23/07/2009
A common characteristic shared by successful
home business owners is the steadfast, almost fanatical way in which they guard their time.
Large corporations and
businesses hire people and spread the responsibilities, and although I highly urge you to leverage your time by surrounding yourself with people who will take care of lower return activities, there is still no escaping the many interruptions and distractions that are a part of
home business life.
People who play at the top of their game whether in
business, sport or life, have learned how to either eliminate or reduce distractions by mastering the use of one simple word ... "No."
The inability and fear around using these two little letters has caused more
home business failures, tears, stress, frustration and relationship troubles than any other.
And although many new
home business owners insist their greatest weaknesses are lack of marketing and sales skills, the biggest obstacle that is blocking their ability to develop these skills is the fact they are not saying no to time-robbing activities so they can focus on building and growing.
Lack of time is the number one challenge every one of my clients brings to the table when we begin working together.
Learn to say "no" to doing everything yourself.
Oftentimes I'll hear, "But I'm in start-up, I have to guard my spending" and I respond with, "You can't save yourself into profitability. You have to focus on
making money."
This mental block will never allow you to grow, especially at an accelerated rate.
Low pay-off activities can be delegated, bartered, given to volunteers, students and family members. Do some creative brainstorming with your coach, mastermind group or trusted colleague.
Learn to say "no" to the demands of daily living.
How many times have you said "yes" to the following even though you either didn't want to or knew it would take you away from your own priorities?
* taking care of your neighbor's kids after school because she had a hair appointment
* volunteering to cover the refreshments table at your child's high school dance
* loaning out equipment or items you know you won't get back unless you ask for them several times
* agreeing to listen to your friend rant for the third time this week about how his wife is trying to ruin him in a nasty divorce battle
* taking your mom to visit her friend across town every week because your brother and sister are too busy
* making Johnny and Sally's beds because they have to rush to school in the morning and don't have time
* going to every birthday and holiday dinner a family member hosts
* reading every single e-mail and taking every single call that comes in...
By not saying "no" to the hundreds of non-critical demands that are placed on you every month, you will not create the
business success or freedom you want and deserve.
The two biggest obstacles in mastering the skill of saying "no" are fear and guilt. Fear that you will be loved less or rejected and feeling guilty that you may have hurt someone's feelings.
Saying "no" doesn't have to hurt anyone or cause you to be rejected and the way you deliver the message can make all the difference for you.
To refuse a request be honest and assertive in your reply by stating, "I'm sorry, however I have to turn down your offer/request at this time because I've been so busy with obligations, I've neglected my own priorities and have to give them my attention right now."
If others get angry with you or try to make you feel guilty for wanting to give yourself the attention you deserve, it's time to decide whether or not they're the kind of people you want in your life.
Start small. Build your "no" muscle slow and easy and work your way up to the larger demands. Like any skill, you can develop it and once you become a master, you'll enjoy quantum leaps in your happiness levels and
business success.
Copyright 2007 Laurie Hayes - The HBB Source
Laurie Hayes, founder and visionary behind The HBB Source helps government and corporate employees break free of their jobs to live their dream of entrepreneurship. To subscribe to her FREE e-zine for valuable resources designed to create
home business success, visit http://www.thehbbsource.com.
Labels: home business
21/07/2009
A common characteristic shared by successful
home business owners is the steadfast, almost fanatical way in which they guard their time.
Large corporations and businesses hire people and spread the responsibilities, and although I highly urge you to leverage your time by surrounding yourself with people who will take care of lower return activities, there is still no escaping the many interruptions and distractions that are a part of
home business life.
People who play at the top of their game whether in business, sport or life, have learned how to either eliminate or reduce distractions by mastering the use of one simple word ... "No."
The inability and fear around using these two little letters has caused more
home business failures, tears, stress, frustration and relationship troubles than any other.
And although many new
home business owners insist their greatest weaknesses are lack of marketing and sales skills, the biggest obstacle that is blocking their ability to develop these skills is the fact they are not saying no to time-robbing activities so they can focus on building and growing.
Lack of time is the number one challenge every one of my clients brings to the table when we begin working together.
Learn to say "no" to doing everything yourself.
Oftentimes I'll hear, "But I'm in start-up, I have to guard my spending" and I respond with, "You can't save yourself into profitability. You have to focus on making money."
