TELECOMMUTIING employ ment

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Version 3.10.01.10.02
Edward B. Toupin
All trademarks mentioned throughout this publication are property of their
respective owners.
Published in 2001 by Edward B. Toupin, Las Vegas, NV, United States.
Copyright  2001, Edward B. Toupin. All rights reserved.
Manufactured in the United States of America.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,
or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,

recording, or otherwise without the prior written permission of Edward B.
Toupin.
Contact the publisher at and the author at

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List of Tables .......................................................................................................................................vii
List of Figures.....................................................................................................................................viii
About The Author .................................................................................................................................ix
Acknowledgements..............................................................................................................................xi
Preface ................................................................................................................................................xiii
Introduction ...........................................................................................................................................1
Why do it?...........................................................................................................................................1
Can I do it?..........................................................................................................................................2
What do I do?......................................................................................................................................2
How do I do it? ....................................................................................................................................2
Making the Decision..............................................................................................................................3
Influencing Factors ..............................................................................................................................3
Do I have what it takes?.......................................................................................................................4
Making It Happen ................................................................................................................................6
What are the steps?...............................................................................................................................9
Preparing Your Plan ............................................................................................................................9
Set Yourself Up .................................................................................................................................10
Prepare Your Business......................................................................................................................10
Market Your Product or Service.........................................................................................................10
Pack Away the Money .......................................................................................................................11
Easy Does It......................................................................................................................................11
Quit Your Job ....................................................................................................................................11

Planning...............................................................................................................................................13
Determining the Objectives................................................................................................................13
Steps to Defining your Objectives..................................................................................................14
Defining Your Mission........................................................................................................................15
Steps to Creating the Mission Statement .......................................................................................16
Defining Your Vision..........................................................................................................................17
Steps to Creating the Vision Statement..........................................................................................17
Redefining Your Goals.......................................................................................................................18
Steps to Defining Goals.................................................................................................................19
Establishing an Action Plan ...............................................................................................................19
Steps to Creating the Action Plan ..................................................................................................20
The Basic Business Plan ...................................................................................................................20
Setting Yourself Up .............................................................................................................................23
Establish Yourself..............................................................................................................................24
Locating a Job...................................................................................................................................25
Make Yourself Known........................................................................................................................26
The Presentation...............................................................................................................................27
Interviews..........................................................................................................................................28
Offers and Acceptance ......................................................................................................................30
Telecommuting....................................................................................................................................31
Possible Telecommuting Jobs............................................................................................................32
Business Ideas ....................................................................................................................................35
Business Consulting..........................................................................................................................35
Booklet Publishing.............................................................................................................................40
Home-Based Typing..........................................................................................................................41
Personal Factors...........................................................................................................................42
Imagination....................................................................................................................................42
Ensuring Success and Survival......................................................................................................43
Lack of Money is No Excuse for Failure.........................................................................................43
Your Banker..................................................................................................................................44

Naming Your Business..................................................................................................................44
Pricing...........................................................................................................................................45
Service Guidelines.........................................................................................................................45
Pace Yourself................................................................................................................................45
Information Brokering ........................................................................................................................46
Phone Counselor...............................................................................................................................47
How do you qualify?......................................................................................................................48
How do I get started? ....................................................................................................................48
Ok, I can read tarot. Now what?....................................................................................................49
How does this work? .....................................................................................................................49
What's the catch?..........................................................................................................................50
For you, I see ... ............................................................................................................................50
Resume Writing.................................................................................................................................50
Setting Up .....................................................................................................................................52
Resumes and Cover Letters..........................................................................................................52
Marketing ......................................................................................................................................53
Interviewing the Client ...................................................................................................................54
Preparing the Resume...................................................................................................................55
Fees for Your Service....................................................................................................................56
Cover Letter ..................................................................................................................................56
Make It Happen.............................................................................................................................56
Self-Publishing ..................................................................................................................................57
Find Your Market...........................................................................................................................57
Cash in on Your Creativity and Expertise.......................................................................................58
Packaging .....................................................................................................................................58
Focus on Salable Material .............................................................................................................58
Fill the Material with Benefits .........................................................................................................59
Emotional Appeal ..........................................................................................................................59
Advertising ....................................................................................................................................59
Remote Temporary Help....................................................................................................................61

