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Pro Builder Plus was officially launched February 1st of 2006. Just over a month since the companies open and it is already the fastest growing business in 2006!
Many people these days are spending thousands of dollars for the tools that they use to build there home based business online. PBP has made it easy to use many great tools all on the same site for a fraction of the price.
If you want to market your home based business online now you can thanks to PBP’s powerful suite of tools.
ProBuilderPlus Offers:
***Lead Capture Pages (have more people see your business)
***Flash Videos (videos to capture people’s interest)
***Autoresponders (Contact hundereds of business associates by email all at the same time
***Conference Call Bridge Lines (have your own conference calls with your associates)
***Free Training (to help you launch your business into success)
***NEW . . . Voicemail Broadcasting! (so you can contact all your associates by telephone all at the same time)
***And Much Much More!
The Benefits of Pro Builder Plus!
1) You can market your business like never before!
2) ProBuilderPlus makes it easy to earn an extra couple thousand dollars a month! Take a free tour and learn how now.
http://twick.ProBuilderPlus.com
With ProBuilderPlus only out a few short weeks thousands of people have already joined and started building their business towards great success.
One thing to remember is that any of the tools that Pro Builder Plus offers are just a fraction of the price of any other company!
To Great Success!
-Tom Wichterman
About the Author
Tom Wichterman is a member of Pro Builder Plus! Take a free tour and check out the tools to see what could happen. http://twick.myopportunitypro.com/flash2 Any questions just contact Tom Wichterman at wicktomj@gmail.com
Hello, and thanks for your interest in the Homehammer.com home improvement network. This email course is designed to help folks like you, specifically those in the home improvement industry, the inside information they need to turn their business up a notch, make more money, and watch your profits grow.
HomeHammer is a website that allows users to find professionals like realtors, general contractors, plumbers, framers, and electricians more quickly and easily, so this course is part of our commitment to you, to help you connect with your customers, generate business and improve your bottom line, so that you can provide a better service to our users.
Lesson 1: Why it’s important to charge more, rather than less. Charge more? Yes, you heard right - you should charge MORE for your services.
You deserve it. People like Donald Trump and Richard Branson charge more for their services every single day, and there are many people out there who are willing to pay their outrageous fees, and why is that? Because the perception is, they charge more because they’re great at what they do.
When people get ready to buy something, they often buy out of emotion, not logic. No matter whether you are a contractor, a plumber, a realtor, or an architect, companies who charge more are generally considered to offer a higher quality of service, while those that undercut are perceived as being more likely to do a shoddy job.
Think about it: Would you rather do one job for $10,000 or ten jobs for $1,000?
That is the real key to charging more - sure, you’ll get more customers going elsewhere for their projects, but those that accept the higher rates will make up for that loss of income, and you will be doing LESS work.
In short, you will be working smarter instead of harder.
Of course, charging more does not mean you should swindle your customers, or get outrageous with your fees. If you plan to charge more, you must also offer more value for the customer’s dollar. Offer them little things - small improvements in quality that they might not have expected, a little extra work beyond the brief, maybe even just a smile and a kind word when it would be easier to keep your head down and stick to the task at hand. Sure, it’s extra effort, but it’s MINIMAL extra effort, considering you’re bumping your rates up considerably in return.
When you decide to take the leap and increase your rates, try adding 15% to your usual fee for a month. At the end of the month, evaluate your profits and see whether you think you could raise your rates even further without losing work.
Remember though, you must offer the product you have promised at the price you have promised. Customers won’t be back if you are not offering a top of the line product. Do not underestimate your customer’s intelligence level. They will know if they are being taken and not receiving the product they should, but if you do give them what you said you would, at a high quality level, your customers, even your regulars, won’t mind paying that extra cash for your great service. And in fact, they’ll probably tell their friends about you.
