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Homepreneur @ 70+ : Meet Sri.Ramana Prasad – Translator, Editor, Writer

Howzzat for those of us (so called youngsters) who feel burnt out by the time we touch 40’s …
Sri.Ramana Prasad has had a fulfilling career as lecturer of History and Politics @ The Thiagarajar College, Madurai; Senior Teacher in History in reputed Hr.Sec.Schools in Madurai and Kodaikanal and retired as Principal, CSR Mat.School, Tirunagar, Madurai in 1998. During this time, he had translated text books for PUC History, B.A., Politics and History from English to Tamil. Post retirement, he was working as editor for Medical Transcription Agency and subsequently took up Editing, Writing and translating works.
Most often, soon after retirement people want to relax (read, disconnect from any kind of work). How is it that you are still at work 😉 ?

It is true that many people want to relax after retirement. But unless one has good hobbies or take up to some useful activities like social service, it becomes very boring for them to occupy their time with. For those who are obliged to do hard physical work, retirement is, of course, a relief. But for those engaged in mental activities throughout the life, it would be monotony unless they find some useful occupation during their retirement. As an academician, therefore, it is not a burden at all to carry on intellectual activities. Also the novelty of doing work through computer fascinated me.

Now, here is someone who has mastered ‘technology’ (read learning to work with computers) post retirement just for the fun of it. That’s “Learning for learning sake”. How many of us can aspire to be so much self-motivated past 60.. is a point to ponder. ~ D
How did the transition take place from teaching to translation?

It was not such a transition. Even during my regular career, I had translated a number of works and it is just a full time continuation of the same activity. Also, I am not exclusively doing translation work. Writing, editing, etc. are also there so it was not a difficult transition.

hmm.. a salable skill put to use at the right time. We too do lot of ‘other’ work (in addition to office-work), but rarely do we realise that it can be used / marketed as a saleable skill. Time to take a closer look at the things we do. We would surprise ourselves. ~ D
In India, freelancing is not a career choice, let alone post-retirement. How is it that you actually started on freelancing from home. Can you please share an anecdote.

You know that we are having these online facilities only for the last 10 to 12 years. It just coincided with my retirement. Though I could have taken up full or part-time teaching work, this attracted me because I had done enough vocal work for years! And sitting in home, doing work according to our own convenience had an added charm!

It so happened that a friend of mine asked me whether I would be interested in regular translation into Tamil for a website. It suited me well and in a couple of months I mastered Tamil Typing as well. Thereafter it was more a pleasure than an ardours work because for years I had translated the works by writing only! From that time I began to pick up other works and was able to keep myself as much occupied as I wanted to.

An unconventional choice by chance. I sincerely wish my readers will also get this privilege sooner than they expect. ~D
Please share information on the skills required & level of expertise to pursue a career in translation.

In my case, as I had taught at the degree level both in English and Tamil, I had acquired enough skill in quick translation. However, for those who are new to the field, it would take some time to get acquainted with the art and science of translation.

One has to read good books in English and Tamil (or the languages into which translations are to be done) so that a diction is unconsciously developed by oneself. So, hard work has to come. Of course, for technical words in many fields like medicine, engineering etc. at present we have a number of websites suggesting words. It is a question of persisting with gaining knowledge..

‘smack !!’ That was my english teacher for not coming prepared for the weekly reading exercise . If only I knew…. ~D
How much does a translation expert stand to earn, over time?

If one wants to take this up as a full-time career, one can earn as much Rs.40,000 to Rs.50,000. But to achieve this one has to have the capacity to translate between 2500 and 3500 words per day. It all depends upon the area of specialisation, aptitude and willingness to work. One thing is certain. One can earn a reasonable income sitting in the cosy atmosphere of the home!

Let us not get carried away by the numbers… but yes… remember them. Reach for the sky, you will certainly grab a few stars. ~D
Can you share some resources for translation & translation based jobs for aspiring homeprenuers?

Personally I would suggest that the translator takes up on his own some standard authors’ work and refine his talent. Initially if would be tiresome, like people acquiring systematic reading habit. But one has to have a willingness to learn, work and do things perfectly. There are no magic formulas. Homeprenuers should not fight shy of constant reading and writing.

Read.. Assimilate.. Associate.. Articulate… Read Again !!! ~D
Would you recommend some trusted translation agencies / contacts that our readers can get in touch ?

There are many agencies. Cosmic Globe in Chennai comes to my mind as the first choice as it treats the translators with great respect. There are others and one can easily register with the number of agencies and get regular work.

Few other friends have suggested Translatorscafe. It is always better to exercise due diligence and caution. (I don’t mean to scare you.. just be on guard) ~D
An experienced freelancer demands funds (or at least a % of it ) upfront before commencing work. First time freelancers do not have this choice and are constantly bugged by non payment issues. How did you tackle this when you took up freelancing?

Everything has to be worked out. A beginner always is at a disadvantage over choice of work and non-payment issues. Even those who had sufficient experience were cheated from Canada to New Zealand to the tune of several millions by Bangalore Adit. It happens.

I must say it was a mixed bag as well. Many had not paid the amount. But fortunately all firms are not like that. If our output has quality and we keep up time schedule, many problems will disappear.

Punctuality and discipline will take us a long way. (.. 😕 wonder why we never paid attention to those “Moral Science” class ) ~D
Do you get to discuss freelancing as a viable income opportunity with your contemporaries & students. Does generation gap play a role in the thought process?

