Homeschooling

homeschooling works

Working, Home, and Education

Working at home and homeschooling your children may seem like a daunting task, but this article is to help you see that it’s really quite ordinary and easy to do.

More and more people are home schooling their kids than ever. I’d like to take a moment of your time to show you the pros and cons of home-schooling and how one might successfully integrate it with your work life.

Having a busy work life you may want to take advantage of this unique opportunity. Home schooling has changed drastically through the years from the perspective that children are taught directly from their parents. To the idea that given all the tools necessary they can learn for themselves with a guiding hand along the way.

With correspondence schools, you are giving your kids a formal education split up into courses, this is called a curriculum. The materials are provided by the correspondence schools and the children work with the materials.  In a way, they are learning to teach themselves with the tools provided, which is what can make a home school experience so valuable and a viable solution for working at home.

Homeschooling Internationally

Did you know, over three million children are taught right in their own homes?    In North America the option of homeschooling is much more lenient than many other countries like Brazil, China, and Germany, to name a few. Countries with a growing population base of homeschooling include Australia, Canada, New Zealand, United Kingdom and United states. Some countries have chosen to ban it entirely.

A lot of people world-wide are realizing that this life style change could be the wave of the future, allowing them to adapt to a world where economic stresses are more prominent than ever.

How Will I Save?

So you got to be asking yourself what this can do for you financially.  Many people are starting to work at home, and choosing to save the money they would normally spend on daycare. They can use this same money that is being given for inadequate schooling for the kids, and use the money for specialized home care.  Your kids then receive the specialized care they should be getting in the first place; as well as the supervision and patience that your child deserves. Not to mention every year parents spend hundreds of dollars on back to school supplies. Granted you’ll still need to buy a lot of the same supplies, but you may save on the accessories and monthly expenses.

Planning for Consistency

Its important above all to be consistent in the plan. Setting up a schedule for how you’d like the plan to work and then following through. Your children need to be able to count on you, but you must also be able to count on your children. It’s a good idea to set them down and be firm on the rules and what should be done on their own. One of the biggest lessons learned by most homeschoolers is independence and how to respond maturely in their home environment.

Being able to make adjustments to your schedule is the benefit to this program, but adjust with moderation. Education and interruption rarely go hand in hand. Your children deserve consistency in their education; they thrive on learning and can do it easily given the right conditions. Remember, this is your choice… discover what works best for you as well as gets the best quality of education.

Options Available to You

The teaching tools often differ from the different correspondence schools.  There are different teaching styles that can be offered if one simply isn’t working. It is not unusual for you to mail test and quizzes across the country. The work is completed and sent back to the school for official review, graded by real teachers and sent back.  This is typical, but the methods for teaching can differ.

In one scenario they use video correspondence, where they had real classrooms on film with real teachers and classmates. The experience is very similar to a typical classroom. With this teaching style there is often a sense of connection with the remote classroom. Being on video has the added attraction that they can edit out the nonsense that you may try to avoid in regular schools, the video teachers are very personal so you may gain experience from their stories.

Another Example…

Other correspondence schools may not have the advantage of audio/video; however they can be primarily text-books for reading and filling out the related tests or quizzes. This may be okay in some classes, while other classes that are more demanding like Algebra could be a nightmare in this format.

This method of learning can be increasingly difficult to maintain a child’s interest and may require more third party involvement from the parent. So this is something to consider when choosing a correspondence school. One advantage of this type of education though is cost, so this option may depend on your budget. If you can afford it, it is recommended going with a more intuitive setup like video.

Online classes are also there for consideration with a variety ranging from chat to video conference. If using this method its advised you set up software to prohibit the use of browsing or running applications. As we all know, the internet and computer alone are a playground for distractions.

What are the Challenges?

Obstacles

The work errands are inevitable, so long as you get the ball rolling again when you return, this generally still works out. We must also consider the development of the kid, is he/she well behaved or do they act out a lot?   Home schooling may reduce these behavioral problems as your kids are taken away from other children with neglected problems. Home school can reduce the stress of your child, and in turn the stress upon you and your work. Which may also depend on the attention of your child.

Social Factors

Though there really is no substitute for interaction, with a little creativity and planning you can easily compensate for the social shortcomings, if any. Homeschooling can take up less time for your child, depending on how motivated he or she is. Most home schooled kids will finish their daily courses within a very reasonable time frame.

