Managing your home office and business(es). Discuss organization and planning (time management) etc.

Managing Your Home Business. Discuss setting goals, strategies and mindset.

* April 19, 2009 1:00 PM – PDT
Writing Copy for Internet Marketing Part I

Learn How to write compelling ad copy using SEO principles. Use simple writing techniques for sales letters, blogs and article marketing. Pt I of II

* April 26, 2009 1:00 PM – PDT
Writing Copy For Internet Marketing Part II

Learn How to write compelling ad copy using SEO principles. Use simple writing techniques for sales letters, blogs and article marketing.

Here is the deal. You just need to join Veretekk for free to attend the free classes. You will also be able to attend other trainers classes which are on the calendar. No upgrade ever required for training.

Click Here to Join Free.

After you join, log in a few minutes before the class starts.

* At top RIGHT it says ‘VereTraining’ – double click
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The first time you will need to download the free online conference software – this is automatic and just takes a few seconds.

Patricia Brucoli
http://www.Veretekkian.net
Web Conference Room Live Online Training

Forums are often full of great content, which the search engine spiders really love and the way this works for creating one-way links is simple. People write messages, usually called posts, which appear online. For example, they might post a question (”How do I get my ads to stand out marketing online?”) or an opinion (”I just love the new affiliate program, CashQuick”) and other people can then reply to these posts and as time goes by one single question can turn into pages of comments. A post with replies are called “threads”. 

The most obvious way you may think, to increase traffic to your website is to post often to a message board promoting your site. Absolutely NOT NOT!  Don’t do this – Ever. Moderators of the forum, as well as the other more seasoned members treat this kind of unsolicited advertising as spam and get very angry with people who post them. So don’t! All you are likely to get is humiilation and reproach, not to mention a bad name ‘in the business’. You may even get complaints to your ISP, or affiliate program manager, asking to shut down your site if you are really prolific at spamming.

Forums always like to have more new members. If there’s a subject you’re interested in or knowledgeable about, then join some popular message boards and take active part in the discussions. Be a part of their network and then their perspective will be a favorable one to your cause. Don’t exploit, just be a real person.

Most forums allow their members to have a signature, with a link to their own website, or maybe even affiliate sites. This is where this strategy kicks in and  how you get your one-way inbound links.

Message board seeding, as this technique is known as, will help you in a couple of ways, since people on the boards will come to know and trust you. Some will look at your site out of interest and next time they need a service similar to yours they may contact you.

 …And more importantly, every time you post on a forum you will be creating a link to your website. This will improve your page rank and help push you further up the search engine ladder, as having a lot of one-way inbound links are one of the most important aspects of Search Engine Optimization (SEO).

When you link to your site, make sure the anchor text (link text) you use contains your main keywords. If you own a Horse Ranch in Texas, your anchor text should be Horse Ranch Texas not XYZ Shopping.

Remember, though don’t spam. Posting 100 messages to 1 message board won’t have the same effect on your rankings as if you posted 10 messages on 10 different message boards.

Make sure you choose message boards that match the kind of business you are in. Keep it targeted! If you are an Internet Marketing Affiliate, you should post on message boards about Internet Marketing or Affiliate Programs – not on message boards about pet care or recipes.

Another, even more valuable, but more work intensive strategy for creating one-way links, is to write and publish online articles and blogs, using your anchor text and URL in your signature.

Patricia Brucoli
Internet Marketing Strategies
http://www.the3rdpartynetwork.com

 

Are there drawbacks to working at home? NOT LIKELY!  Can you handle working alone? YES! I get along much better with my co-workers.

Okay, no problem, guess I will have to come up with something, as I am unaccustomed to so much bliss in the workplace!  I love it so much that I can’t stop until I am literally blurry-eyed EVERY NIGHT! I log in first thing 8-9:am and go home to the living room about 11:00pm and even later sometimes.

Of course, I do take frequent breaks throughout the day, but they are getting shorter and shorter. I do know when I have reached the maximum amount of information that I can process – and I force myself to watch a movie or lay down, or go shopping, but I rush back as soon as possible! I was never this enthused when I was ‘punching a time clock’.

