Web Business Resource

by Ray Mann

Working online can provide many freedoms. An online income can also be difficult to maintain. There are many different types of online incomes. The best way to figure out what is right for you is to find support online from others who are trying to make an online income.

Your reasons for trying to find an online income can be many different things. You may be wanting an extra source of income or just looking to leave the 9to5 world. There are benefits no matter your reason for trying online income.
- You are your own boss.
- You directly control how much you make.
- You chose the type of job you want to do.
- No commuting.
- No special dress code.
This list could go on and on. The benefits are what you make them.

The different types of income online range from easy programs to telecommuting positions that work much like a job outside the home. Residual income is where you sell a product through a website from another company. This involves very little work on your part and the income keeps coming without anything more on your part. As long as people are visiting your site and buying what you offer, you make money. These types of programs also usually involve programs where you can sign up other people to sell and you make a cut of any income they make. The possibilities for income are huge if you chose a good company and advertise well. Another type of online income is a business opportunity. It is like residual income, but you have to continuously work to sell. You interact with your clients and can also sell offline. These types of programs usually require an investment because you are essentially building your own business. These investments buy you your promotion materials and sample of products. Telecommuting jobs are online income where you work at home. These jobs are like a job you would have outside the home. You are given work by a company and expected to perform according to their guidelines. You have to put in time to make money. These are three examples of ways to make money online. New ideas are cropping up everyday, but beware of scams that may be lurking to take advantage of your time and money.

A scam is where you are tricked out of your time or money by someone posing an income opportunity. There are some ways to spot scams. You should be wary of anyone who asks for payment for processing fees or other clerical fees. These are usually scams to steal your money. The easiest way to tell a scam is if the company doesn’t give out a lot of information or you have to pay for information. You should be able to ask questions and know everything you need to know before investing in an opportunity. Perhaps the number one way to avoid scams is to talk to others who are making online income. Search for websites about working at home and look for message boards where you can talk with others. This will help you to get advice on scams and how to avoid them. You can also check companies out with the Better Business Bureau. The most important thing to remember is if it seems too good to be true than it probably is.

Online income can give you a great way to build your finances. With the many choices of income opportunities you should easily be able to find something that works for you. Just be careful and check out any opportunity thoroughly.

About The Author: Would You Like Us To Find You The Ideal Homework Job That Will Give You The Opportunity To Stay At Home With Your Family And Still Make Money! Get All The Exciting Details Now At: www.nomore-boss.com

by Jens du Plessis (Copyright Protected)

People often ask me to review their web sites and advise them on how to generate more sales. The mistakes made most often can be divided into three main categories and by fixing these you can dramatically change the success pattern of your web site.

While these three steps are simple they do involve a bit of work.

1. Targeted web pages:

People tend to regard their web sites as a unit instead of looking at each web page seperately as a mini web site. Many of the web sites I visit may have a semblance of search engine optimisation on their front page and nothing on the rest.

By targeting each of your web pages to specific keywords or phrases you are creating a net that will generate traffic from all over the place.

Each page should be optimised seperately for search engines using generally accepted search engine optimisation techniques:

focussing each page on up to three keywords or phrases
a targeted tag
using META keyword and description tags in the section
using headline tags ( to ) to highlight your headlines and sub headlines
using the image alt tag to add more keyword density
using descriptive text links
to name a few.

Treat each page as a mini web site.

2. Funnel your traffic to your sales pages:

Whether you want people to buy online, to request a quote, to make an enquiry or to subscribe to your newsletter the process is essentially the same.

Decide what is the most wanted response (MWR) you want from your web site and then each web page must be designed to achieve that response. Your most important web page is the web page where you will get your MWR, whether it is your shopping cart, your quote request form or subscription page.

Every page on your web site should channel visitors to this page - in effect you create a funnel with 5, 10 or 100 pages designed to funnel people to the pages where you get your MWR.