I didn’t have much time with my students as I had migrated from Madurai to Chennai. But most of the young translators with whom it has been my privilege to get in touch, are quite optimistic about future in this field. I know a couple of them who are engineering degree holders but have preferred to take this up as a good career at a young age.

True, present generation is not tied down by conventional notion of “job and salary” ~D
As a history teacher, do you foresee history-in-the-making @ job sector where young IIM graduates are refusing plum jobs to pursue entreprenuerial dreams. On the same note, brilliant-stay-at-home-minds ( child care / foreign soil ) are seriously considering freelancing from home as an option to tackle family and financial needs?

It is not only translation work that matters. Freelance writing and editing bring in good revenue as well. Stay-at-home minds, voluntarily or involuntarily, could certainly benefit from this source of income as money would flow in with hard work and ability.

I am not qualified to suggest to IIM graduates for their ambitions may differ. Let me remind you that I chose a college teaching career as it afforded plenty of leisure so that I could read quite a lot. Many in my background would have chosen pursuit of money to be a better option.

To each as one likes!

Indeed, To each as one likes! ~D
Kindly share your Twitter / facebook / linkedin profile for the benifit of our readers.

Actually Facebook helps me to keep in touch with my social contacts. I have had no time for twitter. Linked in has its potential vastly to improve your standing in the online base.

….. K. Ramana Prasad

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Shameless tactic by vWorker.com – poaching oDesk clients and providers

UPDATE on 28 Feb 2012

vWorker makes changes to its bid-alert mail

As any freelancer would agree, it is considered a smart move to sign up with multiple freelancing sites. The idea is to diversify and enable one’s (freelance) resume to be made visible to as many eyes as it can be. On the same note, clients (employers) also post the same project across multiple freelance sites to increase the chance of intelligent bids from serious freelancers…(oh yeah !.. and then, there is spam… but pros outweigh the cons)
Guess it comes as no surprise when I say that I had also signed up with odesk and vWorker (and few other freelance marketplaces as well), so that I have a steady stream of potentials. Predictably, I am subscribed to their bid alerts as well.
However, today I was taken aback completely when I read through their so-called referral campaign to their bid-alert mail.
vWorker_oDesk

Why should i even bother asking a client from Site1 to sign up at Site 2

I have active profiles in both oDesk and vWorker. Serious freelancers are busy bidding and actually working, rather than, cajole a client to sign up with a marketplace of (freelancer’s)choice. In other words, If i see a potential project on a different marketplace, I would promptly sign up at this new site and place my bid. All I care about is winning the project, and start working on it.. because.. thats what actually puts the copper in my wallet. Why should I go about telling the client to sign up with my-favourite site if he wants to work with me. It is likely that I might end up loosing a good project just for this one act.

Whatever happened to “healthy competition” ?

It is a thin line between competition and jealousy. Freelance marketplaces such as vWorker and oDesk (and other freelance sites) actively promote “healthy completion” between their users, so that the provider – the client – and – the site are mutually benefitted… which is in fact THE right thing to do. So, why take the Unhealthy route to boost one’s business?

Afraid of competition? Or, Last desperate attempt by vWorker?

Each freelancer has his / her favourite freelance site. There are scores of freelance marketplaces over the World Wide Web, and, each one of them are striving in their own way to get the provider’s and client’s attention. If oDesk works better for some, then vWorker works better for someone else. But it so appears that the user-base-at-oDesk is exponentially greater than the user-base-at-vWorker. But, this act by VWorker to poach oDesk users only comes across as a desperate attempt to boost their already declining user base.

… vWorker, are you really that desperate ?
… may be its time for vWorker to rethink their user-experience .

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RBI and Paypal India Issue : Transaction limit raised from 500$ to 3000 $

RBI and Paypal are finally seem to be seeing eye-to-eye on the online payment regulations. Indian users can now receive transactions uption 3000$ via paypal
Paypal Annoucement dated Oct 13 2011

We’ve been notified by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) that our merchants in India can receive export-related payments for goods and services into their PayPal account up to USD 3000 per transaction (raised from USD 500 per transaction), effective immediately.

RBI circular dated Oct 14 2011@ RBI website

Para 2: The present instructions have been reviewed in the context of requests received from exporters for suitable enhancement of the value of the transaction from USD 500. Accordingly, it has now been decided to increase the value per transaction from USD 500 to USD 3000 for export related remittances received through OPGSPS. The revised directions will come into force with immediate effect.

All other terms and conditions issued vide A.P. (DIR Series) Circular No.17 dated November 16, 2010 shall remain unchanged

Para 2:vi – The balances held in the NOSTRO collection account shall be repatriated and credited to the respective exporter’s account with a bank in India immediately on receipt of the confirmation from the importer and, in no case, later than seven days from the date of credit to the NOSTRO collection account.

