17 things that can make you a great Home Based Entrepreneur

1. Do what you enjoy.

     The whole reason why people are moving in droves to quit the cubicle and become their own boss is that many have started to realize their own happiness is important. When setting out to build your own business it is vital that you love what you do, not only will it make it much easier for you to stay focused but it also means that when you sell you can be genuine. In the new digital economy this ability to love your business and your product really makes you stand out from the crowd.

2. Take what you do seriously.

     Just because you can run your new business from your living room while still wearing your pajamas doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t take it seriously. One of the greatest pitfalls for those who have the courage to make the change is forgetting that above all to be successful you have to want it and you have to work hard for it. This is especially hard in the first few months, after the ball starts rolling things do start to get easier but never let yourself get complacent.

3. Manage your money.

     We’ve said it before but this is a point that needs to be repeated. When working from home you need to be aware of where your cash is going and where it is coming from. You can build a business with no money but the results are going to be slow and spotty. Knowing whereand when to use your advertising budget can really make or break your business. Also pay attention to spending some of your money on education, after all the more you know the more you can do.

4. Education makes the difference.

     Like it or not if you are going tobe successful online you are going to need to go back to school. Learning and education online comes in many forms and can be very flexible but no matter the style learning new tricks is the real key to longevity for your business. The best option is to find a community of professionals and get help from those in the know. This may seem expensive but the question you need to be asking is how much is my time worth?

5. Ask for the sale.

     Many people find the hardest thing about marketing online is that even if you have complete faith in your product it can be hard to make the sale. Being pushy is bad but most people spend their time online in a kind of daze and need to be reminded that if you like what you see maybe you should buy it. Often times people also fail to sell simply because they haven’t told their would-be client what to do and how to buy. The moral be honest, be firm and tell people exactly what you want them to do.

6. Remember the customer.

     Nowadays the old maxim that it is all about the customer is more accurate than ever. With the growth of social media word of mouth and person to person endorsements have become the best way to build a client base. Make sure you spend time designing products or services that really offer value to your clients and make it clear that you care. Don’t treat customers as numbers just because you don’t have to look them in the eyes.

7. Self-promote.

     Always remember there is a lot of competition out there and it is only going to get harder. When you are buried under a thousand other websites and blogs selling products similar to yours make sure you keep telling people why you are the best. Be careful not to attack or belittle your competition and try not to be arrogant or obnoxious, just take what you know to be true and get your message out there at every opportunity.

8. Always be positive.

     If you don’t believe how can you ask anyone else to? People want to be able to trust you the best way to build trust is to make sure you are not only honest but that you are upbeat and that when clients ask you questions you have a clear and concise answer. Procrastination and beating around the bush is the best way to scare of potential customers.

9. Know your customers.

     It is often said in digital marketing that your perfect customer is someone just like you, but this isn’t always true. No matter what you want to promote understand who is going to be paying for it and why. For example just because you think your product is for single men it doesn’t mean the people who buy it most might are those same single men. Many people buy things online for others, either as gifts or because the person who is going to end up using the product or service isn’t sure how to do it.

10. Discover your options.

     It can be easy to say you just want to put yourself and your product in front of as many people as possible but most of the time that simply doesn’t make for good ROI. Find out where and howyou can advertise, find out where your clients are looking and try to match the two together. Even if Facebook seems like a great way to get in front of people you may find just as much success (with a smaller budget) using other advertising platforms. Again this comes down to making sure you are educated.

11. Don’t go it alone.

     When you first start out you will probably be flying solo, it is important during this stage to do everything yourself to get a good feel for how it works. Obviously there are going to be things you find you dread but the idea is that once you understand the process you can start outsourcing some of this to others (sites like Fiverr.com are great for this). More important than finding someone to do the work you dislike is to find mentors and peers to keep you motivated and point you in the right direction if you get stuck. Going it alone can make life hard and growth slow.