3. Build your mailing list:

When a vistor fulfills your MWR, i.e. buys your product, requests a quote, makes an enquiry, you have achieved your initial goal. However, what if they don’t? You’ve lost them. Unless you have an second best MWR in place.

This will normally be to get their email address legally so that you can follow up with them and promote your products or services. So have an alternative ready. This could be a free ebook about your business, your products or services. If you are in, say tourism, it could be a guide to your area. Whatever is suitable to your audience.

But get their email addresses!

As I said the steps are simple but it will take some work to impliment it

Success

Jens

About The Author: Jens du Plessis is an Internet marketing consultant and trainer, basd in South Africa. Visit http://www.webmarketingsa.co.za for a FREE basic web site review.

by Tiffany Sutton

I am a big believer in having several sources of income. (Not putting all your eggs in one basket.) Do not EVER depend on any one business to come through for you every month. Be smart about it. Do you know of an investor that only invests in one company or one thing? While one business you are involved in might be going through the roof, I think it is always wise to have more than one thing going on.

Some businesses will come and go due to trends. Sometimes they do so well, that the internet is saturated with too many people doing the same thing. They are canceling out each other’s advertising and no one wins but the company. Maybe Plan A, for whatever reason, might be slow because of upcoming holidays. Whereas, your Plan B might be the type of business to make money for you during that time. Think about it. It’s wise to keep informed as to what’s new, but never lose focus on other businesses that are a more permanent or steady source of income.

Very few people can just “retire” from participating in only one business. If they can, more power to them. For me, I prefer to spread out my advertising efforts and advertising dollars. I’ve learned over the years to not have your income depend on only one thing. I think most people who do internet marketing for a living will tell you this. While they may promote one thing more than others, you can bet they have other things going on, too. When you find something that works for you, let other people know about it! (This doesn’t mean email everyone you know.)

Internet marketers are always on the lookout for other businesses they can be a part of. Advertising in areas where they will find it is the smartest thing you can do to promote your business. I also recommend making some money in a business before recommending it to other people. If you don’t, you will ruin your credibility. Waiting until you have a good experience/income is just the right thing to do for other people’s sake. I personally choose products that people will continue to want, need, or reorder. I have found that my income is more “stable” this way.

In response to being asked about other businesses or programs I participate in, I’ve included information about some of them in this eBook and on my website. Just remember, it is smarter to have a few hundred dollars coming in each month from 10 sources, than to have one source you depend on. Each of those 10 businesses will continue to grow if you continue to promote them and establish your own organization. Rarely does anyone have a garden with only one type of vegetable. Maintain your businesses as if you were growing a garden and always have a variety of “vegetables.”

About The Author: Tiffany Sutton is the webmaster and owner of http://theworkplacesucks.com/. She has a successful Internet home business and ahe has helped several new online business owners get started. For a FREE Internet Home Business Ebook that tells The Truth About Working At Home, visit her website.

by Scott Hughes

The below is an excerpt on attitude from the ebook by Tiffany Sutton, The Truth About Working At Home:

I truly believe that your attitude has a lot to do with being successful or not. You have to make the decision to be successful and then make it happen. Have you DECIDED to be successful yet? Or, are you waiting for someone or something else to get you there? You have to first decide what it is you want to do. I decided I wanted to work at home. I just had to find the right thing to do.

Once you find the business or opportunity that is right for you, research what you are doing as much as you can. Although others should be available to answer questions or provide tips, try to be as independent as possible. You don’t want to “need” someone else to be successful. You don’t want to depend on them for information. That is a mistake that I’ve made before, and it cost me a lot of my time and money. Don’t rely on what others tell you. Find out for yourself.

Set a daily, weekly, and monthly financial goal for yourself. Hold yourself accountable. People fail at working at home for two reasons. One, they were completely misinformed, lied to, or given totally false information as to what a business entails. That is not your fault if this happens. It’s happened to me. While this may surprise you, there are many people out there who have no concern about your financial well being. They are looking out for their money. You are nothing more than a few extra bucks. Once they get that money from you, they suddenly forget who you are. (It’s funny how that works.)

