Starting up a home based business is a huge decision. Not only do you need a plan, but you need self-discipline and motivation to reap the benefits. If you are thinking about starting up a business from the comfort of your home, take a look at these practical considerations before you get started.
• Business Plan - When you decide to start up your business, you need a creative perspective about where you’ll be going. You want to have it all written out, so you can show investors, employees, and whoever asks. You’ll feel more focused and motivated this way.
• Marketing Plan - How do you plan on drumming up work? Whether you go with content writing, affiliate marketing, blogging, or paid surveys, you need to have a plan on how you’re going to get the word out about your product or service.
• Financial Plan - Luckily, most online business endeavors have little to no start up costs. However, you might be in a place where you’re working one job while you get your online business started up. Carefully consider the advantages and disadvantages of the costs to get started and the amount of profit you expect to make compared to the amount of time you will spend doing it.
• Accounting - Even if you are just a one man show, try to record all the money that goes in and out. You might want to hire someone or buy a piece of software to help track your money. This will also help you decide the most profitable directions to take your business. In some cases, you may want to get started on paying quarterly taxes.
• Budget - This one is simple. Do you want your cash flow to control you, or do you want to control your cash flow?
To get started with your home based business, treat it as you would any business endeavor. Whether you are a single entity or looking to hire several employees and incorporate, these are the backbone to your plan.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
8 Proven Points To Make A Home Business Website Profitable
It is a miracle how the most successful home business websites have so much in common, despite of the fact that they look so different. This cannot be a co-incident.
One common feature is that these successful sites are likable and somehow easy to use. Everything looks so clear, so it is easy to judge whether you like it or not.
They look so simple, that I often ask, what special they have and how they have become so successful? It seems that the simpler and the more user friendly the site is, the better chances it has to create big sales.
Very clearly one big success factor is that the finetuning work should concentrate to take away all the unnecessary elements and non-selling links.
1. Attention Grabbing Title.
The title is absolutely the most important element of the site. It should contain the promise and to describe the content of the site.
A Great Title informs in a catchy way that this website includes the benefits about this topic.
The headline should be written well and it should stand out from the rest of the copy. It also should be the first element, which catches the visitor attention in seconds, because if it does not do that, the visitor continues the surfing.
2. Well Written Copy.
The Internet is the information highway, so the role of the copy is very important, this is the world of the words. The copy should draw the readers attention immediately to the benefits your offer give to him.
The style is important and the target is to build up the trust from the first contact. The copy should make the reader enthusiastic about the benefits but it should not use hype style overpromises, because they will destroy the trust.
3. Easy Site Navigation.
This is the technical must, because nothing drives the visitors away faster than the bad navigation. The site structure should be clear and logical, so that the visitor knows all the time, where he is and to where he could go from here.
The menu should be the same on every page and clearly accessible and also easy to understand. The terms should be clear, despite of the fact that you may want to use internet home business keyphrases.
4. Call To Action.
After the copy has presented the main benefits it is the time to call the reader into action. The clearnes is important. The visitor hates the situation, when he does not know, what to do next so it is better to call him to action and not to leave him guessing? Action is everything and we have to call the reader to do that.
One good way is to lower the bar, i.e. to offer a cheap or free trial opportunity for some weeks, before the reader will buy the product. The efficiency is the better, the more often you call the reader into action.
5. Images.
One picture tells more than thousand words. You should include photos of every product you sell, because they make the products more real, than the copy alone.
To make the navigation easier, you can use thumbnails instead of big images, which link to larger images. This speed up the page loadings.
6. Optin Form.
Most of the internet home business visitors needs at least five contacts before they will buy. It is important to get the website visitor`s name and email address in the early stage, because otherwise they can leave the site and you will never see them again.
In this process you have to give them a gift, an email course, a free e-book or something like that, which again will sell your offer later on. Now you can send them messages during a long period of time, which clearly makes the process more productive.
7. About Us Section.
The idea of every internet home business site is to build trust over a long period of time. This requires that you tell enough about yourself and give your contact information for further questions.
All big home business brands are build by stories, so can you also do. The idea of the story is to give enough information about you and to show that there is a real person working for the customers. This shows people that there is a real people behind the business.
8. Site Freshness.
People and search engines love unique, fresh information. A successful home business website goes through regular changes and additions. The visitor sees immediately that it is up to date.
It is useful to look the competing sites in your internet home business niche, because they are a great source of new ideas. Another idea is to make sure your site can stand out from the crowd.
The marketing is very important but the key is still the quality of your internet home business site. It makes the people to come back and it is the real place, where they can reach you and your offers.
