It's Sunday morning and the rain is falling on the mountains of West Cork, Ireland, as I look out of the window across the fields to the back of my wonderful home.
My children are climbing a fallen tree in the woods across the way and laughing as our chocolate labrador attempts to do the same with little success.
This is a wild part of Ireland, for those of you who don't know it, with stray cats and dogs that walk the narrow lanes like New York street gangs and old men who pose as tourist attractions in the pubs and bars, their faces covered with lines that show the world their wisdom.
For me this is home. This is where I work from home. This is where I belong.
The last week has been fairly hectic as I start to roll out my plan to expand my home based business in Ireland across the water to the United Kingdom. A small step on the map and a narrow stretch of water compared to the Atlantic or Pacific Oceans but from a business perspective very different and quite unique.
I lived in the UK for many years- so know the people well and have a good feeling for what works and what doesn't - and yet this step feels enormous and potentially life changing. For some that's exactly what it will be. For those who choose to take action.
So here I sit, pondering and contemplating, planning and structuring the way I like to do to get things just right- building my empire one day at a time.
Enjoy your Sunday morning my friend...
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Sunday Morning - Is It Still A Day Of Rest When You Work From Home?
So you want to work from home?
Be honest with yourself. If you're thinking about taking that first step and working from home you'd better get one thing straight from the start. Your time will never be your own again! (not for a long time atleast)
So you've heard all the hype about what it's like to work from home;
Be honest with yourself. If you're thinking about taking that first step and working from home you'd better get one thing straight from the start. Your time will never be your own again! (not for a long time atleast)
So you've heard all the hype about what it's like to work from home;
- More free time to enjoy life
- More money in your back pocket
- No boss banging down your door
You've been told all the positives about working from home and you've either taken the plunge or are thinking about it.
Well, let's be honest with one another here...
If you're looking for an easy life then maybe working from home, running a home based business or adding a second income to your portfolio of acheivements is not for you. Maybe we should get that straight right from the start so that you don't get too disappointed when your first commission cheque comes through the door from the company you've just joined last month and you see those numbers trying to mascarade as something you can pay into your bank account without the cashier laughing at you. Okay, so you haven't actually done anything all month but people said it was going to be easy, didn't they?
Well here's the bad news...
Wake up! Nothing in this life is easy.
If you want success you have to work for it. It's painful at times whether you work at home, in an office or on a tall ship. But if you really want to change your future then this might just be your only option so perhaps you should think long and hard about why you came into your latest opportunity or if you're still out there looking in take a few minutes and look in the mirror.
If what you see is someone who's content with his or her lot, whose salary is nice and steady and predictable and whose future will be just the same and if you're happy with that person you see in the mirror then maybe you should stick with the day job...
Some people want a regular job, a small pension at the end of it and a holiday with the kids every three or four years.
If you're not one of them, do something about it.
Take action and work. Work every day of the week if that's what it takes to get your efforts off the ground. If that's what it takes then that's what it takes.
As for Sundays...
I'll leave that one with you.
Saturday, July 5, 2008
So You Had Your Heart Broken By A Network Marketer?
I had a call earlier today from a new member of the team who decided that today was the day she would leave the business.
One week after starting...
Okay that's not uncommon in network marketing so I shouldn't be surprised or dissapointed. It's all about the numbers, after all. But I am. An old hand like me and yes I'm still disappointed.
The problem is this...
For the price of a sandwich in London this lady has been given an opportunity to build an income over time unlike anything she could ever dream of. Beyond all her hopes and imagination. Beyond her wildest dreams.
And a week into the business she quit. Just like that. Another one bites the dust as they say.
Why?
Because she just couldn't take the pressure of possibility and impossibility took over.
She had failed before and she would fail again she assured me (the first assurance I had had in a week).
She had had her heart broken by a network marketer once before and wasn't going down that road again.
Okay...
So there we have it. An old flame had burned her and there was no way she would go back to the fire. Goodbye, fairwell and good luck!
And then I got to thinking again...
It's not about what's in front of a person it's about the person in front of the business opportunity. It's not about the team you join but what you bring to the team and what you do with your time. It's not about what works but who learns.