Next, you have people who want to be successful, but they really don’t do anything to make it happen. They will spend more time and money looking for a get rich quick thing, instead of doing something productive. I sense a lot of these people really don’t want to work or make the required effort. Maybe they are afraid of being successful? Maybe they don’t think they deserve it? Well, for those that do think you deserve more, it is up to you to make it happen. Unless you win the lottery, no one is going to arrive at your door with a big fat check.

Invest in good motivational books and audio sets. They make all the difference in the world. Whatever you pay for them, you will get it back ten times over. I personally prefer Tony Robbins and Zig Ziglar. I have learned so much from the information that they offer. Purchase just one of their books and you will see what I’m talking about. Work and finances will fall into place for you when you have the right mindset.

Surround yourself with successful people. Many statistics say that you will generally make within $5,000 of what your closest friends make. Look around you. Are your friends helping you or pulling you down? Make an effort to network with other professional people. Join groups where you can meet the type of people that can teach you something. Anyone can find people who have no skills and no good advice to offer. Stay away from those people. I know there were people that didn’t believe in me when I decided to work at home. That’s fine. Ask them if they’ve heard from me in the past few years? You have to get up each day believing in yourself and not focusing on what others think. If you have the confidence that you can make it happen, it will.

Although one benefit of working from home is being able to work in your pajamas, I don’t recommend it for everyday. Get up, eat breakfast, workout (or whatever you do) and get dressed for the day. That doesn’t mean sitting at your desk in Jimmy Choos and a business suit. But, if you are at least presentable enough to be seen in the grocery store, it will improve your overall attitude. I personally work in yoga clothing. It’s comfortable and does not require dry cleaning. Sorry, I don’t think being a slob contributes to a positive attitude or self image. If you think you’re a slob, so will everyone else. If you take pride in your appearance, it will come across to others in everything you do, even on the phone.

Lastly, my best advice is to not turn on the t.v. during the workday. I have a strict rule in my house, no t.v. before 6pm, period. People ask me if I saw *blank* on the news? The answer is always NO. Watching t.v. is counterproductive and will not do anything to contribute to your finances. Watching the news has proven to affect people’s moods in a negative way. Why do that to yourself? Watching fires, car wrecks, and natural disasters will not benefit you or your workday. Try to stay focused and as positive as possible. Listening to music is fine. Studies show it actually helps some people concentrate.

Treat your home office like a real office. Clearly, we all work at home for the peace and flexibility that comes along with it. I love that I can work when I want to. But, create some kind of a schedule for yourself and stick to it. I get few personal calls during the day because people respect me and my work. They know I am working on my advertising. I don’t go to their jobs and bug them, so I like the same consideration in return.

In order to be successful, you do have to have some kind of discipline. You can’t get rich sleeping until 2pm everyday or sitting around in your underwear eating chips. You have to make some kind of effort everyday. I manage to stay busy at my desk at least 6-8 hours a day. Most of my days are considerably longer than this. I do this because I am focused on the long-term. For the first time in my life, I am glad to work.

*If you called someone to inquire about a business and they had Days of Our Lives and a screaming kid in the background, how impressed would you be? Seriously? Would you want to have a conversation or spend a dime with that person? When was the last time you called an office or business and heard screaming in the background? -Exactly. Life happens. Dogs bark, kids cry, doorbells ring. But, if you are going to pick up the phone, try to have a quiet background. If that’s not possible, let it go to voice mail. The person on the other end of the phone deserves that much respect.

About The Author: Tiffany Sutton is the webmaster and owner of http://theworkplacesucks.com/. She has a successful Internet home business and ahe has helped several new online business owners get started. For a FREE Internet Home Business Ebook that tells The Truth About Working At Home, visit her website.

by Scott Hughes

Unfortunately, one of the realities of internet business is the scam, schemes gimmicks, and cons. Of course, scams, schemes, and such have been around long before the internet, but just like the internet has increased and facilitated genuine business, the internet has also helped black-hat confidence men spread their dirty scams and schemes.

