Ever Think of What You Could Have Done Differently?

Stephanie — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 15:26:52 +0000

There are times that it’s worthwhile to look back at your home business and think about how you could have done things differently. You can do the same for the rest of your life, but when you look back at how you started and ran your business you may be able to see things you should have done differently.

Some of them may be things you can change now.

The big thing I can’t change would have been to have started sooner. Yes, I would have loved to have known earlier on that this internet thing had such great potential as a source of income. I suspect that goes for many of us.

That said, if you’re considering getting started, get moving! Quit wondering if you can make it work and make the effort. That’s the only way you’ll ever know for sure.

Finding Ways to Work Harder on My Business Sooner

I really wish I had found more ways to work harder and more effectively (especially more effectively) on my business sooner. Frankly, I still need ways to work harder, doubly so now that I have to deal with homeschooling my daughter while working on my business.

This has to be done right. I use tools to automate things that are reasonable to automate. This has to be done right, as a lot of automation can mess you up, making you look like a spammer. You don’t want to be a spammer. It’s not the best business model.

Market Samurai is a fairly recent purchase for me that is already a big help. I’ve done some general keyword research for several of my sites, plus microniche research for smaller site ideas. It’s amazing what comes out of it, and they have a free trial. I’m glad I finally bought it after considering the matter rather longer than I should have.

Do More Blog Commenting

I do this one in spurts, but I wish I’d done it sooner and wish I would make time for it more regularly. It’s not great traffic, but it brings in some.

Don’t automate your blog commenting. You may be able to use software to find blogs to comment on, but make your comments appropriate, relevant and unique.

Don’t go nuts on keyword use, especially in the “Name” field. Lots of bloggers just delete keyword names, even if the comment is halfway decent.

Guest Post

Don’t save all your best stuff for your own blog. Spread some of it around to attract more visits to your blog.

Done right, this brings in more traffic than commenting. Pick a blog in a niche similar to yours that accepts guest posts and has better traffic, and offer to write a post for them. Not a rehashed post, but something to get attention to your site.

Don’t offer the same guest post to multiple sites. Most bloggers want guest posts to be unique content.

Don’t Be Afraid to Sell When It’s Appropriate

There will always be people who want you to give everything away on your site. I’ve had people email me after I’ve made an offer in my newsletter (which I don’t do often enough, I will admit), reaming me for daring to try to sell them something. They want me to not be one of those newsletters that’s nothing but ads. I’m not, but sometimes a single ad makes people think that.

Know what? Even when I send an offer, there’s more than just the ad. I have to make a living, and those who want me to give nothing but free information aren’t as good for me as those who might consider buying something.

Not that I really care which one you are. Just don’t chew me out for making an honest recommendation. I don’t stress over who’s making a purchase through one of my links and who’s just enjoying the info. The stuff I’m willing to give free is available free. If you buy something you like based on a recommendation of mine and we both get a benefit, that works out great too.

I’m bolder about making some of my newer sites more about sales. If that’s the focus from the start, it’s usually not such a problem.

Be Willing to Do Things Differently

Don’t keep doing things the same way just because that’s the comfortable way for you to work. We all do that to some degree, but when you recognize a problem, rethink what you’re doing!

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I Need to Earn Money Online, Fast!

Stephanie — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 12:19:02 +0000

I can’t tell you how often I’ve had people ask me how they can earn some money online fast. It’s generally about some crisis in their lives, and they just need to earn some money, now!

While I’m not entirely unsympathetic to such needs, I do always mention to these people that very, very few people can manage that, and they are best off getting a regular job if things are so urgent. Or a second one if they already work.

It’s one of the ugly truths of working at home that it’s not so easy as many would claim to make a living. Some do earn money that quickly. More do not.

In a bad situation you should always go for the money you know you can get. That is, a job. And while jobs are somewhat harder to find right now than at other times in many areas, you generally can find something to do. Think about temp agencies, grocery stores, retail, fast food and restaurants if you need a job fairly quickly and earning something is more important than the exact type of job.

But if you need money really, really fast, a job isn’t the answer either.

A garage sale or selling things on eBay is a much better way to bring in some fast money. Almost everyone has some stuff they can sell. It may be hard to part with things you’ve had for years, but if that’s what it takes to get by, sometimes that is quite simply what you have to do.

Think of working at home as a long term strategy. It may pay off in the short run if you do everything right, but you are more likely to go through a significant learning curve. It may be years before you’re earning a living online.

Then again, it could be months. It depends on how well what you’re doing suits you and your customers, and how fast you learn. But don’t expect it to be one month to success.

Perhaps the fastest way to earn money online, if you have the skills, is to freelance. There are a number of sites, such as Guru, eLance and Shelancers where you can find work as a writer, website designer, graphic designer and so forth. It takes some time to get started, but once you have some clients things can go rather nicely. And if you provide a quality service you may get regular clients and word of mouth working for you.

Do not expect others to do all the legwork for you, however. I’ve had many people ask me if there’s such a thing as a real work at home job, when they’ve found me through my site that has a nice long list of jobs. If the resources are there in front of you, take advantage. If you need help figuring out what to do, ask for help and include your interests.

It takes a lot of self-motivation to succeed in any work at home endeavor, whether it be a job or a home business. Keep that in mind even when you ask for help. Your willingness to work should show from the start.