Your home business breakthrough will come from finding a product that the corporate world needs

Your home business breakthrough will come from finding a product that the corporate world needs

There are very few businesses that are targeted at corporate clients that fail to take off in a hurry.

The reason is really simple. If there is something that businesses want or need, they have no time to count pennies and agonize whether they can afford it or not, like we all individually do. They will shell out the cash fast.

This of course leaves you with the second problem. And that is finding something that the corporate world will buy. It gets even more complex because it is important to find something that is not a fad. Actually it is best to find something whose demand is guaranteed to keep on growing for years to come.

Any home business entrepreneur who is able to find such an industry is very fortunate because they will already be well on their way to success.

I am about to reveal to you just such an industry in this article.

It is an industry that is already worth 4.9 trillion in sales and still growing. What is more, the internet has helped to speed up that growth and it is a certainty that this industry will continue to grow in leaps and bounds for many years to come.

I am of course referring to the travel industry.

Chances of your home business succeeding are very high if you take up an opportunity in the travel industry. More so if you join an existing opportunity that already has all the turnkey solutions to everything. Like marketing and generating clients. I know all this because I am

involved in such an opportunity.

But why is there such a huge demand for travel from the corporate world?

There are many reasons. But one of them is the internet. The internet has shrunk the world into a tiny village. You can surf and visit virtually every corner of the globe. This has had the same effect that radio had on the music industry. Many influential persons actually thought, when radio arrived, that nobody would want to buy any music from a music store when they were able to listen to it free on the radio. Instead by allowing people to listen to free music on radio, it dramatically boosted record sales and ushered in the era of mega-stars.

The internet is doing exactly the same for the travel industry. Rather than kill the urge in people to visit the places they visit online, it is actually promoting travel in a big way. People see a little of somewhere on the net and deeply desire to see more.

An increasingly large number of people are actually combining business trips with leisure so as to save on costs. That is the reason why the corporate world is such a hot market for anybody selling any travel related products right now.

Your Home Business...Choose It Carefully And Then Really Work It!

Your Home Business...Choose It Carefully And Then Really Work It!



I've had many active and enthusiastic business team members that were their own worst enemies because they exhibited the classic "flea on a griddle" behavior pattern and jumped around chasing one business opportunity today, and then another one tomorrow without ever putting in enough sustained and focused effort to reasonably give themselves a chance to succeed at any of them.

I can really relate to this situation since I briefly fell prey to this same "dog in a meat market" syndrome when I first started my own home based business a few years ago. I caught myself trying to chase several different opportunities at once and not being very successful with any of them.

There are so many home business opportunities (some real, some not) that it takes real personal discipline to avoid the scattergun approach...you know, throw enough against the wall and something is bound to stick. In the early going, it is really important to resist this temptation and to stay tightly focused on a single business.

Some will argue that "I don't want to have all my eggs in one basket". To those people I say, diversification is fine, but only after you have achieved solid success with your

initial business. A premature attempt at diversification will quite likely cause a loss of focus and actually slow down your success rate.
If your main marketing vehicle is a website, you can fairly easily leverage your initial success and effectively promote a few other complimentary and closely related home based business propositions from the same website. However, it is important not to go overboard and offer too many choices to visitors to your website. If you do, there is a good chance of confusing your visitors to the point where they will take no action and you have, in effect, diluted the effectiveness of your website.

Whatever you decide to do, you will need to stick with it for a reasonable length of time (give it at least one year) and put in a solid and sustained effort. Stay focused and don't get discouraged. As much as you would like it to be, starting and developing a real home based business is certainly not an instant gratification situation.

Your Home Business Success Starts With Your Passion

Your Home Business Success Starts With Your Passion

In whatever career you may find yourself in, there is no such thing as "information overload." Know as much as you can, do what others do, and what the entire company does. Equip yourself with a total knowledge of your work environment, enough to make you feel like you own the network. Who knows, you may someday.

Walking an extra mile, being organized at work, honesty, trust-worthiness, dependability, being a team player, loyalty, and resourcefulness are the must-be characteristics of your passion.

