Edward B. Toupin
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Published in 2001 by Edward B. Toupin, Las Vegas, NV, United States. Copyright © 2001, Edward B. Toupin. All rights reserved. Manufactured in the United States of America.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording, or otherwise without the prior written permission of Edward B. Toupin.
Contact the publisher at publish@toupin.com and the author at etoupin@toupin.com.Visit the online library at http://www.toupin.com/library/. Provide your feedback at http://www.toupin.com/library/form_main.html.
Table of Contents
List of Tables .......................................................................................................................................vii
Why do it? ...........................................................................................................................................1
Can I do it?..........................................................................................................................................2
What do I do? ......................................................................................................................................2
How do I do it? ....................................................................................................................................2
Influencing Factors ..............................................................................................................................3
Do I have what it takes?.......................................................................................................................4
Making It Happen ................................................................................................................................6
Preparing Your Plan ............................................................................................................................9
Set Yourself Up .................................................................................................................................10
Prepare Your Business ......................................................................................................................10
Market Your Product or Service .........................................................................................................10
Pack Away the Money .......................................................................................................................11
Easy Does It......................................................................................................................................11
Quit Your Job ....................................................................................................................................11
Determining the Objectives ................................................................................................................13
Steps to Defining your Objectives ..................................................................................................14
Defining Your Mission........................................................................................................................15
Steps to Creating the Mission Statement .......................................................................................16
Defining Your Vision ..........................................................................................................................17
Steps to Creating the Vision Statement..........................................................................................17
Redefining Your Goals.......................................................................................................................18
Steps to Defining Goals .................................................................................................................19
Establishing an Action Plan ...............................................................................................................19
Steps to Creating the Action Plan ..................................................................................................20
The Basic Business Plan ...................................................................................................................20
Establish Yourself..............................................................................................................................24
Locating a Job ...................................................................................................................................25
Make Yourself Known........................................................................................................................26
The Presentation ...............................................................................................................................27
Interviews ..........................................................................................................................................28
Offers and Acceptance ......................................................................................................................30
Possible Telecommuting Jobs............................................................................................................32
Business Ideas ....................................................................................................................................35
Business Consulting ..........................................................................................................................35
Booklet Publishing .............................................................................................................................40
Home-Based Typing ..........................................................................................................................41
Personal Factors ...........................................................................................................................42
Imagination....................................................................................................................................42
Ensuring Success and Survival......................................................................................................43
Lack of Money is No Excuse for Failure .........................................................................................43
Your Banker ..................................................................................................................................44
Naming Your Business ..................................................................................................................44
Pricing...........................................................................................................................................45
Service Guidelines.........................................................................................................................45
Pace Yourself................................................................................................................................45
Information Brokering ........................................................................................................................46
Phone Counselor...............................................................................................................................47
How do you qualify? ......................................................................................................................48
How do I get started? ....................................................................................................................48
Ok, I can read tarot. Now what?....................................................................................................49
How does this work? .....................................................................................................................49
What's the catch? ..........................................................................................................................50
For you, I see ... ............................................................................................................................50
Resume Writing.................................................................................................................................50
Setting Up .....................................................................................................................................52
Resumes and Cover Letters ..........................................................................................................52
Marketing ......................................................................................................................................53
Interviewing the Client ...................................................................................................................54
Preparing the Resume...................................................................................................................55
Fees for Your Service....................................................................................................................56
Cover Letter ..................................................................................................................................56
Make It Happen.............................................................................................................................56
Self-Publishing ..................................................................................................................................57
Find Your Market...........................................................................................................................57
Cash in on Your Creativity and Expertise.......................................................................................58
Packaging .....................................................................................................................................58
Focus on Salable Material .............................................................................................................58
