Con's:

• Voice strain. If you're not accustomed to talking continuously for long periods of time, you might find your throat hur
  Buckle Your Seat Belt: 8 Career Planning Steps to Help You Over the Rough Spots
  This article is about getting your career on the right track. STOP reading NOW if you are not committed to succeed next year!You've seen the headlines. You've heard the reports and know that there are big shakeups in the employment market."If we don't change the direction we're going, we're going to end up where we're headed." —Chinese ProverbYou must be asking yourself, "What does it mean for the future of the working professional? What does
  Janelle Delacorte has been happily answering calls for the Home Shopping Network and various infomercials since November 2004.

  Several nights out of the week she tucks the kids in to bed, turns around, takes 20 or so odd steps, and arrives at the office. In her pajama's, no less.

  Janelle is a telecommuter.

  According to the 2004 ITAC American Interactive Consumer Survey, she's one of 24.1 million people who is employed by a company, and works from home. And as you can imagine, she loves her job.

  In a recent interview she confided with me about the pro's and con's of telecommuting.

  Pro's:

  • Working at home - especially if you have children. Janelle has a 1 and 3 year old. Having the kids at home with her has saved their family tens of thousands of dollars in day care costs.

    "I was a latch key kid growing up, and that's not something I wanted for my children," she says. "By working at home I've been able to see them pass all of their major milestones, and I'm very grateful for that."

  • Being able to choose your own hours. The company Janelle works for routes calls 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Even better, she can work in 30 minute increments, not a straight 8 hour shift as you would in a traditional office.

    This enables her to work while the kids are asleep. And even if she wants to squeeze in a 1/2 hour during their nap time, she can do so.

  • Not having to commute. Los Angeles - where Janelle lives - has the worst rush hour traffic in the United States, according to the American Automobile Association. Not to mention some of the highest gas prices.

    Janelle's family has saved over $200 dollars a month by eliminating her daily commute to the office.

  • Not having to invest in office attire. With two toddler age children, and a new car, Janelle's family expenses expanded dramatically in the past 3 years. However with a cut in certain expenses, like office clothes, they've been able to allocate that money to their newest bills, without feeling overwhelmed.

  Con's:

  • Voice strain. If you're not accustomed to talking continuously for long periods of time, you might find your throat hur
    Capture Clients' Attention - Sharing Success - and the Death of Prospecting!
    We live in a world where we are bombarded with four thousand marketing messages each day, where many struggle to keep on top of the “spam-stuffed inbox”, where every market has more sellers than buyers, where a whole new set of rapid-relationship skills are called for.While some bemoan the passing of a slower-paced world, the “attention-deficit economy” is the land of opportunity for others. So how do you capture the attention of prospective customers?Networking and the de
    works from home. And as you can imagine, she loves her job.

    In a recent interview she confided with me about the pro's and con's of telecommuting.

    Pro's:

    • Working at home - especially if you have children. Janelle has a 1 and 3 year old. Having the kids at home with her has saved their family tens of thousands of dollars in day care costs.

      "I was a latch key kid growing up, and that's not something I wanted for my children," she says. "By working at home I've been able to see them pass all of their major milestones, and I'm very grateful for that."

    • Being able to choose your own hours. The company Janelle works for routes calls 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Even better, she can work in 30 minute increments, not a straight 8 hour shift as you would in a traditional office.

      This enables her to work while the kids are asleep. And even if she wants to squeeze in a 1/2 hour during their nap time, she can do so.

    • Not having to commute. Los Angeles - where Janelle lives - has the worst rush hour traffic in the United States, according to the American Automobile Association. Not to mention some of the highest gas prices.

      Janelle's family has saved over $200 dollars a month by eliminating her daily commute to the office.

    • Not having to invest in office attire. With two toddler age children, and a new car, Janelle's family expenses expanded dramatically in the past 3 years. However with a cut in certain expenses, like office clothes, they've been able to allocate that money to their newest bills, without feeling overwhelmed.

    Con's:

    • Voice strain. If you're not accustomed to talking continuously for long periods of time, you might find your throat hur
      Declare It And Then List It
      There are two principals that are effective in getting attention as well as delivering credibility for your advertising claims.First - is the concept of the declarative statement. This is declaring that you are saying is truth, assuming that it is. In this, there is no room for ambiguity, for argument or doubt- it is so! An example of this would be: "all people want income security", or, "you will sleep better if your assets are protected", or, "maintenance is always less expensive than repair
      ed for my children," she says. "By working at home I've been able to see them pass all of their major milestones, and I'm very grateful for that."

