Marketing Strategies - SEO goes Social

There are numerous MLM businesses that one can work from home. In fact, most MLM business start from someone’s home based office. MLM business require a lot of dedication and a great amount of time if you want to generate profitable leads. How much time is equal to how much money you want to make. The more time and dedication you give it, the better chances are you will be successful. However, the better you get at marketing in the right markets the quicker you will get at it, and the less time it will require to bring in equal the money as when you worked until wee hours in the morning.

There are several different types of ways you can generate leads for free on the internet. Social media sites are a great place to start. Great spots to target are Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter. Yes, they are becoming a tad congested with others just like you, however, if you keep your sites fresh, inviting, and personal you can set yourself apart from the rest.

If you are creative, sites such as You-Tube can bring you a lot of attention as well. Take your creative side and put your sales pitch to video. There are several other sites that allow you to upload your videos that post them live for you free. You can also upload your videos you created to your MySpace or Facebook page. Take it a step further and get yourself a blog. Like here on blogger, you can offer valuable insight into your home based business to also generate leads. Bonus points go to those who do have the creative side to make videos that will draw attention and uploading them on your blog. Don’t want to type a blog? V-blog instead. V-blogging is simply taking your blog into video and uploading it rather than writing blogs.

Article marketing is another effective way to SEO your home based business. By writing articles with keywords can bring you up to the first page in a Google search fast. There are many, many sites that allow free article posting. Forums are another option for getting the word out there free about your home based business. Yes, all of these take time and you cannot expect overnight success. You have to work it for a while until you build a solid following. If you are interesting enough, they will follow. If they follow, you can be sure the leads will follow too.

Recession Strategies

Everyone is feeling the effects of the current economy, all across the world; however that does not mean you need to accept a stale home based business due to it. You can initiate new marketing practices and put in place new strategies that can take you up and over the hump of recession.

Let’s not forget that people are still buying stuff. They are still looking for ways to make extra money on the side as well as start something new. These things have not changed. The only thing that may have changed is just how quickly they may be willing to let the money go. That is where you come in. If the opportunity or product you are offering does not have that extra appeal above and beyond everyone else’s, you will sit idle.

One way of marketing your home based business that may differ from what you have previously been doing is to change its focus. When times are tight on ones wallet, people are less likely to stray to far from home. Turn your focus towards that of family and minimal. This helps potential consumers to relate better towards you because you are mirroring their current values. When the world is in more prosperous times, marketing your business through high action, travel and excitement does sale. However, in rough times it is nothing more then a reminder to one of just how little extra money they do have to spare.

Take your Home Based Business out of the Closet

A big difference between a home based business and a business located in a commercial building is that business is generally located in a business district where it gets drive by advertisement. It is so much easier for a person to stumble upon a business if it is amongst other businesses or in a well-populated area with the typical storefront signs and what not. Home based business will go entirely unnoticed unless you market your home based business effectively. Literally, no one will ever know you exist otherwise.

It is not like you can sit behind a counter and wait for the next customer to simply stroll through your door out of even just pure curiosity. They can’t see you. You are just another home in the burbs or for that matter in the country. If you don’t make yourself notice the chances of someone just accidently stumbling across you is even less than one in a million.

Regardless of what type of home based business you have, marketing it on the internet can be very beneficial. You can target your market and do a lot of “advertising” for free. Whatever you do, you need to get your home based business name out there and start a following. Press releases announcing your business are a good start but you cannot just stop there. Word of mouth sometimes can fall on deaf ears or ears that have a lack of interest in what you have to offer so it is important to know the typical profile of where what you have to offer would go over well. That is the market you want to target the most and the hardest. Don’t just sit and hope people find your home based business, you’ll be sitting a long time.

Do You Have a Written Contract?