Fill the Material with Benefits .........................................................................................................59
Emotional Appeal ..........................................................................................................................59
Advertising ....................................................................................................................................59
Remote Temporary Help....................................................................................................................61
Creating the Organization ..................................................................................................................69
Sole Proprietorship ........................................................................................................................70
Partnership....................................................................................................................................70
Limited Liability Company ..............................................................................................................71
Corporation ...................................................................................................................................72
The IRS.............................................................................................................................................73
Payroll Taxes ................................................................................................................................73
Federal Income Tax Obligations ....................................................................................................74
Sales Tax ......................................................................................................................................75
State Tax.......................................................................................................................................76
Insurance ..........................................................................................................................................76
Business Resources ..........................................................................................................................77
Writing Free Content..........................................................................................................................80
Using the Internet to Promote ............................................................................................................81
Web Site Madness ........................................................................................................................81
Discussion Groups ........................................................................................................................82
Zines .............................................................................................................................................82
Newsgroups ..................................................................................................................................83
Why so many?...................................................................................................................................85
I'm over here! ....................................................................................................................................86
The Search Methods .........................................................................................................................87
Using a Tool ......................................................................................................................................88
The Presentation ...............................................................................................................................88
What's next?......................................................................................................................................88
What can I do? ..................................................................................................................................91
How do I smell?.................................................................................................................................92
Locating Opportunities.......................................................................................................................92
Search Sites..................................................................................................................................93
Other Resources ...........................................................................................................................93
Make Yourself Known........................................................................................................................94
The Interview.....................................................................................................................................94
Landing a Job....................................................................................................................................95
Wear Your Pajamas to Work Day .................................................................................................... 101
Combining Work and Home............................................................................................................. 102
Your Home Office ............................................................................................................................ 104
Can your business thrive out of your home? ................................................................................ 104
Dealing with Customers and Suppliers......................................................................................... 105
Neighbors and Family.................................................................................................................. 106
Being Your Own Boss ................................................................................................................. 106
Professionalism ........................................................................................................................... 107
Healthy Lifestyle .......................................................................................................................... 107
Work Hours ................................................................................................................................. 108
Legal Restrictions ............................................................................................................................ 108
Tips to Help You Telecommute Successfully.................................................................................... 109
Before You Quit............................................................................................................................... 111
Quit—With Dignity! .......................................................................................................................... 112
Things to be aware of... ................................................................................................................... 113
Security....................................................................................................................................... 113
Socializing and Being Liked ......................................................................................................... 114
Promotion and Visibility ............................................................................................................... 114
Fear ............................................................................................................................................ 115
Bartering for Work ....................................................................................................................... 115
Sure, I'll Do It For Free! ............................................................................................................... 116
Starting Out ..................................................................................................................................... 117
If You Schedule It, Make It Happen.................................................................................................. 119
Last Minute Scheduling ................................................................................................................... 119
A12. Business Plan .......................................................................................................................143
Information Resources..................................................................................................................... 144
A13. Job Search Checklist ............................................................................................................147
Table 1: Potential Telecommuting Jobs..................................................................................................32
List of Figures
Figure 1: Creating Your Goals................................................................................................................18
About The Author
Edward B. Toupin is a freelance consultant, writer, and published author living in Las Vegas. He currently handles technical writing tasks for various companies in New York, Chicago, and Denver as well as imagineers and markets feature-length and short screenplays.
Edward provides quality Web site design, development, and marketing as well as writing, document design and planning, and e-book publishing services. You can visit his Web site at http://www.toupin.com or contact him at etoupin@toupin.com.
AcknowledgementsFirst and foremost, I want to thank my clients and my friends for supporting me when I decided to take the leap into the telecommuting lifestyle. It was very much like skydiving for the first time—massive fear and adrenaline until you land on the ground. If you get it right once, you want to do it again and again.
Above all, I want to thank my wife for not passing out the day I showed up at home for lunch—and never went back. Through my odd little twists and turns in my latest endeavors, even though you didn't understand everything I did, you have been most supportive! Thank you.
Preface