So here goes...
If you want to kick tyres around for the rest of your days pretending to want to run a home based business keep kicking those tyres. Don't give up the day job and don't even ask to come along for any length of a free ride. This bus is full of paying passengers.
But if you're willing to learn, study and build a lifelong residual income maybe we can work something out....
So if you're looking to recruit people into your business remember this old saying 'work with the workers' and only give up what you're asked for.
If not, you'll kill yourself trying...
One week after starting...
Okay that's not uncommon in network marketing so I shouldn't be surprised or dissapointed. It's all about the numbers, after all. But I am. An old hand like me and yes I'm still disappointed.
The problem is this...
For the price of a sandwich in London this lady has been given an opportunity to build an income over time unlike anything she could ever dream of. Beyond all her hopes and imagination. Beyond her wildest dreams.
And a week into the business she quit. Just like that. Another one bites the dust as they say.
Why?
Because she just couldn't take the pressure of possibility and impossibility took over.
She had failed before and she would fail again she assured me (the first assurance I had had in a week).
She had had her heart broken by a network marketer once before and wasn't going down that road again.
Okay...
So there we have it. An old flame had burned her and there was no way she would go back to the fire. Goodbye, fairwell and good luck!
And then I got to thinking again...
It's not about what's in front of a person it's about the person in front of the business opportunity. It's not about the team you join but what you bring to the team and what you do with your time. It's not about what works but who learns.
So here goes...
If you want to kick tyres around for the rest of your days pretending to want to run a home based business keep kicking those tyres. Don't give up the day job and don't even ask to come along for any length of a free ride. This bus is full of paying passengers.
But if you're willing to learn, study and build a lifelong residual income maybe we can work something out....
So if you're looking to recruit people into your business remember this old saying 'work with the workers' and only give up what you're asked for.
If not, you'll kill yourself trying...
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Choosing The Right Domain Name For Your Home Based Business
If you're looking to create a professional image for your Home Based Business the fastest, cheapest and easiest way is to own your own domain name.
If you're trying to create a picture of success so that people will follow you into your home based business opportunity you will have to register your own domain name. It's that simple.
Don't get me wrong, it won't exactly lift you to heights you never dreamed of. In fact, these days it is almost expected that you'll have your own domain name for any kind of business you're involved with but if you don't it will most definitely damage your street cred.
As we've talked about before, in network marketing or any other home based business you decide is right for you, you are creating a profile for yourself as well as your business with everything you do. So, start out right and look for the right domain name.
Don't make the mistake of jumping in with the first free domain name that comes back at you as this could be costly. If you fail to select a domain name which creates a picture of success and value for your home based business you will find that people will go elsewhere. People follow leaders and you can expect to see them heading in the opposite direction if you have an email address that goes something like bigasssuzy3456@hotmail.com for your will writing business.
If I'm looking for a new domain name for a business I'm promoting I'll take hours and sometimes even days making a list of twenty or thirty different domain names before I even attempt to register one of them. This is essential if you're going to create the right image for your home based business. If you're not a great judge, then take your list around and ask fifty people on the street what image they have in their minds when they read each of your list of potential domain names. I have to say my wife is my preferred reader on this one and someone who I trust to give me an honest appraisal of my suggested domain names.
Remember, the old saying, first impressions count and today with the power of the internet that couldn't be more true. You won't get a second chance with 99.9% of people and the ones who do let you through the door as bigasssuzy are possibly not the ones you will want to take your home based business to the next level.
With your own domain name you will be able to create a personalised and professional email address to support your future correspondence and this is essential if you're going to build your profile and capture customers from the opposition.
A further reason for owning your own domain name in case you're still undecided is that this allows you to use what's called 'redirect' for any affiliate products or links you might wish to promote.
An affiliate link might look something like this; http://www.thecompanyname.com/43637
As you might have guessed already there are a number of problems with this type of link.
Affiliate addresses are usually fairly long and difficult to remember and Adwords will prohibit their use simply on character count when placing an add so you will need to redirect from your own domain name to whatever affiliate link you wish to promote. This is very simple and if in doubt go with a tried and tested hosting service like GoDaddy who will do most of the work for you.
