Just a Marketing Mom

WordPress Security Plug-Ins: Why You Should Have Them

2012-02-01T20:30:00.000-08:00

WordPress is a customizable software platform that you can use to build a website in very little time. It is popular with affiliate marketers who want the ease of use for their sites. But, as with all web usage, there can be security risks. What about employing plug-ins?

When you set up shop on the internet you have to assume some risk. Yes, we said risk. Have you ever heard of hackers? If not, you will most definitely have heard of viruses and Trojan horses. Those don’t just find their way to websites by themselves. Someone has to put them there.

While WordPress is easy to set up, it is what is termed “open source” software. That means that the entire public has access to it. So, someone who has less than admirable intentions could hack your site.

Now, it could be something as simple as leaving improper comments on your blog. People do that all the time. But, that comment could be embedded with viruses that can infect your entire infrastructure, which would be bad for you and any potential visitors.

People can also steal your content. In the age of intellectual property disputes, it is hard to retrieve something once it has been stolen without going through a lot of red tape. Hackers can do that as well by gaining access to your WordPress site.

Why not protect yourself from the beginning? You may never have a problem with such things on any of your WordPress sites but why take that chance?

WordPress Security Plug-Ins

Plug-ins are additional codes that you can add that will do things behind the scenes on your site. There are free plug-ins, premium ones that you might have to pay a small fee for, and also ones that function specifically for affiliate programs. If you are running an affiliate site, the last thing that you want is for someone else to hijack it.

So, using the security plug-ins that are available may be a wise choice for your protection. Here are a few that you might want to check into.

* Stealth Login – When you set up WordPress you are given a generic login page. This can be used to gain access to your blog. By employing this plug-in, you can hide your login page.

* Login Lockdown - Just like with password encrypted pages, if someone tries to find your URL with too many failed attempts they will be shut out.

* WP-Database Backup – Just in case one day the server may crash, you can be sure that all of your information is stored somewhere else. Use this plug-in to restore your blog database.

* Admin SSL – Single socket layer is your security protection to encrypt all information transmitted across your site. Most web hosts offer shared SSL for their users. With this plug-in, that encryption is available across all of your web pages, but you must own a SSL certificate.

Protecting what is yours is paramount when it comes to your internet business. Learn how WordPress plug-ins can help.

Why You Might Want to Relocate Your Business

2012-01-31T20:30:00.000-08:00

One of the reasons your business is where it is could be because of the area. They say that location is everything. But what if relocation is in your future?

Business markets change. The financial climate in the world is less than stellar these days and that can affect how you do business. Everyone from the CEO to the consumer can be affecting the bottom line.

You might have considered relocating your business in an effort to ease the financial burden. But, if you are established in an area, why would you consider this? Here are a few reasons.

Why Relocate?

* Growth – The object of business is to increase profits. Your current location may not offer your business the opportunities to do that if there is waning customer support. Scout out new areas that are rich in the people just waiting for your product.

* Cost – For a couple of thousand square feet you could pay several thousand in monthly rent. With revenues down, that can hit your finances hard. Finding a lower cost building can be tricky but necessary. Do your homework first. Be sure that the new place is in a great area that is easily accessible by workers and clients alike.

* Poor market – Maybe your business just isn’t doing well in its current location. The market for your business may have dried up due to economic changes. In order to survive you may have to consider moving to an area with richer resources.

* Poor talent – Your employees are the glue that holds your company together. It won’t run smoothly if you don’t have good people working for you. Maybe the area isn’t turning out qualified candidates for the services that your business provides. Finding a new talent pool might give you access to the type of personnel that can grow your business.

* Lifestyle changes – No one lives in a bubble. Sometimes personal issues make it necessary to make a change in your business. Weigh the pros and cons of making a move in this way. Evaluate areas that will satisfy both your personal and professional needs.

* Amenities - If you have an inner city office, you already know that space is at a premium and an expensive one at that. A chance to grow larger may mean finding a larger office space that won’t break the bank. Areas outside your current city can offer relaxing scenery, open work environments for employees, better parking for customers and delivery people, as well as options for expanding again without moving this time.

Relocation may not be something you and your business want to contemplate, but sometimes it is a viable option. The reasons above are just a few that could lead you to a new venue.

Why You Should Create Your Own LinkedIn Group

2012-01-30T20:30:00.000-08:00

LinkedIn is the premier social site for business professionals on the Web. If you are not a part of it, get involved today. One effective tool is LinkedIn Groups.

You may be familiar with LinkedIn but don’t really know how it can help you. Being a business professional, it can be hard to connect with other professionals. Running an online business or holding a pivotal position in a company can consume most of your time.

LinkedIn takes the guesswork and legwork out of networking with others in your field. This site allows you to search for, connect with and get needed advice from professionals with a few clicks. There are no face-to-face meetings unless you want them. Even so, you can get to know people through their profiles and interacting in groups and discussions.

LinkedIn Groups: Increase Your Visibility and Expert Status

This brings us to LinkedIn Groups. What are they? These groups are like small gatherings of professionals with similar business niches or interests. The entire site is available to you, but concentrated groups help you to target those professionals with whom you need to network.

Groups help you do many things:

* Discover other professionals to meet quickly
* Actively participate in discussions relevant to your interests and needs
* Zero in on the most influential people on LinkedIn within your professional sphere
* Know which profiles to view and which people to “follow” in discussions
* Begin your own discussions to help establish yourself as a leader in your field

These are also excellent reasons to begin your own LinkedIn Group. Before you do, though, get a feel for the process by joining a group or two. You can search for relevant groups using different parameters.

Once you find one that you like, introduce yourself. Do this by posting a new discussion question and then leaving a comment. Let people get to know you.

LinkedIn Groups can also increase your visibility and popularity on the site. While you are leading discussions, don’t forget to leave meaningful comments on other discussion topics. It will look pretty suspicious if you only post questions and never join in the discussions of others.

Build up a presence and a following. When you are ready, create your own group. If you work for a large company, creating a group for your co-workers gives them a place to connect with others inside the company. Post about new job openings; get advice on job advancement and the like.

Ask your new business contacts to join your group. Don’t forget business contacts on other social sites like Facebook and Twitter. Invite LinkedIn members with similar interests as a way of connecting with new faces.

Why should you create a LinkedIn group? You can increase your visibility, ranking, popularity, network and credibility in the business world.

Where to Find VA Opportunities

2012-01-29T20:30:00.000-08:00

Being a VA can be one of the most lucrative and flexible jobs on the planet. Not only do you get to work from anywhere in the world; you're typically working for high network individuals, which means the pay is often quite high.

Finding VA opportunities involves looking in both traditional places and non-traditional places. Here are a few places you can look for VA opportunities.

==> Craigslist

You can literally spend hours and hours on Craigslist browsing VA opportunities.

Make sure you check "telecommute" when you're looking for opportunities.

Since what you're doing isn't geographically limited, start by checking the largest cities like New York and San Francisco. Also make sure to check your own area, as some employers want to meet you in person before hiring you.

==> Join a VA Firm

There are many firms online that you can join. Some firms won't work with assistants who are truly virtual, because they have their own in-house staff that they source out as virtual. That said, many firms also work with purely virtual assistants.

The best way to find potential VAs is to just do a Google search to find active firms, then apply to them directly. Try to apply to at least ten. The more you apply to, the higher your chances of getting the job.

==> LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a phenomenal way to meet potential VA clients. Using LinkedIn, you can network your way to the people who both need and can afford your services.

Start by crafting a detailed LinkedIn profile that showcases your most relevant work experience. Give a detailed chronology of your previous work experience and list any relevant skills you have that would help with the job.

Then use your network of contacts to work your way to people who might need a virtual assistant. For example, presidents, vice presidents and executives will often need virtual assistants.

Try to target small to medium-sized companies rather than large corporations, as getting in touch with high level executives of a large corporation can be quite difficult.

==> "Do You Know Anyone Who ... ?"

Finally, tap into your own network by asking people in person or by phone if they know someone who could use your services.

If your friends know that you're very good at what you do and they know someone who could benefit from your services, they won't hesitate to make the reference.

Make sure you phrase what you do in an easy to understand way. Not everyone knows what a virtual assistant is. Instead, explain exactly what it is you do.

For example, "I help executives save time by managing their appointments, booking their flights and accommodations, entering data and doing anything else that needs to be done. It's similar to being an online secretary."

Finding VA opportunities is the toughest in the beginning of your career. Once you get rolling, you'll be able to get clients from referrals. Before you have a solid client base, however, just use one of the above techniques to get the ball rolling.

Want to Be a VA? - How to Find Your Niche and Specialty

2012-01-28T20:30:00.000-08:00

One of the best ways to stand out as a VA is to pick a niche and specialty. In the beginning of your career, you'll probably take on as much business as you can get from anywhere in the world. However, as you get more and more booked up, it makes sense to start specializing.

By specializing, you'll be able to better anticipate the needs of your client. For example, if you specialized in helping real estate brokers, you'll be much better positioned to help your real estate broker clients than if you were a generic VA who just happened to have a real estate broker client.

Specializing also allows you to charge more. You'll be able to be more efficient in your work, which brings more value to your clients. Your reputation can also spread faster, since you're saturating one industry where people know one another rather than spreading out your reputation.

So how do you go about finding and selecting a niche or specialty?

==> What Skills Do You Have or Want to Learn?

Start by looking at what special skills you have or want to learn.

For example, if you're highly proficient in Photoshop and web design, you might want to look into working with execs in ad agencies and design firms.

On the other hand, if you have experience in law, you might want to work in a legal firm or be a virtual assistant for a private lawyer.

If you don't have any specific skills already, you can also choose based on skills you want to learn. This can add a real sense of challenge and growth to your new virtual job.

==> Select a Clearly Definable Group

The best way to select a niche is to select a clearly definable group of people.

For example, realtors. Or speakers. Or coaches. Or event planners. Or Chief Financial Officers (CFOs).

Whatever the case, if you can get it down to a specific kind of person, that's better than if you have a more generic idea.

==> Reaching Out to Your Target Market

Ideally you won't select a niche until you've actually had some experience working in the field. If you're going into a certain field, you should already have some contacts and a decent understanding of what's required to succeed there.

Go to networking events in the field. For example, if you're working in the design field, go to design events so you can meet designers and ad execs. If you want to target realtors, go to real estate meetups wherever you can.

Call up people you know in the industry and ask for referrals. Explain what your new project is and see if there's anyone you can help.

Setting yourself up in a specific industry is a great way to increase your fees, develop new skills and get more relevant contacts quickly.

VA - How to Get Your First Client

2012-01-27T20:30:00.000-08:00

As a VA, your biggest start-up hurdle is getting your first client. Before you get your first client, the whole idea of being a VA can seem very abstract. However, once you're actually getting paid to do the work, you'll quickly develop new skills and become more proficient at your new profession.

So how do you go about getting your first client?

==> The Set-Up Process

Before you go out looking for clients, there are a few things you should set up.

First, you need a website. If you're getting clients from the internet, it's your most important business card. Your website should be professional, easy to navigate and small. It should be no more than five to ten pages - just enough information to answer anyone's questions about you.

Create a compelling personal profile page with details about where you've worked in the past and what kind of skills you have. Think of it as an online resume.

Finally, make sure you have your LinkedIn profile in order. A lot of people will check you out on LinkedIn before hiring you. Also, if they Google your name, there's a good chance your LinkedIn profile will come up.

Delete any obsolete material, update everything on your profile and ask as many people as you can to leave you references.

==> Getting Clients

Getting clients is largely a matter of trying a lot of different things until you find one that works for you. Some people find that they're able to get all the clients they need through their personal networks, while others find that their best clients come from internet job bidding websites.

Here are a few places to look for clients:

* Personal network - Ask people you know whether or not they know people who could benefit from your services. Make sure you have a clear and concise explanation of what a VA is for people who don't know.

* LinkedIn - Use LinkedIn to make contact with people who might be interested in your services.

* Traditional advertising - Take out an ad in an industry specific publication. For example, if you want to work with realtors, take out an ad in a publication that's targeted towards realtors.

* ELance / oDesk - These are two top-notch sites for getting new clients. You'll need to take a few tests to get your rankings up at first. Make sure to start your bids on the lower end of the spectrum until you have a strong reputation.

* Craigslist - Craigslist is a versatile free website where you can find all kinds of job postings. Make sure to check multiple different cities; your job can be done from anywhere but Craigslist posts are city specific.

Getting your first client could take a lot of work in the beginning. Your second client will be easier, and your third will be even easier than that. Eventually, you'll get to the point where the vast majority of your clients come from word of mouth. But first, you have to land that first client.

Using WordPress for Affiliate Marketing

2012-01-26T20:30:00.000-08:00

Affiliate marketing is one of the easiest ways to break into internet marketing. You can potentially make a living by promoting the products of another company. But you need an online presence. That is where WordPress comes in.

What Is WordPress?

WordPress is a platform used to set up blogs and websites. If you know nothing about websites and their set-up, it can be daunting to have to do so. WordPress takes the guesswork out of the process for you so you can get up and running in very little time.

Now, be aware that there are two WordPress sites: WordPress.com and WordPress.org. WordPress.com is popular with many bloggers. It is a ready-made site that can be set up right away. The only issue here is that it is not as customizable as you might like for an affiliate site. And, monetizing it may be difficult.

Setting Up an Affiliate Site

For an affiliate marketing program, you will want to go with WordPress.org. Some are scared of this because it is open source. That means you will need to have a domain name and a web hosting company secured before using it. Ask your web host if they are familiar with WordPress.org and could help you integrate it into your site.

So, as we just alluded to, the next step is downloading the open source software through your web host. If you are technically savvy, you can do it yourself although it takes time. But, for a fee, your web host can do it for you without much trouble.

Now you are ready to explore. WordPress offers a lot both for the new and the experienced affiliate marketer. One benefit is its customization. You have a variety of themes to choose from for the look of your site. Changing them is no problem and can be done across all pages easily.

Add new pages in an instant. If you are promoting several types of products, keep them separated for effortless browsing by visitors.

Did we mention that WordPress is free? Yes all of the benefits of the software are free to use. And, it features plug-ins that can help you not only secure your site but also make it easier for you to manage. This is a plus if you are running several affiliate marketing sites.

Also, Google seems to like WordPress platforms a lot. This is good for you since you want their bots to crawl your affiliate sites for better page rankings and increased traffic. More traffic means more potential sales.

But, WordPress doesn’t leave you to fend for yourself. Their customer support is available if you are having problems with their product. They will assist you as needed to keep your site running optimally, which is what you want when operating your business. Once you get the hang of setting up a WordPress site, creating subsequent sites won’t be a problem.

WordPress seems tailor-made for the affiliate marketer. Use one to help you grow your business today.

Using PLR Products to Boost Your Blogging Success

2012-01-25T20:30:00.001-08:00

PLR products can be a very cost-effective way to get great content for your blog. Instead of having to do all the content yourself or pay enormous amounts of money to have a private writer do your content, you can use PLR products instead.

The key to using PLR products with blogs is to make sure you keep the quality consistently high. If you can make sure the PLR content you use is as high as your own content, you'll be set to go.

Here's how to use PLR to boost your blogging success.

==> Start with a High-Quality Package

The most important thing is to start with a high-quality PLR package. The best way to make sure your PLR package is of a high quality is to pay a lot of attention to the samples provided.

Read through the samples carefully. Don't just skim them. Get a real sense for the writer's style and whether or not you think their style would resonate with your reader base.

Get a sense for whether they're high-quality articles or not. Do they say something original, or do they just rehash existing concepts? Is there a sense of style about them? Does the writing flow?

==> Rewriting the Articles

In order to use PLR content, you'll need to rewrite the articles. You'll need to either do this yourself or hire someone else to do it. Sometimes you can do both.

Having someone else do it is extremely affordable. Per piece, you're looking at between $1.50 and $3. Make sure that if you do hire someone else that you check the work through Copyscape to see if the articles are "too similar" to the originals.

Whether you choose to hire someone or not, it makes sense to do a bit of personalization. Write the first paragraph yourself, or personalize the style of the article in some way so it resonates with your reader base.

Don't just buy a PLR package, rewrite it and use it out of the box. Instead, try to do your rewrites in a way that makes sense to your readers.

==> Go Multi-Media

One of the best ways to use PLR products is to take an article from its text form and turn it into multimedia content.

For example, take the PLR content and send it to someone on eLance or Fiverr to read out loud. Find someone with a passionate voice and turn it into an MP3 download.

Alternatively, you can even hire someone to create a slideshow for the audio. You can merge the audio and the slideshow to create a stellar video that you can post on your blog for free.

There are a lot of ways you can use PLR and multimedia together. You can turn it into a flash infographic, you can turn it into daily audio snippets...the list goes on and on.

Using PLR content allows you to take a lot of the effort out of blogging. Instead of having to come up with all the ideas and content for yourself, you can just buy it and rebrand it instead.

Top Tips for Hosting Successful Webinars

2012-01-23T20:30:00.000-08:00

Running a successful webinar involves both meticulous preparation and top-notch presentation skills. If done well, a teleseminar can help you increase your credibility with your audience, deliver valuable content and increase your sales.

How do you host a successful webinar?

==> Get a Good Microphone

The most important component to a webinar that appears professional is having a good microphone.

Without a good mic, your guests will likely be instantly turned off by the lack of audio clarity. When you have a good mic they might not necessarily notice; but if you have a poor one, that'll instantly kill the webinar.

==> Create Your Slideshow

You should have a clear plan of what you want to cover well before actually doing the webinar.

The outline and the main points should be presented in slideshow form. Use your slideshow to draw attention to important points that you want people to remember.

==> Pre-Load Your Tabs and Resources

Having to load web pages or open programs and documents in the middle of your presentation is both distracting and unprofessional.

Instead, try to pre-load everything beforehand. Open all the web pages you plan on using, load all the programs and open all the documents. That way you can go through your entire presentation in a streamlined manner.

==> Rehearse At Least Once

Rehearse your entire presentation at least once. Without rehearsing your presentation, it's very hard to gauge how long each section will be.

When you plan a presentation, you'll often overestimate or underestimate the amount of time each section takes. Only by rehearsing the whole thing at least once can you get a good sense for how long everything takes.

==> Tips for the Actual Presentation

So you've done all your prep work and you're ready to begin the actual presentation. How do you make sure your message carries across clearly, while keeping your audience entertained?

Start with your voice tone. Speaking to a webinar audience is different than everyday conversation. You need to speak slower and enunciate so everyone can hear you, even if they have a poor connection.

Sit up straight in your chair and smile while you speak. Though your guests can't see you, it makes a difference that carries through in your voice.

Let your guests know when they can expect to have their questions answered. If you're going to answer them as you go, let them know. If you're going to wait until the end to answer questions, let them know that as well.

Finally, speak with enthusiasm and passion. Remember that you're the expert that all these people are turning to. They already intrinsically trust you enough to spend time with you and learn from you. It's natural to be nervous when you're presenting, but just remember that in your audience's eyes you're already a qualified and accomplished expert.

Top Tips for Beating Rising Mail Costs

2012-01-22T20:30:00.000-08:00

Just like everything else in the world, the cost of mail service is rising. With the economy still reeling from setbacks, this can mean increased overhead for your business. But, you can temper these changes with a few tips to help you cut back on mailing costs.

Traditionally, the U.S. Postal service has been the way to send most mail to clients and customers, especially bulk mail deliveries. It’s referred to as “snail mail” in the business because of the delivery time. But, if you are shipping large packages, it has been the way to go.

The postal service has many benefits that may now either get cut or come at a higher premium. Where you now get Saturday delivery, that service could be nixed in favor of protecting revenue by the postal service. But, with cuts also comes fewer services for you.

So, what can you do to avoid getting caught in the crunch?

Fighting Rising Mail Costs

* Plan ahead – If you know that you will need to ship several packages, set up a schedule so they get delivered on time. Overnight shipping is becoming more expensive. And, with postal changes, you may have a harder time accomplishing last minute pick-ups. Set calendar reminders to get items out the door when it will cost the least and not compromise your customer service.

* Try the competition – Other companies like DHL, UPS and FedEx also offer shipping options for you. Depending on your needs, their rates may be lower. But, before you switch, check to see what they can offer you. It could be that you can split your mailing needs between two options for optimal cost savings.

* Use the internet – Many companies offer paperless billing to cut down on sending letters through the mail. You can do the same when sending items to your clients. If you don’t already have access to it, ask your clients for their email address if they will opt-in for paperless notifications. Sites like AWeber.com can send mass mailings to your email list faster and more efficiently than sending out hundreds of letters via the postal service.

* Evaluate your client list – Are you sending mailings to people who are not viable customers? If you haven’t done so in a while, go through your list and chop those who are not responding to your advertisements.

* Schedule with online courier services – Because of their low overhead, they can transfer some of the savings onto you. And, you can schedule pick-up in advance so you don’t forget and then need overnight services.

The cost of shipping is increasing just like everything else. To keep your business in the black, find ways to cut on mailing costs. Above are a few options that you might want to explore.

The Power of Network Marketing

2012-01-21T20:30:00.000-08:00

What is network marketing? Many don’t know. Keep reading to find out what it is and the power that it wields to help you live your dreams.

What Is Network Marketing?

You may know it better as multilevel marketing. Before you stop reading, we are not talking about pyramid scams and schemes. That is the downside created by dishonest representatives of the network marketing model.

Network marketing models are designed to help you increase your earning potential even as you decrease the amount of work that you do. How is this accomplished? Bringing others into your business is beneficial here.

Think about it. If you were operating on your own, then your profits are based on what each customer buys. It may take a long time to grow your customer base to the point where your income stream can sustain you sufficiently.

With network marketing, each person that you add to your network uses their skills to add more customers to an ever-growing base. You, being at the top of the group, will reap the benefit of your customers and theirs. With less effort in the long run, you have created a network that will continue to profit you and add to your revenue. Who wouldn’t want to work less and make more?

Getting Started

Before choosing a network marketing niche, do research. Find out which best fits your style, personality and your needs. Read the fine print. If any warning bells go off, move on to the next network marketing opportunity. Most network marketing businesses offer flexible hours which are great for busy working moms who want to become entrepreneurs.

One thing that makes this model so powerful is the focus. Some believe that starting more than one business will increase profits, but that is false in relation to network marketing. Dividing your time increases your workload and also the expense of starting and maintaining the enterprise. It’s okay to put all your eggs in one basket here because you’ll have more.

You are leveraging your time. By working a few hours each day, you are building a business that will eventually sustain itself. Yes you are selling products to potential customers, but you are also looking to recruit team members into your network. When each person puts forth a small effort, you end up with big profits for all. This frees you up to spend more time on what you deem important in life – family, friends and personal goals.

Identify with your product. People are attracted by passion. If you believe in your product, use it and enjoy talking about it, others will want in. Connect your need to that of your customer and potential team members.

What is the power of network marketing? Time, focus and passion are but a few of the crucial areas that will help you see growth of your bottom line and effective sales team.

Teleseminars - Great Way to Grow Your Business

2012-01-20T20:30:00.000-08:00

If your business is at the size where you already have a decent sized email list and customer base, teleseminars can be a great way to bring in new customers and get more sales out of your existing customers.

==> Using Teleseminars to Bring in New Customers

A teleseminar can be a great "hook" to get new people into your marketing funnel.

Publish the free teleseminar on your Twitter feed, your Facebook page, your email list and any other way you can. Users who may not necessarily want to buy a product from you may like you enough to sign up for a teleseminar with you.

Once you get them on the teleseminar, you'll have a much better chance of making an impression, building a connection and turning them into real prospects.

==> Use It to Create Reciprocity

The principle of reciprocity essentially says that "When someone does something good for you, you want to do something good for them."

This is the reason why many donation-seeking canvassers will give you a rose or a free gift before asking you for money: giving something to someone causes them to want to give back.

In a teleseminar, you give people something extremely valuable for free: information.

Even if someone listening to you doesn't buy on the spot, they'll still reciprocate by giving you something else that's valuable. Usually, that's their attention - in giving you their email, opening your emails etc.

==> Use It to Generate Sales

Using teleseminars to generate sales can be quite challenging to master. However, once you have the skill down, it can be an incredibly powerful sales tool.

A teleseminar allows you to give a full length sales presentation to a captive audience. As long as you deliver hardcore value alongside your sales pitch, you stand a very good chance of both building connection with your market and making a lot of sales.

Selling on teleseminars involves taking all your listeners through the whole emotional sales process: interest, the feeling of the problem, desire for the solution, proving that you can deliver and then really painting the picture of them having the problem solved.

==> Use It to Sell High-Ticket Items

Finally, teleseminars can be one of the most effective ways of selling high-ticket items.

It's very hard to convince someone to part with $10,000 over email, in a sales letter or even on video. However, if they get the chance to interact with you in a teleseminar, they'll get much more of a sense of who you are and whether they can trust you.

