Negative Criticism - Stigmas attached to Internet and Home based Business

Negative Criticism

            There is a certain stigma about working from home. Primarily, people just don’t seem to understand how anyone could possibly make a living off the internet. It’s pretty much a “see it to believe it” mentality. Negative criticism can easily get the best of any up and coming internet marketer. But as an internet marketer, you must have the mental toughness to keep your head in the game, learn from failure, and stay true to your goal.

            This may be very cliché, but you have to ignore all the naysayers. Don’t listen to them. Most of them don’t even know what they are talking about, I personally find the people who have the most to say about a topic usually don’t know that much about it. Anyone who actually knows how to run an internet business will tell you that it is very possible and the results are very real. 

            Believe it or not, even your friends and family will have something to say. When they come straight out with it, or raise an eye brow and say “Internet Marketing… hmm”  It will always come out in some form or other. But don’t let anyone belittle your dreams. Making the decision to work from home and start-up any business, particularly an internet based one, takes a lot of courage.  Use the negative criticism to motivate you, and learn from the positive criticism from mentors and genuine people who only want to see you succeed.

            But there are ways one can avoid negative criticism. First: don’t talk about your online business. Just don’t talk about it at all. When it comes up in conversation, say one statement about it and switch subjects. Second: if people ask you about it directly, just tell them something vague and change the topic of conversation.

            Every single person in the world receives negative criticism as well as positive criticism. It’s how we use the remarks of our critics that determines the success of our hard work. So keep up the good work my friend, you are well on your way to living your dreams. Don’t let anyone strip that from you!

 

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Want to Start Working from Home- Learning to Schedule

Have A Clear Plan

            I cannot stress this enough. This statement applies to everything in life. People, if you want to have a profitable business, you must have a very clear plan. No corners can be cut, no shortcuts, nothing. Have a very clear, very detailed plan. One more time: you need to have a very clear, very detailed plan.

            This plan involves every little aspect of your business. Not just product development, affiliate commissions, whatever you’re doing to make money, but the plan must also involve revenue, schedule of work, deadlines, everything. Just because you are working in your PJ's, it doesn't mean you can run your business successfully in the same casual fashion. No body will be standing behind you telling you when and how to do something, therefore the success of your business is purely reliant on your ability to commit to the tasks you delegate to yourself. So forget the load of washing in the other room, or the golf clubs calling your name and start setting tasks. Immediate, weekly, monthly and annual tasks and goals.

            The reason most people want to work at home is because they want to spend more time with their families. This is a very great reason to work at home, however everyone must realize that it may take a long time for this to come true. The beginning of any entrepreneur’s journey involves work, work, work, It really all boils down to how passionately the individual wants to meet his or her business goals.

            But scheduling isn’t the only reason why one should write out a clear plan. A very clear, detailed plan will not only help you schedule your work, it will also allow you to realistically evaluate your work. By following the plan, you will learn what works well, what doesn’t work well, what wastes time, etc. Constant analysis is the key to success.

            But the most important thing about having a plan is that it will help you learn to see the patterns that work and the patterns that don’t. After you gain an eye for this, you’ll be able to creatively think of new patterns that could possibly take your business to the next level. The possibilities are literally endless!  

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Keep it up

“People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing – that’s why we recommend it daily.” – Zig Ziglar

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Working From Home- The Ultimate Guide.

The ultimate working from home guide

 

 

So you may  find yourself at this page because your are looking for a job that fits in with your life style, rather then a job that rules it. Here is where you can get the facts, how can you earn a living and still achieve a dream lifestyle?

 

Here is a  guide to everything you might need to know about working from home.

 What type of work is there for me?

 On a basic level there are three types of work-from-home scenarios:
 

 -Totally Home-based business - There are plenty of legitimate work from home businesses out there, but for every good opportunity there are 10 get rich quick scams, the allure of which are hard to ignore. You really need to be savvy when researching and finding the right opportunity for you.

 

-Self employed contractor - A Contractor can generate income by hiring out professional skills or  services. For example a bookkeeper, hair dresser, or Keyboard instructor, this service is generally charged by the hour.

 

-Telecommuting involves you working from home either on a full time, part time or casual basis, however, you are generally required to communicate with head office via email, phone etc. This is fantastic for people who are not quite ready to jump into self employment, or perhaps people on maternity leave or young children. If you think your job is one that you may be able to convert, talk to your manager, if may end up being a more efficient adjustment for everyone.

