by: Mal Keenan
Copyright 2004 Mal Keenan
Some marketing experts would have you believe that the key to a successful home business is limited to a select few and that this chosen bunch have tapped into vast secrets where riches are to be found in abundance.
Others will push forward the idea that their product or service is all you need to make a monthly residual income a reality.
Statistically only 5% of budding entrepreneurs will make it online.
To be perfectly honest I don't know which if any of these ideas are true but I do know what has worked for me and I believe it can work for anyone who is willing to take a risk, invest the little cash it takes and make a consistent effort for the next year or two to build their own work at home business. Note I am not saying that this will work overnight, I'm not even saying 6 months. Yes I did indeed say a year or two.
Having worked online for over five years now I believe I have finally found a PROVEN system for building a successful home business which will continue to grow year after year and, because it is MY business, it can be passed on to my children and childrens' children.
This is not a new idea but it took me a long time to realise it and just as long proving to myself that it works.
How do we know it works Mal and you're not just spurting us a load of old cobblers?
Well the proof IS in the pudding and the fact is that the five websites that I own all have a Google rank of PR6 and feature in the top pages of all the top search engines icluding Google, Yahoo and Altavista for many popular "home business"/"work at home" search terms and it is all down to my strategy.
Just do a search for the term HOME BASE BUSINESS on Yahoo or Google and you will see my site(http://www.freeadvertz.com) at number 3(At the time of writing).
Try doing a search for WORK AT HOME BUSINESS in the same search engines, see my site (http://www.workfromhomebiz.biz) at number 6(At the time of writing) and climbing.
How about BUSINESS TIPS or BUSINESS NEWSLETTER, and again my site (http://www.home-business-tips-newsletter.com) is number ONE(At the time of writing) for both terms.
These results are repeated across all the major search engines.
Have you seen enough? Do you need any more evidence that this works? These are only a few of the terms that we rank highly under. We are actually in the top rankings for scores of other "home business" search terms.
I could easily put this evidence and info into e-book form and sell it but I neither have the time nor know-how to do so(If you can help me out in this area then get in touch). So I've chosen to write this article and tell you exactly how you can build your own business to great success in three easy steps.
You have the proof now here is the plan:
In a nutshell the best way to build any online business, and the least expensive, is through a twin track approach of website search engine optimisation and reciprocal link building. As I mentioned above this is not a new idea but you now that you have proof that it works, do you have the conviction to follow through?
Here it is in 3 easy steps:
1. Register and host your own domain name: http://www.workathomebiz.info/hosting.html (Put some home business keywords in your domain name, ie workathomebusinesssuccess.com)
Or:
Get a FREE website with hosting here:
http://www.workathomebiz.info/pluginprofitsite.html
Please don't settle for a FREE domain name as this will NEVER be your own and can be taken away from you at any time or if the company goes bust you have lost all your hard work in building your web presence. Register your own business name.
2. Download webposition gold, optimise your site for your keywords and submit your website to all the major search engines:
http://www.webpositiongolddownloads.com
(You can download a free trial from this site. You will need a full version to work this strategy.)
3. Start building those reciprocal links using linksmanager: http://www.workathomebiz.info/linksmanager.html
(Put your keyword terms in your linking text when exchanging links)
I currently get around twenty reciprocal link requests per day, and this will increase with time. At the beginning I barely got two daily. It may be slow at the beginning but as your business gathers momentum after a few months it will be like a steam train at full throttle, absolutely unstoppable.
I am a 31 year old father of two from Ireland who started from scratch, so if I can do it anyone can.
Believe me people it doesn't come any more simpler than this.
So if you are serious about really building a successful online enterprise then DO IT NOW and tell me about your success in the coming months.
One more thing before closing. If you are going to give up on this strategy when you don't see immediate results then please don't even begin. The key to building success is PERSISTENCE PERSISTENCE PERSISTENCE.
Online Business Success
successful home business
Being successful with your home business
by: Jim Noel
Copyright 2004 Jim Noel
How to be successful with you home based business really depends on attitude, persistence and of course what your business offers.
Let’s start with attitude. Everyone starts out with this attitude that man I am going to succeed and be able to quit my full time job by next year!
Well I am not going to say that can not happen, but let’s be realistic here. A home based business is just like any other business, the only difference is you are doing it from home.
