PayPal offers an all-in-one solution so you can accept payments online, with or without a website and accept payments offline. If you already have a merchant account then you can utilize one of two options including Payflow Gateway, which offers a secure connection from your online store to your internet merchant account or PayPal Express Checkout, which creates a 3-click customer checkout. Most options require a $30/month fee and like any merchant account, you’ll pay a percentage of each sale ranging from 1.9% to 2.9% depending on your chosen package.

A big benefit of Paypal is that it’s available in 190 markets and 19 currencies around the world. It’s also known throughout the world as a leading payment gateway.

Alert Pay is a growing payment provider with members in more than 190 countries and supports 21 currencies. All monies deposited with AlertPay are FDIC and CDIC insured. While Alert Pay doesn’t offer the myriad account options PayPal does, it does offer low transaction fees of 2.5% + $0.25 per transaction, enables you to manage multiple online businesses with one account, use “Buy Now” buttons for one-time and recurring payments and it easily integrates into third-party applications. Additionally, they offer a number of business tools like sales reports and mass payment solutions.

CCNow offers payment systems geared toward your business size, including, Start-Up, Small Business, and Established. Their fees include a one time set up fee of 9.95 and a monthly fee of 9.95 if your sales are less than $100.01 each month. Additionally, you’ll pay a fee of 4.99% of Gross Sales plus $0.50 per transaction.

CCNow makes it possible to accept payments from common methods like Visa & MasterCard but also lets you accept payment via PayPal.

2Checkout.com easily integrates with other shopping cart systems, supports recurring billing and automatic payments. They also don’t charge any monthly fee however there is a $49 sign up fee, a 5.5% of Sale Amount and .45 per sale. They offer free code for your website, free shopping cart solutions and no fee to wire into a US or Canadian bank account. While they don’t support as many currencies as other vendors, they do support US, Australian, Canadian, Danish Kroner, Euro, GBP-Sterlings, Hong Kong Dollars, Japanese Yen, New Zealand Dollars, Norwegian Kroner, Swedish Kroner and Swiss Francs.

Other options include:
* e-gold which is an online payment system that exchanges currency in gold rather than dollars
* Authorize.net
* Securepaymentsystems.com
* RBSWorldpay
and many more.

When it comes to finding the right secure online payment system, there are many to choose from. Keep your budget, sales volume and the security of your clients and customers in mind before making your decision. Make sure they’re easy for you to use and integrate well with any system you currently have running. Also, look for how many tutorials they have and how easy they are to get ahold of in case a problem arises that you need to fix quickly.

Get up. It’s important to take regular breaks during your work hours. You can aim for five minutes every hour. During the five minutes, get up and do a few stretches, walk around the room and take a few deep breaths. All of this will help you remain flexible and give your muscles a much needed break.

Happy core = happy back. Research has shown that our core muscles play a big part in the health of our backs. Our core muscles are the “trunk” muscles in the center of the body. A few simple but effective core exercises are:

Superman – Lie on your front with your forehead touching the floor and your arms and legs extended (in a “superman” position). Gently lift your right arm (keep it straight) and at the same time lift your left leg (keep it straight). You only need to lift a few inches off the floor for the exercise to take effect. Lift gently, in a controlled manner then lower to the ground and repeat with the opposite arm and leg. Work up to ten repetitions.

Plank – Lie on your front and then get into an all fours position so that your body is supported on your knees and elbows (as if you were a dog or cat). Then gently lower your legs so that you are supporting your lower half using your feet. Think of a plank position. Keep your body straight and don’t arch your back. Keep your head up to help keep your back straight. Build up to holding for one minute.

Crunches on exercise ball – An exercise ball is very effective for working the core muscles. Do a simple crunch by supporting your upper half on a ball rather than the floor and gently crunch up for ten. Keep your breath controlled and your chin off your chest. Aim for ten repetitions.

Consider Pilates – Pilates has been proven to help many back ailments. It’s a very gentle form of exercise which will help strengthen your back and core muscles. However, form is paramount in Pilates. Learn the exercises from a registered Pilates instructor and where possible opt for a few private sessions before joining a class. Pilates can be a great all-round exercise for your health and back but without proper form you may end up doing more harm than good.

