Archive for the ‘Business - Entrepreneur’ Category
Making Money Online: 3 Myths About Internet Marketing that Can Trap Beginners
September 6th, 2010
Millions of people turn on their computer every day with the hope of making a good income online. Many do so for the very first time because they’ve heard stories of people making money online and they want to capture their share. The statistics are rather alarming as to the failure of many of these start-ups as it’s been said that 90 percent of these new businesses fail within the first 120 days.
People are making money online, but in order to be sure that you are not one of those who fall into those statistics, let’s look at three myths and how to avoid them:
Myth #1: When I work for myself I have total freedom; I no longer have a boss:
- True, when you work for yourself you do enjoy more freedoms, but freedom is relative, not total. You will have freedom to choose the hours that you work, but you do have to work at and in your business. You may find that in the beginning you may need to put in almost 40 hours in working for yourself to get your business to the point where you can work only 2-3 hours per day.
- Regarding the myth that you no longer have a boss, you would be highly mistaken. YOU are your boss! You will no longer have someone else prodding you and telling you what you need to do, but you will need to adopt the mindset of a boss very quickly. You will be required to make decisions that will affect your business, yourself, and your family, if applicable. Developing management skills Read the rest of this entry »
Goal Setting and Achievement Help to Boost Your Self-Confidence
August 31st, 2010
The biggest reason most people fail to reach their goals is a lack of action. The fact that you have taken the time to write your goals on paper, identified the areas in your life that you would like to see these goals realized, and determined what steps you need to take to achieve them means that the only step left is to take action.
Goal setting can build your self-confidence when you achieve the goals you’ve set and are able to measure the process. This gives an overwhelming sense of achievement and is a confidence booster because you are now able to quantify what you have accomplished and can conceive reaching for higher goals and perhaps greater challenges.
It’s important to set performance goals rather than base your success on ‘outcome’ goals since achieving them may involve unforeseen circumstances over which you have little or no control.
When you’ve achieved a goal, take time to enjoy the satisfaction to enjoy it, note what worked and did not work for you and continue to learn from every successfully completed goal in your life and your business.
Set Goals in Your Life and Business to Make Your Dreams a Reality
August 31st, 2010
One of the things I’ve had on the wall in my home office for several years is a poem that I found a long time ago. Every now and again I need to remind myself of why I need to focus on goals that I’ve set in various aspects of my life and the poem reminds me. I’d like to share it as you may find that it encourages you as well. Unfortunately I’ve never been able to find who the author is but if you’ve seen it before and know, please share.
SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE ARE DREAMERS WITH GOALS
Your dreams are you vision of where you’ll be after the battle,
your prize at the end of your journey to success.
Your goals are the steps you take to finally attain your prize.
Unless you’re willing to work hard and establish some discipline in your life,
all of your dreams will be pipe dreams,
little mental fantasy trips that will never materialize.
Make concrete steps toward fulfilling your ultimate dream,
and start with solid objectives and goals.
Your dreams are where you want to go,
your goals are how you get there.
The indispensable first step
to getting the things you want out of life is this:
Decide what you want.
Don’t be afraid to think big and dare to be great.
Dreamers are not content with mediocrity.
They never dream of going halfway.
People with goals succeed because they know where they’re going.
Are you a dreamer or a goal-setter? Dream big, but set the goal to achieve the dream!
Two Reasons Why Customer Follow-up is a Good Business Strategy
August 31st, 2010
Customer follow-up is an area that is important in any business, but is critical to anyone in any type of sales.
1.The Invisible Sign - Mary Kay Ash taught that she imagined that everyone wore an invisible sign around their neck that says “Make Me Feel Important.” Isn’t this really true about ourselves even if we don’t readily admit it? We know it has value because when we are made to feel special by someone else, and especially at a place where we spend our money, we remember it.
Business owners – entrepreneurs must promote ideas and implement strategies to ensure that each customer is made to feel special. Ultimately each business owner has to determine which ideas Read the rest of this entry »
How to Attract More Visitors to Your Website by Giving Away Valuable Products
August 30th, 2010
People have been known offline to make a big fuss about huge ‘Giveaways’ that turn out to be very disappointing for many customers because the item that was given was of poor quality or of very little value.
What about those of us who work online? What should we give away, and how can giving away valuable products help to attract more visitors and ultimately business to our website?