Although the news suggest that RBI and Paypal have been in “serious discussion” in this matter, my intuition strongly suggests that this could be the result of innumerable blog posts, comments, tweets, by our online community. RBI has never once in the past hinted at the impact the online community has over social issues, now we know that “we are being watched” and “ our opinion does make an impact”.
This is indeed a great news for most fellow freelancers, and SMBs. This raised limit will allow them to conduct business as usual, without having to cut a sorry face with clients saying “ Due to paypal restrictions….. please…blah blah blah….”
The RBI notification clearly states the transaction limit and the 7 day stipulation period. So, I think i understand when paypal has enforced auto-withdrawal , inclusion of PAN number, export code for all Paypal Indian users. However, what still boggles me is,
WHY ARE WE NOT ALLOWED TO MAKE USE OF OUR EXISTING PAYPAL BALANCE TO PAY FOR GOODS AND SERVICES

  1. Our Paypal account is linked to PAN
  2. Purpose code @ paypal ensures nature of transaction
  3. Paypal account retains history of transaction : remittance and payments.
  4. All of the above confirms a layman’s idea that every transaction can be traced back to the user.
  5. RBI notification does not mention anything about NOT USING PAYPAL BALANCE

WHY ARE WE NOT ALLOWED TO MAKE USE OF OUR EXISTING PAYPAL BALANCE TO PAY FOR GOODS AND SERVICES

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Its official now : Paypal enables automated withdrawals for Indian Users

For those who have been following the Paypal – RBI issue, would have taken note of conversation with Paypal support – VERBATIM sometime in April 2011

……. If you will not transfer the funds on the given time frame, our system will automatically transfer the funds to your bank account.
If your balance is less than $10.00 USD (minimum withdrawal amount), our system will not be able to automatically transfer the funds to your bank account. Therefore, you will need to wait until your balance is enough or more than the minimum withdrawal amount before you can transfer them to your bank account.

However, this news is now official, via the Paypal FAQ Page (login to read )
What is more intriguing is, this page has been very recently updated, 7 Aug 2011 as seen in my FFox Page info dialog. (Click to enlarge and view )
Wonder when they will make a similar public announcement for ” waiver of 50/- service fee for withdrwals less than 7000 /-”

In order to comply with RBI, we will be waiving all fees on withdrawals.Even if you will be transferring funds lower than 50.00 INR, rest assured that you will not incur any withdrawal fees.

Thanks to Techiebuzz & Mayur Agarwal

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Silent Executioner & Hesitant Player: RBI – Paypal India Issue

The RBI – Pay pal issue has been discussed at length since their notification on Jan 2011, or perhaps, should I say since Feb 2010. However, here is a short recap.

Paypal claims that RBI regulations have forced them to make such a management decision, while RBI implies that Paypal is not complying with the rules and regulations needed to conduct business in India. However, the problem is, there seems to be no “official word” from RBI’s spokesperson in this matter. Never mind, we have money matters of concern here.
So, according to the latest Paypal Notice on Jan 2011

  1. Any remittance to paypal account should be withdrawn within 7 days of remittance.
  2. Indian users cannot accept payment for more than 500$
  3. Indian users cannot use existing paypal balance to pay for goods & services
  4. All payments should be routed through CCard > Paypal

This has raised two vital questions amongst the Indian paypal community.

  1. What will happen to my funds if I don’t withdraw within 7 days?
  2. Paypal withdrawal page clearly mentions that any withdrawal less than 7000/- will incur an additional service charge of 50/-

After repeated messages through “Contact us” @ Paypal, finally they have responded to my (our) queries. Here, I copy paste my queries and Paypal’s response

Sometimes, I receive as little as 5 $. It would be impossible to withdraw this amount given your service charge & conversion rate.
WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO MY FUNDS IF I DONOT WITHDRAW TO MY BANK ACCOUNT IN 7 DAYS?
Hello, my name is Joanna Marie from PayPal Customer Service.
To ensure full compliance with the RBI and all applicable India
regulations, we will be monitoring accounts closely as we expect our
PayPal members registered in India to withdraw their funds within 7 days
from the date the payment is received.
If funds are not withdrawn within
the said timeframe, we may take appropriate actions such as limiting
account features.
I donot understand. I have a verified paypal account. What limitations am I looking at?
Will my (non-withdrawn) funds be still be available
at a later date when i get a reasonable amount for withdrawal ?
Hello, my name is Joe Marie from PayPal Customer Services.
……. If you will not transfer the funds on the given time frame, our
system will automatically transfer the funds to your bank account.
If your balance is less than $10.00 USD (minimum withdrawal amount), our
system will not be able to automatically transfer the funds to your bank
account. Therefore, you will need to wait until your balance is enough
or more than the minimum withdrawal amount before you can transfer them
to your bank account.
………
The withdrawal section of paypal page says that,
Paypal charges a 50Rs fee on all withdrawals, where the final withdrawal amount is less than 7000 Rs.
So, given the min 10$ , roughly 10 * 42 = 420 Rs. (.. lets assume the exchange rate is 1$ = 42 Rs for this calculation)
Does that mean, I will be receiving only 420 – 50 = 370 Rupees only ?
Hello, my name is Ric from PayPal Customer Service.
….
In order to comply with RBI, we will be waiving all fees on withdrawals.
Even if you will be transferring funds lower than 50.00 INR, rest
assured that you will not incur any withdrawal fees.
….
There is no mention of this on the website, or anywhere else.
IS IT TRUE THAT THERE WILL BE BE NO “WITHDRWAL FEE” @ PAYPAL
EVEN IF THE FINAL WITHDRAWAL AMOUNT IS LESS THAN FIFTY RUPEES.
Sorry for the caps, but I have to ask for your confirmation again on this.
Hello, my name is Arnold from PayPal Customer Service.
The previous representative, Ric, is right. Let me confirm to you that
there will be no more withdrawal fee when you transfer funds to your
bank account. This is regardless of the amount.
Can u please direct me to the paypal’s page where these information is available to the public.
I have been searching for over a 4 weeks, and did not find the above information in paypal page.
Hello. My name is Paolo from PayPal Customer Service.
Just in case that you have questions please don’t
hesitate to ask us through the contact us link at the bottom of the
page.

