Now I’m sure that most of us have either heard, or even personally known a family that has been damaged because the husband/father pours all of his time and efforts into a job or career. His wife never sees him. His children don’t know him. He may try to make up for it with all kinds of “worldly” gifts, when all the while what is really needed is him to be there.

I know what you are thinking. This couldn’t, or shouldn’t, happen with a home based business. I am here to tell you that it not only can, but also it does. It doesn’t matter if the husband/father is devoting all his time to his career away from the home or tucked away in his cozy office at home. The outcome is going to be the same.

The question that needs to asked is “How can a father/husband run a home based business, at times while still working full-time outside the home, without causing irreparable damage to his marriage and family?” Hopefully, the following things will help him keep his priorities in line and not be “sucked in” to the “succeed at all costs” mentality that is so prevalent in this day and age.

1) The most important recommendation I can offer, the reason it is at the top of my list, is to trust in God to provide. If we learn to trust HIM rather than feeling that is all up to us, the better off we will be (I used to struggle with this BIG time)..
2) If you are building a home business while working outside the home, you MUST understand that your family needs you. I’m not talking about being able to purchase the newest home video center to keep everyone busy either. Set aside some time to spend with the family. Make your wife feel special (surprise her with a rose) and remember that you kids are only kids FOR A SHORT WHILE.

3) Set your goals according to the items listed in #2 above. Don’t let your goals run your life. Goals are important, but they are worthless if you lose your family in the pursuit of them.

4) Try to get your wife and/or children involved in your business. The home should be a place of commerce. Children are a blessing, not a curse. Let them bless your business. Our oldest daughter has designed her own line of jewelry that we sell on our website. It started as a hobby, and then naturally progressed into a small business. Let your children do things for you, even if it is just filing papers or searching a topic on the Internet that you may need. Make them feel like they are a part of the business and it will go a long way to keeping your family together.

There are many other things that can be done to keep your home business from adversely affecting your marriage and family life. Some of them are OBVIOUS while others are not. A good rule of thumb is to remember that your family should be the most important thing in your life next to your relationship with God. If you keep this in mind, and work your business with this as your primary “goal”, not only will you not cause damage, but I truly believe you will be blessed in whatever endeavor you are undertaking.

By Craig Binkley

By Nick Carbone

If when you start your home business, in what ever field it maybe, if you have no goals and aim at nothing, is it not unlikely that you will hit nothing and achieve nothing?

To set effective goals there are a few things you need to know about yourself which will affect how you set your goals. You are affected by, the environment in which you live, your experience and knowledge, your attitude and dreams and visions for the future.

When you set your goals you need to decide what you want and when you want to achieve each goal. You should spend time writing down your goals and display them in a prominent position where you will see them daily to remind yourself to stay motivated and focused. Cross off your goals once they’ve been achieved, adding new ones to ensure your business keeps growing.

“Don’t set your Goals to low. If you don’t need much, you won’t become much”. – - Jim Rohn – -

I’m sure you will have come across the SMART analogy, with regards to goal setting. It contains the most important concepts to consider and adhere to when setting your goals.

Goals should be; Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time related.

For example it would be unwise to set a goal of making $10,000 in a week, it’s just not a realistic goal for the average person, unless you have a lot of experience and knowledge in your field or receive help from someone who has these attributes. When you failed to reach this goal your motivation would suffer and you might start doubting your decision to start your home business.

Before you start setting your goals I want you to write a list of all the things you want; whether it is a new car, watch, house, to send your kids through college or a successful home business, write them all down and say why you want them. When I did this I had a list the length of my arm and I’m still working through it 3 years on. By doing this it will help focus your mind and motivate yourself to succeed.

Now set your goals, they need to be SMART and you need to set both short term and long term goals, and also daily goals. One of the best techniques I use is to set 6 goals before I go to bed for the next day and prioritise them so I know clearly in my mind what I have to do the next day.

All successful people set goals and prioritise them in order of importance. Remember your time is your most important asset; you simply cannot afford to waste it.

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit. — Aristotle -

When you are in business for yourself, you are the primary motivating factor, if your truly want your home business to succeed you will do whatever it takes to make it happen.

By making goal setting a habit there is no reason why you cannot achieve excellence.

