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September 14, 2015 0 Comments

How Cloud Technology Makes Growing Your Home Business Easier

Last year, 23 percent of employed U.S. workers did some or all of their work from home, representing nearly one quarter of the American population, reports the Bureau of Labor Statistics. About one in four remote workers are female, a Flex+Strategy Group survey found, and approximately the same percentage of women say they get most of their work done from home.

Meanwhile, more women than ever are starting their own businesses, with the number of female-owned firms increasing 68 percent since 2007, according to an American Express OPEN report. Taken together, these two trends help explain the growing number of moms who work at home.

A third factor fueling this trend is the cloud, which makes it easier than ever for moms to earn money from the comfort and privacy of their homes. If you’re working from home or running a home-based business, adopting cloud-based technologies can increase your efficiency and reduce your stress while saving you money.

Mobility and Flexibility

One way the cloud empowers your business is letting you move your office anywhere, says Luke Connoley of workplace innovation provider Unwork. In the days of desktops, a business computer had to reside at a single location in the workplace or in a home office, physically connected to the local network. With the cloud, you can work from anywhere you can bring a mobile device. You now have the flexibility of working from your home office, your living room, your dining room table, the local coffee shop or even the park where your kids play. You can work from anywhere and on any schedule that fits your needs.

Collaboration

The cloud’s mobile flexibility also makes it easier for you to collaborate remotely with other members of your team, no matter where they are. Instead of you having to share software on an office computer network in a single physical location, now any of your team members with a mobile device can access your company’s network and software services from anywhere in the world. For instance, Google Docs provides you with a full range of cloud-based business communication and collaboration tools, including email, video conferencing, calendar scheduling, document creation, file sharing and online storage.

Backup

The cloud provides small home-based businesses with superior backup services. Cloud backup services such as Mozy let you schedule periodic automatic backups, so you don’t have to worry about losing important files. You can also sync your backup to cover all of your devices and ensure that the latest versions of your files are always available throughout your network.

Global Customer Reach

The cloud lets you expand your company’s outreach beyond local prospects and customers to reach and interact with people anywhere in the world. For instance, in 2014, the country with the most Facebook users after the United States was India, followed by Brazil, Indonesia, Mexico and the United Kingdom. By using Facebook as a cloud marketing platform, you can efficiently promote your product or service to customers in any of these countries. The same applies to other popular social media sites that reside in the cloud, such as YouTube, Twitter and Pinterest.
Cloud tools, such as the Amazon Web Services platform, also let you deliver digital products, such as infoproducts, e-books, webinars and apps, to customers in any location. And when you need to field customer service inquiries, you can interact with your customers using cloud contact centers, live chat and Skype.

Cost

The bottom-line advantage of the cloud for home-based businesses is that it makes enterprise-quality hosting, software and data services affordable. Instead of paying premium prices for hardware equipment and software licenses, the cloud provides you with computer services scaled to your budget. For instance, for $5 a month, a small business can have its own virtual cloud server. For $5 per user per month, small businesses can use Office 365. For less than $120 a year, users can store 1 TB of data on Google Drive, or they can use Amazon Cloud Drive Unlimited for about $60 a year.

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September 4, 2015 0 Comments

How to Separate Work From Home in a Home-Based Job

When you have a home based career, work and home life can start to feel like the same thing. While it’s a huge benefit to work from home, some separation is not only healthy, but necessary.

 

We all know that taking breaks and switching up your environment can be important, but there are some other small shifts you can make to make your work from home career truly feel more like a traditional office job – without the commute!

 

Mark it down

 

Do something work related to mark the end of your day.  Whether you close all work-related browsers, set your autoresponder on your email, or simply close your laptop, make sure that your work day truly ends.

 

Another trip to help with this it to set up your schedule for the next day or week.  This is very helpful mentally, since you’re looking forward and acknowledging that your work for the day is complete.  You’re giving your brain a break – a mental break and sign that you can rest and enjoy your home time.

 

Shift into something new

 

Just as you did something in the aforementioned tip to signify the end of your work day, start something non work-related when you’re finished for the day.

 

It can be as simple as starting dinner, taking a walk, or sitting outside with your family, but this physical break is also important in getting you into “home mode” when work is done.