Using teleseminars, you can build trust with high network individuals to sell high-ticket items that you just wouldn't be able to sell any other way.

To sum it up, teleseminars are a great way to build your business for many reasons. It can be a great hook to get people in the door, it can be used to build trust with existing fans and it can be used to sell all kinds of products.

Self-Employed: How to Find the Right Retirement Plan

2012-01-19T20:30:00.000-08:00

Being self-employed has its benefits and its drawbacks. One of the big benefits is that you have complete control over how you want to plan for your retirement. Being self-employed gives you a lot of flexibility in how you want to save.

It's easy to neglect saving for retirement in the early days of your business. You'll probably want to funnel the majority of your money back into your business to cover start-up costs. That makes sense for the first year or two.

However, once your business becomes stable and it's clear that your self-employed income is going to be your main income source, you should start thinking about retirement.

Here are the main plans to look into when you're planning for retirement.

==> The SEP IRA

The Self-Employed IRA is probably the best account for you to use if you're the only employee of your business. With a SEP IRA, you can set aside $49,000 per year as long as your total contribution is under 25% of your net income.

The downside to this plan is that it can get very expensive if you choose to hire employees. Your spouse doesn't count as an employee; but if you plan on expanding your business in the future you might want to choose another option.

==> The Solo 401(k) Plan

The Solo 401(k) plan is another good choice for self-employed individuals who don't have any employees. In this case, if you use this plan, your plan can't actually extend to any employees at all.

What's great about this plan is that you can contribute to it both as an employee and as an employer. Your employee contribution limit is $16,500, plus the employer limit of $49,000.

Again, though your spouse doesn't count as an employee, if you plan on expanding your business, don't use this kind of account.

==> The Simple IRA

If you plan on being a small to mid-sized company, between 3 to 10 employees, this could be a great plan. The Simple IRA allows you to match employee contributions with very little hassle.

There's minimal paperwork with the Simple IRA plan. The maximum contributions are lower, which means it's not great if you're earning a lot of money in a small company, but if you have a moderate income with a few employees and want to help them with retirement, this is a great way to do it.

==> Keogh Plans

This plan, named after Congressman Eugene James Keogh who wrote the plan, is the best option for small to medium-sized businesses. It has the highest amount of paperwork, which means if you're just a 1 to 3 person show it probably doesn't make sense.

With the Keogh plan, you pick a certain percentage of compensation to be automatically deducted each year. The maximum contribution is $49,000 a year. The plan is easy to administer for both yourself and your employees.

There you have it - these are the four most common retirement plans for the self-employed. The plan you choose depends primarily upon how many people are in your business, whether you plan to grow and how much you want to save each year.

Professional Development for VAs - Why You Should Do It

2012-01-18T20:30:00.000-08:00

Are you doing enough to develop yourself as a virtual assistant? Professional development is a critical part of a VA's long-term success.

Why should you develop new skills? Here are a few key reasons.

==> New Skills Means New Markets

There are some markets that you can tackle without any specific skills. On the other hand, there are many markets that do require specific skills if you want to enter them.

For example, if you want to enter the accounting industry and work with CFOs of mid-sized companies, you're probably going to have to learn bookkeeping. At the very least, you're going to need to be able to read financial statements, balance sheets and profit and loss statements.

Learning these skills will allow you to target a group of clients that you couldn't target before.

==> Better Skills Means Better Service

Let's say you just learned a new task management system that allows you to clear out all your requests faster. That means that all your clients will suddenly have all their requests fulfilled much faster than before.

Likewise, let's say you learned how to use a new method of scheduling that helps people avoid scheduling conflicts and makes appointments easier to change. Again, this results in a direct benefit to your clients.

The better your professional skills, the better the service you'll be able to provide your clients.

==> Develop Sales Skills

One area of professional development every virtual assistant should learn is sales skills.

Getting a new VA client ultimately comes down to whether or not you can sell them on the concept of you. Are you worth the investment? Why should they hire you over another VA? Why should they hire you over another assistant?

Being able to persuade someone else to hire you is the crux of learning sales. As a VA, the key is to learn a softer, relationship-based kind of sales rather than a hard sell approach. A good place to start is SPIN selling.

==> You Can Charge More Per Client

As you become more valuable as a VA, you'll be able to charge more per client.

Think about it: who do you think could charge more? The VA who can do bookkeeping, manage calendars proficiently, screen phone calls, manage projects, properly delegate tasks and spot customer service blunders? Or someone who hasn't developed any of those skills?

The former, naturally. If you have more skills, you'll be able to ask more for your time and get what you ask for.

Developing yourself as a VA shouldn't be an optional part of your career development. If you want to succeed in the long run, make sure you pay close attention to developing your skills as a VA.

Office Aesthetics - Why Is It Important

2012-01-17T20:30:00.000-08:00

What is your first thought when you enter a business office space? Whether you like it or not is a reflection on their office aesthetics. Keep reading to find out why these play a crucial role, not only in growing your business but also in satisfying your employees.

Office Aesthetics: What Is That?

Basically it refers to how your office space looks. On a wider scale, the design of your office can set the tone for each workday as well as the emotional connection with current and potential clients. When you are setting up an office, don’t ignore the significance of the space as a whole.

For instance, would you want to work there? As the boss, you can shut yourself up in your office, but who wants that? The way that you would personally outfit your office to promote a positive flow of energy (we are not necessarily feng shui’ing here) is an aspect to consider for your employees and customers.

Reasons to Pay Attention to Design

Have you ever walked into an office and wanted to walk right back out? Why? More than likely, the décor didn’t inspire much confidence in the abilities of the people inside. If you were working there, you might not be inspired either. This can affect everything from customer service to productivity.

Where do you start? Begin with what would inspire you to do your best work. That could include artwork on the walls, plants throughout the office and a different floor plan than the usual. The cubicle model reminds most of rats in a maze. Dispel that mindset.

Wide spaces convey openness. This could be openness when it comes to accessibility to management, other co-workers or even ideas. Everyone wants a measure of privacy, but the point of a company is for its team members to function together.

Employee health affects design. Poor body mechanics in the office can be blamed for neck, back and leg pains. Offering ergonomic tools such as keyboards, chairs, foot rests and back supports put less stress on the body so the mind can focus on the job at hand. It also shows employees that their needs are a priority to you.

What about the Water Cooler?

Customers will frequent your office. You don’t want to lose business before you’ve even had a chance to present your case. To that end, office aesthetics can be employed to provide a warm and inviting vibe to your customers. Furnish the waiting room with comfortable but supportive furniture. Add a water cooler for their use. If you are catering to parents, offer resources that occupy their kids’ time as well.

How an office looks and feels is just as important as what work is going on inside. Consider the needs of your employees and potential customers as you plan the design of your space.

Off and On-Page Search Engine Optimization Techniques

2012-01-16T20:30:00.000-08:00

In order to get search engine optimization right, you need to be well versed in both the on-page and the off-page optimization techniques.

On-page optimization is like the foundations of a building. Without good foundations, the building cannot stand. However, it's really what's on top of the foundations that make the biggest difference.

If you have good foundations in the form of on-page SEO, then the rest of the game comes in the form of off-page SEO. Off-page SEO is what will really put you ahead of your competition.

==> On-Page SEO Techniques

On-page SEO techniques can more or less be split into "basics" and "advanced."

On the basic level are all the fundamental on-page SEO practices. For example, put your keyword in your title tag, use your ALT tags to tag your images, and use meta description tags to help create your search engine rankings.

On a more advanced level you have techniques like creating silo interlinking structures to spread PageRank and relevance throughout your web pages. You have to stay on top of things like Schema.org, Google and Bing's new system for keeping track of what different types of content are about.

You also need to be watching your site metrics more carefully to lower your bounce rate, increase your return rate and increase the time spent on site.

==> Off-Page SEO

Off-page SEO consists primarily of link building.

The goal is to build backlinks from as many different types of backlinks as possible. Ideally you'll have a combination of high quality, relevant backlinks, along with some lower quality, easy to obtain backlinks.

Building backlinks is a highly manual process. Of course, you can outsource a lot of the work once you have the systems down, but in the beginning you'll have to do a lot of the work yourself.

Off-page optimization techniques include guest blogging, getting featured in news articles, article marketing, creating forum profile links, signature links, buying links, blog commenting, creating custom web apps and more.

==> The Best Way to Choose a Strategy

In some markets, you need to use fairly complex and difficult strategies to get ranked. In other markets, simple strategies are all you need to break ahead of your competition.

The best way to choose which techniques to use, is to start by figuring out what your competition is doing. Use backlink analysis tools to build a link profile of how your competitors got to where they are.

Once you know how they got there, all you need to do is follow their strategy better than them to get ahead.

To make a long story short, getting ranked in search engines involves getting both the on-page and the off-page optimization right. Do both the basic and the advanced on-page SEO, then choose a handful of off-page strategies and execute them well.

Need to Attract New Clients? Top-Notch Presentation Techniques and Tools

2012-01-15T20:30:00.000-08:00

In order for your business to grow, you need to expand your customer base. That means finding new clients to buy your products or services. But, what methods will help you attract the most people?

Most business owners don’t want to rest on their laurels. Even if they are making profits, they can always make more. Unless everyone in the world is using their product, then they still have work to do. If this is your philosophy, then keep reading to find out how to hook your next big account.

How to Attract a Client

First, perform some background work. The best presentations begin before you have even put pen to paper. How can you create an effective presentation without knowing who your potential clients are and what they need?

So, find out all that you can about your clients. Any information can be helpful to building a convincing sales pitch. Analyze your customers from all sides to see where you can get a foothold.

Ask questions. What do potential clients want from you? For an online business, set up questionnaires or ask these questions in blog posts and wait for feedback. If you can talk to the potential client before pitching to them, then do so. One, it shows interest in their needs and it also means you are doing your due diligence.

Create a presentation that has your client’s need at heart. It is easy to pitch a product and forget all about the client. But, if you want them to actively listen to you, then you need to integrate them into the equation from the word go.

Here’s an example. If your client is sensitive about animal rights, then don’t give them the hard line kind of presentation. Show that your product is sensitive as well by demonstrating that no animal testing was used in the making of your product. Small things like that can make all the difference to your client.

Command the room when you make a presentation. Arrive early and set up your projector, slideshow or PowerPoint. Now you know that everything works and can just about guarantee that there won’t be any glitches. Also, arrange the furniture so that all eyes focus on you without anyone having to turn or crane their necks.

Choose the optimal time for your presentation. If you have been offered the spot right before lunch or quitting time, reschedule when you can have an early morning slot. The client will be more alert and focused on what you have to say.

Offer practical examples in your presentation. This means tell a story that relates to your product and the ability of said product to meet this client’s needs. A lot of technical jargon won’t convince them to buy. Everyone tries that approach. Make yours stand out.

Are you in need of new clients? Learn how to capture and keep their attention until the deal is closed.

Is Your Business Making Profits? Now What?

2012-01-14T20:30:00.000-08:00

The goal of business is to turn a profit. Most work many years to become respectably profitable. But, what happens when you achieve a profit margin? What do you do with the money?

Profit is the bottom line but many business owners don’t know what to do with it. We plan strategies to get to that point, but neglect to focus on what happens next. Here are some ideas to help you make the best use of that money.

You Have Choices

Isn’t it good to have choices? In business, it is the best vantage point. When you consider what to do with your profits, take a look at some of the options.

* Invest back in the company – Certain adjustments need to be made if you want to continue to thrive. Have you been putting off making changes in advertising, software or hardware upgrades? Now that you have the funds available, this may be the perfect time to consider proposals for some of those changes. Try new marketing strategies or outfit the office with the latest in technological tools to make their jobs a bit easier and more efficient.

* Increase benefit packages – Can you offer your loyal employees more benefits? Maybe look into a different health insurance plan, a retirement plan or a pension plan? Send out a survey asking employees if and how their benefits could be made better.

* Increase your presence in the community – Give back to the community that has supported you with social action objectives. Donate to several charities, help to fund community projects and donate your time.

* Invest the money – Make your bottom line even healthier by filling out your investment portfolio. Put money into stocks, bonds and certificates. Of course, discuss the best options for you with a reputable investment manager.

* Pay dividends – Do you have a profit sharing program? If you employees own a piece of the pie, then a portion of the profits can go directly into their pockets. If you don’t have a profit sharing program, now might be the right time to create one. Knowing that they are integral to the profits of the company can foster better work ethics and job satisfaction.

* Reallocate funds – When you have money to play with, you can reassess the budget for your company. Shift around funds based on projected future needs of the company and past performance.

* Expansion – If you own an online business, then you know how important that presence can be. For storefront businesses, you can use some of that profit to expand into cyberspace. Create an extension of your business and reach an entirely untapped market with your brand.

What will you do with the profits from your business? Think about it now before it happens so you can be prepared with choices when it does.

Inexpensive Ways to Promote Your Small Business

2012-01-13T20:30:00.000-08:00

Getting new customers doesn't have to be an expensive endeavor. The old axiom of "it takes money to make money" just doesn't have to be the case when it comes to small business marketing.

If you want to give your business an infusion of customers without having to spend big bucks, read these ideas carefully. Here are several different ways you can promote your small business - all with little to no cash investment.

==> Use Third Party Review Websites

If you own a guesthouse or hostel, get on Hostelworld or HostelBookers. Get as many people to review you as possible.

If you own a spa, get as many people as possible to review you on Yelp.

No matter what kind of service you're running, chances are there's some kind of review system out there. People want to talk about and share experiences they've had with service providers in your industry.

Find out what these "hubs" are and actively cultivate positive reviews. Getting ranked #1 in your category on one of these sites is all it takes to get your business completely booked up.

==> Offer to Write for Publications

If you're an expert on internet marketing, why not start writing a column for your local newspaper's business section?

Or perhaps you might want to see if you can get a writing gig in a small internet business related magazine.

Being invited to write a column isn't as hard as you might imagine. If you have the qualifications, editors are always on the lookout for more content. Because the better the content, the better their publication.

Finally, try also approaching bloggers to do guest blog posts. Make sure you state your qualifications upfront so they know you know your stuff, and make sure to suggest a few potential post topics in your introductory email.

==> Speak in Public

Public speaking is one of the most powerful and least competitive marketing methods around. Why? Because almost everyone is terrified of speaking in public.

Speaking in public requires honing your presentation skills. It involves mastering your fear of looking bad. It involves quite a bit of personal and professional development.

It's a lot of hard work to become a great speaker. However, once you do become a great speaker, marketing will likely become a non-issue for your business.

Speaking in front of groups generates so much curiosity and credibility that if you do it on a regular basis, your business is more or less set.

Promoting a small business doesn't have to cost a lot of money. If money is your main reason for not promoting your business, let it stop you no more. Instead of using your money to promote your business, use your smarts, charm and determination to do the job.

How to Increase Your PLR Sales in Easy Steps

2012-01-12T20:30:00.000-08:00

Selling PLR packages can be an incredibly lucrative way to make money. However, it can be quite difficult to get the traffic, especially in the beginning. If you can establish a stable base of PLR buyers, you'll have a very nice stream of income. Getting there is the real trick.

Here are a few key steps to increasing your PLR sales.

==> Create Scarcity

Scarcity is one of the most important aspects of selling PLR packages - much more so than marketing any other products.

People who buy PLR packages tend to be quite skittish about how many other people are out there with the same content. The more other webmasters who have the same content, the higher the risk of their content being seen as a duplicate.

The best way to create scarcity and alleviate this fear is to limit the amount of packages you sell. Generally under 200 is a good number, though some PLR sellers choose to sell under 50 packages.

==> Forums: The Fastest Way to Jump-Start Your Sales Funnel

There are many ways you can bring in customers. Some take longer than others. But if you want to get customers right away to kick-start your business, there's no better place to look than forums where webmasters hang out.

These forums include the Warrior Forum, DigitalPoint, WickedFire and more.

Webmasters on these forums are often actively looking for new content. Though there's a lot of competition for PLR products, if you can differentiate yourself somehow, there's definitely a very active market.

==> Create a Search Engine Optimized Website

In the long run, it's a much better idea to create an independent funnel of traffic. Though competing on the forums is a valid strategy, getting your PLR packages ranked in the search engines is a much more lucrative long-term strategy.

Start by picking out very specific keywords. Don't try to target terms like "PLR articles" or "PLR packages." Instead, try to pick just a handful of niches that have weak search engine competition to target.

Getting ranked in the search engines can take a good 3 to 6 months. However, once you've got the rankings, the traffic will just flow in on its own without much further work.

==> Experiment with Different Sales Funnels

There are many ways to sell PLR packages. You can sell them one-off, you can sell them in packages and you can sell them in monthly memberships.

The latter is definitely the most lucrative, but can also be the most difficult to sell. If you're just starting out, you might have an easier time getting the initial sales by just selling single packages.

If your content's quality is high, you might then be able to convert your single package buyers into monthly clients. Having a good sales funnel can really help build your client base in the initial months and weeks.

These are a few easy things you can do to start getting your PLR sales right away. When you're selling PLR products, it makes sense to try to use a mix of both long-term and short-term strategies.

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2012-01-11T21:26:00.000-08:00

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Healthcare Options for the Self-Employed Business Owners

2012-01-11T20:30:00.000-08:00

Getting proper healthcare can be a big expense for self-employed business owners. It's often much more expensive and difficult to get insurance if you're not going through an employer. The whole process can seem quite complex as well.

Here's an in-depth look at some of your best options.

==> Your Wife or Husband's Insurance Plan

If you're married, your best option is probably your spouse's plan. It's much cheaper than any other option you'll find on your own.

There are usually specific times of the year when you can add family members to a health plan. Have your spouse ask their employer when that time is and see if you can get the whole family on that plan.

==> Look for Membership and Group Buying Plans

The reason employers get such a good deal on plans is because they can buy in bulk and drive the price down. This doesn't have to be limited to employers, however.

If you can find a membership association for whatever it is you're working on, you'll have a very good chance of being able to get cheaper health insurance.

Don't think that just because you're doing something generic or exotic, you can't find a membership group. Groups as generic as the "National Business Association of America" can help you get better deals on health insurance.

==> Are You Eligible for COBRA?

The COBRA act allows you to stay on your previous healthcare plan for 18 months. If your past employer provided you with healthcare, there's a very good chance that you'll qualify for COBRA.

There are both upsides and downsides to COBRA. On the one hand, you get to pay exactly what your employer paid for your healthcare. The downside is that you can't change the plan.

Your healthcare might have been extremely cheap when your employer was paying for part of it, but when you're paying for the whole thing it might actually be more coverage than you want.

That said, if you're eligible you should still look into the COBRA plan to see if it makes sense for you.

==> Consumer Driven Health Plans

Traditionally, employer driven health plans have a higher monthly payment and a lower deductible. Consumer Driven Health Plans (CDHPs) are the opposite; they have a relatively low monthly payment with much higher deductibles.

This places the responsibility of staying healthy on the consumer. This allows you to have coverage in case something happens, but keep your monthly payments down as well. For a start-up self-employed business, this could be the perfect way to keep costs down.

==> Exploring Other Options

Finally, you have the myriad of other full or near full priced options out there.

If you're doing your homework on these options, make sure you carefully read exactly what's covered and what's not.

Make sure you get clear on whether the deductibles are per person or per family. A $1,000 deductible could easily turn into $3,000 if you have a spouse and child.

Figuring out the right healthcare option can be quite tricky. Being self-employed, the options are often more expensive. That said, there are many ways you can reduce the cost of healthcare. With a little bit of homework and a little bit of perseverance, you'll be able to find the perfect balance between coverage and cost.

Google Search Engine Optimization Tools

2012-01-10T20:30:00.000-08:00

Any search engine professional will tell you - to succeed, you need the right tools. Tools to evaluate keywords, tools to gauge your competition, tools to get backlinks.

Without the right tools, even the best SEO professionals in the world won't be able to get very far.

What are the most important tools you should know about? Here are some of the most important tools for Google search engine optimization.

==> Backlink Checking Tools

Backlink checking tools allow you to figure out exactly how strong your competition is for any given keyword before you begin a campaign.

It also allows you to reverse engineer strategies that are already working for other people in your industry. If you can figure out what's already working and do it even better than your competitors, you have a very good chance of success.

Two great backlink checking tools are Open Site Explorer and Majestic SEO. Both of these tools have free versions that give you quite a bit of data, along with a paid version with even more data.

You can also use Yahoo Site Explorer and Bing Webmaster Tools to check backlinks; though both of these tools have serious drawbacks.

==> Submission Tools

If you're doing mass backlinks using a social bookmarking website or article marketing, you're going to want to have a few programs that do it for you.

For example, if you're regularly submitting content to social bookmarking websites, you'll probably want to use a tool like Bookmarking Demon or Ping.fm. These tools will submit new content to a wide array of social media websites all at the click of a button for you.

If you're doing article submissions, you'll either want to use a submission program like Article Submitter or use a service like iSnare.

==> Market Research Tools

There are several market research tools on the market that offer stellar keyword research and niche research capabilities.

For one, Google's own Google Keyword Tool is still the best tool out there for raw traffic data. If you're just trying to figure out how much traffic certain search terms get, it's one of the fastest and easiest places to get data.

Another tool that's been taking off rapidly is Market Samurai. In addition to search volume, Market Samurai will also evaluate the competitiveness of each keyword you type in and give you a rough gauge of how much you can expect to earn in that market if you successfully rank.

==> How Much of SEO Is in the Tools?

Though not having the right tools can prevent you from succeeding, having the right tools doesn't necessarily mean you'll succeed.

You need to use the tools in the right way to get the results you're looking for. If you want to get ranked, tools can help you get there faster, but they can't do the bulk of the real work for you.

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2012-01-10T10:08:00.001-08:00

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Establishing Your Online Credibility in Easy Steps

2012-01-09T20:30:00.000-08:00

Credibility is one of the rarest yet most powerful commodities online. If you have credibility, you'll be able to get people on email lists, get joint venture partners and get others to buy with ease. Without credibility, nobody will give you their credit card.

So how do you go about establishing your online credibility? You can do so in a few easy steps.

==> Come Up with Your Story

You need to have a compelling "where I came from" story.

Have you ever noticed how just about every product ever invented has a story? Weight loss products tell the story of someone who was perpetually overweight finally losing the fat. Real estate gurus talk about how they went from rags to riches.

Stories are compelling. Figure out an attention-catching, respect-inspiring story to base your online identity around.

==> What Results Have You Personally Gotten?

Don't be afraid to share the results that you've personally gotten.

If you're giving advice about how to make money, share exactly how you are making money. If you're giving advice about losing weight, share your exact measurements.

People want to be able to relate to you. They want to be able to feel that you're one of them, you know what they're going through, and that if you can do it so can they.

==> Proof Elements on Your Page

You should have several proof elements readily visible on your web page.

For example, if you've appeared on radio stations, put the logos of the radio stations on your page under "as seen on."

If you have before and after photos, put those on your page as well.

The idea is to give people bite-sized chunks of credibility. They might not even consciously look at it, but just having them there makes a difference.

==> Credibility in the First Impression

The first impression is very important. Though you can't tell your whole story in the first impression, it's important that you have one or two proof elements here.

Have a before and after picture above the fold. Or have a killer testimonials prominently displayed on the front page. Or have your most spectacular achievement showcased upfront.

==> Get Social Proof

Social proof is one of the most powerful ways of building credibility. Why? Because it doesn't come from you.

Social proof means that other people who have no financial gain from endorsing you like your product enough to go out of their way to help you. It sends a strong message.

Social proof includes comments on blog posts, testimonials on other people's blogs or word of mouth endorsements from friend to friend.

These are a few of the most powerful ways to establish your credibility online. In the beginning, this process takes quite a bit of thought, as you have to plan out your story and discover your proof elements. Once you've got it down, however, your proof elements will keep working for you again and again, without you having to do much work.

Essential Smartphone Apps for the Mobile Entrepreneur

2012-01-08T20:30:00.000-08:00

Life is mobile and so is business. If you are a busy entrepreneur, whether in the real world, cyberspace or both, you need a way to stay connected with your business from any point on the globe. Stay current with apps for your Smartphone.

An entrepreneur these days needs to be able to move. That means having the tools that they need to conduct their business with them at all times. If you are a business owner, then you need a Smartphone that allows you access to what you need in order to grow your business even when you are not in the office or at your computer.

Take your pick. Everyone has their favorite line of Smartphones, but you can choose the one that offers the memory, ease of use and speed that you desire. And, with the large market of applications available today, most are available to more than one line of phones.

So let’s explore the essential apps that you will need if you want to perform as many functions as possible while staying mobile.

Essential Apps for Your Smartphone

* Square – This app is free to use. It allows you to process credit card payments right from your phone. You don’t have to wait until you get to the office and your PC to do this anymore. Use the card reader to accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover.