Lose the weight – Carrying around extra weight can be hard on the back and joints. Losing a little weight can help relieve some of that pressure. If you’re overweight, start by taking a few regular weekly walks and slowly cutting down on a few extra calories. Small changes can add up to big results.

Back pain plagues many of us, but with a few small changes you can improve it and in some cases get rid of it all together. Working at a computer is something we can’t get away from but, these tips will help you get started on a path to a healthier back.

Let’s look over some of the pros and cons of being your own boss and calling home your workplace:

Pros:

Flexibility – The ability to set your own hours and work around your needs is a definite plus for home workers. There’s nothing like being able to take time off when necessary or work to your own rhythm. I know this is one of the major reasons I work for myself. So I can work around my husbands crazy schedule and get the kids to where they need to be still.

Less expenses – Working from home may help you save on fuel, clothing, food and all those other extras that creep in when you work outside the home. At home, you can make your own lunches and your wardrobe can consist of jeans and a t-shirt if you wish.

Earning potential – If you’re a self-employed home worker, then you have control over your earnings too. This means that if you need extra money, you can take on extra projects. Or if you simply need a little extra cash, you take on less. The bottom line is you control your earnings. This would be difficult to do if you worked at a standard nine to five job.

More room for creativity – Working for yourself means that you have more leeway with your creativity. You’re in charge of your marketing, website and whole company brand. There are no pre-set limits and you don’t have to get your ideas approved before you go for it.

Cons:

Staying focused – Many of us lack the willpower and focus to work on our own. It’s easy to get distracted when you’re at home: the phone rings, the laundry pile calls, the book on the shelf calls out longingly to be read. All of these distractions can be hard to overcome.

Meeting deadlines – If you have trouble staying focused and on track, you may have trouble meeting your deadlines. With no boss to wag their finger if things go wrong, you’ll need to ensure you can meet your deadlines without anyone breathing down your neck.

Loneliness – For some people this isn’t an issue, but for others the loneliness of working from home can be too much. If you’re a particularly social person, you may struggle to work on your own.

Regular paychecks – While I love working for myself, not having a regular paycheck is one of the hardest things for me to still get used to after 3 years.

Working from home definitely has its good and bad points. For most the benefits far outweigh the bad points. It’s important to look at both the good and bad sides of home working before deciding which is the right choice for you and your family.

Sometimes being online keeps my head thinking only online. I am a VA, but why does that have to be strictly virtual? Why wouldn’t some local small businesses want a contractor to help them get a newsletter out, manage a mailing list, set up their website, or any number of details that a small business can’t get to. Many small businesses can’t afford full-time employees and even regular part-time employees for that matter.

Taking my virtual assistance businesses to the next level could mean advertising locally. Dropping off custom promotional mugs with a gift basket and a detailed flyer of ideas on how I can help them grow. Many small businesses don’t know how many ways I can help them and how many ways there are to advertise affordably. Possibly they want to run a promotion, but truly don’t have that extra time to put it together. It’s holding their profits back and that’s where I could be stepping in.

I dislike the saying, “Think outside the box.” Being one who has never thought “in the box” I don’t get it. lol But this is one of those instances where I think I may have just gotten the saying I’m not going to just “think outside the box”, I’m gonna jump on top of it and soar.

“Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan “press on” has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.”

Who can disagree with that?

Many, many successful people have touted that persistence and dedication is what has led to their success. Success doesn’t come without pitfalls and when we hear about a successful entrepreneur we often don’t realize that a lot of the times their outcomes have been more negative than positive – they’ve simply been persistent and “pressed on” until they achieved their dreams.

If you’re stuck in a rut or are finding that your persistence is starting to wane a little, these tips will help you build it up once again.

# Visualize your goals – When you’re stuck it’s often difficult to see beyond your current place. But simple visualization can help you “see” into what the future may hold and keep you on the persistence track. Take a few minutes each day (preferably at the start or end of the day) and visualize where you’d like your business to be in a year or two years’ time. Be realistic but also positive in your visualization.

Imagine what your improved business will mean to your life. See yourself as a successful entrepreneur achieving your goals. Visualization techniques have worked for many entrepreneurs and can help you move forwards in your business.

