Home Based Business - 5 Steps To A Successful Home Based Business

Are you creating or do you have a home based business? This article will give you five steps to creating or maintaining a successful home based business.

1. You need to treat your home based business like any other job, you must be professional. You should treat this just like any other job, get a separate bank account for your business, get a telephone line and/or email specifically for your home business.

You will not want to mix your personal life in with your business. Get a separate room from the rest of your house for your business and set specific work hours. You have the freedom to work when you want and for how long but you should treat it like a structured goal, if you want your business to be successful.

2. As I said above, set business hours for your home based business. You need to set a strict business schedule that works with you, and you need to follow it. You should not start working and take breaks to go to the store or watch a movie. If you set a good schedule that works for you follow it, work during the work time and then take breaks.

3. Self-discipline is very important when creating or maintaining a successful home based business. Starting and maintaining a successful home business is hard work and is not something to take lightly. You will need to have the self-discipline to work hard, even harder than when you are working for a company, and work long hours, longer than most jobs you have worked. If you work hard, long hours and have great self-discipline you will start to get a good home business. Once this occurs you can lighten off yourself a little bit and start to really enjoy the freedoms of having a home based business. It may take a little time for this to occur though.

4. Just like in any other business, advertising is key. When you create a home business no one will know who you are. You need to advertise through internet banner ads, print media, and internet forums, whatever it takes. Pay per click advertising is another great form of advertising as you get paid for it and it helps promote your business.

5. If you want customers to be able to trust you than you must maintain your integrity. If you maintain your integrity you will win the trust of the customers and they will begin to buy your product or service. Once this occurs the customers will begin to help you by spreading the word of your company and the good product/service you are selling.

Starting and maintaining a successful home based business is a hard thing to do. Once you have created a successful one, though, it is all worth it. These five steps should help you along the way to meeting your goals and doing something you are proud of, a successful home based business.

Online Sales Continue to Grow Steadily

Online sales continue to grow steadily. For example, many brick and mortar music stores that sell CDs have closed in recent years. But sales of CDs on Amazon.com continue to remain strong. So there are many items you can find online that are hard to find in brick and mortar stores, But even with the popularity of shopping online, many people still have fears about safety. Here are some tips for you to help you shop securely.

Stick with trusted websites. If you shop at Amazon.com or large retail sites such as Target, Best Buy, J. Crew, Sears, etc. you are guaranteed a safe and smooth transaction. Sometimes, however, you’re going to find an item on a small mom and pop website. To guarantee a secure transaction, use PayPal if they provide that as an option. PayPal protects your credit card info and the seller doesn’t see it. If the website doesn’t provide this as an option, you can email and ask them if they would accept a PayPal transaction. Most sellers are eager to please customers and will accommodate you. Google Checkout is another secure option.

If you are buying from a website in a foreign country then you will also want to use PayPal. It will convert your payment into the proper currency and keep your credit card information secure.

If you are paying by credit card on a website that you are unfamiliar with, look for icons such as “McAfee Secure” or “VeriSign Secured.” This guarantees that your credit card information will be transmitted securely. Anytime you are unsure or hesitant, just email the customer service department or website owner with your concerns.

Also make sure the seller provides a guarantee and lets you return the item for a refund. This will help protect you.

Don’t leave your computer unsupervised when you are shopping online. If you are in a public place or on a public computer close your browser if you have to step away.

Overall, online shopping is as safe as shopping in brick and mortar stores. Sometimes, no matter how diligent you are, your credit card information might get into the wrong hands and someone might make a transaction on your account. Call your credit card company or bank immediately. They will usually reverse the charge immediately and you will have to fill out a short form. Also, credit card companies can help you if you purchase a product that never arrives or is defective and the seller isn’t willing to resolve it. They will usually reverse the charge for you in those circumstances as well. But the likelihood of this happening is remote if you following the safety guidelines.

For information on how to find the best deals from trusted websites, visit The Shopping Genie Brick and Mortar vs. Online Shopping

The internet has revolutionized the way we shop but, obviously, there are still times when it’s necessary to go to a physical store. In this article we’ll look at the pros and cons of both shopping methods.

Brick and mortar shopping, in most cases, gives you the option of paying with cash, check or credit/debit card. And of course when you need something in a hurry or need items like gas, food or medicine, you have to go to a store.

The downsides are that you have to spend money on gas or public transportation to get to a store, in most cases. It can also take a considerable amount of time if you are shopping for gifts or hard to find items. You have to go from store to store sometimes and it can be exhausting.

Increasingly, more and more items can be purchased online, even cars, furniture, computers and houses. If you are looking for something obscure, chances are you can find it with a quick search in your favorite search engine rather than driving all around town. So you save time and gas by shopping online.

The downside is that you can’t physically inspect the product or try it on, if it’s a clothing item. So you’ll need to make sure the website has a generous return policy. For example, Zappos lets customers return shoes at no cost to the customer if the shoes don’t fit properly. Most online clothing websites have generous return policies and provide return shipping labels. Make sure this is the case before you order.

Also, unless you’re willing to pay for overnight shipping, you can’t get the product instantly when you shop online and have to pay a shipping charge. But the convenience of ordering from home and the ability to find discount prices online often outweigh this. And most websites make fast shipping a high priority so you’ll usually get your item in less than a week. Many websites, such as Amazon, have customer reviews and testimonials and this will give you a good idea how reliable the shipping and product quality are.

A final advantage to online shopping: there is now a way to instantly find the best prices on everything and it doesn’t cost a thing. Go here for more details: The Shopping Genie Hate Shopping? I used to hate shopping and would often forget to even buy cards for birthdays because the thought of going to a store and spending hours picking something out was so unappealing.

Don’t get me wrong. I love the idea of gifts…when it is truly a gift. A true gift is when you come across something you know absolutely the other person would like and is unique to them. A true gift is NOT when you buy something from a list that the person gave you or registry. It’s more like business transaction. You’re just getting them what they asked for. The same applies to gift cards. Sure, sometimes you have to buy them, especially if you’re getting a gift for a teenager or someone impossible to buy for, but it never feels like a true gift, just a business transaction.

Thanks to the internet and some strategies I’ve learned over the past couple of years to keep myself stocked with the perfect gifts to give people throughout the year.

1. Use your Amazon wish list. If a friend or relative makes mention of a book or CD or other item that they want to have, and I’m confident they aren’t going to buy it for themselves, I put it on my Amazon wish list and make a note to buy it for that person for Christmas or for their birthday. Then when that occasion comes around I just check my wish list and buy it for them.

If you know that someone is, say, interested in both fashion and photography, and you come across a blog entry about an interesting book of fashion photos, you should also add that to your Amazon wish list with a note to buy it for them at the next holiday or birthday. I do this repeatedly throughout the year and, without fail, the recipient is thrilled with the gift, especially because it’s a surprise and they hadn’t heard of the book or item before yet is something they are interested in.

2. Go to eBay and type in the name of the person’s favorite TV shows, rock bands, cartoon characters, cars and other interests. You’ll get all kinds of interesting search results for unique items the person has probably never heard of before but would be interested in receiving. The items will often be vintage or something that would be impossible to find in a brick and mortar store. Gifts like this are always hit and inexpensive options are almost always available.

3. Go to Froogle.com, which is a Google site that lets you search for stuff to buy. It brings up only search results for the product and is very efficient way to find items and browse by category. There is a “compare prices” button for each item. You can also refine your searches to particular price ranges, brands and stores.