Work At Home Businesses And Lifestyle Changes

Work At Home Businesses And Lifestyle Changes There are many businesses that can be developed from home and operated out of your home. The trick is to select one that will be compatible with your home situation, your skill set and a home business that will generate sufficient income to support the lifestyle that you are looking for. We will examine a few of the lifestyle changes that you may want to consider for work at home businesses in this article.

The vast majority of people leave their homes every day to go to an office or some other location to work for the day. They fall into the routine of facing traffic, going to their place of work, chatting with colleagues, lunch with co-workers, coffee breaks and then heading home after work at the same time every day. Their pay check arrives every two weeks and their benefits are included as part of their salary. After 10 years, 15 years even 30 years, this routine has become pretty comfortable and the thought of not going to work is abhorrent.

Unfortunately many companies have laid off thousands of people in the past few years, downsizing, right sizing, mergers, bankruptcies, etc. Whatever the reason more and more people are having their lives disrupted, the comfort zone disappears and they are faced with a significant lifestyle change. This also presents an opportunity as well for these same people to work at home and start their own home business.

There will be adjustments and you may have to work harder than you have ever worked before, as you launch your home based business and build it up to something that not only you can be proud of, but it also generates the income you require for the lifestyle that you want to lead.

The trip to your office may be down the stairs to your home office, coffee breaks are gone and relaxed casual one hour lunches are replaced by fifteen minutes of snatched time, however you do not need to face the traffic every morning and your costs for work are reduced. If you're the type that needs the interaction with colleagues, you may want to set up regular coffee breaks or meetings every week, however your main focus and challenge is now to operate and build your own business.

Over the years of working for an employer you have acquired many skills that you may have taken for granted. Use these skills now to build your own home business. These skills may include a wide scope, everything from how to build or repair something to organization, presentation, selling, writing, computer related skills and on and on. Evaluate these skill sets and put them to excellent use as you develop and build your home business, while managing the lifestyle changes that you are going through!

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Elias Georgi is an experienced and successful sponsor, mentor and coach for many thriving, tested and proven home businesses. Elias offers proven Internet opportunities and strategies. Visit his Website: http://www.eliasg.com , he also runs the http://www.exclusive-article.com
article directory.

10 Ways to Achieve Success as a Lifestyle Entrepreneur

Too many professionals struggle with an unhealthy balance of work and play, as their careers take over the majority of their time and leave them with little energy to devote to other priorities such as family, friends, and personal well-being.

Is there a way to find happiness through a successful career that will allow you to still enjoy all aspects of your life? Believe it or not, there is. You, too, can join the ranks of the lifestyle entrepreneurs.

A lifestyle entrepreneur is somebody who goes into business - not primarily for financial rewards - but for lifestyle reasons. Instead of money, the most common motivation of the lifestyle entrepreneur is a fierce desire for independence. They desire to work for themselves, and run a business that is aligned with their lifestyle.

Studies show more and more people are turning towards lifestyle entrepreneurship. According to the market research company Warrillow and Co., as many as 90% the roughly 20 million American small business owners appear to be motivated by lifestyle more than money. In a 1999 Lou Harris survey, it was found that money was the main driver for very few small
entrepreneurs and self-employed people. Instead, nine out of ten entrepreneurs said a desire for independence prompted them to become entrepreneurs.

Lifestyle entrepreneurs generally have a passion that they are yearning to turn into a career and my job is to help show them how to turn that passion into profits.

Anyone can become a lifestyle entrepreneur. It's all a matter of perspective. Discover the greatest success that goes beyond the bottom line-the success of a fulfilling lifestyle. The following are my ten ways to create success as a lifestyle entrepreneur:

1. Define Your Value System: What is important to you?

A value is a belief, a mission, or a philosophy that is really meaningful to you. Whether we are consciously aware of them or not, every individual has a number of personal values.

Values can range from the ordinary, such as the belief in hard work, self-reliance, and punctuality, to more psychological values, such as concern for others, trust in others, and harmony of purpose.

In order to succeed as a lifestyle entrepreneur, you must know what is important to you and honor it both in business and in life.

2. Define Your Vision: What does your life look like in the next three years?

A compelling vision can help you succeed, be more satisfied with your life, and get the most out of your business relationships.

Numerous experts on leadership and personal development emphasize how vital it is for you to craft your own personal vision for your life.