And this kind of thinking that you will get rich over night is usually the death of your business. It is great to have a goal, but keep it within reach. To have a successful home business, the key is watching it grow from month to month.
So keeping your attitude good, and not get discouraged when you are not making $20K a month is the first key to being successful. Remember you want to grow each month, as you grow you also expand bringing in more business and revenue.
The hardest part about all that is when you first get going in your new home business. You are not known to anyone, so you have to sell your business to the public.
I can remember when I first started; one website on the internet where you can put classified ads was not producing for me. And I had seen where it was a very good website for getting business.
So after a few weeks went by, I came back to that website, and changed a few words in my ad. Bingo, what do you know, I started getting replies, and next thing I know I had people signing up under me to become affiliates.
Now if I would have quit on that site, and said shoot this website is a joke, I would not have signed up all those people who in turn signed up people and they were selling, and bringing commission to me, and to themselves.
So I learned quickly that persistence is a key to help make your business grow. I wanted to give up, but I found it in me to keep trying, and trying.
Let’s talk persistence, now this is where a lot of people die in the home business arena. They run across failures of some sort, whether it is marketing, people not following through, etc.
YOU HAVE to keep at it! Persistence is the key, if it failed once, does not mean it will fail again, you have to keep trying and trying and trying, and before you know it all that persistence will pay off for you.
Now we want to talk about what your business has to offer. We all know there are so many scams or so called businesses on the internet.
Everything from taking surveys, to getting paid to read emails, to selling Viagra! So what are the true legitimate businesses out there to start in?
Well to find that answer out, you have to a lot of research. I have an article on the internet explaining in detail on how to go about finding the legitimate home businesses, and not the scams.
You can read that article on my website. I can proudly say that I have found 2 work at home businesses that I am successfully running and making money at.
So just remember if you are wanting to start a home business, it will take some work, but the rewards are great! Persistence, attitude, and what your business offers are the keys to being successful.
Market Home Business Newbies
Easy Way for Newbies to Market Home Business
by: Leslie McGuirk
I began the journey of owning a home based business several months ago. Like many others, I found the task of marketing my business overwhelming and frustrating. Without marketing, you don't make sales, and without sales, you can't profitably run your business.
After spending countless hours on the computer and throwing many dollars down the drain, I learned one very important thing: You must combine mass marketing with a personal touch.
There are many great marketing tools you can use to achieve mass marketing including pay per click engines, placing ads, buying leads, banner advertising, and exchanging links just to name a few. While these methods can produce positive results, they lack the personal connection many new business owners need to build a true customer base.
On the other hand, personal touch methods such as emailing your family and friends about your new business can be a great way to start spreading the word, but this approach may not help you reach enough people to give your business the jump start it really needs.
So where did this lead this flailing entrepreneur? Message boards.
I initially visited message boards to get help with my marketing dilemma. In the process, I realized this was not only a place to exchange valuable information with other home business owners, but this was also a great place to market my own online business.
Not only did I find plenty of message board group members willing to give information, I found many interested parties for my own business. Soon, I realized that not only was I becoming a more educated marketing guru, I was introducing my new business to many new friends (and customers).
By joining message board groups, not only will you find a new outlet to advertise your business, but you will also build credibility among your peers.
Follow these simple steps to begin utilizing message boards to market your home business today:
1) Visit a search engine and do a search on message boards.
2) Click through to the message boards and search for forums related to work from home and/or your specific type of business.
3) Join a few message board groups. (Note: Some message board groups will allow you to post without being a member, but membership increases your credibility).
4) Post information about your business. Remember to give specific instructions about how to reach you including email address, Web URL, etc.
Message boards are an efficient and effective way to reach a targeted market with direct contact, and, best of all, they are free. As you will soon see, these message boards are quite powerful as there are thousands of subscribers who receive posts from message board groups in their email boxes each day.
Start joining message board groups now and take your home business to new heights!
