More info...
By Stephanie Foster
 Blogging is one of the easiest ways to set up a website. Pick a topic, blogging platform, host and theme/template for your blog, and start writing. It's low cost and can be a lot of fun.
Picking a Blog Topic
Just about anything will do, depending on your goals. Blogs have become successful businesses on all kinds of topics.
However, your blog needs to be on something that you can write consistently about while maintaining your readers' interest. If you can only come up with a few post ideas you might not have the right topic for a blog.
While choosing your topic really has little to do with your blogging platform, it is so relevant to starting a blog that it is worth mentioning. It can also matter when it comes to deciding how serious you are about your blog, which can impact the platform you choose.
Choosing Your Blogging Platform
Blogger and Wordpress are the most popular options out there, but there are several others worth considering, such as Typepad.
Blogger is not especially
flexible, but it's very easy for beginners to use. Some people like to just learn to blog with Blogger, then move on to more powerful options once they understand what they're doing. There's good and bad to this.
The good is that if you really mess up early on, it's easy to abandon the blog and start fresh. You can do this with other options too, but when blogging platforms have more options you're increasing your overall learning curve. Blogger also has an adequate number of templates available to you.
The bad is that if you want to get serious and move to self hosted there's no easy way to forward your traffic. Blogger also lacks a lot of functionality. You won't miss it while you don't have it, but if you someday switch, you will know the difference.
Platforms such as Wordpress, on the other hand, offer much more functionality and aren't really that much harder to learn in my opinion. You have a lot more flexibility when it comes to themes (what your blog looks like) and how it functions.
Choosing Your Host
Both Blogger and Wordpress have hosted options for blogs on their sites. Free hosting has the obvious advantage of free, but for blogs that you want to build a business with they are rarely the right option.
Wordpress in particular is picky about what you do with your blog when you're on their hosting. You're very limited in what you can do to earn money with a Wordpress-hosted blog. It's their hosting and they do delete blogs.
Blogger is less picky about advertising and earning money on their blogs, but they also have the right to delete your blog and it does happen. Most often is when a blog is reported as spam. If you miss that hint that someone has reported your blog, it can vanish. A good clue is if you suddenly have to fill in the CAPTCHA form when one was not present before.
In both cases, you also don't have your own domain name. This can make you appear to be less serious about your blog and make it harder to earn money from it.
Choosing the right host will make a difference. Hosting is very cheap these days, and you can get great hosting packages for under $10 a month. Domain names can be had for under $10 per year. It's an exceptionally affordable form of home business.
You want a host that has a good reputation. This can be difficult to figure out, since most recommendations will come from affiliates, and it's hard to come across genuine reviews. But most sites do have forums or blogs where they communicate with current and potential customers, and you can see how problems are handled there.
Most hosts offer one click install of the Wordpress software. Wordpress has no worries about how you use their software on other sites, only on their own.
Picking a Theme/Template
Depending on how you're hosted, you may have a lot of choices for blog themes or just a few. It also depends on how hard you research the matter and how much customization you are comfortable with doing.
Blogger has 30+ templates available on their site, and you can change them around to meet your own preferences. Wordpress offers a range of themes when you host through their site, but if you're hosting your own Wordpress blog, the number of themes available goes out the roof. You can even have someone design a theme for you.
Your theme should go well with your topic. The more relevant you can make it, the more appealing your blog will be visually to visitors.
Once you have your blog set up, it's up to you to fill it with content that will interest your visitors. Blogging can be fun, stressful, time consuming and sometimes even profitable. There's a lot to learn to make the most of it, but the best way to learn is to simply get started.
Stephanie Foster blogs at http://www.aspectsofhomebusiness.com/blog/ about running a home business. If you want to learn more about starting a home business, she offers a series on that at her site. 10 Reasons To Start A Home Business
By Ruth Bird
 1: Tax Advantages
Business Deductions.
To qualify as business deductions, expenses must be reasonable and necessary.
Taxpayers are required to keep accurate books and records.
The records should be complete enough to include types and sources of income, gains, losses, costs, expenses, and substantiation for tax deductions. Your records should include items such as bank statements, cancelled checks, receipts or invoices, credit card statements, diaries and logs. Here are some examples of what you could deduct. Remember...also check with a professional first.
Tax Deductions for Home-Based Businesses
Nobody likes tax time, but owning a home-based business can literally save you thousands of dollars a year in taxes by allowing you to turn personal expenses into legitimate, allowable deductions.
