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[T1095]Top 10 Home Based Business

by Dan Mitchell, Dan

Following are the basic steps in setting up for home business success.

1. Attitude

The key to your business success is your attitude.

Treat your business like a business.

This is critical whether you are working part-time or full-time. One of my colleagues is a mother who works from home around her family. She has always put her family first whilst at the same time developing her business. She says, "I work part-time, but I have a full-time attitude."

Put another way, "If you have a hobby attitude you will have a hobby income, if you have a business attitude you will have a business income."

You can be successful working part-time and you can be successful working full-time but it is highly unlikely that you will be successful working in your "spare time".

2. Working Environment

A space that you can call your own, free from distractions for your scheduled time.

A comfortable chair and organized desk.
Stationery supplies as required. For example:

- pens
- highlighters
- stapler
- hole punch
- sticky tape
- note book(s)
- a simple filing system
- ring binders
- manilla folders

Consider the value of a broadband connection. Your time is valuable and a broadband connection can allow you to get more done in a given time frame.

3. Schedule

Develop a schedule that works for you, your family (or "significant others") and your business. When you allot a block of time for work then use that time for work. Equally important is to schedule time for your other commitments - family time, self education ( reading, listening and viewing), "health time" (exercise, cooking and eating), and leisure time. During these other times don't work. After all if one of the reasons to work from home is to spend more time with your family then you don't want your working at home time to consume your family time.

You are working for yourself and your schedule (by your choice) is your "boss". When you have people calling you or dropping around unexpectedly or maybe out-of-town visitors may want to catch up with you then you need to make a choice. Are you committed to your own business success? What will be your choice in these situations? Only you can decide what is important to you.

In a family environment you may need to negotiate with your partner and children to have your business time agreed upon, during which you will not be interrupted. Put this schedule prominently somewhere so all family members are aware of your work schedule.

4. Describe Your Business

Be able to describe your business concisely; a powerful one or two sentence description that someone can repeat in describing your business to others. A unique and memorable tag line can also be invaluable for promoting your business.

5. Know Your Product or Service

Once you have selected your product or service to sell, it may or may not be something that you use yourself but you need to know your product intimately. If you are selling ebooks then know the content and its value. If you are selling software then use it know it "inside out". You will develop a reputation of providing quality information and because of your product knowledge you can become the preferred supplier.

It is not practical to use certain products (for example a woman may choose to sell man's shoes or vice versa) in which case the seller won't be a product user, however the seller can still know the benefits and features of the product intimately.

6. Administration

Use good record keeping practices.

This may involve a consultation with a tax advisor who can let you know about the optimal way to set up your financial records and what records need to be kept. Your advisor will also recommend record keeping systems and you can find out what software may simplify this aspect of your business. Additionally your obtain advice on the best arrangement for your bank accounts. You will most likely be advised to have a separate bank account.

You will also need to keep track of your various logins, usernames and passwords. A very handy little software tool for this is Treepad available as either the free Lite version (without password protection) or the commercial Plus or Biz versions. http://www.treepad.com

There are other useful tools for this also from a simple paper notebook to free and commercial password keepers. One popular solution is Roboform that will remember your login details and can automatically fill out your login and other registration forms. http://www.roboform.com

7. Computer Protection

Your computer is the lifeline to your business dealings and must be protected including the data that is stored.

You need a virus scanner, personal firewall, anti-spyware and anti-adware and preferably an email scanner with the ability to delete suspect of spam email from the server before it is downloaded to your computer.

Some suggestions are:

AVG Anti-Virus: http://www.grisoft.com
Spybot S&D: http://www.safer-networking.org
Microsoft Anti-Spyware:
www.microsoft.com/athome/security/spyware/software/default.mspx
Adaware: http://www.lavasoft.com/
Mailwasher Email Scanner: http://www.mailwasher.net

8. A Domain Name

You will most likely need a domain name for your business and one cost effective registrar is GoDaddy, http://www.godaddy.com.

9. Payment Processing

You will need a way to process credit cards; that may be using services such as:
- PayPal https://www.paypal.com
- Storm Pay http://www.stormpay.com
- 2 Checkout http://www.2checkout.com
- Clickbank http://www.clickbank.com or others.

This is the most economical way to get started. Once your business picks up you may need to look into your own merchant account for credit card transactions.

Consideration may also be given to other forms of online currency such as eGold http://www.egold.com

10. Email accounts

Once you have your own domain you can use an associated email account. This can further assist in the promotion of your business and promotes a more professional business image.

