Sunday, August 31, 2008

Work Your Home Based Business Idea in Three Easy Steps by: Jan Heering / TAB Money Group

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Create a Business Plan first
The primary necessity is to get a perfectly designed plan of action for a genuine business. A business plan on its own is useless. It is a mere reflection, but it will not suffice you also need an action plan. A business scheme is the first step in working out your idea into actions that you can follow. Well-illustrated business plans can be found online or at your library.

Begin now

• Do not be afraid of failure. Remember failure is the first stepping stone to success, if this home based business idea does not work out for you now do not let this deter you. Always remind yourself of the spider when you feel like losing hope.
• Do not let that wonderful home-based business idea gather dust. Start today.
• Waiting for the right time to start your business might make success elude you forever. If there is any specific right time, it is right now. Do not waste your precious time.

Put a figure on it
This is the greatest stumbling block for most home-based business owners. That is, they fail to evaluate their work. If you do not give proper attention to this, you may have to wrap up your business. You need to know that real figures and numbers are needed for you to stay in business. If this is not your agenda of work, you are probably going all wrong.

About the author: Jan Heering is a featured author on TAB Money Group.

Large businesses usually set up balanced scorecards. The idea is to have a referring point to compare how successful your work is. For example, to get five customers in one month you could settle on free seminars but if you see that your plan is not getting you five clients, you need to reassess your plan. Change of plan prevents waste of energy and resources.

©2008 TAB Money Group - All Rights Reserved Money Group Pros

You Never Have a Second Chance to Make a First Impression: Position Your Company Wisely by: Kelly ONeil / TAB Money Group

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One of the most profound statements made on the subject of positioning comes from Louis Carroll's, Alice In Wonderland. When Alice asks the Cheshire Cat which path to take, he responds, "If you don't care where you're going, it doesn't make a difference which path you take."

Your positioning statement is the foundation on which all communications activities are based upon. It is the most important marketing practice, and often the most overlooked. Without clearly defined messages and positioning, promotion efforts are fruitless.

From a management perspective, positioning is the cornerstone of an effective communications plan. A well-crafted positioning statement defines your company's direction. A positioning statement expresses how you wish to be perceived. It is the core message you want to deliver in every medium. The purpose of this is creating clarity, consistency, and continuity in the way your organization speaks to the market. This makes all forms of communications less complex and easier to manage.

Once established your company should actively apply its new positioning statement to all communications (internal and external) - from marketing collateral to sales material, Web sites to press releases. This means that if communications do not support the sought-after positioning or do not include, reflect, address or amplify the positioning statement and key messages, they are off strategy. This positioning process should be repeated as market conditions require, semi-annually is customary.

An effective positioning statement answers seven essential questions:
• who you are
• what business you're in
• for whom (what people do you serve)
• what's needed by the market you serve
• against whom do you compete
• what's different about your business
• what unique benefit is derived from your product or services

Think of positioning as the perception your target audience has of your product. You have total control over this element of your marketing efforts, and it is critical to how you develop the rest of your plan. Planning your service’s positioning must involve taking into consideration such issues as the competition and how their services and products are perceived, the needs and desires of your target audience, and the element of mystique or drama that your product or service naturally has about it.

In crowded markets, it is very important to position your company and products appropriately. Think about the 3000 messages your audience is bombarded with every day! In order to stand out, your product has to have a clear position in your audience's mind.


About the author:
Kelly K. O’Neil is a featured author on TAB Money Group. She is the Chief Strategy Officer for UpLevel Strategies Business & Marketing. Guru Kelly O’Neil is passionate about helping entrepreneurs succeed in business through her Business Mastery Success System. She is the lead author of “Visionary Women Inspiring the World: 12 Paths to Personal Power” (Skyward, 2005) and is writing her second book Guerilla Business Strategy with mega-marketing genius Jay Conrad Levinson. Kelly’s company received several awards for her exceptional work including the PR Compass award for outstanding Public Relations, The ADDY Award for Branding and recently received the Purple Cow Award acknowledging her company as one of the Most Innovative Companies in America by best-selling author Seth Godin. For more information, or to subscribe to O'Neil's Arrive! E-newsletter filled with countless tips and resources for creating more profit in your business, visit http://www.uplevelstrategies.com. Please contact UpLevel Strategies at (408) 615-8150 for a Complimentary 30 Minute Strategy Session.