You work hard. Because you work so hard, you should dedicate yourself to becoming the best professional you can be. That means learning along the way. Taking the initiative to sign up for this short course shows that you would like to better yourself. The better a business professional you become, the more you can charge your customers, and if you step up to the gold standard, customers will not only pay a higher rate, but they’ll beat a path to your door.
The next lesson in this series will help you understand how to close the sale while charging more money. This quick two minute read can double your income instantly, so keep an eye out for it!
Now that you’re on the way to a healthier business, be sure to visit the HomeHammer website and sign your business up in our directory today. We are the world’s largest home improvement site, and the way we stay large is by making sure we have the most extensive database of contractors and home professionals around, so make sure you’re on that list!
About the Author
Kris Koonar is President of Crack Marketing leading a team of Internet Marketing Consultants with over 5 years of experience and 100’s of projects. He is also writer of an Internet Marketing Course called “The Website MBA”
Kris can be contacted at 1.877.270.7170
or kris@crackmarketing.com
Ok, so you?re about to set out on the most exciting journey of your life. You have decided that for you to have personal and financial fulfillment you are going to have to go into business for yourself. You have researched several types of business that you could do and you were intrigued by the business model of network marketing. It almost seemed as though your success would be guaranteed with any network marketing company you joined but that is unrealistic to expect that. After researching the network marketing industry you realized that although you really wanted to have a network marketing business you really needed some training to find out how the business really works.
Just like any business when you are new at it you will need to be trained in the nuances of the particular business whether the business is a franchise, a Mom and Pop operation, or a network marketing business. Network marketing primary method of training is from a sponsor and conference calls. Many companies have annual meetings to train and introduce new products. The sponsor is the person you join a network marketing business with. Once you join a company the sponsor becomes your link to the training and support you need to be successful in the network marketing opportunity that you joined.
It cannot be stressed enough that it is very important that you feel comfortable working with your prospective sponsor before you join. Your sponsor should be willing to discuss the opportunity with you at length without pressuring you to join. The initial conversation that you have with your prospective sponsor should be almost like a 360 interview where you really get to know what you and your sponsor are looking for. An immediate red flag in a prospective sponsors behavior is for them to push you to sign-up right away. I have found that this type of sponsor is just looking for a bonus from his company that will be paid out if a certain number of people are signed up within a certain time period. Although network marketing is a form of selling and sales you don?t want to be ?closed.? Network marketing is a relationship business where you build an organization characterized by sound business building principles and deep, trusting relationships. You cannot form that type of an organization if all you are doing is looking to make numbers. Of course you will make more money the larger your organization grows but the key with network marketing is the relationship aspect of the business.
There are some network marketing organizations where life-long friendships have developed as a result of doing the business. In fact on weekly conference calls, usually made up of people from all over the country, once the business issues have been discussed many of the members take to visiting as though they were in the same building. That is how network marketing is supposed to work. It?s not a mass-market project if it were you would see the company?s products in a major retail store and they wouldn?t need individuals to market the product. Usually it?s the product that brings the members together. The products usually aren?t found in stores because it is a higher quality that a store could profit from. You may find something with the same name or similar but the actual product is different. That is why when you are looking for a network marketing opportunity first look for a product that you like and then look for a sponsor.
To make sure that the sponsor you are talking to is has your best interests in mind see how they react if you don?t sign-up right away. Contact them by phone or e-mail and ask questions about the company and the training that is offered, etc. Then let them know that you will be back in touch after you have had a chance to look the information over. Then gauge the sponsor?s reaction to you not signing up right away. If they are understanding and agree that you should do your own due diligence before you make a commitment to do the business that sponsor is what you are looking for. If, on the other hand, they try to pressure you into making a decision right away with little regard to your needs and responsibility to do your research and check the company out, that type of sponsor is not what you want.
Network marketing is a great business especially for someone just starting out in business. If you have a passion to succeed and are willing to set your goals and live by them you owe it to yourself to give network marketing a try.
