Copyright © Victoria Archibong

1. Coupons

Okay, maybe you used to laugh as you watched people pull out their coupons at stores but the truth is that using coupons can save you plenty of money every year. Coupons can be used at grocery stores, retail chains, any store where the item is sold. Some stores offer double coupon days, which is an extra bonus. On average, you could easily save from 5% to 15% on a bill for $100 simply by presenting a coupon.

2. Credit Cards

Use credit cards only for emergency. Although convenient, credit cards can be dangerous and damaging. Use them wisely and sparingly, except if you are the most disciplined person on planet earth.

3. Credit Card Interest

If you have credit cards and your credit is in good standing, call your credit card company, and ask for your interest rate to be lowered. It is truly that simple. Unfortunately, most people do not even realize this is an option so they never make the call. Just tell the representative that you want a better rate on your credit card and they will take care of your request.

4. Mortgage Payment

Paying one additional mortgage payment each year, whether in a lump sum or monthly increments, can lower a 30-year loan down to 18 years. If you pay more than one extra payment, the number of years will decrease even more. Since this additional payment will be applied only to the principal and not the interest, you end up saving thousands and thousands of dollars once the home is paid off.

5. Patience

Be patient when it comes to saving. This means that you need to accept that it will take time to save and good planning. Be patient and remember that just because you want something, do not rush to buy just to satisfy your urge. Instead, wait for sales in order to get the best price, which in turn will save you money.

6. Financial Consulting

Many financial companies and even churches offer outstanding classes on how to manage money. While some of these programs are free, others may have a nominal fee to attend but the money is well spent.

7. Break old Habits

Take time to learn the various things that “trigger” your spending. When you are depressed, lonely, sad, anxious, excited, whatever it may be, do you spend more? Once you can identify these triggers then you can learn how to control them. As an example, if you were just laid off from your job, although money is tight, you may have an overwhelming “need” to spend money. Perhaps you notice that when you are bored, you head for the shops. Knowing what affects you will help you to discipline yourself to find other ways of comfort.

8. Avoid Temptations

If you have a particular weakness, stay away from it. If you love to gamble, stay out of the casinos. If you have a weakness for shoes, drive past your favorite shoe store. While avoiding temptation is hard, it is also necessary in order to save money. When you want to give into your temptation, this is the time to use your “allowance”.

9. The Right Time to Shop

Studies have proven that when shopping while hungry, depressed, tired, and stressed, you buy more. Before you head to the grocery store, eat something. If you are upset or feeling a little blue, calm yourself down or wait until you feel better before you head out to shop. As funny as it may sound, having a clear mind is important when it comes to shopping and spending money.

10. Stop Competing with the Jones’

You do not have to compete with anyone. Be proud of what you have and who you are. If you can only afford an inexpensive sofa from a thrift store, find a nice throw, make a few pillows, and be proud and thankful. Competitiveness is a part of nature and to a degree, healthy. However, when competition creates a buying war to see who can have the “best” when they have no business buying at all, then it becomes damaging. Stick to what you can afford regardless of what anyone else has or pressure you might be feeling.

11. Make your Own Gifts

If you ask people if they prefer a store bought or handmade gift, the majority would choose the latter. Handmade gifts are individualized and come from the heart. When you have a birthday, anniversary, baby shower, wedding, or Christmas gift to give, make the gift. For Christmas, you could make a beautiful ornament or door wreath, for a baby shower you could purchase an inexpensive bib pattern and make special bibs, or for a wedding, you could create a wonderful album of photos showing the couples dating life. Other great options include making homemade hot chocolate, soaps, candles, or lotions and placing them in inexpensive glass containers or baskets purchased at a thrift shop. If you use a mason jar, add foam and fabric under the lid for added color, use a label to write the contents and a message of endearment, and wrap a nice piece of ribbon around the ridge. The options are endless, so get creative.