 

Where do I find these jobs?

 

There are plenty of recruitment websites that offer self employment opportunities. You may also see offers in local newspapers/newsletters, in these cases there may be plenty of legitimate offers, however you have to be aware- there a is sea of dodgy listings out there, so do your research.

Some websites that offer Genuine Work from Home opportunities:

Lifestyle Careers

Extra Income and Employment

Work At Home Mums

 

Is working from home really all its cracked up to be?

For many, working from home would seem to be the Holy Grail. Being able to go to your kids soccer games, catch up with people through the week, or simply being freed from a 9-5 constrictive week seems like a perfect scenario. But before you hand in your resignation, you have to be aware, that converting from an office/shop or whatever your situation maybe to a home office is a BIG step. If you enjoy working with a team, and are motivated by other employees, working from home may not be for you. Working from home requires amazing amounts of motivation, discipline and organisation.

 

 

 

 

Working from home pros

Greater flexibility in your working hours

• Greater flexibility and being able to choose your own hours
• Independence and  potentially not having to answer to a boss
• Possibility to enjoy more family time and the ability to structure your day around personal and family commitments.
• Tax advantages - you may be entitled to claim office equipment and utility costs
• No more commuting! Plus you save tome and your money on travel and parking
• Free yourself from office politics and policies.
• Work in your pjs!

Working from home cons:

• Household distractions and family interruptions
• You have to self motivate, and it can be quite lonely
• Lack of Technical support
• Home and work life have a tendency to merge, making it harder to switch off.
• You have to take responsibility for your own productivity.

Work-from-home jobs

Online marketer, Medical transcriptionist,  book keeper, telemarketer, payroll officer, customer service, data entry, blogger, trade/professional services. (please stay tuned for a dedicated post!) are just a very few of the work from home possibilities. It all about finding something that you are obviously good at, and importantly, dedicated too- because nobody will be standing behind you, telling you to work harder!

 

What do I need to start?

Part of the allure of starting up a home-based business is, often the start-up costs are much lower then one who may be starting a brick and mortar style business. Your biggest PRO is not needing to lease a space! Below is a very general start up list. (for more info please see the home office post)

• A dedicated office space 
• a comfortable desk and chair
• storage space
• A computer, email, and relevant software (e.g accounting, CRM (customer relations management))
• A fast internet connection
• A dedicated phone line, fax, mobile and answering machine

 

 

 

Find your Market

Finding the right business opportunity can be a job in itself. You need to consider how much time your honestly have to dedicate to your business, and how it may effect you and your family. Research is CRUCIAL! You don't want to go through the effort of starting up the business to find you are trying to succeed in a flooded market, your haven't calculated your costs, or you have signed up for a scam. Particularly in the beggininng stages of your research keep an eye of sights such as MoneySmart, SCAMwatch, and ACCC 

 

One of the biggest tip I can give you, if it seems to good to be true- it probably is. Be wary of situations you have to "pay big money to make money" or get rich quick schemes. Chances are, you will get burnt.

 

 

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Its going to be a Bumpy Ride

“Starting your own business is like riding a roller coaster. There are highs and lows and every turn you take is another twist. The lows are really low, but the highs can be really high. You have to be strong, keep your stomach tight, and ride along with the roller coaster that you started.” – Lindsay Manseau

 

 

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Creative a Productive Home Office- Tips and Tricks.

Creating a productive home office space is absolutely crucial when planning or even revamping your home based business. If you get the basics right, your business stands a much better chance of being efficient and profitable. Consider these tips when creating your haven.

 

 Creating the Space

If you are extremely short on space, use a wall and try mounting shelves on the top portion of a wall to store files and use a table that can be folded down. Use a privacy screen to help define the area as a work space. Generally a bugger space with  a door is extremely preferable- when that door is closed, it means that you are in work mode, and it should discourage distractions or intrusions.

 

Be Prepared

Having everything you require at your fingertips is an extremely important rule to learn about Working from Home. I find that even going to the kitchen to make a cup of tea can be devastating to my work flow-all of a sudden I’m washing dishes, a doing non-work related tasks. Make sure you have a working compute, paper, phone, pens etc – all easily accessible. If your leaving the office every 5 minutes you will surely achieve a lot less in your day.

