<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss version="2.0"><channel><title>Home Biz Blog</title><link>http://home-business.families.com/blog/</link><description>Learn about home businesses, how to find the one that is right for you and how to make it work for you and your family here at the Families.com Home Business Blog.</description><language>en-us</language><pubDate>Sat, 21 Nov 2009 04:57:42 +0000</pubDate><lastBuildDate>Sat, 21 Nov 2009 04:57:42 +0000</lastBuildDate><ttl>60</ttl><item><title>Cancellations and Backing Out</title><link>http://home-business.families.com/blog/cancellations-and-backing-out</link><pubDate>Fri, 01 Aug 2008 03:45:57 +0000</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="true">http://home-business.families.com/blog/cancellations-and-backing-out</guid><description><![CDATA[We all have to change plans sometimes.  There are always going to be unpredictable things that pop up or the unexpected challenges that arise and force us to cancel or back out of plans or an agreement.]]></description></item><item><title>Stocking up on Office Supplies</title><link>http://home-business.families.com/blog/stocking-up-on-office-supplies</link><pubDate>Thu, 31 Jul 2008 21:17:47 +0000</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="true">http://home-business.families.com/blog/stocking-up-on-office-supplies</guid><description><![CDATA[When people think of "stocking up" during time of economic uncertainty, they often think in terms of food and basic household staples.  If you are into preparing for the future or getting good prices by buying things in bulk, you might consider applying the same strategy to your home business.]]></description></item><item><title>Having a Training and Education Plan</title><link>http://home-business.families.com/blog/having-a-training-and-education-plan</link><pubDate>Thu, 31 Jul 2008 15:49:37 +0000</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="true">http://home-business.families.com/blog/having-a-training-and-education-plan</guid><description><![CDATA[We talk about how important it is to have a business plan and a budget for a home business owner, but there are other types of planning that can be extremely beneficial too.]]></description></item><item><title>Don't Be Afraid to Ask Questions</title><link>http://home-business.families.com/blog/dont-be-afraid-to-ask-questions</link><pubDate>Thu, 31 Jul 2008 03:14:08 +0000</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="true">http://home-business.families.com/blog/dont-be-afraid-to-ask-questions</guid><description><![CDATA[We want our customers and clients to ask us questions so that we know how to better serve them but you may be hesitant to ask questions yourself.  Unfortunately, asking questions is how we gather information, find out what we need to do and even discover what the possibilities are.]]></description></item><item><title>Transparency in Your Home Business</title><link>http://home-business.families.com/blog/transparency-in-your-home-business</link><pubDate>Wed, 30 Jul 2008 19:53:14 +0000</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="true">http://home-business.families.com/blog/transparency-in-your-home-business</guid><description><![CDATA[Transparency is one of those words that pop up now and again in professional and trade articles and you may be wondering just exactly what it is and how it applies to your small, home business operation.]]></description></item><item><title>Working when You Don't Feel Like It</title><link>http://home-business.families.com/blog/working-when-you-dont-feel-like-it</link><pubDate>Wed, 30 Jul 2008 01:49:01 +0000</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="true">http://home-business.families.com/blog/working-when-you-dont-feel-like-it</guid><description><![CDATA[I know it may come as a shock to you-but I am not always motivated to work.]]></description></item><item><title>What if You Could Only Work for an Hour or 2 a Day?</title><link>http://home-business.families.com/blog/what-if-you-could-only-work-for-an-hour-or-2-a-day</link><pubDate>Tue, 29 Jul 2008 19:39:29 +0000</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="true">http://home-business.families.com/blog/what-if-you-could-only-work-for-an-hour-or-2-a-day</guid><description><![CDATA[I have days when I definitely work a "regular" work day but there are others where other areas of my life encroach.  As a home business owner, many of us face a reality where we can only work an hour or two on our business a day and we have to try to make that time count.]]></description></item><item><title>Sending Mixed Messages to Customers and Clients</title><link>http://home-business.families.com/blog/sending-mixed-messages-to-customers-and-clients</link><pubDate>Tue, 29 Jul 2008 17:21:05 +0000</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="true">http://home-business.families.com/blog/sending-mixed-messages-to-customers-and-clients</guid><description><![CDATA[We have heard about the hazards of sending mixed messages in our personal lives-to our children, when dating, or in trying to talk with other people.  Getting our messages clear and avoiding sending convoluted, mixed messages is important in our home business efforts too.]]></description></item><item><title>Include Little Extras</title><link>http://home-business.families.com/blog/include-little-extras</link><pubDate>Tue, 29 Jul 2008 01:17:32 +0000</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="true">http://home-business.families.com/blog/include-little-extras</guid><description><![CDATA[I wrote earlier today here in the Home Business blog about how focusing on living up to expectations and NOT letting customers and clients down can be a good, simple, and basic way to go about customer service.]]></description></item><item><title>Know Who Has the Buying Power</title><link>http://home-business.families.com/blog/know-who-has-the-buying-power</link><pubDate>Mon, 28 Jul 2008 19:57:49 +0000</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="true">http://home-business.families.com/blog/know-who-has-the-buying-power</guid><description><![CDATA[Have you ever found yourself making a long, elaborate sales pitch to one person-only to find out after the fact that you have been paying attention to someone who does not control the purse strings?]]