12. Barter System

Gather friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers and set up a bartering system. Offer babysitting to one family in exchange for them mowing your lawn or offer to clean someone’s house in exchange for a week of car-pooling your child to school. You would be amazed at the opportunities and the money that can be saved using a bartering system.

13. Matinee

Do you love the movies but hate the prices? Switch your nighttime show to the late afternoon or early evening matinee. The price is about 50% less and when taking an entire family, that is a nice savings. Pop your own popcorn, put in a plastic bag, and place in a large purse and make or buy your own candy, leaving only drinks to buy. Food at the theater is outrageously priced. The next time that you head to the movies, hit the matinee, stuff those jellybeans and other snacks into a carryon bag, and enjoy the savings.

14. Comparison Shop

Comparison-shopping can make a big difference in the price you pay. You might be looking at a barbecue grill at one place for $350.00 and by making two more stops, find the exact grill or one comparable for $300. In addition, consider the price of items assembled versus unassembled. For example, you might find the barbecue grill unassembled for $250. A couple of hours of “fun” assembling the grill is certainly worth a $100 saving.


15. Sales Clerk Compliments

Sales clerks are often paid on commission. Therefore, when you walk into a store and try on an expensive suit, you can be guaranteed you will hear several times over how wonderful you look, how great that suit fits you, etc. Because this is how the clerks make their money, they will say whatever it takes to make the sale. You probably do look good but do not allow yourself to be pressured into buying something beyond your means. Know what you want, the price range you can work with, and stick with your own rules, not theirs.

16. Incentives – Reward Plan

To help you and your family spend more wisely, set up a system where rewards are given when the rules set forth are followed. For example, if a family decision was made to start making lunch and brown bagging it to work and school instead of paying each day, the incentive might be that if this is followed strictly for one month, the entire family can spend a Saturday at the Zoo or favorite theme park.

17. Dollar Stores

Many years ago, dollar stores offered only off brand products or poorly made merchandise. However, that has completely changed. Now you can walk into a dollar store and find the same name brand laundry soap, cleaning supplies, clothing, school supplies, everything for a fraction of the cost. Where a store name brand bottle of laundry detergent might cost $6.50 at a grocery store, you can find the identical product and size at the dollar store for $2.50. Check out your local dollar store and enjoy the mountains of savings.

18. Don’t Give up the Good Stuff

A misconception is that while trying to save money you have to deal with sub-par merchandise, which is untrue. If you love fresh breads and pastries, visit a bakery thrift store. For your fresh fruits and vegetables, visit your local farmer’s market. Try eBay or other auction sites to buy top quality merchandise for a huge discount. Watch for neighborhood garage sales or estate sales and auctions to find items you need. Just because you are looking for bargains as a way of saving money does not mean you have to skimp on quality.

19. Utilities

Set up some rules in your home such as turning lights off when leaving the room, having only a parent adjust the air or heat, leaving the doors or windows open when letting either cold or hot air into the house. Utilities are expensive and a great money saver is to monitor how they are used in your home.


20. Written Plan

When a person goes into business, they create a Business Plan, which becomes the blueprint of their business. The same should apply if you are trying to save money. Create a master plan that the entire family can get involved with and learn their role. When you start to spend too much, go back and look at your plan to see where you are messing up and how you can fix it.

21. Attitude

Good money management is an acquired skill. As you go forward with the process of saving money, you need to have a good, positive attitude, which is often what will keep you and your family heading in the right direction. If you think you cannot save, then you probably will not. Be determined and stay positive about saving.

22. Unsecured Creditors

Make a list of all your unsecured debts along with creditor contact information and payoff amount so you can have an accurate record of how much you owe. Choose one creditor, possibly a credit card, and focus on paying off that bill. Once you have achieved that goal, choose another. Start with the debt that has the highest interest rate since it is the one costing you the most money.