Are you the type of worker who is always looking forward to Monday morning? Or you are the type of worker who's pleading and hoping that it will always be Friday the other day? There are workers who are called TGIF workers? What is TGIF? TGIF stands for Thank God It's Friday. TGIF workers can't wait for their minimum of 8 hours a day to finish. If you classify yourself as a TGIF worker, then you are certainly lacking something or missing something important in your career life - passion.

What does it take to be passionate in your job? There is always that old maxim "Do what you love the most." A passionate worker always has the appetite to go to work every day. He or she doesn't mind if it's Monday or Friday. He or she treats everyday as an important day in his or her career life. What do you think is the result of being a passionate in your career life? When you are passionate in your job, you enjoy it and even seek for more. There is always the idea in your mind that you can always do better than that. You are not satisfied to mediocre work. And it pays to be a passionate worker not because you will be accelerated into higher position nor you will be given extra compensation, but because you can get things done in your work with a sense of appreciation.

In your work as an entrepreneur at home, you got to have extra passion. Why do you need it? You might be asking. Take this for an instance; can you able to sit a little longer whenever a meeting comes? Can you stay a little longer if you're transacting some business matters to a customer that asks too many questions? In

short, can you be patient enough but maintaining the passion in you? You can be energetic enough in your work but it demands greater than that. Still, you need passion in your work.

So, what separates a passionate worker to a worker that only minds work?

People who practice passion in their work always perform their work at their best. They always strive for perfection in everything. They see perfection as unattainable in most things. But their eagerness drive them much nearer to it than those whose laziness and despondency make them give it up as an imperfection. Passionate workers put extra care in their work and they aren't satisfy for anything less.

At this point you might be asking either one or more of the following questions: 1. Do I need passion even though my work is just a home business? 2. To whom will I use passion? 3. What will passion do for me? What is its impact in my performance? 4. How may I know my passion?

The last question on the list is very interesting. In one way or the other, passion creates a difference in terms of performance between a passionate worker and the other. What do you like the most? What are your interests? What type of job do you enjoy the most? The answers to these questions vary depending on the personality of a worker. But whatever will it be, if you can answer the questions then that will be your checklist on how you may know your passion. Each worker has different passion. One's passion is not the same with the other. Your job as a home business representative takes a little talking to different people. If you found that your passion is more on communication, then you are really entitled for the home business. If you like to deal with different people and enjoy front liner's job, you are really fitted for the home business.

Your Home Business: Turning Pennies into Dollars

Your Home Business: Turning Pennies into Dollars

Henry Ford taught us that to simplify the manufacture of automobiles, that the best way to do so was to install the assembly line. That one change revolutionized the auto manufacturing industry permitting the industry to build cars at a cost whereas the average person could afford to buy one.

The lesson we should take from this is that having the ability to improve the process of getting the job quicker and cheaper, without compromising the quality of the job being done, will help catapult the person who simplified the process to the top of his/her field.

Pennies saved in your home business can turn into dollars at the end of the day, and dollars can quickly multiply into hundreds or thousands of dollars over time.

Doubt me if you will, but let me ask you a question. Do you think a saving of two fifths of a penny could make any real difference in the profit margin of a home business? Of course the right answer is "it depends on how many transactions are done in a year, utilizing the savings of the two fifths of one penny."

You only have to think back a couple of decades to really appreciate this question. Do you remember the nut that lived and died in a Las Vegas hotel room? You know the one who was a billionaire, and was so worried about germs that he died of starvation? If you guessed Howard Hughes (1905-76), pat yourself on the back.

Now Howard did not make all of his money on his two fifths of one penny. He did however make a ton of money from his two fifths of one penny. It seems Howard owned a can manufacturing company. And one day, Howard's team figured out how they could make one minor change in the design of their food can to reduce the amount of tin necessary to make a single can.

As the story goes --- if my memory serves me correctly --- the reduction in tin usage equaled a saving of two fifths of one penny per can. Howard --- being the really smart businessman that he was --- decided that he would not be so greedy as to keep all of the savings for himself. What Mr. Hughes did do was to keep half of the savings for himself, and give the other half to his customers. The incredible thing about Mr. Hughes decision is that by saving his customers an extra one fifths of one cent per can, he managed to take more market share away from his competition --- netting his company an additional and substantial portion of the total market share in the canning industry.