 

Set office hours

 

Just as you have work hours in an office job, you should set similar hours at home.  While some jobs require unconventional hours, and it is nice to have the flexibility to work anytime for certain positions, setting hours keeps you from working endlessly.

 

Even if your hours are more 11-7 than 9-5, that’s just fine – stick to them as much as possible.  It’s important to choose hours that work best for you, your family, and your lifestyle.

 

If you must, log some time outside of office hours once in a while, but stick to it as a general rule. Everyone is much more mobile since we have smartphones and laptops, but those in a traditional job typically do get more “down time” when they go home for the evening; you need to enjoy this time too, so do your best to keep work to your set office hours.

 

Set up the environment

 

Make sure your environment feels like an office. It’s tempting to lay on the couch to work, but you won’t be nearly as productive, and it can feel more like a sick day than work.

 

Set up your peaceful, well-lit home office for a truly productive experience that feels like going to work.  You still get all the benefits of a home based career – no commute, more time with friends and family, and flexibility.

 

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August 31, 2015 0 Comments

5 Top Productivity Tips for Work From Home Employees

Productivity comes down to a number of things when working from home – organization, use of space, and the ability to take a break from your surroundings.

 

It’s important to utilize all three tactics when you’re trying to be more productive, especially if you work from home. Since you’re lacking the accountability of an office environment, which can certainly assist in getting things done, it’s important to put your own systems in place.

 

Stretch

 

Productivity isn’t all work related! Stretching, moving, and walking throughout your day is key to physical and mental health, which makes you more productive in the long run.

 

Set a timer or alert on your phone to get up and stretch. Even if it’s just for 2-5 minutes, it’s enough to refresh your mind, bumping up productivity for the rest of the day.  Set intervals to make this a regular occurrence in your day.

 

Get out

 

Productivity stalls when we stay at home for too long. It just becomes redundant to look at the same few walls and workspace. In an office, you have the changes among your co-workers and employees, but at home, there’s not much difference in the day to day.

 

If you’re able to do so, get out of the house a few days per week.  Whether it’s during business hours to work at a coffee shop, or in the evening at a networking event or with friends, it’s crucial to your productivity and sanity!  Make a few plans during the week, even if it’s just to work in a coffee shop for a couple hours per day.

 

Take the time

 

Do your best to set up a proper environment that will allow you to be productive.  If you’re constantly looking at a messy house, or sitting in an uncomfortable chair, you’re not focusing on what matters – your work.

 

For a few dollars and some time, you can set up a warm, comfortable workspace that allows you to focus on your daily tasks, not that uncomfortable setup. In the evenings, make sure that your space is clean and comfortable for the next day as well.

 

Communicate

 

If you work with other employees or just one boss, make sure you’re communicating.  Even if you have to send out a daily email asking for feedback or a check in, communication keeps things on track.

 

Productivity can stall when you’re waiting on a co-worker to complete a task, or if you’re waiting for approval from your boss.  Do your part by communicating and staying in the loop as much as possible.

 

Set a schedule


It all comes back to scheduling, and there’s a good reason for this.  Schedules keep things orderly as well as productive. Choose one day per week that becomes your “scheduling day” and keep to it. It doesn’t need to take more than 15-20 minutes, but set out your goals and tasks for the week.  As a bonus, it feels great to be productive and check those items off of a list during the week!

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August 28, 2015 0 Comments

Enter to Win a Free Personalized Resume!

Moms, do you need some help with your resume? Your resume is your first impression for potential employers! 

Whether it needs fixing up or a total makeover, Brand Red Resume can help! We’re partnering with Brand Red Resume, a resume creation and editing service, to giveaway a free personalized resume to one of our moms!

Want to enter to win a new resume? Simply click to enter here and follow the rules.

Winner to be announced via email on September 22! In the meantime, follow @BrandRedResume on Twitter.

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August 24, 2015 0 Comments

4 Steps to Stop Disorganization

Disorganization is a top killer of productivity and time, but it can also bring you more stress than necessary.

We all get off track from time to time, but setting up a system of organization is a large part of working from home.  Since working from home requires a lot of self discipline and independent work, it’s important that organization be at the front of your home based toolkit.  Here are some tips and tricks to keep organization at the forefront of your business.

