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Charlie Seymour Jr is an entrepreneurial evangelist and success-marketing coach helping individuals and companies (up to $100MM) explode their success through online and personal-touch marketing. He specializes in blogging, podcasting, photography, video, Facebook, and Twitter applications. Visit his blog at Charlie Seymour Jr's Blog to learn more about his successes.

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Successful Entrepreneur – No, You Don't Need A College Education to be Successful

Successful Entrepreneur – The Phoenix Way to Unlimited Success And Happiness

Charlie Seymour Jr — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 16:53:56 +0000

Soar Above The Rest By Design

You're familiar with the myth of the phoenix, the legendary firebird that dies every 500 years only to be reborn from its ashes, more beautiful and resplendent than ever before?

That's what you're looking to do, isn't it? Rise from the ashes of your old life and be reborn as a successful businessperson?

Fortunately, the way has been traveled before. Many folks have had to start from scratch and grow a business from the ground up. I call them the Phoenix Entrepreneurs.

The Phoenix Entrepreneur Rising From The Ashes

Just like the bird, Phoenix Entrepreneurs rise from the ashes of an old life, a life that was no longer viable.

In the beginning, they felt just like you probably do now: scared, unsure, and probably pretty alone.

Yet they made it.

They created businesses that have withstood the test of time and nourished not only their own families, but the families of hundreds (if not thousands) of employees. If you don't believe me, just read No, You Don't Need a College Education to be Successful And that's just the tip of the iceberg.

There are Phoenix Entrepreneurs all over the place. It's an illustrious group and one you can join! All it takes is following a few simple steps and thinking a certain way.

If you need a point clarified, just ask. Leave a message on the blog and you'll get not only my years of experience, but the experience of all the others who respond to your question.

Ready?

Keep reading to find out how Phoenix businessmen and businesswomen think and act to grow a successful business.

Think Like The Phoenix Entrepreneur To Succeed

The Phoenix understands that his/her thoughts create reality. He uses his thoughts and feelings and the power of visualization to create the reality he wants.

The Phoenix knows that if she holds in her mind a picture of the end result she wants to create, the Universe will find a way to make it happen.

Quite a concept, isn't it?

What if life were really that simple? Just hold the thought of what you want to create in your mind, and viola. There it is.

When you think about it, you realize we do this hundreds of times a day, don’t we!

• You want a sandwich and either make one or go to the deli. You don't think twice about it.

• If you need fuel in the car, you drive to the local gas station, hand over the credit card, and fill'er up. No biggie.

• If you want some fresh flowers on the table, you go to the garden and cut some. Mission accomplished.

So why is creating a business any different from eating a sandwich, filling up the car, or picking flowers?

What are your thoughts on this? How have you intentionally manifested something in your life? Leave me a comment below.

The Phoenix realizes downtime is important. He knows a rested mind is a sharp mind. Days off are a chance to see things from a different perspective, to get a different slant on situations and life in general.

Downtime is also crucial to family time.

When you spend time with your family, be with your family. Don't think about business. (This is one of the BIGGEST challenges I have! I think about marketing and business ALL the time.)

Listen to your wife. How is her life going? She probably needs you as a sounding board, someone to bounce her problems off. Or listen to your husband and show interest in what he’s doing – to know you care is very important to him.

How's school going for your daughter? She needs her dad's shoulder to cry on sometimes. She needs her mom’s understanding. Be there for both of them. Completely. They are much more important than any business could ever be.

Do you do anything special to unwind? Have a special place to go with your family so you can just enjoy being together? Share your thoughts with us in a comment below!

The Phoenix learns at every opportunity. She knows that life moves fast, and if she isn't careful, an important development could pass her by.

Keep up on the latest tech news, on any developments that could impact your business and services. If you have kids, ask them to let you know about Bluetooth innovations, or new apps that could make your life a little easier and speed up your supply line. They'll feel good if they get to help their dad or mom and it will get you two a little more time together which is never a bad thing.

And find a few blogs (like this one) and people on Facebook who clue you in on new technology changes – learning from others saves you SO much time.

