Almost every mom I know would rather stay home with her children than go off to work for hours everyday, leaving her children with someone else to care for them. Does this sound like you? Or maybe you are already fortunate enough to be a stay at home mom, but would like to contribute to the financial situation of your family? Either way, you are asking yourself if a home based business for mom is the right answer. Before making your decision, here are a few points to consider.Home Based Business For Mom: 4 Points To Consider1. Family Support: To have a home based business for mom you will need to have the support of your family and friends. Having this support system will ensure that you stay committed to your decision and allow you to feel good about the decision you have made for your family.2. Your Ability to Prioritize: Yes, you are probably making this decision so you can spend more time with your children, but never forget that this is a business, and it does not run itself. You get what you put in. Do you have the discipline to schedule time everyday to work? Will you spend that time working on income producing activities, instead of organizing your desk? And can you keep focused among all the distractions of children, housework etc.? Remember, you will have no boss to tell you what to do, you are the boss!3. Social Separation: This is a big one for moms who are already working or for those who thrive on social interaction. Working from home can be isolating. Now for some of us, myself included, this is a very small price to pay for the joy of being home with our kids (I hated office politics anyways!) But if you love the water cooler gossip, you might find working from home entirely boring.4. Your Attitude: Do you believe in yourself? The most significant person who can get in your way is you. You need to go into your business believing that you have what it takes to succeed. Not just a “see what happens” attitude. This can work for you. Hundreds of moms do it everyday, and you are no less special than they are. Create a winning attitude for yourself, and you can thrive. We as moms deserve it, and so do our children.Starting a home based business for mom is not an easy task. It can be daunting. You will need family support to stay committed. You will need to prioritize and enjoy working on your own. You will need to adjust your attitude to “can do” mode. These four points are not all it takes to succeed, but they are a great start and especially important to your journey as a home based business mom.What To Do Next

Everyone these days is desperate for the best home based business idea they can find. They want that one special thing that a) nobody else has and b) will earn them a fortune so they can retire on the profits. However, does such a business exist and where can you find it? Having found the best home based business ideas, I would like to show how you can turn absolutely any idea into a winner.Firstly, to help spur you on, I will list a few jobs to help get your thoughts flowing.Avon, Tupperware, Oriflame, Faberlic, Oxygen cosmetics, specialist soap maker, gift basket service, Christmas/Easter/Celebration hamper service, proof reader, article writer, ghostwriter, PLR writer, virtual assistant, internet marketer, mobile hair dresser, freelance writer, freelance photographer, courier, internet business card designer, web designer, letterhead designer, multi-level marketer, affiliate marketer, Beta ware representative, home-made soup maker, mentor, personal trainer, life coach.Actually, I could go on, but I won’t, because there is something I would like to point out.All of the above are the best home based business idea for somebody. The trick is the ability to turn absolutely any idea into a winner, and to do that, you need certain abilities to be able to achieve success.Perseverance, guts, courage, direction, decision, effort, focus, determination, energy… all of these are necessary for anybody wishing to start up a home based business, and if you don’t possess at least a few, you should stay in employment and reap your rewards there. If, however, you do possess the above, here’s how to turn absolutely any idea into a winner:1) Make your choice – they are all winners, so choose the one idea you are really interested in.2) Set a clear objective. What do you want to achieve? When do you want to achieve it by? How do you want to achieve it? Where do you want to achieve it? Write down exactly what you want – this will be your road map.3) Work out your main aim – everything else will be secondary. Write it on a postcard and stick it where it can be a constant reminder.4) Make a plan, and do something every day towards achieving your goal.5) Work out what you will need to realise your ambition. Will you need extra skills, or knowledge or experience or the help of qualified people?The point I am trying to make is that absolutely any idea is already a winner – but the person running with it probably isn’t. We have not all grown up equipped with the tools for success, but it is never too late to learn. Running a home based business requires new marketing knowledge and laser beam focus, and anybody can acquire that skill.