And here's a tip when you put that vision in writing: the subconscious part of the brain only understands now - the present tense - so it is important to phrase your vision in the present tense.

3. Define Your Mission Statement: Tell the world how your vision will come alive

In developing your own mission statement, you can develop a better understanding of the strategic management process and, more importantly, learn a lot about your own personal beliefs, values, needs, strengths, and weaknesses. It will also help you identify personal goals and objectives that are consistent with who you are and who you wish to be.

A useful mission statement should include two pieces: what you wish to accomplish and contribute, and who you want to be - the character strengths and qualities you wish to develop.

4. Live from Choice: Be willing to accept rejection and reject acceptance

Your purpose, values, passions and mission create the framework for you to live from a place of choice. You determine how your life will be. It is truly powerful. It is blissfully peaceful.

So what does it mean to live from choice?

Living from a place of choice means to consciously choose the results you desire, and to take inspired action to make them a reality. It's about having the power to say "yes" when you mean YES, and "no" when you mean NO.

5. Fire the 'Committee': Clean up your environment

We all have a committee, whether it be friends, family or colleagues - or even ourselves - telling us how unrealistic our dreams are. The committee's job is to create doubt and attack our values.

Remember, you are a product of your environment. The principle of association says that who you will be five years from now comes down to two primary influences: the people you associate with and the books you read.

I recommend firing the committee and going with your heart and a strategic plan. Be more committed to the dream than to the reality.

6. Create a Plan and Take Substantial Action: If you fail to plan - you plan to fail

"Knowing is not enough, we must apply. Willing is not enough, we must do," wrote the German philosopher Goethe.

Top performers understand that lasting success is a numbers game: the more action you take, the more results you reap. Create a plan with results based outcomes.

For example, don't just jot down "Make Calls Introducing Business.' Instead, create a plan that has a result in a specific time. "Call 10 Influencers in my community and secure lunch with 70% of them to introduce business and create a commitment of support by August 1.'

No matter how committed you are to the dream, you must take action to succeed.

7. Replace the Committee with A Mastermind Group: Surround yourself with excellence

Great minds don't always think alike. That's why the best leaders turn to mastermind groups - a growing business phenomenon attracting successful professionals who seek objective advice, motivation, group synergy and different perspectives to accomplish their most important goals.

It's easy to feel isolated as an entrepreneur. It's difficult to find peers who understand your challenges and issues. That's where a mastermind group comes in.

In a mastermind group, the agenda belongs to the group, and each person's participation is essential to its success. Your peers give you feedback, help you brainstorm new possibilities, and set up accountability structures that keep you focused and on track.

Your mastermind group creates a community of supportive colleagues who will brainstorm together to move the group to new heights. Think of it as your own Dream Team!

8. You Don't Have to Be a Superhero: Hire support in areas where you are challenged

There is no such thing as free. If you bill $100.00 per hour and spend fifteen hours a week doing administrative work, you have just wasted well over $1500.00. You could have spent that time developing passive revenue or making sales calls. The same is true if you are weak at accounting or marketing.

Hiring others to do the work that you waste your time doing allows you the freedom to create more profitability for your company. You'll concentrate solely on your business, not the mundane tasks that are inherent in business. Making money is what business people do and the more time they ave to concentrate on their business, the more money and opportunity they
will create.

9. Create Passive Income: Generate revenue while you sleep

Creating a passive revenue stream does three things:

Builds your brand and expert status frees up more of your time because you are not in face to face meetings generates income literally while you sleep. Passive income includes things like affiliate programs, referral programs, infoproducts and pay-for-inclusion communities.

If you are an expert in your field and can answer questions about how you became successful, then you can launch your own passive income stream and profit in your sleep.

10. If You Don't Succeed - Try, Try Again!

Legendary baseball great Hank Aaron once said, " Failure is a part of success. There is no such thing as a bed of roses all your life. But failure will never stand in the way of success if you learn from it."

The one great thing I can tell you about failure is that now you know exactly what doesn't work. When you come up against an obstacle identify what went wrong and change it.
Then try again.

In running your own business there is no place lack of commitment. Remember, there is more than one way to achieve your success. Find out what works for you.

Whether you currently are an entrepreneur or dream to become one, embracing these lifestyle entrepreneur traits has many advantages. You remove the traditional entrepreneurial stigmas and allow yourself more room for growth.