As a final comment on continuing in your internet business, conduct your business ethically, provide extraordinary service and be proud to put your name to the products or services that you are selling and you will be on track to developing a sustainable long term internet business.

As large Corporations begin to outsource, automate and streamline their operations, many Americans are faced with the startling realization that company loyalty and seniority may not guarantee them the job security and retirement benefits they desire. Despite the economy, the travel industry continues to grow, with online travel making up the fastest growing sector of this industry.

Top 10 Reasons To Consider A Home Based Travel Business:

1. The Industry – Travel is a seven trillion dollar a year business, and is expected to double to fourteen trillion within the next decade. Despite current economic conditions, the travel industry continues to grow, and is growing 23% faster than the Global economy.

2. The Timing – A key factor in the growth of the travel industry in the upcoming decade is the “Baby Boomer” generation. This is a key demographic for the travel industry, for two reasons. The first reason is that the Baby Boomer generation is seventy eight million strong. Baby Boomers are retiring at a rate of one every eight seconds, and will continue to do so for the next twenty years. The second reason that this demographic will drive the growth of the travel industry is because Baby boomers consider travel a necessity, not a luxury, and they have indicated travel as the number thing they intend to do when they retire.

3. The Technology – 52% of all travel booked in 2007 and 2008 was booked online, and is expected to grow to over 90% by the year 2010. In 2007 alone, over 19 billion in travel and related services was booked through online booking engines. More travel was booked online than offline with traditional brick and mortar travel agencies. Source: phocuswright.com

4. The Investment – True to the home based business model, home based travel businesses have very low overhead. The majority of your investment will be in training and licensing. Training and certification costs will depend upon which travel business opportunity you decide is right for you, based of course, on your due diligence research.

5 .The Flexibility – The flexibility of a home based business makes a home travel business perfect for stay at home moms, stay at home dads, those looking for part time income, and retirees. This opportunity is not limited to that particular niche however. Many individuals have left their full time jobs after starting a home travel business, simply because their part time income surpassed their full time job earnings. The ability to set your own hours and to be your own boss is a very attractive advantage to working from home.

6. The Business Models Available – Several traditional brick and mortar companies now see the value of bringing on travel agents who work from home, but this option is still considered an “Employer – Employee” arrangement. There are other attractive options available that offer the business owner a travel booking engine, and the ability to become a Certified Travel agent for a small investment, and a monthly web hosting fee. Companies that offer this business model include Traverus Travel Network, World Ventures, Global Resorts Network, and YTB .

7. The Benefits – The benefits of becoming a home travel business are many. The travel industry has a reputation for taking care of travel professionals by making it extremely affordable to travel. Travel agents save up to 80% on travel, can receive complimentary upgrades on flights, hotels and car rentals. In addition, many companies offer perks such as member trips and the ability to build an organization to maximize earnings.

8. The FAM Trips - also known as familiarization trips. Suppliers will offer access to their facilities at substantial discounts so that travel agents will have first hand knowledge of what their clients will experience when they travel to the suppliers destination. The travel agent will then be able to make recommendations and book travel for their clients based on their personal knowledge. Travel suppliers will roll out the red carpet for the travel agent to ensure the travel professional has an outstanding time.

9. Say Goodbye To Traffic and Commuting – The true beauty of any work from home business is the fact that when you wake up, you are at work, when you are ready to work. Just to be sure to pace yourself, and if possible, have a designated area for your work. That way, when you close the door, and turn out the light, you're really off of work for the day.

10. The Tax Benefits - There are also tax benefits for individuals who chose to do this profession as an independent travel agent, working from home. You should consult with your CPA or tax professional for more information regarding this benefit.

Article Source : Pg. 13

About Author

Both Dan Mitchell & Alecia Barnes are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

Dan Mitchell has sinced written about articles on various topics from Home Based Business, Blogging and VOIP. Dan Mitchell is the author of numerous articles & eBooks on work-at-home topics. He is an editor at www.temp24-7.com. Dan Mitchell's top article generates over 1900 views. to your Favourites.

Alecia Barnes has sinced written about articles on various topics from Careers and Job Hunting, Home Based Business and Work From Home. Alecia Barnes is a successful network marketing professional and mentor who helps other network marketing professionals successfully market their businesses on and offline.. Alecia Barnes's top article generates over 1900 views. to your Favourites.