Increasing numbers of people are waking up to the reality that their jobs–regardless of the short-term security they may seem to provide–are actually a dead end. This has given rise to the cynical acronym, “J.O.B.,”(Just Over Broke). Even two-income families often find themselves living from paycheck to paycheck, with little left to save for a rainy day.
Recent research shows, for example, that average Americans save only 4% of their income; consumer and credit card debt, moreover, along with bankruptcies, have reached an all-time high. People are also refinancing their homes at a record pace, eroding the equity that, historically, has been a common source of retirement security.
For those with long-range vision, then, the writing on the wall is quite clear–the vast majority of people who trade time for dollars in a conventional job will never attain financial freedom. Moreover, in view of the increasing erosion of pension plans and Social Security benefits, the dark cloud of retirement poverty looms ever larger on the horizon for increasing numbers of people.
Not surprisingly, then, more and more people are opting to start their own home business. Not only does this offer many immediate advantages, but it also holds the potential of generating a high level residual income and financial freedom.
“Fire your boss, throw away your alarm clock, and set your own hours,” has become an ever more popular rallying cry of a growing cadre of would-be entrepreneurs who launch themselves on this new career path. An estimated 50,000 of them join various network market companies every week.
This highly attractive alternative career has, indeed, proven to be very rewarding for tens of thousands of people, many of whom have achieved a high degree of personal and financial success; sadly, however, a far greater number have been equally unsuccessful and have become very disillusioned.
Since this is a relatively new career path, most people enter it with inadequate preparation and guidance and with minimal awareness of its major potential pitfalls.
Choosing The Right Company:
To avoid the first big pitfall, it’s absolutely essential to choose the right company. There are many excellent ones to choose from and there are hundreds, or thousands, of others to avoid. Here’s a brief checklist of some of the most important qualities of a really great company:
1. It’s well-established and financially stable. 2. Its growth has been steady and continuous. 3. Its leaders are highly qualified professionals with impeccable integrity. 4. It has high quality consumable products. 5. There is a strong consumer demand for these products. 6. It provides excellent training and support for distributors. 7. A high degree of mentoring and support is provided by sponsors. 8. The retention rate for distributors is high–the higher the better. 9. The compensation plan is generous and understandable. 10. The company strongly emphasizes high quality service to distributors and customers.
Getting On The Right Track:
Of equal importance is choosing a business building strategy that fits for you. In the past, there has been little choice here, because the traditional network marketing model has been monolithic and has used a highly standardized business building approach.
In general, this approach has required all distributors to promote their products and business personally and directly to large numbers of other people in their “warm” and “cold” markets. This approach is intrinsically inefficient in that–in order to be successful–it entails making presentations to extremely large numbers of people who are not highly qualified prospects. As leaders often state in this industry, “it’s in the numbers,” or “it’s a sorting process.”
Unfortunately,a large majority of people entering this industry are not adequately equipped, personally and/or financially, to be successful in using this approach. Without any doubt, this has been the single biggest pitfall for new distributors and also the main cause of disillusionment and failure.
But there is some very good news in this regard. Thanks to internet technology and some very talented leadership in applying it to network marketing, a highly effective and attractive new business building model has emerged. One of its greatest advantages is that IT COMPLETELY ELIMINATES ALL PERSONAL PROMOTION, RECRUITING, AND SELLING.
Instead, it utilizes a sophisticated and generic online system, along with a highly detailed, step-by-step action plan for utilizing that system, to build ANY primary network marketing business.
With this model, then, all business builders utilize a completely different promotional and recruitment strategy from that used in traditional network marketing. Their single purpose here is to attract as many targeted prospects as possible into their business building system through many different forms of internet advertising.
One result of this is that they have personal contact ONLY with prospects who have already enrolled in their business system. This saves a huge amount of wasted time and effort. And, for at least many network marketers, it’s far more satisfying than trying to recruit large numbers of people who are not good prospects. It basically shifts one’s prevailing role from that of promoter/recruiter/salesperson to that of mentor/guide/support person.