The more tax deductions your business can legitimately take, the lower its taxable profit will be. For example, if you earn $100,000 per year from your job and home-based business, combined, but have $15,000 in allowable business deductions from your business, you would only pay taxes of your net income of $85,000. At 30% tax rate, that could save you $4,500 in federal taxes!
We recommend you talk to your accountant about allowable tax deductions, but here are some tax strategies to keep in mind:
Auto Expenses
You can keep track of and deduct all your actual business-related expenses. Again, make sure you get the exact information that applies to your circumstances.
Education/Training Expenses
Costs of training meetings, training programs and manuals, books, online training subscriptions, etc.
Legal and Professional Fees, Fees you pay lawyers, tax professionals or consultants
Business Entertaining
You may deduct a certain % of the cost for entertaining existing or prospective customers, if it is either "directly related" to the business, and business is discussed, or "associated with" the business, and the entertainment takes place immediately before or after a business discussion. (Keep notes of the people involved and the business purpose.)
Travel
When you travel for business, you can deduct many expenses, including the cost of plane fare, costs of operating your car, rental cars, taxis, lodging, meals, shipping business materials, dry cleaning, telephone calls, faxes and tips. It's OK to combine business and pleasure as long as business is the primary purpose of the trip. But if you take your family along, you can deduct only your expenses, just as if you had traveled alone.
Interest
Interest and carrying charges on credit cards and business loans are fully tax-deductible.
Computers and Software
Check with your accountant about the rules that apply to your business.
Charitable Contributions are deductible
Rules vary depending on how your business is registered. Get the details that apply to your business.
Advertising
All expenses involved in advertising or promoting your business are deductible, i.e. business cards, classified ads, yellow pages, brochures and flyers, etc.
Household Expenses
This can be one of your most valuable deductions. To qualify, a percentage of your home must be used "exclusively and on a regular basis" for your business.
Often Overlooked Expenses
Business related long distance services.
Improvement costs to your office space.
A percentage of all household expenses, including property taxes, mortgage interest, homeowner's insurance, utilities, property maintenance, alarm systems, snow removal, grass cutting, etc.
Office furniture and equipment - Have you purchased any desks, chairs, computers, files, lamps...Up to a certain amount can be deducted in one year.
Homeowner's insurance, utilities and related expenses based on the percentage of their use in the home office.
Household maintenance - would be deducted on a percentage basis.
Snow removal and lawn maintenance.
NOTE: If there is any possibility you will sell your house within the next several years, talk to your accountant about the tax ramifications.
Note: This list of business expenses is not inclusive. If the item you're thinking of using as a business tax deduction isn't on this list, that doesn't mean it's not a legitimate business expense. Check with your accountant Business Expenses
Accounting & Legal fees (related to business activities)
Advertising expenses
Automobile expenses
Bad Debts
Bank Charges
Business Taxes & Business Licenses
Collection Agency fees
Conference and Convention fees
Expert Advice (consultant fees, for instance)
Interest expenses (on money borrowed to run your business)
Insurance expenses (for buildings, machinery or equipment)
ISP fees (business use)
Membership Dues (for business-related organizations)
Meals and Entertainment expenses
Office Rent expenses
Office Supplies expenses
Postage & Courier expenses
Private Health Service Plan (PHSP) premiums
Promotion expenses
Property Taxes
Repair & Maintenance expenses
Salaries of employees - including salaries of family members
Telephone/Telecommunications expenses
Travel expenses
Utilities
More Reasons for working from home.
2: Personal Freedom to come and go as you please.
Did you ever want to just spend a day with your family? Did you ever want to attend a special funeral but you had to work? What about visiting someone in the hospital? Can you just take a few hours off in the day? This is one of the best reasons for having a home business...you are able to manage your own time. This does not mean working less; rather it means flexibility of time scheduling.
3: You get to keep the profit. All of it.
This needs no explanation. If you work hard, if you are committed to your business, you will reap the benefits...and you will also get to keep the profit.
4: No Boss.
The stress of working for an unfair and egotistical boss can be tremendous. It has even been suggested that this kind of stress can lead to heart disease. Work related stress has been the cause of marriage break ups. Some people just cannot come home at night and leave their work related issues AT the office. They bring their concerns, fears and frustrations home with them...and the whole family suffers under this strain. I had a wonderful boss for 25 years. That changed. I work from home now.