What's your favorite way to keep up on current events? Do you subscribe to a favorite blog (like this one!) or news feed? Do clients help you keep up-to-date? Are you using Facebook to learn from an expert?

The Phoenix knows herself and doesn't oversell her products, services, or abilities. She is well aware of her strengths and weaknesses and represents herself honestly.

If there's a possibility she can't deliver on the client's needs, she's upfront about it. She will never agree to assignments just to get a sale if there's even the slightest possibility that his client could be inconvenienced.

The Phoenix knows that this brutal honesty will always benefit him and his business.

Do you have any special tips or tricks for hiding your weak points? Do you have an assistant that files or delivers product for you? Let us know how you're operating!

The Phoenix prepares for the workday. He never waits until the day of the meeting to gather paperwork, brochures, and presentations. He is always prepared well ahead of time so he can calmly walk into the meeting and sell himself and his business.

Being prepared speaks well of the Phoenix and his business.

The Phoenix commits to her work and her life. That commitment is obvious and contagious. She's totally passionate about her service and her clients and sees them as two sides of the same coin. She can't have one without the other.

How about you? What are you passionate about? Your family, a community cause, a baseball team? Let us know how you feel. Leave a message and let's talk about it.

The Phoenix works hard and knows that all the effort he puts into his work will pay off in the end. He knows that getting a business off the ground is difficult and will require many of hours of work per week. Probably more hours than he ever worked at XYZ Company.

Just like buying a home, the Phoenix knows that each hour he puts into his business builds equity and is really money in the bank.

How many hours do you work in a week? Have the hours lessened as your business becomes more established? Let us know how you're doing and how you’ve been able to cut back on hours.

The Phoenix embraces change. She knows that nothing is written in stone and that life is in a constant state of flux.

She sees herself as a leaf floating along a wide river. Always moving, twisting, and turning, but always on top of the situation, never inundated by the flood.

How about you? What self-talk do you have that helps you handle the changes in your life? Any thoughts and techniques you can share with the rest of us?

The Phoenix thinks positive thoughts. He only thinks about the best that can happen, the reality he wants to create. He doesn't allow negative thoughts and doubts to linger. When they do appear, he knows it's just a reminder to think positive!

Thinking positive thoughts also helps him feel happy. When he's thinking about all the good things that can happen, his mind is filled with happy thoughts and he SEES happy things (that can then be passed on to others). And happy thoughts generate more happy thoughts.

Always focus on what you're grateful for and happy about. These thoughts make you feel good, and when you feel good, you're ready to conquer the world.

Do you have a favorite saying or mantra that you rely on when times are tough? Something that gets you in a good mood immediately? Share it with us.

The Phoenix remembers that the client is king. The Phoenix knows that happy clients are the key to success. Happy clients mean good word-of-mouth advertising. Happy clients mean referrals. Happy clients make the world a better place.

The Phoenix always visualizes smiling clients shaking her hand, placing more orders, and telling their friends how great her business is.

Do you have a great client story to share? Tell us about the last client who left your office with a smile on his/her face.

The Phoenix honors himself and others. He knows that his word is his reputation. He honors others' time by being punctual to meetings. He honors his business by being professional and reliable. He honors his clients by timely payments and timely delivery of goods or services. By honoring himself and others in this way, he makes his little corner of the world a better place.

You, Too, Can Become The Phoenix Entrepreneur

Some of these habits will be hard to learn. It's challenging to teach yourself to think differently.

But it gets easier the more you do it. And it's really the key to becoming a Phoenix Entrepreneur.

Always think about the best that can happen, the perfect business, the perfect life. Take steps every day to make your dreams reality.

By remembering these few behaviors, you'll be well on your way to soaring above the crowd and truly creating the life of a Phoenix Entrepreneur.

And be sure to leave us some comments. Thanks.

Best,

Charlie Seymour Jr
A Work At Home Dad since 1983, succeeding in this economy

PS: You can find me here:

To learn more, stay in touch with my blog – I'll keep you informed so that YOU won't have to do the heavy lifting. Charlie Seymour Jr's Blog – Click HERE To See More!