This gives time to work on other activities they enjoy, or to finish more school work in advance.  The added bonus of having free time could work in your favor, giving them time to be engaged in sports or hobbies that will keep them occupied while you work.

Work & Home Boundaries between Work and Home

Also keep in mind, the proximity of where you decide to work at home and the location of where your child has set up can make a difference. If you’re too close, your child may not earn a sense of independence. They have to know that they’re accomplishing this on their own. Too far away and unsupervised you’re giving them too much free reign to do things besides schoolwork. It’s healthy to set up boundaries for your child’s schoolwork. Setting aside a room and a space for their schoolwork gives it a more official tone that you may want to keep. Creating the atmosphere for school can go a long way.

What are the Advantages?

Quality Care

With all of the horror stories of incidents that go on at public institutions, it is really no wonder many people are switching to home school. Our children really are the products of our environment.   We like to coach our kids on how to dress, what to eat, what time to sleep. Yet when we send them to a public daycare provider it is important to know what kind of environment we are subjecting to our little ones.  I think most of us prefer to have as little question as possible on how our kids are being raised.  That’s where home schooling can come in, to help alleviate unwanted outside influences. The question is… do you want your children to aspire to learn to be more like you? Or the spikey haired foul mouth kid he sits next to?

Measuring Performance

They will still be required to take SAT and ACT tests to advance, you may have to locate one of these testing facilities, but the frequencies of these tests are not enough to be an issue.

This can be done in facilities designed to take on homeschoolers in large groups, but there are also more privatized setups that take fewer kids to complete the tests. These tests grade the achievement of your child to compare with other children. This will allow you to review what classes that need to be given more attention.

About Credits

Like college, you also get to choose which courses you would like your child to take this gives you more flexibility over what you want your children to learn and which order you would like them to learn it in. The individual courses then add up to equal credits, each course is worth a different amount of credits. Often they are worth one credit.  Another aspect you may be interested in is that, depending on which correspondence school you attend. Your child may be able to graduate earlier. Some correspondence schools require fewer credits than others to graduate. Generally this is equivalent to getting your GED but through a school.

Scheduling for Success

It’s also a good idea to set time tables for your kids, for example. Setting a rule that school starts at 8am and no less than X amount of hours. It’s important that some amount of order is kept. This way you can attend to your own work duties without being interrupted.

If you have multiple children it is desirable to seek the outside help of a babysitter. Even the teachers at regular schooling facilities have assistants, why not you too? The more children you have the more unpredictable your education demands become.  You may decide to reserve the babysitter for important dates on your work schedule if budget becomes a factor. However keeping in mind the money you’ll be saving in the long run it may help pay the wages of hiring the outside help.

Your work may be interrupted but with the proper atmosphere and planning, your day should amount with minimal amounts of stress, allowing you get the work you need done while your children minding their studies.

We all lead different lives and what activities we have set up throughout your day-to-day may interfere with your ability to be there for your children. If you’re in the position where you are at home for the majority of the day, the homeschooling option can be most beneficial.

Conclusion

By the end of this article I hope I’ve put your mind at ease, it’s really not that  difficult as it may look or sound.  Remember to relax and enjoy, the reason for your homeschooling is to enjoy the time with your kids and learn together. The average teacher may spend 7 hours a day teaching a dozen children. This is equal to tutoring one child one or two hours a day. Learning is always a lot easier when in a relaxed environment with one on one attention.

It’s helpful to talk to people who already have homeschooled their children. They’ll have plenty of advice to get you started. If you don’t know anyone find an online support group. Next, find out the different laws in your state or country.

Above all, you must have fun. There may be times you’re feeling frustrated, but don’t worry, homeschooling should be about learning at home. Not taking your school into your home.

Relax, be productive, and enjoy your children.

Entrepreneurship is Truly without Borders

Global Village

The extra special bonus for becoming an entrepreneur is the unique condition of disappearing borders. More and more people in the United states are looking outside the borders for retirement and resettlement. Certain desirable places such as Switzerland (if you like Europe and speak German, or French) or, Australia, New Zealand and Canada have been on the target list of people looking to live elsewhere.

These countries are just the major ones; there are several tax heavens in the Caribbean and other parts of the globe where favorable enclaves exist and a TRUE citizen of the world might consider for resettlement. While the world without borders is a hot topic and people are divided in their emotions or practical considerations of either vehemently denying the need for borders, contrary to people who are still dreaming of protected status and a value of citizenship at the work place.