There’s good reason to believe, then, that anyone who chooses the RIGHT COMPANY AND THE RIGHT TRACK has a MUCH greater probability of success than has previously been possible.
You can get further assistance in getting on the RIGHT TRACK by visiting the authors blogsite listed below.
About the Author
George Shears is a retired psychologist, wellness consultant, and network marketer living in the northwoods of Minnesota. One of his main missions in retirement is to mentor and support other network marketers all over the world in using a new online business building system that avoids the main major pitfalls of traditional network marketing.
He can be contacted at:
gshears@hcctel.net
651-204-0523
http://yodasway.blogspot.com
6 Ways To Choose Your Own Home Business
by: Michel Richer
Deciding to work from home can be a good decision or a bad one. It depends of your attitude and your love for business. If you really make the decision to start a home business you have made the first step to succeed. But now the question is: ” How do i choose the best home business among the internet business opportunities jungle ?
There are litterally millions of them on the internet. Where do i start ? And how do i know if this or this home business is the right one for me ?
There are so many home business opportunities out there that its hard to know where to start. And how do you know you have chosen the best one? It can all get pretty frustrating.First do some research. How long are they in business ? Do they have a good products to sales ? Do they pay good commission ? Do they deliver the check ? (I remember one home business where i have nerver seen a check !)
So here is 6 ways to choose your own home business
1. FREE to join
Do you have to pay to join an affiliate program for example ? How much those it cost ? Are you willing to pay $1000 a month or between $30 to $100 a month ? Are you willing to advertise between $50 to $5000 a month to bring people etc.
Most people dont want to pay a lot of money before starting up a home business. So in my experience you should choose a home business that cost $30 to $75 a month.(It should be FREE to join). The cost should be for buying product to try yourself and advertising.
2. FREE website. Does your home business offer you a free website or gateways ? If not! Are you able to make or run a website. Or to pay to make one. (It can cost between $100 to $5000 to have one made by an expert.)
3. FREE Training and follow-up
What kind of support and training does the Internet company offer? What kind of support and training do you want when you start up your home business? Do you want ongoing training ? Or just a Smart Start Training ?
4. Great Products
Does the company offer exclusive product like vitamin or special information ? Is it easy to sale ? Is it a quality product ? Does it have a money back guaranteed ? Are they to pricey to buy ?
5. Compensation Plan
Does the company offer a good commission like between 40% to 80% per sales ? Does it offer residual income ? (a residual income; is an income you get month after month on the same product you sell to the clients as long as he keeps buying it).
Does it offer great rewards like after 4 sales you get a bonus ? Are there clear goals that you can achieve? Is it hard to achieve does goals ?
6. Leads generation system
Does your home business offer you leads that you can buy to build your business ? Are those leads old or new leads ? Are they double opt-in or even triple opt-in quality leads ? Are they really good leads ?
This is a short summary of what to look for for a home business. You can find all this in my home business opportunities. After joining and testing thousand of home business this is probably one of the best you will ever try.
You can join for FREE http://ezinfocenter.com/297607.7/FREE
P.S. TEST DRIVE OUR SYSTEM. NO OBLIGATION
Copyright © Michel Richer
PERMISSIONS TO REPUBLISH: This article may be republished in its entirety free of charge, electronically or in print, provided it appears with the included copyright and authors resource box with live website link.
http://hombyz.com
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About The Author
Michel Richer is the Business Manager and Webmaster of http://Hombyz.com. He is dedicated to helping you succeed on the Internet. With over 10 years experience in internet business and a solid reputation in the industry. You can take a look at his website at: http://hombyz.com for Your Home Business Success !!!
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Have you yet chosen a name for your business?
One of the most important things that your business needs is a name. Your business name will probably be the first thing all of your customers will see.