One common feature is that these successful sites are likable and somehow easy to use. Everything looks so clear, so it is easy to judge whether you like it or not.
They look so simple, that I often ask, what special they have and how they have become so successful? It seems that the simpler and the more user friendly the site is, the better chances it has to create big sales.
Very clearly one big success factor is that the finetuning work should concentrate to take away all the unnecessary elements and non-selling links.
1. Attention Grabbing Title.
The title is absolutely the most important element of the site. It should contain the promise and to describe the content of the site.
A Great Title informs in a catchy way that this website includes the benefits about this topic.
The headline should be written well and it should stand out from the rest of the copy. It also should be the first element, which catches the visitor attention in seconds, because if it does not do that, the visitor continues the surfing.
2. Well Written Copy.
The Internet is the information highway, so the role of the copy is very important, this is the world of the words. The copy should draw the readers attention immediately to the benefits your offer give to him.
The style is important and the target is to build up the trust from the first contact. The copy should make the reader enthusiastic about the benefits but it should not use hype style overpromises, because they will destroy the trust.
3. Easy Site Navigation.
This is the technical must, because nothing drives the visitors away faster than the bad navigation. The site structure should be clear and logical, so that the visitor knows all the time, where he is and to where he could go from here.
The menu should be the same on every page and clearly accessible and also easy to understand. The terms should be clear, despite of the fact that you may want to use internet home business keyphrases.
4. Call To Action.
After the copy has presented the main benefits it is the time to call the reader into action. The clearnes is important. The visitor hates the situation, when he does not know, what to do next so it is better to call him to action and not to leave him guessing? Action is everything and we have to call the reader to do that.
One good way is to lower the bar, i.e. to offer a cheap or free trial opportunity for some weeks, before the reader will buy the product. The efficiency is the better, the more often you call the reader into action.
5. Images.
One picture tells more than thousand words. You should include photos of every product you sell, because they make the products more real, than the copy alone.
To make the navigation easier, you can use thumbnails instead of big images, which link to larger images. This speed up the page loadings.
6. Optin Form.
Most of the internet home business visitors needs at least five contacts before they will buy. It is important to get the website visitor`s name and email address in the early stage, because otherwise they can leave the site and you will never see them again.
In this process you have to give them a gift, an email course, a free e-book or something like that, which again will sell your offer later on. Now you can send them messages during a long period of time, which clearly makes the process more productive.
7. About Us Section.
The idea of every internet home business site is to build trust over a long period of time. This requires that you tell enough about yourself and give your contact information for further questions.
All big home business brands are build by stories, so can you also do. The idea of the story is to give enough information about you and to show that there is a real person working for the customers. This shows people that there is a real people behind the business.
8. Site Freshness.
People and search engines love unique, fresh information. A successful home business website goes through regular changes and additions. The visitor sees immediately that it is up to date.
It is useful to look the competing sites in your internet home business niche, because they are a great source of new ideas. Another idea is to make sure your site can stand out from the crowd.
The marketing is very important but the key is still the quality of your internet home business site. It makes the people to come back and it is the real place, where they can reach you and your offers.
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
3 Tips On How To Avoid The Scams While Selecting A Work Home Business Opportunity
There are many great work home business opportunities in the world today and to find them the only thing you need to do is to spend some of your precious time seriously searching for it. Among these opportunities there are many scams involved, people are out here only to make money and to swallow your money they would say just anything under the sun. Then how do you find a legitimate home business opportunity? Let me give you a few hints on what you need to look for.
1) You should always keep your distance from business opportunities that promise you fast money. Now it is not always the cases but the possibility of quick money mainly depends on you, the more hard work you put in the better your chances to earn fast money. But the scams actually tell you that you can earn fast money without doing much of work. Never believe them, they are just fooling you. It is only through hard work people make quick money.
2) You need to check any business opportunity through and through before you decide on joining them. Just because a company sounds good you can't be joining it, you surely need to completely check out the company. You should also check with the better bureau whether any complaints have been registered against this company. You should also check through other sources like people working there, they would be the best source of information. It is mainly from them that you would get the best possible feedback.
3) You should always contact the people who are trying to get you involved or get you signed up for the business opportunity and see how long it gets them to contact you. And even if they do contact you try to get a hold on someone who you could use in the future. You should also try to find out the kind of customer care or support that the company provides and also try to clear all the possible doubts you have about the company. Usually in the case of scams you either wont get an answer to your question or you would not find someone to talk to about the business.
These three important tips would actually help you decide which business opportunity to join and will also help find out if it is legal. There are plenty of legitimate business opportunities out there. It would only take you some research to find out which is the best business opportunity for you.
