Business Ideas Centre

There are many major differences between online banking and offline banking; if you are presently undecided between your current, limited offline bank and opening a new online bank account, you should take some time to thoroughly evaluate your choices.

What’s so good about opening an online banking account?

An online banking account will make it easy to do all your transactions and bill- paying at home whenever you want; whereas someone who doesn’t have an online banking account will have to make a trip to the local bank and sort everything out there. When you have bills to pay it’s easier to switch on the computer rather than running down to the bank. You also can’t delay trips to the bank; when a bill has to be paid, it has to be done on time, unless you want to pay additional fees and risk losing a good relationship with your creditor.

However, there are some benefits to using an offline banking account over an online account. One benefit is going over to the bank and being able to talk to someone face to face if you have a problem with your account. You can speak with a bank employee who will help you through the problem and will assist you in any possible way; and can even inform you of what went wrong.

Do you live within walking distance of your bank? Then another advantage is the exercise that you will get from walking down to the bank.

Other advantages of online banking are being able to make transactions 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. If you give the order outside of regular banking hours, your order will be executed as soon as the bank opens. Do you want to check time deposit rates? No problem, just go online and you won’t have to listen to some music while you are put on hold for twenty minutes, while the operator is trying to find the right person to connect you to.

If there is a problem with your online bank account you may send the bank an email. You can call the bank for urgent problems and since it is an online bank they have a lot less incoming calls than an offline bank. Meaning you will get an answer much faster.

These are just a few advantages and disadvantages you can factor in when you make the decision, but ultimately, the choice will be up to you.

Have we all forgotten about the greatest action movie of all time? Did we forget how original of a concept it was? If you were young at the time this movie came out, you thought it was the coolest thing in the world. Well, I must admit, I was one of the people to forget about how amazing this movie was. After watching it on direct tv channels in Texas the other day, I was reminded that it was once my favorite action movie of all time. It might be my favorite action movie of all time once again. Have I kept you in suspense? I’ll give you a hint: “Yippe Kayae!” That’s not the whole quote and I’m not sure if spelled it right, but I’m sure you can figure it out.

The movie is Die Hard. Oh, man. When that movie first came out I watched it about seven times. A terrorist taking everyone hostage in a skyscraper? That might not sound so outlandish today, but back then it was ridiculously original. And Bruce Willis having to come and save the day, sneaking around the building to get to the bad guys and save everyone without being detected. I’m not from the south, but I have to say “Dang!” If for some reason you haven’t seen Die Hard yet, get on that right away, dude!

For a small business trying to decide on a network solution which will be required to support video conferencing …. the journey can be aggravating.

Basically ….. Give me an open check and I will spend every dime on bandwidth pipes. Give me a fixed budget and I will squeeze every dime of bandwidth with compression techniques and accept the quality trade off.

Therein lies the dilemma ….. bandwidth vs quality.

So this is really not a question of bandwidth, but QoS (Quality of Service).

If you’re willing to accept some risk in QoS to keep your budget under control…..there are options open to you.

With the bandwidth, you would scale to the number of users using the video/multimedia streaming network. About 384kbps per active connection per direction is the scaling for basic video conferencing(320×240). For 640×480 double it, and for 1080i HD 3-7Mbps for each feed.

LAN – Local Area Network, the one you buy and build WAN – The one you lease and pay for, DSL etc DSL – Digital Subscriber Line, 3-7Mbps VPN – Virtual Private Networking, key technology for your solution

For your LAN network topology you want Ethernet at each video conferencing location. This is standard for most all LANs. Your WAN or Wide Area Network connection is the one that needs speculation. Just 10 years ago your choice would have been either a few T-1’s at 1.5Mbps each, T-3 at 45Mbps, or Fibre for near limitless bandwidth depending on the above calculated bandwidth need.

Today’s internet backbone is much more developed and can handle VPN over cable/DSL very well. VPN is creating a virtual software driven dedicated connection over a broadband connection like DSL.

