Some people are and some people simply are not cut out to own and operate a business.

But today there happens to be a medium in between where you can be in your own business but have the support and help needed to get you through even if you are not really “designed” to be a business owner.

I’m not referring to franchising although the internet does provide an opportunity for one to be in business for yourself but not by yourself as the franchise saying goes.

I’ve owned franchises previously and the trail blazing they provide for the average person is very helpful, whether it is marketing expertise or equipment purchases or simply name recognition.

Online Business Opportunities Require One Primary Skill

The opportunity the internet now provides though is a notch below a franchise in that you typically do not purchase a costly business package.

But rather you can start an online business, targeting a specific market with a specific product or service and you can be set up quickly and start making money pretty much right out of the gate…

IF you know this one thing - HOW to Market. This really is the single most important element of starting an online business. It is though, the one piece that most online business opportunities do not teach you how to do. Most do provide general help -like showing you how you can do free classifieds, article writing, press releases, and social networking.

So, if you work with a company or person who can provide the set-up details such as a website. And it works by converting leads into sales, THEN generating leads or driving business to the site becomes your main focus as a “business owner”.

So in this way you can be in business without all the concerns that are required in most traditional businesses. The internet really does provide this particular advantage to any one who has the desire to learn and make a change in their life.

How Will You Learn this Crucial Piece to the Online Puzzle?

There are two primary ways of pursuing this matter of how to market online.

1. You may take the route most people take and buy every study course or seminar that you can absorb that you’ve decided is necessary to succeed. Then take the time to study it in detail, do the market testing as you are learning each new aspect of marketing online, track all your results and tweak it until it is highly profitable OR

2. You can buy these services from the few companies online that actually deliver.

You Only Have So Much Time and So Much Money

Typically it is recommended that you use a combination of these two methods not only because of the time and money involved in each but also because online your main activity is marketing so it behooves you to develop the skill rather than simply buying the service.

Whatever you do though, do not ignore this huge key to building an online business - you simply must know how to market and advertise - so learn this before doing anything else to guarantee your online success.

For more:

New Online Business

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You may be surprised to know that a very good time to start a business is during a recession or even a depression. Many of the companies that are on the S & P 500 started during times like we are currently experiencing.

Here are a few of the startup companies that began their business trek during steep declines in the U.S. economy: GE - the panic of 1873; Walt Disney began his venture during the recession of 1923-24; HP was formed during the Great Depression; and,  Microsoft was born during the recession of 1975.

Below I’ve listed seven reasons that these times are good for a startup business and you can probably add more. But first, consider what holds many back from trying something new.

Fear and Uncertainty Often Get in the Way of us Forging Ahead

Horatio Alger claimed in the 1800’s that anyone willing to work hard could succeed. Today, the picture is no different. However, you may work very, hard and not get ahead. If you live from paycheck to paycheck and worry constantly about how you will meet your financial obligations, you’re living in a world of stress.

Perhaps you dwell on the possibilities of another terrorist attack. Maybe you’re fearful of an unstable job market where mass layoffs and outsourcing threaten your livelihood. The future is replete with uncertainty about any number of financial matters. But let’s never forget that line by FDR: “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”

These sorts of fears, are actually the very reasons to consider starting an internet based business. In my own case it became evident that doing things the same way was not an option.  I believe today’s current events are most timely for the home business opportunity seeker! I started about two years ago because I knew I didn’t want to be run over by the economically devastating freight train that started in October 2007.

Online businesses have spiked up exponentially over the past few years and will continue throughout the current downtrend and beyond - it’s the new way of doing business. So if you see yourself as an online home business opportunity seeker you are online at a very opportunistic time.

A Mild Recession in 1982 - Expanding the Market Base

During the 80-’83 recession when interest rates skyrocketed to over 20% my drapery company had just opened a new market about 140 miles south of our primary location.  We did this in line with reason number one listed below - to expand our market while the local market pulled back.

In the offline world we do this regularly - expanding the reach of our existing business in order to open a new market or territory. It was simply the very best time to start a new operation with new fresh ideas and a young fellow that was determined to make it all work. (The young man that opened and maintained that location has now retired from the business that earned him millions over the years.)

Seven Reasons to Start an Online Business Now

1-The number one reason is that you need to expand your base of potential customers during a recessionary time in order to draw from a larger pool and the very best way to do so today is by establishing yourself as part of the global market.