This mental block will never allow you to grow, especially at an accelerated rate.
Low pay-off activities can be delegated, bartered, given to volunteers, students and family members. Do some creative brainstorming with your coach, mastermind group or trusted colleague.
Learn to say "no" to the demands of daily living.
How many times have you said "yes" to the following even though you either didn't want to or knew it would take you away from your own priorities?
* taking care of your neighbor's kids after school because she had a hair appointment
* volunteering to cover the refreshments table at your child's high school dance
* loaning out equipment or items you know you won't get back unless you ask for them several times
* agreeing to listen to your friend rant for the third time this week about how his wife is trying to ruin him in a nasty divorce battle
* taking your mom to visit her friend across town every week because your brother and sister are too busy
* making Johnny and Sally's beds because they have to rush to school in the morning and don't have time
* going to every birthday and holiday dinner a family member hosts
* reading every single e-mail and taking every single call that comes in...
By not saying "no" to the hundreds of non-critical demands that are placed on you every month, you will not create the
business success or freedom you want and deserve.
The two biggest obstacles in mastering the skill of saying "no" are fear and guilt. Fear that you will be loved less or rejected and feeling guilty that you may have hurt someone's feelings.
Saying "no" doesn't have to hurt anyone or cause you to be rejected and the way you deliver the message can make all the difference for you.
To refuse a request be honest and assertive in your reply by stating, "I'm sorry, however I have to turn down your offer/request at this time because I've been so busy with obligations, I've neglected my own priorities and have to give them my attention right now."
If others get angry with you or try to make you feel guilty for wanting to give yourself the attention you deserve, it's time to decide whether or not they're the kind of people you want in your life.
Start small. Build your "no" muscle slow and easy and work your way up to the larger demands. Like any skill, you can develop it and once you become a master, you'll enjoy quantum leaps in your happiness levels and
business success.
Copyright 2007 Laurie Hayes - The HBB Source
Laurie Hayes, founder and visionary behind The HBB Source helps government and corporate employees break free of their jobs to live their dream of entrepreneurship. To subscribe to her FREE e-zine for valuable resources designed to create
home business success, visit http://www.thehbbsource.com.
Labels: home business, home business success
By Janet Attard
As a business owner, it’s important for you to learn as much as you possibly can about all phases of your business. If you want your business to grow, you should be constantly on the alert for ideas that will improve your marketing, your web site, your customer service, your productivity, and if you have employees, the way you hire, interact with and coach employees. And those things are just the tip of the iceberg.
But if you’re like most of us, you already have a lot more on your plate than you have time to do. So how can you read a book, attend a class, hear presenters at a conference or even sit in on a teleconference without taking time away from other things you should be doing?
Well, this is one area where multitasking makes perfect sense. Educate yourself while you workout, while your drive your car, or while you travel.
Many books, seminars, conference presentations, and teleseminars and other educational material are available these days in CD, MP3, or DVD formats that you can listen to while you’re doing something else. You can improve your mind and your business by listening to or watching these materials when you’re traveling, running, or cleaning the house.
Instead of filling your iPhone with songs, transfer teleconference transcripts to it, or download an audio book that will help you improve your business. Instead of watching TV at the gym (or watching the clock because you’re bored), prop up a DVD player on the treadmill or strap an MP3 player to your arm and learn new ways to get publicity for your business or better ways to find the best employee for that job opening on your staff.
Use your car CD player or an MP3 player to listen to books, seminars, teleseminars and training courses while you’re driving to your office or a client’s location. Even if your commute is only 5 minutes from your home, like mine is, you’ll turn your daily drive into a learning experience. If you’re taking your laptop on a plane trip, take an audio CD and ear buds along with you. That way, if the person ahead of you reclines you can still listen to something educational even if you can’t open laptop wide enough to view the screen or type.
Labels: home business
09/07/2009
If you have recently
started working out of your home, you will find you have many worries. You may have used some of your savings to get
your business started and you may be worried about what would happen if your business doesn’t do as well as you hoped. Now is the time to make sure you are on a budget for
your business, as well as your family. The following are some tips on business budgeting when you are
working from home.