Let

us return our thoughts to your home business. Have you ever gotten the feeling of excitement --- when you read something or thought of something --- that you could not wait to implement this new idea? This could be one of those moments...

In every home business, there are certain processes that we do over and again. Sometimes it may be possible to trim the time or expense of a process which in turn will add pennies or dollars to your bottom line. If it is a process that you do hundreds or thousands of times per month, then your savings will multiply into hundreds or thousands of dollars in monthly savings.

Imagine what running a home business was like BEFORE the computer...

Before the personal computer, we had to hand type all letters and invoices. Now, we can setup a letter or invoice that we send out quite often, and we can save it in our word processor so that when we need to use it again, we can print it quickly and efficiently. There is no longer a need to type the document again from scratch.

The computer has simplified our business communications and has provided us the opportunity to reduce our costs of doing business.

Think about all of the other processes that the computer has enabled us to do for far less expense than what we could in the past.

In this case, the computer is a tool that permits us to save time and money.

So, my challenge to you is to begin examining the processes in your own home business and look for ways in which you can save yourself time and money. It is far better for you to contemplate on this matter than it is for me to do so for you. Simply put, you know your business better than anyone on the planet does. Therefore, you are in a better position than anyone to find those extra dollars that will decrease your costs and increase your profits.

The extra pennies and dollars you could extract from your business could spell the difference between success and failure for your home business enterprise.

Your Home Office--Big Fish, Small Pond

Your Home Office--Big Fish, Small Pond

Does the Internet have you feeling like a small fish in a big pond? Do you have a great product or service that's being lost within the information overload of the World Wide Web?

If so, don't forget your often most-fertile marketing territory--your own backyard!

* REALITY CHECK

The promise of the Internet is that it can literally bring your product or service to a global marketplace, quickly and economically. Just think of all the potential customers you might reach in "cyber" mode versus a traditional "bricks and mortar" approach. The numbers can be staggering.

We must ask ourselves, however, if the lure and promise of greater reach via the Internet is "real" or if it's simply "wishful thinking"? Does the Internet represent reality for our business or just possibility?

In my opinion, for most of us, it's the latter. The Internet makes it "possible" for us to reach a wider audience, but it does not guarantee we will. After all, the person on the other end of the cyber pipeline needs to first know about your product or service. He or she then needs to discover your Web site, take the initiative to visit your Web site, and then once at your site, actually buy your product or service.

And just as the Internet might open up the whole world to YOUR product or service, so too does it open up the world for the products and services of hundreds (if not thousands) of competitors--many of whom are likely to have deeper pockets that can get them noticed more quickly and more effectively than you.

Simply put, when you introduce the Internet into the mix, the pond in which you swim is suddenly a whole lot bigger!

* THE LOCAL APPROACH

To market my recently published novel, "CURRENTS-Every Life Leaves an Imprint," I took a different approach--an approach that is starting to pay some small, yet encouraging dividends.

Sure, I built a Web site (the credibility of any business without a Web site these days is questionable), got my book on Amazon.com, and entered into several affiliations designed to bring my book to a wider audience. Granted, some business has resulted from this more "global" approach, but my marketing really began to take off when I shifted

from a "small fish/big pond" mentality to a "big fish/small pond" mindset.

First, I divided my marketing "backyard" into geographically distinct territories based on proximity to me as well as likelihood of interest. Then I developed a marketing approach for each region, noting that the "selling" points for my book were likely to be subtly different in each market. I then researched media and other means of outreach within each territory, including local newspaper, radio stations, and even retail outlets. Lastly, I put my plan into operation a little over three weeks ago, starting with the region containing my former hometown.

* RIPPLE EFFECT

The immediate result was a 750-word article and full-color picture on the back page of the local weekly newspaper--an article that included my Web site URL and publicity for a book-signing at a local retailer. I also garnered additional publicity for the book-signing in two regional daily newspapers.

