Tips For Securing Your Home Wifi Network

As consumers upgrade their computers and laptops and are discovering the convenience of wireless computing, they may also be opening themselves up to attacks from random hackers. If you have a home network and it has wireless capabilities one of the most important things you can do to protect yourself, your computers and most importantly your data, is to secure your network. You may think you are doing a good thing leaving your wireless network open for your neighbors to use, but you may also be allowing people to use your network to download pirated music or movies (which you will be responsible for), send unsolicited commercial email (aka spam) or launch viruses.

Securing your network is fairly easy and can be done by just about anyone, even if you aren’t computer savvy. If you are using a laptop you may want to connect your computer via ethernet cable to your router, while you are making the configuration changes. The first thing you should do is log into your wireless router and change the administration password and username if possible. Leaving the default settings is like locking your door and hiding a key under the mat. Next you want to enable WEP (wireless equivalent privacy) security on your router. If your router has 128 bit encryption use it, it’s more secure than 40 bit encryption. If you have an older router you may only have 40 bit encryption, 40 bit encryption is better than no encryption so if that’s all you have use it. You will need to enter the corresponding WEP encryption key on all of your computers that connect wirelessly. Reboot the router and verify you can still connect with the network cable removed. It would be easier to make all of the changes at once and the reboot, but if you make a mistake doing it step by step helps you find your mistakes easier.

The next step is changing the SSID (Service Set Identifier). The first thing you should do is change the name from its default setting. If your router lets you disable the SSID broadcast you should. Again make the corresponding changes on each of the computers that connect wirelessly and reboot the router. Once the router reboots make sure you can still connect to the network.

Your next step is to allow access via Mac addresses. Every computer has a unique Mac address that looks like 0A-3C-2A-55-E4-A0. Get all of the MAC addresses of all of the computers that connect wirelessly and restrict access on the router to only those Mac addresses. Reboot the router and verify you can still connect.

While these tips won’t keep out sophisticated professional hackers they will keep out casual snoopers. Lastly on each computer make sure you are sharing only the folders that you want other people to be able to see.

Work at Home Business Ideas

Here are some excellent businesses that you can start, operate and grow from your home. All these work at home businesses have the following desirable features:

Low Startup Costs
Ease of Entry
High Income Potential
Home Based and Operated
Worldwide Sales Potential
Residual, Recurring and/or Passive Income Potential
1. Consulting

A consultant is someone expert in a field who, for a fee, advises businesses or individuals on various matters of concern.

Many times we tend to feel that our knowledge, skills or abilities are nothing unique. However, many lack those same assets and would gladly pay us for our knowledge and services.

Although it is possible to make a living from consulting with individuals, the big money is in performing services for businesses.

Do you have knowledge of bookkeeping, accounting, tax or similar business matters? Some have made excellent money specializing in small business consulting.

Are you a computer hobbyist with business or internet experience? You could make money in web design, internet marketing, search engine optimization, or some other specialty.

Some lawyers have combined their legal experience with their love of the Internet and specialized in intellectual property and computer law.

For further information and resources about consulting, visit: http://www.yenommarketinginc.com/consulting.html

2. Finding

A finder is someone who, for a fee, finds something needed by a business or individual. A finder`s fee is the amount paid to the finder for locating what was required.

Finder`s fees are paid for finding money (loans, equipment leasing, et cetera), equipment (mining, construction, et cetera), personnel, companies for sale, locations (fast food franchises, vending machines, et cetera) and just about anything else that people are willing to pay for.

Simply match sellers with buyers and you can earn finder`s fees.

For further information and resources about finder`s fees, visit: http://www.yenommarketinginc.com/finder.html

3. Auctions

An auction is an event where items are sold to the highest bidders. An internet auction, online auction or e-auction is an auction where you can buy and sell items on the Internet.

Many thousands now make their living or fortune from selling products and services on eBay and similar auction sites. So can you!

For further information and resources about auctions, visit: http://www.yenommarketinginc.com/auctions.html

4. Drop Shipping

Drop shipping is a method of selling products without stocking inventory yourself. When you make a sale you contact the manufacturer or authorized distributor who ships it to the customer with your invoice and shipping label. Advantages include no warehousing, shipping, or inventory costs.

For further information and resources about drop shipping, visit: http://www.yenommarketinginc.com/dropship.html

5. Affiliate Programs

An affiliate or associate program is a method of selling products on the internet through commission sales. When someone you refer to a website buys, the company you are an associate of (or affiliated with) pays you a commission.

In many cases, it is also possible to make money from the efforts of people that you introduce to the affiliate program. You can also expand your product line by joining and promoting more than one affiliate program.

For further information and resources about affiliate programs, visit: http://www.yenommarketinginc.com/affiliate.html

6. Webmastering

A webmaster is a an internet specialist reponsible for all aspects of web sites.

Areas where businesses need assistance include web site design, logo, banner or graphic design, web hosting, e-commerce, internet marketing, web programming, scripts, security, web site maintenance, copy writing, mailing list management, and many other areas.

For further information and resources about webmastering, visit: http://www.yenommarketinginc.com/webmstrbus.html

7. Self-publishing

A self-publisher creates, produces, and sells information products. Information products may be in the form of books, booklets, videos, audio cassettes, compact disks (CDs), electronic books, files, databases, private websites, and other media.

The information products that you create are unique. You have exclusive control and ownership of your own products.

For further information and resources about self-publishing, visit http://www.yenommarketinginc.com/selfpub.html

8. Instant Publishing

An instant publisher sells information products produced by someone else who grants them reprint (or resale) rights. Often self-publishers will sell such products to complement their own information products.