* Evernote – They say that elephants never forget and neither does this app. Whenever you have an idea, capture it in picture, voice recording or words with this virtual memo system. With cloud computing, updates to your Evernote lists are synced across all of your electronic devices. This app is free to download.

* LinkedIn – This is by far the most popular social networking site for professionals. Just like with Facebook or Twitter, keep abreast of what fellow peers are doing using this app. Network, share information and update your profile - all from your phone. This app is free to download.

* Google Docs – Want to share information quickly with your team? You can update and send files back and forth with this application. Also, Google offers other cloud computing apps that allow you to talk with clients, invoice customers and create sync information across your devices and Google calendars. This app is free.

* Documents to Go – There is a cost for this app but it is well worth the payment. You can create MS Word documents, Excel spreadsheets and PowerPoint files - all from your Smartphone. Files can be transferred to your desktop also. Send completed files to clients quickly from any location. Now you don’t have to wait until you get back to the office.

* Dropbox – Now you can share files between computers and your phone with your team and clients. This app, which is free, allows you to make your information available to whoever needs it, when they need it.

As a business owner, it is important to have tools that make your business as mobile as you sometimes are. The apps above are examples of some of the more essential Smartphone tools.

Easy Ways to Maximize LinkedIn Groups to Grow Your Business

2012-01-07T20:30:00.000-08:00

Business strategy dictates that you use an arsenal of techniques to help grow your business. Are you using all of the resources at your disposal? If you are not sure, have you tried LinkedIn Groups?

As you may already know, LinkedIn is a growing social site for business professionals. Whether you work for a company or own your own storefront or internet business, you can find others with a similar business presence. Unlike other social sites, the idea here is to give professionals a place to network effectively. Preliminary profiles give other members a quick glance at who you are to see if they want to learn more.

There are a variety of ways that you can get involved in the site. One is LinkedIn Groups. If you have the goal of growing your business (most of us do), this tool can help you if you know how to leverage it.

Ways to Maximize Use of LinkedIn Groups

* Find related groups – There are several groups available but all don’t pertain to your particular area of business. Use the search function to find targeted groups that include professionals with similar interests.

* Actively participate in different groups – It’s easy to have your name on the roster, but in order for this tool to be effective it will take some work on your part. One feature of these groups is previewing the latest comments before entering the group discussion. When something pertains to you or peaks your interest, join in and make your presence known. Also, don’t be afraid to begin discussions if you have a question or a point to make.

* Increase your visibility – Being seen in groups increases the chances that others will want to find you. It may be your name they click on to connect with your profile. That is why it is so important to include searchable keywords in relevant fields within your profile.

* Start groups – Invite other professionals to join a group on a topic that you start. When you are involved in other group discussions, you can learn what professionals like you want. Meet that need with a new niche LinkedIn group.

* Learn about those in your group – Read their profiles, study their business tips and contact them personally for advice. Build a rapport with other professionals. You may be fostering future business collaborations in the process.

* Learn the latest buzz – What is going on in the business world you inhabit? Groups allow you to keep up with the latest news and events that you may want to attend in the interest of business growth.

* Learn what others are saying about you – Use site tools to see how you are faring with your fellow professionals. Use the comments and feedback to adapt your strategy and increase your visibility and popularity.

LinkedIn Groups can work not only to connect you with other professionals but also to increase your business.

Co-Working: The Pros and Cons

2012-01-06T20:30:00.000-08:00

In today’s high tech society, more and more people are starting online businesses. If you go into business this way, you don’t even have to get out of your pajamas in the morning. Others who are freelancers or internet business owners might opt for the concept of co-working. Keep reading to find out both positive and negative points of this type of working environment.

What Is Co-Working?

When you work from home, chances are you are there alone or with your kids. At first, you may have been psyched to work in your PJs and get to spend time with your family. Pretty soon you realize that this is not exactly the best way to be productive in your business. Maybe a change of scenery would help?

With the idea of co-working, people who would otherwise be working from home (independent contractors, freelance writers and telecommuters) gather together in an office setting with each other. The idea is to foster an environment where you can be around other like-minded professionals such as yourself and get a bit of social interaction in the bargain.

Before you join a co-working group, know what you are getting into. Search to find a co-working facility in your area that meets the needs of your business niche. Check out the other people who are sharing the facility. Do they have similar interests and working habits?

Pros of Co-Working Environments

Here are some advantages to working in such an environment.

* Socialization – It can get very boring very quickly when you are home alone. In a co-working office, you have the luxury of meeting new people who may have some of the same interests that you have. You can trade information about your businesses for mutual growth.

* Dedicated work environment – There is something about an office setting that makes you want to work. Without kids running between your feet and little ones crying, you may actually get something done.

* Relaxed dress code – Unlike your employer’s office, you now have flexibility when it comes to your wardrobe. Wear jeans and a sweatshirt to the office if you like. The name of the game is “comfort.”

Cons of Co-Working Environments

* Distractions – With so many other people working in the office, you may be tempted to be more social than you need to be. Hanging out at your neighbor’s desk won’t get your work completed.

* Different working styles – Some people may like to brainstorm out loud. This might not be conducive to your quieter manner of silent thinking.

* The cost – At home, you are keeping your overheads low. You already pay for your residence. In a co-working office, you are paying a daily, monthly or extended stay rate. The overhead costs for your business have just increased.

Is co-working for you? Weigh the pros and cons. Just because you choose it now doesn’t mean that you can’t change your mind later.

Cloud Computing: Should Your Business Use It?

2012-01-05T20:30:00.000-08:00

Today everyone is saying, “Take me to the cloud.” But what does that mean? And, is it a good thing for your business to get involved in?

What and Where Is the Cloud?

We are talking about cyberspace. You know it exists and you can see the results of it, but touching it is as elusive as putting your hands on a real cloud. Nevertheless, it is a revolutionary idea in network sharing and storage.

So, what is the cloud exactly? Well, if you are using the internet right now to read this article, you are a part of the cloud network. Companies used to set up IT networks on their own, installing, running and testing software applications. Whenever there was a problem, everyone turned to the IT expert to fix it. This took money and time which could cost the business money in man hours and lost productivity.

Cloud computing offers a break to companies both large and small with an easier way to store information. Instead of each company managing their own applications, third-party vendors offer access to a virtual network that they manage. Each company only pays for the amount of usage that they need.

This one area houses hundreds of apps that each company can customize for its own uses. It’s like having one central location for housing all business but with the ability to function according to the specific needs of each.

How Can Your Business Benefit?

Because the cloud is in cyberspace, you are not limited to one area when using it. In fact, the cloud was made for mobility. No matter where you or any of your associates are, you can upload information to the cloud that can then be viewed by others who also have access to the network. They can make changes to the document and then send it back to you in a flash.

Want to hold a meeting? You can do that too. Sharing ideas across the miles but within the same company has never been more accessible. What may have taken precious time through emails, faxes or phone calls can now be handled all at once via cloud computing.

And, your business can lower the cost of overheads by utilizing the cloud. With a third-party vendor managing the operation, they handle upgrades to software, technical questions and support for you. If there are problems, you will be up and running again as quickly as they can help. That also means that anyone accessing your applications is also back on the grid.

But, do your homework first. Make sure that the cloud is what your business needs and that it can meet your specific criteria for security and ease of operation. You decide if the cloud can move you forward.

Amazon.com Affiliate Program: Is It Worth the Effort?

2012-01-04T20:30:00.000-08:00

It seems like affiliate programs are all the rage these days. And why not? It is a good way to create an income stream with very little work. One such program is Amazon.com.

What Are Affiliate Programs?

In case you are a newbie in the world of affiliate marketing, here is a quick tutorial about the concept. Affiliate marketing basically involves selling products for others and earning a commission on those sales or sales leads.

There are many advantages to this model. First, you don’t have to house any inventory. The products are managed by the affiliate program owner, in this case Amazon.com. There is nothing for you to keep up with.

Second, you don’t even have to come up with tools to promote the products. The affiliate does that for you as well. They provide an affiliate’s toolbox filled with all sorts of goodies that help you to get started. You can use different codes on your site to embed pictures, text or both with your affiliate code so that it traces back to you when someone clicks on the links.

Third, you don’t have to monitor the clicks. All of that is done for you, by the affiliate owner. They compute your payment and send it to you.

So, what’s your responsibility? Successfully promote the product and drive traffic to your site so others will take advantage of the offers displayed there. But, that is a subject for another time.

What about Amazon.com?

Amazon is a pioneer in the affiliate marketing model. When you are growing a company it is often hard to also grow the advertising. There just doesn’t seem to be enough hours in the day. Amazon have developed a strategy whereby others help to promote the products and services that they offer for a percentage of the commission on the sales.

It’s ingenious, actually. Now, someone else is working for you so you can concentrate on other business aspects.

With Amazon.com, you are backed by a brand that people trust. When you promote any of their products, potential customers already know that it is good quality so you don’t have to sell them on that. The products practically sell themselves.

But, before joining any affiliate program, even Amazon.com, read the fine print. Know about fee structures, payment schedules and what you are getting to help you be a successful affiliate. This will help you evaluate whether the program itself is worth the effort.

If you are looking for a constant income stream that gets better over time, then this one may work for you. Some are skeptical about the low starting commission rate. However, while it is low compared to other programs, you can grow that as quickly or as slowly as you want with increased sales each month.

Also, Amazon.com pays quarterly. You won’t see a check until the end of the first three months depending on when you sign up. So, it is not a quick bucks kind of program.

Is Amazon.com worth it? That depends on your needs and affiliate marketing goals.

Affiliate Marketers: How to Increase Conversion

2012-01-03T20:25:00.000-08:00

Your conversion rate is perhaps the most important factor to improve if you want to create a successful affiliate marketing campaign. If you have a 2% conversion while your competitor only has a 1% conversion, it becomes very hard for them to compete.

How do you raise your conversion rates as an affiliate marketer?

==> Start by Getting More Targeted Traffic

Start by improving the quality of your traffic.

One easy way to do this is to narrow down your keywords. For example, if you're selling sports shoes, instead of bidding for keywords like "Nike shoes" try going for specific models like "Nike Sprint Runner 2011."

Also try cutting down on broad match or phrase match terms, and go for exact match terms instead.

The principles of getting more targeted traffic apply no matter what kind of traffic source you're using.

==> Use Keyword Pass-Through & Geotargeting

Let's say someone who lives in Boulder, Colorado typed in "Nike Shoes" and landed on your site. Which of these headlines would be more appealing?

"Buy Sports Shoes Online Today" or "Buy Nike Shoes Online, Delivered to Boulder in 48 Hours"?

Naturally, the latter is going to be more appealing.

Two quick ways to increase your conversion rate on anything you're promoting is to add keyword pass-through and geotargeting.

Keyword pass-through simply means passing the keyword someone typed in to get to your website to your landing page, and using it in the headline or body copy.

Geotargeting involves using the IP address of the browser to detect where they're located and then using that to increase conversions. There's a free script you can use from MaxMind.

==> Split Testing

Ultimately, the only way to really increase your conversions consistently is to split test on a regular basis.

If you have a small amount of traffic, start with basic A/B split tests that tackle large differences in your website.

If you have a profitable campaign that's getting significant amounts of traffic, try using multivariable testing to figure out the best possible combination of factors.

==> Starting an Email List

If you have a campaign that's profitable or breaks even on the front end, you might want to consider setting up an email list.

Setting up an email list will allow you to promote multiple affiliate offers to the same traffic source. Since you've already proven that you're able to get buyers to your landing page, you're likely leaving money on the table if you don't try to get them on a list.

These are a few proven tactics for increasing your conversions as an affiliate marketer. The most important habit you could get into is regularly trying out different ideas. Affiliate marketing is often just about trying out as many different things as possible until one sticks.

How to Back Up Your WordPress Site

2012-01-01T21:25:00.001-08:00

There’s a good chance that whatever type of website you run, you could use (or are already using) WordPress to power it. WordPress originated as a tool for blogging, but has since developed into a fully-fledged platform for virtually any type of website. In fact, it’s estimated that almost 25% of all new websites that come online each day are powered by WordPress.

Avoid Potential Problems

Even though WordPress is a highly stable platform, problems can and do occur. Your website or blog might be hacked, or your web host might be hacked. If your website is ever compromised, then you’re at risk of losing everything you’ve worked so hard to create. So if you decide to build your blog, or even your business, around a WordPress website, it’s important that you routinely back up your site.

When you back up your WordPress website, two different things should be backed up: your “database,” and your “files.” Your database consists of your posts, along with all pictures and videos you’ve included in your posts, and all the comments readers have made to your posts. Your database also includes pages, custom tags and everything else you’ve created that relates to the substantive content of your WordPress site.

On the other hand, your files consist of all of the themes, plug-ins and other website components that affect the structure, layout and “look and feel” of the site. The backup process will vary slightly depending on whether you use a third party hosting service for your WordPress website, or whether you use the WordPress.com service.

Do You Self-Host?

If you self-host your website, then it’s possible to back up your database manually, using the control panel your web host offers (cPanel is one of the most popular). Simply select “Download a MySQL Database Backup” (or similar option) from your dashboard and choose the database you are using for your site. You can also back up directly by logging on to phpMyAdmin (the most common MySQL interface), selecting your database, selecting all the tables in the database then saving that file to your local computer.

Some users will not feel comfortable interacting with their website in this way, and will instead choose to install the WordPress Database Backup plug-in (or any similar plug-in) to handle the database backup process.

A WordPress plug-in can even automate the process and email the backup file to you each week (or on whatever frequency you choose). Users of the WordPress.com service can either use a plug-in, or go to the “Tools” selection of their WordPress.com dashboard and select the “Export” option.

Back Up Your Files

After you back up the database, you need to back up the files. In order to do so, log in to your web hosting account and navigate to whatever folder your WordPress website is installed in. Download all of the files in that folder to your local computer as a backup.

Because you’ll need to maintain the file structure, and because there will be a lot of files, you’ll need to use an FTP tool to make sure the process goes smoothly. Ask your web host for assistance if you’ve never done this before.

It might take a little bit of time to get the hang of backing up your WordPress site, but it’s time well spent. Having a fresh backup can be invaluable if your website is ever attacked.

Funky Office Tools Set

2012-01-01T16:27:00.000-08:00

Are you familiar with No More Rack? I absolutely love this site! Every day at 12PM EST 8 fabulous daily deals are posted at great prices. Today this was one of my favorites! This Funky Office Tools Set was recently featured on The View! Check it out at the super affordable price of only $13! While you are there check out the other daily deals! But hurry! The good ones sell out fast!

Live Chat - Can It Help Your Business Increase Conversion?

2011-11-29T20:00:00.000-08:00

Live chat is a tool that can drastically increase conversions for certain businesses. It's not for everyone, but for the businesses that could benefit the gain can be dramatic. Case studies have shown that conversions can increase by as much as four times after someone's spoken to someone on live chat.

==> Why Live Chat Increases Conversions

There are many reasons why live chat can increase conversions.

First of all, if people haven't heard of your brand, they're likely to be a bit cautious about ordering from you. However, if they have the opportunity to have some human contact, they're a lot more likely to lower their guard and be comfortable with placing an order.

A lot of people who are browsing your website may actually be quite close to buying, but have just a question or two that's keeping them from making the order.

They might not want an answer badly enough to pick up a phone and call, or to actually send you an email. However, if a chat box is already on their screen, they might want to know badly enough to click on the box and send you a quick message.

These "objections" could be as simple as: "Could I get a refund if I'm not satisfied?" or "What will the billing show up as on my credit card statement?" Yet if their question goes unanswered, they won't order.

A live chat box allows you to address all of these issues and turn these near-buyers into actual buyers.

==> What Kinds of Businesses Will Benefit from Live Chat?

Whether or not to use live chat is mostly a question of ROI. Rarely will live chat reduce your conversions. The question isn't whether or not live chat will increase your conversion, it's whether or not it's worth the cost.

Is it worth the cost of having your employee's time spent on answering customer questions? Is it worth the cost of your time? Is it worth the monthly or one-time cost of purchasing the live chat software?

Typically companies that would benefit from live chat are companies that have the resources to staff the live chat for as many hours a day as possible.

Can you man it yourself? Yes, but it's not scalable and you'll likely be distracting yourself from actually building your business.

==> Is it Right for Your Business?

Perhaps the best way to find out is just to test it. Is a four times increase in conversions from the percentage of people who use the chat box worth hiring someone for $10 to $20 an hour?

The best way to know is to just put one staff member on the project for a month to gauge the ROI. If it's positive, then hire someone full time to take on the live chat box.

Importance of Tracking the Performance of Your Website

2011-11-28T19:59:00.000-08:00

A lot of beginning web marketers will launch websites without any kind of tracking on them. This is okay in the very beginning stages of launching a website, but the moment you decide that the website is more than a hobby and is something you actually want to make money from, you should install tracking right away.

Why?

==> The Very Basics: How Is Your Website Doing?

If you don't even track the rudimentary things, such as how much traffic your website is getting, how many people are coming back to your website after leaving and other basic metrics, you'll have no idea how your website is doing at all.

If your website is starting to get serious traffic, that means an opportunity to make money. If you don't have tracking installed, you won't know when that happens.

In addition to the basics, there are a lot of other benefits of tracking some of the more advanced metrics.

==> Using Metrics to Rank Well in Search Engines

With the Panda update, Google has publically stated that they're using visitor metrics much more heavily now in their ranking algorithms.

That means that pages where people stay longer will tend to rank higher. Pages where users click and then never come back to Google also rank higher, as that probably means they found the answer to their question on your site. Pages which users don't bounce from and instead go to other pages on your site will rank higher.

These are just a fraction of the metrics Google is now considering in their ranking algorithm. If you want your website to rank, you need to be consistently monitoring things like return rate, bounce rate and exit rate to improve them over time.

==> Tracking Performance to Immediately Improve Cashflow

Some metrics may not immediately improve your bottom line. Improvements in other metrics, however, can immediately improve your cashflow.

For example, what's your current visitor to email sign-up rate? What's your email to conversion rate?

By tracking these two metrics, you can immediately add more cash to your bottom line. More importantly, any improvements you make to these metrics will last over time, paying off for months and years.

==> Improving the Non-Tangibles of Your Business

How useful are people finding your website? How many people feel like your site is resourceful enough that they come back? How many people post things from your site to their Facebook status?

These are metrics that won't necessarily add to your bottom line right away. However, they'll result in more links, more visitors and more community goodwill. In the long run, that'll turn into more visitors and more cash.

These are some of the many reasons you should be tracking the performance of your website. Without good tracking, you're essentially flying blind. By tracking and measuring your metrics, you'll be able to refine and improve your website over time.

How to Make a Good Impression on Facebook

2011-11-27T21:56:00.000-08:00

Facebook is here to stay. People from all age groups and walks of life are posting and interacting. It’s a great place to help build your business brand, increase awareness and drive traffic. Yet many business owners just don’t know how to use Facebook effectively.

Just like in face to face interactions, you only get one chance to make a good first impression on Facebook. Here are some tips to help you.

#1 Your Public Profile

Facebook has rules. One of them is that you shouldn’t use your personal profile to market a business. That’s what Facebook Fan Pages are for. That being said, many people still use their public profile to market their business. Breaking Facebook rules isn’t the problem with this tactic. The problem is that many people combine their personal and their business interactions.

They post personal information on the same wall that they publish business information. This doesn’t give your followers a consistent voice or brand. It’s confusing. And you probably don’t want a potential customer’s first impression to be, “Ugh. Drank too much at TGI Friday’s tonight.”

#2 Too Much Information

Separating purposes for your Facebook profile is the first way to make a good impression. Create a separate business profile and a separate personal profile for interacting with friends and family.

On your business profile, make sure to keep it strictly business. Anything and everything you post online is there to stay. Post something personal or share too much information and you could offend people, turn people off, and lose potential customers. Make sure you’re not sharing too much personal information with your business followers.

Instead, focus on providing the type of information your readers and prospects will find valuable. The more value you provide them, the better impression they’ll have of you. Now, that doesn’t mean you can’t share personal information. However, it needs to be related to your business.

For example, “I just tried out a new cookie recipe. Received rave reviews from the PTA. Pictures and details are on my blog.” This is a great personal post for someone who owns a cooking website or blog. It’s personal but it also provides information and drives traffic to their site.

#3 Stay Positive

Unfortunately, many people use Facebook as their personal complaint board. They complain about clients, about other marketers, and about situations. This isn’t a great way to make a first impression. Nor is it a good way to keep followers interested. If you must vent, then call a friend or write in a journal. Don’t vent online! Stay positive and you’ll always make a good first impression.

Facebook is an exceptional business building tool. Create a plan for using Facebook that includes a personal voice, brand, and content strategy. Before posting anything, ask yourself this one final question – “How does this benefit my audience?”

How to Improve Your Blog Bounce Rate

2011-11-26T21:52:00.000-08:00

Your bounce rate measures the number of people who come to your blog and don't visit any other post or page on your blog. Naturally, the higher the bounce rate, the less exposure you're getting as the visitors see less of your content.

Also, bounce rate is starting to play more and more of a role in search engine optimization (SEO). Google is starting to pay less and less attention to links and more attention to on-page metrics. They can get these metrics from the Google Toolbar, Chrome and Google Analytics.

In short, having a lower bounce rate means you'll have more satisfied readers, as well as a higher chance of ranking well in search engines.

Here's how to improve your bounce rate.

==> Check All Browsers

Check for browser compatibility on all browsers. If your site doesn't look right in one browser, chances are all users of that browser will leave your site.

Even if the browser only has 15% penetration, you're still losing 15% of your traffic. Make sure to check all the major and even smaller browsers: Firefox, Chrome, Internet Explorer, Opera and Safari.

Also check how your site looks on a smartphone.

==> Cluster Your Information

Instead of having just one piece of stand-alone content, try to publish your content in groups.

For example, if you own an origami website, don't just make one page of content around how to make a T-Rex dinosaur. Make a cluster of origami content around how to make all kinds of dinosaurs.

Also try to give a clear next step at the end of every page or post. Give them further reading.

==> Segment Your Traffic

Not everyone coming to your site is looking for the same thing. If someone came from a search engine, chances are they're looking for the answer to a very specific query. On the other hand, someone from a banner ad campaign may be in more of a "browsing" mood.

Different kinds of traffic should land on different kinds of pages. Different keyword traffic should land on different pages. Make sure you're serving exactly the right kind of pages to users who're most likely to want to see those pages.

==> Test Your Above the Fold

The things that show up above the fold on your website will have a bigger effect than just about anything else you can do from a content perspective.

Test different kinds of headlines to see what gets the lowest bounce rate. Try different headers. Switching out your old header for a new header can have a massive positive or negative effect on your site-wide bounce rate. Test different headers to see what gets the best results.

These are a few things you can do to immediately improve your bounce rate. A lower bounce rate may not immediately put cash in your pocket, but is essential to the long-term health of your business.

How to Become a Network Marketer

2011-11-25T19:51:00.000-08:00

There are many ways to succeed online as a business owner. There are also many business models to choose from. One such business model that many have found tremendous success with is called Network Marketing.

Network marketing, also known as Multi-Level Marketing, is a business model that rewards people based on the number of people that they recruit. As a network marketer you represent a company. You promote and sell their products and earn a commission on your sales. However, you also recruit other sales people to join the company. For each person you recruit you also earn a commission on the sales they make.

Network marketers sell anything from candles and jewelry to herbal supplements and cleaning products. It’s an industry that has a lot of controversy. However, it’s also an industry that can make a lot of money.

Step #1 Decide if You Have What It Takes to Succeed

Network marketing is selling. If you don’t enjoy sales or talking to people, then it’s not the right business for you. However, if you enjoy engaging people and talking about their life and their problems (and how your products can solve their problems), then you’ve found a calling.

You also want to be self-motivated. Network marketers are self-employed. There’s no boss hanging over your shoulder telling you to get to work. You have to tell yourself to get to work.

Step #2 Find A Company That Appeals to You

Because you’re going to be a sales person, it is vitally important that you like the products you’re selling and that you believe in them. Sure you can sell things you don’t believe in, but it’s easier to be successful if you do.

You’ll also want to make sure it is a company that has a good reputation both with customers and with sales people. The reason the industry has a bit of controversy is because a few bad apples get a lot of attention. There are many good and reputable network marketing companies.

Step #3 Find a Mentor

A mentor will help you skip all the beginner mistakes everyone else makes. You’ll be able to launch your career and your income much faster. A mentor may also have some insider secrets and tips that you can use right away. Finally, a mentor is good to help you get and stay motivated. If you don’t want to find a mentor, consider creating a team of other network marketers to meet and motivate each other on a regular basis.