1) You should always keep your distance from business opportunities that promise you fast money. Now it is not always the cases but the possibility of quick money mainly depends on you, the more hard work you put in the better your chances to earn fast money. But the scams actually tell you that you can earn fast money without doing much of work. Never believe them, they are just fooling you. It is only through hard work people make quick money.
2) You need to check any business opportunity through and through before you decide on joining them. Just because a company sounds good you can't be joining it, you surely need to completely check out the company. You should also check with the better bureau whether any complaints have been registered against this company. You should also check through other sources like people working there, they would be the best source of information. It is mainly from them that you would get the best possible feedback.
3) You should always contact the people who are trying to get you involved or get you signed up for the business opportunity and see how long it gets them to contact you. And even if they do contact you try to get a hold on someone who you could use in the future. You should also try to find out the kind of customer care or support that the company provides and also try to clear all the possible doubts you have about the company. Usually in the case of scams you either wont get an answer to your question or you would not find someone to talk to about the business.
These three important tips would actually help you decide which business opportunity to join and will also help find out if it is legal. There are plenty of legitimate business opportunities out there. It would only take you some research to find out which is the best business opportunity for you.
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
Freelancing - A Great Way To Work From Home
If you are considering telecommuting and are currently searching for a work at home business opportunity, then you need to consider freelance work at home jobs.
Many work at home business opportunities out there are scams and do not provide a decent living for someone wishing to use telecommuting as their primary employment. Freelance work on the other hand provides great work at home jobs that are scam-free and give you the chance to work from the comfort of your own home, set your own hours while still be assured of proper employment and people who will pay for the work they are offering you.
Freelancing allows you to find work at home jobs through placing tenders on positions that people are offering for telecommuting. If you have the skills and place the best tender then you will get this work at home position.
Freelancing is also a great work at home business opportunity in that it greatly reduces your need of marketing. Marketing is often the most difficult task in a home based business opportunity and what puts many people off working from home but with freelancing you are able to place tenders at freelance jobs boards and the only thing you really need to sell is yourself and your ability to do what the position is offering. You don't need to go and sell products to your friends, spend hours trying to attract quality traffic to your website or make any cold calls.
Freelance work also allows you to be your own boss. You set the times when you will work, where you will work and how much you want people to pay for your services. This offers many benefits in that you have greater independence, can work at home or really any place you choose where you will be able to have your materials for the job available and within limits will be able to determine your own salary levels based on how much you charge and how much people are willing to pay.
Telecommuting may also help to reduce your taxes. There are many areas where you will be able to claim tax benefits when you are involved as an independent contractor in your own work at home business opportunity. You will need to register for tax as an independent contractor but will be able to claim for some of the expenses related in running a home office such as the cost of the home, travel expenses, equipment and insurance , magazines and books, and various other expenses which may be linked to your freelance work.
A work at home business opportunity provides many benefits including being your own boss, reducing your taxes and being able to work from the comfort of your own home but with so many work at home scams out there you need to be sure that what you are getting into is scam-free, freelance work and telecommuting is the best option here and one that you definitely need to consider when looking for work at home jobs.
Many work at home business opportunities out there are scams and do not provide a decent living for someone wishing to use telecommuting as their primary employment. Freelance work on the other hand provides great work at home jobs that are scam-free and give you the chance to work from the comfort of your own home, set your own hours while still be assured of proper employment and people who will pay for the work they are offering you.
Freelancing allows you to find work at home jobs through placing tenders on positions that people are offering for telecommuting. If you have the skills and place the best tender then you will get this work at home position.
Freelancing is also a great work at home business opportunity in that it greatly reduces your need of marketing. Marketing is often the most difficult task in a home based business opportunity and what puts many people off working from home but with freelancing you are able to place tenders at freelance jobs boards and the only thing you really need to sell is yourself and your ability to do what the position is offering. You don't need to go and sell products to your friends, spend hours trying to attract quality traffic to your website or make any cold calls.
Freelance work also allows you to be your own boss. You set the times when you will work, where you will work and how much you want people to pay for your services. This offers many benefits in that you have greater independence, can work at home or really any place you choose where you will be able to have your materials for the job available and within limits will be able to determine your own salary levels based on how much you charge and how much people are willing to pay.
Telecommuting may also help to reduce your taxes. There are many areas where you will be able to claim tax benefits when you are involved as an independent contractor in your own work at home business opportunity. You will need to register for tax as an independent contractor but will be able to claim for some of the expenses related in running a home office such as the cost of the home, travel expenses, equipment and insurance , magazines and books, and various other expenses which may be linked to your freelance work.