©2008 TAB Money Group - All Rights Reserved Money Group Pros

Time Management For Your Home Business: 7 Ways To Win The Time Crunch by: Ken Leonard Jr / TAB Money Group

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Are you working a day job while building your home based dream business? Do you find it difficult to manage your time? Follow these seven tips to get more done growing your business, and have more time for other important things in your life, too.

1) Make And Use A To Do List Daily.

It's easy. Tonight, write down the tasks you need to do, in order of importance (revenue generating tasks first), on a 5x7 index card and tape it to your desk or computer. Tomorrow, do them one at a time, starting at the top of your list. Place any tasks that aren't completed at the top of the next day's to do list before you go to sleep. Seeing that list at the end of the day with everything (or mostly everything) scratched off is a great feeling.

2) Schedule Your Time For The Day.

Make note of your free time (non day job time) and schedule a block for each major activity that you need to do. Save the more involved tasks for the time of day when you are fresh and alert. Try your best to adhere to the schedule, but be flexible. Don't stress out when you run out of time and get off schedule. Over time you will know how much time a task will take to complete and will be able to plan for it better. Remember, this schedule is only a tool for you to set aside time for what you need to do. It's not intended to have a negative affect on you, but it could if you don't be realistic.

3) Do Not Disturb.

Make sure that your most productive periods are free from interruptions. Close your office door if you have to. Plan to use this work time when household distractions will be at a minimum. When the kids go to their grandparent's house. When your husband shoots pool with the guys. When your wife goes shopping. If you have to hang a sign on your office door, do it. You'll be surprised how much more you get done.

4) Make Time For Your Family.

Quality time with your family should not be sacrificed in order to build your home business. If you make time regularly for your spouse and children, they will be able to deal with your No Disturb sign without feeling neglected. Don't be the parent that the kids never see.

5) Take Your Work With You.

If your day job leaves you with slow periods when you do little or nothing, use this time to your advantage. Lunch breaks or smoke breaks can add up to some valuable time by the end of the week. Always carry the tools that you need to do your work with you. Don't go anywhere without your "idea notebook" and pen. Be prepared.

6) Automate Or Hire Out Tasks.

Computers and the internet allow you to automate certain tasks that were once time-consuming manual chores. Use autoresponders to deal with repetitive email questions. Use modern accounting and word processing programs that help you be organized and save you time. Use a list management service/program to make it easier to stay in contact with your prospects and clients. Don't be afraid to hire out some of your most time consuming tasks such as writing, proofreading and product creation. The pros do it, and so can you.

7) Time To Relax.

Don't kill yourself trying to work a day job and build a home based business at the same time. You need time to totally escape from your daily duties occasionally. Exercise is one of the best things you can do for yourself, while helping to manage stress. Don't sacrifice your health for business sake. Take that drive to the beach and walk a mile. Play basketball with your friends. Or just sit outside under a tree and read that new mystery you've been wanting to read. A clear head will do wonders for your productivity.

If you give it a try, you'll see that IT IS possible to solve "the time crunch". Be organized and know what your total work load includes. Think about spending less time watching television, or on other useless activities. Don't forget your family. Even though you are working hard, make sure you are having fun. If you don't love what you are doing, don't do it. Because enjoying life is what it's all about, right? You bet.

About the author: Ken Leonard Jr. is a featured author TAB Money Group.

©2008 TAB Money Group - All Rights Reserved Money Group Pros