Dear Doves,

A lot of good advice was given to Tracey and all of us
about working from home. Doug's 4 steps were very good.

However, I do not want to contradict our brother but
owning your own business and having a home based
business are two different things. When you have a home
based business you are an Independant Contractor as a
representative of your partner company.

Studies show that people who work from home make on
average 42% more than those employed by others. The
benefits are numerous. When was the last time you had to
PAY taxes in April? I always get a refund. The last one was
for thousands of dollars. Without my business we would
have barely broken even or had to pay. In the lean years
when I was trying to get to a profit in my various businesses
I lived off my tax refund.

When it comes to home based businesses remember this: The
Government wants you in business. If you are working at all
you are not taking from the system. That is why the tax laws
help those of us who take advantage of what has been put in
place for us. With a home business you pay less taxes, not more.

As for social security taxes, you don't pay 1/2 what an employer
would pay. You are not an employer. You pay State and Federal taxes.
If you are truly working at your business you will have many expenses to
take off that will offset a lot of your earnings. According to the Fed.
Government you can file at a loss in any business for three years.
You don't have to make a dime. According to Sandy Botkin (the
tax attorney who wrote the tax laws) tax laws on home businesses are
the greatest break the government has given us.

For instance, you can take some of the cost of eating out off your
taxes, a room in your house you use as an office, office supplies,
vacations, milage (44c per mile at present), start up fees for a new
business, part of your home phone and your cell phone costs, any
of your products you give away as gifts you can take off as promot-
ionals. You just have to keep very good records and any receipts.
I keep a pad in my vehicle and write down my milage before I leave
the driveway and my return mileage when I get back. I find a way
to work my business even if I am going to the grocery store.

My deductions are a lot the same from year to year so the government
rarely questions what I put down. If they do, they only want an
explaination. Then they will simply allow it or not. No problem. No
penalties. It has been my experience after many years and many
different companies, that the government will do all it can to keep
me off unemployment and welfare.

A home business is good for the economy, family and friends. If
you are involved in a business that allows you to help others
succeed and make a living for themselves or suppliment their
income, you are helping everyone. Like everything else you must
do your homework to find a business that is real. There are many
that may be good companies but not everyone will make money
due to their compensation plan. As I alluded to before you MUST
make sure the business you go with does not require you to stock
inventory for resale. Your monthly required purchases should be
low as well. With my partner company I am not required to sell
anything! I only buy what my family uses or I buy from myself for
gifts.

Another plus for me is the contact I have with wonderful people
I don't know. This is not telemarketing. It is relational. You get
to know some great people via email or telephone. You can work
your own hours and days or take time off. You get to work with
people with the same values as yourself. Those who want to get
into business just to make money or get rich quick will drop out
fast when your motives don't jibe.

I apologize for the length of my post but I felt fear as I read some
of what has been said about working from home. But "God has not
given us a spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound
mind." I know some of you are like me and have tried many businesses
and may have lost a little money, or found it didn't work for most
people. Some are like myself in that I had to work from home. The
world just wasn't cutting it for me anymore. I needed time to do the
things God has called me to do. Time is a precious gift.

The old saying, "nothing ventured, nothing gained" is true. Keep
praying for God to bring you the right vehicle to get you what you
need. I promise you, it is there. I prayed for a home business for 7
months, sowed a seed at Thanksgiving and in January 2002 God
brought me my present business. He has since brought me another
one that does not require much of me but is a reputable company.
It has to do with mortgages for those of you who want something
to do from home that seems a little more "traditional".

Also take the advice of people you trust. The Doves will give good
advice. Check out everything before you decide on anything. Find
out if you will get good support from those already in the business
you choose. As a side note here: my partner company has set up a
way for churches, ministries, and non-profit organizations to sign up
for free. The non-profits are an entity unto themselves and do not
work the business. They just get a monthly donation by way of
commission from us on what we were going to purchase anyway.

(For anyone who has read this far and is waiting for a reply from me
by email, I haven't forgotten you. I will try to get that to you today.
Thank you for your kindness in waiting.)

John, thank you for giving us Doves a way to share with one another
as well as to ask for prayer and give it in return. AWESOME website!
Father, please bless John and all the Doves family....

In Jesus,
Shelva
hallelujah74@hotmail.com
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Thanks, Shelva!
John