Many (Linksys) network routers come with VPN capabilities. This should be the first solution attempt because it is exponentially cheaper than any other way. All you would require is a VPN router (Linksys $100) and 3-7Mbps DSL/Cable at each video feed location. Don’t forget to get static IP’s for each DSL location so you can make your VPN a permanent structure of the internet.

That’s the basics. If you need help finding a DSL or cable provider in your area that won’t steal your wallet …. visit us at Broadband Nation.

Agricultural mortgage rates are very similar to a regular bank rate, yet they have their own distinct characteristics. An agricultural mortgage rate is different from a consumer mortgage rate with its flexible payment option, its tenure period and other such terms and conditions. The main difference lies in certain options offered by the mortgage lenders of agricultural mortgages, such as – the low interest rates, the flexible repayment options like interest only payments, transferable loans (especially from one generation to another), periodic payment choice etc. There are specialized mortgage brokers and mortgage companies that offer this wide range of options customized to your personal needs. An agricultural mortgage not only offers capital for farm development or farm purchase, but it also covers other types of mortgages to purchase or develop rural properties such as pasture, catteries, gardens, nurseries etc. Many such properties fall under agricultural mortgages with flexible rural mortgage rates. A rural mortgage rate depends on various elements like the prevailing market condition and market rate, the type of interest rate, the type of mortgage, the tenure period, the principal amount, the borrower’s credit record and income, the equity value of the mortgaged property, the terms set by the mortgage lender and the mortgage broker etc. The rate of an agricultural mortgage falls under two basic categories –

Introduction

The essay looks at key human resource issues likely to be faced by Macro X company upon expanding into the international market. Owing to the fact that the company already markets its products in the European market, then chances of succeeding in the international market are high. Besides this, the company has a solid human resource background characterised by performance management systems, strong commitment to learning and development, mechanisms for employee involvement and sophisticated selection and recruitment methods. (Wilkins, 2004)

Numerous companies have considered international expansion as an option both within the European Union and without. This is because international expansion provides millions of consumers at a business’s disposal. However, these benefits do no come easily. The essay shall examine the challenges, methods of tackling these challenges and organisational changes that can enhance internationalisation.

Key HR issues likely to be faced by Macro X

Twenty years ago, international business had been a reserve for large multinational corporations alone. However, globalisation has changed this attitude, these days even small companies consider international expansion as a viable option. Going global presents numerous advantages but there are still so many other human resource issues that the company has to deal with.

Companies that choose to go global have the opportunity of harnessing opportunities that they would not have access to in their own markets. If Macro X chooses to go global, then they will have heightened their performance over and above their competitors. Besides that, the company will get an opportunity to access suppliers who may be more cost effective than their local counterparts. As if the latter are not enough, going global will allow the latter company to mitigate its risks. This is because by marketing one’s products across a wide range of companies, then one reduces their level of dependence on a particular supply chain, production method and or sourcing method. Going global makes it possible for companies to access fresh talent pools; For Macro X, they stand to gain access to some of the creative minds in the computer games industry especially from the United States and the Asian market. By doing this, the company will be increasing their growth rates.

Initial project plan for organisation’s internal strategy

Given the above advantages, the latter company must make several decisions regarding their expansion strategy. First, the company could analyse which countries are the most profitable or the most promising. The company also has to consider the most appropriate time to make this move. Besides, that, it is also necessary to look at some of the macro economic factors that are likely to affect the company’s expansion process. This means that an in depth look at how global trade is currently being run needs to be taken into account. In line with these considerations, Macro X also has to take into account the political issues within target markets. It is most appropriate for the company to consider countries that have earned a reputation for being economist/ investment hot spots. Besides that, the company needs to look at issues such as climate or health threats. (Brewer, 2003)