 

 

Separate your working space
Have a well thought out plan from the get go is pivotal when trying to set up and create a space that has everything you need. Draw yourself a floor plan and consider where the power points are, where you can fit storage and the desk, and how does this effect noise levels, and possible distractions. You need to make sure the space is as work friendly as possible. (e.g Having the desk facing the window has presented major problems for me the past, giving me an excuse to anything but work!) Clever and well thought out planning is essential- Your home based business’ success is fairly reliant on it!

 

Organisation

Whether you have a sanctioned off wall, or a massive home office, keeping the area organised will do wonders for you efficiency! Consider filing systems, overhead shelves and stackable storage boxes, there is literally thousands of nifty and innovative storage products out there (my inner control freak is getting dizzy just thinking about it!) try Ikea or Howards storage world for ideas. It is also one thing to have amazing storage solutions, however, you really need to implement an easy to use filing system, get to know where you keep all of your important documents quickly, there is nothing worse than wasting time ripping the office apart looking for things! You should also take that advice when it comes to organising your computer and hard drive… If you’re like me you think “I will remember that downloaded folder in that really awkward spot on my hard drive”….. 9 times out 10… you don’t!

Let there be light

A home office is a place you may well be spending a lot of time in. Having proper ventilation and a well-lit area will make potential long hours a lot more comfortable. There may be some areas that are well lit, and others that are dank, consider the placement of your desk… will the rising or falling sun create glare? Will the sun be directly on important documents that will fade over time? Do you have reflective surfaces that will create over bearing reflections? Having a light, bright and airy space, with clever use of light will make your home office much more pleasant!

Comfort first

So you may have your eye on the most divine Scandinavian chair, but frankly, a wooden plank with splinters maybe more comfortable. Like shoes, sometimes comfort should be your priority. Ensure you have a good desk and an ergonomically-designed chair. If you really want to add personality to a room, use colours, artwork and furnishings, rather than uncomfortable furniture. Or if you prefer, go with a minimalist look that projects a clean, calm and natural palette. It’s all about your tastes, and where you feel both mentally and physically comfortable.

So you now have the perfect space. Well….stop day dreaming and get to work! In many cases you have to work much harder at the home based business then if you were working your average 9-5. It takes discipline, and dedication- however having an amazing space to work and creative is a massive step in the right direction.

 

 

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Inspirational Quote of the Day

Most great people have attained their greatest success just one step beyond their greatest failure -Napoleon Hill

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What you need to know before you start up a HOME based Business

Sick of your boss? Dont have a Job? Cant leave the house? 

More and more people are strongly considering the possibility of creating a home based business. You all have your own reasons, I personally was sick of working 7 days a week and spending no time with my husband and family. But before you quit your day job, take a look at this list of 10 points that outline some things you need to seriously consider before you make a decision about your employment status.

 

1. When thinking about starting up a home based business that you can run from home, you much pick some thing you love, it must be important to you- don't just choose something that you think will churn money, you will not likely maintain it a long term career and before you know it, you'll be back at Burger King.

2.      Before you even commit to a business idea, you must do your research!. That includes, researching your competitors and your market, is it a trendy idea likely to expire? What are the start up and maintenance costs? How many customers will you need to create profit? Is there a Niche Market for me? Is my location going to effect my business? Where will my customers come from? I cant stress how important research is if you want your start up business to succeed.

3. Write a business plan. Business plans can be as simple one page document. But it is thoroughly important to outline from goals and aspirations for your business. Outline your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats. Without a business plan- you could end up chasing your tail.

