Finding The Right Work-At-Home Job
by Belver Ladson

Being able to work from home is a dream for most people, but its fast becoming a dream that can become true. Finding a way to earn extra income while you are still able to stay home with your children is possible. Some keys to finding the right work-at-home opportunities for you are:

• try to find something close to your hobbies and passions
  
• figure out how much time you can realistically devote to your newhome business
  
• make a list of the equipment you have on hand that can be used in your new home business
  
• determine how much money you can invest

STAY CLOSE TO YOUR HOBBIES & PASSIONS

When you try to choose the type of work you want to do from home use your personal passions and interests as your starting point. Don't forget about what interests you because those interests may turn out to be a great idea for making money. You don't necessarily have to try something totally new and foreign. For instance, if you like to paint maybe you can paint mailboxes and sell them at a craft fair. Or if you like working with computer crafts you can make candy wrappers, invitations or many other items. Many people have successfully turned a hobby into a thriving business. One more thing about following a passion when you're able to do work that is related to a hobby or passion in your life the tasks you need to do don't feel like"work" because it's based on something you love to do

HOW MUCH TIME DO YOU HAVE FOR YOUR HOME BUSINESS?

Figure out how much time you have to devote to your business. Don't just assume that you can spend ten hours a day working on your business. You may be working from home, but obligations such as taking your children to and from school, childcare and any other activities you have to do can play a big role in how much time you can spend on a business endeavor. Duties such as this can cut into the time you can spend on a business but it doesn't have to stop you. You'll need to make a good schedule and stick to it so you can make the most of the time you do have to devote to your home business.

USE THE EQUIPMENT YOU ALREADY HAVE

The equipment you have on hand might also factor into the decision you make about choosing a home business. If you want to get into something new that requires equipment that costs three thousand dollars, that might be totally too much for your budget and would move that opportunity to the "Can't Do It" category. Here are a few pieces of equipment you might already have that can help you in a home business, no matter what you choose to do:

• a home computer can be used for creating graphics, record keeping,making personalized business materials, etc
  
• fax machine - great for communication, sending samples to prospectiveclients, etc
  
• printer - to make cost effective copies of business materials and products
  
• second telephone line or cell phone to accept business calls

We included a second phone line/cell phone in the list because you may need to have a second phone line for business purposes. You may not want your home phone number being listed on the thousands of flyers you may hand out. You also may not want others in your household dealing with prospective customers since they may not know exactly what to tell a client who has a question that needs to be answered.

DETERMINE HOW MUCH MONEY YOU CAN SPEND

The amount of money you can invest into a home business may be one of the most important issues when deciding what to do. There are businesses that can be started for under fifty dollars and some that may cost thousands of dollars. Your budget will dictate the offers you can afford to try, so be discriminating with your dollars. Don't jump at the first offer you see just because you can afford to buy it. Do some research about the field you want to try (online or at the library). Find out as much as you can about the work-at-home profession you want to try. Find out the pros and cons of the profession you're researching so the investment you make will be based on the proper amount of knowledge and information.

By Belver Ladson of Belver Bears