Given the current economic conditions, it would most favourable for Macro X to consider the Asian countries. Examples here include Thailand, India and China. These latter mentioned countries have attracted numerous foreign investments owing to their incentives. Besides that, the latter countries’ economies have been performing very well in the past years. This means that Macro X will have a cushion for their operations  there and will not have to worry about regulatory concerns. The latter countries are also quite viable owing to the availability of computer related items i.e. it is dependable there. The quality of labour within these countries is also quite high and is very affordable in comparison to workers in the European market. Foreign exchange risks in these countries are also relatively low compared to what other companies offer. These facts indicate that Macro X stands to minimise problems in the supply chain by using such an approach. . (Wallerstein, 2000)

Macro X should also look at the most applicable business model to use in the international market. The company needs to be ready for handling numerous markets at the same time. The company should also focus on creating a substantial market base within the respective market countries. This is because one must look at these three options

In the case of Macro X, it would be more appropriate to create new brands for the local market. This is because if the company adopt purely international tactics in the target markets, then it will lack a local touch and may never be fully accepted.

The company should also change its business processes in such a manner that it incorporates the respective locals. This is because doing so will encourage diversity. Successful multinationals are those ones that have a diverse workforce. This goes a long way in ensuring that problems are solved using a  conceptual framework. Macro X should realise that the use of a formulaic approach to problem solving will not work in the international arena.

It is necessary for the company to incorporate local business cultures within its own operations. If the company carries its business practices from the European continent into other international markets without changing them, then it is likely to face numerous hurdles while implementing them. Consequently, it would be more favourable to change business culture to suit respective environments. In line with the latter strategy, the company should also incorporate the rule of law within those respective countries. Some countries have very high standards for the rule of law while others do not. Besides that, the company should be more ready for different financial systems. Some countries highly regulate their money market and accessibility to financial markets in such countries may be difficult. It would therefore be necessary for the company to look for alternative methods of financing itself if the laws within the target countries happen to be less stringent. (Dunning, 2001)

Another crucial aspect that will form part of the global strategy of the Macro X company is the issue of governance structures. Once the company goes global, it will be catering to a wider range of stakeholders. Consequently, there will be need to integrate them in the governance structures. In line with this thought, the company should take corporate social responsibility very seriously. This means that the company should apply ethical standards and procedures when doing business with local contractors and suppliers too. On top of that, the company needs to ensure that they exceed local standards of production because they need to have an edge over their competitors.

Macro X should also be aware about the reporting duties to the mother company in the UK. This will be largely governed by the stakeholders involved and the nature of the regulatory laws within the respective countries.

Horizontal integration

The company should consider horizontal integration as a viable option where horizontal integration in this case refers to the process of acquiring businesses that operate within the same level or category of the value chain. The company should examine all the products and services that relate to it and see which ones are most viable. Taking the example of a company such as Standard Oil Company of the US; the company horizontally integrated its production process by acquiring forty refineries. The company chose the most directly related service i.e. companies that deal with oil purification. Another example of a company that horizontally integrated was the Harley Davidson Company. This company was a motorcycle manufacturer but decided to venture into motorcycle utilities by acquiring companies that specialised in those products. (Buckley and Casson, 2006)

Macro X should consider horizontal integration as an option because they stand to benefit tremendously from such an approach. If the company chooses to horizontally integrate, then they can benefit from economies of scale. The company will increase its production capacities thus bringing about greater savings from these larger numbers. The second advantage of horizontally integrating is that the company will tap the economies of scope. This refers to the use of similar resources for the same product. The company will have the benefit of synergising the common resources with companies they plan to horizontally integrate with. The other major advantage of such an approach is the fact that the company can gain greater access to supplier chains and other members of the value chain. The latter would have been exceptionally difficult if the company tried to access the market on their own, as they would have minimal influence within those foreign markets. Besides that, the company will also go a long way in ensuring that they have reduced the cost of doing international trade. This will be possible if the company opts to transfer some of its production services to countries that charge lower costs. Since the company specialises in the production of personal computers, then it would be favourable to take the technical aspects to Asian countries and direct its other types of services to the western world which speaks the same language as their mother company.

