One of the biggest selling points of a home based business is the System! S-Y-S-T-E-M, Save Yourself Time, Energy and Money. It’s already in place to ensure your success, or at least make it a bit easier for you to succeed. It brings in the all too familiar term, “turnkey.” It’s all about duplication and making things easier for the newest person in the company to get into profit quickly, or duplicate their Enrollers results.

Parts of the system includes scripts, lead generation and pre-built websites, so that when somebody finds your turnkey website, pre-populated with content and pictures, they can submit their contact information. That information then goes into a lead management system that sends out pre-written auto-responders that drip bits and pieces of motivational information about their decision to start a home business.

MY SECOND BIGGEST MISTAKE…..I didn’t build my list and USE it properly.

For the first few years as a network marketer I used their turnkey websites and systems to generate my leads and I allowed those leads to go into their pre-built lead management systems. I took on the belief that once I called that lead and introduced the business to them, whether they got started with me or not, that their information was then useless. The lead was then dropped and I paid it no more attention, at least when it came to continued marketing.

I might as well have been throwing twenty dollar bills down the toilet!!

Although I made my profit from the sale, I missed out on continued, residual profits that can and will come from building your email list. I let tens of thousands of email addresses go to waste….Email addresses for people who were desperate for information on how to make money from home!

A huge part of creating an online presence(Part of my first mistake) is setting yourself up to win regardless. Having a contact form on your site that sends the information captured(email, phone number etc..) into an auto-responder system of YOUR OWN, is where it’s at. You wonder how people can make millions of dollars online with a blog and how network marketers can have continued success regardless of the opportunity they are part of. It’s because the real money, the real income comes from continually marketing to your list of subscribers….people that have opted into YOU and what you have to offer them. And if what you have to offer them is of value…..well….that equals income for you.

Right now, I use AWeber for building my list. In my opinion, it is the best one out there. I did a post a while back on starting an email marketing campaign comparing a few other services. Feel free to check it out.

And feel free to subscribe to my emails to see how I do things. You’ll find the form on the left side of this blog.

So I think my point was made. Do it right the first time. Build the list!

Unfortunately, Network Marketing companies come and go, or, you are someone that comes and goes, bouncing from one company to the next. Although a company seems solid, with a good product and great compensation, there’s no guarantee that it will be around forever.

My BIGGEST mistake as a home business owner, was putting all of my eggs into one basket. I put so much trust in the concept/product/owners of the company I was part of that I didn’t have a back-up plan. Now, if it’s all solid, there are no worries. But, if things go a different direction, if the company crashes, if the products lose their value or if any other variable happens that effects the company, it also directly effects your income. Instead of putting so much into the company, put that focus on the goal.

So imagine that 6 figure income you had managed to create while working your home business, suddenly gone, or significantly reduced. Now, if it was your doing, that’s one thing. But if was a direct correlation to something that happened in the company, that’s an entire different story! Without pointing fingers or taking a victims mentality, how does one recover from something like that?

Here’s how I recovered……I relied on the online presence I had. With the amount of content I have all over the net, the presence in social networking sites and the organic rankings on all major search engines, I had choices. With consistent, FREE traffic coming to my website, this site, a crash of a company wasn’t a complete disaster. All that did was gave me options.

I could…….

1. Join another business opportunity or….
2. Do something else with the traffic I was getting.

I could develop my own products and promote them on my site. I could completely monetize my website with sponsored listing from ad networks such as Adsense. I could continue to capture leads and sell them. I could promote affiliate products on my site. The list could go on and on.

So if you find yourself in a home based business, and you are purchasing leads, spending high dollar on CPC ads or don’t have a web presence, you may want to rethink your strategy. Set yourself up to win regardless of the opportunity.

One thing I teach people about marketing is to use three or four different sources of lead generation. If one or two drop out, you have the other two to rely on until they can be replaced. Without spreading yourself too thin, the same thing applies for your sources of income.

I believe in the Cortez concept of burning your boats, but I also believe in having a back up plan. Expect the best but prepare for the worst and you’ll never find yourself in a hard spot, without options.

Stay tuned for my SECOND BIGGEST MISTAKE in the next post!

Did you know that more than 50% of small businesses don’t have a website? For me, it’s insane to think about running a business without one. Call me an internet nerd, but when I think of starting a business, the first thing I think of taking care of is snagging up a good domain name……not finding investors or establishing an LLC. If I can’t get a good domain name, FORGET ABOUT IT! The business won’t work! I know…I’m weird like that. But that’s how important I feel a website is to a business. Instead of asking for a business card, people often ask for a website. It’s a form of validation and tells your potential customers who you are and what you offer.

And I’m willing to bet that the number of businesses without websites is even higher, including within home based businesses. When I first entered the industry of network marketing, some of the top income earners in the industry were still using solely traditional marketing techniques to generate their customer base: Print ads, billboards and direct mailing. Only after noticing the gradual decline in their income and the gradual incline in those who had a web presence did they inherit an interest to learn. Think about it. How many home based businesses do you know of that depend on house parties and hotel meetings to promote their product or service? And how many of those business truly succeed on an individual basis?

