Ukbusinesshelp

5 Steps To Get Your Priorities Straight At Home And In Business

Operating a successful home-based business is a time-consuming endeavor. This is doubly true as work-at-home moms in that we are responsible not only for the success of our business, but for our family as well. We must be self-reliant, self-motivated, and discipline ourselves in order to attain success in both areas.

When running a business from home, its easy to let the phone calls, emails and paperwork keep you tied down, making you feel that you dont have time to take a break or to spend quality time with your family. Maybe youve noticed that you spend a little more time than youd like in front of your computer or on the phone. Maybe you see your kids acting out, trying to gain your attention. Perhaps you are seeing that this isnt the work-at-home dream you envisioned. You started out with such noble intentions, but maybe the excitement of success in your business has caused you to lose sight of the REAL reason do what you do each day. It happens to so many of us, but dont worry, help is on the way.

Below are five ideas to prioritize your life and business:

1. Be honest – You probably didnt start your work-at-home career to climb the corporate ladder of your at-home business. Chances are that you started your business with the best of intentions to be able to be at home with your children, to contribute financially to your family, or simply to have a little spending money of your own. Spend some time in prayer and ask the Lord to show you the things that you need to change.

Take a moment and honestly ask yourself how youve been handling the time commitment of owning a business:

Are you spending too much time on the phone, the computer, etc?
Are your kids spending more time than usual in front of the TV?
Do you snap at your children because of the stresses of your business?
Do you worry about your business to the point that it distracts you when you are with your family?

2. Make a list Sit down and write out a list of things that you see that youd like to change. This can be a list of things you can do differently to limit the time you spend on your business; or a list of ways you can de-stress so that you can deal kindly with your family.

3. Log your time Buy a notebook or create a spreadsheet that you can use to log the time you spend on your business each day. Make a column for each day across the top and a row of half an hour increments down the side. Every time you sit down at your desk, write IN in the box that corresponds to the time and day. Every time you leave your desk (or complete a task), fill the appropriate box with the word OUT.

At the end of the week, total up the hours each day that you have spent on business tasks. Are you surprised or is it about where you thought youd be? This can be a real eye-opener and show you in black and white if your priorities have gotten off track. Take special note for how much time you spend on e-mails and things that arent billable.

Diana Ennen of Virtual Word Publishing, http:www.virtualwordpublishing.com also recommends that you plan ahead and schedule your time. Prioritize things and have the work that will require the most effort and concentration scheduled for your peak time. Try and not get sidetracked and stay on task focusing on what you need to do. Youd be amazed how much more work you can get done by simply changing how you work e-mails. If you only answer them at set hours, you save yourself from being online all day and not accomplishing much.

4. Take a break If you get to the end of the week and your time log has you in shock, its time to take a break. If you normally work during the weekend, make it a point to take this weekend off. Shut down your email, turn off the ringer on your phone and shut the door to your office. Youll be surprised at how refreshing this will be.

Use this time off to re-evaluate how you need to be spending your time. Try to plan out when you can work on your business without losing out on time with your children. If your children are in school, make it a point to stop working when they get home. If your children are still small, maybe you can limit work hours to naptime or, if possible, have a grandparent watch them once or twice a week to allow you a bit more work time.

5. Plan an activity Now that youre ready to make a change in your routine, why not plan an activity once a week? This can be an outing with your child or just something simple like setting aside time to make cookies together.

If possible, find another work-at-home mom and hold one another accountable to keep to your new schedules. Make a weekly play date where your children can spend time together you can talk business if necessary or decide to make it a no business talk allowed discussion time.

The years that you have at home with your children are a gift as is your business. The time necessary for each will be different for every family and situation. Take the time to find what works for you and set your schedule accordingly. Make it a point to evaluate your priorities every few months to make sure that your time in spent properly. The rewards will be well worth it, when your family not only is proud of your accomplishments in your business, but also more importantly your accomplishments as their mom. Jill Hart is the founder of Christian Work at Home Moms, CWAHM.com. This site is dedicated to providing work at home moms with opportunities to promote their businesses while at the same time providing them spiritual encouragement and articles. Visit CWAHM.com for additional information. Jill and her husband, Allen of CWAHD.com (Christian Work at Home Dads) reside in Nebraska with their two children.

5 Lessons Your Kids Will Learn By Starting A Business

Kids need to be kids and enjoy their time as children. But, at the same time, as they get older, they also need to learn to make money and function in our society as responsible adults.

Oftentimes, they get a job at a Burger Joint, where they learn how to listen to a boss, and how to work with others, but then they may also have to give up some extracurricular activities, study time and time with family. Not terrible things, but enough of a challenge that many families are helping their kids start their own businesses.