It is possible for the company to take advantage of some of the perceptions that consumers have about their products. For instance, the company would still offer a wide range of products under a similar name after establishing themselves within the respective market. This means that synergy need not apply to only one particular product alone. (Wallerstein, 2000)

It should be noted that the pursuance of horizontal strategies cannot be considered a bed of roses for Macro X. the company is likely to encounter some problems along the way. Therefore, it is necessary for the company to study respective countries and then decide whether to horizontally integrate its products there. For instance, the company is likely to have problems if it chooses to horizontally integrate in a country that is saturated with the commodity. In this case, the company may face anti-trust issues where it may loose millions in court battles with companies who feel threatened by their integration. Therefore, horizontal integration will not wok in all the foreign countries chosen for investment.

It should be noted that some products seem connected but they may not be in actual sense. Taking the example of computer software and hardware, one might imagine that horizontally integrating companies that deal with computer hardware and software may bring about economies of scale. However, this perception is quite misleading. As a matter of fact, numerous companies have wasted their resources doing this yet they got no substantial economic benefits. The company could integrate seemingly related commodities only after doing a thorough research in that particular country to ensure that they will receive tangible benefits by doing this.

It is essential for the company to remember that the benefits of horizontal integration do not come easily. It will take a while before the company begins realising cost savings. Consequently, the company should stick to its company strategy as it expands the business because this will be the guideline for implementing horizontal strategies. Jumping from one approach to another could only bring about problems for the respective company.    (Alfaro, 2003)

Vertical integration

Vertical integration is another option that the company should consider while entering the international market. This may be described as the process by which firms acquire companies that operate in different levels of the value chain. It should be noted that integration can occur either forward or backward. There are a variety of reasons why Macro X should consider this method as a viable option. First of all, the company will reduce the level of uncertainties in certain parts of the value chain. Additionally, the company will reduce costs of conducting transactions between these levels of the value chain.

The issue of vertical integration has brought about great benefits. Taking the example of the United States; this country created a amass market during the nineteen sixties only through the process of vertically integrated corporations The corporations had the following elements:

At that time, the latter qualities necessitated the use of various divisions within single enterprises thus bringing about the notion of vertical integration. (Williamson, 2001)

When Macro X chooses to vertically integrate their commodities and services, then they will be making an otherwise external process to become an internal one. This means that the company will have acquired an advantage that their competitors can only imagine. This is possible owing to the fact that vertical integration will be a way of allowing the respective company to respond to the technical aspects of their operations. However, it should be noted that other industries necessitate greater levels of coordination than others, consequently, if vertical integration occurs across borders, then it would be difficult to coordinate them. In this case, the computer games industry is one such industry. The company would be faced with major difficulties trying to deal with different aspects of production from different countries. This means that the company will only reap the benefits of vertical integration if it restricted these to value chain levels within the same country.

Despite these anomalies in the process, the firm will be able to enhance their revenue through the approach. Additionally, the company will also avoid the issue of perfect competition. Perfect competition makes Macro X particularly susceptible to normal levels of economic returns. The returns will be greatly increased if the company chooses to vertically integrate their products or services.

The following aspects are key to the success of the company is it considers to vertically integrate

The company ought to ensure that their vertical integration strategies are unique. This means that the company ought to look for new ways of transacting using this approach. By so doing, the company will have made their benefits above average. However, the definition of rarity largely depends on the value created by the integration and not on how common this kind of strategy is in the industry. (Wells and Fagre, 2002)

In the event that the vertical integration strategies are not that rare, then the company should ascertain that they are at least costly to imitate. By doing this, the company will have substantially improved their competitive levels.  It should be noted that the definition of rarity does not just depend on the nature of the vertical integration; instead, it depends on the sort of value created by the commodity if a competitor chooses to imitate it. Rarity comes about as result of historical uniqueness that is only synonymous to a certain company. It also comes about as a result of the social complexity that is unique to the commodity. A service or product maybe socially complex when small numbers of marketers exist. Besides that, if the capital requirement required for the service are prohibitive. Besides that, it is also possible to create rarity by causal ambiguity.

