Articles To Help you find, run and market a successful home business
By AnnaLaura Brown http://www.scentedcandlesclub.com
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6 secrets to successful entrepreneurship

 

Are you a new entrepreneur? Or are you a struggling entrepreneur who desperately wants to be successful but you need some guidance or advice?

Here are 6 secrets or keys on how to be successful.
1. Know what you want. In order to be successful you must have a clear vision and plan. This includes written down goals. Your goals must be specific and detailed. For example: I will sell 100 candles by October 1^st. This goal is specific. It states exactly how many of an item I will sell by a certain date. Simply saying I will increase sales is not good enough.

2. Be Positive. Have a good attitude and realize that no one experiences success 100% of the time. There will always be moments of failure and down time. These are a normal part of any business as well as life.

3. Associate with and learn from those who are already successful. If you spend your time only with those who have already achieved the kind of success you seek then the law of attraction says that you will eventually become successful yourself. In addition to meeting with, and talking with these people, you should also read books by successful entrepreneurs and listen to audio materials by them as well. There is also a wealth of information on the Internet by these people and much of it is available for free. Share your dreams and vision only with those who are already successful and who will support you in your endeavors.

4. Never Give Up. If you are experiencing some difficulties, hang on. If you continue to persist, set goals and take daily action, success is inevitable. You will have no choice but to eventually succeed. If you have to temporarily work on something else in addition to your business in order to support yourself do it, but continue working on your entrepreneurial dreams and they will become a reality.

5. Be Patient. True success is seldom immediate. Real entrepreneurial wealth and success takes time. Those who are truly successful did not experience their success overnight. We live in an instant get it now world and though it may seem like others have experienced instant success this is rarely if ever the case.

6. Do your research. No matter how great an idea you may think you have, certain ideas either may not work or may be more difficult than you originally thought. If you are a beginner entrepreneur seriously consider teaming up with a company who has already created a solid quality product or purchasing a franchise. It is much easier to sell and promote items if you are not the sole person responsible and if the name and brand is already well known or is at least familiar to a large group of people. You need to also make certain that there is a large enough need and audience for your products or service. It is also important to consider your competitors. Who else already sells or manufactures your products or something similar or offers your service? If the market is already too saturated you will find it harder to experience the kind of success you desire.

AnnaLaura Brown is a team leader in a growing international marketing company. She is the owner of an online marketing course at http://www.onlinemarketinglessons.com and she can be contacted via her website http://www.scentedcandlesclub.com. 10 Easy Tips to Help You Create Your Own Website

1. Do your research. Take a look at sites similar to those you would like to have. Take note of what you like and what you don't like.
2. There are many options available for hosting and designing so take your time to look over the different options and decide what you are most comfortable with.
3. Realize that your website will never be complete. Over time you will want to make changes and additions.
4. Be patient. A good website takes time to create and promote.
5. Experiment with different programs and designs. Web pages can be changed easily.
6. Pay careful attention to your domain name. Make sure that it accurately depicts what your site is all about. You also need to consider your keywords and at least one of them should be included in your domain name as this will help with your search engine rankings.
7. Seek out help from others. There are many message boards, forums and chat rooms on the internet where others are more than willing to help you. So ask them.
8. Take the plunge and create your first site. As I have already said you can change it later so be brave and just do it.
9. Many of the resources you need are available for free so do some searching and you will be amazed at what you will find.
10. Read books on web design and web site creation. There are some great ones available with much helpful information.

AnnaLaura Brown is a team leader in a growing organization. She markets her business extensively on the internet. Get some free resources at
http://www.squidoo.com/webdesignfordummies. She can be contacted via http://www.scentedcandlesclub.com

10 Easy Tips to Help you start your own business

 

Are you looking to start your own business? Here are some tips to help you get started.

