Cindy ’s Kindle Notes & Highlights for How to Work From Home and Make Money in 2017: 13 Proven Home-Based Businesses You Can Start Today

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Lie #1: You Only Have to Work When You Want to This is absolutely true—IF you don’t want to be a success.

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the majority of small business owners work 50 hours per week, and 25 percent of them work more than 60 hours in a week.

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Lie #2: You Don’t Have to Answer to Anybody

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But whoever invented this lie forgot about one tiny little thing: customers.

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Lie #3: I can Quit My Day Job Immediately

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If you rely on the income from your current job to pay your bills, you should build your business slowly while maintaining your day job so you don’t fall short financially.

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Lie #4: I Need a College Education to Start a Business

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almost 50 percent of home-based business owners do not have a college degree.

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If you choose a business that does not require specific training, like an IT focused business or other area of specialty, you can do well without a college degree. I know this because I don’t have one, and I’ve managed to build several successful businesses.

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Lie #5: Clients Won’t Take Me Seriously if I Operate My Business from Home

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Even if you don’t meet with clients, it will make life easier for you if you dedicate a portion of your home to your business and keep it neat and organized.

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If you have a knack for organization, a customer service driven attitude, and some computer skills, a virtual assistant business might be the right home-based business for you.

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The average price paid for a virtual assistant is between $20 and 45 an hour, and if you specialize, you can charge a lot more than that—closer to $100 an hour.

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Virtual assistants have taken the place of yesterday’s secretaries. They are smart, well-equipped, and fearless business owners who have the ability to provide exactly what their clients need whether that’s administrative, creative or technical skills. Some specialize in certain areas such as project management, sales, bookkeeping, or real estate, while others offer general services. They operate remotely, and have the ability to service multiple clients at one time.

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Here are some of the tasks virtual assistants perform every day: Communicating with clients via phones or emails

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Manage their client’s calendar and set or cancel appointments Prepare and manage and oversee documents Lead generation and prospect management Follow up with new customers Act as a liaison between the client and his employees Make travel arrangements Prepare spreadsheets, PowerPoint presentations, charts, and slide shows for meetings Data entry Conduct research for projects Create customized solutions to store that research Set up an email autoresponder Database creation Transcribing Set up social media accounts

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and/or blog, and then update and manage them Answer support tickets Event planning Direct marketing

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These are just a few of the duties successful virtual assistants perform. Basically, you can use any computer skill you have and offer it to busy business people.

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Are you expert at commenting on blog posts for promotional purposes? Someone needs that.

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Your main expenses will be related to computer equipment. You will need a computer, printer, internet connection, and software for the services you’re providing.

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You should also have a website, but it’s possible to set it up for free by using WordPress or Weebly. Here’s a free tutorial that walks you through the process of setting up a WordPress site (It includes free videos if you’re more of a visual person), and here’s a great guide to setting up a Weebly website. (And here’s a 42 minute video in case you want visuals for this one, too.)

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According to Payscale, the medium virtual assistant’s income is about $65,000.

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The most common way virtual assistants bill their clients is hourly.

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your hourly rates will probably fall between $25 -$40 an hour.

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Another great way to charge for your services—and lock in future business—is to charge retainer fees for your services. For instance, if a client needs you to complete a variety of tasks on a monthly

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basis that you estimate will take 10 hours, you can give them a slight discount in exchange for hiring you on a retainer basis. A retainer means you are guaranteed the work each month. This would provide the client with a discount and allow you to count of that retainer income month after month.

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In order to find your first clients, you will have to promote yourself where people are looking. Here are some ideas to do that: Your website.

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Online marketplaces.

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Some of the sites you should be on are VirtualAssistants.com, UpWork, Guru, iFreelance, and VA4U.

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In person networking. Attend local gatherings of business people, ask friends or acquaintances for referrals, and use your social media accounts to network and talk about your services.

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Every business owner needs a set of tools that will help them operate more smoothly, and enable them to provide their clients with better service.

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Skype.

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Mailchimp. You can use this well-known email marketing service for free

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RingCentral. This handy cloud phone system allows you to plug your desk phone or PC into your internet connection for voice, fax, text or audio conferencing and online meetings with your clients. The service starts at $25 a month, but you can get a free 30-day trail.

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My Hours. A free time tracking application for your projects and tasks.

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PayPal.

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Wave. Free business accounting software. This software also offers free invoicing.

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Hootsuite. Sign up for free and use this site to manage your social media accounts.

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Google Docs.

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VA Networking.com. You can join this forum for free and interact with other virtual assistants to get questions answered and network with fellow VA’s.

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If you have computer skills and an ability to work closely with people, this may be a great business for you.

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Run a Wildly Successful Store Without an Address

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It doesn’t take a college degree, a bunch of money, or even a vast amount of knowledge to set up and run a successful online store.

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Choose Your Business Name This sound like a no-brainer, but your name will play a key part in establishing your brand, which will make or break your business. What is a brand? It’s what makes customers recognize your company in a unique way. Depending on the name you choose, it will do one of three things for your business.