We do not wish to take sides in this argument but only look at practical applications for an entrepreneur who is looking to set up shop somewhere else other than the place of birth. We do not believe in the value of working for someone else as an employee, this should be the last resort only to save money or to gain practical know-how and experience. For that we encourage people to seek employment. Americans, due to the geography and political nature of the fifty-one States United are very mobile comparing to other nations. People who were born in other countries are also increasingly travel and work elsewhere. The US is still the heaven for immigrants seeking better life but increasingly, the better-off and educated business class is looking elsewhere.

The English speaking world makes it easier for people to travel. Also people learn other languages; Spanish and Chinese are the most common to learn. International marriages and romance often the impetus for migration, and being an entrepreneur make this easier. I invite any readers who have experience first-hand or otherwise to comment and contribute to this essay.

What is it like to set up shop in a different country? Write us…

http://www.visabureau.com/canada/business-visa.aspx http://www.liveinaustralia.com/business-visa/visa_descriptions_eligibility.asp

Infopreneur

Brief Description:

Can you talk for days about travel? Hunting? Cars?  The green army?  Can you communicate your ideas in writing as well? Everyone has something about which they are passionate and extremely knowledgeable. You can share this valuable information with others who are interested in the same things via a pod-cast or in writing. Anyone can use this knowledge. Set up a basic website for your area of expertise. Download Word-Press (blogging software) for free, and then pack it full of compelling and useful information. This will help people find what they’re looking for, and earn you money in the process.

Startup Costs:

Initial costs will mostly be for buying a relevant and easy-to- remember domain name, and for the cost of web hosting. If you already have some understanding of Internet marketing and web building, you can save substantially on startup costs. Once you have built up a following, your site will earn money for you by accepting advertising, those which might be somehow related to your topic, and so interesting to your readers. The great thing about web businesses is that they are truly global, worldwide, with no borders and no boundaries.

License/Legal Requirements:

There are no special requirements to get started. Your current knowledge is enough, but you’ll want to continue learning and keeping up with all the changes and news in your field. This is to keep your site relevant to visitors there. Learning the basics of Internet marketing and SEO (Search Engine Optimization), is also important to help get the most visitors to your site.

Detailed Notes:

This business is closely related to publishing (See desktop publishing) except for the notion that modern publishing had become multimedia and print on demand (POD). With the advent of Amazon’s Kindle, the hand-held electronic screened paper-like, handheld gizmo that facilitates reading books, indoor or outdoor. You can download newspapers and even blogs and read them anywhere in the world. While traditional publishers and big bookstore chains are in dire straights fiscally, print on demand publishers and online book sellers thrive. It takes considerable time to build up a website that has loyal visitors and repeat hits. Fresh content, modern blogging software and decent presentation is the key. The ideal model is

• Develop a blog with or without a podcast
• Develop your content and visitors
• Publish a how-to book if you see the content has a chance to become

Get feed back on this book from the blog readers. You can even give some away for free to loyal contributors for review and feedback. Then self publishing it using my POD publishing strategies described in my book. While I originally developed this book for public domain publishing, smart Infopreneurs can mix developing original content and resell and repackage public domain information as well.

Catering Business

Kosher Catering for a Jewish Wedding

Brief Description: Whether you are a trained chef or just have a few good recipes for pastries or other dishes you can become a catering business with a little help.

This business is easily customized to fit a chef’s forte. Usually a person who can make a few good dishes can learn others by learning and trying out recipes. The main ingredient for this line of work is business acumen and love of good food. Chefs take special pride in their dishes and love when others enjoy them as well, this characteristic coupled with hard and smart work will take you to success in the catering business. There are lots of restaurant and catering businesses out there but people remember only the few that have that extra special quality in food and service.

Start-up Costs: The start-up costs for a catering business will depend on what you put in your kitchen and can range from a few hundred (when you work from your own kitchen) to five figures (when you outfit a professional kitchen). Many caterers do the food preparation on-site, either using their own facilities or equipment provided by the clients. However, you would still need to do certain preparation-work in your own kitchen facilities (e.g. pre-slicing and dicing vegetables, etc.)