23. Off-Season

The next time you plan a vacation, consider off-season. Generally, the prices for airfare, hotel, and cars are substantially lower than traveling during peak time. If you look at all your options, you will find that in many cases, you can come close to the date you would like to travel. As an example, flying to Hawaii through June 8 is considered off-season while June 9 is peak. One day makes a huge difference in price.

24. Buy versus Rent or Lease

When looking at homes or automobiles check the rent and lease options. Depending on your particular situation, renting or leasing may be a better financial decision. Weigh all your options and see which choice makes the best sense from a financial standpoint.

25. Buffet Meals

When taking the family out to dinner, consider restaurants that have buffets. In many cases, the prices are outstanding and a parent can share with a small child. In addition, many buffets are “all you can eat” and of course, there is something for everyone.


26. Family Haircuts

Look for hair styling shops that offer family deals or learn how to cut hair yourself. Many families take care of their own haircuts and put the money they would have spent aside as a vacation fund. This system works out perfectly.

27. Wants versus Needs

Make sure the thing you want to spend your money on is a “need” and not a “want.” Sometimes this can seem like a fine gray line but if you stick to the need list, you will spend less.

28. Go Generic

When buying food, try some of the generic items. Unless you or your guests are connoisseurs of fine dining, they will not know if the green beans were generic or a top name brand. Once you add some butter, salt, and pepper, no one will know the difference except you - $79 per can versus $33 per can! People do not realize that many generic brands are actually manufactured by name brand companies, just branded with a different name. In fact, companies such as those that make snack foods will have conveyor belts that run side-by-side – one for the name brand and one for the generic brand. This is quite common and the only difference is the label and price.

29. Stock Up

As you shop, if you notice that a brand you and your family use on a consistent basis is on sale for a great bargain, stock up. As an example, if you use a particular type of shampoo costing $4.50 per bottle and you find it on sale for $2.50, go ahead and buy two bottles. You should only do this on items you know will be used.

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Copyright © Victoria Archibong

Welcome back to our series on money saving resolutions and tips. In this second series we will be looking at 15 money saving tips you can immediately begin to implement from today – in fact right now.
And remember that it is never too late to start saving, regardless of your age or your station in life. Once you have made up your mind that now is the right time to start putting something aside – no matter how small or unimpressive the amount you begin with appears to be, the bottom line is to start all the same, and you will find that it becomes part of you and easier as the days go by.

1. Holiday Gift Giving

This tip is especially helpful for large families. Although it is fun buying for and receiving from everyone, it can be very expensive. Make an agreement with your family that you will continue to buy for the children but that the adults will go with a name exchange. This way the children are not disappointed and you can spend a little more on one or two people rather than spreading your money thin. For the members that you did not pick to exchange with, bake a loaf of their favorite homemade bread or cookies.

2. Clearance

Always head straight for the clearance rack where you can find amazing bargains. Sometimes you may have to dig a little to find the right item but the savings will be well-worth your time. Most clearance racks offer variety, current trends, and great value.

3. Thrift / Surplus Stores

Unfortunately, thrift and surplus stores have been given a bad rap. Many of these stores are filled with hundreds of top quality items. Name brand merchandise is easy to find but just like clearance racks, it takes some time to find. Find a thrift or surplus store close to where you live and then plan spending some time to find those outstanding bargains. One woman in Kansas City, Missouri located such a store about 20 minutes from her home. After shopping through every isle over the period of two hours, she walked out of the store with eight huge garbage bags filled to the brim with designer clothes for her and her children, many with the original tags still attached. She even found a couple of Liz Claiborne suits for herself at $5.99 each and a Dooney & Burke purse normally valued at $225 for $19.95. Her children had an entire season of school clothes and best of all,she paid less than $200.

4. Wrapping Paper and Bows

Create your own wrapping paper, which is not only unique, but also fun. Use plain brown grocery bags and craft-like paints to make your design. After wrapping the gift, let your creative juices flow. For example, using black and yellow craft paint, create a miniature road. Then dipping toy truck tires into red paint roll them along the paper making tire tracks. You can then draw free hand a stop sign, yield sign, or stop light. Next, using a hot glue gun, glue a couple of the miniature trucks to the paper. This is perfect for a young boy. He will be just as thrilled with the wrapping as the actual gift. For a girl, you can simply create miniature bows from existing fabric or lace and glue them on brown paper then free hand draw colorful flowers. Just use your creativity and look around for items you already have on hand to use.

