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May 31, 2016 0 Comments

4 Top Tips for Work From Home Employees

Working from home presents a unique set of challenges and perks, but the common theme is that things are simply different as a home based employee.  From finances to taxes to workspace, these things must be considered by you in most cases, versus relying on an employer.

Read along for some best tips and practices to ensure that you’re ready to work from home successfully.

Stay financially savvy

It’s important to keep track of financial records, expenses, and tax items when you work from home.  Often times, you’ll be a 1099 Independent Contractor instead of an employee, which can come with unique tax structures and filings.

Look into some of these structures before beginning your home based career, and advise your spouse of the differences in filing. You can also set up a consultation with an accountant to ensure that you’re keeping tabs on the right items and have your employment set up correctly.

Create a space

As we’ve said time and time again, make sure that you have a specific space set up for work.  Not only can this be important if you have a business for expense purposes, but it’s key to staying mentally healthy and organized in a home based career.

Set aside a room or section of your dwelling that’s just for work – and keep it that way.  When work becomes everywhere, it can be very tough to turn it off at the end of the workday.

Turn it off

Stop working at some point in the day! Whether you choose to work at night or during the day, be sure that you’re logging a normal amount of hours on a consistent basis.  Of course as with any job, there may be stretches of overtime, but this can become more prevalent working from home.

Set office hours just as you would at a traditional job, and really be home when you choose to finish work for the day.

Use the right tools

The right tools are incredibly helpful in keeping you productive in a home based career.  While an office job typically has these tools built in, you have to set them up for yourself to ensure success.

Working from home typically requires more planning and thought than a typical job, but with the right tools, space, and forethought to ensure that everything is working smoothly, you can enjoy the vast benefits of productivity and flexibility that a home based career can provide!

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May 23, 2016 0 Comments

6 Tools for Work From Home Teams

 

Working from home comes in many forms, and one of those includes working on a team.  While some of us may just do freelance work for various clients, there are times when we might land a part-time or full-time job with a company that has other virtual (or in-person) employees.

While it’s no secret that working from home boosts most people’s productivity, adding a team into the mix can be challenging.  Communication isn’t as simple as walking into another colleague’s cubicle, and keeping files and conversations in one place can seem tedious.  Read along for some of the top tools for work from home teams and co-workers.

Basecamp

Basecamp is billed as the “leading web-based project management and collaboration tool,” which manages files, to-do lists, schedules, and much more.  When you join as a team, you can create separate folders for each client or project, and within those folders, you can have conversations, exchange files, keep information, utilize checklists, and more.  

This is an excellent place for collaboration, and it keeps everything from each team member in one place – no searching through zillions of emails, Google Docs, or other word documents that are just disorganized.

Basecamp begins at $29/month and you can learn more about it here.

Skype

Almost all of us use Skype for personal use, but did you know that it can be great for teams?  Not only do you get face-to-face interaction, but you can hold mini meetings throughout the day.  Phone calls are helpful, but seeing each other brings a new level of professionalism and accountability.

If your team is up to it, suggest that you keep Skype up and running on a daily basis.  You can call each other when needed, or use the chat feature to communicate quickly.

Skype is generally free to use.  Learn more about it here.

Free Conference Call

FreeConferenceCall.com is a completely free conference call service that allows you to host online meetings and record and share any call.  This is great for group meetings, as well as client calls that you need to hold with your whole team.

To host basic conference calls, simply sign up on their website and you’ll receive a conference number along with an access code.  You can send this information to your co-workers or clients to meet you on a call without having to fumble with three-way calling.

Learn more here.

Sprout Social

Sprout Social is a “social media management tool created to help businesses grow their social media presence.”  Simply put, it allows you to schedule all of your posts on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn business and personal pages, and so on.

You can link all of your accounts in Sprout and choose which profiles will receive the post(s).  You can schedule posts as far out as you’d like, making it easier to manage multiple clients.  This is an excellent tool for teams, as many times several people are managing social media profiles for one client or employer.  This keeps things organized, and you can easily see which posts are scheduled for when.  You can also easily export reports and data to share with clients and/or team members.