Do you rely on the old fashion “handshake agreement” when making a business deal, or do you have an iron clod written contract? Making business deals off words of honor is risky business. Have you ever watched any of the reality court shows like Judge Judy? The resounding message heard repeatedly is “get it in writing”. If it is not in writing, you have absolutely nothing to fall back on if a “arrangement was to fall through. We would all like to believe that a person’s word holds their weight in 50 pounds of gold, but reality is, business based on words alone will run you right down into the mud.

On the same token, thinking that you shouldn’t need a written contract in a home based business when dealing with friends and acquaintances based simply off the relationship history, although sentimental, is not smart.

And what about partnerships in home based businesses? You are doing great in your home based business and a family member wants a piece of the action. I don’t care if you were suckled together, it is never wise to join into any partnership unless you have a written contract stipulating exactly what cuts if any in situations such as if one partner bails out. Not only should you have a written contract, but you also need to keep that contract current. As the home based business develops or if one partner has to drop more money into it then another, it is important to make sure the contract reflects any changes.

If a person truly wants to do business with you or join in a partnership with you, their commitment will shine through with their willingness to sign a fair and legal written contract. This falls with what I wrote about when to spend money; promote and protect. Hire a lawyer to draw up a formal written contract for you before investing into any sort of partnership or business arrangement with another entity. A business lawyer can tell you which types of written contracts you should have to protect your home based business fully. It is great to trust with your heart, just don’t do it with your money.

Did you do your research?

Many home based business owners get wrapped up in the more exciting aspects of running a business like their business strategies and finding new markets then they do in the mundane business end. It is true that the business end of a home based business can be a chore but just as important as the more exciting aspects of it.

Nothing is given in the business world no matter how small or how big or where the business is located out of. One of the leading causes for home based business failure happens right at start up- not determining is the market is sufficient to support the business.

Although gut instinct may go far in a relationship or determining if a quiet child is just being quiet or if there is more behind it, but in business, it is not wise to judge viability off gut instinct alone. A smart business entrepreneur will do a thorough investigation of supply, demand, and future demand of a market. By doing preliminary market research you have a better grasp as to how successful your existing business plan will prevail or if modifications need to be made or the entire idea scratched.

Part of a preliminary market research consists of talking to others in the same or similar industry, suppliers, and even potential customers. Checking with your chamber of commerce or trade associations can also give you valuable insight to where your home based business fits into the community or market as a whole.

By doing so, you can find out if your idea is new and cutting edge or something that has already been ran to the ground leaving no survivors. If you are too new and innovative, it may be that your location does not adapt well with such advanced thinking and you may have to tone it down some and graduate tem into it slowly. You may have to rethink your business plan and strategies, widen your market area, add a larger variety of products or services, or even consider tossing the idea into the trash and finding something more marketable. Don’t wait until it is too late to evaluate the market for your home based business.

What’s your Back-up Plan?

Even when times are prospering in your home based business; there is always a risk of things going south. Do you have a plan should you fall upon hard times? People in general are famous for not thinking ahead too far and even worse, not thinking about their options should hard times fall down on them. In business, this way of thinking can find you bankrupt.

When building a home based business, as important as it is to think of ways to increase revenue, it is equally important to think of a back up plan should you come across troubled waters. Think of all the things that could possibly go wrong and a solution for those situations prior to them ever developing. By having a back up plan as soon as you see a problem arise, you are prepared for it and able to counteract it before it destroys your home based business.

As great as it is to think success, true success will come when you have also carefully considered every angle of your home based business, including falling on hard times.

Pride Buster

How much pride do you have? Do you have too much pride to ask for help when you need it? If you do, your pride is standing in your way of reaching your full potential and success.

There comes a tie in everyone’s life that they need help, be it financial, emotionally, or physical or just merely insight. When you reach a tough spot in your home based business, regardless of what it is, you cannot be afraid to ask for help or let your pride stand in your way. Sometimes it may only take an ear to turn things around for you and your home based business.

There is so much free help out there for anyone in a business, home based or off site and it is silly to think you know it all and not take advantage of it. Even after all the years I have been in home based business I still seek any new knowledge I can get my hands on.