By Ian Canaway

Choose the right business. Not every business can be run successfully from home. Consider the appropriateness of your business as a homebased business. A business that involves large machinery, lots of inventory, frequent truck deliveries and pickups, or lots of foot traffic from customers or associates is not a good candidate.

Be professional. Contrary to the popular stereotype of homebased entrepreneurs being able to “work in their pajamas”, you must be businesslike and project a professional image if you want to be seen as running a legitimate business. Keep regular office hours, get business stationery printed up, have a business phone and voice mail or message system, and keep your office neat, organized, and attractive.

Optimize your work space. Don’t make do with a makeshift work space. Locate your office in an area of your home that can be dedicated to business activities and affords you some privacy. Choose a space as far as possible from street noise and other distractions. Invest in functional furniture and the right equipment and set up your home office in a way that lets you be comfortable, productive, and organized.

Minimize distractions and interruptions. Staying focused is hard enough without the additional distraction of friends calling, neighbors dropping by, and children clamoring for attention. Screen your phone calls and filter your emails. Let your friends and relatives know what your work hours are and explain that during those hours you’ll be at home working.

Plan your work and work your plan. Use a “to do list” every day with the tasks you need to accomplish in order of decreasing priority. At the end of the day check your progress, and put any unfinished tasks at the beginning of the next day’s list.

Set goals and evaluate your progress. Setting goals and tracking your progress toward them will give direction to your efforts and keep you moving forward. Set both long-term and short-term goals that are realistic given your resources and that produce measurable results, then reward yourself every time you reach one of your goals.

Separate your home and work lives. Keep your work life separate from your home life as much as possible, both physically and emotionally. Keep your work space off limits to household members and ask them to respect your work hours by not interrupting you unless absolutely necessary. If you have kids who aren’t old enough to amuse themselves while you work, hire a sitter to keep them occupied while you concentrate on work.

Keep your balance. Don’t let work dominate every aspect of your life. Commit to a “quitting time” and stick to it unless a real emergency arises. Take a break and devote some time to your hobbies, getting together with friends, a change of scenery, getting some exercise, or just doing nothing. You’ll come back to your work refreshed and stave off burnout.

Get some help. Don’t feel you have to do everything yourself. As your business grows, use some of the profits to hire help. Outsource, streamline, or automate where you can and hire an assistant (or a “virtual assistant”) to help you if the work load has become more than you can reasonably manage.

By Jane McLain

Location: Your first consideration will probably be the right location for your office. It should be convenient, roomy enough for your furniture and equipment, and relatively private with minimal distractions. Taking over a spare room in your house is ideal, but if that’s not an option choose a suitable area in your home, set it up permanently for your business activities, and declare it off limits to the rest of the household. Don’t plan on working from your kitchen table -it’s just too inconvenient and time consuming to clear it off every time you want to get some work done.

Access: If you expect to have clients and colleagues visiting, try to have a separate entrance so they won’t have to walk through the living areas of your house to get to your office (and you won’t have to feel embarrassed if your house is less than tidy!). Being able to see the street and driveway from your office is ideal, since you’ll be able to see any visitors or delivery trucks as they arrive. Separate your home and business lives as much as possible, both for the sake of professionalism and the privacy of other household members.

Wiring and cabling: Another consideration is electrical wiring and cabling. You’ll need to have enough outlets to accommodate your computer and all your peripheral devices, plus any lamps, clocks and other electronic devices. You may need to hire an electrician to do some additional wiring to accommodate all the electronic devices your office requires. You’ll also need enough phone lines and jacks for your business phone, fax machine, and Internet access if you’re using a dial-up connection. You’ll need a DSL or cable connection if you want high speed Internet access.

Lighting and ventilation: Your office should should be climate controlled with adequate ventilation, both for your sake and your computer’s (operating your computer at high temperatures can damage it). It should also be relatively clean and dust-free, since dust and dirt can also damage your electronic equipment. Natural light is easiest on the eyes, but you’ll obviously need lighting fixtures after dark. Use more than one light source in different spots to balanced lighting and buy bulbs that provide a soft glow. Place the main lighting source above and behind you so light will come over your shoulder(s) onto your computer screen and desk without creating glare.