PPS: Do you have trouble writing? Turn Your Words Into Gold – Go Here To Learn More! NOW is the time to start.

Keep this with this article, please:

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Successful Entrepreneur – The Phoenix Way to Unlimited Success And Happiness

Successful Entrepreneur – Can I Make It As An Entrepreneur?

Charlie Seymour Jr — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:37:39 +0000

How Can You Make Your Business Successful When Working By Yourself?

These are uncertain times, and it can cause even the bravest soul to think twice before launching a new business.

• Will I be able to pay the mortgage?
• Can I put food on the table?
• Will my kids have clothes and shoes?
• Can I do this on my own?
• Is there any way to know I will succeed before I begin?

I can hear you now: "I want some assurances!"

Unfortunately, there is no blueprint for success, no surefire way to tell if a person can make it in the land of the self-employed. However, most successful entrepreneurs have a few traits in common, a few habits and ways of thinking that push them toward success.

Here As Some Traits I Think Are Most Important

They believe in themselves. The most important trait successful entrepreneurs have in common is an unswerving faith in themselves and their ability to get the job done.

They know they are capable of completing any task, no matter how daunting. Even if they don't know exactly how it will get done, they know they can figure it out and make it work. Even just this attitude sets them apart from 99% of the rest of the world.

Successful entrepreneurs know they can go head-to-head with anyone and come out on top. They thrive on competition and improving themselves through battle in the business arena.

They don’t shy from competition, they see it as part of the fun they have in this game.

“It's kind of fun to do the impossible.” Walt Disney

They visualize success. Successful entrepreneurs keep what they want to manifest forefront in their thoughts.

Successful entrepreneurs SEE the business they want to create and keep a picture of it in their heads all the time. And visualization isn’t all they do: they write down their goals and strategies to be sure they stay focused.

• They see themselves acquiring product and moving it out to distribution centers.
• They see the product moving off shelves and reorders flowing in.
• They see the service they provide helping their clients succeed.
• They see themselves shaking hands with business partners, closing deals, and the deal working out smoothly to the benefit of all parties involved.

Entrepreneurs have an unswerving belief in themselves and their ability to get the job done. They may not know exactly how they will accomplish a given task, but they know they can figure it out because they see the success they will achieve even before they start.

They don't think about what could go wrong.

They never, never, never worry about what could happen.

Believe me, if you're worrying about all the things that can go wrong, you're not keeping the success-vision of your business at the forefront of your thoughts. You're not visualizing success. In fact, you're visualizing the bad stuff that can happen and all your energy is going into creating it!

And since what you think about most EXPANDS, be sure to think of all the success and goals you have to achieve and let them be utmost in your thinking.

Here’s something I learned from a good friend who happens to love to ride his motorcycle when the weather is good.

We’re taught to look ahead, down the road, see where we are going. If we focus on the pothole ahead, invariably we drive right into it. Stay focused ahead!

Great advice for those of us in business, too.

Don’t get me wrong: it's completely different to see possible pitfalls in the road ahead and plan accordingly. That's just good business sense. Steer clear of the problems and don’t obsess or fret about what might go wrong.

Visualize success and you won't create a mess.

“Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal.” Henry Ford

They commit. Successful businesspeople are committed wholeheartedly to what they are doing and the line of work they are in. They have an inner drive to succeed and their ambition carries them forward no matter what obstacles confront them.

Okay, I heard a plumber friend say once, “I sell low-flow toilets, Charlie. I have to visit worksites and torn up bathroom, the smell of sawdust makes me sneeze, and I hate getting my shoes filthy."

I completely understood. Sometimes necessity puts us in places we'd rather not be. But I asked, “can you find something about the job to love? Low-flow toilets save water, which cuts down on the energy needed to pump that water, which saves trees, which cuts down on pollution.

“Think about all the good you're doing. Think up 100 reasons to be enthusiastic about your product, and sell the heck out of those toilets.”

Walt Disney once said he loved Mickey Mouse more than any woman he had ever known. While I'm sure this news didn't thrill his wife, it showed his devotion and commitment to his “product.”

Commit, commit, and commit some more to your product or service. Believe in it and people will believe in you.