2-Learn from history which records the greatest companies started or expanded during times like these.

3-As a new business owner, whether experienced or not, you are more cautious about spending, hiring, and purchasing so you make better long-term decisions.

4-By starting now you will be positioned and well prepared for the next growth spurt.

5-You can start for so little money it almost makes it a no brainer.

You probably already have the only equipment you’ll need—a computer and a telephone. That’s basically all that’s required! Now, of course, you need the information that has transformed so many people’s lives regarding how and what to do.  But this is a learning curve like with any business at any time.

There are more online business ideas available than we can count but with a focused approach, determination, a teachable spirit, and commitment you will be well on your way.

6-You may still have an income right now from your current job

To add to the stress of many, are stories of layoffs by major corporations that are announced every month.  As early as 2006, 1,500,000 workers were pink-slipped in mass layoffs (”mass” meaning more than 50 employees at a time) and it has become much worse now in 2009. Companies are reorganizing, outsourcing or selling out to other companies. Many other once thriving companies have already filed for bankruptcy.  So, if you are still working then now is the absolute ideal time to learn, invest and grow with an existing income while building your new online internet based business.

7-You may still have some retirement funds left

What better way to invest your money than to invest in yourself especially during a time when the overall markets will do little for the growth of your money.  In a recent article I quoted a statistic from BiancoFinancial.com stating that had you placed your money in t-bills the first time the Dow moved above 10,000 back in1999, you would have more than the person who has remained in stocks and mutual funds. It isn’t going to be getting any better for another few years as we have really only just begun the down turn of an economy that has been sustained only by fumes for a number of years.

Add to this short list, the personal reasons that you’ve always wanted to start a business and then consider your options.  I think you will find as I did over two years ago that an internet based business is one of the very best options available for starting a new phase of life.

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The top network marketing companies in today’s market are using an entirely different pay structure now than used in years past - a two tier system.

In a nutshell the old way of doing business - multi-level-marketing companies are slowly becoming extinct with anything more than three levels of pay.

How it Worked in Years Past

MLM companies established a pay system that was based on a huge volume of people selling a little bit of product and as your team grew you were able to increase your income over a long period of time through lots of people.

What’s Different Today

Now, though, with the two tier system, the whole concept has changed and is now named network marketing. This means you still have a team to work with so you are not simply selling as an independent direct marketer. But the largest share of the commission goes directly to the person who makes the sale and a much smaller part goes to the team leader.

Now that it’s done this way you wonder why it was ever done differently but if you think about it when you are selling soap or any other lower priced item then volume to the company comes by the ingenious concept of an army of individuals selling a little each with overrides going to the team leaders.

Choosing Your Product - High Priced High Profit versus Low Priced Low Profit

When you choose a product to market either as a direct marketer, network marketer or multi-level marketer you have two choices:

1-Choose a product that requires a huge sales volume due to a low price point and therefore a low profit margin - this type product is easier to sell but requires a lot of volume.

OR

2-Choose a high quality product with high profit margins so you can afford to market and build your business - this type product may be a harder sell but you don’t need the huge volume just to make a profit.

Either way the product itself must be of very high value and high quality and ideally has some name recognition (although it may not if it’s a new product).

All the top network marketing companies are using this two- tier system now where you are paid well for your individual sales and your team leader receives an over ride, much like in the insurance industry.

This really is the only fair way to compensate those who are making the sales and therefore those who deserve it. I was a financial advisor in years past, and this same system was used in that industry as well.

Be Sure to Think Through Your Marketing System

Either way - whether network marketing (the preferred system for many) OR MLM, you will definitely need a marketing system in place because both require large numbers of leads and prospects.

With an online system in place these potential buyers / business owners will be funneled through a process to weed out the buyers and serious business builders from the tire kickers.

Your Team

The marketing team leader must provide methodologies and / or training for generating leads as this will be your primary responsibility. Today it is no longer just rah-rah go out and get them, but rather providing functioning systems with proven results.

You simply cannot expect to build your business just on word of mouth, phone calls and offline strategies.

Now, while the internet does afford you the opportunity to build a huge business that is systematic and automated, it also still requires the personal touch of a live, encouraging person - that would be you. And, of course, that’s much of what you get paid for!