Many catering businesses fly under the radar of their local jurisdiction but it is unwise to take shortcuts and operate without the necessary permit of the local state or country. Do not let stiff fines be part of your start-up cost, get whatever health certificate you need to use before you begin. In addition to a bare-bones catering business where the owner might take New York cabs to deliver her food, others might operate in a different climate and could consider a food delivery service for business parks. A specialized food delivery truck would be a considerable investment, but renting/leasing them is also an option.

License Requirement: As with any business a business license is mandatory in most, if not all jurisdiction. Food handling and serving will also require inspections and regular checks by the health department of your jurisdiction. Find out the required license to operate a catering business in your operating area.

Education: Many caterers operate their business after rigorous culinary arts training but this is not mandatory. Take the necessary training that will give you the needed confidence level to offer and sell your service and leave the other training out. Many people have handed down recipes from grandma that everybody loves and this is also a great confidence booster. Self-knowledge is essential, a good mentor and a friend whose advice you cherish is also a great substitute for formal training.

Consider working for an established catering business before you embark starting your own if you are not familiar with the ins and outs of this business.

Environment/Catering Set-up: Catering businesses can vary a great deal in their scope and types of events they serve food for. Some will cater for special events like weddings or funerals; others cater only for business clients. The easiest way to enter into this business is by determining your strength in food and custom fit your clients to what you do best.

Whether you offer standard fares in food or ethnic variety will also set your course of business and marketing.

Details: The demand for catering has increased through the years. According to the National Restaurant Association’s2008 Restaurant Industry Forecast shows that social caterers are one of the fastest-growing segments of the restaurant industry, with sales expected to reach $6.4 billion in sales.

A catering business is perhaps the few of the many where you will need to look for help. As soon as your business would start rolling you will soon realize that you cannot do it all by yourself. Hire people as needed, usually for part time. Make sure that well guarded family recipes are not distributed to everybody but be courteous and generous to your employees, they are your assets.

When your business grows, you will find yourself in need for more and more catering equipment. You can buy from other caterers going out of business and it is usually cheaper. Depending on the kind of service you embark on, the equipment you’d need could include dishes, linens, serving pieces, or even something as large as a catering truck.

A good source of catering and restaurant equipment is http://www.mayfix.com/

Additional Resources:
Associations:
• International Caterers Association (ICA), 91 Timberlane Drive Williamsville, NY 14221, tel: 877.422.4221 fax: 888.210.4634
• National Association of Catering Executives, 2500 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 603, Los Angeles, CA 90057 (213) 487-6223
• National Restaurant Association , 311 1st St., N.W., Washington, DC 20001 1-800-424-5156
Books:
• How to Manage a Successful Catering Business, 2nd Edition by Manfred Ketterer
• Start Your Own Catering Business (Start Your Own) by Kathleen Deming (Editor)
• How to Run a Catering Business from Home by Christopher Egerton-Thomas

Carpet Cleaning

Van Mounted Carpet Cleaning Unit

Brief Description: A Carpet Cleaning, a specialized cleaning service that is a $3.3 billion industry; you often see a carpet cleaner in apartment buildings after a tenant vacated the premises. Usually, after minor repairs they are the first to call. You can see their van with the specialized, steam cleaning equipment inside and the large tubes running up to the apartment to be cleaned. The large tubes carry the warm water with detergents to do their cleaning via hot water extraction.

Startup Costs: You will need to invest in a very good quality steam cleaning equipment and a van or a truck. You can purchase a used, heavy duty, carpet cleaning equipment mounted on a truck or a van, all equipped from a person who is leaving the business. Alternatively, if you do not have the start-up capital, you can rent these weekly, monthly or even daily, hence giving this business a try. Once you show profit and start liking this business, you can invest in the equipment yourself. If you wish to purchase the equipment, the start-up cost would be perhaps as high as $40,000 (including a used van)[1].

License/Legal Requirements: No special license is required other than the business license that your local jurisdiction might require. You could get a stain removal or restoration certification through the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration.

Insurance and bonding is essential in this business, especially if you wish to get commercial clients such as apartment buildings or offices.

Education: No special education is necessary other than some good people skills and professional demeanor.