For further information and resources about instant publishing, visit http://www.yenommarketinginc.com/instantpub.html

9. International Trade

International trade involves importing and exporting. Importing involves buying goods and services from suppliers in another country. Exporting involves selling goods and services to customers in another country.

For further information and resources about import-export, visit http://www.yenommarketinginc.com/impexp.html

10. Mail Order

Mail order is a method of conducting business through the mail. Goods and services can be sold through direct mail (and also via catalogues, magazines, newspapers, radio, television, web sites, and other media). Customers can order by mail or by other means (fax, telephone, internet, et cetera). Delivery of orders can be made by mail or alternative means (such as by courier for physical goods or by fax, e-mail, telephone, or electronic files for information).

For further information and resources about mail order, visit http://www.yenommarketinginc.com/mailord.html

How to Network your Home Business

Finding ways to get your home business noticed has always been at the forefront of a successful home business.

With the Internet giving us all a much more level-playing field, the opportunties for getting your home business noticed by potential new customers is through a networking strategy.

There are many ways to network your business but in this article I am looking at just the one: networking through online forums.

Online forums have never been as popular as they are today. Basically, a forum is a online public meeting place of like-minded individuals who raise and discuss topics of interest.

The beauty of online forums is that you are not restricted by your location. You are potentially networking with anybody, anywhere. Some bigger forums have members into the tens of thousands from all across the world.

With so many forums to choose from it is best to select a few and dedicate your time to those, remembering that it is better to go after quality and not quantity. What I mean is that it is very easy to find 15, 20, even 40 forums that you could easily join. But you will be spreading yourself far too thin.

My suggestion is that you select at most, 5 forums and focus.

Most forums have an introduction section, where new forum members can introduce themselves. What you will want to do though is, before posting, go through the forum and get a feel for it. Notice the type and tone of the discussions. Is it dry and serious? Is it light and funny? Is it a tough and dirty place?

Once you feel comfortable with a forum start posting. Most newbies (that's what you are called when you first join up a forum) maybe hesitant to get into it, feeling they may make themselves look silly. There's no need. Most forums are very open and helpful to newbies.

Make sure you ask and answer posts as well. Don't just make a quick introduction and come back every other week, expecting leads to come your way. Visit every day, post welcome posts to other newbies, answer questions you know, even chip in with your views.

Sure enough, you will develop a reputation. Hopefully, one of a person that is helpful and knows what they're on about. This translates into an asset for your business. As you gain credibility amongst your potential market, the barriers to a successful business: building trust, are well ... being built day-in, day-out.

From a home business perspective, developing a forum strategy is a highly cost-effective way of marketing your business and building your credibility.

Conducted with a long-term view, networking via forums can lead to a strong and loyal customer base.

Work from Home Careers

If you are interested in starting a work based from home business, but aren’t sure where to start, just follow these four work from home careers ideas to get you moving in the right direction.

Work from home careers idea #1: The Internet

If you are looking for work from home careers, you really don’t have to look much further than the Internet. A quick search on the internet and you will find literally hundreds of work from home careers to choose from. Among your choices are setting up your own Internet-based store and selling goods. Or, you can simply do as many have done and do your product selling through eBay.

With the Internet, you can even set up a website filled with interesting content and sit back and let the site make you money using Google ads and affiliate memberships. Or, become a member of the many survey sites on the Internet that pay people just for sharing their opinions on up-and-coming products. In addition, the Internet is the source of literally hundreds of freelance job opportunities for those with a skill, such as writing or web design, to offer.

Work from home careers idea #2: Fairs and Arts & Craft Shows.

Fairs and arts & craft shows are an additional source of work from home careers. If you enjoy creating your own crafts, you can do it from the comfort of your home and then sell them at fairs and craft shows. Or, you can purchase wholesale goods and turn them over for a profit by selling them at these fairs and shows. If you do not have a family or other obligations keeping you firmly rooted, you can even travel to nearby states and take advantage of the many shows and fairs around you. You can certainly keep yourself very busy in that way.

Work from home careers idea #3: Consignment Shops

If you are not interested in traveling to sell your wares, you might want to look into consignment shops. With consignment shops, you don’t have to spend your time traveling to fairs and shows and you don’t have to wait for customers to come by. Although you will have to pay the shop owner a small percentage of your earnings, this can be well-worth it in the time and trouble it saves you.

Work from home careers idea #4: Filling a Need

When searching for work from home careers, the best thing you can do is look around you and determine what there is a need for. In other words, if you live in a bustling business district, there may be a need for someone capable of business writing or graphic design. Or, you might be able to really start a solid car wash business in this area, particularly if there are no or only a few car washes in the area. In addition, offering a twist to your car wash business that is not offered by other car washes such as the ability to take the person’s car while he or she is at work and getting it clean may set you apart from other car washes. At the same time, a car wash business may not be so successful in a small rural town where most people are more concerned about their tractors than their cars.

So do your research and select your work from home career carefully before diving in.

How Homeowner Loans Work

Homeowner loans are a type of loan that offers the lender increased security. The lender gives the homeowner money and receives property as collateral. It is called a homeowner loan because it is often used by homeowners and the property offered as collateral is oftentimes the home. If a homeowner loan is not paid off, the lender can seize the property in order to get his or her money back. Homeowner loans are sometimes referred to as a “secured loan” because of the security that a lender is given via the loan.

Applying for a homeowner loan is preferred by many because of lower interest rates. The interest rates are lower because the bank sees the risk of losing money as being much lower than with other loans. This is because in the end, the bank can take the collateral and cover any unfortunate losses. This direct proportion serves to make homeowner loans much more appealing to the average consumer.