Vertical integration may be done either through internal development or through acquisition. In internal development, the company chooses to change the way they go about their production process. However, in acquisition, the firm owns a supplier. But in either case, the company will expand its boundaries so as to accommodate the new team player. (Alfaro, 2003)

The company should be very careful about organising their functions. This means that the level of competition and cooperation between these separate entities needs to be kept in check. The time horizon is another thing that should be organised so as to make vertical integration effective. Lastly, the company should ensure that the desired value of the chain will be achieved and that there will be effective cooperation between the two functions.

Conclusion

Profits may only be realised after considering the various obstacles and challenges. These include language barriers, cultural differences, currency differences, availability of skills, disparities in management structures between the investing country and the target country, legal obstacles in the target country, administrative differences and many other issues. The essay has examined the possible options that Macro X company can choose to counter these challenges and human resource issues that the company is likely to encounter when going global.(Dunning, 2001)

Reference:

Alfaro, L. (2003): Foreign Direct Investment and Growth: Harvard Business School

Brewer, T. (2003): Market Imperfection, Government policies and FDI; International Business Studies Journal, 24, (1), 101-120

Buckley P. and Casson, M. (2006): The Future of Multinational Corporations; Holmes and Meyer

Dunning, J. (2001): The Multinational Enterprise; Allen and Unwin

Wells L. and Fagre N.  (2002): Bargaining power of multinationals and host governments; International Business Studies Journal, 13, (2), 9-23

Williamson, O. (2001): The Vertical Integration of Production; American Economic Review, No. 71, 112-123

Wilkins, M. (2004): The Maturing of Multinational Enterprise; Cambridge: Harvard University Press

Wallerstein, M. (2000): The Capitalist World Economy; Cambridge University Press

Some wise man has said, that home business opportunity never fails, people will fail. That has something to do with the skills and motivation of the home business opportunity owner. We all home business opportunity marketers are marketing more or less the same products, so how to make a difference to be able to stand out from the crowd?
I like the idea that everything that works well must be simple, the same with home business opportunity. This is especially true with the internet home businesses, because they are all small, niche businesses and operate in a heavy competition environment. What chances would they have if they would look like the other ones, nothing.
So the key is in the word: how. How you market your home business opportunity, which offers the same programs than the others. The answer is that you have to make the difference, the system works 100 %, because so many have proved that.
You can see the system in two parts: the role of you and the role of your merchant. Let us start with the easier part, the role of the merchant.
1. Join A Proven, Long Term And Respected Affiliate Program.
That is the easiest way to guarantee your success, because there is no doubt about whether the program works. It works. Now it is 100 % up to you, whether you can learn to promote it and to build a trusted brand into your niche. The easiest thing is that your merchant has done so much for you, which you otherwise would not be able to do.
2. Get To Know Your Home Business Opportunity Website, It Is Your Shop.
Learn all the details of your affiliate website. You have to know them, because your customers will ask about them and because you have to know what you sell, the contents of the offers. If you do not understand something, ask from the support, sponsor or discussion forum.
3. Build A Big Optin List..
The best way to collect the names and addresses for your home business opportunity optin list is through a form on your site. Only then people honestly want more information about your business. I would not recommend to buy leads.
The autoresponder, together with the optin form, builds an automatic machine which sends emails to your list along the preset schedule, day and night. This helps your own workload significantly. My email list, done by my affiliate principal, consists of 400 different emails, which will be sent to the people on my list during a time of more than 2 years.
4.Write Optimized Articles And Distribute Them Widely.
The optimized articles are, this is my opinion, the most effective short and long term way to promote your home business opportunity. It fulfils all the 5 requirements of profitable promotion: it presells, it is long term, it goes to different keyword markets, it brings targeted traffic and it raise the search engine ranking of your home business opportunity site. Huh!
5. Give Free Giveaway To Your Site Visitor.
When your visitor gives his name and email address to your optin list, it is polite to thank him by giving him a free and useful giveaway, for instance ebook, or special report.
6. Get High Search Engine Ranking For Your Home Business opportunity Site.
This is my number one way to get constantly free targeted and organic traffic, day and night, every single day. How do I do it? Well, the main role belongs to the optimized articles. I pick one keyphrase for the article and write it into the title, teaser, body and especially in the about the author box.
Now the search engine spider sees, that this keyphrase is linked with my url in thousands of article directories and websites. This means that my site becomes more and more popular and gets more traffic. This guarantee my home page a higher search engine result page ranking. As you see, the success is basically very simple. Just Do It!