Achieving a successful home based business stands out as the goal of any home business entrepreneur. One can find numerous tips, ebooks, and websites that provide advice regarding how to do it. But I believe that all this information, as important and as required as it is, can be grouped into five broader categories. You need a purpose, passion, a plan, persistence in carrying out that plan, and patience to wait for the plan to work.Purpose- The first step is easy. It’s the reason you went looking for a successful home based business to start with. Write down the reasons you want or need to work from home as well as what you will do with the extra income you make. Read these reasons aloud first thing in the morning and the last thing at night. You may even put pictures on a poster board to remind you of what you will do with the extra income and place it somewhere in the house where you will see it regularly. Think of them during the day. Doing this will lead naturally to the next step, which is passion.Passion- Napoleon Hill said, “Desire is the starting point of all achievement, not a hope, not a wish, but a keen pulsating desire which transcends everything.” When you develop a strong purpose or desire to work at home, it will lead to a deep, burning passion to succeed. That desire will carry you through failures, by people who tell you can’t do it, and it will help overcome your own doubt. One thing that is hardly ever mentioned to those who are starting their home based business is the need for personal development. A person needs to grow just like their business grows.Plan- Everyone knows the saying, “He who fails to plan, plans to fail.” That holds true for a successful home based business. I don’t know how many people, including myself, have started a home business opportunity without having any idea, or attempting to get an idea, of what to do to be a success. The way to develop a plan is beyond what I will attempt to say here but I will make 4 points. First, the plan needs to written down. A written plan holds a person accountable and gives you a track to run on. Secondly, utilize a mentor, if possible, that will help you come up with a written business plan. A mentor can be someone involved your home based business, someone who already has a successful home based business, or it may be someone that will do it for a fee. Thirdly, the plan should be goal oriented. Goals need to be specific and have a definite date for completion. And finally, be fairly flexible with your plan. You may need to make some modifications to it especially if something just isn’t working. But the main thing is to keep a written plan in place at all times.Persistence- My favorite way to describe persistence is sustained effort. Once a plan is in place, it must be carried out, continually. Create a schedule to carry out your plan and do your absolute best to stick with it. Treat your own home based business like a full time job and eventually you’ll harvest the rewards of a full time occupation. Get the mindset that just as you have to go to your regular occupation on certain days at certain times, you need to work at your home based business on certain days at certain times.Patience- Finally, after the plan is created, and the schedule is laid out and you become persistent in carrying out your plan, you must be patient. This is a world of instant gratification. We want and can get most everything quick. But a successful home based business is not going to happen overnight. It has been said time and again that creating a successful home based business is really a marathon, not a sprint. Too many people quit just before they’re about to see results. Be prepared to stick it out for the long haul.I don’t know of a magic way to make money online. But I definitely believe that one can achieve a successful home based business by having a stated purpose, developing a burning passion to succeed, setting up a firm plan, being persistent in carrying out that plan, and by having the patience to wait for it to achieve its potential. And although there are hundreds of more detailed tips on creating a successful home based business, these are five easy ones to keep in mind.

Five Considerations of Hiring Property Managers

1. Management Fee
The property owner needs to understand the purpose of the management fee (typically 10%). The percentage management fee pays for the property manager’s time. The 10% allows someone else to help shoulder the burden of owning the property. The owner is paying for someone else to field 2:00 am calls. It is important to remember that the property manager cannot take all of the responsibility and burden off the owner. In the end, it is the owner’s property and the owner’s responsibility.

2. Interview
When hiring any professional, an interview will be conducted to hire the correct candidate and then the professional is left to alone to do their job. Working with a property manager is no different. During the interview process ask good questions; require forthright answers, hire the right candidate, and then get out of their way. If an owner is a high micromanager then they should hire a certain type property manager (see Property Manager categories below).

3. Personality fit
The owner’s personality has to fit the property manager’s systems and procedures. Sometimes owners will have difficulty with a property managers systems and procedures. If a property management company sets office hours between 9-5 Monday through Friday and owner wants an update on their property @ 6:00pm on a Friday evening they will have to wait until 9:00 am Monday. This may drive some owners crazy who want to be very involved in the day-to-day management. If this is the case they probably should hire a manager who will be more responsive to the owner’s needs.

4. Communication
Communication is a two-way street. It is not only the property manager’s responsibility to communicate effectively. Owners should understand they have to lead the property manager in how they expect the manager to manage the property.

Here’s an example: My wife is a director of marketing for a company. She has to be the leader in guiding and directing the advertising agency as to what she wants for the project. She cannot expect the advertising agency to try to guess what she wants in the project.

If your property manager is slow in returning your phone calls explain to them the level of communication you expect. In return, ask them how much communication they expect from you.

Many property managers would rather only communicate with you on as needed basis. Much more than this level of communication from the owner is overkill.

5. Property Manager Categories
While Property managers fall into three categories, the size of the property management company is neither better nor worse than the others. Choosing the size of property manager has more to do with the level of owner pampering and paperwork provided rather than a property manager being good or bad.

Small 1-50 units
Property managers in the small category are usually unlicensed with no training in property management. These managers will have more time for the property owner. This type of property manager is usually not much more than a handyman who will show and rent apartments. If a property owner wants to be hands on and needs to be updated on every specific action of the property this is the manager they should hire.

Pros:
These property managers have the time to cuddle and coddle the owner. They will provide the owner with receipts for repairs and nothing else in documentation.

Cons:
These managers will have no systems in place to and will not be able to negotiate vendor discounts. No 1099s and no accounting documents prepared for your accountant.

Medium 50-150 units

Pros:
These managers have more of a professional approach with the use of some systems. They have the purchase power to negotiate some vendor discounts.

Cons:
The paperwork may be enough for the owner to understand the numbers, but may not be enough information to submit to an accountant or to the IRS.