They concentrate on their strong points. Too many people worry about their shortcomings and lose the power of what they do best.

• Maybe you're a great writer and can really get your passion down on paper.
• Maybe your words stir people into action and give them the extra boost they need to succeed.
• Maybe your thoughts open people’s minds to new possibilities, new ways to see their lives.

Great. Stick with the writing.

Maybe you are a natural networker. You love to meet new people and pick their brain about topics near and dear to your heart. Fantastic. This is a crucial skill to have for any businessperson.

So you're great at writing and networking, but maybe you have no idea how to go about getting your words online. Maybe the thought of organizing all those contacts makes your head spin. Just because that comes naturally to ME doesn’t mean it is easy for YOU.

Okay, get some help organizing all those business cards and getting your work online. It doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg.

Maybe you can trade the work for a service you provide. Or you could look into getting an online assistant. Online assistants can be found on Elance.com and Guru.com and Craigslist.com.

You'll be amazed at how inexpensively you can find help when you know where to look.

Stick to your strong points and get help for the other stuff and you’ll find life so much more enjoyable!

“We choose our joys and sorrows long before we experience them.” Kahlil Gibran

They make goals. How can you know if you’re succeeding if you don’t have written guideposts against which you can judge your progress?

For example, you need to have certain ingredients and to take precise steps to bake a loaf of banana bread. You need bananas, of course, sugar, flour, eggs, buttermilk, baking soda, and baking powder.

Sift the dry ingredients together. Blend the bananas, eggs, and buttermilk until it's a nice, homogeneous mixture. Add the dry into the wet and stir until just incorporated. Add some chopped nuts, pour into a buttered pan and bake at 350 for 1 hour.

In the end, you'll have a golden loaf of delicious goodness.

It's the same with an entrepreneurial business.

You take certain ingredients and mix them together in just the right ratio. The end result will be a successful business. (See my other blog post, Successful Entrepreneur – Recipe For Success here on this blog!)

The only trick is you have to know what you're making in order for it to come out the way you want. To bake bread, use a bread recipe, not one for a fruit salad.

As the fathers in the musical, The Fantasticks (by Harvey Schmidt and Tom Jones), sing:

You have to know WHAT you want before you can get it.

If you know you want to have a successful wine distributing company: good. But, if you can be more precise, it's even better.

You want a wine distribution company that services all the counties in northern Iowa, and you want to be the sole agent for Leaping Polecat Vineyards. Within six months, you want to be moving 500 cases of wine a week. In a year, you want to be moving 1,000 cases.

Now THAT’S a precise recipe.

With that recipe, you can see what needs to be done. Right off the bat, you see that you don't have the retailers in line to handle 500 cases. So you need to make some more connections, find more stores that are willing to sell Leaping Polecat.

You also see that you'll need to have wine to deliver once the orders start coming in. You'll need to call your contacts at the vineyard to see if they are willing and able to handle the increased volume.

With a precise vision of the business you want to create, seeing the steps you need to take to make that happen becomes easier and easier.

“Nothing is particularly hard if you divide it into small jobs.” Henry Ford

They connect with people. No matter what type of business you have or want to start, it's all about people.

• People buy your product
• People talk about your product
• People sell your product.

Connect with as many people as possible to keep them buying, talking, and selling. Make a goal of connecting with all of your contacts every 30 days. Make an additional goal of acquiring ten new contacts every week.

The more people you know, the more others will seek you out for your contacts.

Connecting with people should be on your core goals list no matter how big or small your business. Talking to your contacts is a wonderful way to learn.

Maybe you've just discovered a new way of doing something that could really make a contact's life a lot easier. To paraphrase JFK, always ask yourself what you can do for your contact rather than what your contact can do for you – you’ll be MUCH more successful when you do.

This website, UltimateWorkAtHomeDads.com, is great for connecting with people. You'll make many valuable contacts here and get a lot of help and support. We're glad you're here.

Then be sure to leave some of your contact information below your name so people know WHO you are and WHERE they can connect with you.

These entrepreneurs learn.