Homeowner loans are often used by homeowners who want money to improve their home. An example of this might be if you wanted to build a deck for your home, but did not have the cash necessary to pay for it. You could get a homeowner loan and use the home equity you have as collateral in order to get the cash. This can benefit a homeowner because home improvement projects cannot only increase the homeowner’s satisfaction within the home, but it can also increase the home’s value. In this way, many homeowners can just about break even when they take out a homeowner loan. However, it is important to keep in mind that any loan has a certain amount of risk associated with it. The best risks to take are the calculated risks. The consequences for failing to pay a homeowner loan are very severe (because you are losing your own property), and so any homeowner must be careful.

The best advice to follow before obtaining a homeowner’s loan is to analyze your personal financial situation. Assess the potential gain or loss that could be incurred depending on your ability to pay off the loan. Conservative estimates for cash flows are always the wisest estimates because over-estimating will always be more harmful than underestimating. If a person has collateral and is willing to take a calculated risk, then a homeowners loan is a very practical solution.

Ten Top Tips for Work-From-Home Newbies

If you are embarking on a work-from-home career then there are a number of practical things you can do to smooth the ride and make success easier to achieve.

1. Working from home can be very satisfying but don’t let it dominate your life. Set a special room or area aside for working and keep it separate from the rest of your home.

2. The same applies to hours of work – plan to work a set number of hours each day and stick to your plan. Don’t be tempted to do jobs around the house when you should be working.

3. Keep complete and thorough records of everything you do, preferably in a page-a-day diary. Without a boss looking over your shoulder it’s easy to let discipline slip.

4. Perform regular backups of your entire system. If you don’t then all of your emails, internet favorites, correspondence, articles, logon information, web templates, and all your software are at risk.

5. Keep accurate accounts – keep a complete record of what you are spending and where. It can be very easy to lose track of your expenditure and it is easy to overlook monthly subscriptions. You will need all this information anyway for tax purposes.

6. Stay focused – set out you plan of what you are trying to achieve, using realistic timescales, then stick to it. Don’t be blown off course by other business ideas.

7. However-it is important to be aware of new ideas and new thinking. Set aside a planned period once or twice a week to consider and research new ideas and opportunities.

8. Take a break from gazing into your screen periodically, make a coffee or something. At lunchtime get out of the house for half an hour to get some fresh air and refresh yourself for the afternoon, the worst time for losing momentum.

9. Don’t sit on the sofa working in your pyjamas. Get properly dressed for business and sit at a desk. Your whole mind set will be more professional if you are properly attired.

10. Strive for efficiency – don’t repeat tasks unnecessarily, keep a document containing things you need to type regularly such as your address. The simply copy & paste when you need it. And if you need to brush up on your typing skills then do so, you’ll probably be doing a lot of typing so time spent achieving good speed and accuracy will pay off in the long run.

Work At Home Moms Beware

In this day and age a new trend is emerging where a group known collectively as single moms want to stay at home looking after the children, whilst being able to contribute towards the family income.

This group actually comprises of single moms, disabled mothers, moms low on cash and mothers who generally would like a better standard of living.

Finding ways to work from home, ideally doing only a few hours each day and still being able to bring up your children without resorting to employing nannies etc. would seem like the ideal solution. Many moms look to the internet or local newspaper adverts for opportunities to earn money from home. Unfortunately the scammers know this, and to them, these unsuspecting victims are 'easy meat'.

They are faced with adverts that promise a better lifestyle, lots of free time, and the ability to earn vast quantities of extra cash with no real training or expertise. This is exactly what the unsuspecting moms would like to hear and therefore they become very easy targets.

What makes things even worse is the fact that the majority of moms who lose money to the scammers, never try to retrieve the cash they have paid out in good faith.

So what are the most prevalent scams that one comes across nowadays?

Let us start with three of the most popular that can be found anywhere you look for working from home opportunities, these being:

? Envelope Stuffing

? Medical Billing

? Home Assembly

Each of these three take a different route to the same end. That end being to make you pay upfront for a service that basically is non-existent.

Envelope Stuffing

Envelope Stuffing scams promise moms up to $2000 for mailing 400 brochures with free postage and stationary supplies. After calling a toll free number, a pre- recorded

message instructs you to leave your name and address for more information. Shortly afterwards you will receive a letter claiming that if you pay the $35.00 registration fee then for every envelope you fill and post, $5.00 will be paid to your account.

So you pay the fee, only to find that you either get a letter telling you to place an advert exactly the same as the one you replied to, or a list of companies that if contacted already have in-house envelope sealing and addressing machines, and as such do not require your services!

Medical Billing

Medical Billing ads lure consumers with promises of substantial income working from home full- or part-time - "no experience required." They direct consumers to call a toll-free number for more information.

On calling, a sales representative will entice you to sign up by telling you that the processing of medical claims is a very lucrative business, that doctors are desperate for help with electronic claims processing, and that you - even without any experience - can do this work from the comfort of your home, after you have bought the software off them, for a charge of sometimes up to $8000

In exchange for the initial fee, they claim to provide everything you supposedly need to launch your medical billing business: the software program to process the claims and a list of prospective clients ready and waiting.

But the reality is that few consumers who pay for medical billing opportunities find clients or make any money, let alone earn the promised substantial income. The software consists of various forms and letters; anyone could design.

Competition in the medical billing market is fierce, especially for those who are new to it. Many doctors' offices process their own medical claims. Doctors who contract

out their medical billing often use established firms, not individuals working from home.

The end result is you lose the total amount invested!

Home Product Assembly

This scam can be very depressing for many work at home moms. The advert will claim that anyone can easily assemble various products using a few simple tools that you probably already have at home, and when you submit the assembled product you will be paid immediately.

