I’m out there looking for a teaching job, but in the meantime I am still doing freelance graphic design and writing. I have been freelancing ever since I stopped working outside the home back when I was pregnant with my daughter.

While freelancing is paying my bills right now, in order for me to actually make it work I have to get out there and find the work. The jobs dribble in little by little from old clients and some new word-of-mouth situations. However, if you want to expand your scope, you have to get out there and find the clients.

Some designers have their portfolios online and I am sure this brings in a certain amount of new work, but the competition is so fierce that you cannot just sit back and wait for the work to come to you.

One of the best ways for a freelancer to find new work is to use a job matching resource. For example, TheFreelanceNation.com is a website where businesses looking for people to complete their projects and freelancers can find one another. Freelancers can post a profile, businesses can post project requirements, and both of them back go searching for the right match. In fact, even recruiters and staffing agencies use TheFreelance Nation as a resource. I’ve looked through the listings and I have seen permanent jobs, one-time projects, and even temporary employment available.

No matter the area of your expertise, you should check out this site. Designers, programmers, SEO experts, writers, or even language translators – the jobs are out there for you to find.

Marketing a small business is so much more affordable now than it was even 10 years ago. Most people have access to an array of affordable graphic design programs and you can even upload your designs online and have all of your marketing materials printed and sent to you – all without leaving your home.

Most of the people I working closely with in mentoring right now are building at-home crafting businesses. To save on budgeting, they design their own logos, business cards, flyers, banners, and brochures and have them printed at Vista Print. There is just simply no reason to use the local copy or printing shop in your area, which generally tends to be more expensive anyway.

I’ve used Vita Print to have business cards, postcards, Christmas cards, and photo calendars printed and I can attest to the high and consistent quality of the printing. Plus, they always have great coupon codes for free products that are not just limited to new customers. You can use one each time you order. For example, if you want to Make your own brochures, you can use the code FreeBrochures08 to receive 25 free brochures (just pay shipping).

Even if you cannot design your own stuff, Vita Print offers literally hundreds and hundreds of designs that you can choose and customize.

I know a lot of my readers find their way here, because they are part of an elite community of at-home crafters looking to begin their own businesses. Due to that, I like to offer input from time to time about the importance of establishing your online identity.

Domain names are the first step on setting up your website. You have to get your hands on a great domain name that reflects either the name or the nature of your business, before you can go about putting your website files online with your webhost.

The internet grows exponentially each year and as time goes on,. It seems like there are less and less available domain names. If you find that the domain name you want is available, register it now – even if you are not ready to put your site online. That same domain name could be gone by the time you actually feel ready to use it. Snap it up now and it’s yours for as long as you pay the registration fees for it.

GoDaddy.com is the world’s leading domain name registrar. They also offer web hosting, site creation tools, and e-commerce and security solutions. On top of their solid reputation for on-target customer service, they offer very low prices – especially compared to other companies with similarly good reputations. Plus, right now you can use the coupon code BLOGGER799 to get your .COM domain for just $7.99 at GoDaddy.com. And yes, .COM is still the best choice for your domain’s small business – as opposed to .net, etc.

So, if you have a domain name in mind and find out that it is available – buy it today!

There are a lot of reasons to be thankful that we live in an age of computers. I still remember some of the first computers. When I was a kid, my dad was on the team that designed some of the initial mainframe systems for the U.S. Patent Office and he would take us to see the rooms filled with roaring, whirling computers, each as big as cars or trucks, sucking up reels of tape and processing punch cards. I can remember the smell even.

Now anyone can run a full business from your home, from a tiny computer, and without the need to even download the software to your computer. For example, Siterra is a fully hosted (meaning you access it remotely rather than downloading software) Asset Lifecycle Management system that gives you all the tools you need for planning, site selection, project management, maintenance and lease administration of sites and assets for property portfolios. Your productivity is streamlined , leaving time for you to do the things you need to do.

Years ago, a company would have to contact a programmer to get access to a software system as specialized and customizable as Siterra.