The book signing activity was brisk, sales through my Web site picked up, and I received a special order from Borders. All-in-all, not too shabby a result from just one well-targeted press release to a local market.

So, while the Web opens up the whole world, don't lose sight of your backyard and don't lose sight of more traditional marketing methods to bring your product or service directly to a specific audience.

As youngsters we first learned to walk by taking tiny steps--tiny steps that soon became confident strides. The same can be said of our marketing: by starting out as a big fish in a small pond, your "pond" is sure grow as each tiny "splash" you make sends out yet another concentric ripple.

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Your Home Office--Lengthen That Commute!

our Home Office--Lengthen That Commute!

Are you self-employed and working at home? I am. And if you're like me, you wouldn't work anywhere else. The advantages to working at home are great--there's no commuting, you get to spend more time with family, you can tend to household chores when they arise, and the tax breaks can be significant.

But working at home also presents unique challenges, one of which is how can you be more "at work" when you need to be? The lack of a commute can be a double-edged sword. It's wonderful not to have to battle traffic, bad weather and surging gas prices. But it's also tough to create the distance that's sometimes necessary for you to focus on work while you're at home.

TEMPTATIONS APLENTY
When I first started working at home, I often asked myself, "How do I mentally and physically disconnect from being at home so that I actually feel like I am at work, so that I'm not tempted to simply knock-off when it's two in the afternoon and the golf clubs are singing their siren song or the kids want me to go on a bike ride with them?"

For a time, I experimented with "dressing" the part--complete with button up shirt and business-casual pants--but felt somewhat "silly" sitting in my office, resplendent in my business attire, with nary a client to see me (I do all of my work by email or phone). I soon found the absurdity of my garb to be more distracting than the issue I was trying to solve!

CREATE WORK-LIKE ROUTINES
My solution has been to develop simple and flexible morning, midday, and afternoon routines that mimic a typical work day--but retain all the benefits of my being at home:

* My morning routine involves rising at roughly 7:30 a.m., eating breakfast with my family, and then after showering, shaving and brushing the ivories, I "commute" to work. Only I don't commute by car. I commute to my office via a short hike up the stairs to my office on the second floor--a hike that symbolizes what for me used to be a 20-mile drive. I then launch into my day with a check of email and phone messages, and then sequester myself in my office until midday, emerging only for coffee and the inevitable mid-morning bathroom break.

* By midday, when creative juices begin to wane, I break for lunch. This usually includes a casual walk to the mailbox and a light meal with my family. We get to visit and chat, which never could have happened if I was working out of the house. Then it's back to my office and back to work for the remainder of the day--replenished and energized.

* By 5:30 p.m. I usually pack it in, but not before engaging

in some outdoor activity either solo or with my wife and kids. Usually it's a walk or bike ride, chipping golf balls from a practice tee, visiting the vegetable garden, or anything that helps me wind down and make a smooth transition from "work" to "home"--something that my lengthy return commute used to accomplish.

"BE AT WORK" IN YOUR HOME OFFICE
My office space is a 10-foot by 13-foot converted spare bedroom on the second floor of my house, with an attached 3-foot by 6-foot storage closet--ample room for a desk and chair, computer, and storage space. Sound-deadening board in the walls, plus a heavy six-panel solid wood door--complete with lock and key--make it a physically distinct space, which helps me "be at work" when I need to be.

I have no distractions unless I allow distractions.

To create an even more physically distinct space, I expect to relocate my office to a spot atop an attached garage that I plan to build in the next couple of years. This new office is certain to have many of the same features of my current space--which will revert to a spare bedroom for guests--plus the added nuance of being more physically removed from the rest of the house. I plan an entrance that is only accessible through the garage, which will certainly make for a "commute" that's much lengthier than the one I now enjoy--affording me more time to "wind up" in the morning and to "wind down" at night.