    • Being able to choose your own hours. The company Janelle works for routes calls 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Even better, she can work in 30 minute increments, not a straight 8 hour shift as you would in a traditional office.

      This enables her to work while the kids are asleep. And even if she wants to squeeze in a 1/2 hour during their nap time, she can do so.

    • Not having to commute. Los Angeles - where Janelle lives - has the worst rush hour traffic in the United States, according to the American Automobile Association. Not to mention some of the highest gas prices.

      Janelle's family has saved over $200 dollars a month by eliminating her daily commute to the office.

    • Not having to invest in office attire. With two toddler age children, and a new car, Janelle's family expenses expanded dramatically in the past 3 years. However with a cut in certain expenses, like office clothes, they've been able to allocate that money to their newest bills, without feeling overwhelmed.

    Con's:

    • Voice strain. If you're not accustomed to talking continuously for long periods of time, you might find your throat hur
      Labor Costs for Car Washes on the Rise Again
      The car wash industry is having problems due to increased labor costs. Right now it seems as if the average amount paid per hour to the workers is $6.50 per hour just to start and the average wage across United States for car washes is $7.10 per hour of course also understand that these employees also get tips from the customers. And therefore some of these carwash employees especially those who are drying the cars off are making well over $10 per hour. That is a pretty good job for that basic labo
      ven if she wants to squeeze in a 1/2 hour during their nap time, she can do so.

    • Not having to commute. Los Angeles - where Janelle lives - has the worst rush hour traffic in the United States, according to the American Automobile Association. Not to mention some of the highest gas prices.

      Janelle's family has saved over $200 dollars a month by eliminating her daily commute to the office.

    • Not having to invest in office attire. With two toddler age children, and a new car, Janelle's family expenses expanded dramatically in the past 3 years. However with a cut in certain expenses, like office clothes, they've been able to allocate that money to their newest bills, without feeling overwhelmed.

    Con's:

    • Voice strain. If you're not accustomed to talking continuously for long periods of time, you might find your throat hur
      San Francisco Office Space
      The Bay Area in San Francisco is the central point of San Francisco's skyline and its business district. It is an outstanding sight with a unique architectural style that symbolizes the ultimate location, tenant coziness, great services as well as excellent materials and finishes. The Bay Area has many signature buildings in the landscape that offer great appeal for office space.In San Francisco, the trend of the future is the innovation of shared office space. Offering a new approach to offic
      ice attire. With two toddler age children, and a new car, Janelle's family expenses expanded dramatically in the past 3 years. However with a cut in certain expenses, like office clothes, they've been able to allocate that money to their newest bills, without feeling overwhelmed.

    Con's:

    • Voice strain. If you're not accustomed to talking continuously for long periods of time, you might find your throat hurting for the first week or so until your body adapts.

      "When I began answering calls for the infomercial people I had to read a relatively long script, depending on the product being sold. Those first few days were murder on my throat," says Janelle.

      Her solution was to keep a warm cup of tea nearby, as well as a glass of room temperature water with lemon.

      "It's very important to keep your throat hydrated with the right things, or you'll lose your steam very early on," she advises.

    • The pay can be volatile for those who are new to the game. Janelle get's paid anywhere from $.17-$.27 per minute when she's on the phone with a customer. So if you choose a slow period, you could literally make less than a dollar an hour.

      "When I first started with HSN I would have really busy times when I'd be on the phone for almost the entire hour. Then there would be times when the phone would ring 1 or 2 times," she says.

      "Now before I book my hours I look at what's going to be selling during that time frame. Some items just attract a lot more buyers. So I schedule my work time around those hot sellers, and my checks have been getting consistently better."

      She advises workers in her field to keep a diary of what's selling when they work, so they'll know where the most calls come from.

    • Not having a separate worklife away from home. Janelle says she sometimes misses the adult companionship and change of pace that an outside office provides.

      "Yes, I sometimes long for a little watercooler banter," she laughs. "But when I can roll out of bed, put on my headset and start work anytime of the day or night, I realize that I still have one of the best jobs in the world."