Desk or workstation: Your desk is the central piece of furniture in your office space and the most critical in terms of your productivity. You need a desk or table with room for your computer, monitor and peripheral devices, plus a work surface with room for your papers, notes and anything else you want to keep handy. Another option is a multi-purpose “workstation” that accommodates your computer system, printer, and phone along with some storage space for books and CDs. If space is very limited, using a simple computer stand that holds just your computer system may be the best option.

Other furnishings: Invest in a good desk chair that is comfortable, durable, and adjustable to be ergonomically correct for you. Choose one with arms and lower back support to prevent fatigue. Not only will you be far more productive in a chair that “fits”, but it will help you avoid back strain and carpal tunnel syndrome. If you’ll be using your office to meet with clients and colleagues, include a few guest chairs and a table where you can sit down together for meetings and consultations. A combination bulletin board and chalk board or write-on board give you a handy place to stash business cards and clippings and jot down notes to yourself.

Ambience: After you have all the essentials, add some personal touches to create a pleasant work environment. Decorate your office in a way that relects your taste and personality, creates an upbeat mood, and motivates you to do your best. Surround yourself with pictures and objects that relax, amuse or inspire you. Use color in your paint or wallcovering, fabrics and artwork to set the mood. Your work space can be soothing or energizing, depending on the color scheme you choose.

Personal touches: Some possibilities for personalizing your office are family photos, a globe, your kids’ artwork, mementos and objects with sentimental value, framed quotes or motivational sayings, a table top fountain, small sculptures, a fish tank, photos from nature, a wall mural, a radio or sound system, or a small TV. One of the biggest perks of working at home is having the freedom to personalize your work space, so be creative in setting up the ideal work environment for you.

Safety and security: If your office has an outside door or a door that opens to the rest of the house, make sure they’re securely locked when you’re not in the office and consider an alarm system as well. Not only are your computer and other office equipment valuable, but lost data may be irreplaceable. Your home office may become a target for thieves, and it’s worth the effort to protect both your investment and your personal safety. Installing a smoke detector is a must. Hopefully you’ll never need it, but as they say, better safe than sorry.

By Jane McLain

1-Join One or Several Affiliate Programs

This is probably one of the easiest and quickest ways to get started making money online. The internet is full of products that have affiliate programs you can join and most of them pay generous commissions. When you join an affiliate program, you are simply making an agreement with the owner of a product that you will receive a commission in exchange for referring a prospect to that person’s product (usually a sales page that you have sent the prospect to via your affiliate link) if that prospect ends up making a purchase.

Start by choosing a product or service that you’re interested in and then visit some of the websites which have achieved top rankings for the keywords which describe that topic. You’re sure to find the top affiliate programs for that industry relatively quickly. Or, try visiting one of the many affiliate program directories (you can find them quickly enough in Google) and scan their listings and recommendations until you find something that appeals to you.

This is a good one for newbies since you don’t even need your own website to get started. You will, however, need to learn how to use the pay per clicks so you can get some targeted traffic to your affiliate link. Once you start generating some income from the pay per clicks, you can then start reinvesting some of your profits and get yourself set up with your own website. By that time the prospect of getting set up with your own website won’t seem so daunting.

2-Join a Residual Income Program

Residual income programs are somewhat similar to affiliate programs in that you typically get paid for referring a prospect to the program’s website if that prospect decides to make a purchase. However, the difference lies in the fact that with these programs you also have the opportunity to earn a monthly recurring income if the prospect you refer becomes a paying member of the residual income opportunity program. For example, I belong to one of these programs myself. If a prospect comes to my website and clicks on a link which takes them to the sales page for the product and they buy, then I get a commission. However, if that prospect also decides to become a member of the residual income opportunity program, then I get a check every month as long as that prospect remains a member of that program.

People tend to be skeptical of these programs and get them confused with pyramid schemes. The way to tell if one of these programs is a pyramid scheme is to simply determine if the company in question offers a real honest to goodness product or service. If so, it cannot be classified as a pyramid scheme and you should be okay. Don’t be scared off by the fact that you will most likely have to pay a monthly fee to participate in the residual income opportunity. If you can build a downline for yourself in one of these programs, the monthly fee will be negligible compared to the potential residual income you could earn. A lot of these programs will provide you with your own cookie cutter website, which is okay if you are just getting started. Again, use the pay per clicks to start generating some traffic and then work on getting your own site up so you can start to build your own opt in list.

