HTTProfits | Work From Home

Online business banking offers security, convenience

2010-01-12T08:01:00.000-08:00

Online business banking services offer the home business owner with safety, security, plus a new level of convenience seldom found with brick-and-mortar banks.

Suntrust offers "Online Cash Manager" which has become quite popular with other home-based entreprenuers. Their website states:

"From basic banking to advanced cash management, SunTrust offers an online business banking suite to meet the needs of small to mid-sized businesses."

You can learn more about services from Suntrust at their website, www.suntrust.com

Other online business banking resources are available from Bank of America, Key Bank, and www.HSBC.com.

This software can also help you save time and money with your online business banking:
Quicken Home & Business 2010

Quicken home business tax prep software popular with consumers

2010-01-11T04:52:00.000-08:00

More and more consumers are searching out the 2010 Quicken tax prep software online this time of year. It's popularity must be deserved. There is a helpful guide book available at Amazon.com that promises to help you get the most out of this tax prep software:

Quicken 2010 The Official Guide (Quicken Press)

Here is a DVD which covers all important aspects of Quicken for those who prefer to watch vs. read:

Practical Finance, Financing and the Financial Plan for Small Businesses: Systems for Success

SBA resources stink; time to update their website

2010-01-09T04:12:00.000-08:00

The how-to books at the Small Business Administration website are outdated. It's scary to think that government officials -- many of whom may have never run a business before -- are keen to advise new entreprenuers to check out the SBA.gov website, yet the self-help reading material there is practically useless in this digital business era.

It's high time Congress granted enough extra funding for the SBA to spruce up its library of resources to help American small business grow. Otherwise, let's start putting some of the SBA staffers to work updating old articles on their agency's website. Take what they have, add what they know, and make it better.

Until then, you're better off roaming on your own on the Internet to find the best techniques to grow your new business.

P.S. - I witnessed, firsthand, not long ago at a new business workshop, a SCORE volunteer stand up before the crowd of wanna-be small business owners and offer his services free of charge. Then he capped off his speech with a short story of how his own business had folded. No one in attendance seemed eager to ask for his insights on how to run a new business that day. Would it be asking too much to entice more qualified people to participate in SCORE... even if the SBA has to PAY them to help new businesses get off to a good start? I don't think so.

Here's good reference books from Amazon.com on starting a new business:

Entrepreneur's Notebook: Practical Advice for Starting a New Business Venture

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Starting Your Own Business, 5th Edition

Starting a New Business?: Think Big but Start Small

Small Business Start-Up Kit

Make Money Online With Affiliate Programs Following 5 Fail-Safe Income-Generating Strategies

2010-01-08T04:46:00.000-08:00

Here's good advice by Alfred Sant:

Just like in any other business; you need to know the ins and outs of how to make money online with affiliate program. Learning the basic know-how and mastering specific methods and strategies are just some of the things you need to understand before you actually generate any money off the internet. Only you and you alone can determine how successful you can become in making money online.

Read the whole story here:

http://ezinearticles.com

Amazon.com offers this home business guide on affiliate marketing:

Ken Calhoun of TradingAffiliates.com reviewed this guide and said:

This is my favorite affiliate management book, because it covers a lot of tips and new content for those of us who are managing/leading affiliate driven businesses. What I like best about this book is how comprehensive and specific it is, and the new content that I haven't seen elsewhere in other affiliate marketing how-to resources.

The Complete Guide to Affiliate Marketing on the Web: How to Use and Profit from Affiliate Marketing Programs

Free tools to help you start a more profitable online business

2010-01-06T07:48:00.000-08:00

Starting a new business? What are you going to sell? What will you focus on? How will you inow if your business idea will take off and make you money?

Fortunately, when you are starting a new online business, there are free tools to help you research exactly what people are looking for.

Google offers a unique keyword tool that allows you to input keyword phrases for your business idea and then compare those phrases to the exact keyword searches that websurfers are actually using.

There are settings within the Google keyword tool that allows you to compare trends, keyword values, and alternative phrases which could be more profitable.

You can check out the keywords tool by Google here....