1. Find a business that you are passionate about. This is key. You must really love your products or services or else you will find it difficult to be successful.
2. Set a budget. This is very important. You do not want to sabotage your success by spending too much money upfront. Decide how much per month you can spend on marketing, advertising and other business expenses.
3. Decide what methods you will use to promote your business. You can experiment with many methods but to be successful in the long term you must choose 2 or 3 main methods and stick with those.
4. Get organized. Use file folders, a day planner, and other tools to help you but you must be organized in order to be successful.
5. Talk to and network with other small business owners. You will gain invaluable ideas and insight from them.
6. Be creative. Your creativity will help you be successful. When you are selfemployed you will be surprised at how creative you can be.
7. Do some research. Look online at what other small business owners are doing and about what tools they use and then try some of them. There are many forums and message boards available, which can help you, get some advice from others.
8. Read books about starting a business. Your local library will have a ton of books available on the subject.
9. Take your time and have patience. Developing a successful business takes time. It will not happen overnight.
10. Relax and have fun. You cannot be available 24/7. You must have certain hours when you work and others when you do not. Your whole purpose in starting a business should be to have fun and more time for yourself. If not, you need to reconsider why you are in business for yourself in the first place.
10 Time Tested Tips for Becoming an Internet Expert

Are you seeking to brand yourself online and to become an Internet expert? Then here are 10 tips and suggestions to help you.

1. Begin by making a list of all your hobbies, talents, gifts, passions and interests. Then do some online searches for message boards, forums, blogs, personal web sites, newsletters, and ezines covering these topics. Sign up for some of the newsletters and spend some time browsing. Determine which sites are worth your time and then visit them and leave comments and submit articles to these on a regular basis. Over time you will become an expert and you will become recognized. You might also want to consider the usage of networking sites such as www.ryze.com and www.ecademy.com. There are many other similar sites out there. Do a search and see what ones you can find.

2. Create a personal webpage. This should be personal only without any commercial emphasis or products being sold on it. If it is available you should use yourname.com for the URL. Include photos of you, your family, pets and vacations, a personal blog, and anything else you want the world to know about you as a person.

3. Spend time learning how to properly search the search engines. Use all of the major ones and experiment with truncation, advanced search and wildcards. Realize that not all search engines produce the same results.

4. Create a personal blog or blogs. Make each one with a different theme and update them regularly. Make sure that whatever topic or topics you choose, they fit in with your interests and passions. Make them attractive and appealing for your target audience and include a complete up to date profile with your picture.

5. Submit your blog and personal web site to the search engines.
6. Realize that it won't just happen overnight. Becoming an Internet expert takes time.
7. Consider starting your own message board. These can be expensive so you may have to use an ad-supported board at first. Promote it extensively and make your own posts on a regular basis.
8. Create a free Ecourse for delivery via email and then massively promote it in order to get subscribers. Consider developing a course on a topic of your expertise but which has nothing to do with your business or with any commercial product.
9. Write a newsletter and distribute it freely on a regular basis.
10. Read books on how to use the Internet and about how to market online. You will find many new ideas for you to try.
11 Questions you must ask when you’re looking for a home based business

1. How much is the start up cost? Are there ongoing costs? If so how much? This is especially important if you very low on funds and now days who isn’t? Often a business can cost more to start that what it may appear to begin with. It is also important however, to realize that you have to spend money to make money.

2. What kind of training and support is there? The training and support offered by a company will make a huge difference in your success. Do you have a quality up line with good ethics and leadership skills. Are they dedicated to helping you succeed? If the training materials and company leadership are good, you will grow your business faster and it will be easier.

3. What are the rules for advertising your business? Many businesses have rules regarding how and where you can advertise. In some cases you may have strict limitations and in others you may be able to do more or less whatever you want. In any case, it is very important to know and understand what you can and cannot do. For example, the company names are often copy-writed and therefore you are not free to use them in your advertising without permission.

4. What are your options for promoting and running your business? Are there any restrictions on what you can do? This is important because some companies have restrictions on this and the more restrictions the harder it will be for you to be successful. Also the more options you have for selling your products and or promoting your opportunity the easier it will be and the more money you will make.

5. What is the income potential? Some businesses have more income potential than others and before you invest your time and money into one you should understand how much you could expect to make.