All you have to do is use what is called URL redirect or domain forwarding. This is like a postal redirect only faster. You simply instruct the hosting company to redirect all traffic from your site to the affiliate address for the product you are promoting. This allows you to advertise the domain name you selected and not the one your affiliate product company has given you to promote.
A useful tool is to use domain masking on your redirect. This allows you to redirect from your domain to your chosen site without the address changing in the browser window. It basically hides the website address and keeps your original domain name in place. This can be useful if for whatever reason you don't want the customer to recognize the address of the site you're sending them to.
I use a ready made capture page and email responder set up for some of the products I would promote and the domain masking works well here as it retains my profile throughout.
A word of warning though, don't use masking on affiliate products or you're likely to lose around 50% of sales as this can throw off the tracking system for affiliate promotions. Use re-directs only for affiliates.
Here's a list of my top five tips for creating a successful domain name:
So there you go.
The next step is to find a domain name which is still available and start to rpomote your home based business with a new face.
Good luck,
Neil.
If you're trying to create a picture of success so that people will follow you into your home based business opportunity you will have to register your own domain name. It's that simple.
Don't get me wrong, it won't exactly lift you to heights you never dreamed of. In fact, these days it is almost expected that you'll have your own domain name for any kind of business you're involved with but if you don't it will most definitely damage your street cred.
As we've talked about before, in network marketing or any other home based business you decide is right for you, you are creating a profile for yourself as well as your business with everything you do. So, start out right and look for the right domain name.
Don't make the mistake of jumping in with the first free domain name that comes back at you as this could be costly. If you fail to select a domain name which creates a picture of success and value for your home based business you will find that people will go elsewhere. People follow leaders and you can expect to see them heading in the opposite direction if you have an email address that goes something like bigasssuzy3456@hotmail.com for your will writing business.
If I'm looking for a new domain name for a business I'm promoting I'll take hours and sometimes even days making a list of twenty or thirty different domain names before I even attempt to register one of them. This is essential if you're going to create the right image for your home based business. If you're not a great judge, then take your list around and ask fifty people on the street what image they have in their minds when they read each of your list of potential domain names. I have to say my wife is my preferred reader on this one and someone who I trust to give me an honest appraisal of my suggested domain names.
Remember, the old saying, first impressions count and today with the power of the internet that couldn't be more true. You won't get a second chance with 99.9% of people and the ones who do let you through the door as bigasssuzy are possibly not the ones you will want to take your home based business to the next level.
With your own domain name you will be able to create a personalised and professional email address to support your future correspondence and this is essential if you're going to build your profile and capture customers from the opposition.
A further reason for owning your own domain name in case you're still undecided is that this allows you to use what's called 'redirect' for any affiliate products or links you might wish to promote.
An affiliate link might look something like this; http://www.thecompanyname.com/43637
As you might have guessed already there are a number of problems with this type of link.
- People have a habit of forgetting the number if you're giving them the link over the phone
- People decide to remove the last part of the domain name and have a look at the site themselves.
Affiliate addresses are usually fairly long and difficult to remember and Adwords will prohibit their use simply on character count when placing an add so you will need to redirect from your own domain name to whatever affiliate link you wish to promote. This is very simple and if in doubt go with a tried and tested hosting service like GoDaddy who will do most of the work for you.
All you have to do is use what is called URL redirect or domain forwarding. This is like a postal redirect only faster. You simply instruct the hosting company to redirect all traffic from your site to the affiliate address for the product you are promoting. This allows you to advertise the domain name you selected and not the one your affiliate product company has given you to promote.
A useful tool is to use domain masking on your redirect. This allows you to redirect from your domain to your chosen site without the address changing in the browser window. It basically hides the website address and keeps your original domain name in place. This can be useful if for whatever reason you don't want the customer to recognize the address of the site you're sending them to.
I use a ready made capture page and email responder set up for some of the products I would promote and the domain masking works well here as it retains my profile throughout.