Some great places to seek insight into running a home based business or any business for that matter is in business publications, the Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE) and even your local Chamber Of Commerce.

Do not ever let pride stand in your way of growth.

Protect and Promote

Yesterday I touched on spending too freely in a home based business start up. Today I want to talk about not spending money when you need to spend money. There are times that it is necessary to dish out some money if you want to make money. If you hoard it and never allow it to work for you, eventually your home based business will grow stale.

There are times you may need legal advice, marketing tools, press releases, and other essential items of cost that help protect or promote your home based business but if you don’t dish out the money for these essential items you are only doing yourself a disservice. Again, I repeat, spend your money smart, but do not be afraid to invest wisely in your business though either!

Think Minimal at Start up

Good afternoon. Today I want to share with you all something I ran across the last week at a seminar. The seminar was based on home based business tips. During lunch break (actually one of the best times to get some of the best insights on home based businesses) a man was talking about his start up and how he could not understand how, after investing the large amount of money he did, that his business was not taking off.

One of this mans biggest downfall from the get go was overly spending his capital at start up. Unless you already have a solid clientele established at start up, only spend money on absolute essentials. You cannot assume that you will have a steady stream of cash coming in immediately.

Overly spending on start up on equipment you do not need is very risky. Those extras can come later after you have a solid clientele base. You do not need the fancy office chair, top grade computer equipment, or other frivolous items. Ask yourself honestly if you really need it or if you can still perform your functions fine without it before dishing the money out. Poor financial planning at start up is the demise for many home based businesses. Think smart before you spend.

Family Time

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend and was able to spend some quality time with your family. When owning a home based business it is easy to come under the perception that because you are home every day that and although working, still within earshot of your family that it constitute as family time. You could not be further from the truth. The downside of home based businesses if you do not manage your time wisely is that even though you are home, your family loses out. You may even find yourself making promises to your children to do something special with them only to later recant and say you just don’t have the time as an important business issue has come up.

Your family still requires “you” time just as if you worked a nine to five out of your home. That means setting a quitting time and days off so you can dedicate individual uninterrupted time with your family. After all, one of the main reason other then money people engage in a home based business is to have a more flexible schedule to do things with their family.

Locomotive Promotion

A locomotive without the proper fuel will not move. It will sit on a track while rust forms around it. It will be non-productive. Your home based business is just like that old locomotive that if not properly tended to will just sit like a lump of steel on a track rusting away.

Your home based business is only going to be as good as the fuel you feed it with- promotion. How can you ever expect it to move down the track and reach your target market if you do not give it the fuel required to get there?

Some home based business can self promote, but even that only will take you just so far and not very fast. Even if your home based business I selling door-to-door cosmetics, if you are not out knocking on some doors letting people know you exist you will not be making very many women beautiful now will you? Word of mouth does help in self-promotion, however within a community that can dwindle out.

Too often those in home based business do not see the necessity of promotion, however, without it your business will grow stale if not totally die out. You have to do a certain amount of promoting your business if you want it to be as strong as a running locomotive. When first setting up a business, factor in a certain percentage of the cost of promotion into the cost of your product. It doesn’t have to be a huge percentage as there is tons of ways you can promote your home based business for free as mentioned in the previous blog.

If your home based business is growing rust, it is time to give it a through lubing and get it moving on down the track again with promotion.

The Internet and Marketing your Home Based Business

I cannot stress the importance enough about marketing your home based business. Granted, marketing can become expensive and in the onset of any business, although marketing should be budgeted in, there is not always enough money to get the word out the way it should be. However, there are ways you can market your home based business without costing you a dime if you have the time it requires to do so. Starting a blog about your home based business is one way of marketing your business free. However blogging about your home based business will not cut it on its own. You have to put more work into it then just that.