Once you are there, you can type in a few phrases that you believe people will use to find your business online. For instance, if you are reselling website hosting, you might type in the phrase "cheap web hosts" and you'll find that there are approximately 1,600 monthly searches for that term, while the keyword search term "cheap web hosting domain" is searched on more than 22,000 times a month.

See the difference?

By knowing the exact words people are typing into their web search browser, you have an insight into what title to use on your web pages, what headlines to use, and which keyword phrases to concentrate on.

I learned this the hard way. Long ago, on one of my credit repair websites, I focused almost entirely on the keyword phrase "clean up your credit" and thought I was reaching the vast majority of people who were searching for this topic.

Later on, by using free tools like the Google Adwords keyword research tool, it became clear that phrases like "restore good credit" and "fix credit report" were used much more frequently.

Why waste time creating content people are not even searching for?

Nowadays, I rarely even start creating a new web page until I've determined the most searched for -- and most profitable -- keyword search terms to incorporate into my content.

Here's an excellent book on using Google tools; it's available from Amazon.com:

Google Advertising Tools: Cashing in with AdSense and AdWords (Animal Guide)

How to avoid feelings of isolation working from home

2010-01-05T01:25:00.000-08:00

Beware! Working From Home Can Make You a Loner

By Vishal P. Rao

Many people feel that their highly competitive corporate career has thrown their social life into oblivion. The Monday to Friday hectic routine followed by laundry, cooking, cleaning and other household chores on the weekend can take their toll on any traces of social life that you may have had when you were in college or when you had just started working.

Many of these people tend to look for more flexible options like working from home so that they can dictate when they work. While working from home does allow for a lot of freedom and self regulation too, there are various pitfalls to working from home that need to be guarded against. And one among those is the possibility of becoming a loner.

Even when you do not have time to go out and meet friends after work or throw a party at home on a weekend, the fact is that a regular job allows you to go out each day and interact with a fair number of people. There are many of us who find good friends at the workplace and then take these friendships out of the office even after we change jobs or start to work from home. The daily interactions, chats over coffee and even official dinners allow you to unwind and let your hair loose for some time.

When you start working from home, most of the interaction that you have is online via mails or instant messengers or conversations on the phone. Face to face interactions are limited and therefore there is hardly any chance of general talk.

In addition to this, if you have had a high strung career and have been busy most of the times, it is possible that you have already lost touch with many of your erstwhile college friends or family friends that you may have had earlier. It seems a bit awkward to start to call them when you are suddenly more flexible and working from home. You tend to get typecast into a busy person and in most cases are left out of plans for going to the mall in the afternoon or lunch get-togethers.

People who enjoy their work at home may also find it difficult to pull themselves away from their work to make time for social gatherings or an afternoon in the mall. For those who are passionate about their work, it seems such a waste of time to spend precious hours at the mall, window shopping when you could be sitting at your computer clocking paid hours or completing projects.

Irrespective of the reasons that are behind the situation, it is obvious that working from home can actually make you a loner if you do not safeguard against the possibility. Extended period of staying alone or only interacting with your family and staying indoors can affect your mental and physical health. It certainly affected mine to such extent that many a times I contemplated quitting this work from home stuff altogether and start some real business to get connected to the real world.

Below are some tips that can help you avoid falling in to the trap and becoming a loner when you work from home.

Choose a hobby that takes you out - Even if you have converted your passion into your work from home business, it makes sense to start a new hobby that takes you out of your home. It not be a hobby as such. Activities like exercising, sports, swimming, aerobics apart from making you healthy can also be used to socialize.
A family outing - On holidays and weekends, planning to short trip to a nearby location with other families can be a lot of fun. Take the initiative and plan something and then check if your friends would like to join in.
Ease into your old friend circle - It may not be easy for you to start getting in the groove with friends whom you have not been connected to for a while. Don't feel shy and take the initiative. Social networks can help you getting in touch with them and starting a conversation before you call up and make plans to do something together.
Plan a dinner party - If you are not being included as part of social get-togethers because you have been out of the circuit for so long, you can initiate the process by calling some friends over for a dinner party. A start can be made by celebrating a birthday or an anniversary before you move on to casual dinner parties.
Kids are a great source of making new acquaintances - If you are having difficulty chatting up with your neighbors after you have been seeing through them in the past, it is important to note that your kids can be a great source of making new acquaintance. Start a conversation and take it to the next level by spending some time outdoors or going for a short walk in the neighborhood.