I'm not talking about going back to school and getting a degree. You certainly don't need that to be a successful entrepreneur (though I certainly don’t scoff at those of us who do).

What you do need is an open mind and a willingness to learn new things and new ways of doing old things.

Stay on the cutting edge of technology or before you know it, your competition will be using the newest, latest and greatest whatever and you're left in the dust.

Subscribing to a few relevant blogs (like this one!) should keep you up-to-date. Find more at one of my favorite websites: AllTop.com

“My biggest motivation? Just to keep challenging myself. I see life almost like one long University education that I never had – every day I'm learning something new.’ Richard Branson

They work. Forget all the get-rich-quit proposals and know that you have LOTS of work ahead of you.

“Wow, Charlie, this self-employment gig sounds like a lot of work."

Yes, it is. That's the last trait all self-made businesspeople have in common.

They work. A lot.

Channel your energy, passion, and drive-to-succeed into your business and you will be unstoppable.

Launching a successful business is a tall order. Only the cream of the crop can make it work. But you know what? I have every faith that YOU are the cream of the crop and can make it work.

You have what it takes and you search out articles like this one to learn new ways to think. If you didn't have what it takes, you wouldn't still be reading this article.

Successful people are willing to do what unsuccessful people don’t or won’t. Never give up and keep searching for a better way.

Like riding a bike or playing the piano, these traits can be learned. Read this article every day for ten days and make these actions and attitudes part of your life.

Remember: successful entrepreneurs are self-made men and women. They mold themselves into the people they want to be. They set goals, build strategies to accomplish them, and keep moving toward the goal line.

They know that NO ONE needs to crown them the victor or call them a success – they just make their own way once they have studied what they want to do and have set their goals in writing.

They know they have the right stuff. I know that YOU have the right stuff.

Now get out there and make it happen!

“Success is a matter of understanding and religiously practicing specific, simple habits that always lead to success.” Robert J. Ringer

Best,

Charlie Seymour Jr
A Work At Home Dad since 1983, succeeding in this economy

PS: You can find me here:

To learn more, stay in touch with my blog – I'll keep you informed so that YOU won't have to do the heavy lifting. Charlie Seymour Jr's Blog – Click HERE To See More!

PPS: Do you have trouble writing? Turn Your Words Into Gold – Go Here To Learn More! NOW is the time to start.

Keep this with this article, please:

Friends, if you like this post, please leave a comment, join our email list to get updates sent to you, and retweet it. And I've made it easy to retweet – just click on the icon below. Thanks!

Successful Entrepreneur – Can I Make It As An Entrepreneur?

Work At Home: 10 Tips To Create Your Business and Save Your Sanity!

Charlie Seymour Jr — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 18:10:46 +0000

How To Set Up Your Business From Home

So you're thinking of leaving the security and comfort of your day job and voyaging into the world of the self-employed OR you recently started working at home and aren’t sure what steps to take first.

Congratulations! Nothing beats the feeling of accomplishment you get from growing your own business from scratch, from taking on the world with nothing but wits and a lot of hard work. I've been working at home since 1983 and haven't regretted it for a moment.

Here are ten tips I've learned along the way to help make your journey a little easier.

Tip Number One: Set a schedule.

Time management can be problematic when you're self-employed.

It's easy to get sidetracked when you're working from home and before you know it, the morning is gone. You probably had to be at your old job at a certain time so do the same thing with your business. Resolve to be at the computer, on the jobsite, or with a client by 7:30 AM (or earlier) and stick to it.

For me, no matter what time I go to sleep the night before, I’m “at it” by 7:30 the next day. Some days I’m walking with my voice recorder creating WalkAbout Marketing podcasts and some days I’m at my desk. But it’s important to get started as soon as you can.

And turn off your email: don’t let it beep every time you get a new message. I literally average 837 emails every day. Most should never see the light of day, though some are important. But nothing is so important that I have to be interrupted twelve times an hour to reply to it. In fact, I only download emails to my computer ever half hour and only look at them a few times each day (when I can reply to several emails in one short stretch of time, and then back to finishing my goals for the day).

Tip Number Two: Tailor your workspace to your personality.

