Gratitude and Faith In the Midst of Tough Times

A lot of things already happened in the past 3 months since the second week of March. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, schools were suspended, Metro Manila and other places were placed under community quarantine forcing most people to stay home and businesses to stop operations. 

There was a lot of bad news - from people not able to go home to their families because of the lockdown to not having food on the table for those who are very poor. The number of people getting infected and dying was also saddening.

But there were also a lot of inspiring stories that tell us to keep hoping and praying. Many people have stepped up to the challenge of giving - whether big or small, in cash or in-kind - to help those who have nothing, the frontliners, and healthcare workers. Our endless thanks go to everyone who has been unrelenting in the fight against COVID-19. 

Is Your Family Ready for the "New Normal" Next School Year?

Most schools have not resumed classes yet at this time. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, there are a lot of things to be taken into consideration, primarily the safety of students and teachers. The majority of parents wouldn't allow their children to go to school yet because of the risk to their health.

For schools that are able to shift classes from the classroom to the internet, there are a lot of necessary preparations. Teachers would need to upgrade their knowledge and skills to adopt online or virtual teaching. For other schools that are not ready for these changes, there's a need to assess and improvise.

Parents, on the other hand, would also play a major role in ensuring that their kids still get a good education. What do we need to do as parents to manage our child’s online learning from home? 

Here's a checklist of things to consider to help your child make the most of learning from home.

Suppose You're Back to Work Despite the Rising COVID-19 Cases!

What are the things that you MUST DO to protect yourself?

For almost a month now, more and more people are going back to work, that is despite the fact that the number of COVID-19 cases continues to rise. The news reports say that new cases are on the rise because of the reopening.

Are you back to work? 

Most likely, you're not if you're a youth (20 years old and below) or a senior because they are still ordered to stay home. Resumption of classes has been delayed and options for virtual learning are being adopted by many educational institutions, though public schools are not yet ready for that (as admitted by the DepEd Secretary).

You're not if you run your own business from home or if your employer has set up a work from the home arrangement for you. You're not if you're not really working like you're a stay at home mom. 

But in case you have to go out to work now for obvious economic reasons, you need to proactively reduce your risks to COVID-19. This post may seem redundant as I have already posted here about COVID prevention tips, but our situation now is the new normal of living, at least, for the next few months. So, what should you do?

Here are 7 Safety Tips that you must consider.

Small Business Idea from Home: How to Start a Handyman (or Handywoman) Business

Maintaining a property can be a profitable home-based business. You may consider yourself a handyman or handywoman and fix common problems/repair jobs around the house yourself. Or you don't know how to do it but subcontract these jobs. Either way, you can still start a business managing these jobs and scheduling work for other people.

Many of the jobs requested by homeowners are very easy and require little skill. Some people only need help to complete their to-do lists because they do not have the time to do it. People would rather pay someone to do the jobs instead of letting them be left undone.

Can you change a lightbulb? Cut the grass? Assemble flat-pack furniture? Drill a few holes in the wall to put up some shelves, or add a window blind? Do some painting and decorating? These are all the types of jobs that will make up the bulk of inquiries. 

You don’t need to be an ex-construction worker or have been in the trade for years. These are very simple tasks that can be learned quickly. As for the more complex jobs beyond your expertise, if you wanted to complete this work for your clients, you would just subcontract to a specialist and charge this to the client with your cut on top. The service would still be offered under your business name.

Small Business Ideas From Home: How to Start a Cleaning Service

The demand for maid, janitorial, and domestic cleaning services has increased over the last few years. As household members become increasingly busy, it has become more common to delegate the task of cleaning and maintenance to external agencies.

Within the trend of domestic cleaning is the desire for more nature-friendly, hypo-allergenic, waste-conscious cleaning. As more people come to understand the dangers of using toxic chemicals in our home environment and their health, it is also a good idea to offer “green” cleaning services.

To create a green cleaning business, the business model will need to be adapted to allow the extra expense and effort required to keep the business green and environmentally friendly. By offering a green cleaning service, you will set yourself apart from the standard home cleaning company, targeting a unique customer base, those willing to spend a little more for the sake of preserving and protecting mother earth.

Small Business Ideas From Home: How to Start an Errand Service

This is the third post in the series Small Business From Home. The previous posts talked about starting a garden service and an ironing service. This post will talk about an errand-running business, which just like the first two home businesses, can be set up with flexible working hours and earn a good income. 

An errand running business is perfect for those who like to meet wonderful people, help them in their lives, connect on a personal level, and earn a healthy income.

What is an Errand Running Business?

Simply put, if you have an errand business, your job is to act as a concierge, help out people with odd jobs, scheduling and simple tasks that they may not have the time to do, or be capable of due to other commitments and time constraints.

Here is what you need to think about if you like the idea of starting an errand running business.

Small Business Ideas From Home: How to Start a Garden Service

This is the second post in our series of Small Business Ideas From Home. If you missed the first post about starting an Ironing Service, check it out. This time, the focus of this post is starting a garden service business. If you like working outside, particularly in the garden, this is something that you might consider doing.

Although with a garden service business, you won't be physically working from home, it is still considered a home-based business. You would still be your own boss, you would set your own schedule, and work as many hours a week as you want to.