With the new concepts about outsourcing (perhaps actually a new name for subcontracting), you may want to learn evern more about it to see if it’s feasible for your home business.
I wrote a post at Blisstree’s Arts and Crafts section which describes outsourcing as it applies to craftspeople who are developing businesses, Have You Considered Outsourcing?
We’ve also addressed the topic previously here at Home Biz Notes:
Outsourcing – An Option for Your Home Business
Outsourcing for a Work Life Balance
Working from Home for a Home Business or Someone Else
Virtual Assistants
 
(Image:sxc.hu)

I was talking the other day with a new client. She is starting a professional organizer business and she found that new professional organizers charge $25 to $35 an hour, while more experienced ones can charge up to $65 an hour.  I was a little surprised.  She is an experienced professional organizer, because she worked for someone else.  But she hasn’t owned her own business yet.  She and I both wondered why she had to charge less.
Home Office Warrior offered the opinion that new virtual assistants (VAs) should charge less because “you get what you pay for.”  In other words, …read more

As I wandered back through the archives of HomeBizNotes in my end-of-year review, I saw lots of possibilities for home businesses. If your New Years resolution is to start a home business in 2009, I hope this list gives you inspiration.
In January, a Thursday 13 provided a list of home business opportunities
Yvonne talked with Four Ingredients Cookbook authors – maybe you have a cookbook in you, too?
A Genealogy-related business might be genetically suited to you.
Maybe Craft Shows are your passion. Developing a home business around this idea can be profitable.
In February, Mary Emma listed 13 Online …read more

In response to questions about Virtual Assisting as a home business opportunity, I am interviewing several people.  The first is Stacy Brice, founder, President and Chief Visionary Officer of AssistU.  (I can see why she is successful – what great positive enthusiasm!)  Stacy founded AssistU in March 1997 as a way to help people create the business and life they wanted.  Read more about Stacy’s journey to founding AssistU on her bio.
Questions for Stacy Brice:
1.  How did you get into the VA business?  What motivated you to start AssistU?
I got started as a VA, working for myself, because I was …read more

I usually go right to the source when I find news articles of interest, but this time, I wanted to give credit to another “work from home” blog:  Empowering Moms.  They posted an article from CNN about “Companies that will hire you to work at home.” Many new work-at-home jobs are being created, and many companies are transitioning to home-based jobs to cut costs and keep valuable employees.
The jobs in the CNN article seem to fall into a few categories:

Call centers/Advice centers.  These require you to be on the line to receive calls, which might be difficult if you have …read more

June is Family Month at Home Biz Notes. When you juggle a home business with family, defining the work-life balance can be a tricky thing.
Enter the Mary Poppins of the business world – The Virtual Assistant. Just like Mary Poppins, a well chosen virtual assistant can be anything you’d like them to be and can work some magic to boot.
Four Hour Work Week
Tim Ferris, author of the hugely popular The Four Hour Work Week highlighted the many benefits of virtual assistants and outsourcing. His premise is you are better off spending the time on the things you do well (and …read more