6. How long have they been in business? A brand new company has no track record and it can therefore, be unstable. A company which has already been in business for a few years has the advantages of new opportunity along with stability while an older company already has a lot of reps and customers and it may be more difficult to find your own.

7. What is their Better Business Bureau record? If its perfect then you know you are dealing with a great company. If its less than perfect but it still has a good record then you know it is reliable. If its record is bad then stay away. It is probably a scam.

8. What are their products like? Are they high quality? High quality products will endure and sell better than products of a questionable quality.
9. Is the product consumable? Will people reorder the products? Consumable products offer the business owner more money because people will reorder and buy more. Non consumable products can only be sold once and then you have to go out and find more customers.
10. What are the quotas or ordering requirements? If you are required by the company to buy a large quantity of products on a regular basis then it can be difficult to maintain the business or it can be financially stressful if you need to temporarily stop working your business. The last thing you want is a basement full of unused products.
11. Are the products affordable? The majority of the population must be able to afford your products. The more expensive it is the harder it will be to sell, because less people will be able to afford it.

AnnaLaura Brown is a team leader in an international marketing company. She can be contacted through her website http://www.scentedcandlesclub.com. She is the author of an online marketing course via http://www.onlinemarketinglessons.com

A Part-timer’s tactics for a full-timer’s income

Are you wondering if you can successfully work part time and generate the same income as someone who works full time? It can be done but there are several things you must take into consideration.

take into consideration.

How much time is part time? In order to be successful you must work at least 15 hours a week. Any less than this is not part time but spare time and there is a big difference.

difference.

How well organized are you? If you are only working part time, it is even more essential that you get organized and stay that way. Disorganization will contribute more to your failure than to any other characteristic.

more to your failure than to any other characteristic.

Learn to take advantage of every minute. You only have 10 minutes to make phone calls. So what? 10 minutes is 10 minutes so get calling.

 

phone calls. So what? 10 minutes is 10 minutes so get calling.

 

Prepare information packets in advance when you have extra time and store them in a specific and separate place so when someone asks for one you will already have them ready to go.

 

have them ready to go.

 

What time wasters can you give up in your life in order to create more time? Examples include: TV watching, going to movies, reading your email too many times a day, long telephone conversations with friends, etc.

 

times a day, long telephone conversations with friends, etc.

 

Plan your working schedule a week at a time and DO NOT let anything interfere with your working time. Know when you will do what. Be specific. Assign times to each task.

 

to each task.

 

Invest in some organizational and time saver materials. Examples include alphabetical files, a day planner, and a timer.

 

alphabetical files, a day planner, and a timer.

 

There are many ways of organizing your time online as well. Instead of bookmarking everything, use a one page store everything site such as http://www.backflip.com

 

http://www.backflip.com

 

Consider paying someone else to do certain tasks. Do you really have to do everything yourself?

 

everything yourself?

 

Have a list of items you would like to accomplish but which are not mandatory to work on for those moments when you have extra time or when a certain task took less time than expected.

AnnaLaura Brown attends library school and manages a growing team of entrepreneurs. She can be reached via her website http://www.scentedcandlesclub.com. She is also the author of a free ecourse on internet marketing at http://www.onlinemarketinglessons.com. Questions and Answers about running a business online

Are you considering running your own online business? Or are you trying already to run an online business but you are having problems or getting stuck?
I run my own successful online business and I would love to help you.

What is the best way to market a business online?

This is a complicated question since it depends upon your products or service and your own interests. For example, if you sell information it may be best to use a service such as clickbank or to sell your products on Ebay but if you sell products as a direct sales distributor then you probably have rules about what you can and cannot do. The internet provides business builders with a vast amount of options, and every method may not be the best for everyone.

What are some of the more popular and the most useful methods?

 

These include blogs, RSS feeds, a personal web site, forums and message boards, instant messaging and chat rooms, article writing, and ecourses.

 

What kinds of articles and blogs should I write?

It depends on you and your interests but you definitely should write a mixture of some which are business related and some which focus more on your hobbies and other interests and talents. This permits you to reach a larger and wider audience of people.