Naming your business is not as tricky as you might think. You just need to choose a name that tells something about you and your business, and which your target market can easily remember without any effort on their part.
A good basic idea is to use your last name followed by what you do. Like Walton’s Feed and Supply or Anderson’s Plumbing. You could also add the town where you live in to the name like Anderson’s Little Rock Plumbing.
Or, if you are targeting your local market, you can just leave out your last name and just name your business ‘Little Rock Feed and Supply’. Obviously naming your business this way sounds like you are the first choice for your local people, and this way, you would get more customers than other businesses in the same niche.
Or, let’s say that you are about to deal with some big companies. In that case, you might want your business to have a corporate sounding name. Think of a word to describe your business then add the word “Consulting”.
If you want to go for a trendier market you may want to have an informal name instead. You can name your business after an animal; this is a fantastic way of branding your business especially if your budget is tight. I will give an example of a business named after an animal. Can you remember Gecko? They named their business after the gecko lizard which they use on everything they own. What do you remember when you are thinking of car insurance?
Or maybe your best bet would be to choose a short name for your business. Think of two or three possible words that describe your business, and then shorten the words to make it one word. So you end up with IHOP (International House of Pancakes). This is a great way to express your business to your customers without using a long and hard to remember name which would obviously confuse and bewilder your clients and prospects.
If the above tips are not helpful to you, and you still cannot come up with a name, then just play around with words until you come across a name which describes your business exactly the way you want it. The advantage of naming your business in this way is that the name you choose would be unique to your business.
Whatever you do, make sure your business name is easy to remember, pronounce and spell. If you make your business name long and confusing, you will end up losing prospects!
After you have chosen a name for your business, do a quick search on the internet to make sure that no one else is using them. You don’t want to name your business with something that someone else is already using, right?
So now you can see how easy it is to pick up a name for your business. What you may not know, however, is where and how you can find profitable business opportunities. For more details on lucrative home business opportunities, and to learn how can you can start earning money from home the easy way, simply visit our website.
Arindam is a home business expert.For more such Home Business tips please join his free e-course at:
http://jobs4all.biz
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Traffic exchange is a way to expose your site to traffic by visiting others sites. When I started my home based business work one of the strategies I have learned to promote my web site and bring a slightly traffic to my site was traffic exchange.
A traffic exchange is a model of web site on the Internet, which provides a service for webmasters to exchange of traffic. It is equivalent to the auto surf concept with the exception that usually traffic exchanges operate a manual rotation, because if they use auto rotation, then they are actually auto surf. If traffic exchanges mean money, they never promise a certain profit over a certain time but rather truly focus on the advertising, generally structured in a way that income will exceed what they promise to pay out.
Usually, a traffic exchange site receives submissions of web sites. They sign up for traffic exchange networks. The person who submitted the website then has to browse other member sites on the exchange program to earn credits, which allow their sites to be viewed by other members through the surf system. This increases the number of visitors to all the sites involved.
Exchanges generally enforce a 2 to 1 or 4 to 1 credit ratio, a quantity that denotes the proportional amount or magnitude of one quantity relative to another, meaning members earn 0.5 or 0.25 in credit for visiting one member site, and each credit is translated to one page view for them. However, this ratio can often be upgraded to better ratios such as 1 to 1.
In theory, website owners would visit other sites through the exchanges surf system and thus channel more traffic back to their own sites. As the casual watchers are all website owners or businessmen, it is possible that some of them might hopefully find particular member sites interesting and thus make note of them on their own sites, sending more traffic their way.
Almost all traffic exchange programs are free, although many of them offer special features to paid members and offer credits for purchase. It goes to depend on its budget.
Almost all traffic exchange programs actively urge users to build their own referral networks, which would in turn help the referrers accumulate more credits. For example, when a referred member receives credits through browsing, the referrer would get a small portion of the credits earned. It can be a good way to get more traffic.