5. Reuse

When you shop, look for items that can be reused. Rechargeable batteries are a perfect example. Even though the initial purchase may be more than non-rechargeable batteries, there is a definite savings over a long period. Another option would be to purchase a nice artificial Christmas tree. Many of the current artificial trees look amazingly real and with the right lights and ornaments, you can change the look from year to year.

6. Landscaping

If you are considering creating a nice flower garden area, shopping for plants even on sale, can be expensive. Before you go out and start spending, look around to see if you have other plants that can be split from your existing flowers. Additionally, if you have a good relationship with any of your neighbors, you might ask them if they have any plants you could use as a starter. Another great idea is the next time you are in the market to buy a lawnmower, purchase one that mulches leaves. This way, rather than buy mulch for your flowerbeds every year, you can simply use the mulch you make.

7. Budget

Everyone should create a budget. If you are not sure how or just not good with money, many businesses such as H&R Block, offer free financial consulting to help you put a budget together. Knowing where you are spending your money is by far the best way to save. In most cases, people have no idea where their money is really going and once they see it on paper, not only are they surprised but eager to change their spending habits.

8. Plan

Planning is a great way to save. Before you go to the grocery store or market, make a list and stick with it. If considering a vacation, plan everything. Heading out with no set direction will certainly lead you to impulsive spending.

9. Buy in Bulk

It is true that warehouse shopping can save a lot of money. Even if you have a small family, you can always split large quantities. The price of items in bulk is generally a great bargain. If you are single, you might go in with friends or family on bulk items.

10. Allowance

Do not forget to give yourself an allowance for things you enjoy. Even if on a tight budget, buy something that you enjoy, which could be as simple as buying a new shirt or grabbing lunch at your favorite café. If you do not allow yourself this small “splurge”, once in a while, you could find yourself in the same position as if dieting. Total deprivation leads to overindulgence.

11. What Matters to You

Make a list of the 10 most important things in your life. Next to each item, rank them in order of importance using numbers 1 through 10. The purpose of this exercise is to help you see the things you consider the most and least important and to provide you with a visual of why you need to save. Some examples of things that a person might put on their list include new home, car, special trip, artwork, starting a business, or pay off debts.

12. Setting Goals

Break your goals into short-term, intermediate-term, and long-term. Being able to see your accomplishments is a great motivator for you to work hard at saving. If you set a short-term goal of saving for tickets to the symphony and reach that goal, you will be encouraged to keep saving for the intermediate and long-term goals.

13. Be Realistic

When it comes to saving money, make sure the goals you set for yourself are realistic. If you earn $50,000 a year, saving $20,000 would be nice but it is very unrealistic. Make your goals attainable or you will never save.

14. Flexibility

Once you have set your goal for saving, realize that things can and will change. The secret is learning ways to be flexible. If you normally save $150 a month, when something unexpected happens, you may only be able to save $50 that month. This is fine as long as you focus on getting back on track.

15. Insurance

Shop around for insurance and work with a good agent that can provide information on discounts such as good student, multi-car discount, etc. Some people think the price of insurance is the same from one company to the next. However, prices can vary dramatically and to ensure you get the best deal, you need to consider all your options.

Stay tuned for more money saving tips ….

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Great, we made it into a brand new year – 2008. Thank God for that. As always, a lot of us would have listed out several resolutions for 2008, just like we did for 2007, and several other years before that.
Well, making resolutions – whether New Year resolutions or at any other point in time, reveals some inner desire, a commitment to improving on the way we have been doing things, the way we live, the way we work, the way we relate with other people. This is all well and good. But let us be frank, there is one problem with these resolutions, and that is - the things we need to do to stick to them start taking up more and more of our time as we go and then most people eventually abandon their resolutions mid way, overwhelmed and disappointed in not being able to sustain the resolutions.