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How to
Stay Focused on Your Home Business Goals
Copyright © Stone Evans, The Home Biz Guy

When you are the owner of a home business, you will find hundreds of
distractions that vie for your time, energy and focus.

Common distractions include: children, family, friends, neighbors,
pets, phone calls, mail, household chores, video games, television,
neighborhood children, visitors, and so many more.

As an owner of a home based business, you must always remember your
purpose in bringing your profession home. What was your reason for
wanting to own a home business? Was your goal to work from home so
that you can share in the lives of your children? Was your goal to
be out from under the rule of a tyrannical boss? Was your goal to
have the freedom to work when it is convenient for you? Was your
goal to make tons of money working for yourself?

Here’s a few good tips that will help you stay focused on your home
business:

TIP #1:
Whatever your reason for going out on your own, you must keep your
reason in the forefront of your mind. If you forget your reason for
starting your own home business, you will not be working for
yourself for long. It is far too easy to let circumstance drive your
activities — and when circumstance is in the driver’s seat, you
are more likely to crash and burn.

TIP #2:
Remember — your own business is a lot like a real job. Some people
go to work to play, some go to socialize, and others — most often
those who are paid in a commission or tip environment — go to work
to work and to make money. When you work for yourself, your salary
is directly proportional to your productivity. Therefore, wouldn’t
it make sense to stay focused on getting as much done in as short of
a period as possible?

Go to work to work and to make money. Leave playtime and recreation
for when your workday has ended.

TIP #3:
When you are dealing with family in the course of your workday, it
is important to schedule your activities as much as possible. With
small children, you must take time when you must, but you should
also work hard to make sure you dedicate a specific number of hours
to your workday.

With older children, it is much easier to tell them that you will be
working between the hours of x and y. Your children and your friends
must understand that certain hours of your day are devoted to the
activities of your business.

TIP #4:
Don’t permit your friends and extended family to run over you. Many
people get the blind idea that if one works from home then they are
not actually working.

Well-meaning people may try to fill your doorway to bring advice
about getting a real job. Others may simply believe that if you are
at home, then you are fair game for chitchat and socialization.

You must stand firm. You must make certain your friends and family
understands that when you are working, then you ARE working! If they
wish to socialize with you, then they need to do it during the hours
that are not dedicated to your home business.

You are the only one who can stand up for you. Your friends and
family will seldom be able to appreciate your dedication to your
home business, unless you make the effort to make sure that they
have the same respect for your business that you do.

TIP #5:
You should allot a certain portion of your day to email and to
regular mail. For example, allot one hour in the morning and one
hour in the afternoon to handling your written communications.

Unless you dedicate certain times to the handling of these
communications, you will soon find yourself on the downward slope of
decreased productivity.

TIP #6:
When you find yourself spending too much time doing non-productive
activities, then you should seriously consider finding a third-party
service provider who will assist you in those non-profitable
business activities.

As an example, you might be in the mail-order business. You might
believe that your time is best spent writing ad copy and setting up
your advertising, but you find yourself spending far too much time
taking care of your books to take care of your advertising in the
manner that you should. In this event, it might make more sense to
hire a bookkeeper to handle your financial records for you.

CONCLUSION:
In the end, the success of your home business is entirely and
completely reliant upon you and the decisions that you make.

You had your reasons for deciding to start your own home based
business. You must always keep your reasons in the forefront of your
mind. You must always be able to rely upon your own self and your
dedication to the success of your business.

Your friends and family might be annoyed that they cannot come visit
upon their own whim, but when success comes to you and your
business, they will better appreciate you for putting your foot down
when necessary.

Success is within your reach, if only you can stay focused on your
goals. You must decide to reach for your goals, and then, you must
have the discipline necessary to reach them.

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Your Home
Business: Turning Pennies into Dollars
Copyright © Stone Evans, The Home Biz Guy

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.

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Advertising Your Home Business on a Budget
Copyright © Stone Evans, The Home Biz Guy

When you are starting out in a new home business and no one knows
who you are, one of the greatest challenges you will face is how to
drum up new business.

If there were not people in your community or marketplace that you
knew who needed your products or services, you probably would not
have started your business to begin with. But, once you have talked
to those who you personally knew who needed your what you offer,
then your next task is to find others who will help keep your doors
open.