DISCIPLINE REQUIRED
A physically distinct space coupled with the discipline to distinguish "being at work" from "being at home" will help you make the most of your work-at-home situation. The advantages to working at home are great, and the challenges of succeeding even greater. You can help stack the deck in your favor by creating daily work-like routines that instill the discipline necessary for you to "commute" to your home office in body, mind and spirit--while you still retain proximity and access to what matters most: your family, your home and the time and flexibility you need to enjoy them.

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Your Home Office - Stay Put or Move Out

Your Home Office - Stay Put or Move Out



Is it really your time to take that a leap and move from your home office to a commercial property?

To help you answer this question, let's take a step backwards for a moment and answer two other questions. Why do you want to move? Why is this move necessary?

The first question is -- why do you want to move? Sit down, grab some paper, and make a list. Put down as many reasons as you can think of. Put your list aside for a day or two and revisit it a few more times. You obviously have some of your reasons already or you would not be thinking about the possibility of a move.

The second question is -- why is this move necessary? For each reason, jot down a few notes on why each reason is valid. Let's look at some of the more common reasons and discuss your rational behind each.

Do you get a lot of clients coming to your home? Most of us do not have the luxury of a separate entrance for our office that keeps the clients from tramping through our messy house and down the hallway to our office that was once that spare bedroom.

Can you arrange to use a meeting area at a shared office complex for a half day per week as a permanent off-site location in order to have a special time each week to meet with clients? It might even be better for some of your clients if they do not have to trek into the wilderness of suburbia each time they need to meet with you. You might even become more productive by limiting meetings to one or two specific days each week. Should you make the trip once in a while to visit your client instead?

Is your reason that a commercial location would provide better visibility and this would lead to more clients? Perhaps? I just love questions that can be answered with "it all depends". Outside of a retail store where out of sight is truly out of mind, most of your customers likely come from advertising and word of mouth anyway. When was the last time you hired a plumber to fix something? Did you drive done to the local mall and visit the plumber store or did you look in the phone book?

Do you have employees coming to your home every day? If so, your probably already are in violation of most residential zoning regulations and need to move your business out. If employees come on a less frequent basis and do not cause a problem for your neighbors, then stay home.

Do you feel the need to socialize more with humans that are not at the other end of a phone or via e-mail? That is a whole other issue. People are social animals by nature and need the company of others. Maybe working at home is not for you but more likely you need to get out more. Join some business associations or special interest groups where you can meet with other people on a regular basis. Your local chamber of commerce likely has some monthly programs. How about groups like Toastmasters? Find some non-work interests. Take a course. Just get out of the office for a while each week.

Is the cost necessary? I recently read an interesting statistic. What it said "approximately" was that if you keep your car for ten years rather than trading into a new car every few year, you will end up with $500,000 more in the bank when you retire, even after accounting for the increased maintenance costs of the older car. This is a bit of an analogy to our home office but the reason most of us work is so that someday we can stop working. The less we spend on our day to day costs of running an office and the more we can sock away, the more savings we end up with and sooner we hit our goal to stop working.

What else did you come up with? Look at your reasons. Look at your justifications for each reason. Does moving still make sense now? If so, start planning. If not, sit back, relax a bit, and think about the simple pleasures of being able to work where you live.

Your Own Home Business - Dream or Reality?

Your Own Home Business - Dream or Reality?



This is a question many people have asked themselves, sometimes over and over. Is it possible for the average person to start and run a successful home business? I’m here to say that the answer is a resounding YES!

With that said, there are some specific questions you should answer before starting your business. This list is by no means a complete, comprehensive all-encompassing checklist, but it will give you a good starting place.

What type of business to start?

1. Do I have any knowledge in this area?
   
2. What skill do I have to run this business?
   
3. Is this something that I will enjoy doing?
   
4. How much will it cost to start?
   
5. Do I have the money this would require?
   
6. Is there a market for this product/service?
   
7. How will I promote my business?
   
8. Am I willing to put in the effort to make it work?
   
9. Am I dedicated enough to “stick with it”?
   
10. How much income will this business have to create?
    
11. How big do I want this business to become?
    
12. What are the tax implications of owning a business?
    
13. Are there any
    
    
    regulations (federal/state/local) that I need to be aware of?
    