12. Ask an expert.

     Already we have talked a lot about getting help and getting an education but we are going to say it again just to make sure. When looking to try something new it is easy to spend vast amounts of time and money trying to get the system to work. A far better use of that time and money is finding someone who knows exactly how it works (often by learning the hard way) to help you out. There are several good communities where experts offer their time to help you out just like this and we will be recommending one of our favourites later on.

13. Never Stop investing in yourself.

     The world moves quickly and the digital world moves even quicker. It is really important that you keep up to date on new techniques, new platforms and new information. Again this all comes down to staying educated. We all know that most big companies and top business people spend millions each year bringing in experts to coach them and help their business stay on top, so how do you think you will get to their level if you don’t learn something new every day?

14. Communicate.

     It can seem like a hassle answering every email and dealing with every query and once you have it under control it is one of the first things most people delegate away. Don’t underestimate the importance of good communication though. Answering a question today might not get you a sale today but a reputation for great support will definitely get you more sales in the long run. Remember treat every email or question like your business depends on it, after all it just might.

15. Design your workspace.

     Working from home is a joy. It means more time with your family, your pets or on the beach but it is important to remember that by working from home you are also making your home your office. Try to plan when you are going to be working on your business so you can avoid distractions. Setting goals keeps you on task even if it is something as simple as “I must finish this article before I go and make another cup of tea”. Another important tip is keeping your chosen workspace clean and tidy a cluttered desk really does lead to a cluttered mind.

16. Take a break.

     It can be very tempting to turn into a workaholic when you don’t have an 8 hour work day set out for you but it is a temptation you must learn to resist. You do need to be putting in sufficient time an effort in to get the outcome you want but there comes a point where you hit the law of diminishing returns. Aside from the risk of burning yourself out or treading water there is also the fact that presumably you made the choice to work from home because you wanted to have more freedom to enjoy your life. So don’t forget to take time out and stop to smell the proverbial roses.

17. Follow-up!

     So you’ve made a sale and the money is sitting nicely in your bank account. Job over right? Far from it, one of the biggest money spinners in the online game is repeat or ongoing custom. Once someone has bought from you they are far, far more likely to do so again so it is vital that you follow up. Send them an email asking if there is anything else you can do for them, keep in touch about new products and offers and provide ongoing help and assistance if it is required. Any good marketer will tell you that hooking a new customer is far more expensive and time consuming than marketing to an already happy client.

So we've discussed some of the things that great home based entrepreneurs do and one of the biggest takeaways is education and community. While there are many good communities on the internet that help you learn how to become a great digital marketer our favourite by far is the Six Figure Mentors. We've worked with these guys for 3 years now and they have given us the best training and the best advice we've ever had about online marketing so head on over and watch the videos and see why we chose them to be our Product of Choice for this article.

For more visit The Online Business Expert Blog or see our Free video series

The Next Era Of Digital Life

With ever moving technology, and a world that has become almost entirely connected, now is the time to look to the future.

Being given the opportunity to receive news, information and even products at unprecedented speeds also places us in the unique position of having a responsibility to use this golden opportunity properly.

So many people have already been bitten by scams and by spam marketing around the net. So many people have become jaded and have chosen to hide themselves away from the choices and chances the internet holds out to us all.

As digital marketers, social media experts and representatives of our various online businesses the time has come for us to step up to the plate. The time has come for us to fight back, to give back and to provide value to enrich our followers rather than seeking only to enrich ourselves.

So many of us now owe everything we are and everything we have to those who had faith. We owe our livelihood to all the people who took the risk and trusted us to deliver on our promises. Let us not forget those promises. Let us not offer false hope. Instead let us offer only solutions to problems. Let us provide the same level of service and excellence we would like to receive ourselves.

Every time someone gets scammed, every time someone is sold a product that fails to meet it's sales pitch we lose another chance to enrich both our own lives and someone else's life. As an industry we owe it both to ourselves and to our various clients and customers to take a stand and defend the right of everyone to build, to grow and to buy without fear.

So, how many of us will stand by our products? How many of us will choose honesty over a quick buck? Can you say you would buy your own product? Are you proud of who you are and what you have to offer?