Check out Sprout Social and its capabilities here.

Go To Webinar

Go To Webinar is an affordable webinar service that’s helpful for larger teams or those with clients.  It’s incredibly helpful if your whole team is virtual, as your boss can give presentations or teach concepts via a webinar.  It’s also an excellent tool for communicating with numerous clients on a larger scale.

You can record your webinar, receive analytics and data, and add numerous features to your presentations that make them memorable and easier to use.

Learn more about Go To Webinar here.

Calendly

Calendly’s tagline says, “Say goodbye to email tag for scheduling appointments, interviews, calls, demos and much more,” and that’s just what it does.  If you’re tired of email tag to make a simple appointment, Calendly is for you.

You can utilize the free version with fewer features, or upgrade to the paid version starting at $8/month.  This is an excellent tool for teams, as you’ll likely be scheduling team calls and client calls frequently when working from home.

Keep things streamlined by sending a simple link to your colleagues and clients to pick a time to speak or meet with you.  Since it connects directly to your Google calendar, It gives the other person the option of choosing a time, while also giving you the accountability of keeping your calendar updated – a plus for your team and your productivity!  Learn more about Calendly here.

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May 16, 2016 0 Comments

4 Tips to Prepare for Summer Break

Summer is almost here! In most parts of the country, there are only a few more weeks until kids are out of school, days slow down, and we start planning fun trips and activities for the summer months.

While all this fun goes on, there’s still work to be done.  If you’re a work from home mom, it’s crucial to plan ahead for summer break, so you’re able to enjoy the more relaxed season while still being effective in your job.

Add activity

Since summer is typically a bit less structured in most industries, do you best to add some fun and activity into every day.  These days – and the summer season – don’t last forever, so it’s important to take advantage of them.  A lot more people are taking vacations, half days, Fridays off, and so on, so take that time to make it work for you and your family – and have some fun!

Set it up

Since you’ll likely still have a full work schedule, it might be helpful to enlist childcare and babysitting services ahead of time.  Many of these professionals book up well in advance, so act now to avoid the rush.  While it’s important to make time for your family and kids, it can still be incredibly helpful to have some undivided time for work and personal time.

Another option is to start speaking with your child’s family and friends to set up carpool situations for team sports, activities, and so on.  Have these conversations early, as everyone’s vacation and work schedules tend to change in the summer, so maybe you can all help each other have more family time, as well as more focused work hours.  Look into having these conversations and booking your childcare as soon as possible, so you can ensure that your children are enjoying their time and that you are still maximizing productivity!

Create a summer schedule

As we’ve mentioned, summer tends to be more relaxed – and a lot more fun! The spontaneity of it all is what makes it a magical time of year, but schedules are still important in a family.

Keep a large family calendar on the refrigerator that everyone can add to, and take a look at your weeks and months ahead of time.  Of course things will pop up, but if you can see where your family is and how you’re spending your time, you can more easily take time off to be with them.  Also, it’s helpful to keep some structure in your kids’ days, even if it’s as simple as scheduling a play date once per week.

Make it fun

Since we know that several jobs are more laid back in the summer, simply remember to have fun this summer.  It’s a short but special time of year when almost everyone is home and fun plans pop up all the time.  It’s best to keep a bit of structure but also be prepared to go with the flow.  Set up your plans in the beginning and you’ll gain more time with your kids while keeping your obligations top of mind.

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May 9, 2016 0 Comments

4 Tips for Work From Home Moms

Many people work from home, but not all of those people are parents.  While working from home affords a lot of flexibility and schedule changes most of the time, it can still be a challenge to juggle work as a work from home mom.

With some adjustments to your schedule and reaching out to others, you can still get work done while prioritizing family.

Use naptime

Utilize naptime to your advantage! If your children still take naps during the day, do your best to keep them on a schedule and plan to get your most challenging work done during this time.  While naps aren’t typically hours and hours in length, they can provide enough time for 100% focus.

Ask for help

Whether it’s family or friends, asking for help is a key tip.  If you don’t have family close by, you can look into children’s groups or babysitters available during the day.  In this day and age, there are even babysitters who come to your house for the day and can watch your kids in the comfort of their own home.