I am not sure whether to breathe a sigh of relief, or wait with bated breath what their next “critical notice” would contain. The fact that, this waiver of fee is not a public info raises some serious red flags in my mind. But then, it might be just me & my paranoia.
For those who are interested to know more,

I am sure that other freelance forums are filled with rants and accusations against RBI as a knee-jerk reaction towards this notice ( A simple google search will give you more rants to read). At the same time, we also have arguments stating that Paypal has been violating RBI rules/ FEMA , and the latest notification is an attempt to wriggle their way out of complying with RBI guidelines.
Indian paypal user’s PAN card is lined to Paypal. There is practically no exchange of hard-cash. This should be proof enough to “trace” any transaction back to user.
That said, Do I have my own set of rants against Paypal & RBI ? Yes, I do.

  1. @Paypal: For every forced withdrawal, I am going to lose terribly on exchange rates. It is not secret that Paypal exchange rates are rip -off
  2. @Paypal: For every payment I make via my CC > Paypal; I incur additional service charge & also suffer the horrible exchange rate twice Earlier, when we make payment from paypal balance, the service fee is zero.
  3. @RBI : Is it so hard to issue an official response to the online-work-force who procure and deliver work via the internet?
  4. @RBI : Give us a date for public meting, we will be there personally with our queries. Help us understand your decision, try us, we (freelancers, SMBs) are far more sensible than you guys give us credit for.


PS: I am aware that, I am very seriously violating RBI’s “rules” @ their Disclaimer page
Yet, I am left with no choice. If the guys @ RBI can chart out regulations on online payment gateways; then, I guess you can very well understand why these two rules are just impossible to follow. “Or, do you need me to explain explicitly to you”?

Linking to the Home Page – You may link to the Home Page of this Web Site, http://www.rbi.org.in upon notifying RBI in writing.

For hyper-Linking to an internal page of this Web Site (not being the Home Page) the user must make a specific request for, and secure permission from RBI prior to hyper-linking to, or framing, this Web Site or any of the contents, or engaging in similar activities. RBI reserves the right to impose conditions when permitting any hyper-linking to, or framing of this Web Site or any of the contents.

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Homepreneurial opportunity – Online Tutoring

Interview with Prof.Vijayalakshmi – Online Tutor Since 2008
Online tutoring has decreased the gap between the knowledge and ignorance. The teacher and student are only a click away, and in the i-age, timezones doesn’t really matter anymore. In this interview, Ms.Vijayalkshmi shares her insights for homepreneurs contemplating on cashing in their teaching experience / expertise online.
Online TutorMs. B.Vijayalakshmi is a research scholar from Bharath University hailing from Chennai ; working as the professor of English at SRM University, Chennai (Tamil Nadu); has published papers in National conferences (5) International Conferences (6) and National Journal (1) and International Journal (1). Amongst many feathers in her hat, as a college professor, HOD of English Dept, Guest Speaker, Corporate Trainer, Counsellor, she is also a part time homepreneur.
From conventional class room teaching to virtual classroom tutoring, she has taken her teaching expertise to a different level. This, she does in addition to attending her regular day-job’s responsibilities. She has been a part-time homepreneur for over 2 years, and now has 95+ fan following & 28+ recommendations from fellow attendees at a popular online tutoring portal.
1. Hi Viji, This being a series on homepreneurial opportunities, what better way to start, than to get some insights from a teacher herself. So, tell us how online teaching found its way into your regular activities way back in 2008?

I am a teacher who wants to bring in difference in my students’ career. When I was in search of something new in English Language Teaching, I stumbled across WiZiQ accidentally. That was the start of my online teaching endeavours. Luckily, the team at WiZiQ helped me to understand the technical aspects. They gave me training free of cost. I liked their approach and they were ready to speed on the best practices.

2.With a regular day-job, responsibilities of home-maker & mother, etc, there is stress all around us. But, it seems that stress hasn’t caught up with you yet. Amidst all of these responsibilities that require your physical presence, you continue to be present virtually as well.. What is so alluring about this facet of online tutoring?

When I started my research, I was in search of something new and different which now lead me to this Interview. I was in search of a new methodology of teaching practice where I paved a way to online teaching. When I registered as an online teacher, I was the only English teacher to teach online in Tamil Nadu specifically from Chennai. It brought me into limelight and my passion towards teaching lit the light. Any work I do I love to do it with passion and that led me to perfection.

3.Well said, spoken like a true teacher- The Eternal Student, always striving for perfections. So, what exactly do you teach? Tell us about your niche. Also, please share how you manage your time between a regular day’s schedule & online teaching schedule.

I am passionate towards teaching English language. I can teach professional ethics, Value Education, Communication and Presentation Skills, LSRW skills, ELT and all the icons relevant to ELT. I am also interested in teaching Tamil language. I am a counselor who loves to provide guidance to the sufferers. I also counsel on parenting. I teach SPOKEN ENGLISH COURSES specialized for native speakers of other languages like Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, Malayalam etc., I have organised Train the Trainer programmes for the teachers online. I spend one hour everyday for online teaching and I do teach in the weekends, whenever I am free. I deliver one free public session online to the needed students. I love to do service to the society.