When you apply to the company, you receive a booklet or pamphlet that has a description of the finished product. Once the items are finished (as many as you can produce) you return them to the company and you will be paid a certain amount for each item assembled. Once again this all sounds fairly straightforward doesn't it.

Well here is the scam side of it all.

After paying for your assembly package, you will receive your instructions for assembly; you will be informed that all materials for the project will have to be purchased from the actual company involved (this is to ensure that the 'correct quality' of material is used). In most cases the materials could have been purchased a lot cheaper elsewhere. So to start with you have already paid money to the company and are out of pocket. Then after submitting the finished product for payment, you receive a letter (not containing a cheque!) and this letter informs you that your finished products have been rejected for being sub-standard due to some ludicrous reason or other.

Why would this happen you ask? Well the simple answer is that the products you are asked to assemble do not have any actual buyers. The only money made by this scam is by the originating company or individual selling you overpriced materials to complete your tasks. Very upsetting if you have spent many hours carefully assembling products you believe will provide you substantial income.

I have listed three common scams to affect WAHM, many others will be listed or discussed on our site www.workathome-moneyscams.com .

Tips for Work at Home Moms on how to spot internet scams:-

1. The first line states you make $100's or $1000's per day or week.

2. The initial ad uses lots of capital letters and exclamation marks.

3. They say 'no experience is needed'

4. Only working a few hours per week (even in your pyjamas!) guarantees easy cash.

5. The ads will make out that you need to join immediately and places are limited, or a special offer is on.

6. You are always asked to send a fee up-front for some item e.g. Enrolment fee, start up package etc.

7. If it sounds too good to be true, then it most probably is.

8. If the company in question uses free hosting- any legitimate company will have its own domain.

If you are a mom wanting to work from home please do not despair because opportunities are out there. Keep an eye on our website and do your homework before you commit any money to any advertised internet home business opportunity.

Forex Currency Trading, A Great Work At Home Opportunity.

Everyday more and more people looking for a work at home opportunity and the possibility of braking free from the corporate world without losing their current lifestyle and even improving it, realize that the world of forex currency trading could be the answer to what they have been looking for.

Some of the great reasons why FOREX trading is such a great way of entering the capital markets are; it's easy accessibility thanks to the widespread use of the internet, the fact that currency trading is all commission-free and also the low transaction costs involved. All the best forex brokers will facilitate you a trading account with these characteristics and even Mini Forex traders (i.e., traders starting with accounts having a capital as low as $250), who are just starting in this field, can buy and sell currencies online always commission-free.

When trading the forex markets you don't have to worry everyday about fees you may have to pay your broker; there are also none of the usual fees to which futures and equity traders are used to pay every day the enter a trade; no exchange or clearing fees, no NFA or SEC fees.

You may be asking how forex brokers make money if they don't charge you fees for placing trades. They make money thanks to one characteristic of currency markets, this is, they are over-the-counter markets and trading them involves a bid/ask spread and that's how the brokers make money. Thankfully the currency markets are capable of offering you a round-the-clock liquidity and this way you will receive tight, competitive spreads both in intra-day and night trades, without worrying about having big spreads in prices.

Once you have decided to enter and learn how to trade forex, always remember that practice and more practice makes the master and one of the best ways to get a feel for the market is to paper trade. No one wants to experiment with their own hard earned money; this is why many brokers came up with an innovative idea that would take all the risk from trying out forex trading. This way of trading is called simulation trading or paper trading as mentioned above, and the premise is simple. The program is an exact copy of the broker or trading systems real-time trading program. The main difference is that they allow you to “play” the market just as you would if you were actually investing, but obviously without the persistent worry of losing your money. You can do a simulation trade with a set amount of money, usually around $50,000 dollars. You can practice setting bid and ask prices, and using their various analysis tools provided by the broker software, which is the same you would have in a real account.

From all these facts you can see there are many advantages, and lots of money to be made, if you decide to enter the world of forex currency trading and learn the basics of the markets behavior.

Some of the Best Work from Home Online Jobs

Writing is one of the best work from home online jobs. Why? Simply put because there is so much of it to be done. There are always numerous entities out there searching for people who want work from home online jobs. Face it; being able to work at home is mighty nice. It means you don’t have to deal with rush hour traffic, pay large gasoline or other commuting bills. You can get up later, to a large extent set your own schedule of what works best for you.

What this does not mean is that just because someone offers work from home online jobs, that said person(s) is trustworthy. Unfortunately, just as in many other sectors of our society, there are those online who would gladly scam you into doing large writing projects for them and then conveniently disappear after you’ve completed the work and turned it in for payment. Thus, these people end up sticking you with a lot of wasted energy and no income to show for it. So be prudent in your choices. Don’t take on large projects until the person or company has proven that it will come through with pay on a smaller level.

Work from home online jobs in the writing field can even be quite varied. Some things you might do while writing on line are:

• Writing web articles for any of hundreds or even thousands of websites. Some of this work may prove extremely easy for you if it happens to be up your knowledge ability alley. Given the right subject some people can put together several articles in the course of a few hours. At other times as part of your work from home online job you might find yourself in uncharted waters and needing to do research before writing an authoritative article that will benefit others.

Doing this type of writing tends to be tedious; but, does provide constant work. Many times while researching to write the articles you will come across things of interest to you. In fact you maybe the one who gains the most intellectual benefit from such a work from home online job.

• Another popular form of writing in the work from home online job category is that of writing resumes. Unlike with articles you write for websites where your main objective is to inform people about a given subject and do so in an interesting manner, the preparation you put into providing a good professional resume may well make or break that person’s future. You cannot afford to get sloppy. If you are not good at putting together a resume, don’t make others pay for it with their future. Write something else instead.