I always agreed with those who said there were way too many Starbucks coffee stores in the world. At the plaza up near my last house, there is not only a Starbucks in the Plaza itself, there is a Starbucks in the Target store only a few doors down.

Insane.

Starbucks announced that around 600 stores are going to close, beginning this month. In fact, the first wave of closures has already been announced. Surprisingly, not a single Florida store in on the list. I find that odd. The company is in trouble and yet they can still support two stores that are a mere yards from one another.

Anyway, here’s that list. Plan your mourning attire appropriately.

Alabama
#10797 Mobile
#11322 Mobile
#11429 Mobile
#11774 Mobile

Arkansas
#10883 Van Buren
#11864 Lowell

California
#9583 San Diego
#10630 Rancho Mirage
#10710 Hemet
#10813 Riverside
#10888 Montclair
#11029 Victorville
#11896 Hollister
#13745 Laguna Beach

Iowa
#13570 Davenport

Illinois
#13289 Country Club Hills
#13469 Elmhurst

Indiana
#11846 Indianapolis
#13201 Bluffton

Kentucky
#10779 Louisville

Louisiana
#11263 Baton Rouge
#11264 Baton Rouge

Maryland
#11799 Bowie

Minnesota
#9564 Albert Lea
#10456 Blaine
#10457 Coon Rapids
#10642 Red Wing
#10871 Coon Rapids
#11186 Rochester
#11635 Brooklyn Center

Missouri
#10834 Jennings

Nebraska
#11527 Bellevue

Nevada
#6633 Las Vegas
#10393 Las Vegas
#10462 Las Vegas
#10872 Las Vegas
#11647 Las Vegas

New Jersey
#9365 Cherry Hill

New York
#10840 Central Islip
#11280 Staten Island
#11976 Southold

North Dakota
#10459 Fargo

Ohio
#2525 Columbus
#11883 Westerville

Texas
#9675 Brownsville
#10877 Dallas
#11302 Rosenberg
#11565 Laredo
#13332 Waco

West Virginia
#11213 Tridelphia

One of my best friends and her husband own a construction company up in Gainesville. Since I spent so much time with their family, I ended up learning more than I ever thought possible about the industry and the running of their business. I suppose I had never given much thought to the fact that there is a huge investment In order to have the right sort of equipment on hand. You cannot just buy a big pickup truck and call yourself a construction firm.

Of course, it doesn’t always make sense to actually own all of the equipment. Keith often just leases what he needs for any particular job. If he needs a cable reel trailer, for example, it makes better economic sense for him to rent the thing than it does for him to own and maintain it. There is no shortage of companies that provide construction equipment for lease, as well as for sale. Companies like Hogg-Davis Sales own the inventory so that you don’t have to. Keith does buy the equipment he needs on a more regular basis, but he does such a wide variety of work that it doesn’t always make sense to buy every piece of specialty construction equipment he uses.

My friend and her husband do well, very well indeed. My view of blue collar work was completely changed when I got to know them. Keith has advanced college degrees, but he only found financial success once he settled into his business, which he only did because he wanted to actually be doing something he loved day in and day out. As I get older I see more and more merit in doing what you love. Sometimes you have to sidestep the issue of money and look ahead to the years you are investing in your career. I cannot imagine being miserable in a job for 20 years.

With exception of just a very few things, you can find a buyer for nearly anything on eBay. I am constantly amazed. In fact, tonight I ran across an auction for an ice cube. Seriously, the auction appears to simply be for an ice cube, unless there is some sort of underground meaning that is going right over my head. You do have to remember that this once very street-smart girl is getting old.

The bidding is up to $27.94 (shipping is free) and the auction has nearly two days left. The same seller old a box of Lucky Charms for $36 and a wad of crumpled newspaper for $26.09, so I am assuming I really am missing something. Either way, it seems like anything goes on eBay and you can always find a buyer.

