When the weather starts to get warm and the trees start budding/flowers are blooming-spring is officially here! I love this time of year since it gets people outside instead of inside sitting at a desk. What can you do to be productive during this time of year?

• Goals-Start every morning with a set of goals. Use a day planner or some sort of guideline that allows you to check off accomplishments and move those that you quite did not get done to another day.
• Hours/Days-Change your working hours. If you typically work afternoons and that is when you want to get outside-move all working hours to before noon. Work Monday- Thursday giving you a 3-day weekend every week.
• Mobile. With so many mobile devices available-working mobile is a great option for many businesses. You can take your laptop or have access to email and other computer functions on your mobile device.

The reason we work from home is so that we can earn a living while enjoying life. Take advantage of the great weather while still performing business as usual. If you need help with time management-check out our website: www.yourvirtualhomeoffice.com

1. Market your business-put together ads that get your business name out there.
2. Website-Spruce up your website. Maybe it is time for a facelift or search engine optimization.
3. Blogs-start a blog within your industry. If your business is in the website development industry-blog about website updates and easy toolbars. Link the blog to your website and affiliate companies that pay per click-providing extra income.
4. Write articles. Are you an expert in your field? Do you have passion to share about your industry? Put it on paper. There are many companies out there that pay for articles, content or comments.

There are many places to seek extra work-just be careful-scammers are everywhere. If you need ideas on where to locate additional work-check out Melissa’s book- Your Virtual Home Office Can be a Reality!

Here are some ideas on how to increase your rankings:

1. Newsletter-create a monthly newsletter with an article or two that has the key words listed. These key words are going to be words that people are typically searching when looking for a business such as yours.
2. Advertise-this might be free ads here and there to publicize your company name. Check out referral programs or affiliate marketing. This will provide company recognition or branding.
3. Social Media. Are you a great writer? Provide monthly blogs or articles for your business. Facebook, Twitter and Yelp are just a few social sites to become involved with that can boost traffic to your website.

If you need help with your work from home journey-Check out Melissa’s book-“ Your Virtual Home Office Can Be a Reality! “

My home office is complete with all the necessary organizational tools, but sticky notes are no longer allowed in my virtual home office.   Sticky notes are simply too easy to lose and cannot be trusted to retain vital information.

For more tips for home office organization, please visit our website.

These are people that post jobs on Forums such as Wahm.com and claim to be legitimate companies seeking contractors to work. You contact these companies, go through the entire process of training, work for 20-30 hours and then discover they are scammers out to get work from you without paying.

These companies have hired more people than they cannot afford to pay and never had intentions to pay you for all the hard work completed.

How can you go about finding legitimate work?

I find that first and foremost word of mouth is great! I like Wahm.com simply because they are a community of people that are seeking work from home and try to help one another. If you are not familiar with a company, ask a question in the forum.  Nine times out of 10, someone in the huge community will have experience with the company and provide helpful feedback.

Finally-Always seek advice from the BBB in the city of the company in question.

If you need help locating legitimate companies-read Melissa’s Book-Your Virtual Home Office Can be a Reality!

Cold calling involves reaching out via phone to your client’s prospects – also known as telemarketing.      There are many cold calling companies that work for a variety of clients that choose to outsource a portion of their sales efforts.   There are also many employers (both large and small) that are seeking virtual employees to perform this valuable sales task.

Chapter 7 of my book specifically describes how to review work at home opportunities to determine if they are a legitimate opportunity or just another scam – which is also prevalent in the work at home industry.   Order your copy today!

How can you go about increasing your business?

First-determine your skill set. What do you have that makes you stand out? Are you a creative writer? Do you have skills to type? Are you dabbling in the website business?

Second-update and add to your current skill set. If you are building websites, take a look at new features and services that can be added to websites and sign up for training to acquire new skills.

Third-Market, Market, Market. You are not the only one looking to boost business or make changes. Let your clients know what you are doing and what plans you have for them in 2012.

If you need help marketing your work from home business-check out our website www.yourvirtualhomeoffice.com

• Taking short breaks from sitting periodically.  For example, I often find myself pacing during conference calls.
• Shifting positions frequently.   Sometimes I adjust the height of the chair or the placement of my feet.
• Ergonomic furniture that adjust easily to new positions.

If you are home based or office based, I hope the above tips help you feel more comfortable within your work space and help alleviate the physical stresses caused by sitting for extended periods of time.

Look at local sites such as:

Flexjobs.com

Indeed.com

Monster.com

Or companies such as:

Live-ops

VIP desk

Convergys

There are many legitimate opportunities out there for those that are seeking long term positions working from their virtual home office. When I first started looking for work from home, I made it my full time job to research companies and opportunities. I researched at night when my family was sleeping and in the afternoons after I completed my daily work.

If you need help determining what opportunity works best for you and how to avoid the scammers-check out our website: www.yourvirtualhomeoffice.com

• A bag with essential supplies including pens, highlighters, a mini-stapler, calculator, etc.
•  Essential office files located in one place, so that they can be easily packed.
• Laptop computer.
  NOTE:   I have taken a vacation with a full size computer and compact screen.

Working from home certainly has its advantages, but being ready to work from any location with Internet access is even better!