In practice, traffic exchange programs are largely used by home based business work owners or marketers who either want free advertising or use the exchange programs for low budget advertisement campaigns.
The utility of at least some of these programs is doubtful, as many people simply forget sites once the time limit is up as they are only interested in promoting their own site. Also, a small number of users may simply purchase credits because of their typically low price.
How much traffic you get will depend on how long you spend visiting other sites. It will take time to get some results. On average I found that you could get about 50 visits in return for about a hour surfing.
One used way to successfully use a traffic exchange is setting up a landing page to advertise and specifically to catch the rapt attention of markets. It may bring a better valued response from the visitors, because you have got 30 seconds or less to grab their attention.
At least, I have used Fire Fox to make traffic exchange work. It is easy to use and I have working better to this browser.
Ask any would-be entrepeneur why he or she wants to start
a home based business and you’ll get a wide variety of
replies. Regardless of the reason, there’s one thing for
certain: starting a home business doesn’t just affect you,
the entrepreneur; it also affects your family.
The change in lifestyle that comes with a home business
requires adaptation from the entrepreneur as well as his
or her spouse and children. So before you jump into the
world of home business, have a frank discussion with your
family about issues such as:
__How Will You Separate Business and Family?
Home businesses are particularly difficult to manage
because they’re just steps away from family life. You
need to be able to concentrate fully on your business,
yet when you spend time with the family you shouldn’t
be distracted by business matters — or worse, tempted
to go do ‘just a little work.’ Some things you can do
to help keep business and family separate include:
* Set ‘office hours’. This is the time where you focus
on your business without having to worry about the
family.
* Take time out for yourself. No one can work all the
time, and you’ll burn out if you try. Set aside some
‘personal time’ to exercise, read, or do something
else you love.
* Take a guilt-free day off with the family. Yes, an
entire day away from the business! You’ll feel more
refreshed and better able to concentrate on the
business afterwards.
* Get organized and stay focused! The less time you
have to spend searching for email, papers, etc., the
more time you’ll have to actually perform productive
work. This will free up time so that you can do other
things.
__Will Family Members Contribute to the Business?
Come to a clear understanding about what your spouse will
or will not do. For example, you may ask for help during
unexpected busy periods but not on a regular basis. Or you
might agree that it’s okay for your spouse to send or read
business mail, but that you are the only one who answers
the phone.
It’s best to set this straight from the beginning. Don’t
assume that your spouse is willing to help out. Likewise,
don’t assume that you’ll have complete independence
because “it’s YOUR business”. Come to an agreement —
it will help to lessen the stress for everyone.
__How Will You Handle the Financing of Your Business?
Money is almost always a big issue with families. A home
business, particularly in the startup phase, is going to
require funding. Your family may have become accustomed
to a certain level of ‘comfort’ when it comes to luxuries
such as dining out, recreation, spending money, and so on.
Will any of this need to change, and if so, what?
There are many ways to finance a home business, including:
* Use income earned from your ‘day job’. Many people
continue to work their regular jobs in order to fund
their home businesses. It is only until their home
businesses are producing a reasonable income that
they have the option to quit their jobs.
* Finance your business with savings. If your savings
were to be used for another purpose (for example, a
family vacation or buying a home), how much of it are
you willing to ’sacrifice’ for your business, even if
it’s meant to be a ‘temporary’ loan?
* Help from family and friends. Consider the possible
impact on your personal relationships. Borrowing money
from loved ones can lead to significant stress… for
example, what do you do if someone suddenly needs or
wants their money back and you aren’t in the position
to provide it? What happens if your business fails and
you are unable to pay back loans?
* Other sources such as loans, grants, lines of credit,
and more. You can find a good list of options at the
US Small Business Administration website:
www.sba.gov/financing/
Discuss the options with your family to find something
acceptable. You may also want to discuss it with a
certified financial planner, who can also help you to
develop a contingency plan for emergencies.