Details: There are two basic types of truck mount carpet cleaning machines; one is a slide-in unit and the other is a van-driven. The slide-in truck mount can be moved from one vehicle to another and runs on its own engine-but it takes up more space. The van-mounted truck mount is one unit and runs off the engine of the van. The van-mounted truck mount takes up less space but is more expensive than a slide-in truck mount carpet cleaner.
Before you decide buy a truck mount carpet cleaner, you’ll need to:

1. Compare the new and used truck mount carpet cleaning machines[2];
2. Determine if you want van-mounted or slide-in carpet cleaning machines;
3. Make sure all used carpet cleaning equipment is included when buying used equipment from a private party;
4. See if financing or leasing is available on the truck mount carpet cleaners for sale.

You should look into the Steambrite financing programs. Get an online quote for leased equipment.

It is well advised to pay cash when you buy a truck mounted carpet cleaner, if it is possible. If you have money in hand, the price can always be haggled over. Do not pay in actual cash dollars, however. Pay for the truck mount with a cashier’s check or bank draft so you have a record of payment. Further, consider leasing the carpet cleaning equipment from a reputable leasing company. The advantage of leased equipment is that it is maintained more frequently and on a regular basis.

Marketing: Tell everybody about your new business. Offer specials to new clients and anyone who makes referral to you. Have a side and back banner on your truck or van with your business name, telephone number and web-page.

Makes and models of truck mounted heavy duty carpet cleaning equipment:

HydraMaster BobCat 3.0. BobCat 3.5. Aquacat 3.5. Profire 3.7. Profire 4.2. Spitfire 3.2. Spitfire 4.0. Boxxer 318. Boxxer 421. Boxxer 427. Maxx 450. Maxx 450D. Maxx 470. CDS 4.2. CDS 4.4. CDS 4.6. CDS 4.7. CDS 4.8. Crossfire 3.7. Crossfire 4.2. Crossfire 4.4. Hydracat. Titan.

Prochem Bruin 1. Bruin 2. Cub. Cub XL. Bear. Bear Cat. Blazer. Blazer XL. Trail Blazer. Legend. Legend SE. Legend XL. Performer. Performer 405. Performer 805. Peak. Apex. Everest. Hydraulic direct drive. PTO.

Powerclean Liquafire 445 with 22 hp Kawasaki. Liberty XT. Victory 45 and 47 with Kawasaki 27 hp. Victory 45 and 47 with Kohler 31 hp. Freedom XT. Genesis 56 and 59 with 52 hp Ford. Genesis 56 and 59 with 49 hp Nissan. Genesis 59 with Hyundai 68 hp. Genesis 59 diesel with 52 hp Isuzu. Genesis DXT. Genesis 59 ZXT.

Steamway Powermatic Legacy 1100. Powermatic Legacy 1150. Powermatic Legacy 2100. Powermatic Legacy 4100. Powermatic Legacy 4200. Mastermatic 4000. Mastermatic 4200. Equinox 7200. Omega. SUX Lt. TURBOMATIC. Supercube 33, 36, 45. 9100lx. SHX 5600.

White-Magic Commander. Commander HO. Triton GS. Triton LS. Triton DS. Rebel.
World of Clean Cleanmax 1836. Cleanmax FX1836. Cleanmax 2545. Cleanmax FX2545. Cleanmax 3047. Cleanmax FX3047.

Cross American Second Generation Super Charged Recoil 3 XPS System. Kwik Steam and Next Generation Power Booster. Second Generation Super Charged Scorpion 3 XPS System.

[2] http://www.hydramaster.com/inside/articles/article3.asp

Antiques Dealer

Brief Description: If you love and know about antique furniture, old heirlooms and knickknacks this business might work for you. An antique dealer would buy at private sales and auctions and resell in a shop that is typically operated as a co-op to save costs. Later, if successful the dealer might open his own shop, but many dealers are content to work in a co-op.

Startup Costs: Antiques dealers have a cost of set up that is their inventory. This can initially cost several thousands of dollars and profit is never a guarantee. This business is not without expenses or risks. In addition the dealer might have to refurbish and improve the furniture he bought on the auction from minor scratches and wear and tear. To save expenses the dealer often chooses to perform these tasks himself. To move furniture and heavier items the antique dealer should have access to a truck.

License/Legal Requirements: There is no licensing requirement for this business other than a resale license and a business permit. Dealers buy on auction but sell retail so to collect sales tax (where applicable) in incumbent on them. Of course in states were sales tax is non-existent this choir is avoided.

