Are SOHO generally popular around the world? It's cool to be a SOHO in some espect. what do you think?

Hello Elecpack:

Sounds like you do not know what is SOHO.

A SOHO has all the workings of an office. The accounts, the Invoice system, Quotation, Proforma Invoice, Delivery Order, the Marketing and Sales and Shipping of purchases and sales Order. It has all the workings of a normal office, but in small scale.

In year 2002 April, I have started working for a manufacturer in South Korea. I was paid a salary sent by telegraphic transfer to my bank account every month, and I work from my home in Singapore.

My office was my home, I wake up early in the morning at 6 AM, went to the park and jog for 3 km, and do inclined situps, some weight lifting, and body exercise, which I will finish at 8:30 AM, take a shower and start work at 9 AM. I will log into the Korean Server with a given password in secured transaction called VPN (Virtual Private Network).

My role and job scope is to promote the product, do development of the product and service the customers in my region. I also traveled to various parts of the world to service the equipment, write reports and do performance appraisals on the product and suggest changes or improvements over the equipment.

This role was satisfactory to me and the company, and in 2003, the company requests my presence in the Busan office. Even at the office in Busan, I brought along my Laptop and do the work for Internet Marketing, Web site maintenance and upgrading and customer service management. Other sidelines are: translating and writing Operating Instructions, Technical Manuals and visit the English speaking clients in Korea and promoting the products over the emails and Internet.

During my stay in Korea, I went to about a dozen cities in China from our Shanghai based office. We went to Dalian, Wuhan, Shanhaiguan, Nanjing, Shanghai, Nantong in Jiangsu Province, Ningbo, Guangzhao and Hong Kong.

My contract expired in December 2004, and it was extended 3 times till 2005 May. Came back to Singapore with a satisfaction that the Korean Product was placed in the world map.

We have been running our own since then, and on basis of self discipline, office bureaucracy, organization with accountability to our investors and ourselves. We will still call it Small Office, and Home Office business.

Street Smart

Replying to [Street Smart]:
Hi, You have done a great job.
Well, I certainly know what SOHO mean, I personally had done that before. but not everybody are so lucky and endeavour like you. but I would like to say that I am sure most of Chinese people imaging SOHO to do business by themselves not work for a company. If someone do like you, we call he is working for a company and have a job.

Replying to [Street Smart]:
If I have a chance work for a company abroad, I believe I can work hard and to satisfy the company I work for.

Replying to [Street Smart]:
I hope I can work for my boss at home too,in fact as a saleperson ,every day I need promotion our products in internet and try to find the customer. and I have computer at home,so I can work at home ,but I have to take more than one hour go to office by bus ,every day I feel very tried.

Replying to [newstart]:
Yes, it is possible for China to follow the growing trends of the developed countries.

I have agents in UK who has their Sales Manager working from home. The most important part of this is the results the SOHO must show to the HOST company.

To produce the results, the SOHO must have the necessary elements of a Sales and Marketing Office. He should know the stock or Inventory level, their suppliers, prices of purchase items, delivery time and technical specifications. He should also know the profit margin, markups and sales price of the list of items off-the-cuff, that means he ought to give a impromptu price quote.

The SOHO operation can have his other staffs, such as Personal Secretary, and dispatch man to run errants such as mail delivery, or make purchases from the neighbourhood stores of sundry goods, or Stationery.
He is to make contacts with potential customers, prospects, make his own marketing promotions and do visitations to the clients.

SOHO who are representatives of the main company, may ask the main company to deliver the goods and invoice the customer directly. He has to do the tracking of the delivery process and service the customer for any after-sales services required. This means that the SOHO operator has also to be Technically inclined to do the repairs and service both after and before sales, to provide all technical information to the customer for a smooth transition from delivery to installation and commissioning of the equipment sold.

James OO7

Replying to [ahoo]:

Working on your own can be very rewarding, and fun. I myself categorise my work under IMVO (Independent Mobile Virtual Office), similar to SOHO, but not necessarily working out of home. IMVO is possible with laptop/notebook in tow at all times.

My office consists of my personal Dell Inspiron, two Nokias, one mini IXUSi, and three 2G pen drives for filing. It's neat with many public places offering free wireless internet access at home and abroad.

IMVO sounds better, and fun.

Replying to [Street Smart]:
thanks for experience sharing ,that's really constructive!

Replying to [ahoo]:
well, it's my plan this year.
I hope this plan will come true very soon.
Blessing...

Replying to [germex]:
I do agree with you.
You can also make your life colorful. anyway, different people have different opinion about SOHO. i want to be a SOHO someday, because i want to experience different style of life...

Replying to [Street Smart]:
That sounds very exciting to be a SOHO, I want to be a SOHO, but it is still a far way for me...