In my last posting, I shared ideas about why you should have an at home business.   Even though what I wrote would apply to most home based businesses, my remarks were geared mostly to network marketing or multi-level marketing businesses.  My next several postings will explore what you need to do become a successful network or multi-level marketer.  Although my tips will be geared mostly to network marketing/multi-level marketing, they have application for any at home business.

TIP #1

You must know your why(s).

Why do you want a home based business?  Unless you have a compelling reason to start and build a home based business, you may not have the staying power necessary to get you past the hurdles you’re sure to encounter.   Create your own future by first creating your why(s).  Your why will become the mental vision and purpose for everything you do, both large and small. 

You must live day to day with a clear purpose in mind.  Your purpose is your why.  Don’t commit to having a home based business until you commit to yourself the why(s) that matter most to you.   Your why is the burning desire that will motivate and sustain you in the day-to-day mundane and sometimes painful tasks of working a home based business.  Your why could be anyone of a number of reasons:

• It could be you want the financial freedom that would allow you to spend more time with your family creating memories and strengthening lifelong bonds.
• It could be you want to become debt free.
• It could be you want to put money toward a family emergency preparedness plan, i.e., food storage, emergency essentials, cash, etc.
• It could be you want more money for your retirement.           
• It could be you want to buy a nicer home.           
• It could be you want to travel or want a new car, etc.

It does not matter what your why is as long as it is a burning desire.  “He who has a why to live for, can bear almost any how.” (Friedrich Nietzsche)  Once you have fixed your why, it’s like identifying your own personal North Star—you determine your course by it and use it as the means of getting back on track when you tend to stray.  In the Old Testament of the Bible it says, “When there is no vision, the people perish.” (Proverbs 29:18)  If you are passionate about your why, you will create a home based business that has vision and commitment.  It has been said that commitment is another name for success.   The secret of success is staying constantly committed to your purpose in thought and action.  Once you identify your why(s) the rest becomes a matter putting one foot in front of the other until your reach your North Star. 

God Speed in your journey and until next time may you have another day in paradise.

There are as many reasons to have an at home business as there are people involved in them.  The bottom line is…, “the bottom line.”  The bottom line for everyone I’ve ever known is to make money.  Most people could use an extra couple hundred dollars, or a few thousand dollars, or tens of thousands of dollars, every month.   J Paul Getty, author of HOW TO GET RICH, and one of the richest people in the world, states that the first rule for success is that you must be in business for yourself because you will never get rich working for someone else.  One of the problems in being in business for yourself is the start up costs associated with getting a business going.  Those costs can often be thousands of dollars and the risks can frighten even the most stout of heart.  One way to overcome the risk-reward factor is to become involved with a Multi Level Marketing (MLM) or Network Marketing company.  Before you run screaming in terror consider the following statements:

* Robert T. Kiyosaki, the author of “Rich Dad – Poor Dad,” revealed that his first choice to retire young and retire rich for the average person – is NETWORK MARKETING.  He called Network Marketing the “PERFECT BUSINESS.

”* In the book by Donald Trump and Robert Kiyosaki, “Why We Want You To Be Rich,” they dedicated an entire chapter to NETWORK MARKETING.

* In the book “The Next Millionaires” by Paul Zane Pilzer, - he forecasts that 10 million new millionaires will be created in this industry in the next TEN YEARS. Mr. Pilzer is a noted economist, author, entrepreneur, and professor.

 You can join a network marketing company and make a FORTUNE with very little risk or start up costs if you are wise in choosing the right company.  (See my blog post “Questions to Consider When Choosing a Home Based Business,” 2-23-08). Many people have a closed mind or bias towards MLM and Network Marketing because of past negative experiences or because of the many kooks and con-artists found in the industry.  But when compared to many J^.O^.Bs, there are just as many kooky bosses and con-artists in the traditional work place.  Given the choice, I would rather have control over who I choose to work with and what company I work for.

Unlike conventional businesses or franchises, Network Marketing and Multilevel Marketing companies are the only business models that take advantage of three critical principles to building personal wealth: Passive Residual Income – Leveraging – and Geometric Growth.  The combination of all three of these elements is what gives the Network Marketing and MLM business model its synergy and exceptional performance potential.

I’ve heard it said that, “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got.”  If you want to break out of your current financial status quo, it is going to take you trying to do something you have never done before (or never done successfully) which is to become involved in a home based business.  Success can be just around the corner if you proceed with optimistic caution and believe in your capacity to change your current condition. 