Many people know that they must turn to advertising at some point in
the future, but they hope that day will be long down the road. For
some, this utopian concept will come to fruition. But for the rest
of us in the real world, we must come up with creative solutions for
meeting our home business advertising needs while working within our
budget.

Most people have a misconception about having to spend lots of money
in order to advertise their home business. When you start out, you
honestly will not have much money available for advertising, and if
you do, you should still spend it wisely.

Before you jump headfirst into the world of advertising, let me
share some of the lessons I have learned concerning this most
important topic.

LESSON #1

It does not have to cost an arm and a leg to advertise your home
business, unless you fail to plan and fail to test.

As much as is possible, you should always test your advertising. If
you jump in and start dumping tons of money in to advertising
without first testing your advertising, you might find yourself
broke and without sales at the end of the road. Most people who
commit this error write off their failure on the home business they
chose or the economy or any of a hundred other excuses. But, if they
are unwilling to take responsibility for their mistake, they will
never learn from their mistake. Don’t let this be you.

LESSON #2

All testing should be done in blocks. If you begin to advertise
simultaneously in newspapers, radio and television, how will you
know which advertising is bringing people to your cash register? You
won’t. All you will know that something might be working, but you
will not know what is actually doing the trick.

Even if you tell people in your advertising to tell you how they
found you, my experience shows that fewer than 10% of the people
ever will tell you anything — and those people who do may not even
get the facts straight! You cannot rely on your customers to tell
you what advertising is working for your home business. You must put
in the extra effort to know for yourself.

LESSON #3

Only when you have a proven and solid advertising portfolio should
you venture to drop big bucks in an advertising campaign. Even then,
you should be careful to keep further measurements to determine how
much the maximum advantage of an ad would be. Sometimes you might be
able to reach ten times as many people, but depending on the kind of
media and other factors, the additional exposure will only generate
twice as many sales. Keep your eye attuned to situations like this
to get the most from your advertising dollars.

LESSON #4

As Lesson #3 illustrates, sometimes your best advertising investment
may actually cost you less money. When you are first starting out,
whether you are running a home business or a business outside of
your home, you need to be able to get people talking and thinking
about your business.

If you are busy testing ads in media’s such as the newspaper,
magazines, radio, and television, you need to learn ways of
promoting your business that do not require large cash expenditures.
A few examples are:

· Word of Mouth
· Business Cards
· Press Releases
· Non-Primetime Ads on Radio and Television

Here is more information about each type of low-cost advertising:

WORD OF MOUTH

This of course is the cheapest kind of advertising on the planet —
it does not cost you anything. Ask your customers if they know
anyone who could also use your products or services. When they are
happy with your offerings and service, they will be willing to tell
you whom you can contact, and they will pass the word for you.

BUSINESS CARDS

You can usually pick up 500 business cards for about $20. When you
do, hand them out. Do not give more than a couple of cards to each
person. If they need more cards from you, they will ask.

Some people are known to network with others on a regular basis.
Some of these people are also known to be always looking for an
extra few bucks. With these people, you can suggest to them that if
they write their name on the back of one of your business cards and
the card is presented to you, then you will pay a referral fee to
them. You do not have to offer much — sometimes one dollar is
enough. Look at your home business and your offerings and decide how
much would be a good referral fee.

PRESS RELEASES

Press Releases are a good source for generating news about your home
business. The business editor at your local newspaper is always on
the lookout for a good business story to fill the business news
section of the newspaper.

Of course, the business editor understands the economics of running
a paper and is more inclined to run your story if you buy
advertising in his/her publication, but will still print stories for
special events and openings.

The important thing to remember about Press Releases is that it must
be constructed in the form of a news story. Even if you are a sole
proprietorship, quotes from you should be written in a third person
format: John Doe said, “Your quote here.”

A Press Release should pack the most important information at the
beginning of the copy, and leave extra details towards the end.

You should always provide the reporter who gets the task a simple
and easy way for him/her to contact you directly. Often the reporter
will want to contact you to get details that will enhance their take
on your story.

To learn more about creating Press Releases, you may check out Rusty
Cawley’s site: http://www.PRrainmaker.com/

NON-PRIMETIME ADS ON RADIO AND TELEVISION

Believe it or not, some of the best rates for radio and television
are on the overnight and non-primetime venues. These target times
are not a total waste as they can easily keep the infomercial people
in business.

These off-hours are just less populated than the primetime hours.