Which web host is best?

There are a lot of great web hosts and the fact is that there is no best one. Before choosing one you need to carefully evaluate your needs and you also need to determine the financial investment you are willing to make and your level of knowledge and technical expertise. Certain web hosts are better for those who know how to code HTML and others are better for those who need a cut and paste system.

Are free classifieds a good way to advertise your business?

Think about how you found your business. Was it in free classifieds? Chances are it probably wasn’t. My personal experience has shown that these can be useful for advertising products but not for a business opportunity.

What is the best way to communicate with website visitors looking for more information?

Every website should have an auto responder or email list with which to communicate with interested parties. If you have a phone number you should also call them. It will get you noticed and people will be impressed that you took the time to call. How do I get listed in the search engines?

This can be a tough one since the search engines can be picky. The best bet is to submit all of the pages of your site, one a day. Then you need to make sure that your meta tags are well written with appropriate keywords. Also doing at least some of the other marketing methods to get more links to your site will help as well. Most of all be patient and know that paying for submission in most cases is not worth it.
Running a MLM business as a full time college student

As a full time student pursuing a masters degree in library science while running my MLM business I face some unique challenges. These challenges are further compounded by the fact that I chose to start my business the same day that I moved half away across the US to a new city, in a new state and in a completely unfamiliar environment. Because I didn’t grow up in the city where I live and because I have only lived there a short time, I know almost no one and I am still becoming familiar with the city. It is also a challenge because I don’t have a warm market or any contacts that live in the state where I am located. This creates a problem when attempting to do fundraisers, and home parties. Furthermore, I am very busy with my studies as well as a few part time jobs thus my time is extremely limited. I have therefore, brainstormed and developed some creative and unusual ideas as to how I can promote my business given my limited time and unique circumstances.

1. Try to use the phone and direct mail whenever possible. I have had to face the fact that I simply can’t run all over town all the time and therefore if I can avoid going in person then I need to. At the same time certain aspects of my business are more effective when done in person. Knowing when I must go in person and when I can use mail and the phone is a constant battle and one that I am still learning and fighting.

2. I wear buttons with catchy expressions on them on all my clothing to attract attention and encourage conversations with strangers.
3. I always carry business cards and brochures with me and when possible samples of my products to give away or sell.
4. Leverage your time. I have gone to yard sales and offered a free product in exchange for collecting leads and passing out business cards. I have also done something similar in hair salons, fitness centers, massage therapy centers, and other businesses.
5. I have a sign posted on my apartment door.
6. I put business cards in all of my outgoing mail including junk mail with a prepaid envelope.
7. Pick up the phone and call everyone possible. I have called nonprofits, schools, groups, convention centers, and anyone else I could think of to gain information about retailing my products, doing fundraisers and shows etc.
8. Realize that the Internet is your best friend. I have hosted online parties, used instant messaging, written articles and posted them online and a host of other online activities in order to increase my out of town business.
9. If you have a special talent or knowledge of a certain subject, you can create free worksheets or a free e-book, include your ad and post these on the Internet. In my case, I have masters in French Literature and I have taught French and created learning activities and so I have posted these on the web to generate interest and create credibility and familiarity with my name and person.
10. I think of new ideas on a daily basis. I don’t always act upon all of them but at least I keep my mind active and searching for new ways to promote my products.
11. Who do reps in other companies know? Why not do joint parties and open houses with them? You will meet local people you wouldn’t otherwise meet

I have also had to force myself to face certain facts of life given my circumstances:

1. I will never have the time I would like, so I must take full advantage of the time I do have.
2. Because I’m a student I have to accept the fact that I will not be able to grow my business at the same pace that someone who works the business full time will be able to.
3. Because my money is extremely limited, there are certain things I can’t do but there are many opportunities which are either free or almost free.
4. Organization is at a premium. If I am to accomplish anything with my business I must practice good organization skills.
5. Many people especially other students will think that I am crazy or that I don’t know what I am doing but I can’t let their opinions bother me. I know what I want and I will get it.