God Speed in your journey and until next time may you have another day in paradise.

 I’m one of those baby boomers who was thrust into the whole internet/computer age kicking and screaming.  I’ve since adjusted.  I’m hardly an expert but I have learned (and am learning) a thing or two.  I feel like the anti-geek poster child, “If I can do it, anybody can.”  Although I find working with technology extremely frustrating at times, it’s very rewarding.  Even though I get humbled on a regular basis, I also feel a great sense of accomplishment when I get something right. 

In learning to cope with the internet/computer- age, I’ve followed the advice of my dad who would say, “If all else fails, lower your expectations.”  When I’m having a particularly difficult time trying to understand some new aspect of technology, I sometimes have to lower my expectations, realizing that this is a process not a destination.  While learning to build web pages, blogs, and social networking sites, (even word processing) etc., I try to measure my success in terms of how far I’ve come instead of the distance I have yet to travel to get to where I want to be.   When I think about it, I’m quite proud of how far I’ve come.  Two months ago, I didn’t even know what a blog was.  Since then I’ve created this blog and I’ve built a website I’m very proud of (www.onlinemarketingniche.com).

If you can relate to anything I’ve said, hang in there.  If you have progressed beyond where I am, you have my upmost admiration.  Regardless, I hope you have another day in paradise.

How would you like the power of a call center in your own home?  There is now a solution available bringing the power of a call center into your home based business.  The solution is called Call on Command featuring CitaLink^tm.

It is a new category of auto dialer technology known as a “Live Caller.”  It uses sophisticated and patent algorithms that are a hybrid of previous predictive dialer applications.  Call on Command featuring CitaLink^tm is a huge time-saver/money-maker because you spend most of your time talking to live people instead of pounding telephone plastic.  Some of the benefits include:

• No costly requirements for computer telephony hardware.
• No special software or licenses to purchase.
• No monthly support fees.
•  It is mobile, only requiring a computer with an internet connection and a phone to use.
•  It has simple, easy-to-understand online tutorials.
• It has multiple reporting capabilities.
• It is an affordable all-in-one system for the at home business user. 

Call on Command featuring CitaLink^tm is a premium solution for the home based marketer. It is affordable, easy to use, and most importantly, will save the user 75% of his/her time that otherwise would be wasted on unproductive dialing tasks, and increase sales by as much as 300%.  You don’t have to wish you had the power of a call center in your home based business anymore.  You can now be the “Ultimate Call Center of One” by using the LIVE CALLER from Call on Command featuring CitaLink^tm. 

For more information about Call on Command, click on the link below.  Be sure to check out the other links as well.  Until next time, have another day in paradise.

I’ve been nose-down and butt-up doing my taxes the past five days.  Taxes can be a pain in the butt, they don’t have to be a kick in the butt.  I’m going to get a refund on my taxes that I would not otherwise receive because of my at home business deductions.  Here are just a few of the things I’m deducting:

ü   Advertising costs

ü  Product  and sample giveaways

ü  Postage

ü  Dues or Subscriptions

ü  Office expenses, i.e. office supplies, computer equipment, furniture

ü  Parking and tolls

ü  Printing

ü  Travel costs related to my business, i.e. hotel, airfare, car rental, etc.

ü  Meals and entertainment

ü  Business related expenses not listed above

ü  Distribute

ü  0r Recruiting Costs, i.e. leads, web site development, web fees, etc.

ü  Mileage related to your business

ü  Interests on credit card if the card is designated for business purposes

ü  Utility cost (gas, electricity, etc.) according to your office size compared to total square footage of your living space

ü  Rent cost according to your office size compared to the total square footage of your living space

ü  Cell phone and land line phone cost related to business use

ü  Internet connection related to business use

All the home base business deductions yout take must be well documented but the tax savings can substantial.  Check with your tax accountant for specific questions on what is deductable and what is not.  Taxes will probably always be a pain in the butt, but don’t let them kick you in the butt.  Discover the tax saving benefits of having your own at home business.

If you are looking for home based business possibilities contact me at gotleads@comcast.net.  I have several possibilities to look at.  Even if you have only limited financial and/or time resources, there are excellent home based businesses that could be a match for you.  Save money and make money by taking advantage of the benefits of having your own home based business.

Read more about starting your own home based business by going to my web site, http://www.onlinemarketingniche.com.  Be sure to also check out these blogs that will be a great help in your home based business:  www.calloncommand.wordpress.com and www.homebasedreporter.com.

Until next time, have another day in paradise.