How do you work best? Do you like to work with music in the background or do you like it perfectly quiet? Do you like pictures of family to remind you of your goals (and the reasons you work so hard), or do you prefer motivational posters and superhero action figures to spur you on to greatness? Find out how you work best and set up your space around your preferences.

And speaking of space, I use a spare bedroom for my home office. When we bought this house in 1998, I picked out this space for my office. I can see the driveway when FedEx and UPS show up and it’s at the other end of the hallway from our bedroom. OK, so a 20-foot walk to work isn’t bad, I admit it!

However, when the door is closed, the office is closed and I don't think about work (well, usually – I admit that I work at the kitchen table when Pam and I “watch” TV together. I can always look up for the replay or when a news report catches my ear).

If you aren't able to have a separate space for an office, a room divider or curtains could do the trick. Just find some way to separate your space from the rest of the house and family and to hide your workspace from view so you don't have to look at it all the time (and be reminded of all the work you should be doing).

And let your phone go to messages rather than letting every caller interrupt your work when they have the whim to call you. Batch the messages together, find time twice a day to return calls and make all of them then. AND, better yet, if someone wants to chat with you by phone, SET AN APPOINTMENT – I don’t take phone calls that aren’t prearranged – believe me, your clients will get used to it when you help them see the importance.

Tip Number Three: Market yourself.

Now I don't mean paying for advertising, creating glossy brochures, or doing weekly direct-mail piece.

This website is FILLED with ideas for you so read my blog!

Also, do you have a Facebook account? Keep it up to date and post often. (You can friend me at http://facebook.com/CharlesSeymourJr – be sure to send a note when you friend me: you should ALWAYS send a note, and this way I’ll know why you are asking to friend me.)

Start a blog and use it like a diary. Think of all the things you are doing that clients and customers might be interested in. I post lots of videos to my blog (and to my Facebook profile, which acts like a mini blog for me).

Keep friends and family informed of what you're doing. Word of mouth can be the best advertising and it's free (but you have to give them something to talk about!).

Tip Number Four: Show that professionalism counts.

Present yourself with a businesslike demeanor. That doesn’t mean that you can’t have fun and enjoy life when you are with other people, but what people think about you is built on MANY little interactions – what’s the saying, it takes A THOUSAND “atta-boys” or “atta-girls” to equal ONE “uh oh, I screwed up.”

Show your clients that you take your work seriously and they will do the same. You don’t have to take YOURSELF too seriously (laugh, enjoy life, laugh at your mistakes – you’ll make LOTS of them, so enjoy them as they race by every day).

If you have a website or Facebook page for your business, make sure it is professional. It’s great to share your personality and family activities when they help to round-you-out as a whole person but as you look at other people’s websites and Facebook pages, see what feels right to you and what stands out as inappropriate – learn from what others are doing.

Tip Number Five: Talk to your clients.

Communication is a two-way adventure. Keep your clients updated on your progress, any changes or snags, and let them know that things are going smoothly and right on schedule.

For example, consider that you're building a house for someone: you'll want to update them frequently. They will need to know when the foundation is poured, when the electrical panel is installed, or when the roof is on. You can do this by email, a phone call, or a face-to-face. The most important thing is keeping your client in the loop and aware of the job's status.

AND, be sure to ask your customers and clients what they WANT from you. There’s a great story about a Printer creating a company’s business cards. For years he did a great job. One day the office manager walked in to pick up the latest batch of cards and told the Printer that they just had some great stationery printed at another shop. The Printer was dismayed to learn that he had never asked his client about other needs: the client didn’t know that the Printer printed letterhead – the Printer was only thought of as the “card printer.”

I communicate a lot through email. I don’t trust my memory for all the details when a job is ongoing. And it’s always best to be sure I CLEARLY understand what my client wants. And I keep all correspondence in separate folders in my email server so I can quickly access all email from each of my clients.

If the client wants to make a change, get it in writing. It's important to get the original Agreement in writing, but it's equally important to get any changes documented and approved. This way, any project overruns or questions about the final project can be verified and justified.