1. Design a vision board – A vision board is a back-up to your visualization. Many of us have difficulty imagining a situation which isn’t tangible at the moment; this is where a vision board comes in. All you need to create one is a simple pegboard and pictures of your ideal situation. These can include your dream home, perhaps something representative of being debt free, motivational quotes, pictures of your family – anything that will help you stay on track and motivated.

2. One step at a time – When you drive in the dark you can only see at most two feet in front of you at anytime, but eventually you’ll end up at your destination. Just like driving in the dark, you don’t need to see much further ahead in your business. If you concentrate on the big picture too much, you may struggle and feel overwhelmed. Instead concentrate on small manageable goals that you can achieve one step at a time. Once you achieve a small goal, then go on to the next one – slowly, a few feet at a time until eventually, like the car driving in the dark, you end up at your destination.

3. Attack from all angles – Persistence can slip even the most dedicated entrepreneurs at times, and to gain it back you may need a full-force attack. This means placing yourself in the very best possible position to achieve success.

4. Look after your physical health- Take time out to avoid burnout. Do the physical activity you love in order to stay positive. And appreciate what you currently have in life.

All of these things will help to put you in a state of mind that is open to success. Staying committed and persistent as an entrepreneur is not an easy feat and the healthier you are overall, the easier achieving that goal will become.

What You Need to Know

To be successful as an internet researcher you’ll need to know how to maneuver online quickly and effectively. You’ll want to know how to get online and have a solid understanding of search engines and online research tools. You’ll also want to know a good amount about a particular industry or type of research. Many marketers, for example, have a need to understand their target audience and need market research. If you understand market research, demographics, psychographics and keyword research then you’ll be a valuable asset to this industry.

Create Your Office

To get started as an internet researcher you’ll need a home office. Essentially, you’ll need a computer with a good internet connection. You’ll also need some way to document the hours you work, bill your customers, pay your taxes and store your information. Because research generates quite a volume of content and memory, it’s advised to have some sort of backup. You can purchase an external hard drive or use online storage solutions. Create a system to regularly back up your computer, and organize your information in a manner that makes it quick and easy to access.

For example, ask yourself “How would I find a client project I did 5 years ago?”

This is helpful if a client comes back to you later wanting more information or if your research projects overlap.

Get a Website

Because you’re going to be researching online, it’s important to establish yourself online as well to demonstrate your ease working online. Additionally, many of your clients will find you online. Websites can be created quite easily and for very little expense. You’ll need a domain name that represents your business, not your name, and will help people find you online. You’ll also need a website host. Once you have your domain, full package websites can be created for you, for under $100.

Finally, it’s time to start marketing your services. Ask yourself the following questions:

* What type of internet researcher are you?
* Do you do market research, informational research or both?
* Do you charge by the hour or by the project?
* How much do you charge?
* Do you specialize in an industry or niche topic? If so, what is it?
* Why should they hire you? What makes you unique and what benefit do you offer businesses?
* How will you tell people about your business? Options include but are not limited to:
o Social networking
o Online advertising
o Press release
o Search engine optimization
o Article marketing
o Flyers, brochures and print ads
o Partnering with relevant businesses to cross promote

A Few Additional Considerations

You’ll also want to make a few decisions about your work from home life. For example, how many hours will you work each day/week? How will you bill clients, for example do you require a deposit? Will you use PayPal? Will you accept checks? You’ll also want to decide where you’re going to open your business checking/savings account and what type of business entity you’re going to have – LLC, Sole proprietorship. And you’ll need to register your business with the proper local authorities.

Becoming an internet researcher can be an amazing opportunity. What other industry allows you to learn as you earn? What other industry allows you the ability to provide valuable information to people, potentially making a difference in the world, and life the lifestyle you desire.

You can get to work within days as a general transcriptionist. A general transcriptionist needs to be able to listen to spoken notes and type them in a format that is understandable not only to the person who gave the dictation, but also to a third party reader looking over your documents. This means you have to be able to type, but also think on your feet, to interpret what people are saying, and understand a variety of voices.

One of the benefits of being a general transcriptionist is that there is very little start-up cost to get your business going. In fact my good friend Loretta has an awesome ebook “Transcription Crash Course“, that will walk you through getting started immediately with no money spent on equipment or software except for the computer you already own.

