Internet Marketing & Home-Based Business

Archive for the ‘Business’ Category

So we know that Internet Marketing is all about driving traffic and creating relationships. How can you turn that into money? There are a few specific techniques that can bring in the bucks, and one thing in particular that you might want to…well avoid isn’t right, but you shouldn’t focus on it too much.

First off, don’t spend all of your time trying to get rich off of Google AdSense payments. Do you realize just how much traffic you will have to generate to get enough money that Google ad clicks is your primary source of income. Let’s just say that you have a blog with AdSense on it, and you get $.10 per click. Sometimes you get less, and sometimes more…this is just an example. Read the rest of this entry »

Internet Marketing is not some catch phrase or advertising fad. It’s a viable source of generating buzz, interest, and sales. Unfortunately, I think that this phrase has had some bad press due to so many marketers selling junk with it. We can’t really help what some people do or say, so I suggest you just ignore them.

Let’s take a look at the phrase itself for a moment. Internet marketing. Broken down, obviously, that means advertising something online. That’s all it means — nothing fancy. When you look at the application, however, things get more interesting. You see, Internet marketing, due to the very nature of the web, is different than traditional advertising methods. Read the rest of this entry »

If you are considering making mobile apps and selling them, here’s some useful info. According to the article, free apps are still quite popular (duh!), but users are paying money for apps. This information can help with your mobile app business strategies. Read there article:

App Store buyers spend an average of $9 per five downloads

Your email newsletter should not be some endless sales pitch. You need to give your readers something of value. Do this every single week, and they will be coming back for more. People subscribe to newsletters because they want content, not because they want commercial after commercial.

Fortunately, there’s a way to create valuable content once and then have it automatically delivered to each of your readers, on time, until you tell it to stop. This device is called an Autoresponder. All the best email newsletter services have them, and if yours doesn’t, find a new one. An autoresponder is a message that you write once, and then the system will send it out to your list at intervals you define. Read the rest of this entry »

Here is the second video preview of my upcoming online store training course. It’s a video showing you what your end-result store could look like, and some basic features it will have. Watch it, then head over to Online Store HQ.

Learn ecommerce the easy way. Head over to Online Store HQ and check it out!

Who doesn’t want to work from home and make good money? I’ve worked for other people, I’ve worked for myself, I’ve worked in an office, and I’ve worked from home. I’ve made good money, and I’ve been flat broke. And I’ve got to tell you that the combination of working from home and making good money is awesome!

Unfortunately, this isn’t easy to do. There is a simple reason for this — lack of knowledge. Just not knowing how to do it is enough to keep you from finding the success you want. But there is good news. There is a program out there that helps a lot of people make money — all from the comfort of their own home.

Maverick Money Makers

This program was created by a guy named Mack Michaels, when he was fed up with working all the time, making too little money, and feeling burnt out overall. What’s different about this program is that isn’t not just some book and video course that you buy, and use (or forget about). It’s more of a coaching program.

It’s a program with video and a supportive community. Personally, I learn more by doing, after watching an example. Sure, I can read instructions, but watching those instructions is so much more beneficial. I’m up and running faster. Doesn’t that sound interesting? Doesn’t that sound like something you can actually learn from and implement?

This is a really interesting program, and something that you may be able to use to earn some serious cash. Think of what you can do with serious cash. What kind of lifestyle do you envision for yourself? Take a look at it, and if it’s right for you, take the first step. Check it out here:

Maverick Money Makers

Wouldn’t it be great to be able to work at home, or at least generate some extra income on the side? I thought so, too, and so I searched for ways that I could do that. My first idea was to sell goods on eBay. Unfortunately, that’s just too expensive for someone with no budget. After doing some research, I decided to start my own online store.

The problem I had with eBay was that I had to pay every time I listed a product. It didn’t matter if it sold or not – I still had to pay the listing fees. It wasn’t long before I started to feel those fees adding up. I asked myself if there was a way to have products for sale online without having to pay money to offer those products.