AnnaLaura Brown works on her MLM business while attending graduate school full time. She is growing a successful team. She can be contacted via her website http://www.scentedcandlesclub.com.

The top 10 business do’s and don’ts

 

Do:

1. Have a plan. How can you succeed in business without one? A clear detailed plan determines the actions you will take, and the resources you will need. It serves as a guide for the life of your business.

2. Know your goals. What would you like to accomplish with your business? Goals which are not written are just wishes. You must know what you would like to get or you will not get it.

3. Ask for and seek advice from others. There are many others out there who have been where you are and who are successful. What did they do which you can also do? Always be willing to learn and copy those who have gone before.

4. Analyze your options. You simply can’t do everything. You must decide which marketing methods are worth pursuing and which ones are not. You also must choose which products to offer. No one can effectively offer his or her customers everything.

5. Do your research. Advice is everywhere, however, not everyone and everything has equal information to offer. Know how to evaluate the information you find.
6. Develop a positive image. This includes not only your physical presence but also your online presence. Never bash or criticize others. Would you buy from you based on your image and appearance?
7. Have a good attitude. This is essential. A good attitude will make the best of any situation and encourage others to patronize your business.
8. Take Inventory. It is absolutely essential that you stop on a regular basis and assess what is going right with your business and what needs to be changed. This will help breathe new life into your business and make it easier to make necessary changes in order to move your business and yourself forward.
9. Invest time into your business. Successful businesses are not made overnight. To be successful you should give your business at least 3 years. This can be difficult but it is necessary in order to get your name out there and to be sure you have tried every possible solution and pathway.
10. Know when to seek help. There may be times when you need help from others who are experts. Know when you can’t do it alone.

Don’t

1. Have a negative attitude. A negative attitude kills everything. It kills your customers’ interest, your marketing, and your motivation.
2. Ignore the opinions of others. In business the advice and opinions of others is important. However, you must weigh all advice and opinions first before taking action to determine if it is really valid.
3. Give Up. When you give up you say to yourself and others that your business isn’t worth pursuing.
4. Dabble along or experiment in something and then say, I failed. You must persist for a long period of time in order to be successful.
5. Promote your business or yourself when you have a negative attitude or you are feeling down. Take action to improve your attitude first. You will only be successful when you are positive.
6. Rely on others to determine your success. You are ultimately the only one responsible.
7. Wait for others to respond to your invitations or to come to you. Go to them. They will be impressed and more likely to offer you their business.
8. Waste valuable time. Certain hours of the day are better for conducting business. Find out when they are and take advantage of them.
9. Apologize for your failures and weaknesses. Everyone has them and no one expects you to know everything or to be capable of doing everything for everyone all the time.
10. Ignore your plan. Your plan is the lifeblood of your business and you must use it and evaluate it on a daily basis.

AnnaLaura Brown is a team leader in an international marketing company. She can be contacted via her website athttp://www.scentedcandlesclub.com. She is also the author of a free ecourse on how to market online which is found at
http://www.onlinemarketinglessons.com.

Top 10 Tips for Getting Noticed Online

 

Are you hoping to get more attention and to have more people notice you online?

 

Here are the top 10 tips I have to offer you based on my online experience.

1. Develop as many websites as you can. Don’t rely only on one. Make sure that you have at least one personal website and then develop as many other theme based sites as you have the time and money to maintain. For example, you could have one for your business, one for your family, one for one of your hobbies, another for another hobby, and another for your religion etc.

2. Make sure you have and maintain an email list. In fact, you should ideally have more than one. One for your business and then at least another one, which offers a free ecourse on a topic in which you have a specialty. Include a newsletter and send it out on a regular basis at least once a month.

3. Visit and post regularly to forums. Find ones, which relate not only to your business but also to your hobbies. Show up often and offer useful comments and also write articles and post them where appropriate.

4. Write articles. Make them about any topic with which you are comfortable and about which you have knowledge. Distribute them massively throughout the web. Consider articlemarketer.com for help in doing this.

5. Don’t forget to create profiles on all of the main search engine and directory pages. Some basics to include are : Yahoo, L