Education/Experience: It takes some experience to know the value of good antiques. Some people have been buying selling antiques as a hobby and they have been around old and more expensive things throughout their lives. To them, this business would come naturally; others might find a steeper learning curve to learn about polishing and beatifying old furniture.

Detailed Notes: There are many kinds of dealers in the trade. Some are full time some are doing this as a hobby, or for social reasons, and for tax purposes. The tax advantages of traveling to sell and buy are enormous. A savvy antiques dealer can literally travel throughout Europe buying and write off all the expenses. One can spend the winter in the Southern US of A, selling and write off the expense.

With paper money getting worth less and less, many people realize and put considerable amount of their disposable income into antiques. They save these for their retirement years when some of them sell only when they need a little extra cash. Some retired people turn into full time antiques dealer. It is helpful to sit down and write out the reasons you are attracted to this business and decide what type of a dealer you wish to become.

Marketing: Antiques dealers typically sell on antiques shows and from inventories displayed in co-op antiques shops in tourist towns such as Petaluma, CA. In order to be in a co-op shop the dealer must pay for an area where he can display his antiques and in addition he also must work in the store. He will have to sell other dealers’ inventory when they are not present and fellow dealers will sell his.

Dressmaker (Seamstress)

Creation of Wedding Gown

Brief Description: If you know how to operate a sewing machine and enjoy the details of dressmaking you might want to explore this lucrative and easy to start business. This business is also called custom clothier or custom dressmaker. Your task will be to sew garments for individual clients.

Startup Costs: Startup cost is quite considerable for this business. A well lit room, a sewing machine and basic sewing materials are needed. Sewing machines can cost anywhere from $140 to $5,000, depending on the features they offer.

I highly recommend getting the best machine, second hand. You may also need a serger machine that allows you to create decorative and construction overlock stitches on all types and weights of fabrics. A serger machine can cost anywhere from $300 to $1600.

Other things you will need are measuring tape, rulers, shearing and cutting scissors, pattern markers, needles, threads. You also need a full-length mirror to check on an individual garment in the making.

License/Legal Requirements: No special license is required other than the business license that your local jurisdiction might require.

Education: No special education is necessary other than some design and fabrics oriented education.

Detailed Notes: There are several facets of this business and they are listed below;

• Weddings. Bridal business is a lucrative aspect of the sewing business. Many seamstresses make good living focusing on the creation of wedding gown and wedding accessories.
• Home Decorating. Home decors and accents can also provide a big market for the home sewing business. You can specialize in sewing custom window treatments including draperies and curtains, slipcovers, specially-made pillows, shower curtains, bed covers and other bedding materials.
• Alterations. Alterations can be a profitable business as many people have something in their closet that needs repair and they have no skills how to do it.
• Sewing for pets. This is a growing segment. You can create horse blankets, clothes for dogs and other pets.

To enter successfully in this business, you will ideally have the sewing expertise for your chosen field combined with adequate general sewing knowledge. If you are focusing on draperies, you should know the best materials, the latest styles and fabrics to create the drapes your client desires. If you plan on starting a bridal gown sewing business, you should know everything about wedding gowns.

Marketing: Word-of-mouth advertising is far the most effective way of spreading the word on a new sewing business. You do a good job for one client and the word gets around.

Other ways to advertise include posting on community boards, leaving your business cards and/or flyers in fabric shops, beauty salons, senior centers and cleaners. Contact charity organizations and lend your sewing talents to charitable events. Also get in touch with local performing groups that may require your services for any costumes or set designs. Visit craft fairs, so you will be able to network and meet potential clients.

You might want to establish partnership arrangements with your neighborhood cleaners. In the past most cleaners kept an on a-staff tailor, but now most of them partner with seamstresses for alterations. To partner with cleaners, you simply call around to find out who needs your services. When you work with a cleaner, you will need to set up regular times each week when they can have you in the shop, so customers who need alterations can meet you.

These are some sources where you can get more information about sewing as a Home Business:

• Home Sewing Association http://www.sewing.org
• American Sewing Guild http://www.asg.org
• International Machine Collectors’ Society, http://www.ismacs.org
• Professional Association of Custom Clothiers,http://www.paccprofessionals.org
• The Applique Society, http://www.theappliquesociety.org
• Smocking Arts Guild, http://www.smocking.org
• http://www.hemmingaway.com

Private Investigator

Brief Description: A private investigator, or PI, is a person who is hired for investigations, usually by a private citizen. Private Investigators often work for attorneys in civil cases or sometimes on behalf of a defense attorney. Many private detectives work for insurance companies to investigate suspicious claims. Some private investigators are hired obtain proof of marital infidelity or other illegal conduct to establish favorable grounds for a divorce. Collecting evidence of adultery or other “bad behavior” by spouses and partners is by far, one of the most profitable activities that licensed private investigators perform.