This gave birth to the idea of my own online store. It wasn’t long before I had one up and running. I was surprised by how easy it was to get going, but I was disappointed in the sales. So I dug deeper, and did more research. Before long, I was making money. I had my own home-based business that generated cashflow with only a little bit of work each week.

It’s not exactly easy, but it’s not really hard, either. Running your own online store can be a great way to earn a little bit of extra money on the side, and then – if you want – grow that side income into a full-time revenue stream.

Running an online store is how I got started in doing business online. Actually, it’s how I got started in business all together. I wasn’t happy with my career, so I started to look for a way out. I wanted to stay at home with my newborn daughter, and still earn enough money to support my family.

If you are looking for a home-based business, but you really don’t know what to do, or where to start, try running an online store. It’s fun, it’s interesting, and the rewards can pay for a new toy, a vacation, or for the future growth of your business.

Here are some tips to help you get started.

1) Create a store using open source software. Your online store doesn’t have to break the bank just to get it online. There are free software solutions out there that rival those costing hundreds or even thousands of dollars.

2) Sell products that you like. While there are valid arguments for selling certain products based on their own inherent “sellability,” I recommend starting out with items you personally like. That way you will be interested in what you are selling. This will make it more fun, and could make you more successful, too.

3) Learn everything you can about running and marketing an online store. There is a lot of information out there, and you have to sift through it all to find tools and techniques that will work for you.

4) Don’t give up! You might go for a whole year without having a single sale. I went six months before anyone would give me money for what I was offering. I made some mistakes early on, but I learned from them, and learned how to do the right thing. If I can learn how to sell stuff, you can too.

Starting a home-based business is a great experience. I highly recommend it. If you are having trouble deciding what to do, try starting your own online store. It only takes a little bit of work to get it going, and the rewards can far outweigh the investment of time and effort.

To get a jump-start on learning how to create and run your own online store, check out Online Store HQ.

Take a look at this first video preview for my upcoming online store training course. I don’t have a name for the course yet, but I’ll think of something. Check out this video and spread the word!

These days, a lot of people are looking for a way to make more money to supplement their shrinking paycheck, or just to start a company of their own. I’ve heard so many people voice their concern about the economy and their complete lack of security when it comes to their own paycheck. Many of them are looking to the Internet for financial freedom.

As many of us have learned by now, the Internet is not some gold mine just waiting for us to grab our riches. Get rich quick schemes are just that — schemes. There’s no easy path. There aren’t any magic formulas. But don’t worry. All you need is a plan, a direction, a little business sense, a bit of training, and you can get started.

When I first got started with my own Internet-based business, I chose eBay. My brother had said something along the lines of “start selling stuff on eBay,” and the idea was born. Long story short, eBay turned out to be expensive. I looked for another route.

I thought, “I could just sell this stuff on my own website and not have to pay listing fees all the time.” I started an online outdoor and survival gear store and I was off.

Money Pouring In?

So many people have this vision of making money on the web as being a no-work cash machine. To be honest, that does happen from time to time. Someone gets a really good idea, then they get a really good marketing plan for that idea, and they make money hand over fist. It’s not the Internet that made that possible, but the great idea and great marketing.

I didn’t make any money at the beginning. I didn’t know what I was doing. I had no real sales training at that point, and no experience. I had more of an “If I build it, they will come” attitude. Well, this isn’t Field of Dreams, and no one bought any of my goods. But then I learned.

I learned how to market, I learned how to build a site that was targeted and easy to use. I went through all the mistakes, spent a lot of money, and failed over and over again. I did all of that, and now you don’t have to. You see, after all those failures and missteps, I started to make some sales. I started to figure it out. Now you get to learn from my mistakes and successes. You don’t have to pull the year-long trial and error adventure that I did. You get to start with a guide for doing it right the first time, and doing doing it all on a shoestring budget.

Online Store HQ

I want to tell you about a new site and a new course I’m building right now, with a launch date set for Aug 1, 2009. Head over to Online Store HQ to get a little preview and sign up for the advance notice mailing list. The course will teach you how to start and run an online store using free, open source tools, and then teach you how to market it using new media such as blogs and podcasts.

