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Avoid Work At Home Scams

Mom — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 01:59:35 +0000

Avoid Work at Home Scams – Our Story

When Dad had his accident in early 2001, our world came crashing down. How could someone in their 20’s who was strong, vibrant, and hard working be struck down so suddenly and told he may never walk normally again?

Thankfully, Dad had excellent doctors who saved his foot and after 18 months of hard physical therapy, he learned how to walk again.

During those first few months, we struggled financially. I had two consulting contracts ending and Dad’s disability income was not enough to pay the bills. In desperation, we searched high and low for a quick way to make money, possibly a work at home opportunity. It wasn’t that we were interested in GRQ (get-rich quick), we simply wanted to PTBQ (pay the bills quick).

What we found, were TONS of scam artists eager to take our money and offer nothing in return.

That 80’s song “Taken In” from Mike and the Mechanics rings in my ears:

♫ Taken in, taken in again
Wrapped around the finger of some fair weathered friend
Caught up in the promises, left out in the end

Taken in, taken in again
Someone saw me coming, a fool without a friend
There’s one born every minute and you’re looking at him ♫

Unfortunately, we fell for an illegitimate direct sale company. We spent $600 for sign up fees and inventory and three months later, the company folded. Ouch! This was a hard lesson learned but one that made us wiser.

Seven years later, there is no shortage of unscrupulous people hocking work at home scams, especially with more and more people using the Internet.

Here are some tips on how to protect yourself from work at home scams:

Use common sense. Remember this wise advice: If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
Be wary of companies requiring money up front before providing details of how their business works.
If a company offers a money back guarantee, get it in writing.
Don’t allow yourself to be pushed into making a quick decision. Scam artists often use hard selling techniques to close the sale. If it’s a “limited time offer” that does not provide enough time to think it over, move on.
Check out the organization or company. Make sure to obtain the telephone number, address, and owners contact information. It’s also wise to check with the BBB and obtain references.
Work at home jobs and businesses require time and real effort. If you are promised “BIG MONEY” with little or no effort, chances are…it’s a SCAM!

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You Don’t Have To Work At Home To Become A Millionaire

Mom — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 12:46:23 +0000

Trent at The Simple Dollar posted a no-fuss, “path to weath” plan where anyone can become a millionaire by investing 5 minutes a day.

In researching home business ideas, I’ve come across many scams and “get rich quick” schemes targeting those who want wealth without the effort. There is NO program out there that delivers on this promise. NONE.

You need to work in order to earn. If it is legitimate work, it takes time.

Trent’s advice is to take 5 minutes a day and analyze your spending habits, look for ways to save, and then examine how you can grow your savings by investing.

Back in October, Dad and I decided to kick the Starbucks habit and saved $230. I am taking that $230 a month and applying it towards our home equity line of credit (in addition to the regular payment). This will enable us to pay off the balance faster and save money in interest. Once the HELOC is paid, I will take that monthly payment and sock it into our high interest savings account. We are looking at ALL areas of spending to see where we can cut back and save even more.

I plan on taking it one step further by increasing our income through a home business and funneling that money into our debt repayment.

Will the simple step of cutting back on daily spending make us millionaires? If we are consistent on saving and investing, I believe it will.

Wash, rinse, repeat…it’s really that easy.

You don’t even have to spend $899 on that “Turn-Key-No-Work-Get-Rich-Now” system!

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I Put the Work in Work At Home

Mom — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 19:11:28 +0000

I was talking to a family member recently, and the subject of work was brought up. She said,
“It must be great to work at home. You can do whatever you want all day”. I gently reminded her that while I have more flexibility in my schedule, I do indeed work (usually 40+ hours a week). While it’s great, it’s still work.

Here are a few more funny comments/questions I’ve heard regarding working at home:

It must be nice working from bed.

Yes. When I was 41 weeks pregnant, I kept my feet up in bed every morning while I worked on my laptop. Now that I’m not pregnant anymore, I only get up from bed to use the bathroom.

Can you work barefoot?

No…company policy dictates proper foot attire must be worn at all times. During video conferences, my boss makes me point my webcam at my feet to make sure I’m following the rules.