On top of blogging about your home based business, you need to start a following. A following is individuals they may be interested in what you are trying to sell. A good way of starting a following is commenting on others blogs of interest. It doesn’t have to be blogs regarding anything to do strictly on your line of business but rather anyone’s blog that interest you. You may be asking now, “How in the world does this help me?” Easy, if you sell yourself as a person you can sell your product! Even if the persons blog you comment on has no interest in your product, if they like you they are more likely to recommend you to another person who very well may be interested in what you have to say or sell. Think of it like the snowball effect. The ball starts small but as it begins to gather up more snow, it gets bigger and bigger. The bigger the snowball gets, the more surface it covers. Same way with your following; the bigger the following the wider your network is.

Do not limit yourself. The Internet has a wide world of avenues one can utilize to market their home based business for free. In addition, if you do not have the time required to do it on your own you can always hire a marketing specialist to do it for you.

Where does your business come from?

Did you know that 80% of all of your home based business comes from your existing client base? Do the math and look at your stats. It is true. Moreover, almost all of your new business will only come from that existing client base per referrals if you do not know how to market your business effectively. What does this means to you? Well for one thing, it means you best keep the existing client base you have happy and another thing is that without that base clientele you have no hope for any new clients. However, in addition, you also need to learn how to market your business effectively or your business will not grow to the numbers of your dreams.

You may be perfectly happy at status quo and if that is the case, then fine. But if you are not happy at status quo and want to see your home based business grow start first by marketing your current client base. Yes, sale yourself to your existing clients even more so. You have the perfect opportunity to market your business free by marketing your existing clients. You can do this by offering them special deals such as for every successful referral they bring you they can receive a gift from you. Once you start seeing the growth of your home based business through this form of marketing you know your name is out there just that much more as well as more money is coming in. Now is the time to expand even more! Now is the time to start utilizing marketing through every avenue possible.

It is always wise to have some sort of outside marketing going on right from the onset of your business. This is the only way you will ever get any business base to even start appealing further to. However, most home based business do not have a huge fund set aside for marketing from the onset so once the money does start rolling in make sure you allocate it appropriately to add to your marketing strategy.

Make sure your Corrector isn't the Bill Collector

One of the biggest downfalls for many home based businesses is not taking it seriously. Sure, you put effort into it, but by not taking it seriously I am saying, not taking it as serious as you would a traditional job. With a traditional job you know you have to get up out of the bed and take your booty to work or suffer consequences. Too many late shows or call ins will cost you your job. With home based businesses you do not have a set schedule other then the one you make for yourself. If you do not treat it with the same respect and seriousness as you would a traditional job one morning late start can easily lead to two, three and so on.

Along the same line is the frequent breaks, extended lunches, spending time on the internet “playing” rather then working, taking extra long weekends are all bad habits as well as signs that you do not take your home based job serious. It is a no brainer when you are told that your income made in a home based business is only variant upon what you put into it. If you are not working it, you are not making money. You may have been able to get by with that lackey daisy attitude in your traditional job and still got your paycheck, but after a while a employer would catch on to your lack of sincerity to the company and give you the boot. With your own home based business, although there is no one there to kick your butt into gear little lone kick your butt to the curb, your paycheck will show just what you have or have not accomplished. Eventually your “corrector” will be the bill collector.

Is your Secret more then Peanut Butter is Made From Peanuts?

There are mixed feelings amongst the general population regarding home based businesses. Some feel that running a home based business is too hard while others feel that those who are engaged in home based business are too lazy to work the public sector or that the businesses being ran are scams. All opinions unfortunately hold some truth.

Running a home based business is hard, especially in its birthing phase. To get a home based business up and running successfully you have to be willing to put a lot of hard work into it and even after it is up and running successfully if you are not willing to bring in extra help you can find yourself overworked constantly. If you are a passive person, a home based business probably is not the best option for you. You need to have a high energy level as well as a strong desire to succeed.

No matter what line of work or where that work is located you are going to find lazy people. Yes, there are many people who “say” they work from home while in fact they are laid up on the couch watching reruns, soaps, or the shopping network. Granted this type of behavior is not making them money or their “home based business” successful. This is a small percentage of people who work home based business, yet even the small amount that behave in this manner gives home based businesses a bad name.

