Ellie Answers Your Questions About Job Scams & Homebased Businesses!

This week I was on ABC NEWS "Good Money" show, answering your questions! Be sure to email us for a FREE "Homebased Business File" and mention you heard me on "Good Money!"

Q. We are interested in starting our own home business and want to know what first steps we should take in deciding what kind of business to operate from home.
Julie and Vick from Rancho Cucomonga, CA via facebook


ELLIE: There are basically three kinds of businesses: sales, service and manufacturing. Sales can take many forms such as retail or wholesale, mail order or direct sales. They tend to offer more flexible hours but require more paperwork. Service businesses are the easiest to set up and can require the smallest initial investment. If you do something well, like painting or decorating, fixing things, cleaning houses repairing computers, etc, you can start your own service business. Finally, there is manufacturing—everything from crafts to jewelry, furniture and more. Once you decide on the kind of business, do your research online or with the help of a research librarian, subscribe to industry magazines and talk to those in that kind of business.

Q. Are there any online resources available for us to find someone who will give us free advice on our small graphics and design business.
Mike and Victoria from Syracuse, NY via online contact form

ELLIE: Yes! You can go to SCORE.org, which is non-profit organization designed to help small business owners with over 12,000 volunteer counselors across the country. They can hook you up with a mentor to answer your questions online or in one of their offices. Their volunteers are made of experts in 600 fields who have been successful in their own businesses and include former CEOs! If you are interested in funding your startup business you can go to Kickstarter.com or since you’re an artist you may want to find funding for your project by going to IndieGoGo.com

Q: I’ve worked for the same construction company for 20 years and just got laid off. I have a dream to start my own carpentry business, but I’m not sure that I have what it takes to do it. How do I know if I can hack it or not?
Mark submitted via Online Contact Form

ELLIE: That’s a great question, Mark, and since the SBA says that 1 in 2 small businesses will fail within a year, you have every right to question your ability to succeed. I think the key lies in planning and doing your preparation work. It’s important and assess your personality and skills. You can take the Personality ID test offered at your SBA center, college, library or community center. It will help you look at yourself from a fresh perspective and asses whether your personality is best served as an owner or an employee. I also think it’s important to pursue your passion. Do you really love carpentry or has it just been a job to you? When you pursue your passion, not only does it get you up in the morning but it makes more likely to succeed!

Q. My mom sells Premier Jewelry and my best friend sells Mary Kay. Both of them are pressuring me to sign up under them in order to build their business. How do I make the decision about which homebased business to start.
Jenny Monroe from Oklahoma City, OK

ELLIE: Jenny, there’s a phrase you need to learn right away: It’s nothing personal, just business! You need to make your decision based on what is right for YOU, not based on who you love more: your mom or your friend! I’ll send you the Homebased Business file for free if you go to elliekay.com and in that file you’ll see 25 questions you need to ask each woman about their business including: What are the start up costs? What is the hostess plan? Does the company pay sales tax or do I have to do that myself? How many downline generations are paid? How much inventory is needed? It’s important to have all the facts available and then make your decision based on business and not on anything personal!

Q. I’ve dabbled in writing here and there but I want to try and go into it on a more full time basis, should I try to freelance various writing projects or should I offer my writing services as a subcontractor to an existing company that need writers?
Ted from Chicago, VA via Ellie Kay’s blog

ELLIE: The answer is “yes.” It’s easier to launch a service based industry, such as what you’re essentially talking about by subcontracting work to an existing firm. Outsourcing is becoming more and more prominent as jobs are streamlined and companies downsize. It’s cheaper to hire a contractor than paying benefits to a full time employee. So hook up with your local Chamber of Commerce and plug into businesses in your community. At the same time, get The Writers Guide online or from your local library and begin to pitch articles to various periodicals by writing a good query letter and tailoring each article toward the specific needs of the publication. Ted, with how work and bit of luck you’ll find yourself doing what you love and having your dream business at the same time!

Ellie Kay
America's Family Financial Expert (R)
www.elliekay.com

ABC NEWS - I'm Answering YOUR Questions

Here are some of your questions that I answered recently on ABC NEWS "Good Money" regarding the blog I wrote called "The Road to Financial Heckie Fire."


Q. I’m in my mid thirties and I haven’t had the problem of friends and family asking me to co-sign on a loan before. But in the last year, I’ve had three requests for this. What’s your advice on co-signing a loan?
Jill, from Bradenton, FL via facebook

Ellie: If you have a friend or relative who needs a co-signer, then that means their credit is so risky that no lender will give him money on his own credit history. The question is: why should you? The answer is that you should not! Even though it may come across as “helping a family member out” it’s still a business transaction and when you set the precedence of co-signing on a loan—be prepared to do it again and again. If not for the same person, then for another friend who may say, “well, you did it for Jennifer, why not me?” You have to assume you will be the one repaying the loan & you won’t have the associated asset, so it can’t possibly be a good business move.