5: No stress about co-workers.
Numerous studies show that office stress is associated with susceptibility to illness such as cold and flu including carpal tunnel syndrome. You spend 8 - 10 hours at work. If you do not get along with your co-workers, if there is a lot of office politics these hours 8 hours can seem an eternity. Office politics and employee dissention can eat away at the inner core of your being.
6: You get to raise your own children.
By choosing to work at home, you can choose your own business hours and personal hours to fit your needs. Many successful home business entrepreneurs will also hire nannies to look after their little ones while working in their home office. They love being there for their children and can still devote the necessary hours to their work.
7: You get to be creative.
No one can limit your talents. You can outsource what you are not good at doing. Instead, you can concentrate on what you are good at doing.
8: No rush hour traffic or concerns about driving in bad weather.
Working at home means you wake up and look out the window; you either smile or frown at what you see and go get yourself a cup of coffee. You watch the news; you watch the traffic problems, and then you go to work, at home.
If you have kids at the daycare, you know all too well the stress of getting there on time to pick them up after a long day at work. Daycare workers may love to look after your little treasures in the daytime...but, come a certain time in the evening, and they want your little ones gone. Many daycare workers charge a big fee for overtime, and rightfully so, but many also get very upset when the children are picked up late.
9: Not being tied down by someone else's demands.
Do you have to work when asked to do overtime? Are you worried about losing your job if you do not comply? Do you feel pressured to work on your days off? Do you make plans to be with your family only to have your boss veto your plans? Working at home means you are able to schedule your own time.
10: Most important...You choose with who you work. You choose how you work.
Always remember, working at home does NOT mean working less.
One very special reason... especially this time of year, to start a home based business is TAX ADVANTAGES! Keep your hard earned dollars out of Uncle Sam's pocket
My name is Ruth Bird. I have been married for 27 years to my husband
Chris. Chris has been battling the monster, MS, for a number of years.To
visit myhome business and tax site, href="http://www.marketersinmotio.com/articles/tax.htm">click here. How You Can Learn 5 Effective Plans to Achieve Great Success in Home Business
By Mohamed Abdul Rauf Bin Mohamed Yusope
 "You were born to win, but to be a winner, you must plan to win, prepare to win, and expect to win." - Zig Ziglar. As one faces challenges in life, the individual can realize that with great planning and action taking, one can achieve great things in life. Similar to life, through such effective planning, learning lessons from mentors such as entrepreneurs and internet marketers, self belief, perseverance and consistent in taking action, we can observe that individuals can achieve great success in developing home business as well.
The effective plan to achieve great success can include firstly, finding out and understanding greatly the reasons why the individuals wants to achieve success in home business. The reasons can include doing it to build a better life for their loved ones. For example, Pete wants to build a better life for his family. He then decided to leverage on his knowledge and internet to build a home business. Through proper research and planning, he persevered and continually developed his business. Over a period of time, he achieved a level of success such that he was able to provide a better life for his loved ones.
Secondly, such effective planning can include having a clear objective. For example, it can include creating
a time line or period to achieve certain goals or targets in the business. Through such planning, it can enable individuals to work backwards to develop the plan to achieve success. Through clear understanding in the planning, it can enable individuals to develop better control and confidence in building the business.
Thirdly, in effective planning for the business, individuals can learn greatly by having a strong willingness to continually learn and be adaptable to changes. For example, in developing the business, the plan can be flexible to changes in the market supply and demands needs.
Fourthly, as part of the plan, one can include the significance of helping others to achieve great success. In the information age, home business can enable ordinary individuals who achieved extra ordinary feats help others achieve great success as well. For example, through sharing valuable knowledge and experiences with others through the home business, it can encourage, motivate and inspire others to achieve great success stories as well.
Lastly, in home business, part of the plan can include the significance of focusing and building in ones' strength. For example, Pete has great expertise in carpentry. In his home business, he focuses on carpentry as his main business concept and shares his great knowledge in carpentry as he develops his business.
From the above, one can realize that planning plays a significant role in achieving great success in home business.
Do you want to learn more about Home Business?
Get Your Free Home Business Tips at Work at Home Ideas and Opportunities!
Rauf writes articles on home business and personal development for success. Home Business Share Your Opinion. (0 posts)
|