Setting Up Your Business...................................................................................................................69
Creating the Organization..................................................................................................................69
Sole Proprietorship........................................................................................................................70
Partnership....................................................................................................................................70
Limited Liability Company..............................................................................................................71
Corporation ...................................................................................................................................72
The IRS.............................................................................................................................................73
Payroll Taxes ................................................................................................................................73
Federal Income Tax Obligations ....................................................................................................74
Sales Tax......................................................................................................................................75
State Tax.......................................................................................................................................76
Insurance ..........................................................................................................................................76
Business Resources..........................................................................................................................77
Marketing Your Wares.........................................................................................................................79
Writing Free Content..........................................................................................................................80
Using the Internet to Promote ............................................................................................................81
Web Site Madness ........................................................................................................................81
Discussion Groups ........................................................................................................................82
Zines.............................................................................................................................................82
Newsgroups..................................................................................................................................83
Make Sense of the Search...................................................................................................................85
Why so many?...................................................................................................................................85
I'm over here! ....................................................................................................................................86
The Search Methods .........................................................................................................................87
Using a Tool......................................................................................................................................88
The Presentation...............................................................................................................................88
What's next?......................................................................................................................................88
Locating Opportunities........................................................................................................................91
What can I do? ..................................................................................................................................91
How do I smell?.................................................................................................................................92

Locating Opportunities.......................................................................................................................92
Search Sites..................................................................................................................................93
Other Resources...........................................................................................................................93
Make Yourself Known........................................................................................................................94
The Interview.....................................................................................................................................94
Landing a Job....................................................................................................................................95
Balancing Your Finances ....................................................................................................................97
Financial Planning .............................................................................................................................97
Paying the Bills..................................................................................................................................98
Working & Living at Home.................................................................................................................101
Wear Your Pajamas to Work Day ....................................................................................................101
Combining Work and Home.............................................................................................................102
Your Home Office............................................................................................................................104
Can your business thrive out of your home? ................................................................................104
Dealing with Customers and Suppliers.........................................................................................105
Neighbors and Family..................................................................................................................106
Being Your Own Boss .................................................................................................................106
Professionalism...........................................................................................................................107
Healthy Lifestyle..........................................................................................................................107
Work Hours.................................................................................................................................108
Legal Restrictions............................................................................................................................108
Tips to Help You Telecommute Successfully....................................................................................109
Taking the Leap .................................................................................................................................111
Before You Quit...............................................................................................................................111
Quit—With Dignity!..........................................................................................................................112
Things to be aware of... ...................................................................................................................113
Security.......................................................................................................................................113
Socializing and Being Liked.........................................................................................................114
Promotion and Visibility ...............................................................................................................114
Fear ............................................................................................................................................115

Bartering for Work .......................................................................................................................115
Sure, I'll Do It For Free! ...............................................................................................................116
Scheduling Your Time.......................................................................................................................117
Starting Out.....................................................................................................................................117
If You Schedule It, Make It Happen..................................................................................................119
Last Minute Scheduling ...................................................................................................................119
A1. General Links ........................................................................................................................122
A2. Research Links......................................................................................................................124
A3. Tools and Software ...............................................................................................................125
A4. E-Book Marketing Links........................................................................................................127
A5. Web Site Marketing Plan.......................................................................................................131
A6. Telecommuting Web Sites....................................................................................................132
A7. Telecommuting Companies..................................................................................................134
A8. Government Links.................................................................................................................138
A9. Personal Objectives..............................................................................................................139
A10. Do I have what it takes?........................................................................................................140
A11. Am I ready? ...........................................................................................................................142
A12. Business Plan .......................................................................................................................143
Information Resources.....................................................................................................................144
A13. Job Search Checklist............................................................................................................147
A14. Glossary ................................................................................................................................148
Index...................................................................................................................................................151
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Table 1: Potential Telecommuting Jobs..................................................................................................32
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Figure 1: Creating Your Goals................................................................................................................18
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Edward B. Toupin is a freelance consultant, writer, and published author living in Las
Vegas. He currently handles technical writing tasks for various companies in New York,
Chicago, and Denver as well as imagineers and markets feature-length and short
screenplays.
Edward provides quality Web site design, development, and marketing as well as
writing, document design and planning, and e-book publishing services. You can visit

his Web site at or contact him at