Most of the schemes fall under the categories of ponzi, pyramid, or MLM (multi-level-marketing). A ponzi scheme is a scheme in which “members” join by paying a fee, told that they will receive an income without working, but the income is paid by giving them a portion of other members fees. Many people are familiar with a pyramid scheme or MLM. Both are flawed business models, in which “sponsors” are paid commissions off the sales of other people they recruit into the scheme, both directly and indirectly. Most pyramid schemes and MLM don’t even really sell a product; Instead they just sell “start-up” packages. The inherent flaw of the pyramid scheme is that it continuously needs exponentially more sellers to sponsor. Eventually, the pyramid collapses, leaving all but the few con men at the top broke.

One thing I always recommend against is using any program that claims you can make easy money online fast with a small fee. There’s a lot of scams out there that say you can make money taking surveys, entering data, stuffing envelopes, or etc. They don’t work. They’re just scams and schemes. Basically, if it sounds to good to be true, it is. If you’ll make so much money with these programs, why do they need the small fee beforehand? Couldn’t they just take the fee out of your pay? They can’t take the fee out of your pay, because you’re never going to get any.

Remember, the only free lunch is found in a mouse trap.

About The Author: Scott Hughes creates and runs many successful e-businesses. Read more articles like this on his Web Business Resource blog at http://www.webbizresource.com/. You may republish this article if you keep all links intact and keep this “About The Author” footer.

by Jeff Baas

There’s a story to every success online. As a matter of fact, it’s no exaggeration to say that having a story is essential to success. Huh? Let me explain.

I spent a few years trying to break into professional screenwriting. I never made a living at it, but I developed a keen sense of story that gave me enough of a reputation that a number of screenwriting contests asked me to serve as a judge.

For each competition I judged, I read a lot of scripts. Many were terrible. And the terrible ones usually had one thing in common: they had no story.

The main characters started out in situations they clearly didn’t like. They moped, they griped, they suffered a lot of hard luck. Then, in the last couple of pages, whatever trouble they had simply vanished and all their dreams were fulfilled.

What made these screenplays lacking in story value was that the main characters never took action to change their situation. They never grew. They never tried new things. They just plunked themselves down and waited for the world to miraculously change to suit their desires.

Many who start their own business take the same approach. They make a slight start, getting the beginning elements of a business in place.

Then they wait.

They wait, expecting that it’s now up to the world to fulfill their dreams.

They lack a story to their lives.

A story is about overcoming obstacles. A story is about stretching yourself. A story is about exploring beyond the limited confines of who you now are and discovering who you can be.

Would Star Wars have been a story if Luke had decided to go off and hide until things changed to suit him? Of course not. A good story forces its main character to explore and grow.

That’s the kind of story that grabs hold of us. And it’s the kind of story that takes place in setting up every successful business.

What was lacking in those failed screenplays is what is lacking in so many failed businesses: the person’s willingness to risk, to explore, to grow.

If there’s no story in the development of your business - no risk, no discovery, no growth that you undergo - there will be no success. It’s that simple.

To succeed in online business, you must grow as much as, if not more than, your business grows. You must become something more than you now are. Step out into the unknown and run your business in a way that makes it - and you - a good story.

Keywords: internet marketing, starting online small business, success story

About the Author
Jeff Baas, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
More Details about starting small business online here. Jeff Baas is a long-time student of the steps to success required in a wide variety of disciplines. He’s found the same principles lead to success in virtually every field, and failure comes when people try to skip around them. See these principles applied to Internet marketing in the Seven Steps to Starting a Small Business Online in the articles, product reviews and free marketing strategies newsletter at http://www.onestopwebsupport.com