14. Am I capable of doing the bookkeeping required or do I need to hire out?
    
15. What type of insurance will be required?
    

There are numerous resources online to help you answer some of these questions. Here are a few of the sites I recommend.

http://www.sba.gov

http://www.bcentral.com

Of course, some of these questions can only be answered by you. Be honest with yourself. A successful home business is a wonderful thing, but a failed business can be a hard pill to swallow. Honestly answering these questions (and others) will help direct you on the path to success.

Our Perfect Home Business May Be Right In Front of You!

our Perfect Home Business May Be Right In Front of You!

Every week I receive email from would-be entrepreneurs,
asking, 'What kind of home business should I start?'

This is a question that only *you* can answer. Although
it seems like business opportunities are everywhere you
look, there's no reason why you have to limit yourself to
someone else's 'prepackaged' opportunity.

'Biz ops' usually cater to a very limited set of interests
-- nutritional supplements or Internet marketing are common
examples. Instead of trying to force yourself to 'fit' into
one of these opportunities, why not consider starting and
building a business of your own making?

Many successful entrepreneurs are running businesses based
on their personal interests and experiences. You'll be
surprised at how simple ideas can turn into profitable
home businesses! For example, one lady in my neighborhood
creates unique 3-dimensional bookmarks in the shape of
various wildlife -- and she sells them to tourism stores
in the nearby National Parks, among others.

Another example came from a local newspaper. A woman with
a 'knack' for picking out the 'perfect' gift offers a
shopping service: she'll go gift shopping for birthdays,
Christmas, and other special occasions so that you don't
have to endure the stress or the crowds. And she LOVES
to shop!

There are many examples of people who turn their passions
into businesses. For additional ideas, try the 'Secret
Underground Business Plans, Projects and Ideas', available
at: http://homebasedwork.com/cgi-bin/a .cgi?bizideas

So how do you go about deciding on a business? Start by
asking yourself several questions:

* What are your interests? What skills have you learned
from your

current job or your favorite hobbies? Do
something you love... business doesn't have to be a
chore, it can be a joy! If you're passionate about your
business you'll work harder (and have fun while you're
at it).

* Are you a 'people-person' or someone who prefers less
customer contact? There are people who adore talking
to others and excel at it... these people are far more
likely to do well with businesses that require lots of
face-to-face customer contact than people who are
uncomfortable dealing with strangers.

* What are your strengths and weaknesses? An honest
assessment can help you decide which business ideas
are realistic and which are fantasy. For instance,
an excellent writer won't necessarily be a great
proofreader, which requires a high attention to detail.

* How much time, money, and effort can you realistically
devote to a business? Every business is different...
some require more financial resources upfront, while
others require very little. Likewise, with some
businesses you may see a profit in very little time
(ie. dog-walking or an errand service), while with
others it make take a year or more.

Take a good look at your skills and your interests...
Your perfect home business could be staring you right
in the face. Imagine the possibilities!

7 Easy Steps To A Home Based Business!

Informative Articles

7 Easy Steps To A Home Based Business!

7 Easy Steps To A Home Based Business
by BB Lee (C)2003

500 words

According to the Small Business Administration nearly 20 percent
of Americans are working out of the home at least on a part time
basis.

The SBA forecast that the number of home based business owners
will continue to expand rapidly in the next decade. Why? People
hit by the recent downsizing of their companies are searching for
alternate ways to supplement their earnings.

Are you ready to take the plunge and start your own work at home
enterprise? It's rare to find a hard working individual who hasn't
dreamed of quitting his 9 to 5 and striking out on his own.

But there are a few caveats the average person should
take into due consideration.

Although many home business owners have experienced success,
working solo is not for everyone. It can be a hard road with
almost no rewards in the beginning. This translates to zero
profits. It may take one to two years, or even longer, before
they earn profits. Discouraging to say the least. The prime reason
why many home business ventures fail in the first few years.

Well if you are still determined to forge ahead and start a home
based venture...take a look at the following important steps.

1. Select Your Business.
Select a business you are sure you can do well in and that
people are actually willing to pay you money for.