Getting work as a transcriptionist not only requires you to be able to type quickly, you also have to be able to do it accurately. Your skills will improve as you work, but you have to have some skill before you get started. If you aren’t the best at typing, don’t worry; just keep going until you get it. Practice, practice, practice.

Also, practice listening to someone and typing what they’re saying at the same time. You will want to brush up on your spelling and grammar. Spell check will catch some of these, but not all of them, and it takes longer to fix than to do it right the first time.

Once you have everything you are ready to go. There are a lot of online sites, like Elance, that post work for you to bid on. Just make sure you have a quality cover letter ready to send. You may have to start out slow, but if you build quality results and reviews, you’ll eventually get the business you’re looking for.

Get started quickly by reading Transcription Crash Course. I tried transcription myself but I don’t have a knack for it. If I had started off with Loretta’s ebook it may have been a different story. I’ve read every word and it is spot on with her recommendations. This ebook is more than just spouting things you’ve already heard or loading up affiliate links for products you don’t need. This is literally how she has built her very successful transcription business that allows her to work from home full time and spend very little, if any money.

Please be aware that links may be affiliate links where I will make a commission. I stand by my reviews of products as they are my personal opinion and not swayed by income made from any links

Once you’ve joined Facebook the idea of using it to network business might be more than you feel like you can handle. Fortunately though, if you’re looking for a one-stop way to manage your business networking, Facebook could be the solution you’re looking for.

Making your profile pop is the start to building your network on Facebook. Take the time to complete your profile. Bear in mind that you’re going to use Facebook far beyond socializing with old college buddies so include your contact information and keep it up to date.

The one thing to remember about Facebook is that social networking and professional networking lines can get blurry. It’s important to create levels of privacy so that you can interact with friends only as well as keep your professional face about you when business networking. Mixing the two could be a major faux pas when it comes to sharing too much personal information with business contacts and networks. Also consider setting up a fan page so that friends and contacts can become a fan of your business or site and stay up to date on the valuable information you’ll share.

Put the word out to business contacts that you’ve joined Facebook and invite them to become a friend of yours. There’s no need to invite them to join facebook as many of them are likely already a member. A quick email or a blurb in your newsletter can alert them to your new means of networking.

Take the time to join a few groups within your niche and introduce yourself and your brand. Join in relative discussions and be sure to reciprocate when someone likes or comments on something you’ve shared.

Facebook is rapidly growing into a business networking hub and overcoming the many obstacles that small business and independent contractors struggle to overcome when it comes to reaching new clientele or a fan base. Manage your facebook time wisely but be sure to explore all of its possibilities to expand your business network.

My husband has the droid and absolutely loves it.  He hasn’t had a single problem with it.  He’s not a techy and found it very easy learn.  BUT, he’s also using it for different things than I will.  His is to check emails, especially to get his work emails, and browse the internet.

I know many that love blackberry’s and swear by them.  My aunt has had many over the years.

One major thing I wonder about is the keyboard.  I’m used to my full keyboard on my texting phone.  If I switch to a blackberry is that small thing going to tick me off constantly?

The other thing I was worried about was the smaller screen, but the new Palm Pre has a full screen and the slide out keyboard.  Still a small keyboard though.  So the droid has the full screen and the blackberry curve still has that small boxy screen.  Will I care?

But those are just cosmetic things really.  Yes, the keyboard is important to me, but I’m sure I can get used to anything except for a touchscreen only.  My major thing is what I will use it for.  I want the storage so I can write documents on it when I can’t get a signal (which hubby hasn’t had happen yet with his droid)  Honestly, it would be used mostly for emails on vacation or when we are out and about and I’m waiting for a family member, twitter because I’m an addict, and then blogging.  When I have a connection I’d love to be able to work on blog posts right in my wordpress admins instead of always having to use my paper notebooks.

Honestly, after reading this I guess I’m asking any of you blackberry users why I would want a blackberry instead of a droid?  Droid also works with google which I use every day.  It dawned on me that as long as I have a connection then I can use google documents and I only need storage for when I don’t have wifi or 3g coverage.  Which would come into play with either phone since it will be verizon no matter what phone I get.

Also, if anyone knows, I see that the blackberry curve just took a major dive in price.  So anyone know if something better is coming out?  I hate getting a new phone.  It never fails that they come out with something better a couple of weeks after I buy one.  lol