></description></item><item><title>Try Not to Let Them Down</title><link>http://home-business.families.com/blog/try-not-to-let-them-down</link><pubDate>Mon, 28 Jul 2008 15:57:47 +0000</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="true">http://home-business.families.com/blog/try-not-to-let-them-down</guid><description><![CDATA[When it comes to giving good customer service, it can seem overwhelming as a new home business owner to be focusing on all the possible details of what makes a customer or client happy.]]></description></item><item><title>When Your Prices are Too High or Expensive</title><link>http://home-business.families.com/blog/when-your-prices-are-too-high-or-expensive</link><pubDate>Sun, 27 Jul 2008 21:00:51 +0000</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="true">http://home-business.families.com/blog/when-your-prices-are-too-high-or-expensive</guid><description><![CDATA[We all need to make a living and we want to get paid a fair and lucrative price for the products or services we offer in our home businesses-but sometimes we might be charging too much or the economy may shift and what we are offering is simply too expensive for our market.]]></description></item><item><title>Update Your "Job Description"</title><link>http://home-business.families.com/blog/update-your-job-description</link><pubDate>Sun, 27 Jul 2008 19:41:22 +0000</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="true">http://home-business.families.com/blog/update-your-job-description</guid><description><![CDATA[One of the realities of running our own home businesses is that we do not get to claim that something is "not in my job description" - one of the mainstays of the corporate world.]]></description></item><item><title>Looking for Collaboration Opportunities</title><link>http://home-business.families.com/blog/looking-for-collaboration-opportunities</link><pubDate>Sat, 26 Jul 2008 22:27:28 +0000</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="true">http://home-business.families.com/blog/looking-for-collaboration-opportunities</guid><description><![CDATA[Collaboration can be such a fabulous way to build a business-especially for a small home business with limited resources and a sole business owner.  Finding people with whom to collaborate and finding collaboration opportunities can be challenging, however.]]></description></item><item><title>You do Not Have to Continue Apologizing</title><link>http://home-business.families.com/blog/you-do-not-have-to-continue-apologizing</link><pubDate>Sat, 26 Jul 2008 15:11:31 +0000</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="true">http://home-business.families.com/blog/you-do-not-have-to-continue-apologizing</guid><description><![CDATA[We all make mistakes.  As much as I would like to think that after all this time, when it comes to my work world, that I no longer make silly mistakes or even big and horrendous bloopers-it just is not true.  I do make mistakes and there are regular occasions when I need to make apologies too.]]></description></item><item><title>The Car as a 'Second Office'</title><link>http://home-business.families.com/blog/the-car-as-a-second-office</link><pubDate>Fri, 25 Jul 2008 19:18:34 +0000</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="true">http://home-business.families.com/blog/the-car-as-a-second-office</guid><description><![CDATA[We often talk about the joys of flexibility as home business owners-all the ways that we can take our laptops or work to the coffee shop, park, or other location and work while we are doing other things.]]></description></item><item><title>A Blueprint for Your Business</title><link>http://home-business.families.com/blog/a-blueprint-for-your-business</link><pubDate>Fri, 25 Jul 2008 14:18:45 +0000</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="true">http://home-business.families.com/blog/a-blueprint-for-your-business</guid><description><![CDATA[If coming up with a business plan for your home business is daunting and you would rather just wing it than actually have to design a functional budget to guide your business-consider trying to build a house without having a blueprint.]]></description></item><item><title>Don't Answer E-mails when Angry</title><link>http://home-business.families.com/blog/dont-answer-e-mails-when-angry</link><pubDate>Fri, 25 Jul 2008 05:11:16 +0000</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="true">http://home-business.families.com/blog/dont-answer-e-mails-when-angry</guid><description><![CDATA[This morning when I sat down and let my e-mail inbox fill up and filter, I was feeling fairly pleasant and perky.  As I started to work through the e-mail messages, however, I opened up one that caused me to get instantaneously angry.]]></description></item><item><title>Controlling Your Clients-Good or Bad?</title><link>http://home-business.families.com/blog/controlling-your-clientsgood-or-bad</link><pubDate>Thu, 24 Jul 2008 23:11:42 +0000</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="true">http://home-business.families.com/blog/controlling-your-clientsgood-or-bad</guid><description><![CDATA[As much of a bad rap as controlling behaviors get, one would think that there is absolutely nothing positive or good that can come from someone who is controlling or overly involved with the trying to get people and situations to go 'just so.]]></description></item><item><title>Converting Prospects into Clients or Customers</title><link>http://home-business.families.com/blog/converting-prospects-into-clients-or-customers</link><pubDate>Thu, 24 Jul 2008 19:52:31 +0000</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="true">http://home-business.families.com/blog/converting-prospects-into-clients-or-customers</guid><description><![CDATA[It may seem like a mystery to the beginning home business owner-how to take complete strangers or people who have never heard about the work we do and move them along the continuum until they become loyal customers and/or clients.]]></description></item></channel></rss>