My problem is more with finding the time to ready the items and prepare the auctions. I have bins and bins of Gymboree clothes I meant to sell on eBay and finally ended up giving away before my last move. I love I missed out on a LOT of money and I wish now I had just walked the bins into the iSold It store up in Palm Harbor. They do the whole thing for you for a fee. You just drop off the items along with some info about your expectation for the auction content and you are good to go. They will let you know when you have a check ready to claim. If you have items that will turn a tidy profit and no time to deal with getting them online, this is the handiest solution.

Identity theft is on the rise. Year after the year, the numbers rise dramatically. If you think you won’t find your own identity stolen one day, you really need to have a reality check. It happened to me about 4 years ago and it was more than likely an inside job that originated at my multi-state bank.

Anyway, my point is that with identity theft becoming more and more prevalent, the industry around it is also growing and what that means is more new jobs. Lifelock is advertising position is all kinds of fields, including marketing, accounting, public relations, compliance, human resources, and information technology.

Lifelock is becoming a popular service. Auto clubs, banks, and other industries are recommending the service to their members. In fact, NextAdvisor just gave Lifelock their highest rating for identity theft protection, which is only serving to heighten the confidence consumers and other businesses have in the company.

So, check out their job listings. I think it is encouraging to see a company expanding in these tough financial times.

Have you ever wondered how people who own small businesses like gift shops or internet-based shops, or even people who make a living doing auctions find all their merchandise at wholesale prices?

It’s really not that hard to figure out if you look around. One of my daughter’s godmothers owns a beachwear and general clothing store in one of the coastal tourist town near here. She gets sunglasses, jewelry, clothing, purses, shoes and other wholesale products from a number of suppliers. She also makes trips to Miami several times a year to buy in the wholesale district.

You can even find good suppliers of wholesale merchandise online. Companies like DollarDays offers amazingly low prices for those who can buy in bulk. They have a surprising selection and some of the prices are just amazing. They carry everything from major brands of cosmetics and name brand food items, to electronics and clothing. They even sell store fixtures.

I used to work as the Art Director for a plastics manufacturer. Since we were a smaller company, I had some duties that spilled outside of what one might consider typical for my position. One of those duties was being in charge of the sending of cards to customers. We sent them for Christmas, and then for any birthdays that we happened to be able to find out about.

When we first started the whole sending of birthday card, I used to try and take the time to design the card and print it out on the commercial printer. They looked great, but it was so time consuming. Eventually, we moved to business birthday cards that I ordered pre-customized. To add a personal touch I would just try and send the card around to a few employees so they could add their signatures. It turned out that the customer liked the pre-printed custom cards just as much and I saved a lot of money in my budget – not to mention time. In the end, I was spending less on cards that used foil embossing and richer papers, so they looked like we had actually spent more.

Companies like the Gallery Collection specialize in business-to-business greeting cards. When you utilize a company that has been doing one thing the right way for as long as the Gallery Collection has, you’ll find that you’re getting a top quality product with the added benefit of simplicity.

In the world of brick and mortar businesses, you can still rely a little bit on the old adage of “if you build it, they will come.” If you open a restaurant or a sporting goods store in a strip mall in your town, you are going to get some foot traffic simply due to passers by and the like. Of course, you still need to promote and advertise, but there is no substitute for a physical storefront.

On the internet, things are very different. If you build a business website and put it online, people are absolutely not going to find it unless you make sure you are indexed in the search engines, advertise in all the right places, and get your site’s URL listed in as any good business web directories as you can manage.

A majority of the solid web directories these days charge a fee to list your web site. The fees can be minimal, or they can be exorbitant. More often than not, they are not really worth the price of admission. If you know where to look, you can find free directory web sites that will meet your needs. DirMania business web directory, for example, is a quality free directory that is carefully organized into specific categories. Once you submit your site, it will be listed with in 24 hours as long as your listing meets the DirMania guidelines.

Impressively, in a critical time when Google has stripped Rage Rank from most blogs and directory sites, Dirmania retained their PR3 ranking.