Wait, I thought all these home business schemes are called ‘autopilot’ – well, yes, they really are – but just like the sports cars of all our dreams, autopilot is ’someday’ – a goal to shoot for. In the beginning there is so much to read, so many things to set-up, that will be awhile before you can lounge around all the time – but yes – it is true with an online home business you can and do ‘make money while you sleep’!

To clarify, especially with ‘affiliate programs’, everything really is done by the entity that you represent – they do the customer service, the order fulfillment, the technical support, the billing and payment process, the inventory – all of it. If you have your own business entity websites then you will have lots more to do.

Well, what do I do then, other than run ads, check email and track stats and try to figure out the latest traffic strategy? Somehow, with all the drudgery taken care of, I have come to a place where I can think and become creative! I hate to admit it, but working for yourself there is a lot more impetus to excel in what you are doing, than when working for some ungrateful, grumpy mega-corporation.

My websites give me more pleasure than even a new outfit used to! This – from a natural woman, ‘born to shop’! I get so much gratification everytime I add a banner, or do some other little modification! I have limited technical skills, so it makes it even more gratifying when I figure out how to do something. Lately, even just looking at my websites gives me pleasure!

Having said all that, I hit the wall last week – I got on the freeway to go to a relative’s house in the hills for the holidays, and when someone 1/2 mile ahead of me put on their brakes, I slammed on mine, going 65 miles an hour – as if I would have rear-ended them if I hadn’t. I almost caused the poor guy in back of me to hit me, speaking of rear-enders.

I didn’t realize what had happened until he came around me to shake his fist and other parts of his hand at me: My eyes are fried! I wear reading glasses that magnify everything – with so many 12 hour, 7 day weeks glued to my home office PC monitor, it has really distorted my depth perception.

It was also difficult reading those huge highway signs! This has never been a problem before, and I actually at one time not too long ago had better than 20/20 vision far away. I made a vow when I got where I was going, that other than driving home in a few days, I was not going to drive again on the freeway unless I could get some correction in my vision, be it driving glasses or even lazer surgery!

On the other hand, convinced I was going blind, I sat for a couple days in a house where there is no internet connection. Thankfully, by the end of my stay, my eyes had finally rested enough to adjust from virtual to reality. But the lesson is still there, and the horror that I could have caused an accident.

Bottom line, don’t love your home business so much that you harm your eyes. Get up every hour or so and stretch; and don’t forget one of the oldest lessons in ‘ergonomics’ – look at something far away for at least a few minutes, while you are up, so that your eyes don’t get fried at 16 inches or so between you and your PC. Remember that your monitor should not be positioned where you have to look up or look down at it – you should be looking straight ahead.

OK, so working at home is not perfect, unless you can stop loving it too much to stop! Happy, healthy, home business computing!

Feel free to publish my article, as long as you acknowledge me as the author and include my links. Thanks!

I first realized that organization is the key to accomplishing any goal, when I was trying to write my resume’ objective for the final day job I would need to keep myself afloat, while building my home business.

In looking for that ’skill I have that is most important to my success’, it all boiled down to my oganizational skills. That’s how I survived and excelled in the multi-tasking environment so prevalent in today’s corporate workplace. This is how I kept my sanity and at the same time completed multiple tasks that were all in various stages.

Later, when I began developing my home business, I quickly became overwhelmed with ‘information overload’. There are so many things to learn about the many resources for marketing a home business on the internet, and so many different technical processes to maintain my websites. Then there are all the different ‘guru’s’, the different marketing strategies different aspects (reciprocal linking, search engine optimization, HTML code, etc.), and learning each related computer application.

In the middle of what must be somehing like madness, I realized my need for structure – something that would allow me to focus again. There was just too much to do, even being at my PC 12 or more hours a day was not enough. So, I just started wasting time – playing online games, watching TV, just spacing out, hoping that when the room stopped spinning, there there would be calm.

This is called procrastination, and it should never be the answer – it is suicide to any goal, and murder on the self-esteem. However, in the state I was in, I did need to step back and get my bearing. Stop the world, I want to get off – just for a second!

Although in starting my home business, what I was learning to be was an entrepreneur, and my own boss, I realized that although I had for many years been ‘a self-starter, working alone with little or no supervision’ in the corporate world, there was still some structure there that I depended on. I had somewhere to start, in other words.
Databases that had been created and used, procedures, forms, processes that had been implemented – somewhere to start.