4.Okay, so Online tutoring is indeed a legitimate option to impart knowledge & earn a decent $$ out of it. Unlike the regular school / College, where teaching is limited to Science, Math, Social, Biology & Language etc, online-tutoring is not bound by these conventional subjects. Tell us about the “subjects” that can be taught via online tutoring. What is the most bizarre “subject” that you have come across till now?

In addition to professional, academic, language courses , we also come across courses on maternity, feng shui , Yoga, Meditation, Guitar Learning etc. One can teach whatever one is qualified to teach. Nowadays we do have options of doing our degree also online and certified. For example, you can check for TOEFL courses (online) at British council website.

5.Now, that takes care of “What can I teach?” question from aspiring homepreneurs who wish to pursue online-teaching. How about the technical stuff? What hardware / software does a person need to make that first attempt? How can we have the best of class room teaching & Online tools to give a complete learning experience to the students? After all, they are the ones who are paying to learn…

Most online tutoring platforms provide their own custom interface to make online tutoring / virtual class room a fulfilling experience for both the teacher and the student. I am most active at WiZiQ, & can only say about this site.

WiZiQ provides a complete environment for online tutoring and hence students get the benefit of an online environment like multimedia display, animations, self paced learning, online assessments and content sharing. It provides online tests, for the students to make a self assessment, and the teachers can set up tests (based on the subjects they teach) and evaluate their student’s performance.

Furthermore, students can also network with other students and teachers from across the world. This broadens their horizons as well as democratizes the access to quality education for all.

6.All online jobs have a certain % of scams. What is your observation on this with regard to online teaching? Do you know of any such incidents? What would be the warning signs for newbies to steer clear of scams in this niche?

Once again, I am most active at WiZiQ, and can only speak for this.

I haven’t come across any issue of scam in my dealings with WiZiQ so far.The team is incredibly helpful and transparent in their dealings. If at all somebody wants to sign up other than wiziq one must surely check for the credibility like talking with senior executive members of the company, have a thorough study about the platform and also to check with the existing members.

7.You have been an active online tutor for over 2 years. Could you please share some online teaching portals /site where our readers can try out their teaching prowess? And, out of this, which one is your most favoured one? Why?

A Google search for “Online Teaching Websites” would give you a number of options. I am not familiar with most of them personally.WiZiQ.com is my preferred network because it is the most complete platform. The support team active, considerable and everready to help. Further, it is also an all inclusive platform for the students too. It also provides a better earning opportunities for the homeprenuers.

I would advice everyone to exercise caution and recommend checking for credibility at other available online tutoring sites is at your own risk.

8.Last but not the least, What NOT TO DO in online teaching?

One must not be over enthusiastic to learn everything in a same day and I would prefer to say every one of us must have patience. Do not try learning from any TOM, DICK and HARRY you come across. Learn and get trained from professionals through proper channels which will lead you to reach your goal.

  • Initially, to start with, do not enrol yourself by paying money to any company.
  • Do not exaggerate about yourself.
  • Do not give fake information to the readers.
  • Be trustworthy and furnish reliable details of you.
  • Your Profile is the index of your online teaching career.
  • Do not concentrate on earning money as soon as your start.
  • Try to get as many student learners as possible.
  • Do not copy contents and publish it as yours.

These are the possible mistakes everybody does unknowingly because they will think that nobody will watch them. To avoid all these will make any new teacher a credible and elegant personality.

9.I know its not-nice to ask about “earnings”. But, for the sake of aspiring homepreneurs, what is an average earning that an online tutor can expect to make? ..or.. in other words, What is the acceptable $ to start charging a fee?

You can start from $6 per hour and graduate to even $200 per hour depending on your skill and the subject you teach. You get yourselves publicised in the internet and also in all the search engines so that you become a public figure and get recognition. This in turn translates into more students, which means more $$.The quality of teaching directly determines fondness amongst student groups.

10.Hmm.. 6$ – 200$, that is a progressive transition our teaching community would like to happen. We know that school teachers / retired professors offer private tutions & home tuitions to supplement their income. For them, online tutoring would become a viable & legitimate source of income. Thanks for the insight.
Would you be willing to assist readers at Homepreneur-online in understanding the tools at WizIQ, so that they can effectively use these to provide a complete classroom experience?

It will be pleasure for me to guide people to wiziq. I shall even recommend to the support team @ wiziq to assist my candidates for training. They can also join my free public sessions and learn. I think this is a great service to the humanity. TO educate a human is to teach him how to live. I am proud to be a part time homepreneur. Readers @ Homepreneur-online can get in touch with me via My WizIQ Profile (I have shared my direct contact details with Deepa Govind, but for security reasons, it is not displayed at the site)

I thank Mrs.Deepa Govind for providing me an opportunity to exhibit my talents to this universe and the online community. I thank almighty for making me a teacher to do service to the society. Last but not the least, hero of my today’s lifestyle is my father Mr.K.Balaraman, a very great soul, whom I admired a lot and do admire till I doom, was a driver of tanker lorry by his profession, who made me a professor today is no more with me to shower him. I pray for his blessings and my suggestions towards youth is “Learn to be you always and try not to imitate somebody for fantasy” was taught by my dear loving dad to whom I pledge all my devotion.