You don’t have to reach out for outside help every day, but if you can get a few hours or free days once in awhile, it can mean a lot to your productivity.

Keep your space

We’ve said it before, but keeping a separate space for work is key to staying on task with kids.  While you can’t always be without distraction, it’s easier to really focus on those uninterrupted hours in a designated space.

When you set up your office space for success, it’s much easier to access necessary materials and get work done in a neat, quiet, and personalized environment.  Keeping this separate from working at the counter or on the couch allows you to separate work from home, which also tells your family when you are working versus being wife and/or mom.

Set it up

You can look into educational or physical activities for children outside of the home.  Is there a local swim team?  Maybe there are discovery classes on various topics from karate to nature walks and education.  Not only does this allow your children to participate in activities outside of the home, it gives you more free time.  Do your best to set up these times in advance, so you’re able to know when you can be the most productive.

If there isn’t much going on outside the home, set up your kids with and educational toy or activity here and there to keep them engaged and enriched.

Working from home with kids can be a challenge but it’s not impossible.   All it takes is some tweaks of the schedule and planning ahead.  By creating a productivity plan that works best for you, you’re giving your children the opportunity to be entertained while maintaining your work balance.

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May 2, 2016 0 Comments

4 Tips to Get 10,000 Steps Per Day

 We all hear how important it is to get in those 10,000 steps per day.  It’s important for our health, as sedentary lifestyles are not heart-healthy, and we can end up with various health issues by sitting still all day.

When you work from home, it can be especially difficult to accomplish this task – you’re close to everything from the bathroom to your car, you likely don’t have to run around to meet co-workers, and you typically spend lunch hours alone.  It’s easy to see how this goal becomes elusive!

While you don’t have to set out for 10,000 steps right away, use these tips to get well on your way to more movement.

Set an alert

Use your phone or Google Calendar to set alerts throughout the day.  When they go off, go for a 5-10 minute stroll around the block or simply walk in place.  There are various walking workouts online for free, which you can find by typing “walking workout” into YouTube.  They range from 5-60+ minutes and help to get your heart rate up – and those steps in!

Getting your steps in doesn’t have to involve a structured workout – it’s actually better to walk at random intervals throughout the day.  This keeps your metabolism humming along, along with boosting other health indicators that are reduced by sitting all day.

Meet with friends

Meet with friends for lunch and move instead of eating.  This accomplishes two goals of meeting your steps and increasing your social interaction.  Since you’re working from home, it’s easy to do a working lunch later while using your “off” time for a walk with friends.  Set a certain time each day or week to meet with friends fro 20-45 minutes.  You can certainly accomplish a lot of steps in this amount of time! It’s active and social – two very important ingredients to our overall health.

Purchase a counter

You don’t need a fancy FitBit or anything like that, but a simple pedometer can get the job done.  Clip it onto your waistband each morning, and see how many steps you can rack up.  Take a few trips to get food or park further away when you run a midday errand.  These might seem like small changes, but when you’re tracking your progress, it makes it much more fun and motivating to see those numbers going up..

Replace Happy Hour

Happy Hour and dinners with friends after work is fun from time to time, but can you replace it with a healthier habit?  Maybe you can even combine the two! Set a time to meet up with friends or family members after work, and you can even go to your favorite spot afterwards for a leisurely dining experience.  It will be all the more enjoyable after a mini walking workout!

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April 25, 2016 0 Comments

4 Ways to Spring Clean Your Resume

The new and improved weather this time of year comes with a sense of renewal and change.  Many of us are seeking new employment, or simply looking for a new freelance project to fill a few hours.  Either way, a resume is a critical component of this process.

While we’re taking the time to spring clean our homes, bodies, wardrobes and so on, why not take a few minutes to update – or “spring clean” – your resume?  Read along for some tips on making effective tune ups to your resume.

Importance

It used to be that your resume had to be in chronological order – no exceptions.  Times have changed and so have resumes! Don’t be afraid to put your experience in order of importance versus a specific timeline.  This can be customized for each job position, as you want to put the crucial information that the employer is seeking first.