About the author:
Leslie McGuirk is a CPA and holds a Masters of Business Administration. For additional information on home business and marketing ideas, subscribe to mailto:buckyshome@getresponse.com or visit http://www.buckyshome.comIf you are interested in getting a free website to market your own home business, visit http://www.buckyshome.com/pips.html
Market Home Business Newbies
Easy Way for Newbies to Market Home Business
by: Leslie McGuirk
I began the journey of owning a home based business several months ago. Like many others, I found the task of marketing my business overwhelming and frustrating. Without marketing, you don't make sales, and without sales, you can't profitably run your business.
After spending countless hours on the computer and throwing many dollars down the drain, I learned one very important thing: You must combine mass marketing with a personal touch.
There are many great marketing tools you can use to achieve mass marketing including pay per click engines, placing ads, buying leads, banner advertising, and exchanging links just to name a few. While these methods can produce positive results, they lack the personal connection many new business owners need to build a true customer base.
On the other hand, personal touch methods such as emailing your family and friends about your new business can be a great way to start spreading the word, but this approach may not help you reach enough people to give your business the jump start it really needs.
So where did this lead this flailing entrepreneur? Message boards.
I initially visited message boards to get help with my marketing dilemma. In the process, I realized this was not only a place to exchange valuable information with other home business owners, but this was also a great place to market my own online business.
Not only did I find plenty of message board group members willing to give information, I found many interested parties for my own business. Soon, I realized that not only was I becoming a more educated marketing guru, I was introducing my new business to many new friends (and customers).
By joining message board groups, not only will you find a new outlet to advertise your business, but you will also build credibility among your peers.
Follow these simple steps to begin utilizing message boards to market your home business today:
1) Visit a search engine and do a search on message boards.
2) Click through to the message boards and search for forums related to work from home and/or your specific type of business.
3) Join a few message board groups. (Note: Some message board groups will allow you to post without being a member, but membership increases your credibility).
4) Post information about your business. Remember to give specific instructions about how to reach you including email address, Web URL, etc.
Message boards are an efficient and effective way to reach a targeted market with direct contact, and, best of all, they are free. As you will soon see, these message boards are quite powerful as there are thousands of subscribers who receive posts from message board groups in their email boxes each day.
Start joining message board groups now and take your home business to new heights!
About the author:
Leslie McGuirk is a CPA and holds a Masters of Business Administration. For additional information on home business and marketing ideas, subscribe to mailto:buckyshome@getresponse.com or visit http://www.buckyshome.comIf you are interested in getting a free website to market your own home business, visit http://www.buckyshome.com/pips.html
Know When To Quit
Know When To Quit
by: Kelly Lowe
by Kelly Lowe
Home business professionals have many reasons for choosing to work from home. These reasons generally include spending more time with our families, setting our own work hours, having more freedom to do the things we want to do, and controlling
our own destinies.
These are all good, valid reasons for choosing to work from home. Unfortunately, many home business professionals lose
sight of the reasons they started working from home in the first place.
Anyone who operates a home business knows that we tend to work twice as many hours as those who work in traditional
businesses. Many home business professionals become work-a-holics, spending twelve to twenty hours per day,
seven days a week, working. It becomes a habit.
This habit can jeapordize your health and your family. It can take away your joy of living. One day, you will wake up
and find that you have lost everything that you were working from home to have.
There are ways to avoid developing this habit. If you already have this habit, there are ways to break it.
Start by setting regular "office" hours, and regular "work" days. Let your family know what these hours are.
When you make your work schedule, make sure that all of your tasks are scheduled during these hours - no exceptions and no excuses. If you are already a work-a-holic, this will be hard to adjust, but you can adjust if you work at it. If you are not yet a work-a-holic, determine work days and hours, make a schedule, and stick to it from the very beginning.
Schedule two days off each week. This is your weekend, and should coincide with your family's weekend. Not checking your email for two solid days will be tough, but you can do it. Turn the computer off, close the door to your office, and go
"home" for the weekend.
Make plans with your family. Get out of the house. Take your spouse for a walk. Go on a picnic. Go see a movie. It doesn't matter what you do, as long as it isn't work, and it includes your family.
If there are no family events planned for your weekend, find a hobby. Make sure your hobby doesn't have anything to do with your work, and try to include your family. The point of working at home, was to have more time to spend with these important people.
During your work week, after quitting time, take some time for yourself to recharge your batteries. Try to avoid thinking about work. Eat meals with your family, watch television with them, play a board game or cards. Whatever you do, make sure that your office door remains closed until it is time to work again.