• Yet another type of writing in a work from home online job could be that of helping a Masters or Doctoral Candidate write and edit their thesis or dissertation. Once again a very important job.

If you want to break down writing genres into how much each work from home online job pays, then here goes. The general writing of articles pays the least; but, provides the most opportunities. Preparing resumes pays considerably more. However, by far the most lucrative of these types of writing would be the latter working with editing a master’s thesis or doctoral dissertation. It is up to you to decide which best fits your skills.

Work At Home Scams

When you are looking to form your own work at home business, there are many important things you should take into consideration. The first thing you should know is that while many of the work at home opportunities are genuine, you should also be aware that scams do exist. When it comes to work at home scams, they have no other purpose than to take your money and offer you nothing in return. The internet and other technology advances, make scams and fraudulent activities much easier than every before. Therefore, while a work at home opportunity may scream with promises of instant wealth and easy cash, just keep in mind that they may be empty.

Your best defense against work at home scams is to have the best possible knowledge to arm yourself against these instances. Do your homework and investigate any opportunity you are considering. By doing so, you are protecting yourself from the possibility of a work at home scam.

Research

This is one of the areas you should be thinking about when it comes to arming and protecting yourself from the work at home scams. Information obtain can only occur when you have conducted the appropriate research. Therefore, take advantage of the internet. The internet is extremely popular and can provide you with a host of information on many different subjects. There are many websites across the internet that specialize in reporting work at home scams. Some of these websites will provide you with testimonials from real-life work at home scam victims. These help in providing you helpful information and tips, by avoiding making the same mistakes these victims did.

Help for work at home scam victims

If you have unwittingly become a victim of a work at home scam, there are a variety of places that can help you. It is important to ask for help if you have found yourself a victim of a con artist and are unsure which steps to take. At the same time, while helping you as a victim, they can also help you avoid becoming a victim of the many work at home scams on the internet.

1. ScamBusters.com: This website is a private organization that serves the purpose of helping people, just like you, protect yourself from internet-based scams.

2. Fraud.org: The National Fraud Information Center’s official website. They provide accurate listings in regard to offline and online work at home scams in existence.

3. WorldWideScam.com: This website publishes helpful articles in regards to work at home scams.

4. BBB.org: This is the home of the Better Business Bureau. This website can help you in finding information about work at home scams in your area or across the world.

Work at Home -- Why Do People Fail?

The world of the business opportunity is growing at an ever-increasing rate. Fuelled by the modern desire to want more from life, especially wealth and freedom, people are seeking ways to escape from their corporate environment, their job, and employed status. The rewards are huge if successful; once a winning formula is discovered, it can be used to shape a whole lifetime. All of a sudden, choice and freedom are available. Having such an independent lifestyle can (and usually does) erase much of the stress and depression that exists in the lives of many people nowadays.

Those seeking this Holy Grail can spend a lot of money – often thousands – on ideas, or they can spend an inordinate amount of time devising their own plans.

Yet, it is a strange fact that very few of us who buy, or are given, or invent a business opportunity succeed.

Why is this?

Very often, of course, it is the actual business opportunity or plan that is used. Some exist simply to line the pockets of the writers – not the readers. However, there are countless reliable, proven ways to build a very profitable business that can be run from home. Some people will run with an idea and become very successful and yet someone else, following the same plan, will not. Can the reasons for this be dependent solely on intelligence, experience, gender, race or genes? Surprisingly, no. What usually separates the winners from the losers is attitude and, in particular, the ability, or will, to act. The winners possess fearlessness or, at least, a resistance to the effects of the fear of failure.

The losers, very often manifest this fear into what is known as analysis paralysis: a tendency to keep trying to make a plan exactly right before executing (if we don’t try then we can’t fail). This is obviously a paradox; the very state of inaction produces the failure.

If any blame for ineffectiveness can be levelled at a plan in question, it is in the almost universal lack of emphasis on the importance to act. Action produces results, and from these results we can act again, thereby moving ever close to our destination.

So, if we want to progress with our chosen idea, then it helps to keep in mind that well-known advertising slogan: Just Do It!

Deciding to Work at Home

I wish I could stay at home with my kids and work from home so I can be with my children and earn a living, but I don't know where to start."

If you've thought or even spoken those words, you're not alone. Many women get up early, get the kids dressed, drop them off at day care, drive in rush-hour traffic, and arrive at work exhausted, thinking, "There has to be a better way."

If this sounds familiar, I have just appointed myself the good news fairy. Yes, there is a better way—that is, if you really want it and are prepared for some hard work ahead. You'll be making some trades—some good (trading commuting for working in your pajamas) and some not so good (trading paid health insurance and retirement benefits for providing your own). Work-At-Home-Magazine.com isn't about wild dreams; it tells you truthfully how you can stay home with your kids and make some money while doing something you really enjoy.

"Women today are put into a difficult situation. We're made to feel we have to work, bring in that second income, and raise good, upstanding children. If we don't, we're failures. And when the family goes to hell, the mother takes the blame. Neighbors shake their heads and sigh, "She never spent any time with those kids or her husband. She was always working. No wonder that family is so screwed up."

If we do decide to stay home with our kids, we're blamed for wasting our education. "How hard can that be, really? She probably just sits in front of the television all day." If you stay at home, however, you're more than aware of all the responsibilities you have to juggle.

Choosing to work at home can be a tough financial decision. I love the Spanish proverb that says, "A rich child often sits in a poor mother's lap." Sometimes we lose sight of our priorities and forget where our true wealth lies. If you try to make everyone happy, you're going to come out on the losing end. Working at home is a perfect solution. You can stay home with your kids and do something for yourself, all at the same time.

