I shared breakfast with a beautiful woman this morning.

I don’t know her name – even now.

We never spoke.

When I say “shared” breakfast what I mean is I watched her eat. Shortly afterwards she put on her makeup, in between making a few calls on her mobile.

I’d only first caught site of her.

And this is why I could never return to being a commuter!

… I had to go into London (the reason is unimportant) and rather than sit on traffic, pump out exhaust and pay an unsavoury “congestion charge” I decided it made more sense to take the train.

After buying part of the car park and the train (the cost before 9.30 am is beyond a joke) I found my way to a less crowded part of the platform and boarded the train. There were a few seats free and I sat on a 2 facing 2 area.

She followed me on to the train and sat opposite.

She was looking a little dishelvelled.

Within a minute the area of the  train where we were sitting had transformed itself into a kitchen!

First there was the banana. Not too bad. Then came the apple. Far to green and crunchy. How a good looking girl can think she is attractive making the row she did I just don’t know.

That was followed by the yogurt. At least a spoon was used but frankly the mess that was made she may have been better of using her fingers.

It was all washed down with a Starbucks coffee. You’d think they’d make those cardboard cups differently so they didn’t slurp every time they’re lifted to your lips.

By now I was seriously wishing I could move elsewhere but the train was now overloaded but at least it appearred breakfast was over.

What a delight then when out came the mobile dressing table. It wasn’t quite a full sixe mirrow but had the sun been shining there may well have been snipers taking pot shots at the train due to the flashes of light.

Out came the trowel and after an age mixing some creams the artist began her latest creation.

I really tried not to look but I was fascinated in not only how she could do what she was doing on a train that was bouncing along the tracks but also what was going through her mind.

There was no embarrassment – she was at times talking at the top of her voice to someone at the other end of the mobile phone giving them a running commentary on her make-over progress.

She clearly couldn’t care less about her fellow travellers – what they thought of her, the noise she made as she was eating, the fact the whole carriage could hear her conversation.

But after half an hour or so – she quitened down. Everything had been put away from whence it came. She was, in fact, looking stunning.

The train pulled in to London and the butterfly that had emerged from the dishevelled crysallis that got on the train less than hour ago went off to work to a place where nobody would believe the transformation I had witnessed.

Yes it was an eye-opener but I certainly wouldn’t want to go back to a daily commute, sharing a kitchen and bedroom like that everyday.

No, give me the relative boredom of a quick shuffle across the hallway to my home office any day – I just love the work from home lifestyle!

Technorati: home business, home office, work from home

If I ever needed a reminder of why I love the Work From Home Lifestyle the recent snow in England has provided it!

OK, we’ve had a little more snow that in recent years but it seems from the news the country has come more or less to a standstill.

Roads are covered in ice (not enough grit to go round – oh yes, sorry I forgot we don’t normally need it in the winter!). Airports are closed. Trains and buses stopped running.

People struggling to get to work, taking 3 or 4 times longer than normal to get to a place where the extra effort is not appreciated to do a job they hate.

Is that any way to live?

And here I am looking out of my office window at the beauty of nature. I’ve played with the kids – because I have the choice to do so – not because I couldn’t get in  to work.

I don’t have the pressure of a boss expecting me to fight my way in to the office. I have no demands placed upon me. I have no clients demanding my attention or my presence at meetings. Corporate life? No thank you – that’s a thing of the past for me.

As I was thinking about this post I got to thinking about how we ended up in this sorry mess. I guess it must have been the Industrial Revolution or something after which life changed.

Have you ever thought, I mean really thought, about why we all follow some long dead idiots’ rules about how we should life our lives?

Why, oh why, do we all subscribe to this ridiculous pattern of:

School – 9am to say 4pm

Work – 9am to 5pm (if you’re lucky but more like 7am to 7pm with travel time)

Retirement at 65 – time to do what we want at last – only we can’t because we didn’t earn enough to create a big enough nest egg

Of course, in the times of factories having to work at maximum capacity that model made sense – at least it did for the owners and the workers enjoyed regular work and thus pay. But who cared about the conditions? Who then decided that we had to work all day every weekday in whatever field we chose to work?

Sorry, but if that’s the life for you – you are most welcome to it. It’s not for me anymore. I want to be responsible for deciding on my own lifestyle.

The work all hours possible, corporate treadmill is an outdated and frankly, extremely unattractive model.

We should work when we need to and only then to generate a sizeable profit for our endeavours. Trading our time for income is a ridiculous notion. Surely that’s why we educate ourselves. So we are able to offer more of a service because of our training, experience and/or knowledge. That makes us more valuable BUT hopefully much more valuable than we could realistically charge as an hourly rate and certainly more than an employer would pay.