The most important thing to keep in mind is that whatever we give away, whether it’s a free report, an e-book, e-course, teleseminar, etc. should be of good quality and value. Someone may reason that it does not make sense Read the rest of this entry »
How to Use Yahoo! Answers to Attract Traffic to Your Website
August 30th, 2010
The main concern and goal for everyone who markets a business online is to get traffic or people visiting their website. In most cases that website will be a blog, but your online business may also promote an e-Commerce website
To keep your visitors coming back to your site so they can get to know you, they need to feel that you are an expert on your topic, or at least that you have a good grasp of your niche and can provide good content and advice.
One place you have the opportunity to demonstrate your expertise and lead them back to your website in at Yahoo! Answers (http://answers.yahoo.com). Questions on various topics are asked and answers are given. People are Read the rest of this entry »
Working From Home: 5 Tips to Keep Yourself Energized as a Home-Based Entrepreneur
August 30th, 2010
Working from home is the ideal work environment for many; it’s a necessity for some; while others are unwilling work-from-home women or men, having been forced to create their own businesses because of a variety of factors.
Regardless of your reasons for working from home it’s important to recognize that there are elements that can rob you of your energy, cause mental and physical fatigue, and how to avoid them:
1. Not enough sleep: Experts recommend at least 6-8 hours sleep every night for you to function at your peak performance each day. Studies indicate that the average American gets only about 4 hours sleep.
2. Lack of exercise: Exercise is an energy booster because it stimulates the free flow of blood and oxygen Read the rest of this entry »
Timeless Principles: A Review of Leadership Principles in Chapters 1-5
August 28th, 2010
In 2003 Mary Kay Ash was awarded the title of Greatest Female Entrepreneur in American History, and a Wharton/PBS Study named her one of the 25 greatest business leaders of our time.
It therefore follows that the principles outlined in the book, “The Mary Kay Way:Timeless Principles From America’s Greatest Woman Entrepreneur“ can be applied to anyone –male or female– who has to deal with people and is aspiring to build a successful business.
1. Embrace the philosophy of the Golden Rule as a daily guide for business interactions with fellow employees and personalized customer service. The result is a commitment to excellence and the foundation for every leadership decision. Based on Matthew 7:12.
2. Good leaders should never have dollar signs in their eyes, regarding people merely as profit. Rather, the concern should be how you can help each person to reach Read the rest of this entry »
Being Known as the Expert is Good – Earning Trust and Respect is Better
August 28th, 2010
This article was written by me and published on EzineArticles.com in August 2009.
Many people who embark on Internet Marketing have an intense desire to become known as “The Expert” in their particular niche. This desire is fed by claims that once you are known as the Expert your list will grow exponentially and you’ll be able to monetize your list. There is basically nothing wrong with wanting to become known as the “Go To” person in a niche, and in fact, is a very good thing. However, is that enough?
Marketing on the World Wide Web offers endless opportunities and there are countless stories of amazing successes, but as large as the web world is, it is also a small world because it’s just as easy to lose credibility as it is to gain it. Stories abound of questionable marketing tactics like someone pre-selling a product that they had not even begun to work on and giving a deadline that they know will be impossible to meet? What about ordering a product from a well-know marketer and three months later it has not been received? You may be good at what you do; design tools to make it easier to do amazing things on the internet, but what about your reputation? What about your know, like and trust factor?
It’s well-known that people do business with people they know, like and trust. They may know someone because of their being known as an Expert in their niche, but they personally have to develop Read the rest of this entry »
Are You Like the Bumblebee In Your Home-Based Business:Part II
August 27th, 2010
In Part I of this topic I introduced the bumblebee as well as featured one of it’s characteristic: it’s wings in relation to it’s body. You may read Part I on how home-based businesses can benefit from the bumble bee by clicking on this link.
Another characteristic of the bumblebee is that it’s a “social insect.” Like honeybees they form colonies, only smaller. Their colonies typically have anywhere from 50 to 200 bees at the max.
How can entrepreneurs who work from home in offline businesses be part of a colony or group? Like the bumblebee, entrepreneurs need the association and support of like-minded groups. In fact, groups do not have to be like-minded because these can open horizons and provide a different perspective on your business, therefore enhancing your current business and introducing other opportunities.
Even in small towns there are business groups like the Chamber of Commerce, Rotary Clubs, the Jaycees, Business Network International (BNI), one of the most supportive business networking groups. There are also other local networking groups, which are not to be confused with meetings for a particular MLM or direct sales group. These are meetings attended by entrepreneurs and small business people Read the rest of this entry »