Ms.Viji, Thank you for sharing such valuable insights with us and please accept our condolences on the recent demise of your father. This interview shall be a tribute post to him, in respect towards honouring his efforts towards moulding you to be an academician, with his meagre means. We are sure your father must be very proud of you and what you had become. May his soul rest in peace.

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Homepreneurial opportunities: Age old concept, before the (i)nternet age.

It had been awfully cold this winter at Bangalore. I was down and out with a severe bout of cold – sore throat and breathlessness on account of blocked nose. Yet another time of the year, to remind my waking soul, about the “goodness”(read convenience) of being a homepreneur. This also gave me enough time to think about the crux of this post.
If you are someone who grew up watching regional cinemas (..regional movies from India..), I am sure you would agree that its rather easy to identify the plot of a movie, when the first few frames depict a frail woman (single parent) with malnourished kids trying to feed her children a decent meal, without trading her dignity & honour. In the next frame, you would see her hard at work on a sewing machine / Tanpura … the camera zooms in (.. to indicate passage of time…) , and soon she is an old lady & ( those malnourished) kids are now all grown up, and want to “give a life of dignity” to their mother…”Oh! Mother…. I salute thee… !”.
Plots such as these used to be the staple of almost all regional cinemas from India ( Hindi – Malayalam – Tamil – Telugu – Kannada – Gujarati – Bhojpuri.. and many more) from 1970’s – to- fag end of 1990’s. May be its the same with other regional cinemas such as French / Spanish / Italian movies. I wouldn’t know.
But, cliché’s & the theatrics apart, this does seem to make sense one way or the other. Here are some of the characters that make me re-think about homepreneurial opportunities. Teachers being predominant on the list

  1. Neighbourhood Music Teacher: We used to gang up at her place every day after school at 5:30 pm for an hour of music lesion, vocal / instrumental.
  2. Tuition Teacher: We used to see all kinds of tuition teachers, All subjects, Math only, Science only, College level Chemistry tuitions undertaken, etc. Some teachers start as early as 5:30 am, so that we kids have just enough time to come home – have breakfast – rush off to school. Some tuition teachers earn a reputation that is envied by schools & their employed staffs.
  3. Summer crafts: The same teacher would be teaching us painting, wax modelling, knitting, embroidery. These classes would typically start at 11:00 am and continue until 2:00 pm, keeping them engrossed during the whole of a (boring) afternoon.
  4. Home-made condiments: – Sometimes, womenfolk would try to supplement their family income by making condiments such as pickles, chips, pappads, snacks, sweets and savouries at home, and sell them in the neighbourhood. The fact that these are prepared at home-by-someone known to us ( ..or known to someone known to us..) add a bit of credibility to the product. Based on the response, they would call in help from their family members to increase production during festive times. Soon, a cottage-industry is born.
  5. Pico work on sarees: I have never seen my mother in salwar kameez, trousers or skirts. I am not sure if saree was her attire of choice or the lack of any other choice. Pico, is getting the edges stitched in a rather special way, so that the threads would not “peel out” from the corner. Sewing machines used for regular mending work cannot do this. (May be the fashion maker of today can do this as well). When a new saree is purchased, she would diligently visit the “pico aunty”, and only after the pico work, the saree is ready to be worn. “Pico aunty” will be in great demand during Diwali / Shakaranti when textile shopping is at its peak.

These are some of the few women I grew up watching. Little did I realise then that, these are the people who were practicing homepreneurship without even realising it all along. Unsurprisingly, I realised this myself just as I was drafting this post…. So much we see around us … yet so little we look at …..
That said, would this explanation convince “Work from home”- wannabes, I guess not. After all, we belong to the i-age… anything from the pre-internet era is Spartan….I am not passing a judgement, just an observation as it is on the face-value
So, for all those minds with -willing to try-attitude (…& with a stable internet connection & basic internet usage knowledge..), I will be coming up with homepreneurial opportunities that can be performed from the comfort of your home; one-per-week. I will try my best to give you an indepth information on the technical expertise needed, the (unwritten) code of conduct to follow, warning signals that might help identify scammers, so an on so forth.
PS: The above list stands true even today, emphasising the fact that, internet is a mere tool, its up to us on what we choose to do with this tool.

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ஏ ஆட்டோ !! … “புதுசு கண்ணா புதுசு” !!