This is something I needed to have at home, in order to get back on track. In another life time, I would have thrown up my hands and just thrown in the towel! Ahhh, this is too much, I need a life! This is more trouble than it’s worth! I can’t handle it! — All kinds of self-defeating expressions. However, this time, I really, really wanted to make my home business work. I realized that I would have to deal with this whole body of information IN CHUNKS. 

Look at the small pictures here, not the big one! It’s just too overwhelming! It is feasible that you will be able to finish one chunk every day or so, and feel gratified that you are making progress; whereas who knows how long it will be before you have been able to work your way through the piles of paper (if you indeed ever do!).

So, I asked myself, ‘how can I get the structure happening here in my home office’? I answered myself, ‘how did you handle the hectic chaos in the corporate world?’ The answer is to first organize the information. In this day of high tech everything, you may laugh, but almost everything, at least to begin with, is very low tech, very old- fashioned. Here are some essential tools and techniques that will help to calm your mind, and slow you down long enough to get a grip and get back on track.

First of all, carve yourself out a space for your home office. If you are not fortunate enough to have a room for your office, whatever space you have, make it ONLY for your home office. Perhaps just a table, your PC equipment, files, a good light, a good chair, etc.

Second of all, keep in mind the old adage, ‘everything has a place, and everything in it’s place’. Is a big pile a ‘place’? No, that’s not a place. Why? Because it’s a disorganized mess! However, I will concede, if it is a place where only all your things ‘to be referred to in the future’ go, at least it’s a start. So your pile can be a place that you know where to look when you need to find something. However, just project a month from now – it’s getting bigger and bigger, isn’t it? Will you need an archeaologist in another year?

Mind you, you do not need to become a slave of organization. Once you get organized, you can just re-org quarterly or even semi-annually. (go ahead start a NEW pile)

Essentials:

Calendars & To-Do Lists: I jot down things that come to my attention that are pending now or in the near future, with all the details. If I have a ton, I am careful not to give myself too many things to do in one day, and spread them out in reasonable ‘chunks’ of time. When they are completed, they are crossed out or checked off. (note here: if you put everything in the world on your to do list it will disorganize your thoughts and make you feel like you are not getting anything done – have a short-term and long-term to do list).

Folders: These can have either specific titles, by vendors, (marketing.com, searchengines.com) or real broad categories, by subject (marketing, search engines, leads, etc.). The folder concept is also relevant for your PC – Under the /mydocuments “folder”, I have folders for vendors, for subjects, my ebooks, leads, vendors, banners, etc. I also organize my email account in the same way.

Racks and Milk Crate boxes: This is where the folders live. I use both extensively. I have a rack on my PC workstation for immediate priorities. Then I have the milk crates in two or more categories – Some with all the folders (in alphabetical order) that I currently use. Over in the corner I have towers of these boxes with information I want to keep, but don’t use regularly. (Later, when you are ‘rich’, you can buy fancy oak filing cabinets and bookshelves).

Paper Clips, Stapler, Rubber Bands: These are good for organizing within the folders, as well as for related papers that have not reached the level of deserving a folder – such as some programs you are researching, but have not yet determined to purchase or join. Clips can also be used inside the folders, e.g., for a marketing program, I clip together the flash pages and introductory information about the program, (cynically, so I can prove what they promised), with the confirmation page from the sign up form and payment receipts; then I clip together the welcome letters with the user Ids and log on information. From there, I just stuff all related papers going forward.

When a program goes out of favor, but you still want to keep the information, it loses the luxury of having its own folder – it gets demoted to a rubber band, and goes in the outer limit storage boxes. You can then reuse the folder. I hope that this helps keep you organized and and that you work your ay through the mass of paper to find true success! 

 

 

 

Where do you start?  You would think you would be most successful finding a niche that is something you are interested in. There is a theory that you will do best at something you like.

However, there is another theory and it is from people who have actually turned a part-time home business into a successful mega-corporation, and they say you should research the market – find out what it is that people are looking for (the market) and then get the product that they want! Most people go about it backwards, and therein lies the error of their ways.