The opinion that all home based business are scams to weasel money out of others, although holds some truth in some, but again, not in as many as the general public envisions. Scams are everywhere in all lines of work from either employees skimming from the pot to straight downright scams such as in some fake auto repairs. Best rule of thumb for any consumer is to double check and if it sounds too good to be true, more then likely it is. The same goes with getting into a home based business. If a home based business in a franchise offers overnight success you can bet that is a lie otherwise everyone would be doing it. No matter how much they claim they are the biggest kept secret, when it is posted all over the net you can bet their big secret they are wanting to give you for a “mere” $59.99 is no more a secret then peanut butter is made from peanuts.

Make it a Reality

As profitable as home based business can be there are still many who have the dream but never make it fruitful. Why? Generally the answer to that lies in the person themselves. Many time when people set out to start a home based business they think their worries are over and that in no time flat they will be reaping the big reward. Overnight success is not realistic and one has to realize that with any business, home based to large corporations, failure can strike as fast as success can be had.

The truth of the matter is this, if you do not start a home based business with a strong foundation for success, put a lot of hard work and long hours in to it, take the good along with the bad, you will fail. There are other aspects that make the difference between a successful home based business and a failure as well that if you are not aware of them can bring your business to a screeching halt.

Demand and supply: If you are just yet another one in a million offering the same type of service/product with nothing special to add, guess what? You will be lucky if you even have minimal success. Before even considering taking a business plan solo check the supply of business that also offer the same thing. Check if the demand for the service or product his higher then the supply. If it is not, you are wading into troubled waters. You need your business to be one that stands above the rest. Ask yourself why your business plan, product/service is any better then anyone else in the market. That will give you a marketing angle to build off of. However if it is just the same as the hundreds of others out there draw up a plan B.

Marketing: If you do not have a clue how to market your product how the hell are you suppose to sell it? If you can’t afford to market your product or service, how the hell do you expect to move it? Before starting any business make sure you have a solid feel for how the marketing process works. Familiarize yourself with the various ways you can get your product out there. Promotion is everything but at the same time you have to keep an existing client base happy as well by throwing them a nugget from time to time too.

Supply and Demand and Marketing are the two biggest home based business killers out there other then a lazy owner. Educate yourself first. It will pay off in the end.

More on Taxes - Deductions

In keeping with the tax deduction theme of the previous blog, I thought it would be good to share with everyone typical things one can deduct at the end of the year. It is always wise to check with a tax adviser for specific deductions for your type of home based business.

If your home based business is a franchise such as Avon, Mary Kay, Watkins, etc. where you have to purchase a kit or it involves franchise fees, the materials and or fees required to start up business can be deducted from your taxes.

Any supplies you use for your business also are tax deductible. This includes business cards, paper, receipts, physical advertisement, etc. These are tangible items, not services. Save all receipts for any purchases of anything tangible that you use that is business related. This also includes all postage used to perform business including shipping fees and supplies such as boxing and filler.

Non-tangible items are services. When you enlist the services of others that is business related, for example, if you hire someone to design an advertisement layout, run a newspaper ad, help in marketing, repair work, etc., those are non-tangible services that are tax deductible. Make sure when you save the receipts they specify exactly what services were provided.

Donations are also tax deductible. If you give away promotional freebies you can write that off as well as if you perform a service for free as a promotion or charity. Items donated in the name of your business for charity of any form or money are also tax deductible.

If your home based business is based off the internet or phone or both, the phone line used for business as well as the internet bill are tax deductible. If you use a cell phone for business, it too can be written off. Make sure you can document such and save all receipts. Any long distant calls that are business related also can be deducted from your taxes. Your computer as well as any software you purchase also can bring a tax deduction. After the purchase of a computer, you can claim depreciation for up to three years.

It is obvious tat your home based business is based out of your home; however, many do not realize that the space they use to perform their business is also tax deductible. I have changed my family den into my “business area” or office. It is where I perform all my functions within my home and is typically off limits from family use.