Network marketing is a great business model for the self-motivated sales professional. You are able to make your own hours, work with a company you love and there’s no income ceiling or cap that you have to deal with. The sky is the limit. And that’s why so many people love network marketing.

Want to Set Up a Small Business? How to Avoid Legal Trouble

2011-11-24T19:50:00.000-08:00

Setting up a home-based business is risk free, right? Especially if you’re not shipping anything or directly hiring anyone. All you have to worry about is how much money you’re going to make.

Unfortunately, that’s not true. When you operate a business you are responsible for the things you do and say and if you don’t protect yourself, you can lose everything. Here are five tips to help you start your small business and avoid legal trouble.

#1 Being Self-Employed

If you are self-employed, set up an LLC instead of a sole proprietorship. An LLC is a Limited Liability Corporation. It essentially means that you create a corporation and are then an employee or member of that corporation. This is an important distinction. A person can go after your business but all of your personal belongings like your home and personal bank account are protected.

If you own and operate a sole proprietorship and something goes wrong, the person can go after everything you own. Not good! Depending on the type of business and size of business you’re opening, you may want to register it as an S Corp or other entity. Talk to a lawyer to find the best answer for you.

#2 Disclaimers

Regardless of the business you’re going into, you’ll likely need a few disclaimers. For example, if you publish a website about how to make money online you’ll want a disclaimer to let visitors know that you’re not responsible for their online success or failures. The same is true if you provide a service or sell products. Talk to an attorney to have a disclaimer created for your small business.

#3 Business Agreements

If you offer a service, you’ll likely want to create business agreements to solidify any arrangement you have with your customers. The same is true if you hire contractors. You’ll want to create a work for hire agreement that outlines the responsibilities and commitments for both parties. You can find basic work for hire agreements online or you can ask your attorney to draw one up.

#4 Privacy and Security Policy

What is your privacy policy? How do you protect your customer's information? How do you keep their email address, payment information and other information private and protected? Again, you can find basic privacy and security policies online. However, make sure that you follow up and actually take those steps that you outline in your policies.

#5 Insurance

If you sell products or have customers visit you on site, you’re going to want to have insurance that protects them and you. The last thing you want is to lose your entire inventory to a fire or to have someone get hurt on your property.

Take a look at your business model and goals. Talk to an attorney. Then take action to protect your business, your assets and your future. It’s not difficult and the protection is well worth the time and energy.

Advertising on the Cheap - How to Market Your Business for Less

2011-11-23T19:30:00.001-08:00

Marketing your business doesn't have to break the bank. In fact, there are many low-cost marketing tactics you can use that'll bring customers flocking to your door. Here are some of these time-tested methods.

==> Postcards in Local Businesses

If you own a carwash, why not put a 50% off flyer in all the small businesses in the area? Hairdressers, restaurants, laundromats, etc. would all love to save their customers some money.

If you have a good value proposition for their customers, most businesses won't turn away a good deal.

In fact, often times if you just walk in and ask if you can leave a few free coupons as a gift for their customers, they'll just let you leave it there. No questions asked.

==> Pizza Box Advertising

Another very cheap way of marketing is to market on pizza boxes. You can offer to pay for part of the boxes, maybe 50% of the pizzeria's boxes, in exchange for a message on top of the box.

Make sure you're approaching local pizzerias and not national chains. No Pizza Hut and no Dominos, as their pizza boxes are all regulated.

This kind of marketing will get you very targeted and local exposure.

==> Flyering Cars in the Area

Every day, flyer all the cars in your area with a special offer. By flyering these cars, you're getting exposure to people who you know are in your area.

Better yet, you'll get access to people working in the area. If you marketed to people near your business, you may not necessarily reach the people who spend their daytime there. By flyering their cars, however, you'll get that exposure.

==> Door Hangers in a Half to One Mile Radius

Printing door hangers is relatively inexpensive. All you need to do is print a whole bunch, then drive door to door and hang them from doors. You can also hire someone you trust to do it for you.

Make sure to just flyer a half mile to one mile radius. Yes, you could flyer further, but at that point your return on time spent starts to go down drastically.

==> Try Remnant Advertising

Finally, if you could get traditional ads at 25% off the price, would you give it a shot? If so, try talking to local newspapers about remnant advertising.

Remnant ad space is the ad space that a newspaper has left over after they've tried but failed to sell all their ad space. Naturally, as they get close to printing time, they're going to want to fill that space with anything they can, even at a vast discount.

Call up the local ad seller for your local papers and let them know you're interested in remnant space. Call up every couple weeks and remind them you're interested. That way, anytime they have leftover ad space, they'll give you a call.

There are many low-cost ways you can market your business. Lack of advertising dollars shouldn't stop you from getting your business out to market.

Affiliate Growth Strategies

2011-11-22T19:33:00.000-08:00

Affiliate marketing is a business model that is still strong and growing. If you’re an affiliate marketer and have a sound affiliate program, now isn’t the time to sit back and relax. Now is the time to focus on growth.

Here are five ideas on how to grow your affiliate program.

#1 Reward Affiliates Who Recruit New Top Performing Affiliates

If you don’t have a tiered affiliate program, consider adding one. This simple step will help you attract more top performing affiliates. Make sure you offer a good incentive to your current affiliates to recruit new ones. And of course make sure that all of your affiliates have the materials they need to promote your products or services.

#2 Hire an Affiliate Manager to Recruit New Affiliates

Consider taking the big step of hiring a recruiter. This person can contact people via social networking sites or email to provide the opportunity to them personally. It’s a great way to connect with top selling affiliates and to help sell your affiliate program.

#3 Join an Affiliate Directory

If you don’t already have your affiliate program listed with a directory or network, then consider adding it. A directory listing may cost money; however, it’s often the place where new and experienced affiliate marketers go to find new products, services and companies to represent. For example, you might join the Google Affiliate Network.

#4 Launch a Huge Promotional Campaign

One way to really grow your affiliate program is to reignite the excitement for your products or services with your existing affiliates. If you don’t have a new product or service on the horizon, then consider launching a new promotional offer for your affiliates.

For example, if you normally pay $10 per sale then consider doubling it for a week and pay $20 per sale. This will of course reduce your profits per sale. However, it will likely pay off in volume of sales and it will help motivate your affiliates to promote you.

#5 Place an Ad on Social Networking Sites

Facebook is a great place to advertise because it lets you target a highly specific audience. You can promote your affiliate program for a few short days and measure the results. You may find that a Facebook ad does more to help your affiliate program grow than any other tactic.

Finally, if you really want to grow your affiliate program, consider brainstorming a new product or service. Providing your existing affiliates with new promotions, products and services is a great way to get renewed interest in your company and to motivate sales.

The Critical Skills Every Entrepreneur Should Have

2011-11-21T19:37:00.000-08:00

If you want to succeed as an entrepreneur, there are a few core skills you need to have. The majority of these skills aren't things that are taught in business school, but skills that need to be honed in the real world. Fortunately, once you develop these skills, they can be applied to just about any venture you embark on.

These are the critical skills every entrepreneur should have.

==> Leadership (Not Management)

John Bogle, founder of The Vanguard Fund, the largest mutual fund in the world, defines leadership as knowing what's worth doing. Management is knowing how to do it.

A leader needs to be able to decide what's important and what will actually impact the company's bottom line. They need to be able to make moral decisions about when to go for profit and when to sacrifice profits for long-term values.

They need to be able to identify what's really best for everyone involved, including clients, employees and shareholders, and make business decisions for the greater good.

A manager is someone who understands things like time management, project flow, tracking employee performance and such. But they aren't necessarily the right people to steer a company.

A good entrepreneur needs to be a great leader. It also helps if they're a good manager.

==> Persistence and Patience

In "Good to Great," one of the most highly acclaimed business books of the century, Jim Collins studies eleven public companies whose performance consistently beat the market average for 15 years in a row.

One of the key factors he found was persistence and patience. He likened it to a giant spinning metallic flywheel.

If you had to take this giant metallic wheel and make it spin, in the very beginning it won't budge at all. You can put in immense amounts of effort, only to find it still not moving.

Yet once it does start moving, slow at first then getting faster and faster, it'll build up momentum until it starts to move on its own. At that point, it would actually be harder to stop the flywheel than to push it faster.

Building a business is like that. In the beginning, you'll be swimming upstream. But as momentum builds, it'll get easier and easier. The trick is to have the persistence and patience to stick it through.

==> Team and People Focus

"Take my 20 best people and, virtually overnight, Microsoft becomes a mediocre company." -- Bill Gates

Whether it's Bill Gates or Mark Zuckerberg, one thing is consistently clear across the most successful companies: a relentless drive to hire the best people.

More than anything else, the success of your company is going to be based on the kind of people you hire.

Aim to hire people who are smarter and more competent than you. Don't try to hire a team that you can lead, but a team that can lead your company and you to better results than you alone could create.

These are a few of the key skills every entrepreneur needs. These skills aren't developed overnight, but they're absolutely skills that anyone who's committed can learn.

Exit Rate and Bounce Rate - What's the Difference

2011-11-20T19:40:00.000-08:00

Exit rate and bounce rate are two metrics that sound very similar but in reality are very different. They can both be used to gauge how well you're doing in terms of content quality and user behavior. Here's what each of these means.

==> What Does Bounce Rate Mean?

Your bounce rate is the number of people who leave your website without visiting any other page. It's measured on a page level, so you can see your bounce rate from any particular page.

A high bounce rate on a page generally means users aren't satisfied in some way. It could be that the content isn't good enough. It could be that your navigation structure is confusing. It could be any number of things.

The bounce rate won't tell you exactly what to fix, but it does give you a good idea of whether a page is working or not.

Generally a bounce rate of 55% or higher is considered quite bad. If you're over 50%, that means over half of your visitors are simply leaving your site. On the other hand, anything 35% or lower is considered stellar.

==> What Does Exit Rate Mean?

Your exit rate is the number of people who leave your website from that particular page.

Exit rate can be a bit of a mixed bag. A high exit rate doesn't necessarily mean users aren't satisfied. For example, if you have a step-by-step guide, it's only natural that users will leave your site at the last page of your guide.

Your exit rate can be used to compare the effectiveness of different kinds of pages. So if one content page has a drastically different exit rate than another page, you might have to seriously look at the higher exit rate page.

==> A Few Examples

Just to clearly illustrate the difference between bounce rate and exit rate, here are a few examples.

Example 1: A user comes to your website and leaves without clicking a link. That counts as both an exit and a bounce from that page.

Example 2: Someone came to this page from another page on your site, then leaves your website. This counts as an exit, but not a bounce.

Example 3: Someone comes to this page from another page on your website, then goes to another page on your website. This is neither a bounce nor an exit. It will count as an exit from the page they leave from.

As you can tell, though these two metrics are related, they aren't the same thing. The bounce rate can be used to identify weak pages, while the exit rate needs to be treated a little more carefully. When using exit rate as a metric, make sure to ask yourself why a page's exit rate is low or high rather than just looking at the number.

Good with Doing Research? - How to Become a Genealogical Researcher

2011-11-19T21:45:00.000-08:00

Some people are just amazing when it comes to research. They’re able to dig up those little facts that link together to create new awareness and insight. It takes a special person to be a good researcher. You need to be good with details, persistent, and trust that gut instinct that tells you when you’re on to something.

If you’re good at researching, consider putting your skills to great use and become a genealogical researcher. You can help others find long-lost family members, put together a complete picture of their family history and help create accurate historical records.

#1 Choose Your Specialty

You can decide to become a general genealogical researcher. However, you can also specialize. If you find that a certain region of the country or family situation interests you, then consider specializing in that area. For example, if you are interested in helping adopted individuals put together their family tree there’s certainly a demand for that. If you’re interested in European settlers and genealogy, then you could specialize in that as well.

#2 Set Up Your Business

As a genealogical researcher you’re going to be a self-employed individual. That means you’ll want to take measures to establish your business both with your local government and financially. Open a business bank account. Register your business. Write a business plan and create a marketing strategy.

Your marketing strategy will likely include a website, social networking and building a reputation as a top genealogical researcher. That means generating good word of mouth from your clients.

#3 Gather Your Resources

Some of your work will be done in a home office. However, you may often find yourself at the local library or hall of records. You’ll want a computer with internet connection, a telephone, a fax machine and email. You’ll also need reliable transportation to get to the various establishments where records are housed.

Finally, you’ll also want to make sure you have a very organized system for keeping your records. Being a genealogical researcher is akin to putting together a puzzle. The pieces will begin to come together as your research progresses. However, if your information is disorganized it can be extremely difficult to see the big picture.

Becoming a genealogical researcher can be an enjoyable, interesting and rewarding business. You’re able to put your highly specialized skills to good use, help others and earn a nice living.

Green Business Tips

2011-11-18T19:47:00.000-08:00

Going green is good for the environment, and in most cases it’s also good for your budget. In fact, implanting a few green or environmentally-friendly business habits can increase your income and your bottom line. Sounds good, right?

Here are a few green business tips to consider adding to your weekly or monthly routine.

#1 Sign Up for EStatements.

How many bank and financial statements do you receive in the mail? Each statement that you receive uses ink and paper. Both contribute to toxins in the environment. And that statement has to travel from the company to your mailbox. That trip produces emissions. When you sign up for eStatments or electronic statements the documents are delivered to you via email.

That means no ink, no paper, and no transportation. If that doesn’t convince you, then know that most financial institutions and utility companies charge a fee for printed statements. If you sign up for electronic statements they waive that fee. You can save around $3.00 per statement.

#2 Reuse Your Paper

Most small businesses consume much more paper than they realize. If you print out your receipts, contracts, documents and other important files, that’s a lot of paper. Whenever possible, use the other side of the paper as well. Either get a printer that prints on both sides or use the other side for scrap paper. When you’re done with the paper, shred it and use it as packing material or recycle it.

#3 Build an Electronic Library

Books are wonderful. They inspire. They educate. And they pile up. Each book on your shelf used ink and paper to be created. Again, this contributes to toxins in the environment and a reduction in the trees which help eliminate toxins from the air.

Also, that book needs to be shipped from point to point, causing emissions and fuel consumption. EBooks don’t need to be shipped and they don’t need any ink or paper – they’re environmentally friendly. (EBooks also generally cost less than a printed book.) If you absolutely need to have a book on your book shelf, consider buying a used one.

Finally, recycle or sell your used gadgets and electronics instead of throwing them away. Open that junk drawer or storage box and hop online. You can sell your collection of old cell phones, MP3 players and cameras. And for those you cannot sell, find a recycler who will take them from you. Or donate them to a worthy cause. It just doesn’t make sense to throw them away when you can help someone out or make money from used items.

How to Create Buzz in Your Small Business

2011-11-17T21:49:00.000-08:00

Want to bring a lot of customers to your small business without spending big bucks on marketing? You can, by creating buzz. Instead of using money to create awareness, you use word of mouth to generate awareness. It doesn't have to cost you a dime.

Here are a few ways to create buzz for your small business.

==> Feature a Big Name

Can you get a big name on an interview? If so, you can generate a lot of buzz. Go to national networking events in your industry to meet well-known individuals and see if they'd be willing to be interviewed.

One great example of this is the Learning Annex. Before landing Donald Trump as a guest speaker, they were earning less than $1 million a year. The Learning Annex's founder took a big bet when he offered Trump $1 million dollars to speak.

That day, they packed more than 10,000 in the audience when they'd never had more than 2,000 before. Today they have many millions every year.

==> Appear on a Radio Show

Come up with a controversial topic or stance and market yourself to radio show hosts.

Post an ad in the Radio Television Interview Report (RTIR), the main place where show hosts go to look for experts.

Call up local stations and offer to be interviewed about whatever topic you want.

The spicier you can make whatever it is you're seeking publicity for, the better. Try to come up with an exciting angle.

==> Throw a Party or Event

In Silicon Valley, there's a small start-up whose founder knows just about every big name in the valley. This CEO isn't a millionaire, yet he knows many of the millionaires in the area.

How does he do it? Simple - twice a year, he throws a giant boat party. He invites all the biggest names in Silicon Valley. The big names come because they know the other big names will be there.

By being the organizer, he generates a lot of buzz for his company and generates a lot of connections.

How can you do something similar in your industry? How can you throw a unique party or event that'll get people talking? Google does it by having big name bands playing for their staff. Of course, you can also do it without spending a lot of money just by getting creative.

These are just a few ways you can create buzz around your small business. Generating buzz takes a bit of creativity, but it also takes the willingness to act and put yourself out there. Come up with a few different ideas and take action on the most audacious ones. Those are often the most likely to succeed.

The Importance of Top-Notch SEO Practices for Your Business Blog

2011-09-18T21:00:00.001-07:00

Having top-notch SEO practices in place for your business blog is crucial. The difference between a well optimized site and a poorly optimized one could be tens, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Why is it so important for a business blog to have phenomenal SEO?

==> You Face Stiff Competition

In some industries, it's okay to have poor SEO simply because other sites in the industry have similarly poor SEO. The business industry isn't like that.

No matter what your specific topic is, chances are you're going to be facing people who really know what they're doing in the search engines.

If you don't have top-notch SEO practices, your chances of ranking are virtually zero in the business space. In other industries it's very possible to accidentally rank. In business, the chances of that happening are slim to none.

Pay attention to SEO, if for no other reason than the fact that your competition is paying careful attention.

==> You're Setting an Example

If you run a business blog, then business owners reading your blog will expect you to "walk the walk."

How can you talk about building a great business if your own website isn't properly optimized?

It's not just about rankings. A business blog needs to be well optimized to set an example and to demonstrate credibility.

One of the biggest advantages of working with business people is that they have money to spend. The downside, however, is that you really have to demonstrate that you know what you're talking about before they'll part with their money.

Showing that you know what you're doing with SEO can help establish that credibility.

==> You Never Know When You'll Land a "Big Money" Visitor

The biggest benefit to running a business blog is often not the actual sales or advertising revenue.

Instead, it comes in the form of contacts. Your future mentor might meet you through your blog. Or someone might like what you're up to and decide to invest $100,000 into your business.

They may also decide they like your product enough to buy it in bulk. Or they might be just one degree of separation away from someone who you really want to meet.

The bottom line is, you never know who might be reading your blog. That's why it's so crucial that you do everything in your power to get as many visitors as possible.

Yes, it takes time, energy and effort to SEO optimize your blog. If that's what it takes to get your blog in front of the right people, then is it worth it? If the answer is "yes," then you owe it to yourself to put in that time.

The Power of Influence - Smart Ways of Generating More Sales

2011-09-09T21:01:00.000-07:00

Your influence in your business circles can help you increase sales, bring in deals and meet the people you need to meet to take your business to the next level.

How can you build influence? How can you turn that influence from an intangible asset into cash? Here are a few tips on how to wield the power of influence.

==> Building Your Network of Contacts

Your contacts are everything. Whether you're a solo entrepreneur or a high-end consultant, a Fortune 500 CEO or a programmer looking for a job, your contacts are everything.

Be active about cultivating your network. Go to minglers, seminars and other such events in your area and get to know the players in the industry.

Seek to build real relationships. It's not about building acquaintances, but building real friendships with people.

==> Help Others First and Trust That It'll Come Back

What good will come of having lunch with someone you met to help them with their business? Quite possibly nothing. But it's also quite possible that he or she will know someone who can help you in your business, and their glowing testimonial for your character is just what you need to get your foot in the door.

The business community is a cycle of give and take. Those who are generous about sharing their ideas, their time and their contacts often find the same kindness returned.

Be the person who helps others in your community. You might not see the benefits right away, but the goodwill you build up will come back to help you.

==> Sell without Selling

Many people feel that selling damages their relationships and weakens relationships. When done properly, however, selling can do just the opposite.

If you view selling as trying to force someone into a decision on something they either don't want or aren't sure they want, then selling will indeed damage the relationship.

However, if selling is done right, it should be a match of win-win situations. A consultant "sells" a client on being able to help them solve a problem. As a result, they both make more money. Or a headhunter sells his services to a CEO and helps him get his ideal job.

The list goes on and on. If what the seller is offering and what the buyer wants are a match, then the sales process is easy and actually strengthens the relationship.

A good sales process should be more about discovering what the other person wants and creating a tailor-fitted product or service for them, than trying old-fashioned hard-closing techniques.

This is especially true if you want to build your influence and bring in more sales in the future. Build a reputation for helping people, not taking their money. Do this consistently, and your reputation and influence will increase accordingly.

How to Evaluate New Business Ideas

2011-09-08T18:14:00.000-07:00

How many new business ideas do you have? If you’re like many entrepreneurs, your imagination is packed with them. You might even have several ideas each month. How do you know which ideas are good ones and which ones should be forgotten?

#1 How Passionate and Interested Are You?

Spend some time honestly contemplating your actual interest in the potential business idea. Just because it’s a good idea doesn’t mean it’s a good idea for you. In order for any business to be successful long term you want to be able to be interested and passionate about the topic for years to come. So is this new business idea something you could be excited about ten years from now? If so, it deserves further examination.

#2 Is There a Legitimate Demand for Your New Idea?

How much demand actually exists for your new business idea? Use keyword tools to begin your research. If it seems like there is potential, consider also using a flycatcher page to evaluate demand. Create a quick product or publish a quiz to evaluate demand for your idea and to learn more about your potential audience.

#3 Who Is Your Competition?

Once you’ve established demand, consider your competition. Again, use those keyword research tools to first determine how much competition is present. Then use keyword searching and competitive analysis tools to evaluate who your competition is and how well they’re doing. You may have a lot of competition, but if you can differentiate yourself then it may still be a good idea.

#4 Time versus Money

Next, if the idea still has merit then it’s time to consider the time versus money equation. How long will it take you to reach your financial goals? If there is a lot of competition then it can take some time to reach your goals. Also, how much money will it take you to start and grow this business? Is this money you have on hand or will you need to find a way to raise the funds? Consider your budget.

#5 Is It Realistic?

Finally, is this business complimentary to any business you already own? For example, if you own a service-based business then an information marketing business in the same industry might make sense. If the business is an entirely new endeavor then it might not realistically fit into your lifestyle. That doesn’t mean it isn’t a business idea to pursue. It is simply something to weigh when you’re evaluating the idea.

You’re an entrepreneur. You’re bound to have a lot of business ideas. Some of them will be gone ones. Some not so much. Use this five-step process to determine whether it is the right new business idea for you.

How to Design an Effective "About Us" Page

2011-09-07T18:11:00.000-07:00

Your website’s "About Me" or "About Us" page is often one of the highest ranking pages on a website. It’s important for many reasons. You want it to help brand your business. You want it to establish credibility and liking. And, you also want it to motivate an action. Here’s how to design and effective "About Us" page.

Step One: Embrace Your Unique Voice

Your "About Us" page isn’t the place to get cutesy or ultra-creative. However, it is the place to share your personality and voice. Share what it is about you that is unique and why you’re passionate about your niche and customers.

Step Two: A Picture

A picture is necessary here. Some people skip it but consider testing your page with and without a picture. People want to connect a face to your business. If there are more of you, say you’re a team or a partnership, then include pictures of everyone.

Step Three: Logical Organization

Organize your "About Me" or "About Us" page into logical sections. It’ll make it easier for you to write and it’ll be easier for your audience to read and digest. For example, some categories or sub-headings might include:

* About the Company
* Vision
* Mission
* Our History
* About Me/Who Is Joe/Jane Doe?
* Why Me/Why Us?

Step Four: A Call to Action

What do you want people to do after they’ve read your "About Us" page? Always have a purpose and a call to action that supports your purpose on every web page, including this one. Common calls to action include:

* Download our free report
* Contact us
* Get a free quote
* Take advantage of ...
* Share on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn etc.

When creating your "About Us" page, sit down and create a rough draft first. Outline the things you want to share and the things you think your prospects want to know. Don’t be afraid to brag here. In most cases you don’t want to list a complete work history, but you do want to highlight your achievements.

Consider also including a few short testimonials or endorsements if they support your achievements. For example, if you say that your ebook has sold more than 5000 copies, then you can include a short review from a notable industry person after that claim.

Also take the time to optimize it for the search engines. Use your primary keywords in the description and also make sure they naturally occur a few times in the copy. Your "About Us" page is important. Don’t skip it.

Terapeak - What Is It and How to Use It to Increase Your EBay Sales

2011-09-06T21:21:00.000-07:00

In any competition-heavy marketplace (e.g. eBay), data is king. He who knows more will probably succeed over his competitors. Terapeak is an online data gathering and aggregating tool that can give you all the data you need to make smart, strategic decisions that'll result in more customers and more sales.

What can Terapeak do for you and how can it increase your eBay sales? Here's how.

==> Spot Hot Products before Your Competitors

What products are becoming more popular? What products are spiking in sales? What products can you make a lot of money in quickly?

It's impossible for the average human being to watch the hundreds of different categories on eBay to figure out what's selling. EBay Pulse doesn't provide enough comprehensive information to make well-informed decisions.