The only way to generate our true worth is to run our own business – preferably with multiple streams of income from a variety of sources – where we are not confined by a cap on earnings or the “generosity” of an employer to dish out bonuses.

This summer I’m planning on spending 5 weeks in Spain. That would be impossible if I was employed but for me it’s just a matter of deciding!

Now that’s what I call the Freedom Lifestyle.

So if you are still wondering why you do it (the daily commute, the thankless job) – go ahead, think about starting your own internet business, part time at first maybe, and create your own work from home lifestyle.

Let me know if you need any encouragement or ideas how to go about it.

Technorati: home business, lifestyle, lifestyle choice, work from home

Unless you have cash to last a lifetime a work from home online business is probably the best way to integrate making money with your desired lifestyle.

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So much rubbish is written online about internet riches, overnight fortunes being made and instant millionaire creating products. As a result many people simply avoid any mention of an online business and yet if you know what you are doing an online business may well be the perfect solution for you.

No more rushing to get the train to work or sitting in traffic wasting away your life. Work when you want in a niche you love. But…

It is not a magic formula

Despite the hype, there is no such thing as a plug and go, turnkey, cash spilling system that will make you your fortune overnight. Everything comes at a price and an online internet business is no different.

There may be a steep learning curve and it will involve you in some good old fashioned hard work. But, there are some great systems that will make your life so much easier and give you a head start because much of the work is done for you.

Here’s my word of warning – before you jump onto a product because you’ve read a great salesletter and have been convinced by the testimonials and promises think very carefully about the type of business you want to be involved in. Think through what you want the business to do for you and what commitment you can make to it.

For example, do you want to earn an extra $1,000 a month to cover the cost of say a dream car? Or do you want a full blown business that can replace your existing income? Or are you looking to build an empire that you can ultimately sell for a small fortune?

Whatever your objectives, if you’ve not run a business before you need to learn the basics first or you’ll simply run into a brick wall.

The main reason why I’m so positive about working online is that you can succeed in virtually any market, with little experience and with no prior list of customers. Of course, it is more difficult, but there is evidence everywhere of people making money in obscure little niches without a big budget or indeed massive traffic to the site.

Will that work for everyone? Almost certainly not BUT with the right information and support it can be done.

When I first started online I followed a course by a guy called Michael Cheney and everything fell into place.

He is now about to launch his Golden Thread product (it will only be available for a very short time period so if you are reading this after mid October 2008 the doors will be closed) and this promises to be a fantastic start for anyone looking to start a work from home online business.

Although there will be some work to do, everything from website page, script, products to sell and full training will be provided.

You can read my review of this product at Cash Cannons

If you are looking to start an online business watch the video at Michael’s page about a work from home mom who makes around $1,000 a month from a very small number of visitors to her website. In fact it’s only one page, so not even a website really. This should be an inspiration to us all.

So whether you want a little extra income or a full time work from home online business you can learn something from Michael’s videos – whether your interested in his product or not.

Technorati: cash cannon, cash cannons, golden thread, online business, work from home online business

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Working from home is brilliant. It has some drawbacks for sure but the many, many benefits far outweigh those.

Unfortunately, for most people they cannot simply move what they currently do into a home based business.

• Work on an assembly line?
• Customer facing office job?
• Call centre?

Forget it.

So unless you are fortunate enough to be in a job that allows working from home you’ll need to set up your own business.

But who can afford to take such a massive jump with all of the uncertainty and risks attached? Would you know what to do anyway?

The only way most people could consider this is to make a start by setting up something they can do part time initially. At least until some money is flowing in and the confidence that it will work has been gained.

I was in the fortunate position that my original business could easily be run from home but the business itself has too many constraints and doesn’t allow me the lifestyle I really crave. It ties me to the phone and meetings where I really want the freedom to play golf when I want!

About 18 months ago I stumbled across a blog written by an Australian guy named Yaro Starak. He had started his blog almost as a record of his journey as a businessman. He was running a “real world” business but wanted to move more online so that he could control when he worked and allow himself to do what he wanted, when he wanted rather than live in the 9 – 5 world!

Now I’d call Yaro a work from home success. I’ve followed his progress and seen some dramatic changes to the quality of his blog (where he still talks about his journey but also teaches others how to make a living by blogging).

What I particularly like about Yaro is his honesty and admission that he still has things to learn.

He wrote an outstanding post yesterday entitled How To Start An Internet Business in 3 Easy Steps and unlike many blog posts I was captivated enough to read the whole post! It’s not the usual “this is how you get rich quick” nonsense but a well structured piece that highlights the challenges faced by anyone trying to generate an income online.