If you feel that you are falling into a loner trap, be conscious about it and take some steps to avoid becoming someone who does not like to talk to or interact with anyone.

Vishal P. Rao provides practical tips and advice on starting and running a successful home based business at http://www.home-based-business-opportunities.com/

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Vishal_P._Rao

Overcoming the isolation of working from home: it can be lonely working from home. Heather Douglas offers some tips for overcoming the challenges of isolation.(home biz): An article from: NZ Business

RISE: An Entrepreneur's Journey To The Top

Craft, Inc.: Turn Your Creative Hobby into a Business

Starting a Home Business: Choosing a product to sell (Volume 1)

Work at Home and Make Money Online with Clickbank

2010-01-04T01:14:00.000-08:00

By Liane Bate

If you have an online business or the desire to work at home via the internet, then you have probably heard of Clickbank. Clickbank is like an online marketplace where you can buy, sell, and promote digital products from the comfort of your own home. Now this sounds like fun when you don't even have to handle, package, or ship any physical items, or deal with any credit card transactions! How much easier can life get than that?

If you are wondering how you can work at home and make money online with Clickbank, then wonder no more! Most people starting an online business look first to affiliate programs. At Clickbank, you can make some quick commissions by promoting the products or services of your choice. Whenever someone clicks on your link to that product or service, and goes on to buy the item, you receive a commission on that sale. The great thing is that you have thousands of products to choose from, and it's free to set up a Clickbank account and start earning immediately! Depending on what product you choose, you can earn a pretty hefty commission too!

The thing to remember is that setting up a free account with Clickbank isn't exactly the ticket to online business success. You must actively promote these products by using various internet marketing and website promotion techniques. For example, you want to SEO your website, meaning that you want to direct the search engines to your site frequently by using appropriate keywords on your site that gives you good placement in the search engine listings. You also want to write articles and distribute them around the internet which may include a link to one of your Clickbank products. You may want to include your Clickbank affiliate links on your blog postings and post to your blog daily. You may want to set up a Google Adwords campaign to promote your Clickbank products. The thing is not to just sign up for an account and expect results. You do have some work to do!

Another way to work at home and make money with Clickbank is by having your own digital products or services that you can sell on Clickbank. If you aren't sure how popular Clickbank is and think your products won't sell, then think again! Clickbank sells thousands of products every day! Let's say that your favorite method of promoting your online business is by writing and distributing articles online. If you write enough articles, you can compile them into your very own e-book and offer that book for sale on Clickbank, which has thousands of eager shoppers looking for that perfect e-book!

When you sell your own products at Clickbank, you can choose how much commission you want the affiliates who promote your products to get. When a sale is made through them, the affiliate gets the commission, and you pay a certain amount for each sale made without ever having to deal with any customers or transactions, as Clickbank will take care of it all!

Now a trick I have learned for more effectively promoting Clickbank products as an affiliate is to purchase the products you are promoting, test them out for yourself, and write up a review or report on each separate product. Then post this review on your blog, and submit the report to article directories with a link to the Clickbank product's sales page. On the sales page, you should have an opt-in form that allows visitors to sign up immediately for more information. Do this regularly and you will make some sales! Remember, the trick is not to have an account, the trick is website promotion!

Liane Bate owns a Plugin Profit Site web business and is a member of the International Association of Home Business Entrepreneurs (IAHBE). Visit: [http://www.HonestMoneyMaking.com/blog/]HonestMoneyMaking.com's Home Business Blog and http://www.HonestMoneyMaking.com

Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Work-at-Home-and-Make-Money-Online-with-Clickbank&id=420635] Work at Home and Make Money Online with Clickbank

How your new small business start-up can prosper during the Great Recession

2010-01-01T06:10:00.000-08:00

Small-business owners see silver lining in the recession

The current gloomy economic conditions contain some good news for new small-business start-ups. According to a recent survey conducted by Citibank, new small-business owners and managers are finding a silver lining in the current recession, seeing more high-quality candidates available for hire, rising employee retention rates and gains in market share.