Q. We are boomers in our early sixties and we were thinking of getting a reverse mortgage. Is this a good move for people our age?
Allison from Granbury, TX via online contact form

Ellie: Recently, you’ll see older actors on commercials offering these kinds of mortgages to seniors who are house rich and cash poor. They are portrayed as a viable means of getting a steady stream of income that is easy to obtain. But the fees and other costs associated with reverse mortgages can sometimes be considerably higher than on other loans. This is a bad money move unless you have no other income than social security and because of the high cost fees, it should be a last resort not a first resort. The better option would be a home equity loan. You could sell your home and move into a smaller, less expensive house. Or, you could sell the home to your kids and have a multigenerational family under one roof—this is a recent trend I’ve seen emerging. Your kids can use the inheritance to pay down the mortgage.


Q. I have $10,000 in Stafford Student Loans, an $8800 car loan at 9.99% and two consumer loans at $3500 and $3700, both at 12%. All my loans are current and I have $1000 to put toward one of these loans—which one should I choose?
Viviene via Ellie Kay’s blog

Ellie: It’s great that you are current with your payments and even better that you have an extra $1000 to put toward your debts. I recommend that you put the $1000 toward the $3700 loan at 12% in order to retire the loan. Then once you’ve paid off that debt, double up the payments on the $3500 loan. You will feel motivated by the fact that you’re paying off debts and you will also experience the “snowball effect” where you gain momentum in paying these debts and as you pay off one bill, you can put those monies toward the next bill. Before you know it, you’ll have all your debt retired!

Q. Last year, my teenage daughter couldn’t find a summer job and ended up kind of wasting those months. She tried hard, but there just isn’t much work where we live. Do you have some ideas that maybe we haven’t thought of in terms of summers for this age group?
Stephanie Corlew from Branson, Missouri

Ellie: Summer camps are a great place for kids like your daughter to plug into a summer job. My daughter, Bethany, found a job through the American Camping Association by going to www.acacamps.org/jobs (or just google “American Camping Association” and “jobs.”) She’s making enough for her college spending money and gaining the opportunity to impact the lives of young campers as well.
Another way to broaden a resume for this age group is to go to the local, state or federal political representative from your district and offer to intern in the office. My son, Jonathan, did this last summer as a high school sophomore and this summer as a junior as well. He only volunteered a few hours a week at Congressman Buck McKeon’s office (California) and it made such an impression on his resume that it helped him get into an exclusive summer leadership seminar at USAFA (United States Air Force Academy). His summer internship contributed to the community and it also has contributed to his future as he applies for college scholarships.

Q. My grandchildren are teenagers and are coming to live with me for the summer. I wanted to know if you know of some jobs they can do where they could make some extra money, but still have time for fun, too.
Connie Green from Tehachapi, CA

Ellie: Connie, if you email assistant@elliekay.com, we can send you a file that includes 30 different jobs your grandchildren can do locally and make good money as well. Just ask for the “Kids Jobs” file. There’s also a list of safety items you should check out before they work for someone they do not know. For example, there’s job’s like Rent-A-Kid where there may be people in your church or neighborhood who need odd jobs done. There are also jobs like window washing, Garage Cleaning Service, Babysitting Services for summer groups that meet, Mail Checkers (for those who travel out of town), and even Pet Minders.

Q. Ever since I was a teenager, it’s been a dream of mine to go visit Israel
Is going on a tour with a large group the least expensive way to go to big tourist destinations? How can I save money on this trip?
Pamela from Acton, CA


Ellie: Tour groups with your church or community may not be the cheapest route to go since someone usually gets a free trip or two by booking a large group. In some cases, you actually pay more money to go to Israel with a reknown author or professor than you would if you go on your own. To help save money, go to the website GoIsrael.com and do as much planning as possible. Stay in a hostel, guest house, or a kibbutz, which comes with a free breakfast. Buy a pass for all national parks in order to save as much as 35% on the most popular attractions.

Q: Our company downsized and I laid off work. I’m thinking of launching my own homebased business, but there’s so much out there, I’m not sure what I should do. How do you know it’s a good business to get into and what should I keep in mind as I make my decision?
Nicole, Albany, NY

Ellie: One area of our economy that is thriving is direct sales companies (DSC) as people explore new ways to make money. As you are searching for the best fit for you in your homebased business start with following your passion. Do you love to cook? Then Pampered Chef may be a good option. Do you enjoy wearing the latest styles in jewelry, then try Premier Designs. If you follow your passion you are far more likely to succeed. But all DSCs are not created equal. Before you decide, find out what kind of inventory you have to stock. I know far too many people who went into debt to buy their inventory and then quit the business within a year—but kept the debt! Also find out the percentage you make on sales as well as the hostess plan that the company offers. Does the company take care of filing sales tax for you or do you have that job, too? For more information, email assistant@elliekay.com and ask for the “Homemade Business” file. Have fun pursuing your passion!

Please ask me YOUR questions!

Ellie Kay

America's Family Financial Expert (R)

http://www.elliekay.com/