It is a good idea to plan at least one week long vacation during the year. Your business will not fail if you take a week off. It may fail if you constantly take a week off, however. The key is to know how much is too much, and how little is not enough.
It doesn't matter what you do, as long as you aren't working during your "off" time. Taking time off will refresh you. You will be rested and ready to go when it is time to work again. You will find that you enjoy life more. You will enjoy working from home more. Your health may improve if you get more exercise as well. Your family will certainly enjoy having your time and attention.
Home Business Secrets
Internet Home Business Secrets That Payoff!
by: Jeff Smith
I can picture you exactly where I was just a few short
years ago --
Sitting in another useless meeting organized by a group
of senior managers that have a combined IQ less than your
own child at 3-months old.
Around in circles you go, no progress again today and
only those who play the game the best will collect the
bigger paychecks - but even they can't outlast this game
of roulette can they?
Listen - I get asked often, even by my own wife, "why are
you so driven!"
It's true, these days I am passionate about just about
everything I do - especially my internet home business.
Why?
Is it the thought of a new porsche sitting in my driveway
that motivated me to succeed with my internet home business?
What about cruising up and down the Pacific Coast in my
new yacht?
Maybe it's being able to take a dream vacation to Australia
and New Zealand?
Nope! You guessed wrong.
In fact, what motivates me everyday is the thought of having
my time, energy, health and family UNDER THE CONTROL of someone
other than myself scares the heck out of me.
I mean all out spiders on my face, snakes in my bed and lizards
in my pants scared!
When I hit 30 back several years ago - I was in a hotel, alone
on business in downtown London, England.
Incredible city, but I realized that after spending 29 birthdays
with my family - I was FORCED to spend this one alone thousands of
miles from home.
Every day after, I became incensed each time someone at my old
job controlled some aspect of my time, health, energy or family.
I don't mean a little upset - I mean DEEPLY ANGRY.
There's only two ways to deal with something like that in your
life - curl over and die a slow death or take action until
you change the circumstances
Trick was, to channel that anger in the right direction - postive
instead of negative.
Then I discovered something incredibly powerful --
Anger and Pain Are Part of the Formula for Success!
Name me any highly successful person and chances are I can find
a burning, gut-churning, unstoppable force within them that will
not let them fail. That force usually comes from anger or pain.
LET ME SAVE YOU 5-YEARS OR MORE....
Even with this incredible passion I had to control my own destiny,
success didn't come right away.
I tried opportunity after opportunity, scam after scam, UNTIL...
THE HOLY GRAIL - Internet Home Business
Ever since the beginning of business, the same principles hold
true - you must have;
1. Compelling product to reachable market
2. Competitive Advantage or Unique Selling Proposition
3. Operation plan that is profitable
4. Constant Plan, Do and Review process to increase profits
Whether you want to market other people's products online or
create your own products or services, you must follow these
fundamental business principles.
What's great about an internet home business is:
1. You can find reachable markets and compelling product
ideas sitting in your office in your underwear
2. You can easily discover and communicate your Unique Selling
Proposition without having to spend thousands on competitive
intelligence
3. You can develop very profitable operational plans taking
advantage of instant download, or build to order systems
4. It's easier, and less risky than ever before to continually
test and improve your internet home business.
So - snap out of it!
Stop settling for whatever it is that is eating away at you!
Take action - right now!
Find out all you can about starting and building your own
internet home business - turn your anger or pain into health
and happiness today.
Killer Home Business
Five Ways to Kill Your Home Business
by: Craig Friesen
Copyright 2005 Craig Friesen
I know it is better to be positive than negative. But speaking from experience sometimes you can do things that are bad for your home business without realizing it. You might even think you are doing the right thing when in fact you are hurting your online business. So here are some "top 5" ways you can throw your work-from-home opportunity down the drain (and how to avoid doing so):
1) Have no plan, vision or goals.
Sure, you may find success in your home business by accident. But you are more likely to keep your online business alive (and have it grow) by setting some direction. Besides, without a plan and destination how would you even know if you achieved success? Do some dreaming about what you would like your home based business to be in 2 years. Then set some attainable but challenging goals based on your vision. With your goals in mind, chart a plan for your home business.