Terapeak on the other hand will tell you exactly what products are hot and what products are getting hotter. It'll tell you about new products that are taking off, as well as cyclical and seasonal products that are about to peak.

==> Research Your Product and Market before You Start

Do you have a good chance of making money in the market? How have others fared in the past? About how many units are being sold per month? What percentage of listings sell and what percentage expire without any bids?

Knowing this kind of information can save you costly mistakes. It'll help you avoid "black hole" markets that suck up cash and don't produce results. Instead, it'll point you towards markets where people are spending money - where you have a much higher chance of success.

==> Watch Your Competitors Like a Hawk

Without a tool like Terapeak, it would take dozens of hours of research to figure out how many units your competitors are selling, what other products they're selling, what strategies they're using in their sales letters and what's working the best for them.

Terapeak, on the other hand, will gather all this data for you in seconds and put it at your fingertips. You'll know exactly what's working for your competitors and what's not before you need to make your decisions.

==> The Cost Benefit Analysis

How much does Terapeak cost? Just $25 a month for all US-based features and $40 a month for all international features. For the price, you get more than two years' worth of data, all the features we talked about and quite a bit more.

Keep in mind that most people will have to pay for the data one way or the other. They either pay for it the easy way through a data gathering service, or they pay for it the hard way by entering markets they really shouldn't enter and carrying the costs.

In short, Terapeak can save you money by avoiding markets that don't have buyers and can make you money by spotting hot trends and showing you what's already working for your competitors.

Survival Kit for New Mompreneurs

2011-09-05T21:20:00.000-07:00

Getting started as a new mompreneur comes with many challenges. The initial few months are crucial, as you'll set the tone for your whole career. How can you make sure you survive the first few months intact and become profitable? Here are a few tips.

==> Give Yourself Ample Time to Learn

Don't put too much pressure on yourself in the beginning. Being an entrepreneur has a very steep learning curve and you're learning the skills in addition to raising a family.

If you're brand new, give yourself a good month or two just to study the different techniques, tactics, methods and success stories.

Find a method that appeals to you and learn everything you can about it. Don't put deadlines on profitability until you're a few months in. In other words, take it easy in the beginning.

==> Separate Household and Business Expenses

In a family setting, it's very easy to mix all your budgets together. Your budget, your partner's budget, the grocery budget and the kids' budget may all be coming out of the same bank account.

But when you start a new business, it's a very good idea to separate your expenses.

Apart from the legal and tax benefits, there's a real psychological benefit. It gives the sense that you're really creating a business, a separate entity that generates profits, rather than it just being a thing you're doing on the side.

==> Set Expectations for the Kids

If your kids have grown up with the expectation that they can demand your time whenever they want it, it's time to adjust their expectations a bit.

Set aside blocks of time when your kids shouldn't interrupt you unless it's a genuine emergency. Talk to your partner about this so you can set aside time when he's responsible for the kids.

Times that may work well for working on your business include early in the morning before the kids wake up, late at night after they're in bed or during the day when they're in school.

==> Network with Other Mompreneurs

Don't go at it alone. Trying to learn marketing and business on your own while raising a child puts an incredible amount of undue pressure on you.

Instead, find a few other moms with similar interests to share notes. If you can't find friends online, then participate in online work at home mom (WAHM) communities.

Networking with other WAHMs not only provides emotional support, but can give you real world feedback on what's working and what's not for other moms. You'll learn little tips for juggling kids and work that you just won't find on other business-oriented websites.

Surviving the first few months in business and coming out profitable is going to be challenging. But there's nothing quite like the rush of being able to earn extra money, while still giving your full attention to your kids.

The Mommy Blogger Directory

2011-09-05T18:11:00.000-07:00

The Mommy Blogger Directory is your online portal to finding new friends, resources and information relevant to moms. I just came across it today and added my blog! You should add yours too!

Smart Ways of Marketing Your Brand Effectively

2011-09-04T21:19:00.000-07:00

How do you build a strong brand? How can you consciously construct how people think of you and your company, without having a corporate advertising budget? Here are a few smart ways to do it.

==> Buy Advertising at 80% Off

Advertising in your local radio or newspaper is just too expensive for the small business. Or is it?

If an ad's rate card rate is $1,000 a month, there's a very good chance you could get it down to $600, $400 or even as low as $200 with some shrewd negotiating.

How?

It's important to realize that most newspapers struggle to get advertisers. When a newspaper goes to print, any unused ad space is basically money lost. It costs them the same amount of money to print the paper; they're just not making as much money. So they'll often be happy to take your money, even if it's far below what they'd normally want.

Start by asking what their remnant rate is. Remnant is basically the price for unused advertising space. You can often get a 30% discount right off the bat this way.

Then ask if they honor the 15% in-house agency discount. Basically, ad agencies always get a 15% discount, which isn't passed to the client (they take it as profit). In other words, by not using an ad agency, you can take the discount for yourself.

Now you've already saved 45%. Now try asking for their bulk rate for 3 months, 6 months and 12 months.

The rest is up to you. The goal is to try to get the 12-month rate for a one or two month test to see if the medium works out for you. Using a combination of negotiation techniques, you can get as much as 80% off.

==> Small Businesses Need to Focus on Response First

A large business can afford to put their time and energy into just branding, rather than direct sales efforts. A small business, however, needs to focus their main attentions on building sales today and branding for tomorrow.

If you're spending money on advertising, your goal is responses. Those can be email sign-ups, sales or phone calls, but branding just isn't enough for a new small business.

Aim for sales and reap the benefits of branding as a side benefit.

==> Use a Variety of Media

Research has shown that people who see an ad again and again through different media are a lot more likely to buy.

Let's say someone sees your banner ad on a relevant website. Then they see an article you wrote on an industry leader's blog. Finally, when they're searching for information on a related topic, they see your Google AdWords ad.

By now, you've built up so much credibility just by appearing multiple times in different media that they're likely to click just out of curiosity.

If you're marketing a local business, try mixing local media like radio, newspaper and perhaps even direct mail or postcards.

These are a few smart ways to build your brand effectively. Take care of your bottom line first by generating sales, while being conscious of your brand. Use a variety of media to target the same audience and never, ever pay rate card.

Common Sense Tips on Proper Record Keeping for Small Businesses

2011-09-03T20:26:00.000-07:00

Keeping good records will help you cut back on taxes, as well as cut back on headaches when it comes to filing time. How can you make your record keeping as streamlined as possible, so you have accurate records without it having to take up time and attention? Here's how.

==> Have a System for Storing Papers

The system could be by date, by type of expense or whatever other system you want. The most important thing is that you have a system.

A filing cabinet can really help avoid clutter. Again, order your filing cabinet by date, or by type of expense (e.g. meals, equipment, etc.)

==> Print All Digital Receipts

Whenever you book a flight, print out your flight receipt. Anytime you make a business-related purchase online, print out the receipt right then and there.

Because something's done online, it can be easy to forget to collect the receipt. Get in the habit of doing it so you don't have to go receipt-hunting later.

==> Set a Time to Organize Your Records

Even the most organized business person can't just wait until the end of the year to organize their records.

Once or twice a month, you'll need to go through all your receipts and other records and make sure everything is properly filed. You'll need to enter expenses into your bookkeeping program.

Little tasks can pile up quickly if you don't have a set time to deal with them. Pick a time to organize once or twice a month and put it in your calendar.

==> Have Essential Papers in One Place

Papers like W-2s, DBAs, FIDs, NDAs, assignment of IPs, accounts payables and sales records should all be kept in one place, ideally with an offsite back-up as well.

Small businesses that get their employee's W-2 or 1099 when they first sign on and then have to ask for it again later on because they lost it, often end up looking unprofessional to their staff. Even worse, if the papers for a staff member who's left can't be found, you run the risk of not being able to write off their expenses.

==> Outsource Your Record Keeping

If your business is earning you personally more than $20 or $30 an hour, it's probably time to outsource your record keeping.

Bookkeeping is an important task that needs to be done, but it's not a rare skill. You should easily be able to hire someone for $20 an hour to take over the task for you, so you can put your attention on actually doing things that bring money in the door.

These are a few common sense tips for record keeping that'll help make your life easier and your business more profitable.

Smart Ways of Avoiding Affiliate Link Theft

2011-09-02T21:17:00.000-07:00

Affiliate link theft can cost you a lot of money in the long run if you're not careful. Link theft can be intentional or accidental and can be done by other affiliates, customers or in rare cases the vendor themselves. How does it work and how do you protect yourself?

==> How Affiliate Link Theft Works: Simple and Advanced Methods

Link theft can be defined as any time someone strips out your affiliate link and replaces it with theirs.

The simplest and most common practice is people who sign up directly for the affiliate program, strip out your link and replace it with theirs to get a "discount." For example, if you're selling a $40 product on ClickBank with a 75% commission, the buyer would just replace your link with theirs and pay just $10 for the product.

There are, of course, more mischievous schemes as well.

One technique used by other affiliates and unscrupulous publishers is to hide affiliate link codes in a 1x1 iFrame. Because credit for affiliate links is usually given to the affiliate who sent the traffic last, that means that if they can get someone to view a page with their 1x1 iFrame code on it after you send them traffic, they'll get the credit.

For example, if a webmaster has an email list, all they need to do is get the customer's email list, have them read a content page with their affiliate link embedded in it and they'll instantly overwrite your affiliate code.

Now that you know what link theft is, how can you prevent it?

==> Preventing Affiliate Link Theft

The most basic way of protecting yourself against link theft is to cloak your links. Many merchants will allow you to do this right on their system.

If you want, you can also cloak your links yourself. There are a number of free programs on the web that'll allow you to do this. You can also just buy a domain and do a domain-level redirect without showing the destination URL.

Unfortunately, anyone seeing the product can still go to the affiliate network to find the product. For example, this person could go to ClickBank, search for the name of the product and find it that way, even if the link is cloaked.

The most drastic way to prevent affiliate theft is to go all the way and write your own sales letter, with different product names and headlines. Then just embed the "buy now" button code in your own website, cloaked. This technique will just about prevent 99% of affiliate link fraud.

What about the iFraming issue? Unfortunately, if you're a small publisher there's little recourse. The one way you can track this kind of link theft is by asking the publisher to place your own tracking pixel on their "Thank You" page. If you're sending more than $500 a month in traffic, they'll usually be happy to do this. Unless, of course, the thief is the publisher and not another affiliate.

These are a few of the most common ways links are stolen and how to protect against them. Again, link theft can cost you a lot of money over time. Use these techniques to make sure you get paid for your work.

Pros and Cons of Cloud Computing

2011-09-01T21:16:00.000-07:00

Cloud computing has allowed millions of users and thousands of businesses to do things they could never have done just five years ago. What is cloud computing? What are its benefits and drawbacks? Let's take a look at both sides.

==> A Brief Explanation of Cloud Computing

The term "cloud computing" basically refers to any service that shares computing power. Without knowing it, just about everyone online uses cloud computing.

Gmail and Hotmail are examples of cloud computing - email that's hosted on someone else's computer, rather than your own. A much more complex example of cloud computing would be Amazon's S3 servers, a complex network of servers for high traffic websites that don't want their own server infrastructure.

==> The Benefits of Cloud Computing

The benefits of cloud computing are immense. The two benefits that come to mind the fastest are cost and speed.

For a new start-up company to launch a website with an email list today, all it would cost them is $10 a month in hosting and $20 a month in autoresponder costs. That's the power of cloud computing.

Without cloud computing, they'd have to set up their own server, with their own dedicated T1 or T2 line, which would easily run in the thousands of dollars to set up and hundreds a month in maintenance.

Speed is another factor. Instead of having to spend months setting up your own systems, just renting someone else's systems allows you to get up and running immediately.

The term "renting" is actually a great analogy for cloud computing. Instead of buying the equipment and software, you're essentially "renting" it for much less per month. The cloud company makes money by renting to many thousands of users, and each user saves money by not having to set up their own systems from scratch.

==> The Drawbacks of Cloud Computing

There are several drawbacks to cloud computing, primarily for larger businesses or growing businesses. The main drawbacks are security, scalability and speed.

Security is a big issue. If all your data is stored on someone else's servers, all it takes is one bad employee on their side for you to lose all your data.

While the occurrence of cloud data being leaked isn't common, it has happened in the past. There are steps you can take to guard yourself against leaks, but the fact still remains that your data resides on someone else's system.

Scalability is another issue. While it might make sense to use shared hosting or a VPS server while you're getting just a few thousand visitors a month, it doesn't make sense once you're getting tens or hundreds of millions of hits a month.

Many cloud computing systems just don't scale. Friendster, the precursor to MySpace and Facebook, failed for that exact reason: They couldn't scale their hosting and the service went down far too often.

Shared hosting, even dedicated servers, don't scale very well. If you have a very high traffic site, you're going to need your own infrastructure. The same applies to large email lists - You can't use third party autoresponders; you need your own mailservers.

Finally, speed is another factor. There's always increased latency (lag) in using a cloud service rather than a self-hosted service. For a small business that isn't a huge concern, but for a large business that slight increase in lag could mean millions of dollars lost.

Those are the fundamental pros and cons of cloud computing. There are many other reasons why you might choose to use your own systems or to outsource your systems to a third party. In the end, it's a trade-off of set-up speed and cost, versus security, scalability and increased latency.

Profits Down? It Might Be High Time to Reinvent Your Business

2011-08-31T21:15:00.000-07:00

If what you've been doing isn't working anymore, it might be time to make some drastic changes. Instead of changing just the little things, which often has little impact, try reinventing your whole business from scratch to really shake things up and get a stale business moving again.

Here's how.

==> Change Your Industry

One reason profits might be down is if the entire industry has been hit. If everyone else in your industry is having a hard time as well, what can you do? The answer is - change industries.

Of course, you can't very well switch to a completely foreign industry and abandon all your contacts and clients. Instead, try switching to a related industry.

When the economy crashed in 2008, many of the "help men get dates" businesses took a huge hit. Many businesses that used to be bringing in hundreds of thousands of dollars a month were suddenly struggling.

What did one successful entrepreneur do? He moved into the "help women get dates" industry. The move turned out brilliantly and helped him save his business.

No matter what industry you're in, there are probably half a dozen side industries you could move into. If your main industry is having trouble, try expanding to a different industry.

==> Launch a New Product

Nothing brings in new energy like the launching of a new product.

Apple had been struggling for some time before the iPod came out. The Apple 3 was a colossal failure, costing hundreds of millions of dollars. The drama of Steve Jobs leaving and then coming back cost the company dearly in bad PR.

But the iPod, and eventually the iPhone, changed all that. The launch of a new product brought a lot of new excitement to the table.

The same applies to smaller businesses. What new products or projects can you announce that would get people excited?

==> Try New Marketing Channels

What are two or three kinds of marketing channels you've never tried before, that are completely outside the scope of what you've done in the past?

For example, if you've done SEO and PPC, why not try advertising in a college newspaper? Or buy remnant radio ad space?

If you've only tried buying advertising in the past, why not try partnering for a big joint venture deal? Or try guest blogging on a few big sites?

One reason for declining profits might be that your marketing "formula" just isn't working out right. Instead of making tweaks, try making big changes to see what works and what doesn't.

Changing these three things - your industry, your product and your marketing - can really help get both the excitement and cashflow up again.

Online Business Accounting Options for Small Business

2011-08-30T21:13:00.000-07:00

One of the easiest ways to keep your books in today's day and age is to do it online. After all, why keep cumbersome files and records around if they can all be digital?

Here's what to look for in an accounting solution, as well as a few potential choices.

==> What to Look for in an Accounting Solution

First of all, know what you need to do with your accounting software. Do you need to manage payroll? Create profit and loss statements? Invoice clients? Or just track expenses?

The more complex your needs, the more you can expect to pay for accounting software. Naturally, if all you need are simple features, then you can save a bit of money and learning time and go with a simpler choice.

That said, take the future of your business into consideration. If in twelve months you expect to have substantial growth and need additional accounting features, it's best to just start with a more powerful application now rather than make a switch a few months down the road.

Here are three popular choices for online business accounting.

==> FreshBooks

FreshBooks is a unique online solution that makes it very simple for anyone to create invoices and send them out online.

Gone are the days when you needed to create Excel spreadsheets, print them to PDFs and mail them to your clients.

Today, with FreshBooks, all it takes is about 30 seconds to send out an invoice. You can track all your invoices, your clients and your income from FreshBook's easy-to-use interface.

FreshBook also ties into several other popular online applications. For example, you can manage your projects in Basecamp and then bill for those projects using FreshBook.

==> Less Accounting

Their name pretty much explains their philosophy. They aim to help business owners do "less accounting." Meaning less paperwork, less maintenance, less "stuff" to keep their books in order.

Their user interface is extremely simple and can be learned in about an hour. They have all the features you'd expect in an accounting solution, but laid out in a very intuitive manner.

Keep in mind that Less Accounting shouldn't be used for large businesses, as it's not GAP (Generally-Accepted Account Procedures) compliant.

It's great for a small business to keep accurate books, but isn't great for businesses that need to be technically correct in their accounting (e.g. venture-backed firms, companies preparing for a sale, etc.).

==> QuickBooks Online

QuickBooks is the heavyweight champion of online accounting solutions.

It has everything from vendor management to employee payments to accounts receivables to financial statements.

It has cross functionality with Excel, Outlook, Gmail and of course its offline counterpart.

QuickBooks is the ideal solution for a medium-sized business that needs a robust accounting solution. It'll take considerably more time to learn than FreshBooks or Less Accounting, but the payoff is in its wide variety of features.

QuickBooks also has free, unlimited support.

These are three of the most popular choices for accounting online. Each of them has a different specialty. FreshBooks is great for consultants and freelancers whose primary accounting needs is invoicing and tracking receivables. Less Accounting is generally great for the small business that wants simple accounting. Finally, QuickBooks Online has the all-purpose industrial grade accounting power than larger businesses need.

Must-Have Mobile Technology for Business Owners on the Go

2011-08-29T21:12:00.000-07:00

Having the right technology on the go will save you time, reduce frustration, make a better professional impression and help avoid potential disasters. These are some of the must-have tools for every business on the go.

==> Portable Laptop

Depending on the purpose of your trip, you may opt to bring a full-sized laptop, or a much smaller and lighter laptop.

Carrying around a giant laptop is not only exhausting and a hassle, but you also risk significant financial and data loss if you carry your main laptop around with you on extended travels.

Instead, if a small mini-laptop (which costs just $200 to $300) will work, it's often a better choice.

==> Smartphones

Tools like GPS, email on the go and checking bank accounts from your phone are almost mandatory for business people today.

On the go, bring a smartphone with you. The GPS feature especially is useful in unfamiliar surroundings.

==> Unlocked GSM Phone

This may or may not be the same phone as above. Most phones sold in the United States are locked to a carrier. Some phones can be unlocked by calling your carrier, others can be unlocked at specialty stores and other phones can't be unlocked at all.

Most countries use GSM networks. That means you can plug a GSM SIM card into any unlocked phone and use the phone in that country.

If you're traveling outside the US, always have an unlocked phone with you.

==> Presentation Tools

Bring an extra projector bulb for the projector you'll be using. There's nothing worse than not being able to make a crucial presentation because you're missing a $20 component.

Bring a laser pointer to be able to clearly point to slides on a presentation. Bring a clicker to be able to move through slides without being in front of your computer.

If necessary, bring your own mini-projector as well. Many successful business people carry their own projectors in the trunk of their cars just in case they have an impromptu sales opportunity.

Hint: The iPhone has a clicker app that allows you to use it as a clicker.

==> USB Internet

While on the road, you won't be guaranteed internet. Some hotels provide free internet for guests, some charge an arm and a leg while others don't even provide it.

Furthermore, many cafes, lounges and meeting spots may not have internet.

If you use internet regularly for work, consider getting a USB internet stick (also known as a USB dongle). They're available in most developed countries.

==> Backups

When traveling, it's always important to acknowledge the risk of your laptop being stolen or damaged.

Changes in weather and humidity are hard on the laptop's components. Furthermore, depending on the country, there may be thieves who deliberately single out tourists as targets.

Always back up your data before you leave on a trip.

These are some of the most important tools and technologies for business owners on the road. Leave well-equipped and you'll save yourself both time and money, as well as leave a killer impression with your business associates.

Mompreneurs: How to Achieve a Good Night Sleep to Increase Productivity

2011-08-28T21:10:00.000-07:00

Want to get up every day feeling refreshed and ready to make a difference in your business and your life? You can. The secret is getting a good night's sleep. Here's how to ensure you sleep like a baby, so you can wake up feeling like a supermom.

==> Wake Up at the Same Time Every Day

Studies have shown that the most effective way to make sure you fall asleep at a certain time every day is to wake up at the same time every day.

Your body will naturally calibrate what time it needs to go to bed, based on what time it woke up over the last few days.

In other words, if you wake up at 7am every day and you need eight hours of sleep, your body will naturally release melatonin, the sleep chemical at around 10:30 to help you go to sleep.

Make sure when you're about to go to sleep that all the lights are out and you're as close to complete darkness as possible. Turn off any computer screens or lights in the hallway. This helps your body realize it's night-time.

==> How Exercise Improves Sleep

Exercise works wonders on the chemistry of the brain. One reason people sometimes have difficulty sleeping is because their brain isn't releasing the proper "sleep chemicals."

One way to remedy this is exercise. By expending energy, getting the heart rate up, removing toxins and getting more blood to the brain, your body will naturally start to rebalance itself.

Try it. All you need is twenty minutes of cardiovascular exercise, four days a week. Try it for two weeks to see if it improves your sleep.

==> Delegate Babysitting Responsibility

Talk to your partner about babysitting. Get on the same page about you needing to have a good night's sleep so you can be productive in your business.

Develop a system that works for both of you. Perhaps you'll do the babysitting at night and he'll do the babysitting in the morning. Or the other way around.

Alternatively, you can take turns, with you being responsible for one night and him the next.

As your kids get older, this becomes less of an issue. But if you have babies or toddlers, the sharing of responsibilities is a big deal.

The most important thing is to make sure you don't both get up every time the baby cries. That drains sleep and energy from the both of you. Instead, work out a system that'll allow both of you to get regular rest.

Getting a good night's sleep is crucial to productivity. Help your body fall asleep by waking up the same time every day, even if it's on weekends. Experiment with exercise to see if it helps you fall asleep. Finally, work out a night and morning babysitting agreement that works for both you and your partner.

Market Research - How Surveys Can Help

2011-08-27T21:08:00.000-07:00

From launching a new product to refining an existing business, surveys can help get you the data you need to make informed decisions. Without knowing who your customers are and what they want, you're essentially flying blind. With the right kinds of data, however, you'll be able to make informed decisions that result in more happy customers and increased profits.

How can surveys help?

==> Determine Your Customer's Demographics

How old is your average buyer? What's their annual household income? Are they male or female? What country(s) are they based in?

What are their hobbies? What are their other interests? Are they married or single?

This kind of data is invaluable when it comes to writing your marketing. For example, the kinds of colors that work well when targeting college students are different than when targeting the 40+. The kind of wording and copy is also drastically different.

If you know who your demographic is, you'll be able to use demographic-targeting advertising like Facebook Ads or direct mail to reach them.

There are so many benefits to knowing exactly who your customers are. Unfortunately, there's often no way to find out without actually asking your customers. A survey is the ideal way to do so.

==> Identify Future Products

What kinds of products would your customers like to see in the future? What are problems in their lives that aren't being solved yet? What aspects of your current products do they like and want to see more of?

Instead of launching products that you think are good ideas, a much more profitable and risk-free method is to first find out what your customers want, then create it for them.

If your customers know that by filling out a survey you help serve them better, they're usually happy to oblige.

==> Evaluate Your Current Performance

When did the package actually arrive? How many rings did they have to wait before customer service picked up? Did they like your product?

Unless you ask, you'll never know what your customers are really thinking about your product. Even if you could improve your product easily, you won't know what you need to change without getting feedback.

Remember that people love to be heard. They love giving their opinions and are usually more than happy to take three to five minutes to answer a few questions, especially if they're already a customer.

As you can tell, there are many different ways to use surveys to help guide your business. You can use surveys to figure out who your customers are, to figure out what they want in future products and to gauge how well your business is currently doing. Don't be shy about asking - the more feedback you have, the more you'll be able to help your customers solve their problems.

Low-Cost Small Business Opportunities for Moms

2011-08-26T21:05:00.000-07:00

Want to start a business without investing more than $300 in cash? Starting a small business is one of the best ways for moms to earn extra income. It allows you to set your own schedule and still put your kids first, while creating a profitable career out of thin air.

Here are a few low-cost small business opportunities you can try that cost less than $300 to get started.

==> Freelancer

Sign up on sites like Elance.com, oDesk.com or Guru.com. Browse through the sites and get a sense for the kind of client base each site has and how their system works.