Over the next few series, we will be looking at some money saving resolutions and tips that I believe you can keep, because once you get going with these tips, they become even easier with time, and they translate into great benefits over time that can significantly improve your overall effectiveness and profitability, and will also give you a sense of achievement.

People are always trying to save money, especially with today’s economy. No matter what your reason for saving is, through these short series, you will discover ways never considered.

The price of almost everything has gone up, requiring people to be more meticulous about money. The problem is that by the time the mortgage, car, utilities, and credit cards are paid, there is little money to put aside. Saving money is not that hard, just a matter of learning all the different options and being creative.

In addition to the obvious of putting money into a retirement fund or savings account, there are hundreds of ways to save money. Although some ways of saving may not seem like much, once you add them up at the end of the year, you will see how substantial the savings really are. Keep in mind that saving is more than a single lump sum of money put aside. Saving is something found in your everyday life by the way you live and the choices you make.

After all, Rome was not built in a day and neither will your bank account be. Each penny saved is one more penny than before. If you have the ability to save big, that is great. However, most people are not in that position, which is why these short tips will show you how little savings can add up quickly.

Be encouraged that it is never too late to start saving, regardless of your age. Set your mind that now is the time to start building your future

Stay tuned for these 55 easy to implement money saving tips you can immediately start to put to use, starting from our next post which will highlight the first 15 money saving tips ….

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Copyright Victoria Archibong

The Problem of Time Management

Do you know what is interesting about the concept of Time – the fact that it is absolutely uncontrollable? And if you already manage a home business, then you are also probably aware of how it can consume most of your time. Most likely, this happens against your will. After all, there are probably many things that you want to do with your time, such as spending time with your spouse and your children, going out with your friends, listening to music, reading, swimming or whatever. And yet, the task of managing your home business seems to take up all of your time. What can you possibly do to avoid this very common pitfall?

What has just been described here is a classic example of a time management dilemma. Millions of people, not just home business owners, feel that they are not in complete control of their time. This tends to make people miserable, since most people want to feel in control of their lives. After all, what is your life but a measurement of your time? As long as you are unable to spend your time in a manner that you wish, you will never be truly happy, no matter how much money you earn or how many accolades you receive.

Managing Your Time Properly

The first key issue in effective time management is to set your priorities right. The cardinal rule of time management is this - set your priorities. In life, there is probably nothing more important than setting your priorities, since they will set the stage for just how much time you will spend on each area of your life. You must clarify in your mind exactly what you want in life, and determine to spend more time on those things that you feel are most important.

In the immortal words of Goethe - Things that matter most must never be at the mercy of things that matter least - If your home business is the most important to you, then it is only right that you use most of your time on it. But if it is not, you should begin to scale back on the time you spend on it.
You can do this by either 1) delegating or outsourcing - get someone else to do the job for you.
Or 2) scale back on the amount of work you are already doing.
Remember, you own your home business, it does not own you. So always keep that at the back of your mind.

Watch out for those time killers.

Another key thing you need to look out for is to watch out for the time killers, the time wasters - both subtle and the obvious ones. There are a great deal of time killers in this world and in order to manage your time effectively well, you need to watch out for these silent time killers, identify them and stay away from them.
What are the major time killers?
Telephone calls - this is the number one time killer. To solve
this problem try to always be brief.
Chatter boxes - They waste not only your time but their time as well. Steer clear of such people.
Traffic jams – You can effectively utilize the time that would have been lost in a traffic jam by reading, listening to motivational / educative audio tapes, etc while tied up in traffic.
Finding parking spaces
Meetings
Bad machinery
Long queues

Once you have mastered how to manage or completely eliminate these primary time killers, then you can put your available time to the maximum possible use.