__What Is the Impact on Normal Household Activity?
Businesses require a great deal of time and effort —
and that goes double for the startup phase! While you
work to get your business off the ground, how will daily
household tasks be handled? Will your spouse and children
help out more?
It’s not just the chores that need to be done, though.
What happens if you work a day job and can only work on
your business in the evenings — when the family normally
watches TV? If you aren’t able to concentrate with the
noise, you will have to discuss alternate arrangements
with your family.
__Managing the Children.
Young children in particular will require some thought.
Are they allowed to answer the phones, and if so, do you
teach them how to do so? How do you handle children who
are home while you’re working on your business?
There is no easy answer to this… every child has
his own personality! One option is to hire a trusted
babysitter to care for the children while you work.
Your children will be safe and you will be free to
concentrate.
Another alternative is to give your children several
“tasks” - throughout the day, they are expected to do
various things, such as read a book, draw a picture,
etc. Be sure to schedule breaks and ‘playtime’!
If you have the flexibility to do so, you could also
work during the kids’ naptime, when they’re at regular
outside activities (team sports, music lessons, etc)
or while they’re at school.
__How Will Business ‘Emergencies’ Be Handled?
Every so often business emergencies will arise. Whether
it’s a sudden big order that needs immediate processing,
or you discover an error that must be fixed right away,
you will be absorbed in your business with little time
for anything else.
Will family members be expected to take over certain
tasks that are normally yours? Will they help you with
your business during these times, ie. stapling, sorting,
packaging, running chores, etc? Again, come to an
understanding about what is expected from each member
of the family during emergencies.
__Schedule ‘Family Time’.
Someone once told me, ‘My home business gives me the
flexibility to work any 20 hours per day I like!’
It’s all too easy to get caught up in your business.
Your family still needs and wants to see you, though,
and if you spend all your time rushing off to do yet
another business task, they may end up resenting you.
If you have a hard time getting away from the “office”,
try scheduling certain times of the day or a day each
week where you spend time with your family. During this
time, business doesn’t exist — your family has your
full attention.
Many people start home businesses for family reasons…
so don’t get into the situation where you are forced
to choose between your business and your family! The
much-welcomed support of your family can be a tremendous
help.
a home based business and you’ll get a wide variety of
replies. Regardless of the reason, there’s one thing for
certain: starting a home business doesn’t just affect you,
the entrepreneur; it also affects your family.
The change in lifestyle that comes with a home business
requires adaptation from the entrepreneur as well as his
or her spouse and children. So before you jump into the
world of home business, have a frank discussion with your
family about issues such as:
__How Will You Separate Business and Family?
Home businesses are particularly difficult to manage
because they’re just steps away from family life. You
need to be able to concentrate fully on your business,
yet when you spend time with the family you shouldn’t
be distracted by business matters — or worse, tempted
to go do ‘just a little work.’ Some things you can do
to help keep business and family separate include:
* Set ‘office hours’. This is the time where you focus
on your business without having to worry about the
family.
* Take time out for yourself. No one can work all the
time, and you’ll burn out if you try. Set aside some
‘personal time’ to exercise, read, or do something
else you love.
* Take a guilt-free day off with the family. Yes, an
entire day away from the business! You’ll feel more
refreshed and better able to concentrate on the
business afterwards.
* Get organized and stay focused! The less time you
have to spend searching for email, papers, etc., the
more time you’ll have to actually perform productive
work. This will free up time so that you can do other
things.
__Will Family Members Contribute to the Business?
Come to a clear understanding about what your spouse will
or will not do. For example, you may ask for help during
unexpected busy periods but not on a regular basis. Or you
might agree that it’s okay for your spouse to send or read
business mail, but that you are the only one who answers
the phone.
It’s best to set this straight from the beginning. Don’t
assume that your spouse is willing to help out. Likewise,
don’t assume that you’ll have complete independence
because “it’s YOUR business”. Come to an agreement —
it will help to lessen the stress for everyone.