2nd Installment: 6-Figure A Year Work-At-Home Opportunity

(This is the second in an ongoing series of articles chronicling my success with the Prosperity Automated System (PAS) that passively generates a 6 figure yearly income for many work at home business owners. Through this series of articles you’ll be able to look over my shoulder and decide if this type of home business is for you.)

SEPTEMBER 4TH, 2006—LABOR DAY

Morning came, and after taking my morning walk I sat in Starbucks looking at the brochure I had put to print. Pretty impressive. Testimonials up the yin yang. Heartfelt testimonials. Testimonials from doctors. Was I missing something? I needed a little more time to think about it.

As September began, I had put together a list of over 30 questions about the business opportunity. Finally, I decided to go to re-visit the website and enter my name, email address and phone number in the spaces provided and hit the “Please Call Me Now” button. Yes, I wanted answers to my questions, but I also wanted to test their “automatic” phone follow-up, since this was the backbone of the PAS program.

In no less than 15 minutes later I received a call from a “team leader” who answered one question after another about how this work at home system worked. I was relieved that there was no “hard sell” whatsoever. My questions exhausted, I finally decided to sign up. What was the alternative? Besides, I had to admit that the company’s follow-up exceeded my expectations.

Instead of taking my money, the team leader I spoke to referred me to the owner (or “sponsor”) of the website I used to generate the call. I contacted my sponsor by email and paid her the $3,895 for the “Premier Business Package.” My storefront was up and running 24 hours later. I also received an email from my sponsor offering a number of relatively inexpensive ways to promote my site, which was very appreciated.

Through my emails with her, I learned that she had generated $12,000 in July and $21,000 in August! She also mentioned that her parents were so impressed with her newfound wealth that they decided to become premier members too! In fact, my purchase of the program was their qualifying sale! Hmmm, I thought. Maybe I had made the right decision after all.

In having a successful sponsor, I began to realize that I had an incredible sales tool— namely, her success with the program. So I decided to include her “Success Timeline” on the “About Me” page of my site (the “About Me” page is an area of the site where you can include information about yourself, and any other information you want to include). To me, it was one of the most important pages on the site.

I wondered how many others were lucky enough to get successful sponsors who offered to assist them. I vowed to do the same for people that signed up under me. I’d give them everything my sponsor had passed on to me, as well as the low cost and no cost internet marketing techniques that had worked so well for me. But first, I had to become successful myself!

My first order of business was to change the site around and make sure my site showed visitors how to reach me by email and phone. I wanted to be accessible. I figured if someone was going to lay this much hard-earned money down, the least I could do was make myself available. Then I added some sales copy about the PAS program on the autoresponder emails that went out to all the opt-in visitors to my other websites, including, of course, links to my PAS site.

Because I was familiar with how to distribute articles around the internet, I decided to create an ongoing series of articles that chronicled my success with the PAS program. Waiting had never been my strong suit, but even in the welcoming email I received on the PAS system, they said it was important to be patient. So…I waited.

Work From Home Affiliate Programs

With the high costs today it's a necessity for many families to have two incomes. If you're in such a situation, you might want to consider the possibility of being a work at home parent. The decision to work from home may come swiftly for you once you see how much it costs you to hold your present job.

So you have a $25,000 to $50,000 a year salary; but, after expenses, how much do you have left in spendable income? Sit down and figure out how much it costs you for gasoline, car repairs, added car insurance, work clothes and accessories, child care, fast food dinners, and any other work related expense. Now if you were to work at home and make the same yearly salary, the amount you just added up as expenses in your present job, could be added as spendable income for your family.

You could actually improve your family lifestyle with a work at home career. Not only would have additional money to spend on what's really important, your family; but, also have more time as you wouldn't have that daily commute. There is a way to become independent and that is to earn money online.

There are millions of people doing just that each and every day. With the numerous affiliate programs offered, it's never been easier for new entrepreneurs to take the plunge and start their own home business. With affiliate marketing you can be a part of a multimillion dollar company and advertise their product from the comfort of your own home.

There's tons of information at your finger tips right now, that could enable you to work from home. If you start out small at a minimal cost and slowly build your business, you may find that special niche that will afford you to someday, quit your day job. I'm sure your family will thank you in the end.

Seek Income Opportunites through Work from Home Online

I am writing this article because I feel, following my success, I can share with you my secrets. I spent years searching for the best source of income and found that work from home online had all the answers. Now, I earn just over $1,000 per month (average figure based on ten months) and have found that the simplest ways to make money don't always revolve around selling products.

When I started my first online business, it failed within months. It was over two years ago and I was under the impression that selling products at a good mark-up was the key to running a successful online work at home business and would help me fund my future. Having tried a selling opportunity, I found that I need specific skills as a basis for my business. Even with selling and marketing skills, which were definitely not my strong point, I found that if the products weren't quite what people wanted then you could be doing lots of work from home and earning a very small income.

It was under a year ago that I found the current online work from home opportunity. It ended up being one of the good ones and believe me there aren't many - I needed no capital to make this work and I could work from the comfort of my home without having to even speak to anyone. My site, http://www.mysecret2success.com is proof that you can make an online work from home career work for your product/s and not against you as I've experienced before.

The best thing was that after hitting the bottom of the business pile, I needed no sales pitch and I didn't even require special software or tools to ensure my success. I had a great chance at building a work from home online opportunity and began to see results within very little time without the need for sales letters and all the other items that previously were making my products look poor.

This unique and superb business opportunity was an excellent way to work online, from home. I now see on a daily basis that my site is attracting more and more people that are anxious to discover how I built up a great income just by giving away free products to customers.