When you work, work. Try to avoid or completely cut out the time wasters and time killers and you will be the better for it.

Get organized

If you are better organized you have a better chance of managing your time effectively. So what is this art of getting organized?

Prepare and have handy a to-do list everyday.
A roughly written and scanty to do list is much better than and still more dependable than even the most reliable memory. So try to have a daily to – do – list, even if it is not properly written. The advantages are enormous, as they can assist you in being organized and focused, thus achieving more per day. This is the most sensible thing to do, especially for the busy person.
Planning
Plan what you have to do well in advance. It is a good idea to have daily, weekly and monthly plans.
Prioritize
Prioritizing helps in meeting deadlines and gives you a general overview of what needs to be done, when, and in what order.
Once you master these time management tips, you will find that you will be able to begin to achieve much more each day than before and you will still have enough time to spend with your loved ones whilst still putting in your best in your home based business.


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Copyright Victoria Archibong


You may call it the new (and famous) guy in town and you will not be wrong. You could also call it one of the hottest marketing tools on the net today, and you would be indeed correct as well. So what is this phenomenon that has completely changed the way we communicate – How is this new craze going to affect how you run your business? Let us now gladly welcome, as someone called it, the most explosive outbreak in the information world since the Internet itself – the web log – a blog for short.

Join the Blogwagon

A blog is simply an online journal, one that is frequently updated and intended for general public consumption. Blogs are designed to be easy to set up and even easier to maintain by giving anyone familiar with word processing a way to air whatever is on their mind to anyone who cares to read.
As earlier noted elsewhere, blogs were once considered the domain of angst-ridden teens and doomed presidential candidates. But all that has now changed, and in our today’s world, where blogging has become part of our everyday living, to blog or not to blog is no longer the issue. With blogging( and pinging), you get a technique that is extremely effective at getting your website, indeed any web site, no matter how big or small, indexed by the major search engines. Today, you have big and small corporate organizations, groups, individuals, young and old, and small time entrepreneurs, are all climbing on to the blogwagon.

Blogging has now changed and possibly for ever, the way we deliver news and information. Again, the statistics are indeed staggering. Only one percent of those who start a blog succeed to monetize the site. However, the good news is that those who did succeed as bloggers are able to earn enough money to live comfortable lives while working from the comfort of their homes. In fact, there are a number of bloggers out there who are earning a good five digit income a year. The truth is that blogging can be a very lucrative work at home online business if and only if you have the talent and the right attitude towards your business. In blogging, just like in most things in life – attitude can be everything.

What makes some to fail while others succeed? Successful bloggers invest a lot of time, efforts and talents into their site. They believe that writing a blog is not just a hobby that they can pursue during their spare time but rather something that should be taken seriously - something that should be interesting, informative and that will add value to anyone who stops by their blog, so that they keep coming back to read other issues on your blog to hear what you have to say, or to give you feed back. In other words, blogging is not just about writing something, it is about writing something interesting for the readers, something that is useful and beneficial to the reader. To become a successful blogger one must anticipate what the readers want to read. You need to know how to hold the interest of your readers. Once a blogger gets the attention of his or her readers, there is a big chance that these readers will keep coming back to read more of what the blogger has to say. As the traffic to the site increases, there is now a high potential to earn money through the site.

Monetizing your bog

Some writers feel rather strongly about putting ads on their blog. These writers believe that having all those icons, banners and logos all over their site is taboo. Sure, nobody really wants to put so many ads on their site but the thing is advertisements bring in the money. If your site has huge traffic and you want to monetize your blog, you must be prepared to set aside some space for your advertisers. You must design your site in such a way that it will be easy for advertisers to put up their logos. A word of caution though, you must not put too many advertisements in your site otherwise your site will become too crowded and difficult to navigate. Most readers would shy away from blogs that are difficult to navigate and if you lose your readers, you will lose your income. Most online advertisers pay the site owners according to the number of views or clicks made on their ads.
I suggest you write regularly to gain readership, because the more regularly you post something to your blog, something of value, the more your readership will grow. If the traffic to your site decreases, naturally, your income will be affected. If people like what you write, they will come back. I know for some people, writing can be quite a chore. You can schedule time to write, make a commitment to writing something now and again. Writing is like anything else. The more you do it, the better you become at it. The key thing is to start and before you know it, you are on your way to becoming adept at it.