Some people like Project Management software such as Basecamp, activeCollab, and Projecturf to keep their jobs organized. Most of mine aren’t that complicated, so emails work fine.

Tip Number Six: Keep your financial accounts separate.

Don't mix business and personal accounts. Get a separate bank account for your business.

Get a credit card for your business (preferably the cash-back type) and use it for all business expenses. We get a few hundred dollars back each year because we charge everything possible and pay it off each month.

And since I have a proprietorship for my Photography business and an LLC for my Online business, I have TWO business accounts and TWO credit cards, in addition to my personal account.

Once you get used to them, it’s easy to work with this way.

Tip Number Seven: Work hard after setting your goals.

Sometimes you'll take a job because you need the money. You won't always be able to pick and choose your clients because you believe in what they're doing, or the job intrigues you on some level. Some months you'll just need to make the rent, or payroll, or quarterly taxes and you'll take whatever work presents itself.

This isn't selling out. It's just a fact of life. You can still take on those projects close to your heart when the money isn't so tight and your business is running smoothly.

Look for ways to augment your income. When you're self-employed, there may be times when there's no money coming in. Investigate passive income sources, such as ebooks and affiliate marketing, to see if one is right for you.

But don’t fall into the trap of taking just anything that comes along: people will get really confused WHO you are and WHAT you are doing. Set your goals and stay as close to them as you can.

Tip Number Eight: File everything.

Keep a job's agreements, invoices, and notes in one place, preferably a folder in a filing cabinet (electronically and physically). When in doubt, file it. You can always toss it later, but you can't get something back after it's gone. (And electronic storage is cheap – I recently purchased one terabyte for under $200.)

For each project, I have file folders in my cabinet with all signed papers and agreements and on my computer I keep a folder for all email. Be sure to back up your computer to protect what you have there. And while I’m very supportive of “green” living, make physical copies when the information is crucial – even if you used recycled paper OR the back of something you printed before.

Tip Number Nine: Talk with a CPA about your business finances.

Some businesses can run on a “cash basis” right from one or more checkbooks. Some need one of the popular computer-accounting packages. And some need the services of a bookkeeper plus an accountant to handle the monthly P&L and to reconcile the checkbook, file sales tax and employee taxes, and complete the quarterlies.

Be sure to think ahead to see what YOU will need. And at least find a CPA you trust and go talk about how your business will be set up so you know you’re doing it correctly. And at tax time, s/he will be worth her/his weight in gold.

Tip Number Ten: Take the weekend off.

I’m not very good at this one, I’ll admit right up front. Sundays are for church and family (and my well-deserved nap and a chance to watch some sports on TV). But I often work a full schedule on Saturday – but that doesn’t mean YOU should do that!

When you're self-employed, you can't get away from the office very easily. It's both a blessing and a curse to work from home. Yes, it's convenient and the commute is probably under thirty seconds, but it's awfully hard to get away from the job.

You'll be tempted to work after dinner or on Saturday or miss your daughter’s hockey game or your son’s theater performance but DON’T.

One thing we learn very quickly: work is NEVER finish, so sometimes you just need to STOP – it will be there for you when you come back.

You need down time to keep fresh and you need to spend time with family and friends. What is that old story: that on someone’s deathbed, seldom does the person say, “I just wish I had worked longer every day.”

If you need to understand why your family is important, perhaps you need to see one of my other blogs: http://RaisingGreatFamilies.com. Trust me on this one: set your schedule and CROSS OUT Sundays and leave Saturdays blank for whatever you really need to work on. (Or do the reverse – Cross out Saturdays from work and leave Sundays blank to help with the left-over work).

You and your family deserve to spend time together.

Wrap-Up

The Work at Home lifestyle can be the MOST ENJOYABLE you’ve ever known, if you follow these ten tips. Keep it all in perspective, keep your goals in front of you, and know WHY you work so hard.

Hey, life’s to be enjoyed – and let it start at home!

And – Please leave me a comment: what ELSE do you feel this article should cover? Was it helpful to you? What do you disagree with?

Best,

Charlie Seymour Jr
A Work At Home Dad since 1983, succeeding in this economy

PS: You can find me here:

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