 

Make a decision

If disorganization is an issue that’s hindering your work progress, start by making a decision to be more organized.  It does take some effort in the beginning, and it will absolutely go against what you’ve been doing.

Know why you want to be organized – are you falling behind in work?  Missing deadlines? Spending too many hours finding items that should be right in front of you? Knowing the reasons makes it easier to clear them in the future.

 

Do it daily

Choose an item of organization to complete daily, especially in the beginning of your journey. To create a habit, 21 days of repeated effort must be given. Even if you make a habit to clear off your desktop, color code your files, or decide on an online organization system, make it a mission to do one substantial organization task daily.

 

Declutter your mind

Organization is not just important for the practical reasons of efficiency and productivity; it can also affect your mind and stress levels.

Consider what goes on in your head when all of your tasks, files and work items are lost, disorganized, or not easily accessible. You spend a lot of time, energy and mental power focusing on these things.

Yes, decluttering your mind comes from establishing better habits and systems, but it’s also important to diffuse your stress and workday with other tasks – throw in a load of laundry if you get a minute, take a few minutes to walk outside, or simply relax with some tea.  During the physical decluttering process, be sure to declutter and nurture your mind as well.

Create a system

A system of organization is your best defense against unexpected delays and missed days of work. Whether you use a task organization program such as Trello or Basecamp, or simply input your information into Google Docs or a Word document, it’s important to get it down on paper.

 

A system can be as simple as laying out each day according to task, employer, time frame, etc. It’s best to go with something that makes sense to you so you will continue.  Color coding can be helpful, as can sharing tasks and completed items with team members.


Once your preferred system has been established, it’s up to you to keep repeating it.  Make tweaks as necessary, but get into the habit of doing things on a daily, weekly, and task-based basis. Whatever works best for you will stick in the long run!

 

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August 17, 2015 0 Comments

4 Keys to a Glowing LinkedIn Personal Summary

 

LinkedIn is not only important for a job search, it’s important to let your colleagues and future employers know your past experience, results, and personal attributes.

 

We’ve all seen the Summary section at the top of our profiles, which can be a little intimidating.  Since it’s a free form block of space, we often wonder what to put there.  Is it a written out resume?  A list of skills? Read along for tips to maximize your personal Summary for success!

 

Make it readable

 

Although you have a lot of space to create your Summary, don’t put all your text in one place.  For starters, use bullets and numerous paragraphs to break up the space and each topic.

 

When a potential employer comes to your profile, they need to know what you do in a succinct, well organized manner.  Keep each set of information together – for example, qualities and attributes in one paragraph, general applicable results in another, followed by your call to action – all in separate spaces.

 

Use the space

 

Never leave your personal Summary blank! I repeat, never leave it blank. It’s better to have a small Summary of your contributions versus leaving it blank.  The rest of your LinkedIn profile is basically laid out like a resume, whereas this is the ideal space to show some personality and writing skills.

 

This is the space to really show yourself – use the space as you need, but don’t feel the need to go on and on just to fill the maximum characters either.

 

Call to action

 

It’s important to let your potential employer or potential clients know what to do and how to contact you.

 

Do you have a link to your online profile? Do you have a business email address or phone number? A website? Include this information in your call to action.  Whatever makes the most sense for your purpose on LinkedIn, do that to ensure that the right people can contact you directly.

 

Answer the question: What do I want my reader to do after reading this?  Create your call to action accordingly!

 

What’s important?

 

It’s important to tell a story via your personal Summary.  How did you get started in your chosen field or industry? The less it reads like a cover letter or resume and more like a personal story, the more intriguing you become to readers.

 

Include the compelling story of how you got to this point, as well as any applicable accomplishments – especially those that can be quantified.  Impressive results and hard data are always ideal, but if you can’t do that, include a short, 1-2 sentence testimonial or proof of your past works.

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August 13, 2015 0 Comments

Use Technology to Make Your Home Office a Success

If you work from home, you probably encounter the common misconception that you spend most of your workday sitting on your couch in your pajamas with only a half-charged laptop to keep you in contact with the working world. It is true that working from home gives you a level of freedom that isn’t available to the commute-and-cubicle set, but if you’re successful, you make your work environment match or even exceed that of a real office. You keep strict hours and a strict dress code, and you have a designated workspace with a range of technologies that keep you productive and competitive.