For My English Readers :
Please be aware of these “hand tricks” while handling cash. This might have happened here in India, but it could happen anywhere where con is on.
இப்பெல்லாம் வீட்டிலே கார், அல்லது குறைஞ்சபட்சம் ஸ்கூட்டியாவது இருக்கும்ன்னு சந்தேகமே இல்லாம சொல்ல்லாம்… பஸ்ஸிலே நெரிசல் பட்டு போறவங்ககூட “இந்த வருஷமாவது ஒரு ஸ்கூட்டி வாங்க காசு சேத்துடணும்” ன்னு தான் போராடறாங்க… (..பதிவு பொருளாதாரம் பத்தி இல்லைங்கோ !!)
ஆனாலும் ஒரு ஆத்திர அவசரத்துக்கு “ஏ ! ஆட்டோ !!” ன்னு தான் கையை காட்டுவோம். அதுவும் நாம போகிர இடம் முக்கியமா பார்க்கிங் கிடைக்காத இடமா இருந்தா… “ஆட்டோவிலே போயிடலாம்ன்னு” தான் தோணும். தப்பில்லை, இப்போ இருக்கிர ட்ராபிக் நெரிசல்லே நினைச்ச இடத்துக்கு சொன்ன நேரத்துக்கு போய்ச்சேர முடியறதில்லை (..அப்படியே அவசரப்பட்டாலும் “போய்ச்சேர வேண்டிய” அபாயம் தான் கண்முன்னாடி வரும்) இதெல்லாம் பார்க்கும் போது ஆட்டோவே தேவலைன்னு தோணும்…. ஏன் ! பஸ்ஸிலே போக்க்கூடாதா??? ன்னு கேக்கலாம்…. போலாமே ! போலாமே ! அந்த சந்தர்பத்திலே போகலாம்ன்னா போகலாம்…..
ரெண்டு நாள் முன்னாடி பழைய பேப்பர் / பத்திரிகையெல்லாம் எடைக்குபோடலாம்ன்னு அடுக்கிகிட்டிருந்தப்போ ஒரு “ஆட்டோ” செய்தி கண்ணுக்கு தென்பட்டது… எப்படியெல்லாம் ஏமாத்தறாங்க … ரூம் போட்டு யோசிப்பாங்களோ !! ன்னு சொல்லவச்சது.
விஷயம் இதுதாங்க:

ஆட்டோ மீட்டர் சரியில்லை / ஆட்டோ ட்ரைவர் சொன்னது தான் ரேட் / நாம சொல்லற இடத்து வராம லந்து பண்ண்றதுன்னு … பொதுவாவே ஆட்டோக்கரங்க மேல எக்கசக்க புகார் இருக்கு. ஆனா, இது “புதுசு கண்ணா புதுசு”

பெங்களூர்லே இருக்கும் ஒருத்தர், ராத்தி 10 மணிக்கு மனைவியுடன் ஆட்டோலே போயிருக்கார். கிராக்கி ஏத்தும்போது மீட்டருக்கு மேலே 1.5 குடுங்க ன்னு நல்ல புள்ளையா சொல்லி, கொஞ்ச தூரம் போனதும் மீட்டர் ரிப்பேர் 300 /- ரூவா வேணும்ன்னு சொல்லியிருக்கார். இவரும் போனாப்போகுது ன்னு சரி ன்னு சோல்லியிருக்கார்.(….10 மணிக்கு மேலே இனொரு ஆட்டோவை தேடணும்.. மனைவி கூட இருக்காங்க… எதுக்கு ரிஸ்க்..)

வீட்டுக்கு வந்ததும் பர்ஸிலிருந்து 3 நூறு ரூவா நோட்டெடுத்து குடுத்திருக்கார். இந்தப்பக்கம் கண் சிமிட்டும் நேரத்துக்குள்ளே ஆட்டோக்காரர் “…சார் ! நீங்க 2 நூறு நோட்டும் 1 பத்து ரூபா நோட்டும் குடுத்திருக்கீங்க…. ” இருட்டிலே இவர் கண்ப்யூஸாயிட்ட மாதிரி சொல்லியிருக்கார். நம்மாளு என்னடானா “என் பர்ஸிலே 10 ரூபா வே அன்னைக்கு இருக்கலை, 3 நூறு ரூவா தான் இந்ததுன்னு” கற்பூரம் அடிச்சு சத்தியம் பண்ணாத குறையா சொல்லரார்… இல்லை… புலம்பறார்…..

பிக்-பாகெட் அடிக்கறவங்க; கூட்டத்திலே செயின் திருடறவங்க நம்ம உடம்பிலே கைவச்சாலே நமக்கு சரியா சொல்லமுடியறதில்லை… அவ்வளவு லாவகமா இருக்காங்க. They have such nimble fingers. அப்படி இருக்கும்போது, அரைகுறை வெளிச்சத்திலே ( கிட்டத்தட்ட 10:30 – 11:00 pm… நம்ம ஊரு Street light பத்தி சொல்லவே வேண்டாம்..) இதே லாவகத்தோட, நூறு ரூபா நோட்டை மாத்தி 10 ரூபா நோட்டை வைக்க சில வினாடிகளே போதுமானது.
ஆட்டோ ட்ரைவர்கள் எல்லாரையும் மொத்தமா குற்றம் சொல்ல்லை. இது மாதிரி சிலபேரால.. நல்லவங்களைக்கூட சந்தேகக்கண்ணோட பார்க்கவேண்டிய கட்டாயத்திலே இருக்கோம்ன்னு சொல்லறேன்.
இந்த செய்தியை படிச்சதுக்கப்புறம், ஆட்டோவிலே போறபோதெல்லாம், ட்ரைவர் விவரங்கள் எழுதியிருக்குமே… Auto Driving License Display System (பெயர் – விலாசம் – லைசென்ஸ் எண் – ஆட்டோ எண் — இதோ இது மாதிரி) அதை மொபைல் போண்லே படம் எடுத்து வச்சுக்குவேன்…..சில நாட்களுக்கப்புறம் அழிச்சிருவேன்… இன்னாள் வரை எனக்கு கிடைச்சஆட்டோ-ட்ரைவர்கள் பொதுவாவே நல்லவங்களாத்தான் இருக்காங்க…(ட்ரைவர் சார்! நீங்க இதை படிக்கறீங்கன்னா.. இந்த மாதிரி ஆசாமிங்க உங்க எல்லாருடைய பெயரையும் கெடுக்கறாங்க)… ஆனாலும் இந்த செய்தி படிச்சதுக்கப்புரம் ஒரு வித paranoia ….

