7 Work At Home Guidelines for the New Economy

With unemployment in the US reaching almost 10 percent, many people are transitioning from employee to entrepreneur.

According to business etiquette expert Barbara Pachter, author of When The Little Things Count…And They Always Count, “Out of necessity people are establishing their own businesses. Many of these new entrepreneurs are working from home and having to be professional when interacting with potential customers, clients, venders, former colleagues and bosses”

Pachter suggests these 7 guidelines to help people maintain a business image no matter where their offices are located:

1. Have a separate space for your office. You need an area or room that is private and where you won’t hear dogs barking and/or children screaming. And if you have children, establish a closed-door policy. Your children need to know that you are working and unless it’s an emergency or really important, they are not to disturb you.

2. Answer your phone or cell phone professionally Invest in a separate line for work calls. When you answer, give a greeting and your name: “Good morning, Barbara Pachter speaking” When you are not able to answer the phone, have your callers hear a business message–no little kids talking or music blasting. Tell them who they have reached and when you will return the call.

3. Have a website You can start with a basic site that explains what you do and how to contact you. Use an appropriate business domain name for your website and use that domain name for your email address. (i.e. www.pachter.com and bpachter@pachter.com).

4. Be organized Most people can’t function in chaos. Have file cabinets. Use a contact management system, like ACT, to keep good records of your business contacts and activities. Develop good quality business cards, stationery and any company materials.

5. Create a professional internet presence In addition to having a website, use social media sites like LinkedIn and Facebook to let people know about your business. And remember anything you post becomes part of your professional image. Google yourself to find out what your customers will discover about you. Blog about your work. But don’t get so wrapped up in social media that you neglect other parts of your business.

6. Dress up if you need to. Many people tell me that it helps them feel professional if they put themselves together before they start working. However, if you can work well in your PJs, as long as you don’t videoconference, go for it!

7. Have the appropriate space if you are meeting with people If you don’t have the space, arrange the use of a meeting room or meet in a restaurant.

Barbara Pachter is a speaker, trainer, coach and author of numerous business books, including The Power of Positive Confrontation and NewRules@Work: 79 Etiquette Tips, Tools and Techniques to Get Ahead and Stay Ahead.  For a free copy of her communication e-newsletter, “Competitive Edge,” you can call (856) 751-6141 (NJ) or go to www.pachter.com.

The Next 60 Seconds Could Change Your Life

Every minute, five women become self-employed across the United States. That’s seven thousand new ventures every day. According to the Center for Women’s Business, female-owned businesses grew at twice the rate of all business. The Small Business Administration reports that 28 percent of all privately owned businesses are owned by women.

People who choose to go into business for themselves are a trend that just won’t quit. This small-business trend appears to be driven by three distinct groups: those 50 and older, women and immigrants.

According to the Kauffman Foundation, an organization that encourages entrepreneurs, those in the 50 – 64 age group are more likely than anyone else to start businesses. According to the Department of Labor nearly half of those working for themselves fall in the 50-plus category.

The Kaufman Foundation also found increased entrepreneurial activity among immigrants and Latinos. Did you know immigrants run one-fourth of Silicon Valley high-tech businesses.

Why are baby boomers, women and immigrants leading the way of American entrepreneurs?

For many of the boomers, it has become a matter of necessity. Although retirement may be on the horizon, they still need income.

For women, it’s serves as an opportunity to spend more time with family as a work-at-home-mom and to establish independence from a demanding, stressful 9 to 5 job in Corporate America. It also gives women the chance to turn their hobbies or passions into a worthwhile living. It’s no secret that people are happier and do a better job at doing something they truly love.

Work-at-Home-Moms: Read to Your Child

Research shows that whether a child has been read aloud to on a regular basis is the single biggest predictor of a child’s success in learning to read, says University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Associate Professor of education Kathleen Martin, Ph.D.

Martin and UAB Assistant Professor Kay Emfinger, Ph.D., are authors of the new book “Sharing Books Together: Promoting Emergent Literacy Through Reading Aloud and Home-School Partnerships.”

“Reading aloud to children helps them develop oral language,” says Martin. “It teaches them how to listen and how narrative is structured. They also learn vocabulary and how print works and that it is read from left to right.”

Children who are not read aloud to often enter kindergarten and first grade lacking these skills, which Martin says are important for learning how to read.

“A lot of parents know that reading aloud to their children is important,” says Martin, “but often they don’t realize that it continues to be of value as the child ages. Also, many parents probably have less time to read aloud to their children these days.

“It is never too early to begin reading aloud to children,” Martin said. Even infants can enjoy looking at illustrations in a book as their parents read to them. When children are past kindergarten, they still need to be read aloud to in order to learn about more complicated subjects and how to listen to and comprehend more sophisticated text, Martin said.

It’s important for parents to be animated when they are reading to children, says Martin. Using different voices for the various characters in a story makes the experience more fun for young children.

For older children, it’s important to look for quality literature that offers a
satisfying story. Parents can select books that have a particular theme or that are written by the child’s favorite author, she said.

Besides reading aloud narrative fiction, poetry, which has rhyme, rhythm and repetition, can also be enjoyable for children, Martin said. Reading aloud nonfiction also has benefits.

“Some children enjoy facts more than stories,” says Martin, “and reading nonfiction can build up a child’s background knowledge.”

However, parents should never force children to listen to a text if the child is bored by the material. Reading should always be presented as a fun activity, Martin said.

It’s important for parents to be animated when they are reading to children, says Martin. Using different voices for the various characters in a story makes the experience more fun for young children.

For older children, it’s important to look for quality literature that offers a
satisfying story. Parents can select books that have a particular theme or that are written by the child’s favorite author, she said.

Besides reading aloud narrative fiction, poetry, which has rhyme, rhythm and repetition, can also be enjoyable for children, Martin said. Reading aloud nonfiction also has benefits.

“Some children enjoy facts more than stories,” says Martin, “and reading nonfiction can build up a child’s background knowledge.”

However, parents should never force children to listen to a text if the child is bored by the material. Reading should always be presented as a fun activity, Martin said.

It’s important for parents to be animated when they are reading to children, says Martin. Using different voices for the various characters in a story makes the experience more fun for young children.

For older children, it’s important to look for quality literature that offers a
satisfying story. Parents can select books that have a particular theme or that are written by the child’s favorite author, she said.

Besides reading aloud narrative fiction, poetry, which has rhyme, rhythm and repetition, can also be enjoyable for children, Martin said. Reading aloud nonfiction also has benefits.

“Some children enjoy facts more than stories,” says Martin, “and reading nonfiction can build up a child’s background knowledge.”

However, parents should never force children to listen to a text if the child is bored by the material. Reading should always be presented as a fun activity, Martin said.