So if you're ready to step forward and declare that you desire to live a meaningful and wealthy life, then it's time to make your move. Shift your perspective and become a lifestyle entrepreneur today.

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For more information , or to subscribe to receive your UpLevel Strategies complimentary Business Mastery Success Kit ($997 Value) filled with countless tips and resources for creating more profit in your business , visit http://www.uplevelstrategies.com/bigfish .

Promote Clickbank, Top Selling, Products In 3 Easy Steps!

One of the many mistakes that affiliate marketers do is not failing to acquire enough knowledge. Rather, it's not making something happen with the knowledge they have.

Step 1:

You go to Clickbank's marketplace and scan around the top 2 pages of each category. Take a look at the statistics of these products.

By this I mean the gravity, the % referred, $ earned per sale etc...

So you think you've found a good category to enter - Say Sports & Recreation. The next logical step would be to unearth a winning product to promote.

Generally, the top 5 products are extremely competitive and have tons of affiliates promoting it already. It would be quite difficult for you to take on the competition at this stage.

Step 2:

Click through to the next few pages and look for items with a reasonable % referred that isn't too high and a good gravity weighting.

Broadly speaking, a % referred rate of more then 75% is high and anything with a gravity rating above 30 would be worth a shot.

Step 3:

Select 3 products that fits the criteria and choose from them. Click on "view pitch page" to see the sales page for yourself. It'll instantly become very clear to you which of the 3 sales page converts better.

First, I do a "look" around Clickbank Marketplace. I look from the first page (best sellers) onwards slowly to the back. You would notice that most are around the same niche but I need something different, something that is a niche and does not have many similar products in the Clickbank marketplace...

Other things to look out for:

1. Does the vendor provide a strong affiliate resources page?
2. Is the % earned per sale stat high? Generally, I'd never promote a product that pays below % 50 unless it's a high ticket item.
3. Are there any payment leaks? Scan for them, it's extremely important that you do this.

I've to mention there is no sure-fire way to select and pick products to promote.

Even if you follow what I say to the dot, you could end up picking a loser, the only 100% guaranteed way is for you to test it out - Find what works and what doesn't yourself...

About The Author: This is lesson #1 of the [Profit Machine] Mini Course Dylan has created for affiliates like you. To get the other 3 lessons for FREE and learn how you can have Clickbank success, Click on the link below now!http://www.clickbankprofitmachine.com

3 Steps To Increase Your Online Income

The Internet marketing landscape changes constantly. There are new products and software programs every day it seems.

I have been doing business online successfully since 1996. One thing hasn't changed in all these years. The money is in your list. This was true in 1996. This is true today. This will be true in the future.

If you run an information business, the money is in your list. If you run a local business and market online, the money is in your list. If you're an affiliate with other people's products, the money is in your list.

I have worked with thousands of different companies in my coaching programs and through products my business has offered. No matter what type of business you're in, the money is in the list.

Some people have made good money online without a list, but I have never seen an instance where having a list wouldn't have increased their income.

I'm sure this isn't brand new information to you if you've been online for any amount of time. The question is just how much do you focus on your list?

Step One - Concentrate on Building Your List

Make it a priority. Use a squeeze lead generation page where the only purpose of the page is to generate an email lead. If you can't do that, then at least focus your visitors attention on your subscribe box by highlighting it and making it the most obvious section of your page.

Focus your visitor's attention on your list. Give them a valuable gift for signing up (not just a sales letter to buy a product). Give them real value at the beginning of your relationship as an incentive to join your list.

Then concentrate on effective marketing for your list. Use SEO, PPC search engines, article submissions, joint ventures, etc. all with the intention of building the list. If you can grow your list, you'll grow your income.

Step Two - Build a Relationship with Your List

Write emails to your list as if you're talking to one individual. It may not be accepted in English class, but the most powerful word for your online writing is "You." Give them some content for free. There are thousands of lists your subscribers can be on. What will separate you from all the
others?

I have always worked on my relationships with my subscribers by telling short personal stories about my own life. I shared my successes and my frustrations with them. Always speak to your list members as if you're speaking to one single individual.

Be personal. Give content and value. Be a real person they can trust.

Step Three - Make Good Honest Offers to Your List

You don't just send content. You also have to send offers. It's the combination of the two that will build your income. Get too unbalanced in content only and you don't make any money. Get too unbalanced in offers only and people will stop reading.

