Turn Your Passion For Web Design Into A Home Business

If you are looking for a home based business that requires dedication, hard work, creativity and a passion for web graphic design…then perhaps being a freelance graphic design artist is for you.

Web graphic designers are in high demand all over the world, especially on the internet. Designers put their talents to work on blogs, websites, advertising banners, buttons and logos, as well as designing covers for Ebook publishers.

Let’s take a look at the different ways you can make some money online by doing graphic design work.

Designing Websites – Every day there are thousands of new websites being published online. These website o wners are looking for professionals to help design their website graphics, templates, logos, buttons and banners.

Designing Blogs – One of the hottest forms of website publishing these days is blogging. If you are not familiar with blogging, a blog is a website based log or diary. It can be a personal or business blog and is usually updated by the owner. Millions of bloggers are hiring professionals to design their blogging templates, headers and graphics.

Online Newsletter Publishing – You will find thousands of professional companies now publishing their own online newsletters which are sent out via email to their customers and/or subscribers. If you can design a newsletter with a few simple graphics, this would be an easy way for you to earn additional income. The majority of companies that hire a freelance graphic designer for these types of projects, will also provide you with the text content of the newsletter. All you need to do is format the newsletter, add a graphic or two and send it back to the company for its distribution list.

Ebook Cover Designs – Professional and amateur writers are publishing their own books online…this type of book publishing is called an ebook. You will find that most authors want a custom made graphic for the cover of their ebook, the more original the cover, the more money you can make designing one.

If you are creative and have knowledge in graphic design, you can find thousands of people and businesses online who need your graphic design services. You will want to be prepared and draft up a design portfolio and samples of your work ahead of time, so that you are ready to apply for freelance job opportunities.

Copyright © 2009 Shelly Hill, Work At Home Business Options, All rights reserved. This article may not be reproduced or reprinted for publication.

10 Must Know Work At Home Job Seekers Facts

I thought anyone could work from home, but that’s not the case. People who work at home face many challenges on a daily basis. Challenges aren’t the only difficulties many work at home job seekers find as there are relentless people who will take advantage of you to make their own pretty penny.

Here are 10 work at home facts you should be aware of before you decide to work from home.

Fact #1
Working at home requires discipline. When you’re working for an employer, you must treat it like you’re working in a brick and mortar company. Just because you telecommute from home, it doesn’t mean you can up and run an errand when you see fit.

Fact #2
Working at home requires communication from your family and friends. Your family and friends must know that working at home doesn’t make you the babysitter or chat buddy. You have your time set when you need to work and there should be no unnecessary interruptions.

Fact #3
Working at home requires independence as you don’t have other co-workers sitting in a cubicle beside you. There’s no casual chit chat by the water cooler or a boss or supervisor looking over your shoulder. While the latter is a positive, people who require constant affirmation may not enjoy this isolation.

Fact #4
Work at home job seekers will come across a lot of scams. It’s inevitable. Everywhere you look, people are out to rob you of your hard earned money, but it doesn’t have to be this way. Get used to using search engines, work at home community forums, Better Business Bureau and the Federal Trade Commission website to help you avoid these mishaps.

Fact #5
Work at home job seekers should have a good idea of what kind of job they would like to apply for. Before you even venture online to find a telecommute job arm yourself with an updated resume highlighting your strengths, skills and experience. When a good job lead is posted, thousands of resumes will be sent to the company. While you may be one in the thousands, you want your resume to stand out from the rest.

Fact #6
Work at home job seekers must do their research as it’s imperative unless you know the company and the position is real. Too many skip this step or don’t do a thorough research of the company.

Fact #7
Work at home job seekers must be patience, consistent and persistent. Even the most skilled don’t find a job overnight. It’s not unheard of when people find a work at home job after two years of searching. To be effective, searching daily or almost daily is a must.

Fact #8
Work at home job seekers have to be careful of what they say on work at home discussion forums. Employers troll high-traffic sites. This is how they learn what is said about them in a positive or negative way. Employers also use these high-traffic boards to find potential employees. Avoid airing out your dirty laundry on any open and public board. It’s just not professional.

Fact #9
Work at home job seekers often have more than one work at home job. Depending on your needs, many job seekers look for and keep several jobs. Some jobs may be only contracted out for a certain period of time or they are seasonal. Whatever the reason having several if you can manage is a good idea.

Fact #10
Work at home job seekers may have to spend some money. This is usually not the case, but certain jobs may require the job seeker to pay for a credit or background check or to obtain software for their computers or equipment for their position. (Foot pedal, headset etc.)

Now that you’re armed with the known facts, good luck in your job search! Keep your chin up and think positively. There’s a job out there waiting for you.

Copyright © 2009 Sophia McIntyre, Work At Home Business Options
All rights reserved. This article may not be reproduced or reprinted for publication.

How To Handle Content Stealers

Content stealing or plagiarizing is like a bad virus. It’s rampant and grows like cancer. It wrecks people’s lives giving the innocent added stress and the stealer’s a bad reputation.

No longer are content stealers stereotyped as unprofessional people, although in the true sense of the word that is what they are. Content stealers have no race and it’s not gender specific; there are no boundaries. I’m seeing more and more plagiarizers who are business professionals. They are your Virtual Assistants, web designers, known gurus in their niches and other people who have good online web presence.

There’s never a good enough reason anyone should resort to stealing content. There just isn’t.

You can say all your work is copyrighted, disable right click (which really doesn’t work) and put up the Copyscape banner, but that doesn’t deter someone to steal from you. If you find your work stolen you can do several things, but it doesn’t always guarantee a positive outcome.

1. Contact the content stealer – This doesn’t often work. Many will ignore your emails even with a cease and desist order. The truly unsuspecting will respond and remove your content especially if they paid someone to create their website. They may even apologize which has happened to me.