Go through your resume and determine what is most important or the job that you want and make the necessary changes.

Remove

As important is it is to organize your resume, it’s equally as important to remove what is no longer serving you in your career.  Do you need to note jobs that are 10 years old or club positions from high school over 15 years ago?  In most cases, these kind of inclusions aren’t necessary.  Do your best to focus on current, relevant work experience, and craft your resume in a way that highlights those accomplishments that are in line with your new desired work position.

Additionally, you can remove old, boring descriptions from your resume.  Make your resume pleasant to read and focus on the most important aspects of your career so far.

Add

While you’re removing the older descriptions, focus on adding in valuable information – quantitative data and results, specific numbers and improvements, and so on.  The more specific and measurable you can be, the better.  If your job position doesn’t lend itself to this kind of data, still include results from your jobs and/or internships.  Employers are interested in what you did, but they really want to know how you’ve helped others in the past, which in turn can show how you can help them.

It’s also incredibly important to include other new, relevant information, even if it’s volunteer work.  Certifications, associations, and volunteer positions can tell an employer a lot about you, so they are very important to take the time to include in your updated resume. We often forget these types of notes in our resumes, and they can truly forge common bonds and extra credibility with a potential employer.

Ask

This is a bit of a bonus tip, as it won’t actually appear in your resume.  Ask for quality recommendations and letters from past employers.  It’s incredibly important to have these on hand as you’re sprucing up your resume and getting ready to go through many applications.  Give your past employer(s) plenty of time – up to 3-4 weeks – to complete a quality recommendation.  When your new potential employers ask for letters of recommendation, you’ll be ready and waiting without hesitation!

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April 18, 2016 0 Comments

HireMyMom.com Business Interview: Tim Francis, ProfitFactory.com

Company: ProfitFactory.com
Job Position: President

What’s your company and/or job position?

My consulting company is called ProfitFactory.com and I am the President.  I am also a speaker on the topic of how to streamline and scale your business. We’re basically a managing consulting company for internet businesses, which helps them with systems, procedures, hiring, and gamifying their businesses.

How did you learn about HireMyMom?

I was frustrated – I had tried hiring in the Philippines, India, Jamaica, on eLance, and through many other international contractors and websites.  One night, by chance, I stumbled across HireMyMom.com on a Google search.

What’s your success story with HireMyMom? 

My biggest success story is my own Executive Assistant, Sarah, who I found through HireMyMom.com. She’s been with me for almost 3 years now, and because of how I’ve hired Sarah, how I’ve delegated to her, and because of her commitment, passion, and hard work, I’ve been able to increase my own personal consulting rates all the way up to $500 per hour.

I’ve directly hired for myself and clients – probably around 30-40 candidates from HireMyMom.com.  I developed something called The Perfect Job Posting, which we use every time we go to hire a mom from HireMyMom.com.  It might seem kind of funny because when applicants see the job posting, it asks them to send a specific email to a specific email address with a certain subject line to apply. In the body, one of the paragraphs has to be in red font, 12 point, and “Courier” font, while another has to be blue font, 10 point, “Arial” font.  All these really specific specifications are in place to make sure that we’re attracting applicants that have really good attention to detail.

Because that’s been so successful for me and I’ve talked about the process at live events  and featured podcasts, HireMyMom.com has hundreds of entrpreneurs using the site – and they’re also using this Perfect Job Posting. I once received a screenshot from your team showing the daily email going out to all the moms, and no kidding, of the 12 job postings that I could see, 10 of them were all internet business owners using my Perfect Job Posting.   Literally, most of the subject lines were all along the lines of: “Slightly OCD Tech-Savvy Mom Saught for Internet Marketing Company.”  This felt like a success story for me, as I’ve been able to share and they’ve turned around and used the method. I don’t know exaclty how many people I’ve influenced in this way, but at least 50-100 entrepreneurs have found assistance through HireMyMom.com because of the help that I’ve offered to the world.

What kind of employees were you seeking to hire?