The course itself will consist of an ebook guide, and audiobook companion (for you to listen to on your iPod at work), and video training. I haven’t settled on a price yet, but I do know that I’ll be taking pre-orders at a HUGE discount. So get over there, sign up now, and get advance notice of the deal when I finally decide on a price. Don’t wait around, because it will be just a very short window of opportunity.

Here’s the teaser page: Online Store HQ

Starting an online store is a great way to get started with Internet business. It has taught me a lot about running a business and marketing online, and that experience has helped me branch out into other online business opportunities. Start an online store. It’s a great learning experience, and it can be great fun, too.

Check out Online Store HQ now, sign up for the deal alerts, and take that first tentative step toward the lifestyle you want. Because that’s what this is all about…the lifestyle you get with professional and financial freedom.  Sign up today.

Working from home presents many dangers to the solo entrepreneur. I’m going to outline seven of these dangers, hoping that you won’t make these mistakes. You see, I’ve recently moved to working from home full time. Before this, I did a combination of on-site contractor work and working from home. Now that I am at home full time, I’ve come across some trouble spots that could affect your business.

Read these, think on them, and see how these dangers fit into your own situation. If you haven’t yet made the transition to moving from your office to your home office, these items are of special importance.

1. You will be able to wake up when your body is ready to do so. What’s better: Getting enough sleep every night, or sitting at your desk at a certain time?

2. The TV calls. That television is just sitting there, calling you to it with movies, your favorite DVR’d shows, or your gaming console of choice. It’s there and it’s hard to resist. What’s the harm in a little indulgence? NOTHING. Well, so long as it doesn’t interfere with your daily cashflow. I watch TV or play a little bit of my current video game when I’m eating or just taking a break to clear my head. And I do that whenever I need to, not on someone else’s clock. Honestly, what’s the harm in goofing off in front of the TV if that’s what you need to do to maintain your own personal efficiency.

As a side note, I once knew a guy that — I swear — had the word “efficiency” confused with the phrase “work constantly without stopping no matter what.” Now that’s a seriously messed up outlook. If you need to give the TV some attention to give yourself a break and maintain efficiency, do it.

3. Hygiene. What’s the point? When you don’t have to be anywhere, why shower or brush your teeth? Until you can’t stand your own smell, is there really a point? OK, a couple of things come to mind: Cavities, fungus growing in weird places on your body, and burning holes in your clothing from your stench and the aforementioned fungus (also bacteria). Basically, you will become gross.

Don’t worry, though. You can shower and brush your teeth whenever you want. I usually wait until mid-morning. I get up, take some coffee, goof off, work some, then clean myself up. It works. Don’t neglect your personal hygiene, but keep in mind that you can do it whenever you want.

4. You will be tempted to buy things with all that gas money and lunch money you no longer have to spend. Those two things add up to a lot. What are you going to do with that extra money? Go out to eat every day anyway? Blow it on a new $60 video game each week, and then buy a bunch of candy just because you can?

No. Although all that is tempting, you should instead invest that money in your business. Either just save it as operating cash, or spend it on marketing.

5. You’re going to have time on your hands. Crave interruptions and useless meetings? You won’t find any here. When you work from your home office, you don’t get distractions or time wasters. You just get your work done and then live the lifestyle you want with all the “free time” you create by cutting out the nonsense.

6. Your stress levels will decrease to unheard-of levels. Never before has your stress been so low. This can cause some people to panic, as they are used to being in a state of “near-stroke” all the time. If you find yourself panicking, don’t worry. Just take a moment, watch some TV, take a nap, and forget about it. You’ll feel better. Not having to deal with all the crap associated with the modern workplace can drastically reduce your stress levels. Your body may react…strangely, but don’t worry. It will pass. There is hope, and you can learn to live with your decreased stress levels. People do it every day. You can, too.

7. What are you going to do with all that earning potential? That’s right, now that you are working from home, you can remove that earning cap previously placed on you by your corporate overlords (aka your “Boss”). How much you earn is up to you, and how much you pay yourself is also up to you. There are no limits except those you place on yourself.

If you haven’t yet broken free and started to work from home, make it your primary life goal. It’s so much better on the outside. It really is.