2. Start Planning.
-What will you charge.
-Who are your customers.
-How will you reach your customers.
-How will you market your business.
-What's your unique selling point.
-When will you open for business.
-Where will you set up your office.

3. Legal Issues.
-Check local

zoning laws.
-Decide the legal form of your business.(sole, partnership, corporation)
-Get a business license.
-Register your new business name.
-Find out if you need special type of licensing for your business.

4. Financing.
-Set up a bookkeeping system.
-Open a business account at your bank.
-Decide if you need liability insurance.
-Plan how much you will invest to cover startup expenses.

5. Home Office.
-Use a corner of your bedroom, a basement, attic, even a
completely furnished private office-if you have the space.

6. Marketing.
-Establish your business name.
-Get business cards.
-Get professional quality letterhead.
-Get the best stationery you can afford.
-Print flyers announcing your new business.
-Print brochures.
-Set up a one page website announcing your business.

7. Get To Work!
Set up a work schedule and stick to it. If you decide to work
after the children are in school. And quit before they arrive home
in the afternoon. (9 in the morning to 3 in the afternoon)

Stick to it!

Strive to work at least 10 hours per week. More if you have the
time, energy, and drive to succeed.

------------------------------------------------------------
BB Lee is Editor And Publisher of SmallBizBits Newsletter!
If you like this article subscribe to SmallBizBits Now! For
new articles, advice, tips, unique start-up ideas, ebooks, reports.
Visit: http://www.angelfire.com/zine/smallbiz

Home Business Success - 5 Things You Can You Learn from Your (Ex) Boss

Home Business Success - 5 Things You Can You Learn from Your (Ex) Boss

In the past, everyone could take pride in working for large, multinational companies. The current trend of downsizing and outsourcing, however, has brought major changes in the employment landscape. One thing for sure, as job security becomes a thing of the past, many are turning towards starting their own home based businesses.

Job security has its merits, and a home business is, arguably, not for everyone. But for those who are interested in making this shift, a change in mentality is absolutely important. There are many bad habits that lie dormant in all of us. You need to change these bad habits and develop new good habits to survive as an entrepreneur. And in many cases these can be 'borrowed' from your existing or former corporate work environment.

Here are some new disciplines that you can borrow from your working life, to develop and to practice:

1) Ownership and Decision Making

In corporate culture, you are responsible only for what your job requires you to do. In most jobs however, you are hardly responsible for the survival of the company. Your contribution, as compared to the whole, is only marginal. You can make mistakes and get away with it. Your job is easily replaceable.

As an entrepreneur, however, you may find the world to be less forgiving. A mistake can cost you your entire business. It is vital for anyone who wants to start their own home based business to think about this fact. You have to realize that success in a home based venture is directly tied up to your actions, and you need to take responsibility for everything that happens.

In your own business, you need to go beyond your capacity at times, stretching yourself more than you would as an employee. Taking responsibility also means being able to make the correct decisions as and when needed. When you work from home, YOUR decision is final. Although it may a little scary for an entrepreneur at first, these habits practiced over time becomes second nature.

It sure beats having to put up with corporate red-tape!

2) Developing a Creative Mindset & Taking Risks

Companies hardly, if ever, reward you for being creative. They do, however, reward you for showing up on time and completing your daily routines. You are rewarded not for being outstanding, but for being average.

As an entrepreneur, you need to shake off the bad habit of doing things the usual way, the "way it's always been done" There is nothing wrong with using standard procedures and methods. In fact, sticking to the 'rules' can help you make a decent living. But if you want the big money, like I do, you need to start thinking "Outside the Box". A little bit of ingenuity in your business can save you a lot of money and time.

Ingenuity involves finding solutions to a problem. You may, at any stage of your home business, realize that you just don't have an abundance of resources. Resources in this context can be money, time, expertise or just about everything else that you need, but just don't have...

As you might have figured, creativity comes with risk. Doing something new is more risky than doing it the old way, but the payoff is incredible. Thinking outside the box might result in failure, just as well as it might lead to amazing success. But risk is not necessarily a bad thing, especially when it is studied, anticipated and even welcomed.