3-Sell a Hard Good or Downloadable Infoproduct

Okay, okay, I know this one doesn’t sound so simple or easy, but to be honest, it’s really not as hard as it might first appear. Selling a hard good entails offering a real physical product (like fishing poles, for instance) for sale in your own online retail store. If this idea really appeals to you, go for it. Brainstorm some products you would enjoy selling, then do some keyword research in Wordtracker to develop a targeted niche within that market (deep sea fishing poles?).

After that, you can use a drop ship source directory or the search engines to find manufacturers or distributors who will drop ship the merchandise for you (meaning they ship it directly to the customer and you don’t have to carry any inventory). Then go to Ebay or Yahoo and sign up for one of their stores. I know from personal experience that Yahoo has some merchant hosting packages that are great and super easy to use. They’ll even provide you with a shopping cart feature and help get you set up with a merchant account (so you can accept credit cards). Plus, you’ll get some traffic already built in since millions of people are using their shopping directory to browse for products every day.

As for the website itself, don’t worry. Most hosting companies today have some type of site building solution available for those customers who wouldn’t know an html code from a java script. Believe me folks, if I, a completely technically useless and html challenged technophobe can do this, ANYONE can.

Now, as to the infoproduct. By the way, I mean YOUR OWN infoproduct. Everyone on the web and their mother will tell you that this is the best way to make the really big bucks online. Write about something you know and/or love. The topic of internet marketing seems to have been way overdone. Unless, of course, you are a true expert on some niche internet marketing subject, then definitely do it. Just don’t do it because everyone else is.

As for the actual writing, you don’t even have to do that if you really don’t want to. You can check out a site like elance.com and post your project and have writers bid on completing the project for you! And there are so many easy to use PDF ebook creators available that formatting the book should pose no technical challenge whatsoever. Set up a simple little one sales page website with a link for payment processing, optimize the site for the engines, use the pay per clicks, find some JV partners, and you’re in the money!

By the way, I know of some guys who have about 10 or 15 of these little mini sites set up selling little reports on niche topics and raking in an average of $2,000 a month from each site. And they’re incredibly easy to set up and practically run on autopilot once you do!

Well, there you have it. Just a few relatively simple ways to get you started on the way to raking in YOUR share of the internet gold mine!

By Andrea Hayhurst

The good news?

You DON’T have to struggle. You don’t need to suffer. And you don’t have to keep searching for the one magic bullet that’s going to guarantee your success. Instead, I want to offer the only 6 things you need to first understand, and then implement……if you are serious about success.

Sound good? Let’s take a closer look below.

First, I want you to know this:

As someone who has worked full time from home, and 100% online for lots of years, and made TONS of mistakes to get where I am now, I’ve learned the hard way about gimmicks, gadgets and gurus.

If you are looking for answers in the endless abyss of folks who claim to know it all for a price….I have a simple piece of advice I’ll share for free that will save you tons of effort, energy and income.

STOP.

Instead, I want to give you a simple, 6 step system to apply to ANY campaign you launch from this day forward that DOES work, will work for you and is very easy to scale and grow once you have some experience.

I call it the “Content Community Continuum” and in it’s most basic form, it looks like this:

Every successful marketing campaign has these 6 key elements:

You CONTENT. Articles like this one are a great example.
Your CHARACTER. The public personality or persona that represents your voice in the niche you work.
Your COMMUNITY Your email list, blog readership and social media Universe.
Your CONVERSATION What you are actually saying to those who are paying attention to any of your community channels described above.
Your CURRICULUM: The “thing” that you are ultimately selling, be it a product or a service or even an affiliate offer if you have neither.
Your CONVERSION: The way you put all of the above together to convert strangers into subscribers, and subscribers into sales, clients and customers.

That’s really it. You need some level of proficiency with each of these 6 steps and there are REALLY easy to learn with practice.

No gurus required.

I like to think of this approach as a simple strategy of straight lines and a holistic, integrated approach to online marketing that MOST aren’t teaching.

Your content builds your community.
Your community helps create your curriculum.
And the quality of your conversation facilitates improved conversion.

And so forth.

All of this can be launched on a shoestring budget and requires very little experience to try, other than a willingness to work and a PASSION for something to share with the world!

By Ian Ross Hollander