Starting on-line pet products website

See my other blog - http://happycatideasbyanne.blogspot.com about starting an e-commerce business from home featuring cat/pet products.

All the experts say that you should pick something you love or have an interest in - so naturally - pet products are the arena for me.

I can apply all the marketing tools that I'm learning through the Global Cash Flow Network to bring traffic to my site, utilize tax deductions by incorporating the business as an S-corporation, and limiting my personal liability, learn web-design, and hopefully make this an exciting and successful venture.

Wish me luck, and let everyone you know that there will be a new pet products on-line store soon.

Tax-time organization

Its tax time. I've found that one of the best ways to organize all the various items needed for taxes is to use several manilla enevelopes. One for income received; one for medical expenses; one for charitable contributions; one for business expenses, and one for miscellaneous items that you may need to refer to to complete your taxes. I put all the receipts in their respective envelopes and not on the back of the envelope what each expense is for as I go along. I've heard that Quick-Books is also good for this, but I haven't had time to purchase that yet, as everytime a store has a promotion for this product, it is already sold out by the time I try to order it on-line or go to the store.

Don't forget about vehicle expenses and home-office expenses as deductions for your taxes. A portion of your annual utilities is deductible, but only based on a percentage of your total square footage. In addition, your home-office must be separate from other parts of your home, and should be allocated only for the home-based business. Talk to your tax professional about this issue.

Taking a vacation but stll in touch with internet business

Although working at home is much better than commuting to a job, everyone needs to take a vacation every now and then. So, I'm in Daytona Beach, Florida for six days. Arrived yesterday, and the weather is beautiful. I brought my laptop with me, so actually, I can work from here on my internet home-based business while sitting on the beach. I've checked my website statistics, updated my blog, checked my e-mail, and am going to find some places that I might be able to do some affliate programs/marketing with. If you take a vacation, always use the time to organize your thoughts, come up with some new marketing strategies, investigate new avenues for advertising, and work on business/tax planning. I have a notepad with me, so I can jot down any ideas I come up with while lying by the pool or on the beach. In the meantime, I'm enjoying the sand, sun and surf, even though the ocean is too cold for me to swim in. I did get my toes wet, however, and took a nice long walk on the beach.

The hotel I'm staying at - Daytona Beach Oceanside Inn- has in -oom Wi-Fi access, so my laptop is working fine. Always take your laptop with you on vacation, because you never know when you might come up with a brillant idea that you want to implement, or just to stay in touch with what's going on with your own internet home-based business.

If you want to find out if a home-based business is for you, go to www.24hourwebcash.com/slevin4489 or www.mywebcashstore.com/slevin4489

Today's new tip for organization

Be sure your home office has plenty of space for all your paperwork. I think a separate file cabinet is a good idea, so that everything is in one place. One drawer for accounting stuff, one drawer for advertising/marketing stuff, a separate shelf or cabinet for office supplies (paper, ink, envelopes, stationery, etc.). Try to keep paperwork for the same issue together. I've also found that several binders/notebooks are essential. One binder keeps my statistics together on site traffic, one binder has my mailing lists, another binder has my business expenses, etc. This way I'm always organized. However, you have to be willing to take the time to keep your filing up to date, so the stacks of paper will not become overwhelming, and so you can find what you need when you need it.

More work-at-home ideas for February

Baby, it's cold outside. No, actually it warmed up to freezing temperture today and yesterday. It's been quite a while since it was above 32 degrees here in Zion. But that's okay, Spring will be here before you know it.

Here's my latest work at home tips. Keep you home office organized and separate from the rest of your living space. This is essential for tax purposes, as well, but helps to keep you focused on the business at hand. My in-home office is on the lower level of my townhome, and has my desk, chair, file cabinets, fax machine, computer, printer, etc. are in one place. I have an "inbox" just like in a professional setting, and also a "waiting to be filed" box. I find that this way, the top of my desk is more organized, and if I'm in the middle of something, it doesn't get confused with all the other things on my desk.

Because the lower level tends to get colder than the upper levels, I have a small heater by my desk, so that I stay comfortable. You need to feel comfortable in your home-office, and not have an excuse to leave before you finish whatever you set as you goal for accomplishing on that particular day. I also try to set a specific time frame that I will spend on my home-based business everyday. Some days I need more time than other days, if I have to renew my classified ads, write more copy, update my blogs, keep my record-keeping up to date. Other days, I can spend less time on specific tasks, but can catch up on my filing, replishing my office supplies, etc.

I'm going to incorporate my home-based business this month, as I think that this will be a savvy move to make my home-based business more credible with future affliate progams, limit my liability, and make my focus on my home-based business even more concentrated. I'm looking into various products to promote on a new website, and will continue to learn more and more about marketing and advertising techniques that can make my business more profitable. If you're thinking about incorporating your home-based business, be sure to talk to a professional tax advisor for the pros and cons of this decision. You might also need to consult an attorney for advice on setting up a S-Corporation, unless your CPA or other accounting professional can do it for you.

Remember, that you will have to work at whatever your home-based business is, keeping it fresh, inviting, finding new products, producing traffic to your site, etc. It won't happen by itself, and will require hard work on your part. No "pie in the sky" promises should be taken seriously. I've found that you get very little success for free or without some work involved.

I'll post again soon. To see my ideas for keeping my cats happy, be sure to see my other blog - http://happycatideasbyanne.blogspot.com