If you’re trying to find this balance, consider the following technologies to help you out. Then, you’ll see that they only thing missing from a traditional office is the daily commute.

Track Your Time

Working from home takes discipline. You are surrounded by all kinds of distractions, including the television, laundry, and children, but you have the same demands as any other employee. Technology can be a great tool for separating your work life from your home life. Smartphone apps like Toggl allow you to track your work life the way any at-office time keeper does, so you know when you put your eight hours in. If you need to limit your time on Facebook or BuzzFeed, RescueTime runs in the background on your computer or phone and limits your time on sites that are notorious for wasting time. If you have the opposite problem and find it difficult to separate yourself from work at the end of the day, use Eternity Time Log to restore balance by tracking your work and play. It even connects with your smartwatch to alert you when it might be a good time time to take a break and smell the roses.

Stay Connected

Working from home doesn’t always mean working alone. There are meetings to attend and large-scale projects that require collaboration across multiple departments. Google Hangouts and Skype have become standards for video communication on the web. When it’s time to get down to work, Dropbox and Quickbase offer specific environments for sharing and managing files. One of the greatest features of these technologies is the ability to track changes over time and quickly delegate tasks for different team members. Physical offices used to be a necessity because you needed an actual location to bring everyone together, but as technology finds newer, better ways for people to connect from remote locations, the cube farm becomes more and more irrelevant.

Make Your Home a Place of Business

If you run your own business out of your house, technology is necessary for promoting your business and giving you a leg up in a competitive market. If you meet with clients at your home office, there are subtle ways to make it feel more like a place of business. When combined with mirroring capabilities of Apple TV and Chromecast, a high-def OLED display is perfect for displaying PowerPoint presentations and product demonstrations. Your clients will be so impressed, they won’t ever want to go back to their office.

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August 10, 2015 0 Comments

4 Tips to Transition Back to Work

School is starting again soon, and if you’re a work from home mom, you might have taken a short break or lessened up on your work over the summer months.

While this is a typical practice in the summer with certain jobs, the fall brings new schedules, structure, and a return to the “normal” that we see the rest of the year.

Use the tips below to help you transition back to work and ramp up your business this fall.

Take it slow

Slow and steady is really the key here! You don’t want to rush into your new routine, since this can be jarring to your, your health, and your family.  It’s best to take it easy and do one thing at a time.

Start by laying out everything you need to purchase and do for the upcoming weeks.  From here, lay it all out, and lastly, start implementing. It’s a time to make those little changes before the big changes take place in just a couple weeks.  Although we love the freedom of summer, sometimes the structure of fall helps our productivity and effectiveness.

Take care

As schedules change and we get more and more busy, it’s important to take care of yourself.  This means getting adequate sleep, exercising and eating right.  It’s a good time to look up healthy recipes online and get a schedule in order for the fall, making it much easier to meal plan and keep healthy meals on the table.

Exercise can be as simple as evening walks with your kids while they’re still in summer mode, or getting out to take a class with a friend.  It’s all about re-establishing those healthy structures that will keep you happy, healthy, and stress-free as the school year begins.

Get things organized

Start now with your family calendars! Now is the time to get life back on a schedule.  Get yourself (and your kids!) to bed earlier, and begin to get back into your fall schedule mode. Purchase a refrigerator or desk calendar that works for the whole family. It’s best to use dry erase markers for changes, as well as any additions that might be needed.

Getting your calendar started now is the key here. It’s not ideal to wait until the chaos of school starting to get things in place – the time is now. Take a big picture look at your first few months of fall, decide on activities and obligations, and be sure to pencil them in as soon as possible.

As far as work, begin your calendar and list here as well.  Start deciding how your days will change, what work you’ll be adding, and how to balance it all with other family obligations. It’s important to get an overall view of this now, so you can avoid overwhelm in the near future.

Enjoy it

When it’s all said and done, the summer will end soon and fall will be here any minute. Enjoy summer while you can! Fall is full of fun activities and the new excitement of school, but it can be hard to realize that summer has passed.