Okay, say you have a problem with customers who enlist your service or purchase your product and their checks bounce. First off, as many know, bad checks can hurt you two folds, loss in pay as well as extra charges incurred through the bank. Id you know that these bank charges as well as your loss can be deducted from your taxes? Keep documentation of bank charges and returned checks and make sure you claim them at the end of the year.

Home Based Business and Tax Deductions

One nice thing about having your own home based business is the tax deductions that come with it. When working a nine to five job you may be able to claim a few work related deductions, however not anything like you can with a home based business. Almost everything is tax deductible from your office supplies right down to the pen you are taking notes with to the space you use for your office. If you perform any of your work via your phone, that is also tax deductible as well as your internet expense and even the paper you use. Let’s not forget your marketing materials and cost as well as a portion of your networking.

If you attend any type of seminars in order to advance in your home based business you can also deduct the expense incurred for that as well. Should you have to travel away from home to do so, that too is tax deductible as well as any hotel or meal cost you should incur.

If you are not aware of the numerous things you can write off on your taxes with a home based business, you could very likely end up paying into the government come tax season. If you do not work with an account or a tax adviser through out the year paying in estimated taxes possible due come the end of the tax season, knowing the possible deductions you can claim can eliminate a huge payment owed.

Another important reason in knowing what deductions you can claim for your home based business is to be able to be better prepared when it comes time to file your income tax return. It will help you keep track of expenses as well as know which receipts are important to keep. Best rule of thumb is to keep every receipt of expense that has to deal with your home based business in any fashion.

By keep concise records you will be pleasantly surprised come tax season owning a home based business. Instead of paying taxes at the end of the year, you could easily get a refund that will pay for a nice vacation for you and your family.

Do you have Money Saved for Your Children's Future?

The economy has brought hard times on to many households. Those households, like mine, that have children can suffer worse then single individuals. You want the best for your children and part of that means starting a college savings to ensure a successful fture for your young. However, with the economy the ways it has been can make that need now a dream rather then a reality.

You cannot start to early saving for your children’s ongoing education. The sooner you start saving the better even if that means your child has just begun to crawl or are only in preschool. Nevertheless, when the paycheck is just covering necessary essentials to survive with nothing left over for a college nest egg the youth of the nation are missing a future.

That is the great thing about a home based business. Rather then putting out good money for high cost daycare, that same money you would have been paying can go to your childs future. In a typical nine to five job, you would be paying for childcare to some level. Even if you childcare is as low as 50 dollars a week, that is 200 a month that can be going into a nest egg for your childs college education.

Now days, working a nine to five job just doesn’t cut it for daily living expenses and bills, little lone starting any form of savings. Even if you cannot afford to work just a home based, a home based business like my home based business can bring you in big figures with little effort. You can definitely bring in enough money to open a nice savings account for your child’s college education, plus more. Don’t let today’s economy effect your child’s tomorrow. Consider starting a home based business to supplement your current income so you can have a nice nest egg to ensure your child’s success.

Home Based Businesses makes Good Business Sense

There are many great things to having your own home based business. If you know what you are doing, have a good business sense, and a solid business idea the benefits of having a home based business can far out weigh working a typical 9 to 5 dealing with risks of corporate downsizing, business foreclosures, lay offs and numerous other instabilities of working for another.

The personal freedom you gain alone cannot even be measured. The typical drive at five is eliminated and you set your own hours. Simply eliminating the daily commute back and forth to work saves big bucks as well as wear and tear on your vehicle and added miles to your vehicle. You can take your ties, dresses, skirts, heels, and dress shoes and toss them to the back of your closet. You are in control and you decide what the dress code is.

Your income potential is entirely up to you. As long as you are willing to work, what you make is yours, no having to share the cut of a sale or a deal made. Starting a homes based business is a wise move financially. To start a business off site you have extra expenses that you do not have when starting a home based business plus there are many tax advantages of starting a home based business.