2. Contact their web hosting – You can find who their web hosting is either on the footer of their website or through WhoIs – http://www.networksolutions.com/whois/index.jsp

If they don’t use paid web hosting, contact the free web host.

3. Contact Google and other search engines. If they have paid advertisers on their site, you can contact them too to let them know.

4. Contact your attorney. It may be your last resort or first resort.

Be mindful of what you reprint online as well. Read the website’s terms of service or privacy policy. Don’t get yourself in a legal battle and always guard your reputation. You only have one and it’s a lot harder to dig yourself out with a fork.

Copyright © 2009 Sophia McIntyre, Work At Home Business Options

All rights reserved. This article may not be reproduced or reprinted for publication.

Using Work At Home Forums For Finding Jobs

Work at home forums are one of the best free resources in finding a work at home job. How you utilize it for your maximum gain depends largely on how you handle yourself on there.

While I understand at this point you’d probably rather cut to the chase, but a proper introduction to the forum and its members is important. In the past, I have read desperate pleas for help. I have read personal information that was really not pertinent to the situation. Not everyone needs to know your dirty laundry so to speak.

In all honesty, employers do “stop bys” to read forums and check out potential employees or check up on their employees to see what’s being said about them.

If you’re looking for a work at home job on a forum, it’s important to provide enough information so others can point you in the right direction or give you the best advice. Time is precious for everyone and you can eliminate unnecessary steps by communicating effectively your wants and needs.

Keep in mind, all the “don’t wants” will make you unflexible and it will limit the availability of positions. I understand many prefer a non-phone job, but realistically customer service via the phone is more abundant. This is just something to keep in the back of your mind. There are other options available, but do you have the experience or interest to pursue these fields?

Some non-phone jobs include:
- Writing/blogging
- General or legal transcription
- Court researcher – requires travel to court house
- Mystery Shopping
- Web design
- Virtual Assisting – may include speaking with clients

Networking on work at home forums will increase your chances of finding a work at home job. So be consistent in re-visiting forums if you’re using them as a resource to help you find a work at home job.

Remember these tips:
- A proper introduction is a must. Keep personal family issues to yourself
- Provide as much information about your skills and experience. Let people know your strengths
- Know how to ask the right questions
- Be consistent in your networking efforts and be open to other suggestions or opportunities

Take the time to use work at home forums correctly because it is your playground to a vast array of work at home opportunities. You never know when one door opens what may be in store. It may be the perfect opportunity you’ve been dreaming of.

Copyright © 2009 Sophia McIntyre, Work At Home Business Options

All rights reserved. This article may not be reproduced or reprinted for publication.

10 FREE Ways You Can Advertise Your Business Online

When it comes to promoting a home business online, there are many ways you can advertise your business for free. I always recommend that you start out with free advertising and as your business grows, venture into some paid advertising.

The following is a list of 10 ways you can advertise your business for free.

1. Create A Business Blog – You can create a business blog on various blogging sites for free.

2. Email Signature Tag – Add your business information to an email by creating a signature tag. Make sure it’s attached to all outgoing email.

3. Email Signature Tag Referral – Ask your friends and family members to add your business signature tag to all of their outgoing emails.

4. Forum Boards – Join a few forum boards related to your business niche. If you sell items that women want to buy, join a few mom or women topic forum boards. If you sell weight loss products, join a few boards that are specifically for dieters.

5. Link Exchange – Contact website owners who are in the same niche as you. Ask them to exchange website links with you.

6. Online Talk Radio and Podcasts – If you consider yourself to be an expert or leader in your field of business, volunteer to be a guest speaker on one of their upcoming programs.

7. Article Marketing – Write a few niche related articles and submit them to article databases. Website owners and ezine publishers are always looking for new content. Create professional looking Author’s Resource Box with your business information in it.

8. Banner and Button Exchange – Find a few niche related websites and exchange your button or banner with that site.

9. Social Networking – Join a few of the free online social networking sites such as myspace, face book, linkedin, yahoo groups, ryze and twitter.

10. Barter For Advertising – If you have extra product inventory or you can provide a service that another website owner can use, contact them and offer to barter with them in exchange for some advertising on their website or blog.

NOTE: This article is Exclusive to Work At Home Business Options and can not be reproduced without our permission.

Copyright © 2009 Work At Home Business Options and Shelly Hill

Using Your Car To Advertise Your Business

Using your automobile to advertise your business is not a new concept, however these days there are new products out on the market that you might not have considered. Instead of just driving around in your car to do your daily errands, why not put it to work for you?

Here are a few ideas of some items you can purchase and get custom imprinted with your business information or business logo.

1. Custom Designed Licensed Plate
2. License Plate Frames (these go around the license plate and can have your company name or logo)
3. Static Window Clings
4. Bumper Stickers
5. Car Door Magnets
6. Antenna Business Logo Flags
7. Removable Banners
8. Flyer Holder (plastic holder that attaches to the car to hold flyers)
9. Brochure Holder (plastic holder that attaches to the car to hold your company brochures)
10. Magnetic Business Card Holder
11. Automobile Sun Shades (cardboard dash protectors imprinted with business information)

If you purchase any of the above type of products, make sure you save your purchase receipt. Check with your accountant or tax preparer to see if you can write off these type of purchases as a business expense.

The next time you go out to do your daily errands, take a look around and see how many vehicles that you see that have some type of business logo or business information on them.

You can go to any of the online major search engines and do some keyword searches for the products listed above. You will find hundreds of online websites that do custom printed work for a reasonable price.

Putting your vehicle to work for you can be an beneficial way of advertising your home business.

NOTE: This article is Exclusive to Work At Home Business Options and can not be reproduced without our permission.

Copyright © 2009 Work At Home Business Options and Shelly Hill