Forex Currency trading swindlers often attract customers through advertisements in local newspapers, radio promotions or attractive Internet sites. These particular advertisements may flaunt low-risk high-return investment opportunities in foreign currency trading. They may even offer high paid currency-trading employment opportunities. Be very skeptical when promoters of foreign currency trading claim that their services or account management will earn high profits with minimal risks. Be wary if they claim that employment as a Forex currency trader will make you wealthy quickly.
Avoid opportunities that sound too good to be true. Forex currency trading that involves get rich quick schemes are generally swindles. Retired folks with access to their retirement funds are attractive targets for fraudsters. Once your money is gone, it is almost impossible to get it back. Be very careful of companies that will guarantee you a profit. Be careful as well, if they flaunt extremely high performance. These types of statements are generally false.
If the company tells you that written risk, disclosure statements are routine formalities imposed by the government, stay away from that company! Forex trading is very volatile and can be a huge risk for the uneducated and uninformed. If you cannot afford to lose money then do not get into the Forex currency trading market. Do not use your retirement funds for Forex currency trading; that would be extremely foolish.
Be very wary of online trading, it can be impossible to get a refund but it is very easy to transfer your funds. The internet is an easy way for fraudsters to reach potentially millions of people. The internet also can hide where a Forex trading company resides. If you transfer your money to a foreign location, it may be impossible to get it back.
You must get the background of the company you are dealing with. You should ask for all information in written form. Check with the Better Business Bureau as well. Do not rely strictly on information you here verbally. If you are not completely satisfied or comfortable with the information you find out then just do not deal with that company.
You may here the term ‘interbank’, it refers to a loose network of Forex currency transactions that are negotiated between financial institutions and other large companies. These are usually the only ones investing in the interbank market. So, be careful of a company that indicates that you should trade Forex in the interbank market. This can be a sign of an unscrupulous trading company.
Another term you may here is Margin trading. Margin trading can make you responsible for losses that are greater than the dollar amount you deposited. Many Forex currency traders will ask customers to give them funds, which they sometimes refer to as “margin.” These sums can be in the range of $1,000 to $5,000. Those dollar amounts actually control a far larger dollar amount of trading and customers are not aware of this sometimes. So, in essence do not trade on margin unless you fully understand what it means and what you are doing. You must be prepared to accept losses that can exceed the margin amounts you have paid.

Historically banks were institutions that held your money under lock and key. Times are changing, with the internet redefining the banking sector over the last five years. Do not be confused as it continues to develop, the many names it goes by all mean the same thing electronic, online and PC banking are all just synonyms traditional banking services provided through a secure internet portal.