So many “products” sell the myth that you just “open the box” and add traffic and a world of riches awaits. Unfortunately, getting enough traffic is the number one issue (I’ll testify to that as would most of the commentators at Yaro’s blog)

You may want to learn more about Yaro Starak and his outstanding BlogMastermind program.

This extract from Yaro’s post highlights the very challenges that I faced and I’m sure 99% of everybody with a dream of working from home online also have to deal with.

If It Is So Easy – Why Isn’t Everyone Doing It?

The problems lie in the details. While the explanation I provided in this article may present a process that is conceptually easy enough to understand once you get used to the basics of Internet marketing, pulling it off is difficult.

Most fail at step one – traffic. Despite best intentions and some initial hard work, people are sporadic workers at best, and without some kind of immediate gratification, give up long before results come.

Worse still, many begin an Internet business with existing hindrances that plague their ability to perform – things like mortgages, full time jobs, families to support, ingrained self defeating belief systems, unrealistic expectations, poor work habits, an inability to let go of control or hire help when required, inferiority complexes, low self esteem or all manner of roadblocks can get in the way.

For those who persist long enough minor results come there way, yet after such a long journey and so much effort, they are disappointed and discouraged – they expected to be making better money by now.

I’ll add one further reason why “everyone isn’t doing it”. The list of challenges seems too daunting and it is easier to stick with the devil you know. It’s the “it would be nice but..” syndrome.

I’m sorry to be so blunt but if that’s the way you think you’re just dreaming of a better future and it won’t happen.

You have to take action, you have to be brave and do something to make the lifestyle you want happen. As you will have heard me say before “Nothing Changes Without A Change”

Yaro Starak is living proof that you can be a work from home success and that it is possible to get started while you carry on your existing job.

I’ve talked about inspiration before, maybe Yaro could be yours. Get your free copy of his Blog Mastermind to find out…

Technorati: home based business, inspiration, work from home, work from home Australia, work from home online, Yaro Starak

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I spent months pondering that question: “How to work from home”

For nearly 15 years I’ve worked alone from an office at home and I love it. But…

…Before you jump straight into working from home I’d like to tell you my story. It might help you avoid some big mistakes.

Back to 1990

For years I’d sat in traffic jams or smelly crowded trains wasting hours a day travelling to and from work.

I hated the work, I hated the boss, in fact when I think back I don’t know how I put up with it for so long. I was simply wasting my life away!

I knew I had to find a way out and do something else.

At that time I just wanted a change and hadn’t got as far as thinking about working from home. No, all I wanted was a change of career.

It wasn’t an easy ride, I freely admit that.

In fact it didn’t actually happen in one step.

I was working for a national bank. It was a “good job”. You know the sort – go to school get an education, get a good job and retire happily ever after. What “they” forgot to mention was to live a bit along the way!

Sleepless night after sleepless night, cold sweats, what should I do. I worried about staying, I worried about going, I worried whether I was doing the right thing.

The support I received was outstanding:

• “you’re stupid giving up all that security”
• “you’ll never get a job as good as that”
• “you’ve spent years getting to where you are – don’t throw it all away”

Looking back those “advisers” were just too scared to do anything about changing their own lives and didn’t want to see me break free. You’ve probably got some people in your life like that.

Eventually I made the decision – the fear disappeared overnight to be immediately replaced with relief and optimism.

I took a new role – an adviser, self employed, only a tiny basic income, effectively commission only, no benefits like Private Health Care or Pension but the “promise” of a great income for a great performance.

Maybe I was naive but it didn’t matter because I believed it was possible.

I went from empty desk and no prospects to successful financial planner in 3 years BUT the problems continued.

I’d given up one boss for another. I’d given up the daily commute for late night working. I was still driving miles and although the income was higher I was wasting hours every week travelling from client to client. Where was the perfect lifestyle I was looking for?

Time for another change. This time I didn’t worry. I’d learnt to make big decisions and I knew things would work out OK.

LESSON ONE – AVOIDANCE

But here’s the issue and one you need to think about very carefully…

I was avoiding the pain of the existing job – boss, travel etc etc rather than focusing on what I really wanted.

Please, re-read that sentence and whatever you decide to do in life do it because of what you really want not to avoid something. If you take nothing else from this site please take that message with you.

So, I set up an office at home. I was free of bosses for ever. I’d reduced my travelling time to a minimum. Everything was looking great and then I realised I given up one set of challenges for another.

LESSON TWO – CHALLENGES

My wife returned from work one day. She’d put the washing out to dry before she left that morning. During the day there’d been heavy rain. The washing was still on the line. I was to blame! I should show more concern. I was at home and now I should pay attention to such things.

STOP RIGHT THERE!