Pick one skill to start with. For example, writing. Take the test(s) necessary on the system and create a few samples if you don't have them already.

Then, start bidding on projects. In the beginning, you probably won't earn more than $15 an hour. In time, however, you'll build a solid reputation and client base and steadily be able to command more earning power.

Getting started as a freelancer should cost you no more than $50.

==> SEO Affiliate Marketer

As an SEO affiliate marketer, your job is to create websites that get ranked in search engines. Then, you'll make money by selling other people's products.

The beauty of this approach is that you never have to create any products of your own. You just bring in the traffic and let other people do the hard work.

Getting started as an SEO affiliate marketer will cost about $50 to $100, depending on what tactics you're using. Primarily this will be costs in domain and hosting, possible a few other small expenses.

==> Tutoring

If you're good with English, math or any other major academic subject, or you have other marketable skills like playing guitar or graphic design, you can earn pretty good money by tutoring.

Browse Craigslist to see what other tutors are charging for similar services. Then, set up your own ad with a bit of detail about you and your background.

Set a rate that's at or slightly below market rate. For most skills, you should be able to earn $20 to $40 an hour tutoring.

==> Dropshipping

Dropshipping allows you to create a store on eBay, or an all-inclusive service like a Yahoo! Store and ship products all without having to hold any inventory yourself.

This means you can launch a full-fledged ecommerce business while putting up very little money yourself.

Your primary expenses will come from needing to incorporate your business into an LLC and getting a Federal Tax ID number in order to work with wholesalers. The whole process should cost you less than $200 if you do it on your own.

These are four completely different small businesses that you can launch from your home for less than $300. Some will see an immediately revenue quickly (tutoring, freelancing) while others have higher earning potential but take longer to realize (dropshipping, SEO affiliate marketing).

Is Your Business Properly Insured - Insurance 101

2011-08-25T21:03:00.000-07:00

For just a few hundred dollars a month, you can protect yourself against a myriad of things that could go wrong in day-to-day business operations. What happens if a customer trips and falls? What happens if an earthquake hits? What happens if you make a mistake and get sued?

Any one of these mishaps could happen to a well-functioning business and take it to zero, overnight. That is, unless you're properly insured. Here's what you need to know about business insurance.

==> Should You Get Insurance?

The first question to ask yourself is whether or not you have an asset worth protecting. If you're just starting up a new business with annual revenue under $50,000, then it probably won't make sense for you to get business insurance.

On the other hand, if your business would be valued at $50,000 or more, then it makes a lot of sense to pay a few hundred dollars a month to protect your business against unforeseen circumstances.

==> What Kind of Insurance Should You Get?

It depends entirely on your business, your customers and the industry you're in.

For example, in the medical or legal community, malpractice insurance is just about mandatory. In the restaurant business however, it wouldn't make much sense to have malpractice insurance. Bookkeepers on the other hand, may or may not carry malpractice insurance, depending on the kinds of clients they serve.

Do some research into the kinds of insurance people in your business tend to get. Look into the kinds of lawsuits and/or disasters that can happen to a business of your type. Then ask yourself if you think the risk is sufficiently high to deserve protection.

==> A Brief Rundown of Different Insurance Types

There are a few common types of insurance to be aware of.

* A General Liability policy will shield your business from lawsuits stemming from people who get injured at your place of business, or from using your product.

* Business Interruption insurance will help protect you against the cost of unforeseen circumstances. If your warehouse burns down, property insurance will cover the cost of the building, but you'll need business interruption insurance to cover the cost of the few months when you're not in business.

* Professional Liability and/or Malpractice insurance is common in the services industry. Basically, this type of insurance protects you against lawsuits stemming from mistakes. If you're an accountant and you do a major company's books wrong and they get hit with a penalty from the IRS, they may sue your company for the costs. This type of insurance can help protect against that.

* Worker's Compensation insurance protects you against injury claims from your employees. It's mandatory in most states.

These are just a few of the most common types. There are many more "niche" kinds of insurance plans you can choose from, depending on the type of business you run. Always, always read the fine print, what qualifies a claim and exclusions (i.e. when a claim won't be qualified).

Increase Your Affiliate Commission Checks

2011-08-24T21:02:00.000-07:00

How can you take your existing commission checks and increase them by 20%, 50%, 100% - or more? If you're making money as an affiliate, that means you're already in the top percentile of affiliate marketers. But what if you want to take it to the next level?

Here are a few tips for increasing your commission checks without too much work.

==> Ask for a Bump

This one's very simple. Want to make more money? All you need to do is ask. More specifically, ask your affiliate manager for a commission bump.

Let's say you're getting paid $4 a lead. The affiliate network gets paid $6.50 per lead by the advertiser. Would they rather give you $4.50 and keep your business, or refuse your bump and risk losing your traffic?

More often than not, if you're delivering a fair bit of converting traffic, they'll be happy to give you a bit of a commission increase.

This same principle also applies to information products, even on ClickBank. Many publishers are more than happy to give a little extra cut by PayPal if you're driving a lot of traffic.

==> Go Direct

If you're driving enough traffic (i.e. $5,000+ a month) then you should seriously consider going direct.

Going direct means you cut out the middle man and send the leads directly to the advertiser instead of through an affiliate network.

This alone could boost your revenues by 50%!

Use affiliate networks to help build up your traffic and test different offers. Once you find an offer that you can consistently make a lot of money from, explore the possibility of going direct.

==> Test Different Offers across Different Networks

If you're getting paid $4 a lead and another network is promoting the same offer for $4 a lead, it's a very good idea to split test the two offers.

Why?

Because the two networks might have different landing pages, different tracking and possibly different amounts of dropped sales. Even if nothing else is apparently different, you'll often find differences in sales rates on two different affiliate networks.

Testing different offers just plain makes sense. Find the highest ROI for your traffic and advertising dollars.

==> Expand Traffic to All Similar Sources

If you're advertising on Google AdWords, then expand to MSN and Yahoo. If you're advertising on Trafficvance (PPV), then expand to Media Traffic and Zango. If you're advertising on Facebook, experiment with Myspace and PlentyofFish.

Whatever traffic source(s) you're using, identify all the similar sources and see if you can duplicate your results.

Yes, the traffic amount is much lower. MSN and Yahoo combined might only be a third of your Google traffic. But you don't need to go through all the trouble of finding a working campaign - you already know what works. It's just more money.

These are a few ways you can take your existing campaigns and techniques and expand them to make 20% to 100% more money every month.

How to Get Your Website to the Top of Google

2011-08-23T20:59:00.000-07:00

Getting your website to the top of Google doesn't have to be a mystery. In fact, the whole process can be broken down into a number of steps that when followed can place your site right up there in the top three. The key is to consistently execute these steps until you get results. Here's how to create this process for you and your website.

==> Step 1: Identify a Reasonable Goal

When you're setting SEO goals, set both ambitious goals and goals that are achievable in weeks. These goals will take the form of keywords.

You probably can't expect to rank in the top three for your main keyword within six months. It's very possible, but don't build your business based on that expectation.

On the other hand, it's very reasonable to aim for ranking in a few weeks for long tail keywords.

Start your quest for rankings with a main keyword to target in the long run and several less competitive keywords to rank for in the short run.

==> Step 2: Set a Content Goal

The content goal needs to come in the form of X pieces of content per Y amount of time. For example:

Goal: 3 Blog posts a week.
Goal: 100 new products a month (ecommerce site.)
Goal: 1 Video blog post a week.

So on and so forth. Remember that you're going to need to be able to follow this schedule for a few months. Be ambitious, but not so ambitious that you risk falling off the wagon.

Is it possible to rank a website of just static content? Yes, but Google does place a very strong emphasis and preference on websites that are regularly updated with new content.

==> Step 3: Set a Backlink Goal

Backlinks are the "magic sauce" that make an SEO campaign work.

Choose one or two backlink strategies that you can execute regularly. Then create a schedule for when you'll do the work.

For example, if your strategy is to comment on ten blogs a week, then pick which day(s) you'll do your commenting.

If your strategy is to do four guest blog posts a month, then you may have to contact five to ten blogs a week to make that happen. Again, schedule out when you'll do that on a weekly basis.

The secret to rankings isn't getting a bunch of backlinks all at once, but consistently increasing your backlinks over time.

If you follow these three steps and consistently add both content and backlinks to that content, you'll find that you'll very quickly start ranking for your lesser competition keywords. In a few months, you'll find even higher competition keywords getting ranked. Eventually, you'll even rank for your main keyword(s).

How to Motivate Your Employees or Freelancers

2011-08-22T20:57:00.000-07:00

A motivated employee or freelancer will often do more, for less. They'll put in more hours, pay more attention to details, speak up on your behalf and all in all be an all-star for your business.

How do you motivate your employees and/or freelancers? Here's how.

==> Acknowledge Quality Work

When someone gives good work, acknowledge them. The more public the praise, the better. Always strive to praise in public and criticize in private.

Don't give empty praise. In other words, don't praise something unless it's really praiseworthy. But also don't pass up the opportunity to praise good work.

Employees who feel valued are more likely to do valuable work the future.

Loyalty is usually not "bought" by money, but by recognition.

==> Interact with Integrity

In order for employees and freelancers to feel motivated by you, they need to truly respect you. Their respect for you is earned in large part by integrity.

Pay your freelancers when you say you'll pay them. When you make a promise, make sure to hold up your end of the bargain. Hold a high bar of ethics and values for yourself.

You also need to make it clear to your freelancers that you expect the same of them. Make it clear that lateness isn't tolerated - for business reasons, and also because that's just not how things are done with you.

Be a person of integrity. Interact with your employees with a sense of value and integrity. This will really contribute to creating both respect and motivation in the workplace.

==> Let Them Know What They're a Part Of

What are your employees helping you to create?

Engineers working at firms like Google or Facebook aren't motivated just because of the money. They're motivated because they believe they're helping to change the world. They stand for something, and that creates a huge sense of accomplishment.

What does your company stand for? How are you changing the world?

Even if you're selling a "mundane" product, you're still solving problems for other people. If you're a dentist, you're helping others live pain-free lives. If you own a restaurant, you can take pride in helping people create delicious moments.

Stand for the impact you have in the world. Convey this pride to your employees and freelancers. Let them know what they're a part of.

==> Be Positive!

This sounds simple. And it really, actually is simple: people love to work for positive people.

Smile and bring optimism to the workplace. Be positive about where your company is, about who you're working with and about your company's future prospects.

Positivity is infectious. If you're positive, chances are sooner or later it'll catch on with your employees.

Do these four things and your organization's overall motivation level will shoot way, way up.

How to Jump-Start a Stagnant Business

2011-08-21T20:56:00.000-07:00

If your traffic, revenues or profits have been consistently going down for a few months, then what your business probably needs is a jump-start. An infusion of new energy, vision and drive. How do you take a stagnant business and revive it? Follow these tips.

==> Bring on Someone New

If you can bring someone new on board, someone who's excited about re-kindling the new project, that can work wonders for your own sense of excitement.

New ideas and new spirit are often easier to bring in when they come from the outside. Outsiders haven't been exposed to the gradual stagnation of the business and will bring in a much fresher perspective.

This new person doesn't have to be an employee. They could be an investor (even if it's a minor stake), an advisor, a business partner or even a friend who has a vested interest in your success.

The bottom line is, bring someone new on board. This alone can reignite an old project.

==> Increase Your Hours

Businesses that stagnate are often due to simple neglect. If you're running multiple projects at once and just haven't put the time into your old business, then now's the time to change that.

Decide how much time you want to put into this business and put it in your calendar. Tell other people about your new commitment so you have a social incentive to stick to it.

Sometimes, all a business really needs to flourish again is to be given attention.

==> Set New, Ambitious Goals

Can you remember a time when you were very excited about this business? Can you remember when you used to dream about its success and what that would be like? Can you remember how exited you felt to set goals for this business?

It's time to get back into that state of mind. It's not good enough to just try and keep a dying business going. No; in order to really give the business a jump-start, it needs an infusion of "moving forward" energy.

Set a few new goals for this business. What do you want to accomplish? Why? How would it change your life if you succeeded?

If you have a strong enough "reason why" to succeed, you probably will. Money is a good reason, but it also helps to have other motivators.

==> Jump-Start Your Business

The most important aspect of jump-starting an old business is just committing to its success again. At some point in the past, you probably lost your commitment to your business's success. That's why it started to slide.

Rekindle your commitment. Bring on someone new if possible, set new goals and increase your work hours. Pour new energy into the project and watch it flourish.

How to Create a Disaster Plan for Your Small Business

2011-08-20T20:54:00.000-07:00

Disaster can strike at any time, but it doesn't have to wipe you out. Whether it's a flood in New Orleans, a hurricane in Florida or an earthquake in Japan, there are thousands of businesses that manage to get back on their feet quickly and can then in turn support their local community - all because they had a solid disaster plan.

How do you plan for unforeseen circumstances? Here are a few precautions every small business owner should take.

==> Back Up Your Data

Your data should be backed up in an offsite location. Your backup should be recent enough that if something physically happened to your systems, you'd be able to use that backup to get back online relatively quickly.

One popular solution is online backup. Online backup, provided the backup company has a good infrastructure, will allow you to store your data in a safe place without worrying about it getting corrupted or damaged.

You can also use an offsite storage facility. Basically, you back up your hard drives, mail it to an offsite company and they'll store the drives there.

==> Backup List of Services and Vendors

Let's say you're in the business of selling fishing rods on eBay. What happens if something puts your wholesaler out of commission for two weeks?

Have a backup ready to go, immediately. You may have to pay a bit more and you might not have as good payment terms, but at least your whole business won't be interrupted.

Have backup suppliers for everything crucial in your business. In this example, not only do you want to have backup suppliers for your fishing rods, but also for your boxes and packaging materials.

You should also have a backup host, with all your data and websites mirrored that you can switch over to at a moment's notice. The same goes for having a backup merchant account that you can switch payments over to if your primary account should get frozen for one reason or another.

==> Have Proper Insurance

Insure yourself against disaster by buying the appropriate insurance plans.

Start considering insurance when the cost of insurance becomes negligible compared to what you'd lose if disaster should strike.

Disaster doesn't just come in the form of forces of nature. It could come in the form of a lawsuit, a stock market meltdown, an employee who gets injured, a missed bill causing a cut-off of supply and any number of other things.

Look through the different insurance plans you can choose from, from general liability to malpractice to disaster insurance and choose the most appropriate plan(s) for your business.

Don't be caught unaware by disaster. It's unlikely to happen, but if it should you'll want to know exactly how to respond to minimize the damage.

How Smartphones Can Be a Valuable Asset to Your Company

2011-08-19T20:45:00.000-07:00

Smartphones can make businesses run faster, cheaper and more profitably. How can smartphones make a difference in your company? Here are a few high-impact ways.

==> Check Email Anywhere

Sometimes, emails just need to be answered immediately. Not in a few hours when you're at your desk, but right now. Smartphones allows you to do that from anywhere.

It also allows you to shoot off quick emails from anywhere. If you're on the bus and need to send a two-sentence email to your secretary, it's all just a button away.

==> Video & International Calls

Apps like Skype allow you to do video calls and conferences for free. While you might not always have a laptop on you, if you have a smartphone with a camera on it, you can participate from anywhere.

In addition, you'll also be able to make inexpensive international calls right from your smartphone. It's quite tacky to talk into a laptop on a business call. But if you have Skype on your phone, calling India could cost you just a few cents a minute.

==> Get Up-to-Date News on the Phone

The Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, the National Public Radio (NPR) and The Economist all have highly rated apps available for download.

These apps will download the most recent or most popular stories of the day right to your smartphone. You can then read the news stories at any time, anywhere, when you have a moment to spare.

It's cumbersome to carry around a copy of the Wall Street Journal wherever you go. But if you have it on your Android anyway, you'll be able to catch up on what's going on in the world any time you have a few minutes of downtime.

==> Check Industry News with RSS Readers

Want to stay on top of the latest developments in your industry? What kind of new technologies are emerging? Who's going public and who's struggling for funding? Where are new business opportunities emerging?

You can stay up to date on all of this by having a great RSS reader right on your smartphone. The RSS reader will download all the articles from your RSS feeds onto your phone, so you can read them from anywhere.

==> Expense Tracking

Tired of tracking your expenses by hand? Why not instead track it using your smartphone?

There are dozens of different expense tracking apps to choose from. Instead of having to write your expenses in a notebook or tally up receipts at the end of the day, all you need to do is take ten seconds any time you make a purchase to punch the expense into your expense tracker.

As you can tell, smartphones can make your life a lot easier in business. It can save you time, help you stay up to date and even help you appear more professional.

How EBay Powersellers use Dropshipping to Boost Their Profits

2011-08-18T20:43:00.001-07:00

Dropshipping is a highly profitable, low-risk, easy to set up method of delivering products to customers. Because you hold no inventory, you preserve valuable capital that you can invest into other areas of your business. This is especially important with eBay businesses, where cash on hand is often limited and can't afford to be tied up in inventory.

How do "The Pros," i.e. powersellers, use dropshipping to boost their profits? Here are a few ways.

==> Launching a New Business

If you're launching a new business, there's no sense in sinking a bunch of money into it before you know if it'll work.

Instead, why not try it through dropshipping? The margins will be slimmer and you may even risk losing money. But you'll be able to prove how much volume you'll be able to generate before you risk cash in inventory.

It's much better to risk 30 cents per sale through dropshipping, than it is to risk $30,000 in inventory by stocking a thousand units.

==> Testing What to Upsell

Let's say you're selling fishing rods. What else should you sell? Hooks? Lines? Sinkers? Books on fishing? Bait boxes?

You never know. And you probably shouldn't buy 500 of each just to test out selling each one.

Instead, establish a dropshipping relationship with your wholesaler and try each of them. It won't cost you anything to figure out which products don't work. Once you find the ones that do, you can continue dropshipping, or order wholesale.

==> Seeing Customer Response for a New Product

Will they love it or hate it? Again, you don't have to take a financial risk to find out.

You can launch new products without risking your hard-earned cash by dropshipping. Read the reviews and talk to your customers to figure out if the product is up to snuff.

Once it's proven it's earning potential, then and only then do you stock up on hard inventory.

==> Testing a Vendor Relationship

Apart from the product itself, dropshipping is a great way to test out a new vendor relationship.

How "on the ball" are they with requests? Do they fulfill dropshipping orders promptly? Do they hassle you about billing before your net 30/60/90 period is up? Do you feel like you have connection and rapport?

It's much better to ferret out any problems in the relationship on a $20 dropshipping relationship than on a $20,000 wholesaling relationship.

These are just a few of the methods that smart eBay powersellers are using to boost their profits. Dropshipping can be a very powerful way of increasing your profits while decreasing your risks. You can use it to launch new businesses, test upsells, test new products and even test a new vendor relationship. You can do all this without tying up any significant amount of cash.

Free Twitter Tools You Can Use to Your Advantage

2011-08-17T20:32:00.000-07:00

There are many, many tools available to you as an entrepreneur, using Twitter to promote yourself and your business. From tracking your influence to market research, from mobile phones to alternate interfaces - it's all there. And best of all, many of these tools are free.

Here are four free tools you can use to help build your online business.

==> Twitscoop - An Alternative Twitter Interface, with a Unique Cloud

Twitscoop allows you to send tweets, receive tweets and manage friend requests without ever having to leave the page. Unlike Twitter, where you're constantly loading and reloading, Twitscoop saves you time by never needing to reload.

In other words, it's a faster, free, alternative Twitter interface.

In addition, Twitscoop also features a unique Twitter cloud that can help you keep track of all the most talked-about topics in the twittersphere.

==> Retweet Rank - How Many Retweets Are You Getting?

When you send out a tweet, how many people in turn tweet that out to their friends? How does your "retweet-power" measure against other Twitter users?

Retweet Rank can tell you. You don't need an account; all you need to do is go to their site and type in your username.

==> Twitter Grader - How Influential Are You?

Want to know how you stack up against other Twitter users overall? Twitter Grader can show you. In addition to stacking you up against other Twitter users, it'll also offer brief suggestions for improving your Twitter account.

==> Qwitter - Know Who Unfollowed You!

Ever wondered who clicked the Unfollow button? Ever wonder how many unfollows you're actually getting? Just because your follower count is going up doesn't mean people aren't unfollowing - you could just be getting more new followers.

Qwitter will send you a daily email, showing you exactly who unfollowed you. This can be enormously useful both from a personal perspective (i.e. knowing if someone influential is losing interest), as well as from a statistical perspective (i.e. finding out your average follower retention rate).

These are a few free yet useful tools available to online entrepreneurs. Why not give them a try today? It won't cost you anything and can save you hours in the future.

EBay Dropshipping Survival Tips

2011-08-16T20:30:00.000-07:00

Dropshipping is one of the easiest, yet most dangerous ways to get started on eBay. It's easy because you don't need to carry any inventory and can get started right away without having to find warehouse space or sort out fulfillment. It's dangerous because there are so many pitfalls.

How can you avoid these pitfalls and build a thriving eBay business?

==> Never, Ever Buy a Dropshipper List

Real dropshippers don't advertise themselves on "dropshipper lists." People selling these lists are almost always out to make a quick buck and seldom will you find high quality wholesalers on these lists.

The only exception is WorldwideBrands, a dropshipper directory which is eBay certified.

The best place to look for dropshippers is in trade magazines and trade shows. That's where "real world" clients go to look for their suppliers. It's also where top-tier suppliers go to advertise their services.

Subscribe to as many trade journals as you can. They're usually advertising sponsored and are free to recipients. Look for advertisements for products that catch your eye. Some may even directly advertise that they dropship.

==> Don't Compete in Thin Margin Markets

The dropshipping fees you'll be charged will make it very, very hard to compete in thin margin markets.

That means no $0.99 cent products and no electronics. If your competitor is buying RAM chips for $30 and selling them on eBay for $32.99; there's no way you can compete if you're also paying a $3.50 dropshipping fee.

Instead, pick markets that either have few competitors, or have enough of a margin that you can still be profitable after paying the dropshipping fee.

==> Keep a Close Eye on Your Wholesalers

Remember that even though you're outsourcing the fulfillment process, you're still responsible for the product being fulfilled.

Tracking IDs are your best friend. If possible, have your fulfillment company send tracking IDs to your customers when the item is shipped and CC it to you. That way you can make sure the item has been shipped in a timely manner.

The same applies for refunds. Ask your customer to send you the tracking ID for refunds, so you can be sure you're refunded the price for the item when it gets to the wholesaler.

If the wholesaler is late on shipping an item or ships a defective item, make sure to set the expectation early on that that's unacceptable. Your suppliers should understand right from the get go that you expect top level service, even if it is about your customers, not theirs.

These are a few of the most common pitfalls to avoid in the dropshipping arena. Dropshipping allows you to test out a variety of markets without having to sink a lot of money into any one market first. It's a potentially lucrative method to get started on eBay that doesn't risk too much up-front cash.

Do's and Don'ts of Surveys

2011-08-15T20:28:00.000-07:00

There's a big difference between a well-run survey and a poorly run one. A great survey will get you many results and the results will give you answers that you can directly apply to your business. A poor survey may or may not generate many response and the responses you get won't help guide your business.

Here are a few do's and don'ts for writing surveys.

==> DO: Establish goals before writing questions

A survey should have a simple, concise goal in mind before anything else.

A good goal, for example, is to figure out "What are students' biggest problems in college?"

A poor goal, for example, is to figure out "What our customer sentiments are towards our brands and products." It's too general, too broad and has too many open ends.

==> DON'T: Use many open-ended questions

Yes, open-ended questions can give a lot of good information. But they take considerably more effort for someone to answer than merely checking a box.

A survey that doesn't have a prize or incentive needs only one or two open-ended questions, max.

==> DO: Keep it short

Keeping your survey short will ensure that more people finish your survey. If your survey is long, people will often abandon the survey before finishing.

If your survey is long, you also run the risk of having them scan the survey, see how long it is and decide it's too much work to even get started.

Cut out as many questions as you can, while still ensuring that you answer your primary question.

==> DON'T: Start with difficult or boring questions

Try to position the most entertaining or interesting questions towards the beginning of your survey. This is so you can "hook" them into the flow of answering the survey.

The more complicated or boring questions should be reserved for the end of the survey, when they'll likely answer them anyway since they're so close to finishing.

==> DO: Offer a prize or incentive

Run a contest. PayPal for example often runs cash-prize surveys, where one survey winner will win a certain amount of cash.

You can also give away digital products to everyone who answers a survey. That way, there's no randomness at all and anyone who fills out the survey will know they'll get something out of it.

==> DON'T: Use complicated or ambiguous language

Don't use jargon. Don't write questions that could be interpreted multiple ways. Don't use long words when you could use short words.