Above it all, enjoy the last few days and weeks of summer. Even though you’ll be starting to get things back to normal and on a more regulated schedule, it doesn’t mean you have to miss out on those spontaneous moments of summer. Enjoy them while preparing to make your transition forward!

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August 3, 2015 0 Comments

4 Steps to Re-Engage with Your Job

Even if you have a job you enjoy, we all get burnt out from time to time. Whether it’s workload or a simple feeling of exhaustion, it’s important to re-engage after a physical or mental break.

Re-engaging with your job doesn’t have to be so tough, and it’s the little steps that help us reconnect with our careers.

Talk it out

Do you have a coworker or friend you can talk to?  Let them know your frustrations and brainstorm ways to get back in the groove.  

With burnout, sometimes just talking about it with someone else is comforting, especially if they’ve been there before – and most of us have! They can provide some perspective, as well as being able to relate, which always makes us feel a little bit better.

Take a break

Although we usually can’t take a full blown break from work, maybe you can knock off a few hours.  If you’re really approaching burnout, try to work more one day so you can take a few hours off later in the week.  

Use that time to get some fresh air or do something you enjoy.  Sometimes a very mini vacation is just what you need to come back refreshed and ready to work hard.

Try something new

Sometimes trying something new can invigorate us in other areas of our lives.  Is there a new craft or exercise class you can attend? Even if it’s just a few times, it may be enough to get you out of your slump.

When we let our minds try something new, it can breathe new life into our situation.  Even if it’s not job related, it can step us out of our routines, which may be the reason for burnout in the first place.

Try a fitness, yoga or cooking class, or get into another healthy habit, such as evening walks or meeting up with a friend or family member.

Plan it out

Plan out little ways to keep things interesting and take mini breaks.  Although work is important, staying engaged with our job is key to personal and professional growth.  We all get burnt out from time to time, but planning for the future can be helpful.

Map out your next few weeks when you have a few moments of downtime, as seeing your work days planned out can give you a boost to check those items off your list. 

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July 27, 2015 0 Comments

3 Steps to a Successful Job Search

A thorough, successful job search can seem like a part-time job! To do it correctly and effectively, you often have to dedicate a lot of time and effort into the process.

Although creating a professional is first and foremost, it is just one of several components of a successful job search; the others include: materials, preparation, and mindset.  With these three tools at the ready, you’ll be well-equipped to succeed in finding your ideal position.

Materials

As we mentioned before, materials are the first thing you must nail down. A professional, grammatically correct resume, cover letter, and any portfolio pieces are all important.  Include information that is specific and provides numerical support, or includes recommendations as part of the package.

Your cover letter should specify the desired position, what you bring to the table, and any applicable job experience.  Portfolios are necessary for most jobs these days, and you can either build one in a binder or via an online portfolio option.  Create your materials first, as you’ll need to be ready to send them at a moment’s notice.

Preparation

Preparation is the all-encompassing theme of a solid job search, and it’s something that starts at the beginning of your search and ends with the follow through.

You start preparing by creating your materials, reviewing them yourself and with a friend or family member, finalizing them, then beginning the actual search.  Your search is also something to prepare for! What kind of job are you looking for?  Do you want to work from home? THere are specific work-from-home job sites like HireMyMom out there, for the specific purpose of working from home.  There are also industry-specific job sites which can be helpful if you’re looking to stay in a particular field.

Following up is the last part of the puzzle, but one to look into right away; don’t wait until your first interview and realize you aren’t prepared with any sort of follow-up.  Start by creating the content of an email inquiring about the status of the job position, as well as the content of a thank you note for your interviewer.  Once these are at the ready, all you have to do is add in a bit of personalization for each interview.

Come up with a list of sites to search, a materials-needed checklist, and a list for follow through.

Mindset

Mindset is #1 in almost everything we do, and the job search is no different.  It can be tough out there, and sometimes job searches can go on for a very long time.   Prepare yourself mentally that it could take a while, and determine what you really want from the get go.  While your dream job might not show up immediately, it’s important that you don’t settle and take a job that you cannot see yourself enjoying or succeeding in.

Know what you want, persevere in your search, and stay positive.  If you have solid materials in place, additional necessary preparation completed, and a great mindset, your next job is closer than you might think!

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