I have a website that offers free hair bow instructions. I also have an accompanying mailing list with over 1600 members. The members swap bow-making tips, information on starting a small business, and ideas for marketing their products. One company that I frequently see mentioned on the list is Vista Print. The ladies use the printing company for their business cards, bow display cards, and marketing postcards. They all agree that the product quality is superior and consistent. Plus, they LOVE the fact that Vista Print is forever offering promo codes for free products, discounts, and new product specials. When a new code comes out there is generally a flurry of excitement on the mailing list.

Personally, I have used Vista Print for business cards, Christmas cards, photo calendars (the favorite gift I gave to family members this past Christmas), and even for graduation invitations. I could use a local printer, but the online processes just quicker, simpler, and more affordable. I know from experience.

Believe me, when you have a small business that you run out of your home, you want to do everything you can to promote it for as little cash out of pocket as humanly possible. But, you don’t want to sacrifice quality. I am all for people who print their own business cards at home on their color printers, but unless you have a good quality laser printer and professional grade glossy paper, you are simply wasting an opportunity to present yourself in the most professional way you can.

We have all noticed that food and other consumer goods are getting more expensive. It is supposedly because shipping charges are up due to rising fuel prices. Many consumers see fuel surcharges added to bill for everything from utilities to travel tickets. That, in addition to the general uptrend in the cost of food, household goods, and most anything else we buy retail.

Independent trucks, though, say they are not being paid any more than they have in the past to transport the goods we are all pay more for. Yesterday in Tampa, around 45 independent truckers staged a protest near Tampa’s port in response to this issue. It was just one of many similar gatherings across the nation. They say that although diesel is up 42 percent from a year ago, their pay has stayed the same.

Who is profiting? The middlemen who hire independent truckers are adding fuel surcharges to their customers’ bills, but those extra fees are staying with the middlemen.

One trucker gave an example: he hauled a load of fabric from Tampa’s port to Lake Wales. His carrier paid him $160, but he used $100 worth of diesel fuel. Diesel can consume up 80 percent or more of an independent trucker’s pay, and then there are still costs for oil changes, tires, and general upkeep.

I think it is deplorable. In what world is it OK for a hauling company to collect a fuel surcharge, make an even bigger profit, and then expect the actual trucker to make a lower net profit? Either the surcharge should be eliminated or passed entirely to the trucker. While there are some freight companies that do pass the surcharged onto the truckers, they are the minority.

Have you looked at the price of placing an ad in the classifieds of your local paper lately? It can get insanely expensive quickly. Plus, the reach of an ad in your local paper is severely limited. While that might work for things like advertising a yard sale, it is not going to do you much good if you want to advertise a job opening or cast your line for someone to buy your old collection of 1960s mint condition GI Joe dolls.

I love online classifieds. Some sites are fee-based, but you can also find sites that offer free ads on a quality network. Whynotad.com is one such free advertising portal. It has the overall look and feel of a social networking site, so browsing tends to be more fun than other classifieds sites I have used. Your ad can be placed with photos, links, and detailed information. Site users can even send links to ads they like to friends and rate ads so that an ads actual usefulness and popularity is dynamically leveraged against the other ads on the portal. I have to admit that is my favorite feature. Bogus ads can be voted down and the cool stuff can be voted up and subsequently receive more exposure.

I have a website that offers free hair bow instructions. I also have an associated mailing list with about 1500 people on it, most of them small business owners. One of the tips that you hear over and over when it comes to displaying and selling your finished hair bows is that you should attach the bows to an attractively designed and printed postcard that will also serve as an advertisement for your company.

Not only will the postcard hold the hair bow and allow for attractive display, but you can also make sure your business name, address, website and phone number are on the card so that customers know who to contact for future hair bow orders. You might even put a little line on the post card asking the customer to pass the postcard along to a friend.

Although some people make their own bow cards, most bow makers agree that Vista Print is a great choice when it comes to having cheap postcards printed. Not only do they deliver professional looking results time after time, they often offer coupons that allow you to order free product. For example, use coupon code “BlogPostcards100” and you will get 100 free postcards.

I’ve ordered from Vista Print several times myself and have always been satisfied with both the print quality and the delivery time. Go ahead and choose a slower shipping method to save money, because generally the company gets their products out into the mail quickly anyway.