If you are all these things it is time to turn it all around. It is time to show the whole world that not only the lucky few can live a better, freer life.

Just Let Me Ask...

If you have a quick look around you while you sit at your desk how many people do you see loving their lives? How many people do you see making a real difference to the lives of everyday people on the street?

I bet if you are honest the answer is not many.

If you are like me you have a feeling somewhere deep inside that tells you that even if you are working hard everyday you are just spinning your wheels. I'm not talking about money and I'm not talking about success. A lot of people have money and a lot of people have success however you choose to measure it. All of these people though tend to fail in one very important way. They don't actively make people's lives better.

I am proud to say that no matter how high the ladder you climb and no matter how many awards you win I still think I do better. I have almost never been promoted, I have almost never made much more money than I need to survive. Knowing all of this though I still feel good looking myself in the mirror every morning. I feel good because every day when I get up I have the chance to help someone. I get to take ordinary people and turn them into extraordinary people.

How do I do that? I know you hear a lot of promises and a lot of bragging about how much money YOU can make, but that is not really the issue. The issue is I know every person I introduce to the guys over at SFM has the chance to go from a worker ant to an entrepreneur. Granted not everyone does, a lot of people stumble, a lot of people fail and a lot of people are too scared to really take the first step into something new.

I wanted you to let me ask you a question way back at the beginning of this post so now let me ask: Do you think you have the will and the vision to make a start on changing how you see the world and how you live your life?

If you are not serious and if you have no interest then please turn back now. Go back to your T.V. show or the report you have due tomorrow and forget I asked. If you are interested though and if you want to hear some more of what I get to do everyday then put your email in the box and we will send you out a free week of videos that ought to give you a better idea of what I do and what SFM does.

So, are you interested? Get the videos here.

What Kind Of Education Do You Want?

We have all heard that information is money, but do we really understand what that means? Why is it that some people seem to make money at everything they do and the rest of us seem to simply stumble along making enough to pay rent or the mortgage?

The answer is information. Those we think of as entrepreneurs are not any smarter, nor are they any luckier than the rest of us but they do have something most of us don't. They seek information. They drink in new knowledge. They open their minds to the changing economy and society around them.
Ask any successful entrepreneur what sets them apart and I am sure several words will come up again and again. Words like drive, passion, need and determination. While all of these words describe the personality of the successful they still could not become successful without the knowing how to.

Education is an often forgotten side to entrepreneurship. Many of the greatest successes in our history have been made by people we could well think of as "under-educated" but that is I believe an unfair label. It is true that people such as Bill Gates, Richard Branson and many others including those as far back as Henry Ford and Andrew Carnegie were not what would traditionally be called well educated. That however depends on what education means to you.

The traditional school and especially university education systems are proving incapable of keeping up with technology. They do not seem to be capable of teaching the skills and mindsets needed for this digital age.

When many young people are putting themselves into crippling debt to pay for an education that not only doesn't guarantee them a good job, but which actually now almost guarantees them a bad one* we know we are in troubled times.

So what is the solution? How do great entrepreneurs make it big? They still make sure they are educated they just choose a different more hands on form of education. They learn to use the tools they need to make themselves great. Take for example an online learning course such as this one. It costs no more than a college degree but instead of four years learning something that will have little impact on your job in the future it teaches you a wide range of skills you can apply to an even wider range of possible income streams.

I believe Alan Watts said it best:

You see the internet should offer us more choice not less. We should be broadening our horizons and seeking to better ourselves not plodding along blindly at the same desk job we hate for years. We should be making the future better doing what we love and sharing what interests us.

No matter what you want to sell, no matter what you are interested in someone else will be too so why not make yourself and the world a more vibrant knowledgeable place?
It is up to us to choose our future, and you only get one life, so make it count.

10 Things You Really Need To Know: Twitter Edition.

1. Your First Tweet:

     One of the first things people often worry about when starting a twitter account, whether it is a personal or a business account, is what their opening message will be. Honestly though unless you have bought followers or have been lurking and following for a while (see below) you should realise that really very few people will be listening. If you have something snappy to say go for it otherwise why not simply introduce yourself or say hello to the world that is Twitter.