Don’t be afraid to check your local radio and television rates for
non-primetime hours to see what bargains may exist. With television,
primetime is 7pm to 10pm. With radio, primetime is 8am to 5pm. This
sure leaves a whole lot of hours available to advertise your home
business at discount rates!

IN CONCLUSION

When it comes down to it, there is a lot to understand about
advertising, but when you have the basic knowledge down pat,
everything will fall into place and bring more dollars to your bank
account.

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Children
in the Home Business Environment
Copyright © Stone Evans, The Home Biz Guy

Operating a home business is seldom easy and interruptions come in
all shapes, sizes and forms.

Between the family, friends and neighbors who call or come by, and
the telemarketers who insist on ringing your number off the hook,
getting through the workday can be a real challenge.

When you introduce children into the home office environment, your
productivity and patience can be seriously tested.

For example, right now my three-year old daughter is pulling on my
shirt and begging me to read her a story. Clearly, I’m in the middle
of something important here, but how can I say no to those eyes? Ill
be right back…

Ok, that wasn’t so bad was it? She’s happy, I’m happy (having bonded
with my daughter) and now I’m back to continue my conversation with
you What’s the lesson here? Flexibility is a major key to
balancing your home business priorities with your family’s needs.

I can tell you from first-hand experience that maintaining a deep
level of concentration on work in a home business for long periods
of time is next to impossible. Naptime does offer some reprieve, but
any break from the kids is usually short lived.

Even with older children, summertime introduces new challenges with
kids running in and out of the house all throughout the day.

I would like to share with you some of the tips I have discovered to
help manage your home office with children in your midst. Since
children of different ages pose different challenges, I will present
my tips in terms of age groups.

OLDER CHILDREN AND TEENS

We will look at older children first since they pose the least
challenge to our work productivity.

Children, who are old enough to understand the idea of schedules and
chores, are old enough to understand the needs of your home
business. Explain to your children that you do your work at home so
that you can be near them when they need you. But also be sure they
understand that you must do your work so that you will have the
money necessary to keep your house, feed the family and to provide
them with money for entertainment.

Once your children understand the necessity of your work, then
outline a work schedule and explain it to them. Do make sure they
understand that emergencies are definitely an acceptable reason to
interrupt your work. Then make sure they understand that between
hours x and y, you will be doing work — and then hold them to
respecting your schedule.

INFANTS

Infants will never understand your needs for work. But fortunately,
babies do well under a schedule or routine. Instead of expecting
your child to work around your schedule, schedule your work around
the needs of your baby.

It is simple. Babies eat, sleep and poop. Sometimes they play.
Fortunately, babies sleep more than they do anything else.

Naptime offers the best advantage for getting your work done. Get
your baby into a routine of eat, sleep and play, and you will
experience unexpected levels of productivity.

TODDLERS

If you have a toddler running around the house while you are
operating your home business, then you may find that your hair
turning gray or disappearing altogether. But, gray hair is a sign of
character, right.

I am venturing to guess that the person who devised the door lock
for the inside of the house did so because he had toddlers in his
own home. Inside door locks should only be utilized when you are
making that important phone call and your toddler is screaming for
your attention. At all other times, your door should remain unlocked
with your door open.

Develop a routine with your children for meal times, naptimes, and
play times. Work these times into your work schedule and adhere to
them. If you fail to keep appointments with your children, your
children will have less respect for your work and do more to prevent
you from the completion of your work.

Don’t be afraid to let your children sit in your lap while you are
working. It helps them to feel wanted and it helps them to be a part
of your daily life. There are times when it is okay for them to be
sitting in your lap while you work, and at other times you need them
out of your lap. Don’t be afraid to tell them to get down and go
play or read a book so that you can resume your work.

Permit your children to have their toys in your office. Often they
will sit contently and play while you work. Just knowing you are
near is enough to keep them happy.

Be prepared to take an hourly break to deal with your toddler. Try
to do potty breaks at your hourly break and to do drink refills.
This can help your child grow into a routine that will work well
with your home business. At each break, spend a few minutes with
your child giving hugs and kisses and talking with your child about
what he or she wants to talk about.

Toddlers don’t always do well with the routine, so be prepared to
take a few minutes when needed to give the attention that your child
so desperately needs in the moment.