Large 150+

Pros:
Large companies have invested a lot of money in their systems procedures. They will have an in-house maintenance staff. Their accounting reports can be submitted to an accountant or the IRS.

Cons:
No time with the owner. Communication is very professional, but impersonal, done mostly through email and voicemail. Large management companies offer very little owner pampering and handholding. The downside: even owners who have been in real estate for many years still need some positive reinforcement once in a while.

Issues concerning the marital domicile and real estate are often the biggest issues that divorcing couples must resolve. The issues of real estate and divorce are often intertwined with complex issues concerning child custody, child support, marital division of assets, marital debt and other issues related to a divorce. This article only applies to Rhode Island Divorce.

1.) Real Estate and temporary use and possession of the marital domicile during the pendency of the divorce.

While a divorce is proceeding in court, there are several potential scenarios concerning the disposition of the real estate: (Please consult a lawyer / attorney concerning your legal options)

A.) Husband and wife reside together while the divorce is pending with or without children.

In many instances, husband and wife live together while the divorce is pending. In some cases, husband and wife live together out of financial necessity because the parties cannot afford to live separately. Other divorcing couples live together because they believe it is in the best interest of the child /children. Some people live together because both husband and wife refuse to leave the marital domicile.

If husband and wife are living together while the divorce is pending, they often reach an agreement as to who will pay the mortgage, taxes, insurance and other real estate related expenses.

In the event that husband and wife cannot reach an agreement then both parties have the right to file motion for temporary orders, asking the court to intervene and determine who will pay the mortgage taxes, insurance, utilities and other expenses for the marital domicile.

If the parties are not civil towards each other there is constant arguing or there is domestic violence / abuse it may become unworkable for the parties to continue living together. If either party is abusing drugs, alcohol or gambling then cohabitating during the divorce process may be unworkable. Either party has the right to file a motion for temporary orders asking for exclusive use and possession of the marital domicile while the divorce is pending.

If one of the spouse has no income and no ability to earn income then it is possible that the spouse who has income or earning capacity could be ordered to pay 100% of the expenses for marital domicile while the divorce is pending. This is especially the case if the unemployed spouse has minor children living at home.

One of the risks of living together while the divorce is proceeding is the that other party will file a restraining order or a complaint protection from abuse.

B.) Husband or wife vacates the marital domicile and there are no children.

If husband or wife voluntarily leaves the marital hime and the other party is residing on the premises then the parties have two options:

1.) Husband and wife reach an agreement, or

2.) Husband or wife files a motion for the court to determine who pays for the house. The person who vacated the house may be ordered to contribute towards the mortgage taxes, insurance and upkeep etc., if any.

If the parties cannot agree then either party can file a motion for temporary orders seeking contribution towards the mortgage taxes, insurance, and upkeep for the marital domicile. The Rhode Island Family Court will then make an equitable determination of who should pay the mortgage taxes and insurance for the marital domicile. How the Family Court decides this issue, depends on several factors including perhaps most importantly, the income and earning capacity of each of the parties. One Judge in the Rhode Island Family Court consistently rules that the spouse remaining in the marital domicile must pay the 1st $850.00 of the mortgage as rent and the parties split the remaining mortgage taxes and insurance 50/50.

C.) One spouse vacates the marital real estate, while the other spouse resides in the marital real estate with a child or children.

The parent who has temporary physical placement (physical custody) of the child/children will have the right to receive child support as well as the potential to obtain contribution to the mortgage taxes, insurance, and upkeep for marital domicile.

If the parties can agree to the correct child support amount and the contributions towards the mortgage, taxes, insurance for the property then a motion for temporary order may not be necessary.

If the parties cannot agree, the court will determine the correct child support amount using the Rhode Island Child Support Guidelines. The cost of daycare and medical expenses is factored into the Rhode Island (RI) child support guidelines. The court may also order that the spouse who vacated the property contribute to the mortgage, taxes and insurance for the marital domicile.

The courts main purpose is to preserve the marital domicile until the divorce trial can be heard. The amount of the child support and contributions to marital domicile will be highly dependent on the income and earning capacity of the parties as well as a particular circumstances of a case. If the spouse who lives with the children has no job and no ability to earn income and no earning capacity it is possible that the other spouse may be required to pay over and above the child support amount to maintain the status quo so that the other spouse is able to maintain the marital domicile.

The primary goal of a Rhode Island (RI) Family Court Judge is to preserve the marital assets until either a complete settlement is reached or the divorce can be decided after a full trial on the merits.

Rhode Island Attorneys legal Notice per RI Rules of Professional Responsibility:

The Rhode Island Supreme Court licenses all lawyers in the general practice of law, but does not license or certify any lawyer as an expert or specialist in any field of practice.

David Slepkow is a Rhode Island (RI) lawyer concentrating in divorce, family law, child support, alimony, adoption, custody and visitation. David has been practicing for over 11 years and is licensed in Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Federal Court.