Don't just jump on the bandwagon of whatever new product is being sold this week. I know there are always product launches promising you a large income if you jump on the next big thing. You have to ignore the majority of these if you want to really build a valuable list.

If you promote the exact same thing 50 other people are promoting this week, you're not a "leader" any more. You're a parrot. There is no more reason to subscribe to your list than anyone elses. Be a little different.

If something comes along that you know will really give value to your list, then go with it. But never become the parrot marketer that just says what everyone else is saying. And I can assure you that doesn't occur every week.

About The Author: Terry Dean is the President of MyMarketingCoach, LLC where You Earn More, Work Less, and Enjoy Life. Get his new ebook totally FREE, "Internet Integrity: The Truth About How ANY Business Can Increase Profits Online" at http://www.theterrydean.com

Mailing Lists: If You Must Err, Then Err on the Side of Caution

Almost any recognized Internet Marketing guru making you an offer today will mention somewhere in his sales pitch that a mailing list is really important.

I believe mention best describes the amount of attention the guru is giving to mailing lists at that moment because his primary objective is to convince you that the absolute most important thing in your Internet Marketing business development is to buy whatever it is he is selling.

Nothing could be more important than what he is offering. I know this as I read through his copy because he is telling me, over and over and over, how effective his sales item is, how easy it is to use, how it does not matter that I have no experience in business or marketing or anything else, that his secrets are being revealed for the first time, that he cares about me and he wants to help me, that his offer is discounted, but I must act this instant or his price may go up, or his offer may be taken away.

I am sure they place this much importance on their offers because this is clearly a life and death matter, especially to them. You cannot, mind you, overestimate the ego and self-importance of a genuine, Internet-certified guru. Well, you can, but is not considered good form.

Without actually saying so, his underlying message is "success is automatic," but only with his system, his materials, his training, and his mentorship. The message is Internet Marketing is not complicated at all, and I do not know why anyone would make it so.

After all, in almost every such offer as this, there is no prospecting, no calling, no selling, no contact with people, no quotas, no huge investments (a few are even touted as free), and no need to create a website (their business-in-a-box leads you to believe that it does it all for you by providing you with a complete website, ready to make money while you watch the money roll in).

Many times the ads that lead you to these sales pages with offers have bright, happy colors, music, streaming headlines, dancing dollar bills, audio messages by guru hired help, gorgeous homes, fancy yachts, and even expensive sports cars zooming away (apparently success is a fast ride).

I have not noticed any sites like this that say you also need no brains, no critical thinking skills, no personality, and no people skills, but perhaps that is in the future of the industry as it develops alongside technology.

So what about these mailing lists? Well, competition is stiff in acquiring names. There is currently such a plethora of high-tech, clever approaches to getting names on the Internet that apparently some Internet Marketers with less resources have been reduced to settling for a more moderate approach.

Witness this e-mail I received yesterday: "Finally (huge letters) A Work at home Opportunity That Anyone Can Do! (Did I mention how easy this Internet Marketing thing is, even idiots need
not apply, they are welcomed on the Net)"

The ad continues with "We have No Selling, No Autoship, No Referring Required, No Investment Required, that's Right Join Now Free! No Out of Pocket Expenses Required Ever" (I am not making this up; I am quoting this word for word, letter for letter.)

It concludes with "More Information (large letters) and immediate access to our website:"; and then asks for your First Name, Last Name, E-mail, Confirm E-mail and Phone (all required information).

You will forgive me if I could not figure out 1) who I am dealing with, 2) what is the company name, 3) what product or service are we talking about, and 4) why would someone need my phone number if there is no selling involved?

I have not a clue what I am signing up for. Did I mention earlier that if I am to err, then I would like to err on the side of caution?

Another e-mail, received two days later, shows a picture of a $100,000 bill on the top with no information whatsoever about a real person, a real company, a real product or service, and what I might be receiving when I subscribe to their mailing list. I believe this is what we call blind trust.

Before you jump off of the roof in a fit of excitement while indiscriminately giving your name and e-mail address away, you might want to calculate the drop distance, and exactly how long it will be before you land, hopefully on your own two feet.

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Ed Bagley is the author of Ed Bagley's Blog, which he publishes daily with fresh, original writing intended to delight, inform, educate and motivate readers. Visit Ed at . . . http://www.edbagleyblog.com