IN CONCLUSION

I hope these tips serve to help you in the challenge of operating a
successful home business.

My home business permits me to fulfill my financial obligations
*AND* see my children grow up. I would never contemplate trading my
home business for another kind of business. Even with the added
challenges of dealing with toddlers in my home office, the upsides
far outweigh the downsides.

Growing my own home business with children around has definitely
given me a new respect for all people who successfully run a home
business with kids in the work environment. I tip my hat to you…
You deserve it!

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Keeping
Your Email Box Organized & Ready for Business
Copyright © Stone Evans, The Home Biz Guy

Learning how to get the most organization from your email software
is very likely the most important skill you can learn to conduct a
successful online home business.

There are three primary email applications on the market that folks
use to manage their incoming POP3 email. Those three are:

· Microsoft Outlook Express
· Eudora
· Netscape Mail

In order to get the most from your email software, there are three
key processes that you should learn. These processes are concerned
with data organization, saving time and email database management.

SET UP EMAIL FOLDERS

Organization is key to any emails that you intend to save. Having
2000 emails in one folder is a sure-fire road map to confusion and
lost communications and information.

You are the best judge as to how to organize your email into topics
that provide an easy method of retrieval of the information when you
need it most.

Fortunately, the primary email browsers make it easy to organize
your information. By allowing you to create folders within your
email software, you can file specific emails into folders dedicated
to the topic of the email.

To create new folders:

OUTLOOK EXPRESS: 1. Click File - Folders - New —
alternatively, you may also right click an item in the Folder window
— and then type in the name of your new folder. Highlight the
folder above where you would like your new folder to be placed, and
then click OK.

EUDORA: Click on Mailbox - New — or right click on Eudora
in the folders window and then click on New. When the window opens,
type in the name of your new mailbox and click OK. If you want to
create a folder to place other mailboxes into, click the checkbox
before clicking OK.

NETSCAPE MAIL: Click File - New Folder. Then from the
drop-down menu, select the folder that you wish to be the folder
directly above your new folder, before clicking OK.

FILTERING EMAIL

Email filters are a tool to help you save time and frustration. Have
you ever lost an incoming email under the deluge of email coming
into your mailbox? With filters, you can direct the important email
or not-so-important email into certain pre-ordained folders.

As part of the war against spam, most ISP’s use filters every day in
an attempt to keep the spam out of your mailbox. In fact, I even use
filters to sort my incoming mail trying to catch the spam my ISP
missed.

Don’t be fooled into thinking you need some special software to
filter your email. Setting up filters is actually quite easy.

To setup email filters:

OUTLOOK EXPRESS: Click on Tools - Message Rules - Mail. A
wizard will open to help you create your new email filters. Just
follow the instructions provided to direct mail based on certain
criteria into certain folders.

EUDORA: Click on Special - Make Filter. Once again, just
follow the instructions in the Filter wizard.

NETSCAPE MAIL: Click on Edit - Mail Filters. Then click on
New in the wizard. Once you click on New, you will be taken to a new
wizard window. Follow the instructions here, then when you are done,
click on OK. This will return you to the first window where you will
set up the sorting order of your filter.

CLEANING AND COMPRESSING YOUR MAIL DATA

This is an important part of your email management. When you no
longer need an email, it should be deleted. When you first delete an
email, your software will send the email to the Trash Bin. Your
email is not actually deleted until you first empty your trash bin.

Emptying your trash bin compresses the mailboxes from where the
email was originally filed. This is absolutely paramount to the
protection of your email data. If you go too long between
compressing your email data, then your email data could become
corrupted and you might need assistance in recovering your email
data.

Even after you have emptied your trash, Compressing Folders is a
recommended step to prevent other data corruption. Once you
understand that an email does not actually move from one folder to
another until the folder is compressed, then you can better
appreciate this advice.

As an example, when Email A comes into your main Inbox, the data
connected to Email A appears in two files. One file contains the
header and body of the email. The other file contains only the email
header information.

When an email is moved from one folder to the other, only the header
information is actually moved. The body information will not be
deleted from the original folder until which time the original
folder is compressed.

This explains the purpose of emptying the trash AND compressing
folders. If the email was simply moved from the Inbox to another
folder, then emptying the trash is not enough. The original
placement of the email is not actually removed from the file that
contains the body information until the message has been designated
for compression.

