turn work down, sometimes even at the expense of a holiday. However, we all need breaks to maintain a balance in our lives and to avoid burnout; especially important when you are your own source of income. Here are a few ideas of ways to tackle this issue: 1. Take shorter breaks Adapting the way you take breaks to suit your freelance lifestyle can be a good compromise. You could take more frequent one night breaks or mini breaks; this means you get time away from your business but without big breaks of time away from your work. By taking more mini breaks, you can still accommodate customers without a big gap in service but still get your well deserved break. 2. Planning Taking breaks as a freelancer can involve more planning than in your average 9-5 job but it is worth it. You could try to take more work at … [Read more...] about The Freelancer's Guide to Taking Holidays
How to Start Your Own Business
Running your own business is one of the most satisfying ways of making money doing something you love - but whether you're a full-time entrepreneur or you're still looking into your options, you'll soon discover that there's a lot of work that needs to go into it! We've put together a quick guide to piecing your new business together - and how to make sure all your paperwork is complete. Schedule If you're just starting out, chances are you're juggling your new venture with other responsibilities, including family and an existing job. Make sure you're setting dedicated time aside to work on your business, and look into ways of decreasing your other obligations - we covered how to save money and go part-time at work in a blog post a few months ago, which should give you some tips! Product You might be producing items from scratch, or simply providing a service, but either way you need to make sure there is actually a call for what you're offering, or ensure that yours does something … [Read more...] about How to Start Your Own Business
How to Stay Motivated When You Work From Home
Working from home can sometimes be tricky to stay motivated. So how do you stay focused and stop the procrastinating? Here are some handy tips. When Dolly Parton was singing about her 9 til 5, that was the only routine available to most workers. But careers in business no longer revolve around water coolers and office politics. Because more and more companies are tapping into the benefits of working from home. But without the same old office routine, how do you stay focused and stop the procrastinating? The Dreaded Distractions We live in a world where work distractions seem constant. If it's not phones ringing or texts arriving, there's a constant flow of emails popping up or Facebook and Twitter status updates. One wrong click can lead you into an online black hole where hours of your life will go by and no work gets completed. If this sounds familiar then it's worth applying a few tools to help curb those dreaded distractions. First of all, turn off those off-putting pop-up … [Read more...] about How to Stay Motivated When You Work From Home
Cooking Up Your Own Business? How to Make Your Dream Business a Reality
Starting up your own business requires dedication and patience. Do you watch "Top Chef" or "Hell's Kitchen" and dream of opening up your own restaurant? Do you have a particular product you just know the public will want to buy? Setting up a storefront small business is the way to go, and it's easier than you may think. With the right tips and credit, you can be on your way to owning your own store in no time. Figure Out Your Audience First things first: Who is your audience? Are you targeting preteen adolescents? What about stay-at-home moms? Are you trying to draw middle-income families? Wealthy people? The elderly? Let's say, for instance, you're wanting to open up your restaurant. You have to remember that you'll never truly capture 100 percent of the market you're going for, but if you have an idea of the five main market categories, according to Entrepreneur, you'll have a great start off the bat: Generation Y or "Millennial Generation"— This generation was born between 1980 … [Read more...] about Cooking Up Your Own Business? How to Make Your Dream Business a Reality
Alert! – Is Your Home Office Prepared for a Disaster?
Every season comes with its own potential disaster, such as ice storms, hurricane, or floods. So, it’s extremely important that you have your home and home office prepared for an unexpected crisis to hit. It’s best to be over prepared, than under when it comes to a natural…and sometimes not-so-natural disaster. If you are working from the home, you have a duo concern for being prepared. It’s not only your home and furnishings, but it’s your livelihood as well. What would you do if you suddenly didn’t have a place to live, or a way of working to help start building your life back up? I have experienced and seen many disasters in my travels, and it has brought on a passion for bringing the awareness to others on how to best save, or quickly recoup all your hard work. So, read on to learn what you can do to be as prepared as possible when a crisis strikes. Backup Your Data Remotely One of the easiest and quickest ways to protect some of your work is to have an online data backup for … [Read more...] about Alert! – Is Your Home Office Prepared for a Disaster?
5 Often Overlooked Details When Going From Employee to Entrepreneur
You’ve dreamed of owning a business for many years and have worked tirelessly to turn the dream into reality. Now that you’re finally in a position to go from employee to entrepreneur, you’re likely eager to leave your current job as quickly as possible. While having confidence and making the leap as soon as you’re able is important, you must also consider the many changes that will come with the transition. Here are 5 things consider before telling your employer goodbye. Consider Insurance Changes A major perk many employees are given is employer-sponsored insurance. The process of obtaining health insurance and dental insurance can seem like a breeze when starting a new job. Unfortunately, entrepreneurs often face a different reality when leaving their fulltime jobs. Before making the transition, research the increased insurance costs you’ll be required to pay when registering for individual policies. The costs of these policies must be affordable on your new income before the … [Read more...] about 5 Often Overlooked Details When Going From Employee to Entrepreneur
Top 5 Qualities You Need to Become a Telecommuter
Between work, socializing and household maintenance, time can often run short. However, the solution many workers are discovering for time crunch dilemmas is telecommuting at least part-time for their employers. With Forrester predicting workplace telecommuting numbers to reach 63 million employees by 2016, this workplace revolution is here to stay. While telecommuting may solve many scheduling dilemmas, it can also present challenges to new remote workers. If you’re considering a transition from a traditional workplace to becoming a remote worker, it’s essential to understand those qualities held by the most successful telecommuters. By understanding these qualities and cultivating them, you’ll experience more success as a telecommuter. As such, here are the 5 qualities you need to become a successful telecommuter. Independent – The best telecommuters are those who don’t need their hands held through every … [Read more...] about Top 5 Qualities You Need to Become a Telecommuter