My home based business made it possible to spend more time with my wife and children, took tons of stress off my shoulders, and gave me unlimited professional growth while giving me a creative outlet. As long as you have the motivation and determination to want to make your home based business a success nothing can stand in your way.

When the Internet Interfers with your Home Based Business

When your home based business requires you to be on the Internet it is easy to be caught up in other activities other then work related business. With the vast social communities such as Facebook, MySpace, Multiply along with numerous chat avenues, game sites, stuff to read and yes, even blogs, a person can get easily side tracked. Like right now – are you on the “clock” as you are reading this? I am just as guilty. In the early days of my home based business the freedom of not working under someone and all restrictions lifted made surfing the net so attractive. I could get by with it without getting into any trouble. It was great, but my work productivity suffered. However, if you are reading this right now, you are forgiven, as it can help to build home based business work ethics. Think of it as continuing education.

However, while on the “clock” instead of being sucked into the endless amount of surfing at your fingertips, when possible, disconnect and deal with emails off line, and shut down the chat features! Instead, schedule break times as if you were working a normal 9 to 5 job. During those break times feel free to surf to your hearts desire!

Don’t try to claim that you are multi tasking successfully when you are chatting with your friend while working. There is a time to multi task and when doing so it should not be recreation and work. Multi tasking is when you are on hold on the phone and shoot off an email to a potential lead while waiting for example. If you do not want your work to suffer, stay focused on the task at hand and your home based business will be a success like my home based business.

Home Based Business and Fun?

When running your own home based business one of three things can occur depending on the type of person you are. If you are a procrastinator more then likely your business will fail. If you are a work alcoholic, your family will crumble around you, however, if you have a healthy balance of work and play, you will succeed!

The saying “all work and no play makes (insert your name here) a very dull (boy or girl)”. It is true. Not only will it make you a dull person to those around you, you can also burn out! In order to maintain a healthy level of sanity you have got to schedule time for play if you operate a home based business.

Home based business owners who truly want to bust through all glass ceilings have a tendency to get into the mindset “just one more hour” before they do this or that – that hour becomes two hours, to three hours, to four hours and so on with no real end in site. It becomes easy to often feel like you are never caught up and if you stop for a minute you act like the sky will fall! I know! I was there in my home based business. If I stopped long enough to run with the family for ice cream, I just knew in my mind that I would miss a profitable lead, or so I thought. This was not an easy habit for me to break, or should I say, for my wife to break. If it was not for her and that cast iron skillet she held over my head I just might still be in that same frame of mind. Just kidding of course, she didn’t use a cast iron skillet to my head, but she made some very valid points. I was missing out on so much of my children’s lives and hers as well.

I learned I needed to schedule fun time, not just for my family’s sake, but for my own sanity as well. You have to give your mind a break off work. If you do not, your productivity level will suffer. Now this doesn’t mean that every other day you should call a vacation day but do schedule a day off a week away from work totally! Trust me, scheduling some "me" time or "fun" time has been essential in keeping my sanity and aiding in the success of my home based business.

Tips in making a home based business work for you.

Here are just a few tips I have picked up along the way that may just help you overcome some of the more common obstacles in home based business.

Time management
Daily planners are a life saver! I cannot express enough on how important it is to schedule your time. Schedule everything that is sitting as high priority to be tackled first and then schedule the rest in accordance to their priority level. Having them written down suits two purposes – it keeps you on track – and it is encouraging when you are able to cross something off the “Too do” list.

Daily Goals
Falls in with the whole daily planner thing in a sense, but I look at it as a weekly thing. I ask myself on Sunday evening “What goals to I want to achieve this week?” If I respond with “ I want to solidify 10 new leads” then that will be my weekly goal.