If you are really lucky, you will be able to do both – that is if you like what most people like! This would work maybe for something to do with sports or health that the average person is interested in or concerned with.

You need to determine the level of involvement that you want in your home business – do you want to do it as a hobby to make some extra money? Do you want to devote a specific amount of time (part-time) while you continue to work at a full-time job? Or do you want to quit your job and work from home?

A great way to get your feet wet in home business,  especially if you are not sure what you want to do yet, and/or don’t have ANY start-up capital to speak of, is affiliate marketing.  This is an ingenius way to start a home business, and is great for the company as well as the affiliate, as it serves a need for both sides with little commitment or investment on either part.

There are both companies that you pay a membership to belong, and a great many that are absolutely free to join. The company runs the main website and does customer service, technical support, has the inventory, runs the payment gateway, processes the order and ships it.

The affiliate is given an ‘affiliate link’ which is a URL which identifies their member number.  The company may link this URL to the main website, or have what are called ’splash pages’, which are one page ’sites’ that have a sales letter.  They also may supply banners, email letters, text ads, etc. that the affiliate may use to promote the company.

The affiliate is not an employee of the company, and as such is not paid a salary or wage.  At their own expense, they will market and advertise their affiliate URL through a variety of methods, ranging from online to offline- e.g., classified ads, newsletters, ezines, email campaigns, brochures, flyers, etc.

When the affiliate is successful in compelling a prospective customer to click the affiliate link, and to purchase the service or product from the company/website using that link, then the company pays the affiliate a commission.  Some commissions are as high as 75%!

One could even use this method to make money that would be then invested into the home business of your dreams, for instance selling those cute widgets you love to create.

 

Did you know there is a difference? Well, there is. “Work-at-Home” denotes something that you can just sit down and do, maybe for a small fee or other charge. Examples of this would be when you do paid surveys, mystery shopping, etc. With some of those you buy a database that has companies that will pay with either cash or prizes, for your opinion. These are fun to do – even without the money, I would like someone to care about my opinion – and who knows maybe some companies make improvements based on the answers!

“Home Business” on the other hand, usually means you are actually starting your own business working from home. If this is an “online home business”, it can include having a domain name, a website, marketing programs, link programs, advertising programs, etc. There is more than a small investment of time and money.

This doesn’t mean, however, if you don’t have a lot of money, or even a lot of time, that you can’t start a home business. The beauty of working for yourself, is you can do as little or as much as you want to! You can go at your own rate of speed! Unless you do have a lot of money, however, I wouldn’t advise quitting your day job right off the bat (as great as that sounds!).

The first rule of thumb with either “work at home” or “home business” is to completely obliterate in your mind any hype of getting rich overnight, driving expensive cars, and sitting around all day by your new pool. On the other hand, there is no reason to mistrust every single opportunity because so many are deceptive and misleading in this regard.

There is no reason with either option that you can’t make money, either part-time or full-time. However, with “Home Business”, just like any business, there are going to be expenses. This is a fact of life. If you are serious and determined about wanting your own business, however, you will find a way, one way or another to do whatever you have to do. At least in the USA, your business expenses are tax deductible if you itemize your taxes. Simple as that. If you stick to it, you will do it!

Something in between “Home Business” and “Work-at-Home” is something called “Affiliate Marketing”. This is truly an ingenius and advantageous situation for both the affiliate and the affiliate program. Join one or start one. Or many! There are few start-up costs other than marketing expenses for “affiliates”.

This is the perfect way to get started in an internet business. The program gives you an affiliate ID and free advertisements – such as a ’splash page’, and all you do is refer people to the splash page. The program does everything else – customer service, membership services, drop-shipping, payments, etc. If someone joins the program or buys a product from your link, you get a commission!

Affiliates are good for the program because they do the marketing at their expense and are not an ‘employee’, and as such they are not paid unless they sell something or refer someone. Can you see where they are getting a lot of free advertising? For the ‘affiliate’, he or she may be someone who has the desire, but not yet the expertise – maybe has no idea WHAT to do to earn money online, but just knows they WANT to! It’s a great thing that they can get in on the action without having a program or product of their own to sell!