A word of warning though, don't use masking on affiliate products or you're likely to lose around 50% of sales as this can throw off the tracking system for affiliate promotions. Use re-directs only for affiliates.
Here's a list of my top five tips for creating a successful domain name:
- Try to use the key words in the domain name itself
- Go for .COM over any other domain name extension
- Go for a generic domain name which you can use again and again for different promotions
- Go for words and not numbers in your domain name
- Finally, if you can afford it, purchase all other domain name extensions to protect yourself against the opposition .net, .biz, .ws, .org, .ie, .co.uk and on and on. That way nobody other than you will benefit from misplaced domain name extensions being typed into the browser somewhere along the line.
So there you go.
The next step is to find a domain name which is still available and start to rpomote your home based business with a new face.
Good luck,
Neil.
Monday, May 5, 2008
Does A Home Based Business Mean No To Bank Holidays?
Here I am sat in front of the computer waiting for one of my business partners to arrive from Galway and I started to think...'Does a Home Based Business mean no Bank Holidays ever again?'
Well, the truth is out there, as the saying goes and take a look at any successful entrepreneur and they will tell you one thing. You never stop.
It might seem as though you're listening when your partner walks into the room, throws a cup of coffee your way and tells you the kids have just climbed up onto the roof and are throwing slates at the neighbours cat for the fifth time this weekend but the truth is you haven't heard a word of it and so you smile curiously and say something like ' Oh, okay, I'll be with you in a minute. Thanks for the coffee'.
You haven't heard a word because you're too busy looking for that next million.
And listen, if this is you...
It's okay.
really...we understand...we know what it's like to rush down stairs at 3.47am because there's just that something you need to do online because the guy you were talking to an hour ago in Hong Kong promised to get back to you and you're sure he's probably online right now waiting for your reply and besides you're not really that tired.
We understand.
So go do your thing this bank holiday and forget that others around you have different lives.
Yours is exactly that so make the most of it.
neil.
Well, the truth is out there, as the saying goes and take a look at any successful entrepreneur and they will tell you one thing. You never stop.
It might seem as though you're listening when your partner walks into the room, throws a cup of coffee your way and tells you the kids have just climbed up onto the roof and are throwing slates at the neighbours cat for the fifth time this weekend but the truth is you haven't heard a word of it and so you smile curiously and say something like ' Oh, okay, I'll be with you in a minute. Thanks for the coffee'.
You haven't heard a word because you're too busy looking for that next million.
And listen, if this is you...
It's okay.
really...we understand...we know what it's like to rush down stairs at 3.47am because there's just that something you need to do online because the guy you were talking to an hour ago in Hong Kong promised to get back to you and you're sure he's probably online right now waiting for your reply and besides you're not really that tired.
We understand.
So go do your thing this bank holiday and forget that others around you have different lives.
Yours is exactly that so make the most of it.
neil.
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Creating a Positive Profile for Your Home Based Business
Running a successful home based business is all about creating the right profile for yourself. This is marketing we're talking about, after all.
So many people simply miss this vital part of the business building process. Forget the product. Forget the profit to be made or the pleasure to be found in running your own business. If you don't create the right profile for your home based business you may as well sit back and watch the daisies grow because there won't be too many customers knocking on your door in the near future.
Cutomers, clients, consumers or even new prospects to your MLM will be attracted to you because you have the right profile and will stay well away if you don't.
So, how do you go about creating a positive image for your home based business?
Slainte,
Neil.
So many people simply miss this vital part of the business building process. Forget the product. Forget the profit to be made or the pleasure to be found in running your own business. If you don't create the right profile for your home based business you may as well sit back and watch the daisies grow because there won't be too many customers knocking on your door in the near future.
Cutomers, clients, consumers or even new prospects to your MLM will be attracted to you because you have the right profile and will stay well away if you don't.
So, how do you go about creating a positive image for your home based business?
- Do your homework - find out what the leaders in your field are talking about and look at how they are marketing themselves.
- Offer something of value to your customer without trying to dive in for the kill. This can be a free report of some kind or simply a piece of useful advice to help them on their way. If they like what they see they'll come back again.