Marketing StrategyOne of the largest expenses
your business will have is marketing. After all, if you don’t spend the money to get new clients, you won’t bring in any money. However, marketing is the downfall of many
businesses. The most important thing you can do is get it right the first time. Know who your target market is and determine the best way to reach them. Make certain you have a method to determine which strategies are working and which ones are not. You will also want to take advantage of free advertising online, such as social networking sites and free classified sites. This will help you to keep your expenses down, as well as bring in new
business.
Office SuppliesWhen it comes to office supplies,
your business should try to find a way to be as paper-free, as possible. Most of your paperwork can be kept in files on your computer. However, if you do find it necessary to purchase other items, such as sticky notes and paper and ink for your computer, you will want to shop around at the various office supply stores for the best deals. Quite often, you will find many online stores offer discounts when you purchase in bulk.
Internet OptionsIf
your business requires the use of the Internet, you will also want to shop around to make certain you are getting the best deal. If you are currently paying twenty-five dollars a month for dial up, but find it slow and difficult to get work done, you may find that by spending a few dollars more a month, you can get your Internet services through the cable company or another company that will allow you to get your work done quicker. In turn, this will be money well spent.
Labels: home business
03/06/2009
If you are trying to succeed with a
home Internet business then you might find that it is quite a challenge to promote your business. Honestly it is difficult to promote any type of business, but in this instance we are talking about
online businesses. Many people find that they waste a lot of their money and their time trying to figure out exactly how to promote their
online business. They welcome any kind of ideas that can help them to advertise their business.
While we talk about promoting an
online business we are basically talking about driving visitors to your website. Your
online business is your website, the same as an
offline business is a brick and mortar building. So what are some of the ways that you can promote your
business and that you can bring clients and customers to your storefront?
Making sure that you pick a business that is in high demand is a good start. There are some
niche businesses that are very targeted and therefore can make money with a lower number of visitors because these visitors are more often than not going to buy the product. When you are looking to promote in a particular niche you might also want to look into discussion forums to go and get the word out about your
business. If you just go to these forums and start to interact with people, these people being your potential future clients, then you will find that visitors will start to flock to your website.
While having an
online business can seem very easy, it is not always easy to drive the type of traffic or even enough traffic that you need in order to create a successful
Internet business. It is not as easy as putting up a website placing a few ads, and then sitting back and watching the money rolling in. One of the biggest killers of an
online business is lack of quality traffic. This happens because the business owner did not understand just how important it was to promote their
online business it every possible way that they can.
One of the best things to understand about
online promotion is that you should master one type of promotion form until you feel you are very proficient at it, before you move onto another one. One of the best ways to promote your
business is by article marketing. Article marketing is where you write articles about your type of
business and then you go and place your articles on different article directories, blogs or any other place that you can get word out about your business. Considering this is a business that you enjoy you should have no trouble writing about it, and of course promoting it then.
Labels: home business
A Key ingredient to online
Small Business Success: A Solid Business Plan
Eureka! You've discovered your profit earning passion. It's finally time to cash in on your creativity, winning attitude, stellar work ethic and vision. You are about to become a card carrying member of the local online
Small Business Owners Association. So why do you hesitate?
Could it be a recent study conducted by the
Small Business Administration stating 2/3 of all hopeful small biz startups make it the first two years and even less than half that number survive to the four year mark. I don't know about you but numbers like these are enough to make any sane person pause. Thankfully, the entrepreneurial mindset places "you" the visionary on the wrong side of sane.
While being on the wrong side of "sane" doesn't mean you're completely without direction. You have passion, a good product, start up capital and a plan. You're ahead of the power curve. And just for the record, whether you aspire to make billions or a modest income from your basement, your
business plan will be a key factor in determining the success of your online business.
Why do you need a plan? Good question. A solid
business plan, defines an online business strengths and weaknesses, identifies and addresses the issue of competition, facilitates financing through traditional banking avenues as well as non traditional means. If constructed well your business plan will keep the focus on goals of the business and provide a clear snapshot of your destination during any phase of business development.
The
online small business owner is a breed apart. He is often faced with unique challenges as well as unique opportunities. He builds ships heading for the new world of prosperity using vision, creativity, innovative ideas and determination. However, the starting of a business is not the reinvention of the wheel. Success has a map. Think of the
business plan as your map to financial prosperity. It is designed to get you from point A to point B without delay and helps get you back on track if you find yourself lost.