Traditional banks have monitored the popularity and growth of the internet, and realising customers wanted greater control of their affairs, have created their own internet banking web sites. Customers now have the freedom to securely perform their banking 24 hours a day 7 days a week, where they can pay bills and set up recurring savings or payments, monitor check clearances and perform other tasks like transfers and balance enquiries through an internet connection. The banks also benefit from a lesser need for staff due to the migration to internet banking where customers serve themselves.

The purest form on online banking is the virtual bank, where the only place they exist is in cyberspace. These banks, and all other internet banking continue to grow in popularity because they are convenient, saving customers time and money. To help the growth and assist customers to make the change, many traditional banks offer minimal fee or completely free transfers to help customers migrate to their online banking service. Others will also enable you to set up online banking by simply transferring your funds by check.

Internet banking has revolutionalized banking with immediate global access to your bank accounts using a secure internet connection. Paying bills, transferring funds and just plain monitoring your account are all possible with minimal stress whether you are ravelling, holidaying or working anywhere in the world.

More and more small businesses are considering using a blog to promote their business. A blog can be used in a variety of ways.
Here are just a few

You’ve seen the ad in the magazines and online. I call her the Perfect Work-At-Home Person. She’s a beautiful lady with perfect makeup and hairstyle. She’s sitting at her computer in her home office and her two-year old is quietly playing with her toys on the floor.

Or perhaps it’s a picture of a man who’s lounged by the pool laughing and talking on his cordless phone while his children are floating around in the pool.

Let’s pause for a reality check.

As I type this, I’m holding an 18-month old who has barged into my office and demanded his favorite past-time: to sit on my lap while listening to iTunes. (Right now, we’re listening to “How Long” by The Eagles and he’s desperately trying to climb onto the keyboard to get my iPhone.)

In fact, less than an hour ago, I had a phone call from a potential business partner who had to hold for a moment as I made sure that my oldest son had his phone charged and knew to be careful crossing the street to go to his friend’s house.

Of course, I could close the door. I could ask my wife to watch him for a bit while I take care of some business.

And sometimes I do that. But, usually, I’m doing business or taking calls throughout the day while I’m enjoying being with my family.

Welcome to the Home Office of the 21st Century Family: Where family is the top priority and we don’t feel the need to pretend that our home office is a picture from a magazine.

It wasn’t always this way, though. I remember not too long ago, if the phone rang, I was shrieking at everyone to be quiet because I was “working”. Or I spent huge swaths of time with the door to my office closed because I was “working”.

What a drag. What’s the point in working at home if you have to pretend you’re in a corporate environment? Or where everyone around you is stressed out because they feel like they’re walking on eggshells.

I suspect that most home-business entrepreneurs are living the same way and doing it for the same reason: fear.

They’re afraid that if someone hears a child in the background, it means they’re not “professional”. But the truth is that most of the people you talk to would love to be able to work from home and be with their loved ones every day. And this is especially true if you’re in a business where showing people how to get out of the corporate environment is what you do.

The truth is that working at home and being connected with your family is cool today. Today’s best “power lunch” is when you’re making money while slicing a peanut-butter and jelly sandwich for your kids. And the best suits to wear when doing business is a swimsuit.

Just this week, I was on the phone with a potential business partner and my son, Pate, came in to get a hug and a kiss before going to bed. I asked my prospect to hang on, laid the phone on the desk and spent the next 45 seconds tickling my son, telling him how much I love him and that I’d see him in the morning.

When I picked up the phone, I said, “There was a time I would have apologized for that but that’s actually the whole reason why I do what I do.”

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone and my prospect said, “That’s the kind of life I want. How do I get started?”

And of course, when the situation requires, you can always close your door. There’s nothing wrong with that, either. It’s all about choice.

So, the message is simple: don’t be too quick to assume that working at home requires you to be “slick” or “professional”.

I earn a multiple six-figure income from home and I’ve been able to do that while enjoying my family; not hiding them. Don’t expect that I’ll always answer the phone if you call my office.

And if I do, you might just hear the sounds of The Eagles or a Nintendo Wii in the background.