By initially being confident and seeing that this work at home online opportunity could be a success, you can see results by choosing a venture that has been proven by others. Instead of going it alone and risking losing out before you've seen a penny, the best way is to work from home, online, and in the comfort of your own environment - all with the support of a team who are doing the same and getting a happy feeling that they are part of a successful online work from home business.

There are thousands of different business opportunities out there. Some are good and some aren't. I would have to say one of my favorite and most successful business opportunities is also one of the most unusual work from home pieces of advice I’ve come across. I found this opportunity about 10 months ago and within this short time I have grown the business to make it pay a monthly income of $1,000. How did I achieve this income? Simply by giving away free online education through Success University.

When I began my first online business around 2 years ago, I wanted to sell things to make an income, so I was driven towards selling products and e-books. The problem being that original good quality products are hard to create. To make things worse, I wasn't much good at copy writing and the sales letters that I was producing weren't doing my products justice.

Along with this was the fact that I had no knowledge on how to market a product and had not set up vital parts of my business to ensure that I would have a running chance at making an income. Without tools such as auto-responders, website tracking, e-mails and product fulfillment, sales were scarce and I decided that that ‘work at home online’ opportunity was not working for me.

Things didn't look good. I was really hitting rock bottom until I come across some proven, unusual business work from home online opportunities. By finding unusual online businesses such as Success University, I had the opportunity to give away free products and still make a great income.

That was when I found the real formula to make money online. With any unusual business opportunity, the rule of thumb is, if you are sincere about wanting to help someone, it is inevitable that you will see the money come in.

This unusual opportunity was a very good lesson for me to learn. How else can you earn a good online income as well as working from home, just by giving away quality products to your customers for free?

Keep in mind that if you are new to online working done from home, especially if you are still not seeing any results, the easiest way to begin your venture is to join a proven program and give their product away for free. If you aren't having luck in giving away free products than you really shouldn't bother selling to people.

Doing it all on your own is one of the toughest ways to make a start. Finding a product, setting up a website and making sales are things that can't be learned overnight. It takes time and experience. Going it alone, you are more likely to fail or your business will sit stagnant until you learn the basics.

By using a proven, online home opportunity and giving away free products, you can build your confidence, kick start your online training and prepare yourself for your own big business launch later on down the road.

How To Balance Your Home And Business When You Work At Home

Many people desire the ability to work at home. They imagine themselves rolling out of bed, commuting 20 feet without any traffic, except for the occasional pet sleeping in the hallway and starting work in their home office as they sip on their favorite latte. Without the daily office politics, commute, and water cooler gossip they feel they’ll be more focused and, ultimately, more efficient. However, with this freedom come some unforeseen drawbacks that can affect your stress level. You may find it difficult to keep yourself organized and motivated without the pressures of a boss or management team.

When you work from home and not required to clock in and out at a specific time, you are responsible for your own time management. To keep yourself and your home office organized so you are more productive and have less stress, try the following tips:

1. Keep a separate and specific work area in your home. This can be as simple as setting up a large desk and a small filing cabinet in a quiet room. Make sure you have plenty of lighting. Keep it clean and organized so you can find the materials and supplies you need to do your work.

2. Learn how you are more productive. Identify what type of work environment helps you work at your best. Are you more productive when you’re working at your desk or sitting on the couch? Your home office is your domain. Add personal items and things that help give you a positive attitude to help make you more productive.

3. Schedule specific task. Plan your work schedule by identifying your most productive time and when you have the most energy. If you a morning person and think more clearly in the mornings then do your most difficult and important task during this time. If you have children you may want to begin work after you get them off to school, before they wake up or even during their nap.

4. Set your business hours and adhere to the schedule. Just because you work at home doesn’t mean you can take a break whenever you want because there’s no boss to tell you to get back to work. You must be managing your time by setting your business hours and following them, after all you are your own boss. Also, many people or clients may assume since you work from home you are available 24/7. Avoid interruptions by setting specific office hours when other people can contact you regarding business. Communicate this - put your business hours on your business cards, website, e-mails and voice-mail recording.

5. Plan, negotiate and prioritize. No matter how hard you try, your business and personal lives will collide. Don’t stress out when personal interruptions affect your business life. Learn to detach from your work mode, to focus and address the interruption and resolve it so that you can move forward. Then switch back to work mode and get back to your regular work schedule. Eventually, you will learn to weave in and out between business mode and personal mode throughout the day so their can be a productive balance between work and life when you work at home.

Ever Wondered How Baking Soda Really Works in Home Baking

On top of the numerous and amazing uses of baking soda, my favourite will have to be in dessert baking.

Baking soda is not to be confused with baking powder. So if a cake recipe calls for baking powder, make sure you don't mistake this with baking soda.

So what is the difference? Here are some quick notes that you should understand to ensure your success in dessert making and home baking.

* What is Baking Soda?

Also called Bicarbonate of Soda (NaHCO3), baking soda is pure 'Sodium Bicarbonate'.

How does it work?

It reacts when it comes in contact with liquid acids in recipes and produces gasses, carbon dioxide. You will notice that any recipes with baking soda will also have a liquid acid ingredient, such as lemon juice, honey, buttermilk, brown sugar, fruits, etc.

It is this 'fizzy' chemical reaction with liquid acids that creates the necessary rising in your dessert recipes.

The chemical reaction of baking soda happens instantly the liquid acid ingredients are added to it, therefore you need to make sure that you bake your cakes or desserts almost instantly and do not allow batter to sit and "flop".

Baking soda is used in fizzy soda drinks, so you can remember this to for how the bubbles quickly dissipate and disappear. Trick is to have all your ingredients measured and prepared before mixing and getting your batters into the oven straight after mixing.

Test for Usage: Mix about 1 teaspoon of baking soda with about 4 teaspoons of vinegar. It should bubble like fizzy drinks.

