9 Ways to Gain Expert Recognition
No matter what business you are in it always helps to be seen as an expert. If you were calling someone to fix a drain or sell your house you would approach the person you saw as most credible and reputable in that area of expertise.
To become an expert takes hard work and experience. It can involve study or the honing of practical skills. It demands high standards of work. But after all this effort will you be perceived as an expert? If you feel you’ve earned the mantle of expert but are not recognized as one, here are nine ways to start establishing your reputation.
Home Business v’s Home Job
Image by Kaptain Kobold via Flickr
You have to make a change – you know this. Kid number 4 has come along or the commute is killing you, whatever, you want to work from home but what the hell do you do about it.
There are 2 broad camps, as inferred by the title – start a home business or work from home on someone else’s business.
Now for some of you the choice is simple, that little entrepreneur synap starts firing and you’ve been working for the ‘man’ for 20 years already – time to go-it alone. For others the thought of going out there without a safety net and a steady paycheck is a little too much to consider.
5 Reasons to Send Business Christmas Cards
The holiday season will soon be upon us, which means that it’s time for businesses to start thinking about Christmas cards. If you’ve never sent business holiday cards, or don’t make a point of sending them out every year, here are five reasons why you should start:
1. Meet Expectations. Although the adage, “It’s better to give than to receive,” is a sentimental favorite, those with whom you do business expect to be remembered during the holidays. Holiday greeting cards help smooth your business relationships during the rest of the year by meeting expectations during the Christmas season.
2. Improve Customer Relations. Whether you have a business-to-business enterprise, provide a professional service, or own a retail store, chances are that your success is built upon maintaining relationships with your customers and clients. Christmas cards show your customers and clients that you appreciate their business, and that you want to share the spirit of the season.
3. Cost Effective. Perhaps you already buy holiday gifts and remembrances for your best customers or clients, but business holiday cards allow you to reach many more people for relatively little money. You can purchase personalized business holiday cards for as little as $1.40 each, including options to select among many different styles and verses, several colors of ink, and imprinted envelopes. This is an excellent investment in your business.
4. Excellent Return on Investment. Chances are, you and your company receive business Christmas cards from your vendors and suppliers. So, you understand the warm feelings that arise when you read their holiday cards, and you probably experience a “carryover” positive impression when you do your purchasing in the New Year. If you doubt that business holiday cards generate an excellent return on investment, ask yourself this: All other things being equal, which company would you choose to do business with – the company that sent you a holiday card every year or the company that only contacted you when it was time to reorder or collect payment?
5. Limitless Choices. With the rise of Internet and ecommerce, companies have an unprecedented opportunity to select business Christmas cards that reflect their company’s image and values. The best online sources for business holiday cards have a wide variety of high quality card designs. In addition, the best online greeting card companies offer a free choice of verse, free coordinated foil-lined envelopes, free samples of Christmas cards, and a multitude of choices for personalization.
In today’s business world, you need to take advantage of every opportunity to differentiate your company from your competition. Sending business Christmas cards is a small gesture than can mean improved customer relationships and an excellent return on investment. You really can’t afford not to send holiday cards to your customers, clients, and associates.
6 Work Life Balance Tips for Chronically Overwhelmed Parents
If you’re working from home, you’re probably accustomed to the steady stream of interruptions and emergencies from your family. Here are 6 work life balance tips for chronically overwhelmed parents.
1. Schedule Uninterrupted Work Time
Set aside hours when the kids know that you’re working, and they can only interrupt if it’s a real emergency. You may have to explain to them exactly what constitutes a “real” emergency. If the house is on fire: emergency. If Timmy won’t share his toys: not an emergency.
2. Explain the Importance of the Family Business
If you launch your home-based business and you’re off and running, you suddenly have less time for the children. If you don’t take the time to tell them why the business is important and why it takes so much of your time, they’re bound to interrupt a lot. Sit them down and explain the many benefits of the family business, and how they can help by minimizing interruptions. With that said, being a parent is a higher priority and the most important job you have.
3. Take Turns
If you and your husband are working together in the business, you may have to take turns giving your children the needed and desired attention they require. Work in shifts and take turns managing and playing with the kids, while the other one is working on the business.
4. Involve Your Children
Even if you have very young children, they can still be involved in the family business. Young children can learn to stuff envelopes or help clean the office. Older children can learn simple bookkeeping tasks and even answer the phone for you. Pay your children for the work they do, and it will help them to learn to appreciate the family business (and understand the importance of it all). You can also assign household chores as part of the “business” tasks that they complete. Every dish that’s washed and put away is time that helps you work and contributes to more family time together at the end of the day.
5. Set Up a Rewards System
If you meet all your business goals for the week, take the family out for some special time together. Let the children know that they can help earn these treats for the whole family by being responsible, completing all their chores on time and minimizing interruptions while you’re working.
6. Schedule, Schedule, Schedule
Your schedule doesn’t have to be set in stone. In fact, it can’t be since you’re working from home. However, having an overall schedule for the whole family can help balance work and life issues. Post the schedule in an area where everyone can see it. Have a set routine for each day of the week, and include times for each child. It can list everything from independent coloring time to chores and more. No matter what subjects go into the schedule, setting a routine for the kids will help teach them responsibility, and it will keep them occupied.
Remember, you’re running a home based business for the benefit of your entire family, not just yourself. Keep this in mind and remember that there has to be a degree of flexibility when you implement these work life balance tips. If there’s a short-term family crisis, be prepared to lose a little sleep if you have to in order to continue meeting your business goals.
Love this post, originally written by Daphne Mallory at wahm.com
New campaign releases pool of talented parents to business
This is fantastic news – hiremyparents has partnered with WinWeb to launch the ‘Supporting Parents In Business’ campaign. The campaign will call on business to tap into the talent of parents that have chosen to spend more time at home to raise a family. Talent that is being disregarded in general and representative of every field imaginable. Through the campaign we will make companies aware of the opportunities to employ these parents flexibly, through our job board, and the partnership with WinWeb will ensure maximum exposure to small businesses throughout the English speaking world.
Hundreds of thousands of entrepreneurs use WinWeb’s OnlineOffice package, the Small Business Infrastructure which provides them with a micro business eco-system. Through this network WinWeb will be able to inform them of the campaign and hiremyparents’ service directly through their newsletters, blog and website.
Stefan Töpfer, chairman and CEO of WinWeb, added: “Winweb is about enabling people and businesses to maximise their potential. Home working parents represent a huge pool of talent that businesses are under-utilising, meaning that both the parents and the businesses are working less efficiently than they could.. It is right that many parents decide that raising their child is their major priority, however, this campaign offers those parents a flexible way to earn an income as well as maintaining their career skills. At the same time businesses can tap into a talent base that they haven’t previously been able to access, giving them top quality skills at economic prices.”
Parent Professionals can take advantage of a free lifetime membership to hiremyparents right now to find flexible work – from freelance to full-time.
Businesses can post an unlimited number of jobs and projects for free!
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