I was seeking an Executive Assistant with great attention to detail, looking to work between 5 and 15 hours per week on a flexible schedule from home.  Something specific that I was looking for and loved was that HireMyMom.com is all Canadian and US moms, which means similar time zones, similar culture, and most likely native english speakers.  Because they’re moms and their #1 passion is to be able to be with their kids, I knew that by helping them build their dream of being home with their kids, that they’d be really committed and passionate about helping me build my dream, which is my business.

What’s your favorite thing about HireMyMom?

First of all, the concentration of my ideal candidates being Canadian and American based, home based workers.  I would say I’ve been delighted, because the name HireMyMom.com it sounds almost folksy and very casual, and I wasn’t expecting the caliber of applicants from there. I’ve had multiple MBAs apply and my own assistant is a former legal assistant.  I was just amazed at the caliber of the talent, especially given the fact that the name of the website is so casual.

How do you feel that HireMyMom is different from other hiring sites?

I am all for multiculturalism in the broader sense, but just based on my experience when talking about work cultures, I found that there are some significant hurdles working with dramatically different work cultures. It was significantly easier to work with someone who is used to the professional American work culture already.  Things got done implicitly without me having to say them, with one being timeliness and a commitment to deadlines, which is a really big deal in corporate america. All the moms I’ve hired have had an implicit understanding of that without me having to explain it.

I’vee been really amazed with the affordability of the assistance that I’ve found on HireMyMom.com as well.  I’ve also been amazed with the “one step at a time” approach. Most of the moms have been okay starting out at only 5-10 hours per week for $15  per hour USD, and that makes it far, far, far easier for smaller businesses to take advantage of the amazing world of virtual executive assistants, instead of having to take on a $40,000 salary right off the bat.  A small business can start paying $300 per month, and by being able to get in the game of the world of having an assistant, the entrepreneur can now start the virtuous cycle of getting a few hours off their plate and onto higher level tasks.  It’s kind of like Google Docs, where you can “find and replace,” so to can an entrepreneur do the same with tasks on their to do list. I watched how I was able to climb from somewhere around $40 per hour all the way up to $500 per hour as a consultant, just because I was able to find and replace those tasks and start small.

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April 11, 2016 0 Comments

5 Tips to Manage Stress

Stress is one of those things that has become a fact of life, but how you manage it can make all the difference in your health.  Although you might not have the stress of a commute or office environment, you likely deal with more distractions and the temptation to work around the clock.

While stress is basically inevitable in our fast paced world, there are certain things you can do to reduce and manage it.  Read along for some of our best tips to manage the stressors in your life.

Identify them

If you feel like a constant ball of stress, it’s important to take a minute to identify what’s causing the stress.  Maybe you assume that it’s your carpool duties, but it’s really a work project that you put off until you have to leave for the car line.  Shifting your schedule a bit and knowing where your stress takes place is the first step in making changes.

Meditate

Meditation is all the rage right now – and for good reason.  It helps to quiet the mind, and there are numerous ways in which you can meditate.  Whether you sit quietly listening to music and observe your thoughts, sit by the ocean, or choose something more formal, looking into meditation is a key step.

Try the Headspace app for something quick and simple. Headspace is a free app that provides some “extra calm and clarity” in 10-minute sessions.  This is a great way to get started with meditation and to fit it into your already busy life.

Exercise

Exercise isn’t only healthy for your body, it’s healthy for your mind. Exercise can help to release stress in the body, as well as release endorphins for a natural boost of happiness and calm.  You don’t need to do this for hours each day, but start with a good variety: a mix of cardio for endorphins, yoga for a calm mind, and light weights for a strength boost.

Get outside

Nature is calming and grounding, so take a few minutes each day to walk around outside, feel the breeze on your face, and simply take in some fresh air.  This is a simple task, but once that can relax your system and help you to see the beauty around you.  Take a few slow, deep breaths and spend a few minutes connecting to nature.