* What is Baking Powder?

Baking powder is a dry acid and is actually a combination of baking soda with other key ingredients.

How does it work?

Baking powders are called a "double acting" leavening agent because if its difference to the baking soda. Baking powder not only reacts in your recipe mixture (same as with the baking soda), but it also reacts again once you place it in the oven to cook. The difference to baking soda is that baking powder has slower acting agents in the mix which only reacts with heat, or, at baking.

Baking powder is advantageous for more complex recipes that requires longer preparation time as you don't have to rush it into the oven.

Test for Usage: Add 1 teaspoon of baking powder to 1/2 cup hot water. It should bubble and fizz.

Never add more or cut the amount of baking soda or powder asked for in dessert recipes.

Adding too much... Too much making soda or powder in your batter mixture can make your baking result taste bitter or react too much that causes it to flop and fail.

Adding too little... Not adding enough baking soda or powder will cause your baking to end up tough and have a dry texture.

Also obey baking recipe temperatures as stated. The gas produced by these leavening agents, carbon dioxide, will expand quicker with altitude.

Baking Soda vs. Baking Powder...

- "Single Acting" vs. "Double Acting"
- Must work swiftly vs. Can take your time
- Long shelf life (indefinite if stored in an air-tight container) vs. Shorter limited shelf life up to one year
- Use as is vs. Need to be pre-mixed (if not bought)

To make your own baking powder, sift and mix together,
- 2 parts of Cream of Tartar, to
- 1 part baking soda and
- 1 part cornstarch.

Or, for 1 teaspoon of commercial baking powder substitute, it is:
- 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda,
- 1/4 teaspoon of cornstarch, and
- 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar.

With these basic knowledge of the difference between baking soda to baking powder and how they should be used, you can be rest-assured that your cakes or baked goods will rise.

Just remember to follow the recipe and how these baking agents work, and you can achieve great tasting home-baked treats like a professional!

How To Make Real Money On Ebay And Work From Home

In this article I am going to explain step by step how it is possible to make real money using online auction websites like Ebay, Ebid, Yahoo Auctions etc...

You will be making good money in no time if you just follow these simple steps

The first thing you should consider is what product to sell(sounds obvious does`nt it) but you will be amazed at how many people are selling things that make very little profit or do not sell at all.

To do your research go to Ebay and have a look at the completed listings of the product you are thinking of selling and you can see how many are selling, how much the price changes and also what is not selling.

One of the main differences to whether your item sells or not is the listing you write to describe your item, you need to be able to put some real passion in the description and make the prospect buyer feel as though he is missing out if he/she leaves the auction.Also if you include a picture(good quality) that will make a big difference and always go for the option to make your listing have a little picture shown in the listings.

Simple steps like this will explode the sales you make with your products.

However I have been trading on Ebay for three years and I have found the best products that sell are info products.

They are easy to create and require no room to keep and best of all people will pay good money to learn about something you know about.

I guess you are thinking "I would`nt know where to start!" but believe me it is easier then you think, the reason being is you have a wealth of knowledge under your fingertips on almost every subject in the world!

You can use the internet to research a product and then write a few chapters down and create an ebook in a few days.

I will be writing another article about the steps you have to go through to research the info in another article, but if you really can`t get started or have`nt got the time you can check out my Bio for my website and more info on an ebook and a listing that sells like hotcakes!

In the meantime I wish you all the best, follow the above advice and you will be working from home in no time!

How to Avoid Weight Gain While Working at Home

We have all heard the many benefits of working at home – set your own hours, spend more time with your family, avoid the commute, etc. And many people (including myself!) have actually reaped these benefits. But one thing we aren’t told is that for some of us, one unfortunate side effect of being at home all day is weight gain.

Now I know that a lot of the work-at-home crowd is really only at home in an office part of the time. Salespeople are always out on sales calls, and well, if you run a day care center in your home, then you’re probably chasing little ones around all day. These work-at-home types are probably immune to the weight gain.

I’m talking about the rest of us. Those of us who are home alone, all day, with nothing but a computer and a bag of cookies to keep us company. How can we fight the urge to indulge? Let’s take a look at the top 5 options:


Set a routine and stick to it. Yes, I know, one of the benefits of working at home is not having the rigid work schedule, but we still need to have some sort of structure. Your routine should only allow for a few minutes of snacking a day, so that you know when and where you will be eating.

Don’t keep tempting foods in the house. This is much easier said than done, especially if you have children. I do not have kids, (but I do have a husband who can eat whatever he wants and never gain weight. Don’t you just hate him?) so I have to watch which foods get put into the pantry. And let’s face it, we could all stand to make some healthier selections. Buy apples instead of chips, or protein bars instead of candy bars. Just one substitute here and there can make a difference.

Get moving. You knew it was coming, and here it is – that dreaded word: exercise. I’m not saying you have to do two hours of calisthenics a day, but you do need to get up out of that chair and do something. Go for a walk, do some light housework, it doesn’t matter. Just do something besides sitting.

Use break-time wisely. Wait a minute – doesn’t taking a break mean eating a snack? NO! You need to fill your break time with other things that you enjoy. Like reading, or knitting, or talking on the phone (my favorite!). Maybe even combine this with option #3 (get moving), and then you’ll be doing well.

Make some trade-offs. Okay, so you had a few too many snacks one day. You’ll do better the next day. Or you’ll do some extra exercise to make up for it. If you have that snack, make a commitment to walk, instead of drive, on your next errand.
As with many things in life, it’s all about moderation. The benefits of working at home far outweigh (pun intended!) the negative aspects. And if you can follow the steps above to fight the bulge, then you will make the work-at-home experience that much more enjoyable.