Serious BusinessWritten by Bob Osgoodby
Serious Business by Bob OsgoodbyIt's no secret that US economy has slowed down, but stock market does appear to be on rebound. Thousands of companies however, are still struggling, and are being forced to cut costs, decrease benefits, and even lay off employees. Many of those who lost their jobs, will try their hand at doing business on Internet. It seems however, that lately I've been hearing a great deal about difficulty of doing business online. Put aside talk about hype and scams. They existed even before Internet was commercialized. They are however, becoming more sophisticated with their promises of earning millions, but as people become more experienced, they quickly see through them. Fake e-mail addresses, spam and broken dreams will continue to abound until either legislation forces them to do business ethically, or well of suckers dries up which is doubtful. Sounds pretty negative doesn't it. Under other circumstances, it would be enough to put someone off trying to do business on net. But let's look at positive side. I don't know about you, but I've met some pretty fine people on web. They are honest, hard working and a pleasure to do business with. While there are a few "bad apples" (and aren't there offline as well), it's amazing how many friendly, helpful people there are out there. In early nineties, before entrepreneurial invasion of Internet, only game in town was proprietary Bulletin Boards such as run by Prodigy. Anyone who "dared" become commercial was summarily banned from Boards, and "blacklists of offenders" were actually shared between Board Moderators. But, as commercialism crept in, and old Bulletin Boards joined ranks of dinosaurs, a whole new strategy started to evolve. People have learned that you don't have to create something new or re-invent wheel to make money online. You can join an affiliate program to get started with a minimum of capital, and a decent income can be made. But old saying "there's no such thing as a free lunch" is even truer today.
| | Visions Of Sugarplums Written by Bob Osgoodby
Visions Of Sugarplums by Bob OsgoodbyNot a day goes by that I don't hear about someone lamenting about their decision to leave corporate America and work at home. Maybe they were laid off, opted for early retirement, or just decided that commuting four hours on train, coupled with an eight hour workday was simply too much. Possibly, they will keep their job and work part-time at home to earn extra income. Who knows what reasons are, but that is not important. With "visions of sugarplums" dancing in their head, they decided to start their own home business. They believed ads about working in their pajamas when spirit moved them, and after a month or so woke up to reality. They weren't making a dime. Where did they go wrong? Well, when they worked for someone else, they were expected to be at work at a certain time every day. Depending on business, there was a certain dress code, and they had goals to meet. Granted, these goals were usually determined by someone else, but they were ones who had to meet them. It is easy to work for someone else, as they are ones calling shots. They actually lived under an umbrella of discipline. Granted it was someone else's umbrella, and maybe they didn't realize this. Possibly they did, and that was reason they decided to work on their own. One of most common problems behind failure of a home business, is lack of discipline. Some think they can work when (and if) they want to, and their mailbox will "overfloweth" with twenty dollar bills. Well, I got news for you! Running your own business, whether it is a brick and mortar establishment, or a home business, requires work. It usually requires more effort than if you worked for someone else. You will also have to do some things you don't enjoy. But, if you are chief (or only) "honcho", you had better be able to handle all facets of your business. So, how do you go about working at home? First and foremost, you have to have a regular schedule and adhere to it. This is especially true if you expect people to contact you by phone. If people try to call you, and don't get an answer, they quickly move on. You have to be available during normal business hours. If you are in an online business, this is usually from 9:00 AM to 8:00 PM. Yes there are three time zones in USA. If you live on east coast like I do, when you are getting ready to pack it in for day, folks on west coast may just be returning from lunch.
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