Archive for August, 2009
How come the Homeworking Book page is now Work from Home Book?
Aug 12th
Judy Heminsley's Work from Home book
If you’ve visited the site before, you might have noticed I’ve made some changes recently. Some much-needed changes, as I’ve been neglecting the site over the last few months to concentrate on promoting Work from Home.
I’m now working on increasing visitor numbers by researching keywords and adding audio and video clips. So that’s why some of the pages have changed their names (eg Homeworkers’ Rooms to My Home Office) and the free guide to overcoming isolation has been given a new provisional title of Beating the Homeworker Blues. Should you have generously linked to the site, you’ll need to check in case your links need updating following these changes.
I have to admit to being a bit of a reluctant web builder. It doesn’t come naturally, but when I put my mind to it, I’m always amazed by how addictive it becomes. I find it very satisfying to see the results up there on the screen, and it’s so fulfilling when ideas start to flow. As with many activities, the crucial part is getting started. Once you’ve done that, the momentum builds up on its own.
I hope you like the changes. There are more on the way, and some new content to add. But for now it’s back to the Google Keyword Research Tool – I sound like a real IT expert, don’t I?
A must-read for homeworkers
Aug 5th
I first heard about ‘Dig Your Well Before You’re Thirsty – The Only Networking Book You’ll Ever Need‘ years ago, but it didn’t appear to be in print in the UK and I didn’t follow up on it, partly because I share to some extent the British scepticism of American self-help books, despite having read and benefited from a few in my time. Then it was recommended again recently by Niki Hignett of www.inspired-entrepreneur.com, whose opinion I greatly respect, and this time I was able to order it from the wonderful local library.
It grabbed me from the first line and I finished it in a day. The style is friendly and down-to-earth and there are loads of stories. The chapters are short and so you keep reading on – just one more before I get back to the keyboard, put the light out etc. I think the book is so inspiring because it reminds you that business is first and foremost about people, whether they are customers, suppliers, employees or competitors, and actually they are probably much more open to being approached than you’d think.
Sitting in our back bedrooms, sheds and wherever else we perch, it’s so easy for us homeworkers to develop a kind of psychological split from the rest of the world and draw back from connecting with others. ‘They won’t be interested in me’, ‘I’m just a mum who does some freelance work’ and ‘What have I got to offer all those slick corporate types?’ are the kind of things we tend to say to ourselves.
So listen to Harvey and promise you ‘will never say no for the other guy’. Give it a try. If they do say no, try someone else. The other day I learnt that a large supplier of books has decided not to stock Work from Home because he believes it isn’t relevant to his target market. I was disappointed, but at least I asked, and actually the rejection didn’t hurt as much as I thought it would. Just wait till his customers start asking for my book!
Thanks to Harvey, I’ve got a few ideas on other people to approach. I’ll let you know how it goes and I’d love to hear any stories of breaks you’ve got by being brave and chancing an approach to someone you might have thought was out of your league.