In other words, aim to make your survey so simple that a ten-year-old could answer it.

All these do's and don'ts together will help you run a simple, concise survey that'll get you all the responses you need.

Does Your Online Socializing Interrupt Your Productivity

2011-08-14T20:26:00.000-07:00

If you're like most internet entrepreneurs, you'll probably notice you spend a disproportionate amount of time checking Facebook, Twitter, your email or your web stats. How much productivity does this really cost you? And how can you cut down on this productivity loss?

==> The True Price of Socializing

If you check your Facebook for just five minutes, two or three times a day, plus your email another two or three times a day, that doesn't seem like much, does it? It seems like very normal online behavior in fact.

In reality, the costs are huge.

Let's say each time you decide to check Facebook, it interrupts your concentration and costs you momentum in a project. In addition, it takes you an additional ten minutes or so to get back "in the groove."

While you're on Facebook, you might see a cool link or video. Or perhaps a slightly political comment on a friend's wall that you want to discuss. You get sidetracked and spend an additional five or ten minutes.

When you add it all up, each distraction could easily cost you fifteen to thirty minutes of productivity.

Did you know that you can really just check your email once at the beginning of your work day and once at the end and still address all the important emails in a very reasonable time frame?

Did you also know that, even with 1,000 friends, you can easily view all the posts that were posted in a day in about twenty minutes - checking Facebook just once a day?

The cuts in productivity aren't necessary. You aren't missing out on anything by streamlining your online social networking.

==> What to Do about It

As mentioned above, one very effective system is to just check your email or Facebook once at the beginning of the workday and/or at the end of the workday.

If the interruptions feel like an addition (it does for many), consider getting a site blocker for a short period of time.

Even if it's just for two weeks, it can help you get in the habit. Set up the site blocker so Facebook.com, Gmail.com, Twitter.com, etc. aren't accessible during work hours. That way you won't even be tempted to access those sites.

Also consider trying a productivity monitoring system. These are systems that will actually watch how much time you spend on email, on work and on sites like Facebook and report it to you at the end of the day. You'll probably be shocked at how much time social networking really takes when you see the numbers.

You now know how much online social networking can really be costing you in terms of productivity. You also know a number of ways to break this habit. Remember: adding just an hour or two to your daily productivity can mean a lot of real money added to your bottom line in a few months' time.

How to Optimize Your Page Load Time

2011-08-13T01:30:00.000-07:00

How fast your pages load has a big impact on both your viewer's experience and your search engine rankings. People tend to view fast loading websites as more professional, and search engines give faster loading sites more "points" than slow loading sites.

So how can you optimize your site to load faster? Here are a few tips.

=> Use Gzip Compression

Gzip compression allows you to compress HTTP data on your server and send it to the user's browser, which will then decompress the data and display it on their side.

How much of a difference can this make? Quite a big difference. If you take a 17k HTML file and Gzip it, you'll get a 6.8k file back. Sending the compressed file will take less than half the time of the uncompressed file.

Not every browser supports Gzip compression. Some browsers, like Internet Explorer 4, can't handle compressed JavaScript code. That said, if you enable HTTP compression just for browsers with Gzip capability, you'll drastically speed up your load time for a lot of your visitors.

=> Use Cascading Style Sheets

Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) allows you to store all the stylistic elements of your website in one file. That file only needs to be downloaded once, no matter how many pages on your site any given viewer sees.

For example, let's say someone comes to your blog ten times a month and looks at an average of two pages each time. So they're loading a page from your site twenty times a month.

If your fonts and page styling were stored in the page, they'd have to load that every time. If you put it all in a .css file, however, they'd only need to load that once.

This will optimize your page load times as well as save you bandwidth.

=> Use Page Caching

Caching allows you to turn PHP (or other web app code) into HTML files for faster loading.

Let's say you run a WordPress website. Typically, when someone comes to your site, this is what happens. First, they send a REQUEST for a file to your server. Your server then goes to its PHP engine to execute your index.php file, which will put together your index file based on all the different code in your WordPress set-up.

Once the page is put together, it'll serve up the HTML to your end user. The browser turns the HTML into the webpage that the end user sees.

This whole process is quite processor intensive and is slow from a technical perspective.

What caching does instead is convert all your files into HTML so that it can be served up to users in HTML form without having to go through the page construction process every single time.

A smart caching engine will be able to serve up HTML files only when that's what they'd see anyway. If what the user would see with the PHP version is different, the caching engine will go through the PHP engine instead of serving up an HTML file.

These are three extremely effective ways of speeding up your page load times. Enable Gzip compression, use external CSS files and install some kind of page caching. These three combined can drastically decrease your average load time.

Friday Finds: Envi Whiteboard

2011-08-12T08:46:00.000-07:00

Where to buy: www.thegreenoffice.com

Whiteboards are great tools for your home office. You can use it for presentations, brainstorming, jotting down ‘to do’ lists, keeping track of project tasks, layout ideas or even scheduling. They are a fairly inexpensive visual tool, like the good old-fashioned blackboard.

The Envi Whiteboard 11" x 17" is made from 100% recyclable material and would be a great asset to a "green" office. Its design is modern with a silver colored frame and a white magnetic whiteboard surface. The accessory tray with hooks can hold small markers or other bits and pieces. The board itself is Dry Erase and can therefore be easily wiped clean and reused. Included in your purchase are two magnets (that can be used on the board to post notes or documents), mounting hardware and a dry erase marker.

In my opinion, a whiteboard in your office makes a fantastic multi-tasking tool. The Envi Whiteboard is a good quality whiteboard at a very good price. I am sure you will find it very useful to have in your daily work.

How to Monetize Your Website Traffic

2011-08-11T01:29:00.000-07:00

You own a website. You may even give advice there or share information of some kind. Whatever you are doing, if you are not using it to make money, then there is an untapped market waiting to be yours.

Website Traffic

This involves people coming to your website. What you want to count are your unique visitors. These are people who visit for the first time. Repeat visitors are great for sales but to gain interest, the more people who come, the better.

In order for a business to make money it needs traffic. These people will do something for you on your site that will enhance their life and make money for you. There are a variety of ways to do it but for any method you use to be cost effective, you will need traffic.

One way to gain traffic is to have a focus. This is your niche. This will determine which traffic comes your way and if they are going to buy whatever you decide to offer on your site.

Now, turn your attention to your content. That is why your traffic is there in the first place. If you haven’t already, optimize it for a wider readership. This involves targeting certain keywords in your articles, blog posts, headers and picture text. Not only will your content get ranked higher for those keywords, but also your website. If you haven’t done so already, register your website with the major search engines.

Monetizing Your Website

Now that you have made a few tweaks to gain more focused traffic, you are ready to start making money with your website. Here are some ways that you can use to get the job done.

* PPC – This basically means that you are posting ads that people will click on. Whenever someone clicks on that ad, you get paid. Depending on who you are using for your service, there are other ways to do this besides just the click-through rate. One you can start with is Google AdSense.

* Banner Advertising – This is a way to get noticed. If you have a good fan base and have networked with others in your business niche, this can work for you. Sell advertising space on the top of your website. You can also sell on the sides, but keep in mind that the top half of your web page is where people’s eyes tend to gravitate.

* Affiliate Marketing – You not only advertise for others and sponsor their products, but you also get access to lots of helpful tools so you can do just that. Earn commissions on your click rate as well as sale rate depending on how the affiliate program is set up.

* Paid surveys – Companies will pay you to offer surveys to your visitors. Each time one of them takes the survey you get paid.

There are many other ways to monetize your website but this is just the beginning. Once you have started, try other ways to make your expertise work for you.

How to Cut Your Small Business Expenses

2011-08-10T01:29:00.000-07:00

Most businesses start off small. To continue to grow and reach their potential, business owners have to constantly re-evaluate several areas, one of which is expenses. Here are some ideas for cutting small business costs.

One thing about a small business, especially an online one, is the low overhead. When you decide to start a business, many of the things that you need you already have. But don’t let that lull you into a false sense of security. Because you have a low overhead doesn’t mean that you should spend available money on new upgrades, for example.

Breaking It Down

Many of these tips will benefit both online and offline businesses. Like we said, many of the items you need (equipment, computer, phone line, transportation) are already within reach. They probably gave you the idea to get started in business in the first place.

But, it is often the small things that can derail you and cost you money. You’ll see what we mean in a minute. Evaluate your business expenses at least once a year if not semi-annually. Once you get a handle on things the first time, taking a quick check at the expense report the next time will be a lot easier.

* Look at your cell phone bill – Cellular phones are not just for calls anymore. There are smartphones that perform the same functions as computers. Contracts usually last for two years with most providers. Check out new promotions that can lower the cost of internet access. If you make a lot of business calls, consider unlimited text and calling. It is cheaper each month than paying through the nose for overages. Also, when you upgrade your cell phone, there are all sorts of free or promotional perks that come with it. Don’t be afraid to ask.

* Check with the phone company – If you have a home office, you will want to consider a second telephone line. Phone companies have different rates for businesses and you can take advantage of discounts for local and international calls as well as internet options. If your current phone company is not treating you right, don’t be afraid to switch.

* Use the computer – For many of us, we are on there every day anyway. You can use internet calling plans like Skype or Windows Live. If you have a laptop or computer with a webcam, you and your clients can speak face to face. Some smartphones also have this capability.

* Check internet options – With so many ISPs today, you can choose from the top of the line. But, if the top is offering the same options as a lower priced one, save yourself some money. Look at reliability. A cable internet option may be faster and more reliable than a DSL hook-up. And, if you bundle services you could save money on phone, cellular and internet.

* Checkout options – To cut expenses for online business you may need to change your payment policy. Accepting credit cards is universal but there is some fee involved if you use a merchant account. Instead use PayPal or 2Checkout.com to accept payments. It is simple and easy for you and your customers.

Evaluating your business expenses on a regular basis is good business. Find ways to cut expenses and increase your profit margin.

Mompreneurs: How to Build a Personal Support System

2011-08-09T01:27:00.000-07:00

As a mother and an entrepreneur, your time is precious. Between work and family, you want to make a success of everything. But, you can’t do it alone. It will take the help of many others to keep you on track.

A support system is important in many arenas. In business, it can keep you honest, accountable, organized and focused on your goals. Many mompreneurs have made a success of their businesses in just that way.

If you want to turn your business and your family life into the best it can be, here are some tips.

* Talk to your family – They are part of the reason that you are starting your business. Either you wanted to make extra money for the family or you wanted to do something for yourself that can show your family how they, too, can find success.
Let them know what your plan is and what it will take on your part and theirs to make it happen. They may have questions and concerns, so be ready. You will field no tougher questions than those asked by your family. But, unlike potential clients, they will give you unconditional love and support.

* Join business groups in your niche – There are many other moms out there who are starting or have started successful business ventures. Get in contact with them through seminars, forums, blogs or conferences. Like attracts like. You want to network with others who are motivated and working for success just like you. Being influenced by other successful women can keep you hopeful that the hard early days will pass.

* Create partnerships – Again, like minds attract like minds. Find other women who are in complementary niches and see what you can offer each other. This is the beginning of not only business partnerships but strong friendships.

* Surround yourself with tough love – Each woman business owner needs a group of women who will tell them like it is. These can be business owners, moms, friends or mentors. Their stake in your life is that they want the best for you.

To that end, they will be the ones that you bounce ideas off of, talk over personal matters and cry to if need be. But, in the end their job is not to tell you what you want to hear but what you need to hear. They are the grass roots of your support network.

* Don’t be afraid to get rid of what doesn’t work – To be a strong support, it has to be based on a firm foundation. Everyone that you let into your life needs to enhance it and not detract. Naysayers are out. They are no good for you or your business.

Mompreneurs need a strong support system to make it work at home and in business. Here are a few tips to help you create your own tight-knit group.

How to Build Effective Customer Loyalty

2011-08-08T01:27:00.000-07:00

Customer loyalty can make or break your business. A loyal customer isn't just someone who'll buy from you time and again. They'll also publicly talk about your business, defend you against criticism, refer their friends and family to your business and in general do everything in their power to help you win.

How can you cultivate more customer loyalty? How do you create a culture around your brand that people want to help? Here's how.

=> Connect with Your Customers Regularly

The companies with the most loyal customers are those companies that connect with their customers often.

That means you're not just a distant brand or a faceless organization. You're real people behind a real business creating real value in the world.

This connection can be through a company blog, through Twitter, through Facebook, through email or through in-person events. The more your customers feel like they have a connection with you, the more loyal they will be.

=> Always Think and Talk in WIIFY Terms

WIIFY, or "What's In It For You," basically means you're always putting the customer first.

Instead of doing what might make your company the most money in the short term, you plan your business around what would benefit the customers most. Your customers will notice.

Anytime you write a blog post, make sure your readers and customers will get something from it. This may seem obvious, but so many bloggers make the mistake of posting just what's interesting to them or their company, rather than writing something that'll genuinely improve the lives of their readers.

Always, always put the customer first. Think in "What's In It For You" terms.

=> Ask for Feedback

How do you always deliver what the customer wants? By asking! Before you can deliver what they want, you have to first be absolutely certain about what it is they want.

Feedback can take the form of surveys, focus groups or just a simple phone call. Even if you have thousands of customers, you can still learn a lot just by picking up the phone and calling half a dozen of your most loyal buyers.

=> Over Deliver

In the end, it's really your product that matters. It's been said again and again that at the end of the day, your product is your brand.

Yes, marketing can help increase sales in the short term. But in the long term, the quality of your product(s) will become known on the marketplace. Make a great product and over deliver and that'll be your reputation. The reverse is also true.

If you want people to truly be loyal to your brand, then do everything you possibly can to over deliver.

If you do these four things - connect regularly, think in WIIFY terms, ask for feedback and strive to over deliver, you'll very quickly build a company that your customers can be fiercely loyal to.

Smart Ways of Designing a Home Office for Visitors

2011-08-07T01:26:00.000-07:00

A small business owner needs a base of operations. Whether you have an online or offline business, a home office is necessary to stay organized and also to meet with potential clients.

Do you have a home office? If you don’t, consider creating one. Here are some advantages of a home office:

* A place to work uninterrupted by your family
* A place to organize all of your business files and keep your equipment and workspace in one area
* It is a tax-deductible part of your home that can lower your taxable income
* A place to meet with visitors (your potential clients)

With an online small business, you never know when you might move into the offline realm. Even if you are a writer, local clients may want to meet with you in your office to hammer out details of a contract. So, you need a place for them to come and see you.

That will take a design strategy. Here are some ideas to utilize your space and to choose the right space for your home office.

* Choose a room with a door – If it is possible, a room with a door affords you privacy when meeting with clients. There may be kids running around outside, but it is easier to tune them out when the door is closed. And, if you ignore them, the client may be able to also. If you don’t have a door, create some sort of solution where the rest of the house is not visible from your office. Install a sliding door in the doorway to another room, use folding screens or use another creative idea.

* Allow your desk to be the center of the room – When clients come they will need a place to sit. It is easier on the neck if they are sitting across from you. In this case, use a separate table space for file folders and office supplies so that the majority of your desk top is free to work with your visitors.

* Use another table – If clients will be coming to your home office, you can create a separate work area in the office if you have space. In this case your desk can sit in the corner. The focal point will be the table with two comfortable chairs where you and your visitor can hold a meeting.

* Let in the light – Use light-colored curtains or blinds to regulate the amount of light in the room. Schedule meetings in the morning or early afternoon when more light will be entering the room. If you don’t have a window in your office room, consider handing a lighted ceiling fan to illuminate the entire room.

Design your home office with the potential client in mind. Make space for them to feel comfortable so you can earn their business.

Thinking of Hiring an Internet Marketing Firm?

2011-08-06T01:18:00.000-07:00

An internet marketing firm can help you manage all your internet marketing for a fee. Great firms will make you much more than you pay them, while poor firms just won't deliver results. How can you make sure you're working with a marketing firm that can get you where you want to go? Here are a few things to think about.

=> Know What Results You Want

Before you start, know exactly what results you want. It's not enough to walk into a marketing office and say "I want someone to do my marketing." Instead, walk in with a specific strategy you want executed.

Strategies might include AdWords, SEO or Social Media. There are many firms that specialize just in one of those three strategies.

Do your research on the specific method before you meet with the firm. Know what's reasonable and what's not. That way if they try to over-promise you (i.e. "We'll guarantee a number one ranking"), you'll know.

Always ask about their exact methodology for getting you the results. For example, if you're hiring an SEO firm, ask them how they get their rankings. What's their on-page strategy? What's their backlink strategy?

Never take a firm's word blindly - always ask before you commit.

Finally, ask about their past results. Ask for examples as well as references. Call the references and make sure the results are real.

=> The Process of Picking a Firm

Talk to at least three different firms before making your decision. Any one firm might make a great sales pitch, but until you have a chance to compare and contrast you really won't know what the market has to offer.

Talk to both local firms and national firms. Local firms have the benefit of easy face-to-face meetings and are often lower priced. National firms often (though not always) have more experience.

Avoid working with one-person firms unless you really know and trust them. Most internet marketing firms need a wide range of skills (copywriting, tracking, design, SEO, etc.) and do a better job by having many specialists rather than one generalist.

=> The Money

How much does a marketing firm cost?

Generally you can expect some kind of commission split, along with a cash payment. Few firms will accept just commission and few clients will accept just cash.

A 10% to 30% payment on revenues or profits is standard. There's usually a minimum of $2,000 to $3,000 a month, sometimes more depending on the firm.

Avoid arrangements that work based on a percentage of ad spend. That encourages the firm to spend more money, rather than generate more revenue.

You now know some of the most important things you need to know about hiring an internet marketing firm. Do your research beforehand, know how to compare companies, what to look for in a firm and what you can expect to pay.

Friday Finds: Contemporary SelfSet Clock

2011-08-05T08:42:00.000-07:00

Where to buy: www.thegreenoffice.com

The Contemporary SelfSet clock is, in my opinion, a very attractive looking and stylish wall clock suitable for your home office. It is 14 ½ inches in diameter with a black frame. The clock face is white and is UV protected, which means that it always stays white and doesn't fade or yellow. The numbers on the clock are bold and black, as are the hands.

The clock is designed to automatically readjust itself during daylight saving. I like the fact the body of the clock is biodegradable. It runs on 1 AA battery, which you will have to buy separately.

In my opinion, this is a sleek wall clock designed to look great in any modern office. I would certainly recommend this type of wall clock, if you are looking for a stylish design and functionality.

Google Patents Search - What Are the Benefits

2011-08-04T01:17:00.000-07:00

Google's patent search system makes obtaining patent data fast, easy and free for everyone on the internet. In the past, obtaining patent data from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) was a painstaking and potentially expensive process. By scanning all 7+ million patent documents filed with the USPTO, Google has made the process easier for everybody.

What are the benefits of being able to search for patents?

=> Determine If Your Idea Has Been Done

If you have a brilliant business or product idea, one of the first things you should do is make sure that nobody else has already come up with and patented the idea.

All you need to do is come up with a few keyword ideas to search for the patent. If your search doesn't turn up any patents, then you have a good shot at being first to the market.

=> Look for Patents to Lease

If you need a certain piece of technology but don't want to spend the money in developing it yourself, one cost-effective alternative would be to lease the technology instead.

But how do you find out who owns the right to certain technologies? Google Patent Search. As long as you can find the patent, you can also find who holds the rights to the patent, along with their contact information.

You can then contact them directly to strike a patent leasing deal.

=> Research into a Specific Inventor

If an inventor you know has created several products that have caught your attention and you want to see what else they've invented, you can find all the patents by that inventor using Google Patent Search.

Just click the "Advanced Patent Search" link next to the general search box and type in the inventor's name.

=> Find Inspiration for Product Designs

Need some inspiration for a product you're designing? Stuck on a specific engineering challenge? Why not look through past patent designs to see how previous designers tackled those issues?

Past patents can be ripe grounds for finding inspiration and solutions. That said, be careful - any idea that you want to patent yourself or use commercially needs to be sufficiently different from any past patent that it can be considered its own entirely different product.

Never take complete ideas from someone else's patent. Only use it as inspiration to come up with your own unique designs. If you absolutely need to use a design in someone else's patent, consider leasing just that part of the technology.

These are some of the uses for Google's Patent Search. With over seven million patents at your fingertips, you can now easily find just about any kind of information you want in relation to patents. From inventors to patent numbers to specific technologies, all the information is freely available.

Smart Ways of Freelancing Your Skills and Experience

2011-08-03T01:16:00.000-07:00

Almost all of us have had jobs at one time or another. As an employee you are subject to work for someone else. But, what if you want to go out on your own? How can you do that and survive?

It takes a lot of guts to go it alone. That is essentially what you are doing when you come out from under another’s wing to make a name for yourself. Many have gained skills through working for others and then decided that they can do just as good a job if they ran their own business.

Ways to Get Out There

* Have a plan – If you are going to be your own boss, you need a plan of action. Know your target market and how to reach them. This might include starting a website, creating a marketing plan and saving some money to be able to pursue your business venture. Without a definite direction to begin with, you could be setting yourself up for disaster.

* Talk to your boss – If you are going to be starting a business similar to the one you currently work in, give your boss the courtesy of hearing it from you. Assure them that you are not trying to hurt them or steal clients, but you want to try your hand at a business of your own. Even ask them for advice - the response may be surprising. They may be willing to endorse you or recommend a few friends who are looking for someone who performs services that you’d be perfect for.

* Have an emergency fund – If you are leaving a job to start a business, there will be a cut in pay until you get going. Creating an emergency fund ensures that you bills can be paid while you pursue your interest. Also have some money to devote to business start-up costs if applicable.

* Investigate online job sites – Let’s use freelance writing as an example. Sites like Elance offer work for writers, computer software creators and other creative professions. You may have experience with others, but not working on your own for yourself. You may have to start low as far as hourly rate, but that will change as you build reputation and writing credits.

* Network with clients – After you have done work for someone, keep in touch with them. Send them emails about new services you are offering. Staying in touch is good customer service.

* Join niche forums and blogs – Follow what others in your field are doing. But, don’t just read the blog - participate in discussions. This is how you can make useful connections with others to find opportunities to grow your business.

* Offer a free sample – For new clients who aren’t too sure about you, offer a discount or free sample of your work for them to scrutinize. If they like what you have done, they may hire you. It is a gamble, but one that is backed by your skills.

Freelancing your skills and experience is not easy. It takes dedication and a good plan to get started.

Effective Copywriting Strategies

2011-08-02T01:14:00.000-07:00

Writing powerful, high-converting copy means understanding exactly how to trigger just the right emotions to induce someone to want to buy your product. Although traditional copywriting formulas like the AIDA formula can help in the process, what will really make the difference is learning to write emotionally to the prospect, rather than just logically.

How can you learn to trigger the right emotions in your readers? Here are a few effective strategies.

=> Relate to the Problem

If you're going to help them, they first need to know that you understand the pain they're going through. Unless they really feel that you "get" them, they probably won't believe that whatever solution you have will really work.

Describe the problem in detail. Describe it with emotional words. Stories can often make a huge difference. Tell your own story of experiencing the problem first hand, or tell someone else's story in detail.

The more they feel like you "get" them, the more they'll trust you. Also, the more you can get them to relive the pain as they read your sales letter, the more powerful their desire for a solution.

=> Pile On Hard-to-Refute Proof

It's not the big claims and benefits that get someone excited. In a really powerful piece of copy, it's actually the proof that really gets people's imagination running.

You could tell someone that they'll lose twenty pounds with your system, but more likely than not they'll just gloss over your claim. It's only when you start piling on scientific studies, real world results and other proof elements that people really start to believe it's possible.

The real skill in demonstrating a product in copy form comes in getting someone to believe that you can really follow through on your claim. Do this by piling proof on top of proof on top of proof.

When you get to the point where the reader can't refute your claim anymore, both consciously and subconsciously, then you've won the sale.

=> Master Urgency Techniques

The call to action is one of the most important aspects of your copy. It's what pushes someone over the line, from being excited about a product to actually being a customer of a product.

What's the secret to a powerful call to action? Urgency.

If you can get someone to believe that they can't act later, but have to actually physically pull out their credit card now, then your call to action has done its job.

Two of the most powerful techniques to do this are the time-sensitive offer and the limited amount offer. Either one of these two techniques has been proven again and again to yield high conversions.

These are three effective copywriting techniques that have been used for decades by master copywriters. Relate to their problems emotionally, pile on the proof for your claims and make sure you end your sales letters with a bang by instilling a driving sense of urgency.

Easy Tips to Give Your Blog a Makeover

2011-08-01T01:11:00.000-07:00

A blog makeover may be just what you need to take your blog to the next level. That said, transitioning from an old design to a new one can sometimes be shocking to regular readers. How do you make sure the transition is a pleasant one? How do you make sure your readers will like your new design?

Here are a few tips for doing a successful blog makeover.