- Learn, learn and learn some more and pass on your knowledge to others so that they can share in the success that your knowledge brings. This is vital if they are to trust you and be willing to work with you down the road and besides this is the best way to do business. You'll sleep better at night and feel good about yourself.
Slainte,
Neil.
Saturday, May 3, 2008
What Are Your Home Based Business Options in Ireland and the UK
What are your home based business options in Ireland or indeed anywhere in the world?
When you start to look at your work from home options in Ireland and the UK you can very soon be overwhelmed by the number of voices shouting at you from afar and offering you untold riches for very little effort.
The internet is full of get rich quick schemes so be careful and keep your wallet in your pocket.
And remember this simple truth; if it seems too good to be true then it probably is.
There are many work from home scams out there and a few less than scrupulous individuals who are more than happy to offer you the world with their once in a lifetime opportunity just to see you sink without trace several hundred or even thousand euros poorer.
So, my advice to anyone thinking of taking the plunge and looking to start a home based business in Ireland or anywhere else in the world for the first time is very simple but if you haven't heard it before then listen.
Don't pay a penny, cent, dime or franc (I know they don't exist anymore but I still like the sound of the old french franc don't you?) until you have spent at least one month researching what options are out there for you with your home based business.
If it takes longer than a month, then give it that time. Believe me, the next best thing will still be just around the corner in two months time, six months time or even a year from now so no need to rush in all guns blazing.
Do your research and be honest with yourself when you look in the mirror and when the time is right for you to commit to earning your fortune from your home based business then commit to it and you will succeed.
Take the following steps;
When you start to look at your work from home options in Ireland and the UK you can very soon be overwhelmed by the number of voices shouting at you from afar and offering you untold riches for very little effort.
The internet is full of get rich quick schemes so be careful and keep your wallet in your pocket.
And remember this simple truth; if it seems too good to be true then it probably is.
There are many work from home scams out there and a few less than scrupulous individuals who are more than happy to offer you the world with their once in a lifetime opportunity just to see you sink without trace several hundred or even thousand euros poorer.
So, my advice to anyone thinking of taking the plunge and looking to start a home based business in Ireland or anywhere else in the world for the first time is very simple but if you haven't heard it before then listen.
Don't pay a penny, cent, dime or franc (I know they don't exist anymore but I still like the sound of the old french franc don't you?) until you have spent at least one month researching what options are out there for you with your home based business.
If it takes longer than a month, then give it that time. Believe me, the next best thing will still be just around the corner in two months time, six months time or even a year from now so no need to rush in all guns blazing.
Do your research and be honest with yourself when you look in the mirror and when the time is right for you to commit to earning your fortune from your home based business then commit to it and you will succeed.
Take the following steps;
- Speak to others who operate a successful home based business and find out what works for them and what doesn't. We're all different remember, so what might be right for me might not be right for you.
- Speak to others who have failed in setting up a home based business (you will learn more from this group so listen carefully)
- Surf the internet to see what home based business opportunities are around and which would be easy to operate in your own country (many online home based business opportunities are solely for the US market and will not, however much your sponsor assures you, translate to a European market)
- Be honest with yourself and list your strengths and weaknesses (they call them challenges these days but let's be honest here) and see where they stand and fall in the business world. Are you a good networker or does the thought of meeting new people turn your stomach? Do you have a hidden talent that you could market? Are you prepared to learn a new skill set and take the time to perfect it in order to build your business over time?
- Decide what you can invest in building your home based business and look for an opportunity or business idea which you can succeed with. It's no good taking on too much too soon or you will simply fall at the first fence. Remember, this is a long run and not a sprint so start with small bites and build up to taking bigger portions once you have started to see some return on your investments (and by investments I mean sweat, blood and tears if that's what it takes to get your home based business off the ground)
- Finally, list the ten things you love about yourself and the ten things you don't and with each home based business idea you come across write down ten things about the ideal person you think would be good at that business. If you score more than five in your good list, you're in with a chance of success. If you score seven and above you could be onto a winner. If you start to see the hate list coming to the fore too often then perhaps you should stick with the day job.
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