As a business owner, how can you take advantage of these small-business opportunities and make them work for your business? Small-business expert Dan Goodgame recently moderated a robust roundtable of small-business owners, who offer these three tips:

1. Take advantage of the talent pool

As a result of the recession, there is larger pool of highly qualified and highly skilled employees available for hire. Many who may not have considered working for a small firm are now more open to the idea. Take time to interview a variety of job candidates on a regular basis, even if you don't have a current opening at the company. This technique can help you fill an opening as soon as it is created with the best possible talent, and avoid some of the costs - typically 50 to 200 percent of the employee's annual salary - normally associated with staff turnover.

2. Retain your best employees

Holding on to your best employees is of course crucial to building your business, and it's going to get harder as the economy starts growing again. First, create a two-way communication system that allows employees, on a regular basis, to give and receive feedback on their performance and the performance of their peers and managers. Second, create an employee recognition and rewards program that extends beyond compensation and bonus. Be creative with the rewards program; provide employees with paid time off to volunteer at their organization of choice. Provide recognition with "surprise" thank you gift certificates to a local cafe or restaurant. The "thank you" does not have to be a big dollar amount - just the recognition can go a long way.

3. Seek feedback from customers as you seek referrals

With marketing budgets pinched, many business owners are taking a fresh look at ways to gain new sales by winning referrals from existing customers. One of the most effective methods is to seek feedback from existing customers on the quality of your products and services, and on your pricing. Tell customers directly that you want to do whatever is necessary so that they will be so pleased that they will recommend your company to their friends and colleagues. Listen to their suggestions on how you can improve. And when you've followed through on their advice, check back with them. If you know of a good prospect, ask your existing customers if they know her, and can introduce you to her and recommend you. One advantage of this approach is that it helps you get the feedback that you need to improve your service, even as it brings in new business.

The small-business sector typically leads the U.S. economy out of recession, and that pattern seems to be holding up in the current downturn. Leveraging tips such as these will be key to surviving the toughest business conditions in more than half a century.

4 easy home businesses to start in 2010

2009-12-31T07:37:00.000-08:00

Technology offers new opportunities for parents and others tired of the rat race who now would like to work at home. Finding and landing legitimate, profitable work still provides challenges, but here is an article describing 4 easy ways to test the waters, and start making money working from home:

http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/CollegeAndFamily/RaiseKids/4realJobsYouCanDoFromHome.aspx

Get more info from this book, available from Amazon.com:

Work at Home Now: The No-nonsense Guide to Finding Your Perfect Home-based Job, Avoiding Scams, and Making a Great Living

What a reader has said of this book: "The authors have also done a great job showing readers how to do effective Google and Craigslist searches for work, and they tell what to look for in order to avoid scams. All in all, this is a very well-written and extremely well-organized book about how to find a good home-based job and avoid all the scams out there."

SiteSell services, tools, forums offer help to newbies on the 'Net

2009-12-30T21:59:00.000-08:00

Could SiteSell be your "easy button" when it comes to building a homebased business of your own?
Their easy-to-use tools and helpful forums have turned novice web newbies into profit-making web guru's within a short span of time -- usually a year or two, so this is NOT get rich quick stuff -- and the free video tutorials will guide you every step of the way.
Check it out today:

Welcome to HTTProfits, your 'work from home' resource

2009-12-30T21:48:00.000-08:00

Yes, you CAN make money working from home. There are multiple opportunities these days to build a home-based business working online, and we intend to help show you some tips on how to make money on the Internet!

We will also share with you links to helpful websites as sell as informative books, DVDs, video snippets and other resources that will make it easy for you to earn a profit quicker when you start your own home business!

Comment on our articles and add your own ideas to the mix.

Start & Run a Real Home-Based Business

Home-Based Business For Dummies (For Dummies (Business & Personal Finance))
How to Start a Home-Based Jewelry Making Business: *Turn your passion into profit *Develop a smart business plan *Set market-appropriate prices *Profit ... on the Internet (Home-Based Business Series)