To empty your trash:

OUTLOOK EXPRESS: Click on Edit - Empty ‘Deleted Items’
Folder. To compress the remaining folders, click on Tools - Options,
then click on the tab for Maintenance. Then click the button that
says, “Clean Up Now”. Once the compression is completed, click OK.

EUDORA: Click Special - Empty Trash. To compress the
remaining items that need compression, then click on Special -
Compact Mailboxes.

NETSCAPE MAIL: Click on File - Empty Trash Folder. To
compress the mailboxes, click on File - Compress Folders.

I cannot stress enough how important it is that you utilize the
tools for emptying the trash and compressing the mail folders.
Protecting your email data on a regular basis is good practice for
avoiding disaster in your mailbox.

So many of us rely upon our email software to keep our online
business running smoothly. Once you master the tools provided in
your email software, your online business will run smoothly also.

Let me share one important lesson I’ve learned about computer
software. One should never be afraid to try new things. Learning how
to get the most out of your software relies upon your willingness to
dig in and learn how to use it.

Once you learn how to use your software to its full potential, then
your life will be greatly simplified and your effectiveness will be
dramatically improved.

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Networking
Your Home Business within Circles of Influence
Copyright © Stone Evans, The Home Biz Guy

When you need an auto mechanic or an air conditioning repairman,
where do you turn for help? Sure, some people turn to the yellow
pages. But most will turn to friends and family and ask if they know
of anyone who can do the work.

The best place for your business to be positioned is to be the
business on the tips of the tongues of the people asked to make the
referral.

THE 300 RULE

Preachers, funeral directors and people in a few other professions
have learned “the 300 rule” through their own personal experience.

“The 300 rule” states that the average person knows 300 people on a
friendly level. Wedding planners tend to make reservations for 300
guests. Funeral directors tend to need to make room for 300
mourners. You get the idea.

DOODLING WITH CIRCLES OF INFLUENCE

Imagine your circle of friends, family and acquaintances, a.k.a.
your circle of influence. Now, draw your circle of influence as a
circle on a blank piece of paper.

Next, contemplate the people in your parents’ circle of influence.
Some people who know your parents also know you. Therefore, you will
share some influence with the people your folks know. Now draw your
parents’ circle of influence on your piece of paper.

Your circle and your parents’ circle will intersect in one area,
although the larger majority of the two circles will not intersect.
If you are like most people, the two circles on your page at this
point looks very similar to the MasterCard logo.

Now imagine drawing a page full of intersecting circles, each circle
representing the circle of influence of the people who are within
your own circle of influence. Imagine trying to encapsulate an
accurate rendering of where your circle and the circle of your
friends will actually intersect.

Some circles will share a large area of space, while others will
barely cover one another.

Actually, you can only imagine at this point what your piece of
paper will look like. The actual layout of the circles imagined in
this analogy is simply too overwhelming for the mind to comprehend.

THE BIG PICTURE

300 multiplied by 300 equals 90,000. By using the analogy of doodles
in the previous section, the average person can actually network
with up to 90,000 people! Even factoring in the overlap, one can
still probably network with 50,000 people through their own circle
of influence!

Simply amazing, isn’t it?

HERE IS THE SECRET TO YOUR SUCCESS

There are 300 people on this planet whom you have a reasonable
amount of influence. Take advantage of this fact. Make darn sure
that every person within your own circle of influence KNOWS that you
are in business for yourself, and make sure they understand what
your business offers.

When your friend is asked to make a referral, they will recommend
you.

PASSIVE VERSUS ACTIVE REFERRAL NETWORKING

When people ask your friends for a referral and your friend mentions
your business, that is passive referral networking.

Active referral networking is when you can get your friends go
directly to their friends and say “Hey, I have a friend who just
started a business. If you are in need of what he offers or you know
someone who will need his services, would you please give my friend
a call or make the referral to his business?”

If you can get even a portion of the people in your own circle of
influence to actively refer your business, then you have built the
foundation to build an advertising campaign even more effective than
the average local television advertising campaign.

Think about that for a moment.

Most people only dream of reaching 50,000 potential customers with
their television advertising dollars. You now have the knowledge to
reach 50,000 people without spending a single penny.

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Understanding the Difference Between Marketing and Promotion

Copyright © Stone Evans, The Home Biz Guy

Are you an online marketer? Or do you simply promote affiliate
programs? Marketing is truly the most misunderstood word in use
today on the Internet. Let me see if I can clarify this issue just a
bit.