Another way of earning money through your blog is through affiliate programs. Choose an affiliate program that is relevant to the contents of your blog. For instance, if your blog is all about children and parenting, it would be wise to join affiliate programs that are selling products for children. If it is about fitness and wellness, or work from home opportunities, then you could consider affiliate programmes in such related fields.

Blogging is therefore a new and easy way to attract visitors to your website and make more money. Blogging and Pinging together, form a marketing tool that can make anyone a viable website owner.

So what are you waiting for? You can start blogging right away by visiting one of the free blog suppliers such as Blogger . Just go to Google, who incidentally own Blogger.com and you can set up your own blog ready to go live almost immediately.

About the Author:

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To find the best home based business ideas and
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Dotcomology - The Science of Making Money Online

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Copyright Victoria Archibong


Sure fire Tips for Marketing Your Home Business

So you now have a home business. You are a homepreuneur running your home business from the comfort of your own home. Great. You are not alone. Anyone who starts a home based business has high hopes for success. Many feel that with just a few simple ads the business will boom and take off into a major business. However, many find that customers are actually few and far between when it comes to a home based business. With the following tips you can help to aggressively market your home based business and turn it into a huge and lasting success.
Agreed that family and friends can be helpful in terms of word of mouth advertising and marketing when it comes to a home based business, but you need to also look to expand your network beyond family and friends. To do this, consider the places where you can find good customers. Some ideas include local civic associations, regional trade shows, professional conferences and chamber of commerce meetings. If you have an online business then you may want to consider checking message boards to help build your online mailing list.

Whenever you find someone and the situation calls for it, talk to them. Everyone has the potential of being a customer if you just talk to them. Let them know about the services you provide, what you could offer them in terms of customer service and delivery, how you can provide solutions to their needs, etc. The possibilities are endless and it gives you something to do instead of just waiting around for a bus or airplane at the bus terminal/ bus stop or at the airport while waiting for your bus, train or aeroplane. Just striking up a conversation can bring you in a lot of additional and potential business.

Even if you do not have an online business, one of the best advertising methods is online. Whether you are selling a local product or not, online is a way to get in contact with millions of potential customers from the comfort and convenience of your home computer.

As you tell people about your home based business, you could focus on the product or service you are selling since this is what is important and this is what the customer wants.

Depending on the service you are offering consider doing a few local demonstrations. This can help increase the publicity for your business. Or you can offer to do a local service featuring your talents for free such as decorating a local restaurant. This way you can increase your popularity and possibly gain further sales later.
For the top marketing techniques consider attending meetings that focus on your business industry and talking with people about their successes and problems. This can help you learn what to do and what to avoid for your business. Another option is to read any trade publications for your business industry. Getting into the industry allows you to find someone that you can go to with a specific question or problem that you may encounter with your business. Just always remember to follow up with the individual and thank them for their help so they know you appreciate it.
The key issue therefore is to promote your business, your products and services at every single opportunity. Get the word out so that every one and particularly each of your stake holders know exactly what you offer, and that you can deliver and this of course further raises the level of awareness for your unique selling point and showcases your business to the buying public as well as to the rest of the world.
Part of your marketing your home business includes referring people, potential customers to your website, and also teaching those you have referred to do the same thus — creating a growing, profitable network for your home business.

About the Author:

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To find the best home based business ideas and
opportunities so you can work at home visit:
www.BreakingBounds.com

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Copyright Victoria Archibong


Are you a Home Based Business entrepreneur – a homepreneur? Then you need to have, or to develop basic desirable habits and homepreneur mindset that will ensure your home business is a huge success and which will ultimately translate into higher levels of efficiency, productivity and profitability in your home business.