2) Do nothing.
"If you build it, they will come." Wrong - who told you that? One of the most frequent mistakes made by newcomers to online business is the belief that if they can just build a nice looking website then they will earn money. Of course some marketing ploys feed on that assumption, luring Internet marketing rookies to purchase the only website they will ever need. Just like an offline business, your online opportunity does not usually sell itself. You need to somehow bring potential customers or clients to your business website. This takes hard work, consistency and determination to succeed.
3) Do too much.
You can't do too much of the right things. But please do not mistake activity for progress! I hear this all the time: "I spend xx hours a week at my computer and not one sale!" Quality not quantity, people. There are some promotional activities such as writing home business articles (hey, like I'm doing here!) and networking politely in business forums that you can never do too much of. But some marketing tools can be over used and actually harm your home based business. Examples: submitting too frequently to some search engines or blasting customer support with an endless line of similar requests.
4) Join everything.
If it is free to join, why not? Affiliate marketers especially are always on the lookout for the next great business opportunity. What happens, however, is that unless the business opportunity somehow compliments your primary home based business then you are going to end up spreading your efforts thin. Choose programs to join that provide you with marketing leverage or which will enhance what you are offering without providing unwanted competition. The other danger with free progams is that once you join there may very well be an "upgrade opportunity" that you will find difficult to pass up. Be sure that this is what you want before you click on the payment button...all those free programs upgraded adds up soon!
5) Spend lots of money on advertising.
This is a tough one. You would think that the people who spend the most money get the most traffic to their websites and therefore earn the most money. While this may be true, how much are you willing to spend to have the kind of traffic volume to your business opportunity that is going to pay off? It is really hard to tell. The best advice I can give you is to take it slow. Track the results of every advertising campaign so that you can assess how effective the method or ad itself is. If you do not track your marketing then you might just be throwing money down the drain. Spend too much too fast and you might soon find it difficult to keep your home based business running. You might even adversely affect your current lifestyle by piling up bills that you can't pay because the website advertising you chose is not bringing you a good return on investment.
There are other things that can help your home business become successful or kill it. And these may not be the "top 5" for you. Just listing these made me think of another 5 that have probably hurt my own home business. Time to make some adjustments!
starting a home business online
10 reasons for starting a home business online.
by: Douglas Titchmarsh
1. You want to escape the rat race. You'd rather spend the 2 hours
you waste every day with your family, or on a hobby. Running your
own business online you can stop the commute, and you can feel good
because you are helping to cut pollution too.
2 You can work part time building your new home business online until
you see it taking off. You aren't giving up your bill paying regular
job to jump in without any income.
3 It's possible to start a home business online with very little
outlay. Webhosting is cheaper than a bricks and mortar shopfront.
You already have the pc to access the net, it can start working
for it's keep.
4 You can choose your own hours. If you have an appointment to keep
in the morning, start your online work in the afternoon. No one can
tell you "you can't have that week off in August, Bill got in first"
5 If you work harder you can benefit directly, you put more hours in
and your online business makes more profit, your wages go up. Your
salary isn't fixed by someone elses view of what you're worth.
6 A lot of online business tasks can be automated, using readily
available tools. Emails can be automatically sent by
autoresponders, even regularly asked questions can be sorted and
answered by software.
7 A website works 24 hours a day without complaining. Even if you're
on holiday your online business website can be working online for
you bringing in money.
8 Your online business can be as far reaching as you want, it can
offer something for your local community. It can equally sell to
people around the world, without penalty. It doesn't cost any extra
to send an email to Australia, or for your website to be used to
make a purchase by someone in Europe.
9 Starting a home business online means you have a continuously
growing market as more and more people come online everyday.
10 It's dress down day everyday. You can work in your pyjamas if you
want, nobody's going to stop you in your own home. No more suits and
ties unless you want to wear them, but that's your choice.
starting A Home Based Business
Starting A Home Based Business Requires The Proper Mindset A Home Based Business Requires The Proper Mindset
by: Kirk Bannerman
After helping thousands of people start up their own home
based businesses on the the Internet, I have come to recognize
two of the most important factors for identifying people that
should NOT attempt to start a home based business.
If a prospective entrepreneur says something like...