In Marketing 101 at your local university, marketing is actually the
process of Product, Place, Price and Promotion.

PRODUCT

No business can exist without a product or service to sell.

In a nutshell, entrepreneurs are the people who believe in a
product, service or idea, so much that they are willing to invest
their lives into the development of their dream.

Historically, every major corporation in the world was started by an
entrepreneur with a dream and the drive to make it a reality.

However, there comes a time in the life of every corporation when
those who fear the gambling nature of their founder, squash the
entrepreneurial drive that made the company a viable concern in the
first place. The entrepreneur will either submit to the careful
nature of the stockholders, or he will be forced to leave the
company he created.

The only entrepreneurs who withstand the pressure to move more
carefully are those who have maintained majority control over their
companies.

PLACE

In the offline world, place is defined by location. On the Internet,
place is defined by domain name and the web hosting service chosen.

Both online and offline, place can make or break a company without
respect to the quality and value of the product, service or idea.

PRICE

Selecting a price is determined first on a basis of whether the
company wants to be seen as a discount or a value company.

Take for example Wal-Mart and Staples.

Wal-Mart is the lead discounter in the marketplace. Staples on the
other hand is the specialist in office supplies.

Both sell a significant number of office supplies despite the fact
that the lowest price can usually be found at Wal-Mart. As a value
dealer, Staples can afford to charge more for their products than
Wal-Mart.

So the question for you is whether you want to position your company
as a discount or value company.

Testing has shown that products and services can be sold at any
number of prices and still reach a significant number of people.

The challenge of selecting the best price for your product or
service will require a certain amount of testing.

UNDERSTANDING THE PRICING EQUATION

Let’s assume we are selling a product. Let us also assume that we
know that the product can be sold for $10 or $50. Let us also assume
that if the price dips below $10 or rises above $50, then the
product sales fall off significantly.

Our challenge is to determine the best rate at which to sell our
product.

Testing has shown us that we can sell 1000 items a week at $10.
Testing has also shown that we can sell 500 items per week at $50.
And testing has shown that we can sell 650 items per week at $45.

At $10, our projected weekly earnings are $10,000. When we sell the
product at $50, we know that we can earn $25,000 per week. Most
importantly, we know that we can earn $29,250 when our product is
priced at $45.

With the imaginary testing we have done on our imaginary product, we
can easily see that selling our product at $45 per item will earn us
more money over the long haul.

Thus, when we make the decision for a national rollout of our
product, then we will price our product at $45.

Of course, this is a very simplistic analysis of the point I am
trying to make. Though simple, I believe this analogy will help you
understand the methods of developing a product’s prices.

PROMOTION

Promotion, on the other hand, is the process of notifying the
consumers for your product or service of your availability to serve
them.

Methods of promotion vary distinctly and should be arranged to meet
very specific goals.

As with product, place and price, promotion should not be left to
chance. You should test every ad, every media, and every price point
to determine the best bang for your promotional dollars.

HEADS UP!

If you are an online promoter or marketer, please factor in the most
important element concerning the cost of your promotions.

What element is that? Your time!

Value your time at a certain dollar amount, and figure in your time
into the cost of your promotional accounting.

I say this because too many online promoters lose sight of this
concept and spend 20 hours to generate one sale while using free
advertising. Even if you rate your time at the federal minimum wage,
then you will have invested $105 of your time for one sale that
might only net you a gross sale of $45!

ARE YOU TRULY A MARKETER OR ARE YOU JUST A PROMOTER?

Most people who run a business on the Internet call themselves
marketers. Yet, most of these same people are really just promoters
wrapped in the label of a marketer.

True marketers do not promote without a lot of advance work. They
spend time planning, testing and measuring their actions and results
to get the most out of every dollar spent and earned.

Entrepreneurs finesse the art of marketing as they build their
company into a major enterprise.

If you are a promoter who does not keep an eye on the total
marketing equation, then you are bound to fail.

If you do call yourself a marketer, then do what a professional
marketer does. Make sure that every dollar spent is spent well. Make
sure that every dollar earned is put to good use. Market well so
that when the people of the next generation look at your life, they
will see a fine example of a successful entrepreneur that they will
strive to emulate.

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