Startup Costs: While a private investigator can practice his craft from his home, it is advisable to have access to business office suits that are available per monthly charge of around fifty dollars. This affords even the novice investigator to give the allusion of a successful practice and professional environment. The business office suits give the renter a business telephone line, answering service and an office to conduct interviews with prospective clients. I would rate the startup cost as a private detective as low, around a $1000.

Software expense: Private Investigators use investigation software like US Search, Net Detective, eDetective, Real-Time Spy, and Urgent Detective to find people, conduct online background investigations, search public records, find missing persons.

License/Legal Requirements: Many jurisdictions require private investigators to be licensed, and they may or may not carry firearms depending on local laws and type of investigative work they specialized in. Quite a few investigators are ex-law enforcement officers but that is not a requirement. The craft of the trade can be learned while working as a security guard and earn a meager living.

Some states do not require a license specifically for private investigations, but they may require a business license, or have other legal requirements such as training or certifications. Many states also require that you pass a test to become a licensed private investigator.

Following is a state-by-state listing of contact information for obtaining your private investigator license.

Related Private Investigator Licensing Agencies:

• International Homicide Investigators Association
• National Association of Legal Investigators
• National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
• National Society of Professional Insurance Investigators

If you conduct business in more than one state, you may want to consider getting licensed in all states that you do business in.

Education: Education requirement is important as long as it relates to low enforcement and security field. Some of the education can be obtained in the military and some of it is offered as adult education.

Detailed Notes: Investigators typically keep detailed notes during each case and often testify in court regarding their observations on behalf of their clients. Licensed private detectives take great care to remain within the law (e.g., being forbidden to trespass on private property or break into homes) on pain of losing their licenses as well as facing criminal charges. Irregular hours may also be required when performing surveillance work (e.g., outside a subject’s house during the early hours of the morning).

Private detectives also undertake a variety of work that is not usually associated with the industry in the public’s view.  For example, many PIs are involved in process serving, the personal delivery of summons, subpoenas and other legal documents to parties in a legal case.

The tracking down of debtors can also be a large part of an Investigator’s work load. When starting out it is advantageous first to obtain work from a PI agency. Agencies usually specialize in a particular field of expertise. For example, some PI agencies deal only in skip tracing. Others may specialize in technical surveillance countermeasures, which is the locating and dealing with intrusive forms of electronic surveillance by competitors.

As technology advanced so do Private Investigators, modern PIs prefer to be known as “professional investigators” rather than “private investigators” or “private detectives”. This is a response to the negative image that is sometimes attributed to TV movies.

The U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics published a useful article in the 2004-2005 edition of the Occupational Outlook Handbook for Private Detectives and Investigators[1]. The guide describes the nature of private investigation work, working conditions, qualifications, employment, training and advancement, earnings, job outlook, and related occupations.  If you want to become a private detective, this is a great place to begin.

Repo Man (or Woman)

Brief Description: This business strives in recessions and maintains an even course during normal times. Lenders can and will repossess cars, boats when borrowers fail to make payments.

People with law enforcement or private investigation background should explore this demanding and often dangerous business. It is highly recommended that before you embark on this venue you do some soul searching and see if this is indeed for your. If you are the adventurous type and decided on this business in confidence you might want to seek employment with an established repo agency. They often send you out first with an experience agent and afford you to learn the ropes that way.

Startup Costs: The cost of doing this business is ongoing. You must find a car, or a boat, often at your own expense. Few agencies will pay expenses and cost of travel. A good, working vehicle is a must. Some of the repo men operate a tow truck and the cost of leasing or purchasing one should be factored into the business expense of starting this venue.

License/Legal Requirements:  In Florida and California, individual repo agents need to have a state license or work for an agency licensed by the state. Check your state of residence. Most states this business is unregulated but due to the flurry of repo activity and repossessions gone awry congress is looking at federal mandate to regulate this business that exists like the Wild West.