So what do you do?

Most home business challenges can be solved, even if you are not a genius or have thousands of dollars to spend. If you can just use your ingenuity, you can find a solution to these challenges.

Figure out how to make the best of your advertising dollars. Figure out how to save time and automate your business. Figure out how to complement your skills using the skills of others. Small steps like these can go a long way in determining just how successful you will be.

3) Making Your Own Rules & Organizing Time

Imagine you arrive at work one day and find that the punch-card machine has been removed. The company also fired your boss, and the new rules say that you can come in at any time you want, bring your wife and kids along, and take as many breaks as you want. Shorts and a T-shirts are now the standard, accepted work attire.

What would you do?

I know what I would do - absolutely nothing at all! I would take advantage of the situation, and do absolutely no work at all. As days go by, I get lazier and eventually become a total slob.

A home business environment is not much different from

the scenario above. In the absence of corporate rules, you must develop your own self imposed "home business rules". Set a time for work, for play, and for household activities. If you just decide to "go with the flow", you often get no where at all.

I used to think that money was the most important asset of my home business. Being quite naive, I thought that with more money, I could be successful faster. After all, money is king. With more money, I could buy more "big time" advertising, hire assistants and equip my business with the best software systems.

It didn't take me long to realize that time is more important than money. Money simply cannot buy time. But with more time, I can all make all the money I want. Put in another way, I would say that MORE TIME is more important than just MORE MONEY. But none of us, not you, nor me, can have more than 24 hours a day at our disposal.

So, as a home business entrepreneur, we need to ultimately learn how to make the best use of the time that we have. This easy to say, but it will take discipline to see it through. Discipline is not easy to achieve, but it CAN be done. Just focus on doing a little bit every day, and stick to the timeline you had laid out, and you will get into the productive rhythm that comes with discipline.

4) Continuous Self-improvement

The home business arena is highly competitive. As an entrepreneur you will need to keep up with any event that will effect your business, for better or worse.

Corporations usually have mandatory training courses for all employees. If you are someone who attended these courses just to get away from doing work, or just to get some extra sleeping time in the class, then you need to change your attitude.

As an entrepreneur you must to find ways to enrich yourself with more knowledge. Take that accounting class, attend that local business seminar and read related books. Don't see these as additional expenses, see them as long term investment. An investment in knowledge, after all, yields the best return.

Every type of business is subject to slowdowns. If you do not continuously improve your skills and knowledge, simply throwing in more money or hiring more people when that happens will not solve the problem. The only way to move forward, to get to "the next level" is to acquire new knowledge. New knowledge opens up more opportunities for your business.

5) Commitment to Your Goals & Deadlines for Success

"I want this on my desk by 2.00pm".

Sounds familiar? Most of us seek a home based business because we want to escape the pressures of a 9-5 job. The word "deadline" may send a shiver through your spine.

The irony, however, is that deadlines are EXACTLY what you need to succeed in just about anything. As an entrepreneur, these deadlines always are, and must be, self-imposed. There are many book on how to set and achieve goals (my recommendations at http://www.home-business-association.com/books/) and I suggest you read as many as you can.

Having family around you can be used to your advantage. Communicate your goals to your wife or husband. Promise your kids a vacation when you've finished a major task. Soon, you will get little "bosses" running around telling you to stop watching TV and get to your work. Well, at least they are "adorable" bosses!

An excerpt from the book 'Think and Grow Rich' by Napoleon Hill (pg. 15):

...a great warrior faced a situation which made it necessary for him to make a decision which insured his success on the battlefield. He... gave the order to burn the ships that carried them. Addressing his men before the first battle he said "You see the boats going up in smoke? That means that we cannot leave these shores alive unless we win! We now have no choice - We win - or we perish".

They won.

And no matter what YOUR goals are in seeking self-employment and an entrepreneurial life, with commitment to your goals and determination to meet your deadlines, you too will win. Take the positive aspects of your current of former work environment to build a healthy and productive home business mentality to ensure that you are heading towards success.

Here's to your success. Cheers.