Unless you consider an average of less than a thousand dollars a year a success, not many!

A business without a website is like milk without the cookies…..they’re just not as good by themselves.

I don’t know what keeps business owners from creating a site for their business. Maybe a lack of knowledge or an unnecessary additional expense. Whatever it is, if you’re a small business owner, it is worth the effort. Think about the pros and cons.

Marketing/Advertising Cost = $600/month for a billboard OR ten years for a domain and hosting (for you beginners….a website).

Reach = Potentially world-wide with the ability to be found in first page results, all over the world, for the key phrase of your choice.

Maintenance = Virtually none aside from an occasional blog post or product update. Again…it’s worth it. Give and you’ll get.

Traffic = The chances of someone building a freeway next to your billboard for a drastic traffic spike are slim. There is no limit to the amount of traffic you can receive to a site. And it’s extremely targeted! You’ll never see a billboard go viral like a helpful article online.

If done right, a website for your business can make a VERY significant difference in your results. It’s all about branding yourself and extending your reach. More visitors to your business is a good thing. That’s what a website does….it brings traffic….and traffic equals dollar signs where I come from.

If you are a business owner and need help getting started, let me know. I have assisted business owners create successful small business websites for their business over the last several years. Look at my website as an example. Centered around the Home Based Business industry, I rank first page for key phrases such as home based business and business opportunity, to name a few. To take the first step, Click HERE.

 

Gear up, get ready, do whatever it is you are going to do. If you plan on starting an internet business, home based business or expand your internet presence for your current business, now is the time to take action.

As the holidays come to an end, reality starts to set in for those who had the last week or two off. They start to think of having to go back to work on Monday, and for most people, that’s not what they want to be doing. So what do they do? They start looking for something else that will create a change in lifestyle. Something that will create a little more freedom with their schedule. And you know, most people know there are opportunities in existence that would allow them to work less and make more, yet, they have no idea where to find them or lack the courage to get started. For some, it’s like trying to find a grain of sand in a box of Malt-O-Meal or Cream of Wheat. But even though they have no idea what they are looking for, they will be looking.

Seriously, if you think about it, what time of year do people receive the most desire to change? It’s the beginning of the New Year, and if you’re anything like me, I start to reflect a bit on the past year. In doing so, I find stuff I don’t really like about it, so I set goals to change it. One of the most sought after changes is MONEY CHANGES. People want to make more money, ALWAYS. Money means comfort, lifestyle, family time, freedom, stuff, toys and so on.

I can tell you, being a home business entrepreneur has some amazing perks at the beginning of the year. The other day I had a conversation with someone I know who works for GoDaddy. They mentioned that GoDaddy hasn’t experienced a dip in business AT ALL. They are flourishing! Why?

It because people are looking for other ways to generate extra income, internet based. There is a rush coming. I can promise you that. Find yourself an opportunity that suits you and take advantage of those who will be searching you out. Now is the time to take advantage of the New Years internet business boom. Don’t wait. Get started!

I’ve compiled a few pictures here for a real quick survey. Look at the pictures below and tell me which view you would prefer while working.

Which workspace suits you best?

Workspace #1

Workspace View #2 – Supervisor of Workspace #1

Workspace View #3

Workspace #4 – Getting Better!

Workspace #5 – Very Nice!

Workspace #6 – Priceless! Working from Home!

So which of these work spaces looks the most appealing to you and which of these spaces are you somewhat currently in? Man, if everyone could just get this one concept: You have just as much of a choice to not work where you want as you do in working exactly where you want! So I chose work spaces #5 and #6 nearly 5 years ago. I used to work in something similar to work space #3. I think I definitely upgraded!

So you might ask the question: Is a home based business all it’s chalked up to be? The answer for me: YES! The answer for you: (Fill in the blank)!

So here we are, living the lifestyle of a home based business Entrepreneur. Well, I shouldn’t generalize like that. I am living the life of someone who is part of MY home based business. We are here on the Big Island of Hawaii. We arrived at the Kona airport yesterday the 16th of July, had a driver pick us up (very helpful when you bring your entire family) and are staying until the 27th of July. Nearly two weeks of paradise.

Ok, so you think the Big Island of Hawaii is the cool thing right? Well, you’re right. It is pretty cool. Most people will never be able to do this. I am so blessed. The other cool thing is the fact that I am here with thousands of other like-minded, home business entrepreneurs. Many of them are self-made millionaires. I am surrounded with people like me. These are people that have goals, take action and live a life that less than 3% of people will ever live. That is who I choose to be.

Tomorrow we are planning a trip around the north end of the Island for some site seeing. We’ll hit a few waterfalls and have some awesome photos to show you.

Today I was able to teach my 7 year old daughter how to snorkel. She had a blast and is a complete natural at it. It’s one thing being able to do these things yourself. It’s a completely different thing being able to show your kids how to do it while they are young. I am able, through my business, to give them opportunities that I never had! Awesome.

Aloha!