A work at home business opportunity provides many benefits including being your own boss, reducing your taxes and being able to work from the comfort of your own home but with so many work at home scams out there you need to be sure that what you are getting into is scam-free, freelance work and telecommuting is the best option here and one that you definitely need to consider when looking for work at home jobs.
Thursday, January 03, 2008
Starting A Home Based Business? - Avoid These 6 Costly Blunders
A lot of people would like to start an internet home based business. However, many people do not know where to start.
Starting a home based business can be overwhelming and confusing for the inexperienced. The fact that there are a lot of 'business opportunities' on the internet does not make it any easier.
You can easily succeed with your home based business if you just avoid some common mistakes which people make.
So what are some of the common mistakes that people who are starting a home based business usually make?
1. No Plans & objectives.
A lot of people start their business with no plans, and this is a very costly mistake. It is important to take the necessary time and effort to plan the business and clearly state the objectives you intend to achieve. Some people start their home based business like a hobby and treat it like one. Do not expect to make millions with your online home based business if you treat it like a hobby.
2. Reinventing the wheel.
Some people starting a home based business make their learning curves very hard and long. The internet is full of proven money making business models. You can succeed easily by identifying the business type that you would like to have your home based business focused on, try to find someone who has succeeded with that business and learn from them, and duplicate what they have done to succeed. It is also important to have the necessary support network, which can be a relevant forum where you can learn more about running your home based business successfully.
3. Thinking that you can make money overnight.
This is a common misconception which people have, which is also the reason why many people fail and give up easily. Your online home based business is like any other business - you will need to apply the necessary effort and dedication to make it work.
4. Believing that your online home based business doesn't need any capital.
This is another very common misconception. If you think you can start and develop a home based business without spending a dime, you are misleading yourself. Be prepared to spend some money to get all the resources you will need to develop your business. Although it varies with the type of the home based business you want to set up, you would need some initial resources that you have to invest in the business. This can be for setting up your website, just as an example. You may also need to buy some resources to make your online home based business fully set up.
5. No market study before creating a product or starting the business.
Yet another very common mistake. For your home based business to succeed, you will need to have a market for whatever you will be offering. Demand for your products is the most important factor that determines the success of your home based business. A market study on the current market size and future potential of the product or service is therefore very important.
6. Lacking focus and commitment.
Your online business will need a lot of effort for it to succeed, especially during the first two years. You must therefore be prepared to give your business your total commitment.
If you avoid the 6 mistakes outline above, you will succeed with your home based business.
Starting a home based business can be overwhelming and confusing for the inexperienced. The fact that there are a lot of 'business opportunities' on the internet does not make it any easier.
You can easily succeed with your home based business if you just avoid some common mistakes which people make.
So what are some of the common mistakes that people who are starting a home based business usually make?
1. No Plans & objectives.
A lot of people start their business with no plans, and this is a very costly mistake. It is important to take the necessary time and effort to plan the business and clearly state the objectives you intend to achieve. Some people start their home based business like a hobby and treat it like one. Do not expect to make millions with your online home based business if you treat it like a hobby.
2. Reinventing the wheel.
Some people starting a home based business make their learning curves very hard and long. The internet is full of proven money making business models. You can succeed easily by identifying the business type that you would like to have your home based business focused on, try to find someone who has succeeded with that business and learn from them, and duplicate what they have done to succeed. It is also important to have the necessary support network, which can be a relevant forum where you can learn more about running your home based business successfully.
3. Thinking that you can make money overnight.
This is a common misconception which people have, which is also the reason why many people fail and give up easily. Your online home based business is like any other business - you will need to apply the necessary effort and dedication to make it work.
4. Believing that your online home based business doesn't need any capital.
This is another very common misconception. If you think you can start and develop a home based business without spending a dime, you are misleading yourself. Be prepared to spend some money to get all the resources you will need to develop your business. Although it varies with the type of the home based business you want to set up, you would need some initial resources that you have to invest in the business. This can be for setting up your website, just as an example. You may also need to buy some resources to make your online home based business fully set up.
5. No market study before creating a product or starting the business.
Yet another very common mistake. For your home based business to succeed, you will need to have a market for whatever you will be offering. Demand for your products is the most important factor that determines the success of your home based business. A market study on the current market size and future potential of the product or service is therefore very important.
6. Lacking focus and commitment.
Your online business will need a lot of effort for it to succeed, especially during the first two years. You must therefore be prepared to give your business your total commitment.
If you avoid the 6 mistakes outline above, you will succeed with your home based business.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)