"I'm broke and need to make some money...fast!"
or,
"I want to start a home business, but I don't want to spend
anything on it until after I start earning some money."
...it is certain that they need a "reality check" and should not
attempt to start a home business under either of those
conditions. I refer to these two comments as the "death
sentences" for starting a home based business.
Almost equally important is the need to have realistic economic
expectations when undertaking a home based business. There is
magic here, folks. A home based business provides many rewards
such as working in the comfort of your own home, avoiding a
stressful commute, being your own boss, setting your own hours,
no dress code, etc., etc., but anyone that is also expecting
"instant riches" is sadly mistaken.
There are a tremendous number of home business and work at home
opportunities offered on the Internet. Many of these are all
hype and try to convince you that it doesn't take any effort and
that you will be making huge amounts of money in very little time
(you know, stuff like..."you will be making $5,000 per week, and
more, in just a few weeks!"). You should avoid these so called
"opportunities" like the plague...if they were for real
everyone would be doing it.
Study the opportunities carefully and select the home business
opportunity that seems to fit your own particular style or
talents. What is a good choice for one person may be a very poor
fit for someone else. The common thread that applies to everyone
is that you must be "for real" (as indicated above) and the
business opportunity itself must be "for real".
Start A Home Business
Are You Experienced Enough To Start A Home Business?
by: Janice Sharman
The business gurus will tell you: if you start with what you know your chances of success will be much greater. Okay, but suppose you want to try something new, something drastically different from your present career or a business that is way outside the your realm of experience? Should having no knowledge of that business stop you from pursuing it?
My answer is a resounding 'No!' You can start cold turkey and still be wildly successful.
When trying to make a decision about starting your own business, you will find yourself asking one of these questions:
* "How much experience do I need to start a home business?"
* "Do I have enough experience to start a home business?"
Textbook don't answer these questions. You can either go ahead hoping for the best, or you can go slowly analyzing every little step.
It is possible to go from being a bricklayer to a successful Internet Guru. There are true stories of partially educated teenagers who stumble on to a bright idea and become wildly successful.
A growing number of stay-at-home moms travel way out of their comfort zones into the untried world of business. Yet without prior preparation or knowledge of the world they were entering, met with stunning success. It is just a matter of how willing you are to take risks and educate yourself.
Stone Evans had no knowledge of the Home Business Industry when he started working as an affiliate, yet he persevered. Now his PlugInProfit Sites are famous and I'm sure he is enjoying his well-earned success.
One of the important personal traits of an entrepreneur is the willingness to explore new horizons, take risks and accept responsibility for the risks taken. An entrepreneur needs to be good at self-motivation, or have the characteristic that gets and keeps a person moving even when things seem dismal. It is this trait that will enable you to continue despite drawbacks, like very little capital, lack of education or limited experience.
Don't get me wrong; knowledge and expertise are important. Studies have shown that lack of business experience is one of the major reasons for the failure of any business. So, if you are the kind of person who likes to analyze your options then take time to evaluate all the factors, then stick with your preferences.
If you think that you need more business experience, there are a number ways to acquire the necessary skills and knowledge for your venture. You can scour the Internet for education packages, or you could choose to get on-the-job training to give you some hands-on experience in your field of interest by teaming up with someone who already has an online business. There are definite advantages to working with someone else in your industry of choice. You "earn as you learn," while you increase your chances of becoming known online, which makes it much easier when you decide to go it alone.
Approach obstacles like learning how to run a home business or a new aspect of home business management, as an exciting challenge and meet the challenge head-on. Many of the successful entrepreneurs who started their ventures, did so without fully understanding the mechanics involved, like them you must motivate yourself to learn whatever is necessary to accomplish your goals.
Take the initiative! Learn everything you can about your prospective business - the product or service that you plan to sell, the niche you are thinking of entering, your competition and your prospective market. Be sure to do your homework.
If you possess common sense, the ability to learn new skills, are enthusiastic about taking risks, or have the courage to venture into the unknown, and the persistence to continue - you should be able to overcome the initial lack of expertise and be wildly successful. Have faith in yourself and determine come what may, you will have your own home business.
Resolve within yourself to meet the daily challenges with courage, giving the best you have to give. Running a successful home business is not magic, it is about finding the information you need, then putting it into practice, one step at a time.
