I have taken General Colin Powell’s Rules for Success and modified them for a small business.  The list is kind of long so I will only give you part of them this time.  So, here they are:

Rule 1 – Hang ten!  The number of people who give up on their businesses just as they approach the brink of success is staggering.  It is not as bad as you think.  Things will look better in the morning.  Most home-business owners, particularly those running a business on the internet, get the occasional feeling that they are just spinning their wheels, and not going anywhere.  So hang in there and remember when things look bleak that tomorrow is another day.  Things really are not as bad as they may seem and things really WILL look better in the morning.  Never give up until there is absolutely no other choice.

Rule 2 – Go ahead and get mad.  Go outside scream, stomp your feet and yank on your hair.  Then get over it!  Your frustration is not going to help you or your business succeed.  All that it will do is cause more problems.  Remember when your mom or your dad said, “Getting angry will not solve your problems.”  Well, in this case, they were right.  So as the saying goes, “Get over it!”

Rule 3 - Keep business and personal life separate.  If you have not already, set a schedule and keep to it.  When your schedule says you are not working, “Do Not Work“.  This will accomplish two things, it will allow you to spend time with your family, they will love you for it, and it will allow you to rest, relax, and get back to work with a fresh mind.  Do not let yourself get so enmeshed in what you do for a living that you literally lose your self-identity outside of work. 

Most of these people are the ‘empire builders’ you will sometimes find in big corporations.  They will jealously guard their power base all the while gathering unto themselves more and more responsibility, beyond the point of being able to do everything they take on.  These are the people who really do not care about anything but himself.  And when corporate downsizing it rears its ugly head, these people usually free fall to the bottom of the pit without anyway of climbing back up.

You must keep yourself separate and distinct from your business.  Being proud and pleased with your accomplishments but do not let them define you.  Your self-worth is something that comes from inside yourself, not your business.

Keeping a professional detachment is more likely to secure your ultimate success in business.  Detachment brings perspective, objectivity and clarity, which helps you make better quality decisions.

Rule 4 - Do not limit yourself.  Self-imposed limitations can restrict what you can and will do in the future.  You can do anything if you set your mind to it.  Remember the saying, “Where there is a will is a way!”  It has more truth than poetry in it.

Write a plan of action for your life and your business.  Determine where you want your life and business to go.  This will give you a roadmap to follow and help you reach your goals.  Just remembered, do not stray from the roadmap or you may get lost.

Rule 5 - Be careful what you wish for, you may get it.  If you follow your plan of action and keep a discipline of following it you will surely reach your goals.

Rule 6 – Keep your eyes on the prize!  In other words keep your business goals in mind no matter what.  Make your decisions based on quality information and the best interests of your business.  Do not worry about the competition for your business.  Just run your own race.  There is always a way to distinguish yourself from your competition.

Come back next week for the continuing saga of “Make your home-based business a success Part 2.”

Virtually yours,
Linda Belan
Your Outsource Solutions, LLC
www.youroutsourcesolutions.com

How many people have dreamed about working at home in their own business?  Answer is simple, thousands of people if not millions.  It is part of the American dream.  Every one of us has the opportunity to do your own boss.  To create our own work hours and to truly become our own master excess and prosper.  It is pretty powerful stuff when you figure out that you depend on yourself and not your seniority, pension or promotions and the money you bring in can be linked directly to your own efforts and not predetermined by a salary.

 Online you can find many different types of businesses that can be run from home.  These can include network marketing, freelance writing, direct sales and even affiliate sites.  These will all allow you to work at home in your own comfort.  Any one in the industry of working from home can tell you that even though there are many business building and marketing approaches you might take.  But you must follow a set of ground rules that are consistent across all industry lines to truly be successful.

1.  Your business is a business, so treat it like a business.  It is not a Hobby!  Too many people have failed in their business because of this.  Do you know of any hobby that pays?  Neither do I, enough said.

2.  Pick a single marketing approach and master it, Be Consistent.  You must be consistent if you want to be taken seriously.  So, whatever service or product you are marketing, stick with it.

3.  You will need a schedule and stick to it.  You do not need to work 24/7 to be successful in your business.  But you do need to work on a schedule.  You know what would happen if you showed up to your current job ‘every so often’, right?  How long would it be before you got fired?  If you have children, try to schedule your work hours when they are in school or sleep.

4. Advertise and Market your product.  Your business cannot grow without this.  It is amazing that people think they can put just a few dollars into a business and just if few more into advertising and expect to be rich in a couple of weeks.  It just does not work like that.  People will not know about your product or service unless you tell them about it.

5. Stay Positive.  It is not going to be easy.  Expect anything to happen, good or bad.  You cannot avoid these challenges in a business, even an established.  What is important is how you choose to react to these challenges that you are faced with.  If you lose face every time you are faced with a setback you are not going to get very far.  Do not let these roadblocks steal your dream.  Look for the positive in every negative thing you come across.  If you need to, get around and stay around positive people.  Do this in both your personal and business life.

6. Education, You Must Keep Learning.  You should make a point to read at least an hour a day.  That does not mean that comic book your kid just left on your desk, your wife’s romance book or your husband’s murder mystery.  They should be books that will educate you on how to drive your business and personal development forward to the next level.  Look for books on network marketing, personal development, leadership, accounting principles, etc.  A great place to start is your local library.

7.  Budget Everything.  If you are like most people starting a business, you will have limited funds to spend on advertising.  You need to know exactly how much advertising will cost you each month.  Advertising will cost differently depending on what type it is so you need to know how much you spent.  Focus on the things that will create a bigger bang for your buck.  You will need to understand that no matter how much advertising you start out with the money coming in will be slow and you need to plan ahead.

8.  Identify and Define Your Goals!  This is the most important items on this list.  This is your map to success.  Without clearly identified path, you will have no idea where you are going.  How will you know where you are going, if you do not know how get there?

9. Keep Your Eye on the Ball and Stay Focused.  You must not lose sight of your goals.  You must focus your attention and energy on each day.  Do not let another businesses product or service distract you.  Pay attention to your own business.

10.  Dedicated Work Space in Your Home.  You must have a space that you can call your own while you are working.  This can be difficult working from home if you have children.  Unless you have scheduled your work periods when they are in school or sleep.  Otherwise, you need to let them know that it is important to knock for entering your work area.

These 10 items are only basic ground rules.  If you can follow them, you will be that much closer to becoming a success in your home business.  Now, get to work.

Virtually yours,
Linda Belan
Your Outsource Solutions, LLC
www.youroutsourcesolutions.com

Another way of “connecting” with a prospective client is to have your own web site to promote your business, to do direct marketing utilizing flyers, business cards, articles in local trade papers or newspapers, advertising in your local yellow pages, email, (be careful not to spam) word of mouth, friends and family, etc. Networking through blogs, discussion forums and groups are also good ways to promote your business and get to build relationships with your peers.

Virtually yours,
Linda Belan
Your Outsource Solutions, LLC
www.youroutsourcesolutions.com

Those that are considering starting off as freelancers whilst still holding down a full-time regular 9 to 5 job, need to have a plan to know when to take that leap. It’s not an easy decision to make when you have a steady income from a “regular” job that pays the bills, and even more so when you have a family to think of. For me, I would hang in there until I had a handful of steady clients that can cover a decent amount of income I’m already earning before I make the switch to being a full-time virtual assistant.It’s not an easy choice, but I feel the right one for me.

What are your thoughts and experiences with this? Did you quit your job to become a full-time virtual assistant from the start or did you make the transition?

Virtually yours,
Linda Belan
Your Outsource Solutions, LLC
www.youroutsourcesolutions.com