I was at work and anything domestic was not my concern. If I was out at work the washing would have been out in the rain. There was no difference. But there had been some assumptions made and assumptions I didn’t like!

No ground rules had been set. This was quickly put right but a lesson had been learnt.

Make sure when you are “at work” everyone at home knows that you are working and you will not get involved in anything but your work. If you choose to do so make sure it’s on your terms and please don’t let it become a habit. The boundaries will slip and you’ll have an issue on your hands!

But also be aware of new challenges.

In the office there is always someone around for a “chat”. Someone to ask a quick question, someone to talk about the match.

Working alone at home can be lonely.

I love it. I can focus and get things done. I’m extremely disciplined – I start work and I’m in the zone. I don’t need constant chat – I like it this way.

But for many being alone is a big challenge. They can’t get motivated – they wander around the house thinking about work but with nobody cracking the whip never get started. If that’s you think very carefully whether working from home is really for you.

LESSON THREE – WHY

After a while it became clear. I was still doing the same work and I’d just changed my place of work. That was all I intended at the time but now I know better. I was looking at the wrong problem.

I had removed many of the problems – noisy colleagues, constant interuptions, negativity but I really wanted to change my lifestyle and thought that changing my job, my boss, my place of work would resolve my challenges.

Maybe it was necessary for me to go through those steps to identify what I really wanted. Maybe you too need to go through a number of steps.

But maybe, if you really dig deep to find out what you really want you can avoid the pain of too many changes and the frustration of finding out that you still hadn’t found what you were looking for. (Great line for a song there!)

So in answer to the question “how to work from home” I pose three questions:

1. Are you trying to avoid something?
2. Have you thought carefully about the challenges of working at home?
3. What is it you really want?

When you’ve answered those questions you’ll be ready to decide whether it should be a different question you are asking.

Technorati: how to work from home, work at home, work at home lessons

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Make money with this business opportunity from home.

Yes, I’ve seen most of the promotions too. In fact I’ve been taken in by too many to mention.

I’ve wasted hours reading the sales letters or sales pages thinking to myself “this really sounds like it could be the one”.

I’ve bought so many programs that promise to make me rich that have failed to live up to the promise and most haven’t led to me being a penny richer!

But am I bitter?

Absolutely not. I’ve learnt something from each and everyone and collectively they’ve helped me move forward to where I am today.

But back to the question, can you really make money running with a business opportunity you find arriving on your door mat or on a web page?

Yes you can BUT…

The person who’ll make most money is the one selling you the program / book / course what you need is something you don’t see offered that often.

You need a real business based on timeless principles not a “here today gone tomorrow” fad.

Can you really see yourself making a fortune running a business about Forex Trading, if you have no idea what that means?

The way to succeed and build a business to support your lifestyle is to do something you love. Ah, but there’s no money in that Mark.

So thought an Australian guy named Alborz when he started writing about the thing he loves – cars. No manufacturer was going to pay a commission to someone writing about cars but to Alborz surprise he now makes around $50,000 from his website and gets to drive some of the best cars in the world.

Could you do that? Without a doubt, if you have the desire you could build a business around a subject you love AND make a great living too.

Alborz started his business as a sideline while he continued his day job.

Take a listen to this interview – you may find inspiration to do something YOU love rather than buy another useless “make money with this business opportunity from home program.

Technorati: business opportunity, business opportunity from home, inspiration

So you’ve decided you want to run your own business.

You’ve mentally committed to doing so.

You’re enthusiastic, raring to go but don’t know what business to be in.

You know you want to work from home & also know you want to start part time.

Or maybe you’ve already taken the plunge but are not happy with the market you’re in.

It’s all very well me telling you you’ll have your greatest success following your passion but if that happens to be toe nail clippings through the ages it may turn out that’s not a profitable market!

It may seem obvious but the first thing to do before you start your business is to undertake a viability study.

You may have heard of Michel & Sylvie Fortin. Both are very successful online and offline and run a program called Success Chef. This is a top quality, high ticket program that contains multi media training for aspiring internet tycoons.

As part of that program they are releasing individual “cook books” covering various key areas that need to be in place for a business to be successful.

The first of these draws from Sylvie’s immense experience (she’s identified brilliant markets for many of the top producing marketers) and shows how to find a profitable market, research properly and ensure your success before you even commence trading.

Entitled, Marketing ESP Cookbook: The 4-Step Process to Finding Hot, Hungry Markets! this multi media program will ensure you do not waste money and time starting a business in a market that cannot sustain the level of profitability you require for your business.

Give yourself a head start, see if your chosen market really is the right place to be.

Technorati: ESP Marketing Cookbook, own business, profitable market, success chef, work from home