Why? Lets compare the lessons your kid is learning working at a burger joint verses starting a business.

1. Responsibility.

Burger Joint: Yes, it teaches responsibility. You need to show up for work and do a good job or your boss and co-workers will get mad at you.

Entrepreneur: Teaches you responsibility as well. You need to work hard or you wont get paid.

2. The Value of a pound

Burger Joint: You learn that time is money.

Entrepreneur: You learn that creativity, ownership of responsibility and hard work is money.

3. How to Market Yourself

Burger Joint: Teaches you how to fill out an application and go on an interview to market yourself. You do this once and then youre done.

Entrepreneur: You have to market yourself and your business on an ongoing basis if you want to make any money.

4. Customer Service

Burger Joint: Service with a smile or your boss may reprimand you.

Entrepreneur: Service with a smile or you dont get repeat business and your income drops.

5. Banking Skills

Burger Joint: You learn how to collect a paycheck and how to deposit it into the bank.

Entrepreneur: You learn how to budget for advertising costs, taxes, and expenses and weigh them against your profits. You learn to deposit your income into the bank and write checks to cover expenses. You learn how business works.

As you can see, both options have benefits. As for which option youll choose? Thats up to you and your child.

Between diminishing factory orders and increasing labor and energy costs, companies that use plate metal in their fabricating processes are finding their profit margins increasingly pinched.

Yet, manufacturers must still invest in new production equipment — whether to replace obsolete equipment or to take advantage of new business opportunities — in order to remain competitive.

Manufacturers must make careful assessments when evaluating the addition of new plate-rolling equipment. Debt capital is still available to purchase new machinery, but paying back the loan will not yield a satisfactory return on investment unless the equipment adds value to the production. Unfortunately, many buyers end up purchasing equipment that lacks the capability and flexibility to meet production volumes and tolerances, simply because they don’t understand all available options and considerations.

In an effort to help manufacturers optimize plate rolling operations, 5 key considerations are offered in order to choose a proper plate bending machine.

1. Factor in the properties of the material to be rolled

Even though drawings call for a plate to be rolled down to the same dimensions, a tougher material will require a much higher-rated rolling machine. In absence of such considerations, defects will result and the manufacturer will end up with excessive scrap.

Today’s steel is much stronger and requires more strength to bend. Thanks to detailed classifications by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, countless varieties of steel abound: A36, A516 grade 70, Hardox 400500 series and AR 200300 series, for example. And these different steels require varying pressures to roll.

A metal’s temper and yield strength must be matched with the customer’s application to correctly determine the specifications of the plate roller. This is especially important since steel characteristics have changed drastically over the past couple of decades. What was once known as mild steel no longer exists.

2. Work with an equipment dealer that is willing to discuss your specific plate-rolling needs

Customers must know the correct questions to ask, in order to get the correct answers. Each manufacturer faces unique challenges, and through systematic querying an astute sales representative can determine exactly what equipment will work best for their process.

Manufacturers must also carefully consider whether they wish to roll conical or parabolic shapes to take advantage of a broader market. Hydraulically operated four-roll machines are ideal for this type of work by eliminating surface scarring, thereby decreasing the need for grinding the lamination (bullnosing) on the minor diameter edge of a cone.

Accurate conical rolling is further achieved through features such as torsion bar parallelism, as opposed to electronic systems or proportional value systems that merely maintain a theoretical balance. Finite parallelism allows the machine to be adjusted to its full conical tilt and back to parallel in only five seconds.

Customers need to discuss issues such as inside diameters, material type, tolerances and the desired shape of the finished product. As an example, some products, such as those found in the pressure vessel industry, demand a maximum of 1 percent out-of-round on their diameters or they are considered defective. By using an underpowered plate roller, too much of a barrel effect can render such a product useless and quickly erase any potential profit margin.

Matching plate-rolling equipment to the specific needs of a manufacturer requires attention to detail. It is imperative that the dealer you work with is willing to sit down with you and discuss the specific needs of your business. There are many issues that need to be addressed, many of which a purchasing manager may not initially foresee.

3. Stay within ideal operating parameters of the machine

It is recommended that manufactures identify what material and what thickness represent their highest volume of work. Then (a company) can deliver a machine that will camber to that specification, thus conserving valuable production hours and eliminating large amounts of scrap.

Quality rolling machines are usually cambered at 50 percent of the full-rated value of the machine. Hence, a 1-inch machine is cambered to roll 12-inch plate at a nearly perfect edge.