Education/Experience: There is no formal schooling requirement for this business. Due to the availability of money and ease of entry many convicts do this work after being released from the penitentiary.

Online courses are plentiful; some in house training are also available. First and foremost resourcefulness and ability of thinking on your feet will be required.

Detailed Notes: Some of the “repo” agencies using technologies to identify cars to be repossessed. The system is called MVTRAC, it provides mobile digital cameras to repo companies that take pictures of license plates as the repo men’s tow truck goes down the road. The data is matched to a list of licenses representing cars to be repossessed. When a match is found, the operator brings up additional info on the car to determine he has spotted a wanted car. The  agency gets about $200 to $400 repo fee from the car financing companies. This is shared with the “repo” person depending on his experience.

Marketing: Getting the business initially will be your least concern. If you work through the agencies all you need to do is to accept the assignment. Later, when you gain experience you might look into ways to market yourself and hence circumvent the agencies and keep more of the money the end client pays.

By this time a web site, listing in the Yellow pages will be of help. You should always strive to grow and gain as much independence as possible. Perseverance and hard word is the key. When you are already known in the community as an efficient, reliable and safe repo agent, your assignments will be generated by word of mouth.

Bookkeeper

Brief Description: This business is as recession proof as possible. Bookkeeping service and Tax preparation are necessary in good times and bad times. As a bookkeeper you will work primarily with small businesses as a data entry person.  Your tasks will also include creating reports and accurate and safe recordkeeping.

Startup Costs: Staring up as a bookkeeper is easy in terms of costs. General home office equipment and bookkeeping software such as Quicken QuickBooks are a must. I would estimate a startup cost at $1500, including fax machine, dedicated phone line, Internet, office furniture and software. If you must purchase a brand new computer this estimate of course could rise a bit. A reliable car is also helpful, as you often will visit clients to collect their monthly ledgers and receipts.

License/Legal Requirements: There is no licensing requirement for this business. As a tax preparer some states license the people who can prepare and submit tax returns for others. Check your state’s requirement. QuickBooks offer certification and training in use of their software. You might want to check in to the benefit of being a licensed QuickBooks expert.

Education/Experience: You will need to understand and be able to practice basic accounting principles how it applies to keeping records and detailed files on all pertinent transaction. A 2-year accounting community college will be very helpful but not necessary. If you are detailed oriented and reliable you can begin this business even while taking classes.

There is a company in Utah (Universal Accounting) that offers a course in bookkeeping. My wife, who is a CPA now, took this course and she claims it was a good experience. It was about a $1000 (a bit pricy but it teaches aspects of running a bookkeeping business you will not find in the curriculum of a community college.[1])

Your tasks are routine and tedious. Being reliable and detailed oriented is more importance than expertise in accounting.

Detailed Notes: As a bookkeeper you must decide how you will charge your clients. A first notion would be by charging per hour; however experience bookkeepers prefer to estimate the amount of transaction a business will have and charge by the months based on transactions, need to meet face to face or other external factors.

Electronics record keeping overtook the old paper and file system and unless your client insist on using that you will be wise to steer them towards the 21^st century and save some trees in the process. Use a flash memory card (preferred) or a read/write CD/DVD to maintain the client records. Some clients must have in-house records; some have no problem with you storing their data. Make sure you understand and communicate these beforehand you undertake the client’s business.

Marketing: There are many businesses that keep paper records and have no concept of computers. There are also tons of small business bookkeepers who feel alien towards computerization and electronic records. Your tasks, unless you also prefer the paper trail, will be to convince the client of the benefit of efficient and safe electronic record keeping. This of course assumes you are well versed and knowledgably can convince a person of data backups and storage technologies.

As a bookkeeper it is also good idea to be a tax preparer. Check with your state’s H&R Block’s office for education and seasonal hiring. They are the few companies who still hire seasonal help, before the peak of the tax season.

Flyers, membership in the Chambers of Commerce are all standard venues of “putting the word out” of a new service. Personalized door hangers (see Advertising Specialty) are good and low pressure ways to market/promote your new venture.

There are forums for stock traders/investors; some will accept sponsorship, i.e. for some money they will allow you to advertise on their forums. Since transactions for traders are tedious to maintain and some broker firms do not offer efficient ways to transport records to QuickBooks, you might be able to get some business from advertising there.