For an involved business plan visit

http://www.goforthinstitute.com/resources/templates-checklists/getting-started/GoForths_Business_Plan_Template.pdf

For a simple business plan visit

http://www.goforthinstitute.com/resources/templates-checklists/getting-started/GoForths-One_Page_Business_Plan.pdf

4. It may be helpful to seek the advice of your accountant before you begin your Home based business. You may be saving yourself alot of money in the future by implementing suggested strategies. A professional can also help you figure out a cash flow plan. You also need to know know all the legal and tax issues.
5. Be Cash Savvy. Consider your Overheads, where you can possibly cut costs, and dont spend money that has not yet been earned.
6. Even if you are starting up a home based businesses, always be professional. Have kick ass business cards, an awesome business name and logo, and a professional website, this a must when trying to create a brand, to network, and to exhibit your professionalism.
7. Consider Virtual Assistants instead of hiring full-time employees. In some circumstances, nothing substitutes for a committed staff member, however there are literally thousands of tasks that you can outsource to virtual staff members. Have a look around sites such as odesk.com, elance.com and guru.com. I have found these invaluable in my own personal businesses.
8. Networking is extremely important. Try to go to as many business expos, seminars, and related events to meet like minded business people. I often leave event feeling pumped about my business and full of new ideas to implement, along with being able to create business from the contacts that you have made. You can also try joining relevant online communities and forums.
9. Continue your education. Even if you feel completely confident within your abilities and your job, there will always be something bigger and better that will come along and eventually squish you and your business. Stay up to date with market trends and remember- if you have stopped learning, then you should probably consider doing something else.  
10. Always re-evaluate. When you are doing your business plan, indicate some important milestones in the business where you can stop and review how things are going. Consider cash flow and spending, projected income, evaluate marketing campaigns, new creative ideas to implement, review the market and your competitors, evaluate staff or the need for staff.

 

So this article is not published to scare you off, it was written to inform and inspire you. There is so many opportunities out there for hard working and committed people, starting a home-based business can work! Just approach with the correct information and the right frame of mind, and you are sure to hit it out of the ball park.

 

 

 

 

 

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How the Internet Marketer can use Current Events to make money ONLINE

How the Internet Marketer can use Current Events

Now we all know that TV is a waste of time, movies aren’t so productive, and the news is biased depending on which news agency you are following. But there is good news. It really doesn’t matter whether TV and movies waste time or the news may not be as truthful as you would expect, because literally thousands of other people are seeing the same things that you see. So think about it: what you see on TV is pretty much what most of your peers wan
t to see, that’s why it’s still airing. Do you get what I’m saying? Whatever is on TV/movies/news is there because the media CEOs decided that whatever they air will get the most views.

So as an Internet Marketer what can we do with this?

how to make money online

It’s simple: we can use what is currently going on in entertainment, sports, and the news to discover a potential target audience.  Picture this...
You happen to be browsing Google for phone reviews because it’s about time you changed your phone. Then, somehow you stumble across an article about the rumored iPhone 6. What do you do? Naturally you look up the rumors and see what people are saying.
But here’s the catch: you aren’t the only one looking up iPhone 6 rumors.
That’s right there are thousands of other people like you who are looking up iPhone 6 rumors. So what do you do? Well you have yourself a group of people who all would potentially get the iPhone 6 as soon as it comes out. And also in this group are people who may not get the iPhone, but is still looking for a new phone. Basically, whoever is looking up “iPhone 6 rumor” on Google either: a) wants a new phone or b) is considering a new phone or c) just likes reading up on phones. As an internet Marketer.. Either way you have a highly targeted audience that you can do many things with.
You use Facebook. Remember a couple months back when almost all your friends were liking pages that said “Like for a chance to win a FREE Galaxy S4”. In wake of the upcoming phone, some creative marketers decided to make Facebook pages with that gimmick. Of course, an experienced Internet marketer would be able to tell right away that these pages weren’t actually run by Samsung but some affiliates. The S4 specs weren’t even released and images weren’t even released, how the hell were these pages able to get images of the upcoming phone? Concept art and great graphics is a powerful combination.

how to make money in internet marketing

But these people managed to get many likes and I imagine they were able to make a lot of money off the huge groups of hopeful Galaxy S4 junkies. Now what can you do? Well, the iPhone 6 hasn’t been released yet, but there is definitely a group of impatiently waiting fanatics who want their hands on the latest Apple product. As soon as you figure out whether it will be called the “iPhone 6” or the “iPhone 5S”, you can make your own fan pages. If you are an internet Marketer.... The possibilities are endless.

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How to write a catchy AD- tips to draw in customers and get SALES!