Disregarding this important fact can result in out-of-spec product that the customer will not accept. Problems most commonly arise when rollers attempt to push the upper limits of their plate roll. If 58-inch plate is rolled through a 1-inch-rated machine, a small degree of barrel effect will likely occur. This may or may not be an acceptable margin for error.

However, when plate thickness approaches the upper end of a machine’s rating, then severe defects can occur. Unless corrected with a shim, it will not be sellable. Conversely, when very thin material is rolled through a machine rated for very thick plate, the finished product may come out tighter in the center than at the ends. Again, time consuming shimming is necessitated to correct for this “hourglass” effect.

4. Carefully consider bending diameters

The tighter the diameter, the more bend pressure required. For instances where thick material must be rolled into tight inside diameters (ID), the diameter of the top roll and the layout of the machine can make the difference between a product whose cylindrical edges meet and one that won’t close.

As a rule of thumb, most machines can roll plate at 1 12 times the upper roll diameter. Hence, given a 10-inch-diameter top roll, inside diameters as tight as 15 inches can be obtained. However, new machines that incorporate planetary guides are able to keep approximately 50 percent more area of the plate under bend-pressure during the rolling operation, thereby achieving ratios of 1.1 times the upper roll diameter. This creates a 30 percent advantage on tight diameters.

All machines achieve precise measurements at 50 percent of the full-rated value. Therefore, given a 1.1 roll geometry, a 38-inch machine with a 10-inch top roller can consistently roll 316-inch plate to 11-inch ID without any barrel defect.

5. Incorporate both side and vertical supports to prevent unwanted bends

Adequate support requires both side and vertical roller-supports, as designed by the manufacturer of the plate-rolling machine. Once employed, plate rolling becomes a one-man job instead of two. This frees up valuable manpower that can be re-routed to other jobs.

When rolling a cylinder, once the inside diameter is more than 200 times greater than the thickness of the material, the weight of the material becomes sufficient to bend the cylinder as it exits the top roll and gets further away from the machine. Without proper support, unwanted radii result.

Purchasing a machine with both side and vertical roller supports easily solves this problem.Some manufacturers attempt to skimp on this ancillary equipment by resorting to “makeshift” support such as a forklift or overhead crane. However, this shortcut ties up the use of equipment that can best be utilized elsewhere. Because it cannot adequately support the material, unforeseen bends can still appear.

Who wouldn’t want to work from home? You can make your own hours, forget ever having to commute, and never have to answer to a boss. Plus, as a home based business owner, you have the potential to earn exponentially more than you ever will by punching a time clock.

Yet, there are so many home based business opportunities available that it’s often difficult to choose the one that is a good fit for you and that has the income potential that you need. To help you make your choice, here are five key elements to look for in a home based business.

1. Go with Network Marketing

While it’s true that not everyone succeeds at network marketing, the principles behind it are sound. After all, network marketing is essentially using and selling products through word of mouth. This approach allows you to reach out to an ever-growing number of people and reap the financial rewards of building your own downline. Because network marketing cuts out the middleman, your earning potential increases. In the process, you create the potential for residual income while enjoying low overhead and the opportunity to work when and where you want. Furthermore, when you take advantage of Internet-based network marketing, you are not bound by geographic boundaries; your customers and downline can reach global proportions.

2. Choose a Company that Offers Multiple Products

Every day, you use dozens of products. Some home based business opportunities focus on one product, while others focus on many. When you do the math, it’s easy to see why it’s preferable to choose a company that allows you to become a member and have access to a wide variety of products, as well as to sell those products.

3. Find Cutting Edge Products to Use and Sell

Few people need more candles, kitchenware, or knick-knacks. What they really need and want are information and mobile technology products, such as DSL, VOIP, and broadband. Baby boomers in particular are looking for values in discount shopping, travel, and professional services such as legal services and health services. Companies and entrepreneurs are always on the lookout for cutting edge business software, conference calling, SEO services, marketing products, and video production services.

4. Look for a Solid Compensation Plan

Compensation plans vary from company to company, so be sure to find one that gives you the greatest earning potential. A single paid matrix is an excellent approach, as is a 3 x 9 monthly matrix commission.

5. Gain Access to Business Building Tools

One of the premises of network marketing is that you don’t need to reinvent the wheel; the infrastructure for a successful business model already exists. When reviewing home based business opportunities, especially those that are Internet based, find one that allows you to grow your business through duplication, so that you can immediately get up and running. The company you work with should also have a support system that includes mechanisms to capture leads, create ads, and develop solid marketing strategies. Moreover, there should be a sense of community, camaraderie, and mutual support.

Launching your own home based business can not only lead you to a debt free life, but can also enable you to travel the path of true financial freedom.