In every case, there are plenty of free and inexpensive resources to use for markeitng and advertising while you ‘get your feet wet’. These are classified ad sites, safelists, traffic programs, search engine submission, reciprocal linking, etc. The idea is to get going with whatever you’ve got. Save your pennies, and when you get affiliate commissions, referral fees, sales commissions, reinvest it in more effective advertising. Maybe even do work-at-home jobs to generate cash for investment in your home business!

Long story short, YOU CAN DO IT IF YOU WANT TO! Instead of commuting and fighting traffic on the freeway – drive traffic on the internet from the comfort of home and make money. Start it up in your spare time and see how it goes…

You can use this article as long as you acknowledge I am the author and put my site links with the article.

 

It’s never too early to start putting your home business tax receipts and records together. Why wait and then be in a state of chaos! Why wait until April 14th? I don’t know about you, but when I am expecting a refund, I do my taxes the minute I get my last W2, 1099 or receipt in hand – usually by February 1!

It really helps to keep these records in one place all year. January 1, I clear out the previous year, from my ‘taxes’ folder, put them in a big envelope, and start tracking again for the new year! The folder contains, for instance,  credit card statements, bank records, paypal activity reports, office supply receipts, prescription receipts, utility bills, and all other documentation to support my deductions.

The other thing you want to think about ahead of time, is how much you will pay a tax preparer if you plop a big box of papers down on his or her desk, to sort it all out. Extra. It’s bad enough what they charge for the various forms you will need to go along with your regular tax return. So if you are organized, you will save money, as well as feel better!

Also in January, I create a simple spreadsheet, that details who i paid, for what (by category), the amount I paid, and the date. (Categories may include advertising, membership dues, office supplies, computer services, technical support, utilities, instruction, etc.)

Each column has a simple formula to keep the total spent for each category and a grand total. In that these formulas automatically recalculate whenever you make a new entry, I can  keep track of how much was being spent going along.

When you itemize deductions for a home business, you also can deduct a percentage of rent for your office space – as long as this space is only used for your business. It can be square feet in a common area, but some advise if it is a room with a door that this is best. You can also take a percentage of your phone, electric, and computer services and maintenenace. Computer maintenenace includes software applications, such as spyware, virus protection, etc. Computer services include web hosting, domain name registration fees, tech support, internet access, etc.

You can also deduct prescriptions and money spent for medical care or insurance. You can deduct fees for your car, such as registration and license fees. You do not need to use your car in your business to the extent that  a traveling salesperson would, but even if you use the car to purchase office supplies, etc., this is legitimate.  Of course, bridge tolls and gasoline used in the course of your business are also deductions.  Another car related deduction is if you have your logo or advertising for your business on your car, there is a greater advantage. This is because even going to the grocery store, you are advertising. This is legitimate.

If you take any courses or pay for marketing or other business related seminars, in print or other media, these are deductible as well.

There is always the other side, too, where you keep a home business spreadsheet with your income – commissions, fees, etc., with the same broad categories, who, what, when, how much was paid.

If you not only look forward to your refund, but depend on it for survival, I suggest you set up a direct deposit. It greatly speeds up the process, as well as ensures your money will not get temporarily or permanently ‘lost in the mail’.

The IRS has a great website where you can download forms, schedules and instructions, so you know to dot your I’s and cross your T’s (and to be sure you are getting adequate and fair service from your preparer). http://www.irs.com/  .  Having said that, I strongly caution you to have documentation for every deduction you take and to discuss any ‘gray areas’ with a professional tax advisor that you don’t understand. They may not ask to see your ‘proof’, but the IRS might.

The laws change, but as of last year’s tax laws (2005), the word was that the IRS will allow you to deduct losses – that is if your expenses outpace your income as they usually will in a start-up, for 3 years. If after 3 years you are still not in profit, I believe they will call your business a ‘hobby’, and as such you would not be entitled to deduct your business expenses.

It is a great feeling to know your government supports your efforts to start a business by allowing you to recover a percentage of your business expenses. Don’t abuse the privledge, not just because you have ethics, and you don’t want to pay a fine or penalty, but because once a small business or home business has anything irregular or questionable come to their attention, I have heard they will audit you for many years to come.