2. Lurking is not a sin:

     No matter how or what you do on Twitter it is often best to watch and listen before you speak. Spend a little time seeing how others do it and getting a feeling for the kind of things you like to see and the kind of things you don't . Remember when marketing, or even when just looking to be social, you are looking to attract like minded people. Even once you've dipped your toes in the murky depths don't feel beholden to answer every tweet or comment on every passing piece of news. There is simply too much going on and making a few well considered and well aimed comments is usually far more rewarding than blasting and trolling your way to a bigger audience.

3. If you like it Retweet it:

     As they say sharing is caring and on Twitter a retweet can be a golden gift. Many feel that retweeting things especially when tweeting for business is akin to giving the competition a hand up but if the content or the message is good it can gain you just as much as the OP (original poster). Retweeting also goes a long way to building  a lasting and profitable relationship whether with followers or with competitors. Remember Twitter loves Karma and if you scratch someone's back they may very well scratch yours. Remember with such a huge audience visibility is key.

4. Following people doesn't make you a stalker:

     Really the whole point of Twitter, and one of it's major plusses when used for business, is that it allows people to listen to what they like to hear. This goes for you as much as anyone else and even if you don't know who someone is if you like what they say or they inspire you don't hesitate to follow them. Besides following someone is something of a compliment and if you think about it you want people, even people you don't know, following you don't you? The same goes for everyone being followed isn't creepy it just means you are doing it right.

5. Follows are just an introduction:

     When you follow someone you are telling them you like what they have to say or you are interested in their take on the world. What it doesn't mean though is that you are suddenly BFFs. Think about the fact that most people on Twitter are following and are followed by thousands if not tens or hundreds of thousands of people. Following someone gives you access to their tweets and being followed means someone is keeping an ear out for you but that's it. Don't go hunting your followers and hounding them and don't be expecting special treatment or recognition from someone else just because you followed them.

6. Your followers want to hear you:

     Having said all of the above most of your followers, if you have gathered them in the right ways, do want to hear what you are saying and do want to get involved. Keep them interested and keep them on the hook. The best way to do this is by providing them with great content, something to get involved with you about and above all keep it real. Good followers, the ones you really want, followed you because they feel the way you do about key topics so be honest and be yourself. Never go out of your way to avoid contentious subjects but at the same time don't go out of your way to be "edgy" or extremist either.

7. People will judge you but don't let it worry you:

     Just like in real life people are going to pass judgment on you. Whether they dislike something you said or disagree with a cause you have championed they can and often will start an argument or make a comment about you. If you are being true to yourself and to your followers though this really shouldn't stress you out too much. As they say any publicity is good publicity and you'd be surprised how willing like minded souls are to come to your rescue. besides the fact that it makes for great visibility when it happens it opens the door to great discussions and helps people to really get to know what you stand for.

8. You can't please all the people all the time:

     Following on from the above point people are going to unfollow you. It is going to happen. Sometimes they forget why they followed you, sometimes they dislike something you say and sometimes they just feel like it. Don't stress though unfollows are a natural part of Twitter and you will always find you gain more followers than unfollowers if you keep going and keep providing people with a reason to listen.

9. Share the success of others:

     Giving someone a pat on the back by telling them (and all your own followers) that you like what they did or what they said goes a ong way to making your account "real". A whole lot of people simply spam their own ideas and business material or retweet everything, but making personal, thoughtful and helpful comments single you out as a real person with real views and that makes you much, much more approachable.

10. Bring it to Twitter:

     Adding to that again, if you see something you like elsewhere on the internet bring it back to Twitter to share and don't forget to thank the author if you can find their account. Things that make for great sharing on Twitter are videos, blogs and great webpages. Gathering all of these resources on your own Twitter feed is a great way to engage whoever created them as well as a way to provide value to your own followers too.

For more go to The Online Business Expert