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Entrepreneur, Homepreneur, Freelancer, Employee- A comparative study series; Part 3 (Concluding part)

Disclaimer: This analysis/ study is my personal opinion based on the experiences i have had as a freelancer. This is not in any way an authoritative document. However, you are free to discuss your perspective with me. Will be glad to know what you think.
Part1 synopsis:

  1. Becoming a freelancer is a transition, and not a degree/diploma.
  2. Help yourself – Educate yourself – Make informed choices.
  3. When in doubt, google it/him/them.. and… google some more.
  4. Perseverance is the key.


Part 2 Synopsis:

  1. Freelancers and Homepreneurs are indeed (dis)similar.
  2. Their dissimilarity lies in the manner in which they manage their time / priorities.
  3. Look deep into your upbringing, may be you have that homepreneurial spark, waiting to show up.

Couple of months back, I had been to the NASSCOM Product conclave 2010 at Bangalore. As an independent freelancer / homepreneur, I was not associated with any company. My business card read “Freelance Consultant” along with Homepreneur.com as the url. My corporate friends would agree that, formal way of introducing oneself is to say “I am __ from ___ Company.” All I had was, “Hi, I am Deepa & I am a homepreneur”.
This spiked the interest (.. which is good for me… I get to do my sales pitch), and wanted to know more. Here is a small snapshot of our conversation.
I do not have permission to disclose the identity of the fellow attendee, so here is the rest of the conversation.
Fellow Attendee: Hi, I am ___ from ____ (Company), heard about us.
Myself: Yes, I was briefed about your products and services by your colleague Ms.____ a little while ago. It is something very new to me. I should try it out soon.
FA: Great! Sorry I didn’t catch whom you represent.
Myself: :-), I am Deepa & I am a homepreneur. I do freelance consultations for Zoho applications.
FA: Yes, we have been hearing a lot about Zoho at this conclave. So you work with Zohocorp? Is it so?
Myself : Oh No!. I do not work for zohocorp… I am not employed by zohocorp. I do freelance consultations (Customizations, Developments etc) for people using zoho suite of applications. My focus is primarily on Zoho Creator. I develop customized applications in zoho creator for people who want to use a web based database oriented application with their business.
FA: Thats interesting. So what kind of applications have you developed?
— and we chat about it for some more time—

FA: You mentioned that you are a homepreneur. What is this supposed to mean?

Myself: Homepreneur is an Entrepreneur working from home.

FA: So, more like a Garage-Startup? Is it?

Myself : No, not exactly. All start-ups, however small, nourish the dream of growing into something big – have an office space – hire more hands etc. Homepreneur, on the other hand, is contended with being busy (& paid) for the time she can allot herself to work on any given day.

FA: So, you mean to say, homepreneurs don’t dream big? They would not want to have an office for themselves?

Myself: Some homepreneurs move on to become entrepreneurs. Some just remain as homepreneurs. For such enterprising minds, Homepreneurship is a transitory phase.

FA: How exactly do you think homepreneurs and entrepreneurs are different? Coz, As I see it, they are just the same, except for their place of work.

Myself: Indeed, that is the most obvious difference. However,

Homepreneur

Entrepreneur
Place of work Home Office
Nature of work Products / Services that can be predominantly handled by a single person Focuses on products / services as complete packed which involves diverse skill sets.
Delivery of work Physical products: Clients usually drops by to collect items personally. Popular example being Pico work on sarees. Physical products are manufactured & shipped to the clients.
If Services, it is usually delivered electronically. Most services are delivered electronically, but also tends to have a company representative at the client location to set things up.
Team Size Just 1 (oneself – to start with). However, if an ongoing client comes up with additional requirements, other like minded homepreneurs/ freelancers are called in to work as a team. So, Teaming-up is basically the need of the hour and not the essential driving factor. Vary from 5- 15 depending on the nature of the business.
Recruiting new hands Practically non-existent. Entirely based on client’s demands & if existing team members are unable to contribute or does not match the requirements. Aggressive recruitment.
Tends to have at least 2 (skilled) team members on the bench who can start of immediately (ASAP) on a new project.
Working hours Self Chosen.
(- multiple factors determine the exact working hours-)		 An Entrepreneur is forever working. Yet, the general perception of 9 am – 7 pm stands true to almost all of them.
Work Load Takes extra care to accept projects that fit just into her chosen working hours.
Being at home, does not ensure that she is available to work 24x 7.
Most often “Little Less” tends to be “Just Right” for harmony between work and rest of her responsibilities.		 Entrepreneur has a business to run & payroll to attend to. So, every employee on the bench is a resource underutilized && Costs $$ to company without any returns.
Hence aggressively looks for projects (so that CTC is justified)

The gentleman appeared to be convinced about my take on the difference between homepreneur and entrepreneurs. The conversation continued for a little more time, until the conclave volunteer announced the commencement of the next programme in the agenda.
I have to admit, it is this conversation with this gentleman that prompted me to make this comparative series between Employee: Freelancer : Homepreneur and Entrepreneur. It is likely that I missed out on few other things in this comparative study. Do feel free to share them at the comments. Will be glad to know more on your take on the (dis)similarities.

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