Brian

So, you have already started either your own home business, internet business or home based business or you are considering doing so. Whether your business be internet based or otherwise, I will refer to it as your Home Based Business in these newsletters. I hope you will find value in this Newsletter and those that will follow.

My own experiences in setting up an internet based home business office are very real and quite recent. I therefore thought that if I could pass on some of the tips that I have been given or have learned, maybe I can save some of my reader's valuable time and maybe money also. So please use these articles as a good base training tool for your home based business.

The first thing that I have found to be of great value is to maintain a logbook highlighting the daily activities in my home based business. This is certainly not essential, but let me provide a few valid reasons to maintain such a record. Preferably your logbook should not be loose leafed. It should be a book that is either bound or has a spiral spine. Show clearly the date before you commence each day. Refer to it as your Home Based Business Log Book and keep it up to date at all times.

When a logbook is full, put a label on it showing the dates covered and then start a new log book. Things to record are really up to you, but I have found it useful to record phone numbers for leads or contacts and details of any telephone calls made to leads particularly. I also record web pages I have visited and make a summary of useful information found on each site. Please do not fall into the trap of saving all your websites into your computer's favorites file, because it will soon become too crowded and you will never find what you are looking for. Even if you extend your History file to include the last 6 months of visits, you will still experience difficulties finding what you are looking for.

The log book is also a good place to record usernames and passwords as you sign up at various sites. I know that you will need to maintain a more permanent record of this information on a spreadsheet or something similar, but initially you will usually be given a password that you will never remember. So enter the information into your spreadsheet record once you have changed the password to something more suitable to you.

Perhaps a more critical reason to maintain your logbook is that it will provide proof that you are operating a bona fide home based business venture should the tax man come calling at some future date. (more on the tax man cometh, in a later newsletter).

I am sure that one of the main reasons that you have started your own home based business is so that you can earn income. Unfortunately, this brings us to more record keeping. This time, however, you really do not have an option unless you have an accounting or bookkeeping package that will assist and keep the required information for you. When your income starts to come in it is essential that you record the following information.

The date you receive the income,
Who paid this income to you,
the amount that you received.

Even if you have money deposited into an account such as Paypal or some similar internet transaction vehicle, you still need to keep a record. The best place to record this, if you do not have an accounting package, is in another small bound book. I would suggest that you start a new page each month and total your income at the end of each month.

Why do you need to keep this record? Because you are going to need it to complete your annual income tax return. Don't think for one moment that because your income is being earned in cyberspace, that you will not be required to declare it as income to your tax authorities. The same goes for income that you obtain from foreign companies also. The penalties for not declaring your income can be very expensive should you be foolish enough to try and then get caught. You are required to report all income you receive from your home based business on at least an annual basis.

This includes
Income from sales
Commissions or bonuses you receive for sales and the sales of others who work for you or who are down line from you if you are operating an MLM Business.
Prizes, money and awards you receive because of sales you make.
Include interest income, amounts recovered from bad debts you deducted in a prior year, and other miscellaneous income.

Further topics in this series are as follows:
Number 2, General Expenses,
Number 3, Purchase of Goods for Resale,
Number 4, Deductions for Use of Home Office,
Number 5, Home Entertainment Costs,
Number 6, Automobile Costs,
Number 7, Depreciation Costs,
Number 8, Business Meals,
Number 9, Salary Payments to Children,
Number 10, Travel Expenses,
Number 11, Demonstrators Samples & Promotional Tools,
Number 12, Gifts,
Number 13, Here Comes the Tax Man,

John Ritchie

Copyright to this article belongs to John Ritchie. http://www.johnritchieonline.com and brlynt@gmail.com.

You may download and distribute this article freely and without restrictions. You must not, however, delete the resource box link.

The ever popular children's genre has been around for a long time, and is extremely popular with children from all age groups and from all over the world. Even those children that cannot read, can still enjoy stories via children's audio books. In any case, narrated stories have always been a popular past time for growing children, and children's audio books allows them that experience in the comfort of their own home, or even on the road!

The early history of children's audio books saw them produced strictly on cassette tapes. As our technology advanced, the cassette tapes soon gave rise to the ever popular compact disc (CD). But, what really gave children's audio books a real push forward was the introduction of digital audio books - those that could be downloaded from the Internet, to a favorite MP3 player, such as iPod. The selection of mediums (cassettes, CD, digital download) gives children the ability to enjoy a range of children's audio books more than ever before.

Now that children's audio books have grown in popularity, we're starting to see an increase in available titles, published alongside regular paperback and hardcover editions. In most cases, you can expect to find many popular children's audio books, such as the Harry Potter series, in major books stores and retailers. But fret not - even if a particular item isn't available in stores, simply hop online to an audio book site and download a limitless selection of children's audio books to your child's MP3 player! Selections can be downloaded to an MP3 player (or your computer) in a matter of minutes.

Children's audio books aren't simply for entertainment anymore - they can be extremely valuable teaching tools too. If you're child is learning to read, then making use of children's audio books alongside a printed book will allow them to follow the words as they are narrated - helping them make the connection between spoken and written words. But it doesn't stop there. Children will be much more likely to gain important knowledge from audio books, simply because the audio books are more stimulating than a typical classroom setting.

And don't worry, the narrative quality of professionally published audio books are outstanding. We're not talking computer synthesized voices here, but actual human narrators, some of which have won awards for their ability to draw a reader in with his or her story telling abilities. Some popular narrators include: Ron McLarty, Scott Brick, George Guidall, Frank Muller, and even Stephen King himself. This is just a small list of the talented voices used in narrating a story. And believe me when I say that the narrator can make or break a story, based on his or her talents!

Can you possibly think of some other ways that your child might enjoy, or benefit, from listening to children's audio books? There are numerous applications, but let's not forget one very important one: listening simply for the sheer enjoyment of it all!

AudioBookGeek.com provides many resources for enjoying audio book downloads, and rentals, including children's audio books. The site includes reviews, news, and frequent discounts, so that you can enjoy your audio books while taking it easy on your bank account!