Whether you are a complete beginner or a seasoned professional homepreneur, profitability is the main key to success with any home based business. A home based business can operate for a long period of time as long as you make it profitable. However, since many businesses do not have a profit to start with, this is often the first goal of the home based business owner, and you want to reach this profit goal as soon as possible. In order to achieve this goal, and to ensure your home business succeeds, you need to focus on the following 5 fundamental issues-

Your own space
First you need your own space. Depending upon what you have available, your own space could be as small as a desk in the corner of your bedroom, or your guest room, or even as large as an entire room. You need a comfortable and clutter free environment, one that will foster productivity. Avoid distractions, get organized, and ensure you have a relaxing and pleasant atmosphere to create the right ambience for creativity, productivity and efficiency.

Growth
Next you need to focus on business growth, be careful with and watch your expenses.
Focusing on growth is a key way to build your home based business profits. In order to influence your results you need to have the right mindset. If you do not have a profitable mindset then you are likely going to stay stagnant, and no homepreneur wants that. Rather focus on growth and have the mindset to notice opportunities when they come along that can lead to gain, innovations and improvement in your service delivery and in your profit levels. Then take action on these opportunities right away before they are gone.

Product Mix
Thirdly you need to understand what you are offering – your product mix. What service are you rendering? What needs are you meeting for your customers. What problems are you solving and how are you providing solutions to your customers’ burning issues and problems - all with the profit angle in mind.

Your Expenses
Again you want to consider you expenses. All businesses, including home based businesses, have some expenses when they first start out. Make sure you set up a budget that includes room for all anticipated expenses, including advertising, a phone line, office supplies and anything else that may be necessary to the specific home based business you are considering. On your list mark down the expenses that are necessary to operating your business, these should be items that you need in order to make your home based business profitable.

You will most likely run into some other expenses that you do not really need for the actual operation of your home based business. These are the expenses that do not help your business grow and only take away from the profits of your business. Carefully consider if you truly need these expenses and if they do not contribute in any way, then you should cut them outright for something that will actually help with the growth of your business.

However, you can only move your business so far by restricting or keeping a close watch on your expenses. The essence of setting up your home business in the first place is to render service, to meet your customers’ needs and to earn income and profits while rendering this service to your customers. And to do this successfully you need to promote your home business.

Promotion and Marketing
Which brings us to the fifth key thing you need to consider for your home based business to be successful – Promotion and Marketing.
Promotion is the key to developing any business and gaining profitability. Basically you need to focus on making your business known to people. You need to create and promote awareness for your products, and this is done by promoting, advertising your home business and what you offer.

You cannot expect prospective customers to do business with you if they are not aware of your company. While this may seem like an obvious point, the fact is that many home based businesses fail simply because the homepreneur does not spend enough time promoting their business.

Where you have more than one product that requires promoting then consider cross marketing and cross promoting. This way you can initially focus most of your attention on marketing one main product and once you get interested customers you can tell them about the additional products and services you have that can meet their needs. This will make it easier to operate your business and you will also have better results from cross promoting your business.

Let me conclude by saying that, whether you are just venturing afresh into your home based business as a start up, or whether you are an established home business entrepreneur, you need to consistently and steadfastly apply these basic tips and see your profits soar and your home business grow over time. By using these tips you will be steering your home business in the right direction, and will explode your income and profits no matter how long you have been in business.

About the Author:

-----------------------------------------------------------------
To find the best home based business ideas and
opportunities so you can work at home visit:
www.BreakingBounds.com

Dotcomology - The Science of Making Money Online

Click Here To Follow 3 Easy Steps And I Will Personally Build A Money Making Website For You That's 100% Ready To Take Orders And Pull In Massive Residual Profits...

Newbie Training Videos - 47 High Impact Internet Marketing "How To" Videos