The Working Parent’s Home Office – Organization for Success
If you’re a parent that works at home, you already know about the ongoing conflict between your business and your family obligations. Home based businesses are rapidly becoming the norm in our world of high technology. As a parent, this is great news, as it allows you to be in the house with your kids while still creating a necessary income. So, when combining your work life with your home life, how do you find the proper balance, so each can be stable and successful? To begin with you need to have the correct tools at your disposal for whatever your work at home business is.
While this may sound easy, the lack of organization can be a death knell to your home based business. Beyond strong organization, you’ll also need to be able to communicate with your family effectively, set limitations, prioritize your day, stick to your commitments, and learn how to be flexible. Sounds like a lot, doesn’t it? It’s not only possible, it’s very manageable, and while the balance will rarely be perfect, optimizing your schedule and your office will lead you to not only a stronger business – but a stronger family unit, as well. The following steps will help get you started:
Communication
Whether you’re running an internet home based business or another type of work at home career, start with communication. Explain to your family what your home based business will require in order for it be streamlined. This is all about expectations, and may include establishing protocol for interruptions, discussing your normal working hours, and basic rules to be followed. Be ready to listen, question, and explain every detail fully.
Organization
It’s essential to have the proper tools in order to work at home successfully. Be sure to have a strong internet connection (especially if you have an internet home based business), a dedicated telephone (it can be a cell phone), a place to keep files and notes so you can find them quickly, and a way of organizing your incoming work.
Limitations
Your family is important and they are probably the main reason you’re in a home based business to begin with. However, your children need to understand you’re working – even if you’re only in the next room. You’ll need to set limitations with them so they know how to approach you in non-emergency circumstances. You could designate a signal that will visually tell them you cannot be interrupted unless it is an emergency. This can be as simple as a closed door or a sign you hang outside of your office.
Prioritize
Invest in a calendar, whether the old-fashioned type or computer software, to use as a planning tool. This is one of the most important steps you can take if you work at home, because you need a place to pencil (or type) in appointments, school activities, deadlines, etc. Get into the habit of updating your planning tool throughout each day so you can set your priorities well in advance.
Commitment
If you tell your son that you’ll be at his soccer game – be there. If you tell a business associate you will be available to talk on a certain day and time, make sure you are. Your word is important within your family and your business – so unless something happens that you cannot control, live up to what you say. If you do have to break a commitment, be open and honest about it and be ready with an alternate plan. If this happens – it is essential that the alternate plans you made are adhered to.
Flexibility
As with anything in life, learning to be flexible will save you, your family, and your home based business unnecessary stress. Things happen in life, try to find different solutions and different methods when issues pop up. A work at home office can truly make a difference in narrowing the gap between career and family, especially if the office is organized and the expectations with your family are firmly in place. Combined, it will allow you to remain the stabilizing force you need to be – both in your home based business and in your family.
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Marketing Performance: Dos And Don’ts For The Millennial Generation
Marketing has changed a lot over the years, mostly due to the ever changing target audience that you’re aiming for. Today the main target audience is what’s referred to as, the Millennial Generation. Millennials are anyone born between 1977 and 1998, and are just now beginning to enter the workforce.
This group consists of around 75 million people, and is having a huge impact on marketing and the marketing techniques we use today. This generation is the first to grow up completely online and as a result the marketing techniques used to target them has to evolve in order to be more effective.
The key thing to remember about the Millennial Generation is they were raised on the Internet, and other forms of electronic communication including cell phones. The freedom given to them by such devices should be taken into account for your marketing techniques. The use of cross-media marketing techniques is highly effective for this group, as they were and are the ones studying while listening to the radio or watching television, due to their increased skill at multi-tasking. Millennials work well in groups, and are highly team-oriented, preferring working in groups over individual endeavors.
Once you’re caught up on the target you’re seeking to attract, you should start to consider the places they go for information and the way they behave. Your marketing techniques should include places like MySpace or Facebook which they log onto daily, Internet messengers, or using blog sites.
Many businesses are failing or struggling because they are not listening to what the Millennials are actually saying about their products or their company. Keep an ear out for what they’re blogging about, to help you improve your marketing techniques. Also make sure your company has a space among the social media outlets such as MySpace and FaceBook. Try not to be overly commercial though, as Millennials can see right through it, instead be genuine so your prospective market understands what you’re really about.
It will also help in your marketing techniques to communicate on a more personal level. Create a two way dialogue with your audience, giving them an opportunity to speak to you. Letting them rate your products, share comments, or share experiences with friends, will make that much more of a difference in your marketing techniques.
Lastly, focus on consistent messaging. If you say one thing, but do another, you’ll end up losing the trust of your target audience. Keep a consistent message with your marketing techniques, and be creative as well. Creativity causes your messages to be spread far and wide over the internet, gaining momentum with each passing.