Family Management
Although my wife totally “gets” what I do for a living of course, my children are not always as forgiving and can cause disturbances along the way. After all, they are still young and still at the age they actually still like mom and dad. In the beginning, I have to admit, the amount of time I spent working my home based business left me feeling guilty at times. My wife was left to deal with a lot and my children missed out on a lot of dad time. However, now that my home based business has taken off like wildfire I have more time to spend with my family and the interferences, although far less then the beginning, are not as big of a deal.

Be prepared to WORK
I am not even sure I even thought I would have to put as many hours into my home based business when I first started as I did. I guess I just thought, I am sure like many, that it would be like what you read on the internet. Seal a deal and be an overnight success! That could not be further from the truth. We did not get rich overnight and I work more long days to where I was making it to the bed if I was lucky by 3 AM then I did days where I would actually see the bed by midnight. In the beginning, you had best be prepared to work and by work I mean plan on working overtime and a lot of it! No business, regardless if it is home based or not requires work and dedication to get it up and running and then, although both requirements stand, the work load will drop some once you have a solid working foundation.

I look forward to sharing more tips in how I made my home based business a success, but now I would like to hear your gems of home based business wisdom!

What is your Biggest Benefits of Having a Home Based Business?

How many of you have a home based business? What type of business do you operate from your home? How has you success been and what do you see as your biggest benefits of running a home based business?

For me, the benefits of running my home based business have far out weighed any of the potholes I have stumbled upon along the way. As a father of three young children and a husband to a wonderful wife, family responsibilities can cause a distraction. That obstacle I have overcome by making sure I am always well organized and schedule my time accordingly. Our three young children do go to day care for half a day. My wife takes them in the morning and when I break for lunch, I pick them up. I make a point to schedule any phone business during the time my kids are at daycare and do my networking in the afternoon.

I remember when I first started working my home based business. It was full of long, long hours, chaos, and a wife that was dang near ready to strangle me at times I believe. However, I was dedicated it making it work and I did. I have to give a huge part of that credit to my family for making sacrifices of their time as well. The first year vacation time was limited, but now we are able to take extended and more frequent vacations and weekend excursions.

What did it take to make my home based business successful? It took prioritizing my time, setting daily goals, setting work boundaries with my wife and children, a whole lot of hours, missed favorite TV programs, movies, family outings, and recreational outings, and learning how to be an excellent multi-tasker! Now that my home based business has a solid foundation though I am able to schedule fun outings with my family and friends, watch my reality TV, and get 8 hours of sleep a night and even get a nap in!

So, share with me what has been your biggest obstacle in your home based business and how you overcame it or what you think your biggest obstacle could be if you start a home based business. What has been your biggest benefit of owning your own home based business?

Welcome to My Blog

Hello and welcome to my corner of the world in blog land. My purpose in starting a blog is to share with you as many home based business tips and ideas with you to help anyone who is considering opening a home based business or currently has one that could use a little boost.

One of the biggest issues with home based businesses today is financing - keeping a steady stream of money coming in. This can be difficult in these times the way the economy is going. It doesn’t look like there is going to be much relief in sight any time soon. This is making many people have to resort to taking on second and third jobs, either part or full time. Prices are not going down, yet many are losing their jobs due to cutbacks or businesses closing. Economically, this spells disaster.

Due to this, I thought this would be a great time to share with others how I have managed to make ends meet quite successfully in these troubled times. No family should be doing without, little lone sitting on the edge wondering from one day to the next if they are going to loose their job. Once the job goes, many families face foreclosure on their homes or have vehicles repossessed. I am here to tell you, this does not need to be you if you plan now. There are many great online opportunities available to help off set your current income and even set you up for a complete replacement for your existing job financially should you ever be cut in a lay off or a business closure, or simply just because you see the profit you can make by working from home.

I look forward to interacting with all of you reading - sharing our successes, ideas, and tips for home based businesses. So grab a cup of coffee, pull up a chair, and let’s share.

Feel free to call me by my name, Gerry. I intend on posting blogs daily with insight I have come across through out my years as well as interesting things I read regarding home based business. In the midterm, feel free to take a look at how I support my wonderful family from home in my home based business.