There is high risk involved with any start up be it corporate or home based. As a business owner or aspiring business owner you have a choice. You can travel the route of Columbus with an idea the New World exists and no map or you can navigate the often choppy waters of
small business with a a solid
business plan. Isn't it better to have the exact location of the New World at your fingertips?
Labels: home business
10/05/2009
Yes there is legitimate
work from home, but you must be willing to do your research to make sure that you don't get scammed. If you're thinking about starting up a
home based business then you must consider that it's the same steps as for any kind of new business. You have to research the market, come up with a business plan, come up with capital, and do the same things that you have to do with them outside of the
home business. Additionally, you have to be prepared for the fact that even if you do all these things you still might not be successful. That's just the sad facts with any business, some people are successful and some people are not.
So what makes some people successful and some people not successful? That's a very good question. It's also the question that is not able to be answered very easily. An outside the
home business and
online business has just as good a chance as being successful when the business owner does all the necessary preparation for the business, so finding the exact reasons why some are successful and others are not, is unfortunately not always easy to answer.
One of the first steps to making sure that you're going to have a successful
online business is to look at all aspects of the business. Making sure that you have a very good business plan in place is step one.
The next step is going to make sure that you have a product or service that is in demand by the public. You have a product a service that nobody wants then you're not going to be successful and that is true whether you are
working from home or working outside the home. The next thing is to make sure that you do know who you are marketing to because you're going to need to advertise your business. You need to make sure that you know who your client is so that you can run a very good advertising campaign. Advertising is extremely important to business because if nobody knows about your business then how can they possibly utilize it?
Making sure that you have a good business plan in place will also mean that you're going to have an idea what type of capital you need. One of the good aspects to an
online home businesses is that you might not need as much capital as you would for an outside the
home business. This is a plus for a lot of people especially ones that done have a lot of money.
The next thing you need to do is to make sure you have a realistic plan set in your mind. Don't expect that you're going to become wealthy overnight and that everybody is going right out immediately to buy your product or service. The truth of the matter is that even with an
online home business you might see a profit quicker than an outside the
home business; but it still might take awhile. They say the average small business takes close to two years to thrive and show a profit.
If you have been smart and motivated and have done all of the necessary groundwork to prepare for your
work at home business then you have better odds than most for being successful.
Labels: home business
03/01/2009
The limits of what you can do with a home based business are only your creativity and innovation. Do you have a product or service that you believe can help other manage their lives or businesses better? Then, you have you are on the right track for creating a successful home business.
Providing online management services for currently existing companies can be a great way to earning money from home. Are you good with organizing data and developing efficient ways for business systems to work? If you are able to get current business owners on board with your service, you can help them manage the content and data that they use for their websites by becoming an independent contractor. By freelancing your services to several different companies, you will can maximize the amount of opportunities to network and grow in your online management services. Becoming a webmaster or online writer is an extremely effective and profitable way to make your own income by helping others make theirs as well.
Data entry is another buzz phrase that we hear very often in the world of home business. While this is more of a supplementary position where you are providing one specific service to usually a smaller amount of clients, it is still a great way to earn money while working from home. However, it is important to ensure the legitimacy of your employer's company before investing time and money into your data entry position.
Being an online merchant is a position that gives you a great deal of freedom and creativity with your home business. You can target a specific audience to sell your products to, or sell a variety of products that appeal to several different audiences, depending on your desired amount of investment to your business. In this case, building a strong customer base and good rapport with secure transactions, timely shipping, and attentive customer services is important to make sure that the customers you have are the customer you will keep.
Once you have built a reputation for yourself on the internet, it can work for the forward progression and expansion of your customer base. In the same respect, if you give the wrong impression of your merchandise or leave customers dissatisfied, you can risk having a poor reputation and thus a failing business. When embarking on a merchandise-based business opportunity, be aware of these possibilities and make a commitment to pleasing your customers in order to keep your business thriving.
New home business ideas are constantly emerging from the internet and seeking the newest profitable markets is in your best interest to achieve the success that you desire in your home business. Finding one that caters to your strengths and abilities with the computer and the internet is important to meeting the needs and providing the best services you can with the means that you possess. Create a website, market yourself, develop a strong rapport and a great reputation for your business to ensure that no matter what idea you choose to pursue, you will have the success you deserve.
Labels: home business
Psst!...Have you Heard the Buzz?