Schedule fun

When you’re stressed, most things can seem less than fun, and it can seem like you’re stuck in a cycle of a lot of work and obligations.  It’s okay to say “no” to unnecessary things, as well as incredibly important to schedule some fun into your days and weeks.  Think of something fun that you could do each day – can you meet a friend for coffee?  Have a weekly lunch date with a local co-worker. Plan a fun playdate over your lunch hour.  Do something that will get you out of your routine and out of the stressed out mode that you find yourself in.

Stress is part of our lives, but it can be controlled and managed with a little effort.  Take a few minutes to quiet your mind, incorporate exercise, get in touch with nature, and schedule some fun to manage stress in a healthy, productive way!

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April 4, 2016 0 Comments

Interview with HireMyMom.com Success Story: Joy Bastawrous

Name: Joy Bastawrous

City / State: Katy, TX

Kids & Ages: 3 daughters: 12, 9, and 2 

What’s your success story with HireMyMom? 

I have been a member of HireMyMom.com since 2010.  I left a high level corporate position to spend more time with my kids because the commute was eating up about 3 hours of my day and I felt like I was missing out on special time.  It only took me a few months to find a job on this site.  And over the years, the amount and type of jobs have just gotten better and better!  I have secured at least 7 positions using this site over the course of the last 6 years.  I have been able secure remote positions so I do not have to waste any time in the car commuting and sitting in horrible Houston traffic!  It has been a dream come true for my family and I.  

What’s your educational and experiential background?

I have a bachelor’s degree in Marketing and over 15 years’ experience with much of that being in corporate marketing and more recently working with small businesses and entrepreneurs on their marketing efforts.

What is your top tip for landing a gig on HireMyMom.com?

Just look for what you want and are qualified for, be honest and open about what you are looking for when speaking with the prospects and make sure it’s a perfect fit for both of you.

What’s your favorite thing about HireMyMom.com?

My favorite thing about HireMyMom.com is that it gives me the opportunity to still work in a field that I enjoy while having some flexibility to attend my kids events and activities!  Secondly, as I mentioned before, the caliber of positions has increased over the years and I am looking forward to utilizing it more and more.  

What’s one fun fact about you?

I have always dreamed of being an astronaut.

 

 

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March 29, 2016 0 Comments

4 Tips for Time Management Success

Time management is a hot topic, especially for those of us who work from home.  It can be tough to plan your day – with kids and pets nearby and the distracting items of being at home (think TV, radio, interruptions, and so on!)  All of this can make managing time a full-time job.

Read along for some best practices in time management skills that will allow you more productivity and extra time to do the things you love.

Set your hours

As much as possible, set your work hours to remain consistent throughout the week.  If 9-5 works for you and your family, set it early and work around those times.  If 2-10 works better for your lifestyle, that might be the way to go as well.  Time management also maximizes what’s best for your lifestyle, family, and other obligations, so factor that in from the get go.

Set your time

Set an alarm or timer for each task that you complete.  If you need to do three things for one client, accomplish one, move on to the next client, and so on.  Of course, it’s necessary to designate these tasks in order of priority, but you can still set your time.

This will allow you to manage time so you’re allocating enough hours and minutes in the day for each task, helping them to get completed on time.

Multitask – to a degree

Over time, various sources have started proving that multitasking isn’t as good as it was cracked up to be; it can eliminate focus and draw your attention from what you started.

Even though multitasking gets a bad rap, you can do it in a productive manner – especially if you work from home! It’s not difficult to throw in a load of laundry, set your timer for your next task(s), and then retrieve it at the end.  While lunch is in the microwave, run the sweeper briefly.  It even becomes fun to work chores and other to do items into your time schedule.  This is yet another benefit of working from home, and it allows you to truly manage your work and home life time more efficiently.

See where your time is spent

Take a good look at where your time is currently being spent and evaluate it.  It’s not always easy, but it’s crucial to trim some time here and there, just as you would trim your budget or amend your health and fitness routine if it weren’t working.

Make sure that you’re billing your hours and accounting for all time spent on certain tasks.  When you track where your time is spent, you may realize that you’re spending more time on one task when you thought it was a quick, 30-minute item.

Time management is all about evaluating what needs done, where you’re currently spending your time, and how it can be used more effectively.

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