=> Start with the "Why"

Perhaps the most common mistake blog owners make with makeovers is to do a makeover when one isn't necessary.

It's easy to get bored of a blog's design when you're looking at the same thing many hours a day. Your users, however, who may just spend an hour or two on your blog a week, won't get bored of your design as easily.

Before you launch a makeover, it's crucial to ask yourself why. If you have a really good reason, such as you're rebranding yourself or you're appearing in the New York Times and need a more corporate-looking website, then be clear about that goal as you begin the design process.

Don't change a good working design unless there's a real business reason to.

=> Stage It and Work Out the Bugs

Don't just push a makeover live. Instead, stage it in a subfolder. There are several WordPress plug-ins that can create a staging blog for you on a subdomain. Alternatively, you can just copy your entire site to a new domain and work with it from there.

This allows you to work out the technical and design bugs before the new design goes live. Often times makeovers may seem like they work perfectly on the surface, but invariably there'll be one or two bugs in the system once you get down to it.

=> Get Some Feedback

Before you push it live, get some feedback from your loyal readers who you have a personal connection with. Ask some of your friends as well.

Ask them for their overall first impressions. Then ask them to browse the site. How easy is it to navigate? Did they get stuck anywhere? Do they have any suggestions?

Once you have the answers, make a round of changes before going live.

=> Watch Your Stats

After your blog goes live, watch your stats. See if your bounce rate or length of time stayed goes up or down.

If people are staying longer on your site, that probably means people liked your new layout and found it easy to use. On the other hand, if people are leaving quickly that probably means they found your new design harder to use.

Watch your stats carefully in the first couple of weeks after a new design goes live. The numbers can tell you a lot about your visitors' reaction.

In summary, start your redesign process with a purpose. Create the design, then stage it and work out the bugs. Ask for feedback from friends and fans. Finally, watch your stats after you push your blog live. Do your makeover this way and you'll eliminate 99% of the problems that often come with a major site rehaul.

Easy Start-Up Business Ideas for Mompreneurs

2011-07-31T08:50:00.000-07:00

Are you itching to become an entrepreneur or namely a “mompreneur”? If you have an idea of what you want, you can start your business today. If you don’t have an idea, don’t worry. We can help you out with that.

Being a mom is not easy. You are busy all the time. Between your family and your home there is almost no time for anything else. But, you have been bitten by the entrepreneurial bug. And one of the prime reasons is your family.

In this time of recession and loss of jobs, it seems funny to start up new businesses. But all enterprises have not been affected by the recession. Many internet businesses are still doing well. They have the advantage of putting you in touch with potential clients from around the world who may not be in financial trouble right now. And, if you have a great niche product or service, people will continue to buy anyway.

So, if you are a mom and you want to make extra money starting your own business, here are a few ideas that may be helpful to you. One thing to consider is your area of interest and passion. These will drive the idea for your new small business.

* Set up an online store – This can be done on eBay or another marketplace. You can sell items that you have around your home. If you are a crafter and create dolls, clothing or other items, sell them in your online store. Here, you can set a price for items instead of using the auction and having people bid. EBay also provides many tools (both free and paid) for sellers to utilize to grow their store.

* Take surveys – Survey takers are needed to do market research for many companies. You can make good money signing on with businesses to get paid for sampling products.

* Home-based service business – Do you do alterations, fix computers, or watch kids in your spare time? You can take your expertise and turn it into a business that you can run out of your home. This will require a home office or other set-up for you to entertain clients and also to perform the day-to-day operations of your business.

* Online business – If you can offer a service that will be of benefit to people in all areas of the world, an online website business may be for you. For example, let’s say that you are a writer. You can offer your expertise as a freelance writer to clients needing content for websites, writers needing editors for their books, and other content needs to help grow their businesses. With a website, anyone anywhere can find you.

There are a variety of online and offline service businesses that can be started by you, the mompreneur. Start with your passion and go from there.

Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff

2011-07-30T08:49:00.000-07:00

Moms are a unique breed. We can carry a lot on our shoulders and still reach to carry more at the end of the day. How? We learn that there is no need to sweat the small stuff.

The Power of a Mom

When mom isn’t happy, no one is happy. You may have heard that before and laughed, but it’s true. Moms are the support structure of a household and keep it moving forward.

Moms who run businesses and their homes have found a way to have it all and on their terms. Some are single moms, many are married but all are determined to be their own boss. What they also have in common is a love of their families and a desire to improve their financial worth and create a level of independence that they didn’t have before.

Moms have buying power. They buy clothing for the kids, food for the house, run committees at schools and in the communities and make decisions for the household needs. Companies advertise to women in order to gain the market share of business for them, their kids and their husbands.

It is this connection with that buying power that helps them to have a keen sense of what will work for other women, mothers and children. They have the inside track.

Tips to Keep It All in Perspective

These things we have just been talking about are keys to success, but you probably want to know how they manage it day after day before and after they have achieved a measure of success. Here are some tips that have helped other successful women.

* Have a strong support system – There will always be naysayers. Sometimes they are within your circle of friends. Their lack of belief in you can hinder your efforts to grow your business. It is not easy, but only those who are in your corner can have a prominent place in your life and the life of your business. Surround yourself with those who provide unconditional love and tough love.

* Get help – No one can do it alone. Hiring a housekeeper can help with the day-to-day household disasters that you don’t have time to handle. That frees you up for business and to spend time with family. On the business side, working with a virtual assistant can keep you organized and focused on larger projects.

* Schedule your day and stick to it – As a business owner, you decide when and how much to work. If the kids have soccer games, then take half a day and spend time with them. And always schedule time for you to get away from all of it.

* Stay focused – Always keep something like the first dollar you made or a picture of the first product you sold. This can be a focal point for you to remember why you started the business.

* Let it go – You won’t do everything right, but you will try. If something gets missed, say you are sorry and let it go. There will always be small stuff.

Remember why you started the business in the first place. Keep that passion and your focus to balance work and home successfully.

A WordPress Blog People Want to Read

2011-07-29T08:38:00.000-07:00

Where to buy: www.amazon.com

If you are new to WordPress blogging, you will find the book "A WordPress Blog People Want to Read" by Scott McNulty a very easy-to-read starter guide.
This book is purely a guide about getting your WordPress Blog installed and running; the book doesn't cover how to manage your content and your readership.

Firstly, you will learn the basics of installing WordPress, for example how to set up a MySQL database, choosing the blog's URL. If you encounter problems, the trouble- shooting guide on common installation problems will be of great help. The Managing User Accounts section guides you through managing user profiles and adding and deleting users. The Dashboard chapter gives information on working with plug-ins, QuickPress and customizing your dashboard for ease of use. Other topics include working with images, pages, templates and anything else you will need to know to post your first blog successfully.

Overall, this book is a good book for beginners. It guides you through the process of taking your first blogging steps to finally hitting ‘send’. In my opinion, it is a good read for people new to blogging and WordPress, as it covers all relevant topics in an easy-to-read format, but is not really suitable for people looking for more in-depth information on WordPress.

Working Day Time Wasters - What Are They and How to Eliminate Them

2011-07-28T08:32:00.000-07:00

Working from home is full of challenges. Not only do you have to motivate yourself, you also want to make sure your time is well spent. This means eliminating time wasters so you can spend your day being productive and ultimately profitable.

Many working day time wasters are obvious – for example watching Oprah while you’re trying to work just isn’t productive. However, other time wasters are less conspicuous. Being aware of these time wasters will help you create a more productive working day.

Time Waster #1 - Email

But wait, you say. Email is a necessity. I must stay on top of my email so I can stay on top of my business. Granted, it is important to make sure your customers, prospects and business partners are responded to. However, you don’t need to respond to them immediately and you don’t need to be the person to respond.

Email is a fantastic task to outsource and automate. Autoresponders, customer service ticket systems and FAQ pages can all help reduce the amount of customer email you receive. If you have to be the one to manage your email, create a disciplined routine where you only check your email once, twice maximum, each day. And schedule it during a time when you’re generally not productive.

Time Waster #2 - Disorganization

How much time do you spend each day looking for things? Each minute you spend sorting, shuffling and searching is wasted time. The solution? Create one central location for your work, a home office. Now, if you’re like many and your home office is the kitchen table, that’s fine. Purchase a cart where you can store, file, and organize your business materials. The more organized you are, the less time you’ll waste getting prepared to work.

Time Waster #3 - Social Networking

Social networking may be your most effective marketing tactic; however, it doesn’t need to consume your day. Like email, social networking is something that can be outsourced, automated, and scheduled.

Create a plan that outlines what you want to achieve with your social networking efforts. Then create a plan that supports your goals. Next, look to your resources to make it happen. Find post scheduling plug-ins and widgets. Hire a contractor to manage your social networking tasks. And if you must manage it yourself, then schedule it into your day. Whatever you do, don’t open Facebook at the beginning of the day and keep it open throughout the day.

Of course each person has their own unique time wasters. These are simply the most common. What are your time wasters? Unsure? Spend a week tracking what you do each day. Literally keep a notebook and a pencil next to you and track what you do and how long you do it. This will give you a good idea about how you spend your time. To your success!

The Importance of Building Quality Backlinks

2011-07-27T08:29:00.000-07:00

The quality of your backlinks is one of the most important factors to ranking in search engines. Search engines look at links as endorsements. If one website links to you, that's essentially a "vote" for your website.

If you get a "vote" from a high quality website like Amazon.com or Apple.com, that's counted as much more important than getting a link from any old website on the internet.

Without good backlinks, your chances of getting ranked for even semi-competitive keywords are almost zero. With great backlinks and great content, your chances of ranking for competitive keywords are much, much higher.

Let's take a look at the two most important factors to determining a link's strength: relevance and authority.

=> Relevance

Getting a link from a website that's related to yours is counted much more highly than a link from a website that's not related to yours. Why? Because search engines know that's how links are naturally supposed to work.

Related businesses refer one another. People make recommendations to people with similar interests. If you suddenly get a bunch of unrelated links, search engines start to get suspicious.

In other words, if you run a fishing website, it's much better to get 50 links from other fishing websites than 200 links from bakery and violin websites.

=> Authoritative

In addition to relevance, Google also looks at the authority of a site when determining its link power.

After all, if link count was all that mattered, anyone could just start 200 new sites and link them all to one site to get them ranked. That's not how it works. Those websites need to have already built up credibility in Google's eyes in order for the links to really count.

One way Google measures a site's authority is through PageRank (PR). PR is a simple way of ranking how many sites have linked to that site. In turn, high PR sites can then link to another site and give them more of a boost than a low PR site.

PR isn't all that matters, however. The site's age, the amount of content, the time users stay on the site and how often they come back all come into play. In fact, over the last couple years Google has significantly downplayed the role of PageRank in their algorithm because so many marketers have started trying to use PR to game the system.

=> Backlinks: The Bottom Line

The bottom line is this: try to get as many links as you can, from the best sites in your industry. You might not be able to start with "the big guys," but start with sites that you like and respect and work your way up to larger sites from there.

The Benefits of Co-Registration Leads

2011-07-26T08:27:00.000-07:00

Co-registration leads are an often underutilized, yet highly profitable source of traffic. Co-reg leads are leads generated from people signing up for email lists and clicking an "I'd also like to learn about ..." box. They often get a bad rap from people who don't understand the business, but that can actually work to your advantage.

What are the benefits of using co-reg leads?

=> They're Cheap!

You can buy a lead for 20 cents to 40 cents on the low end or around 80 cents on the high end.

Contrast this with AdWords traffic. Say you're paying 25 cents a click and you have a 10% opt-in rate. That's $2.50 per email!

It's true that the quality of co-reg leads is lower than people who opt in specifically to your list. Even so, you can very often get high quality co-reg leads at a fraction of what it'll cost from other advertising sources.

=> Few People Understand It

A lot of people think co-reg is spam. Others think they never convert. In fact, a lot of people have tried co-reg and lost money.

The reality is, they don't understand how co-reg works. They don't understand the difference between positive opt-in and negative opt-in (when they check the box to get on your list versus uncheck it), or how crucial the mailing system is to maintaining a relationship with the lead.

When done properly, co-reg can be incredibly lucrative. When done wrongly, co-reg is often a money losing proposition.

The downside to this is that you'll have to spend some time learning the ins and outs before diving in. The upside is that there's far less competition on co-reg than other advertising sources.

=> They're Scalable

A lot of high-converting, low-competition advertising sources just don't scale. For example, MySpace ads might have less competition than Facebook's, but you just can't get much traffic with MySpace.

Co-reg on the other hand is nearly infinitely scalable. If you find a profitable broad market, you can literally buy hundreds of thousands of leads per month.

Getting the first $1,000 with co-reg is often harder than going from $1,000 to $10,000.

=> They Convert

Finally and most importantly, co-reg leads convert. It doesn't work quite like the way most people think, though. Co-reg leads will generally covert after a few well-written emails; not necessarily right away.

The people who try co-reg and can't get it to work usually aren't approaching it right. They're trying to recoup their money too quickly, aren't mailing new leads quickly enough, or just have plain bad copy.

The bottom line is this: Co-reg leads convert, they're scalable, they're cheap and not a lot of people understand them. There's a lot of room for mistakes, but there's also a lot of room for profit. If you take the time to understand how co-reg works, you can make a small fortune from it.

Sure-Fire Ways to Stay Motivated and Focused during Difficult Times

2011-07-25T08:25:00.000-07:00

Life sometimes gets in the way of business. Financial difficulties, family challenges and health concerns can all distract you from your business. Yet business must go on. So how do you set your challenges and concerns aside and stay motivated and focused during difficult times?

#1 Create Goals

Goals help you stay focused and motivated. The trick during difficult times is to make sure the goals are easily attainable yet still move your business forward. For example, if you are dealing with health problems then you may prefer to break your day up into smaller segments. A goal like creating an information product or writing your content for the next month is something you can tackle in small sections of time.

However, launching a new website may not be something you want to tackle when you’re under the weather. Also, while outsourcing to contractors can definitely ease some of the burden, if you have to micromanage the contractors you’re creating too much work for yourself. Find contractors that can take the project and run with it. At the same time, choose goals that you can tackle easily in smaller segments of time.

#2 Work on What You Love

Ideally, everything you do for your business is something you love. However, many business owners still manage some tasks that are not their favorite responsibilities. When you’re dealing with a difficult time, it’s the perfect time to find someone to manage those tasks and to focus your attention on doing the tasks you love.

For example, if you love to blog and communicate with your audience, then set aside time each day to manage that responsibility. Having something to look forward to will help you get through the difficult times without your business suffering.

#3 Cut Yourself Some Slack

Seriously! If you put too much pressure on yourself to do and be a superhuman you’re going to burn out quickly. Everyone has difficult times. If you accept that you may have to cut back a bit or get help during this trial, you’ll be much more able to focus on your business when you have time to. Stress and pressure are a sure-fire way to lose focus and concentration.

#4 Change Your Schedule

Often, difficult times throw a wrench in your routine. Suddenly you’re not able to work when you normally do. This can make concentrating and focusing difficult. Instead of struggling to try to maintain the same schedule, create a new one. Adapt and be proactive. For example, a sick family member can consume your day. Instead of struggling, get up an hour earlier or stay up an hour later during the day. Create time to work so you don’t have to find time to work.

#5 Mind Your Health

Above everything else it is important to take good care of yourself, especially during difficult times. Manage stress, get good sleep, exercise and move your body and of course eat healthy foods. These will all help you focus and concentrate when you have time to work on your business.

Difficult times happen. Planning ahead for these inevitable events can also lessen the impact. Make sure you have a good support system. Also a savings account that can provide you with several months’ income can also lessen the stress during difficult times. Outsource, automate and remember how important it is to take great care of yourself.

Strategies to Use StumbleUpon Like a Pro

2011-07-24T08:24:00.000-07:00

StumbleUpon can be a fantastic tool to drive traffic and grow your business. StumbleUpon is a social networking site that connects you directly to others who share the same interests. However, in order to gain the most benefit there are a few key strategies you can utilize.

#1 Identify Your Goals

Goals help you stay on track. They also help you know when a strategy is successful and when it needs to be fine-tuned or eliminated. So what do you want to accomplish with your StumbleUpon tactics?

For example, “I want to increase website traffic by 10%.”

#2 Create a Strong Brand

It’s important to make sure you’re representing a cohesive brand personality or image whenever you communicate on StumbleUpon. Your profile is also a significant brand builder. Here are a few tips to strengthen your brand through your profile.

* Post a picture – Just like other social networking sites and even your website and blog, it’s important to demonstrate that you’re a real, live human being. It’s also a good way to share who you are.

* Choose topics strategically – Choose topics that are relevant to your business.

* Connect with like-minded Friends and Followers – Connect with your industry gurus and experts. You can also connect with your competition this way and upload other social networking contacts.

#3 Schedule Your Interactions

Most often when people join StumbleUpon and other social networking sites they create a few key posts and then they forget about it. This isn’t effective. If you want to reach your goals, you’ll want to participate on a regular basis.

It’s important to know that this is a task that you can outsource. You don’t have to spend your valuable time networking. If you are managing the task on your own, set aside a few minutes every day submitting sites to StumbleUpon, interacting and reviewing. Submit regular content that offers value and helps build your brand and awareness. You can make this step significantly easier by installing a StumbleUpon toolbar on your browser.

#4 Strategic Content

Of course you’ll want to submit some of your own content. However, you want to make sure the pages you submit are strategic. Don’t submit everything! Instead, submit content that you believe will help you reach your goals. Create content specifically for your StumbleUpon audience.

#5 Testing and Tracking

When you’re creating your StumbleUpon goals, make sure you also create a way to test and track your results. How will you know if your efforts are successful?

#6 Integrate

Include StumbleUpon into your other marketing efforts. For example, add StumbleUpon buttons on your website content pages to motivate Stumbles and reviews.

#7 Advertise

Once you have a solid StumbleUpon system and are achieving the results you desire, take a look at StumbleUpon advertising. Like Facebook and other social networking advertising programs, it’s highly targeted and may be more effective than other advertising programs.

StumbleUpon offers businesses the ability to build traffic, awareness, SEO and much more. Create your goals and a strategy to achieve them. Implement systems and tactics and then test for success.

Smart Ways of Improving Your Website Credibility

2011-07-23T08:23:00.000-07:00

More than anything else, credibility determines whether or not people buy. You can make a claim as big as you want, but if you don't have credibility, people aren't going to pull out their credit card. On the other hand, if you make just a moderate claim, but people believe you 100%, they're much more likely to buy.

Credibility is both conscious and unconscious. Part of the brain consciously decides if they trust you or not; while another unconscious part of the brain just feels the "vibe" of the site and decides whether it trusts or distrusts you.

How can you increase your website's credibility? Here are a few smart ways.

=> Hacker Safe, BBB and SSL

Three logos that have proven to improve conversions are the Hacker Safe logo, the BBB approved logo and the SSL encryption certificate.

These logos can be quite costly to acquire. For example, with Hacker Safe, you need to pay a one-time up-front fee plus a monthly fee to have Hacker Safe test your system for security vulnerabilities.

If your website is established and has enough volume to justify these investments, the increase in credibility will often pay for itself.

=> Feature News and Celebrity Relationships Prominently

If you've been mentioned or featured in magazines, radio shows or newspapers, feature that prominently.

Put their logos above the fold on your website. Just the fact that you've been mentioned in the New York Times is often enough to get someone to switch from closing your site to reading more carefully.

Another powerful credibility point is celebrity relationships. "Celebrity" doesn't mean Britney Spears, but the important people in your industry.

For example, if you run a fishing website and a world-champion fisherman gave your techniques a thumbs up, put that on your site.

=> Smart Use of Testimonials

Your main page should have just one or two choice testimonials that pack an emotional punch. Don't cram your site with testimonials or you'll come across as a hard sell.

Your sales page on the other hand can have a lot more testimonials. Once someone has decided they want to buy, they're a lot less likely to be turned off by testimonials. Conversely, they now want to know exactly what kind of experiences others have had with your product.

=> Utilize Related Statistics and Studies

Even if studies haven't been done on your product, a lot of related studies can be used to boost your credibility.

Let's say you're selling a speed reading program. You could prominently feature a study done by Harvard Med that showed the average student could increase their reading speed by 127 words per minute in just two weeks with proper training.

The study wasn't necessarily with your program, but the study of your industry will still lend credibility to learning from your techniques.

These are a few smart ways to improve your website credibility. What all these techniques have in common is consistently and intelligently showcasing the most compelling and trust-building aspects of your business. As always, remember to split test to see what's really working best.

Smart Ways of Reaching Your Business Goals

2011-07-22T08:19:00.000-07:00

People who have clear, strong goals are far more likely to succeed than those who don't. In fact, Harvard once did a study where they surveyed a class of students for goals and found that the 2% of individuals with written goals had a higher net worth than the other 98% combined, ten years later.

Once you know what you want in your business, how can you make sure you achieve those goals? These are three smart ways to get you closer.

=> Befriend Like-Minded People

Join organizations like the Entrepreneurs Organization, Toastmasters and Business Networking International.

Seek out people who are developing the same skills as you or aiming for the same goals as you. Share ideas and ambitions.

Success is impossible to achieve alone. Behind every major success story is a brilliant team of people. Bill Gates once said: "If you took away our top 25 people, Microsoft would be a mediocre company."

Surround yourself with A-class players, whether they're friends, colleagues, employees or business partners.

=> Have Strong Metric-Based Goals

It's easy to fool yourself into thinking you're making more progress than you actually are. You could be reading a lot of books, building a lot of sites or making a lot of plans and somehow feel like you're making progress, when you're actually not.

Having strong, metric-based goals will help keep you on track towards your goals. These metrics should be easy to measure and have a direct impact on your bottom line.

Make sure your metrics are rooted in time as well. For example, "build a great business" is a poor goal to shoot for. On the other hand, "be making $5,000 a month after tax in 12 months" is a great, concrete goal.

=> Learn from Those Who've Done It, without Falling into the Guru Trap

In order to reach your business goals, it's crucial to study and learn from other people's past successes and failures.

If you want to make money in real estate, study Donald Trump. If you want earn money investing/trading, study Warren Buffett or George Soros. And so on and so forth.

The key with learning from others is to get as much knowledge from as many people as possible. Avoid falling into the "guru trap."

The guru trap comes primarily from very good speakers or marketers who convincingly promise to have all the answers. People who believe them end up following only one school of thought or method, believing it's The Answer.

Unfortunately, real success rarely comes from following gurus. Instead, real success comes from absorbing knowledge from many different sources, then forming your own ideas and conclusions.

Having strong business goals is a key ingredient to success. Surround yourself with others who also share similar ambitions, set measurable goals rooted in time and learn from a wide range of people.

How to Make Money Selling Your Photos Online

2011-07-21T08:16:00.000-07:00

If you have a knack for photography, you can turn your passion into profits. There are many businesses, organization, and resources online who want to buy quality photos. Let’s take a look at how you can make money selling your photos online.

#1 Research Your Niche

Most photographers have a niche. There is a specific type of subject or photograph you like to take. For example, Ansell Adams was a nature photographer. He took many popular photographs of America’s National Parks, including several notable ones at Yosemite. Other photographers specialize in portraits, cars, animals...the list goes on and on.

If you have a specialty, spend some time researching people, organizations, websites, businesses and publications that may need your specialty photos. For example, travel websites and publications are often looking for travel photographs.

#2 Sell to Stock Photo Sites or Create Your Own

Stock photo sites are always an easy way to make money. You simply create a profile, upload your photo and you get paid every time someone downloads your photo. Some stock photo sites pay more than others. Do your research so you know what to expect.

You can also create your own stock photo site that caters to your niche. Generally when you sell photos on a stock photo website you sell limited rights to publish the image. This means that the customer can buy the photo at a reduced rate. However, you can also sell the photo an unlimited number of times. It’s not unheard of for a stock photo to have been purchased several thousand times.

#3 Market to Website Designers and Graphic Designers

Partnerships or relationships with designers in your niche can be a great way to make extra money. For example, a website designer that caters to the health and wellness industry may be in regular need for photos and images for their client’s websites. Likewise a graphic designer tends to work with stock images when creating headers and simple graphics. Your photographs can help them develop original designs.

#4 Create an Etsy Storefront

Etsy.com is a website that enables artists and vintage retailers to sell their wares. You’ll find many handmade items on the website. You’ll also find artwork. You can create a storefront at Etsy and sell your photos through the store.

#5 Wallpapers

You can also sell your photographs as wallpapers for people’s computer monitors, mobile devices and tablets. Everyone wants to customize their electronics and your original photos may be exactly what they’re looking for.

There are many ways to sell your photos online. Begin by defining your niche and looking for opportunities within that niche. Don’t forget to market your photographs. A great way to do this is to participate in social networking and photo sharing websites. To your success!