__How Will You Handle the Financing of Your Business?
Money is almost always a big issue with families. A home
business, particularly in the startup phase, is going to
require funding. Your family may have become accustomed
to a certain level of ‘comfort’ when it comes to luxuries
such as dining out, recreation, spending money, and so on.
Will any of this need to change, and if so, what?
There are many ways to finance a home business, including:
* Use income earned from your ‘day job’. Many people
continue to work their regular jobs in order to fund
their home businesses. It is only until their home
businesses are producing a reasonable income that
they have the option to quit their jobs.
* Finance your business with savings. If your savings
were to be used for another purpose (for example, a
family vacation or buying a home), how much of it are
you willing to ’sacrifice’ for your business, even if
it’s meant to be a ‘temporary’ loan?
* Help from family and friends. Consider the possible
impact on your personal relationships. Borrowing money
from loved ones can lead to significant stress… for
example, what do you do if someone suddenly needs or
wants their money back and you aren’t in the position
to provide it? What happens if your business fails and
you are unable to pay back loans?
* Other sources such as loans, grants, lines of credit,
and more. You can find a good list of options at the
US Small Business Administration website:
www.sba.gov/financing/
Discuss the options with your family to find something
acceptable. You may also want to discuss it with a
certified financial planner, who can also help you to
develop a contingency plan for emergencies.
__What Is the Impact on Normal Household Activity?
Businesses require a great deal of time and effort —
and that goes double for the startup phase! While you
work to get your business off the ground, how will daily
household tasks be handled? Will your spouse and children
help out more?
It’s not just the chores that need to be done, though.
What happens if you work a day job and can only work on
your business in the evenings — when the family normally
watches TV? If you aren’t able to concentrate with the
noise, you will have to discuss alternate arrangements
with your family.
__Managing the Children.
Young children in particular will require some thought.
Are they allowed to answer the phones, and if so, do you
teach them how to do so? How do you handle children who
are home while you’re working on your business?
There is no easy answer to this… every child has
his own personality! One option is to hire a trusted
babysitter to care for the children while you work.
Your children will be safe and you will be free to
concentrate.
Another alternative is to give your children several
“tasks” - throughout the day, they are expected to do
various things, such as read a book, draw a picture,
etc. Be sure to schedule breaks and ‘playtime’!
If you have the flexibility to do so, you could also
work during the kids’ naptime, when they’re at regular
outside activities (team sports, music lessons, etc)
or while they’re at school.
__How Will Business ‘Emergencies’ Be Handled?
Every so often business emergencies will arise. Whether
it’s a sudden big order that needs immediate processing,
or you discover an error that must be fixed right away,
you will be absorbed in your business with little time
for anything else.
Will family members be expected to take over certain
tasks that are normally yours? Will they help you with
your business during these times, ie. stapling, sorting,
packaging, running chores, etc? Again, come to an
understanding about what is expected from each member
of the family during emergencies.
__Schedule ‘Family Time’.
Someone once told me, ‘My home business gives me the
flexibility to work any 20 hours per day I like!’
It’s all too easy to get caught up in your business.
Your family still needs and wants to see you, though,
and if you spend all your time rushing off to do yet
another business task, they may end up resenting you.
If you have a hard time getting away from the “office”,
try scheduling certain times of the day or a day each
week where you spend time with your family. During this
time, business doesn’t exist — your family has your
full attention.
Many people start home businesses for family reasons…
so don’t get into the situation where you are forced
to choose between your business and your family! The
much-welcomed support of your family can be a tremendous
help.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
_________
Angela is the editor of Online Business Basics, a practical
guide to building an Internet business on a shoestring
budget. If you’re tired of hype and just want solid,
down-to-earth information, then visit us now — and in
moments you can have access to loads of instantly useable
tips, specifically chosen for beginners!
http://onlinebusinessbasics.com/article.html
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