How To Write Successful ADs

If you ever need to write an ad, sales letter, etc. there is a proper way to do this. Think about yourself as the customer. When you see an ad, what will convince you to buy the product? Too many people just list the product and what it does, but newsflash- people don’t really care about what the product does.
So what do people care about? HOW the product BENEFITS the customer. That’s all there is to it. You have to sell the benefits. For example: Nike makes soccer cleats that are lightweight and dig deep into the ground. Okay, why does that matter? These cleats allow the player to run faster and be quicker while maintaining a solid grip in the field. Now THAT would be a great reason to buy the shoes. They are lighter so you can run quicker. So how do put that into a short and concise AD that converts into sales?

The first thing that the customer should see in you AD is the benefit.

Put it at the very top. Use it as your headline. You can build on your benefit in the following words after the headline, but always sell the benefits.
Your ad also needs an audience. This is important. You can’t sell cleats to a basketball player. Make sure that the benefit you are selling to your audience will actually benefit the audience. Who the ad is targeted to is probably the most important aspect of the ad. Spend a lot of time researching your audience so that you don’t waste any money advertising to people who won’t buy your product regardless.

Your ad must also have a call to action.

This is important. It’s not enough to list benefits and present them to a person, you have to urge them to buy. Its all well and good to convince them through your ad that is the product for them, but if you dont serve it too them on a silver platter, they might just slip through your fingers.

Audience + benefits + call-to-action = Successful marketing

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Have You Heard of Reddit?

Have You Heard of Reddit?

Now Reddit gets a lot of bad rep from the media, which I find VERY ironic. Especially because all the news that I see on CNN, Fox, and any other channel is old news. That’s right. I see those news stories a couple days before on Reddit. You would be surprised just HOW much the media uses Reddit. My personal friend uploaded Kevin Durant’s high school yearbook photo and guess what, it was featured on ESPN the next day.F
If you’re new to Reddit, let me tell you, it’s filled with a lot of humor and sarcasm. But there are also plenty of ways to use it to your advantage. Reddit is divided by “subreddits” which are basically categories. And there are many categories. “News”, “world news”, “funny”, etc. the list is endless.

Reddit, you might be pleasantly surprised....

Now Reddit is pretty much the BIGGEST time waster if you don’t use it properly. I know, I used to waste a lot of time on Reddit. But then I started discovering subreddits such as “Zen Habits”, “Productivity”, “Get Motivated” and I started seeing things differently. I began my small change by removing all the unproductive subreddits that I added. And then I filled my sub-reddits with all these productive pages. Each link on my front page was a lesson on time management, self-empowerment, productivity, and of course all the motivational quotes on the internet.

Reddit is a huge internet community.

And these subreddits are just the smaller communities, made up of people just like you. And in my case, I joined a community of people who also were searching for better ways to live their lives. And all I had to do was join the right sub-reddit.


If you need some motivation, tips on productivity, or anything, you should try it. Reeddit It truly is an unconventional source of wisdom. Don’t knock it until you try it. You just might learn something.

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Why Timing is Important in Internet Marketing

Why Timing is Important in Internet Marketing

Timing is obviously important.  Whether it is Internet Marketing, or whatever you are applying a strategy too, Everyone knows this. But what does it mean for a business? Timing is the difference between a minimal profit, and a campaign that starts up the rest of your life. Any entrepreneur will tell you that you must seize your opportunities. They are literally telling you, “there is a time when you will be able to exceed your immediate goals”. That time is, like I just said, opportunity. So the question is, how do we find the opportunity, that magic moment where we grab it because it’s what we’ve been looking for our entire business career?

The road the success or the road to failure

So how do Apply this to my own Internet Marketing Strategy?

The truth is there is just no way to determine when opportunity presents itself at your door. Have you ever heard an interview from a successful entrepreneur? They almost always say that opportunity knocked at their doors at the most unexpected time in the most unexpected way. So timing is important, opportunity presents itself at our door only for the shortest time frame, and we almost never know when a good opportunity is right in front of our door. Seriously, what can we do to at least even identify good opportunity? The answer is very simple, so simple that you probably won’t believe it.

Just keep working hard. No matter the time, work hard. Keep learning, keep working, keep growing, Keep Applying yourself. Make sure you take time off to reevaluate yourself. If you keep doing the same thing over and over again, chances are you will get the same results over and over again. So keep getting better. Little by little, day by day. That really is all we can do. Even the richest, most successful rags to riches stories will attest to this one concept.
Incremental progress over a long period of time results in exponential success.

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