Since you don’t have to work around people, do you take a shower everyday?

Once I realized how much time I saved by not commuting, I looked for other ways to maximize my time. I contemplated ditching my personal hygiene routine all-together, but then I remembered my husband has to sleep with me…and I’d like to keep it that way.

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Conference Call Courtesy

Mom — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 13:08:15 +0000

Due to a new project starting this week, I will spend some heavy duty time on conference calls. Since I work at home, and the people I “meet” with are in an office, I take extra care to ensure that my meetings go smoothly.

Here are several tips to “mind your manners” while on a call from your home office.

Pick a quiet place. Make sure that your meeting participants can’t hear your dog barking or children crying.
Avoid using speaker or cell phones. Speaker phones introduce background noises, and cell phones can introduce static or drop the call.
Disable call waiting. If you receive another call during your conference, others may hear a tone or interruption when you’re speaking. Check with your phone provider to learn how to disable this feature.
Turn off cell phone, PDA, and mute your IM. You may think your new ring tone or IM notification is cool, but no one wants to hear it during the call.
Keep noises to a minimum. Noises like…shuffling papers, tapping your pen, typing on the keyboard, smacking your lips while eating or drinking, are distracting. You may think no one else can hear these noises, trust me they can…and it drives people crazy!
Be on time. In business, it’s not fashionable to be late. Time is a precious commodity. It is rude to waste other’s time by making them wait for you.
Don’t assume others automatically recognize your voice. Make sure to introduce yourself at the beginning of the call and again when you address someone.
Use Mute wisely. It’s ok to use the mute button if you need to, just remember to take your phone off mute before you speak!
Listen well. Resist the temptation to read or type e-mails, work on documents, or do anything else that can distract you. Imagine the embarrassment if someone asks for your input and you have no idea what they said!

By using common sense and being considerate towards others, you will project professionalism even if you’re working at home in your slippers!

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Does your spouse support your work at home?

Mom — Sat, 03 Nov 2007 16:21:46 +0000

Yesterday, I was on a conference call until 7pm. Not only did Dad “man the fort” he had seven kids (my son had two friends sleep over) and dinner to manage!

I want to shout out to the world how awesome my husband is!

His amazing support is what makes my working at home a reality. There are many things I appreciate about my husband, but one biggie is helping me with the kids and house stuff (yes ladies…he does laundry!) while I work.

Dad also works at home, although he enjoys more flexibility since he works for himself. As with other areas of our marriage, our work lives are balanced by give and take. He takes care of the baby and laundry during the daytime, and then I take over so he can work on evenings and weekends. Our arrangement works out great.

Are you married and work at home? Is your spouse supportive of your work at home effort?

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Work at Home Mom Haiku

Mom — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 06:48:47 +0000

Mom at home working
balancing kids, business, time
no effort, no joy

Avoiding Work at Home Burnout

Mom — Fri, 31 Aug 2007 17:06:59 +0000

I mentioned feeling a bit of burnout this past week because of working through the weekend, and the feeling intensified with the stressful post-migration days that followed. I took a much needed day off yesterday and made sure to leave my laptop and phone turned off. Even though it was only one day, the break made a difference and I honestly feel better.

I find it important to recognize when I’m feeling stressed and take action before things progress. I came across this excellent post on Chasing Rainbows: Job Burnout

The one point that resonated with me was this:

lack of boundaries between time on and off the job can all conspire to make even the most dedicated worker frazzled

It is easy to blur the lines between work and homelife when your work is at home! I’ve had days when I get caught up in a project and forget to eat lunch or work too late into the evening. Do this several times a week and it’s a formula for rapid burnout.

I make sure to take what I call a “real lunch” and leave the phone and laptop in my office while I sit down and eat with the kids. Once in a while, we even get in the car and go out for a bite. I also like to take a walk around the block and enjoy a time-out from work.

When the stress really creeps in, I schedule a day off. If that isn’t possible, I make the most of the weekend by doing something nice for myself and by “unplugging” from work. I cannot emphasize this enough…if you make just one call, or type just one e-mail, you may get sucked into working for a few hours and wonder why you feel stressed even on the weekends. The work will be there on Monday, trust me!