Perhaps you’re stuck in a nine-to-five job you hate, or are a homemaker bored at home, but you’ve probably thought of turning a beloved hobby into a business which will make some money. Many people have done it before, and have done it successfully, though there are those that fail as well. If you’re thinking of going into business for yourself, here are some things you should think about before taking the plunge:

If it becomes work, will you still love it?

If you enjoy knitting sweaters for your loved ones, will you enjoy doing it for money? Sometimes when something becomes actual work, you may find yourself not wanting to do it anymore. But if you’re enthusiastic about something, then you may find yourself loving it even more, despite the long hours of hard work.

Is it worthy of being a business?

You may love your hobby, have a passion for it, but that doesn’t mean you can make money from it. You may be good at making animals from pipe cleaners, but that doesn’t mean you should go out and open up a pipe cleaner shop. You must be practical as well, and do the necessary legwork to find out if your idea is feasible.

Remember, it is a business!

Being an employee has its pros – you just show up at the office, do your work and you get a paycheck two weeks later. Being a business owner or being self-employed is different. You have to deal with day to day operations, payroll, taxes, clients, receivables and payables – things which are not fun and can be boring. Hopefully, you’ll be able to handle such challenges.

What will happen in the long run?

You’ll be investing a large amount of your time and resources into starting your own business – so you have to think of what will happen in 5, 10 or even 20 years. Although no one wants to think of failure, many new businesses shut down within the first year (restaurants, for example, experience a failure rate of about 59%.) Your goals and plans should include future strategies, as well as back-up plans.

Consider alternatives

Okay, so you tell yourself, if you spend another day at your desk, you might do something drastic, but you don’t have the resources or time to pursue your hobby. There can be other alternatives – perhaps all you need is to change career paths into an industry that’s closer to what you love. So you really love to cook, but can’t leave your accounting job to open up your restaurant. Perhaps you should work for a food company. Also, you may be able to teach what you love. You may never sell your landscape paintings, but perhaps you can apply for teaching positions or give art lessons – at least you’ll still spend your time doing what you love.  And of course, you can teach through online teleseminar, webinars, blogging, video streaming – the sky’s the limit!

Whatever you decide to do, just remember: If you follow your heart and passion, and you are truly on the path that was designed for you -  the money will follow. This is the simplest of all concepts, and really where everything should begin. If you’re passionate about baking, then you should consider doing it full-time. If you’re not sure what your passion is, make an list of all the things you love to do and what you’re good at. Then start to narrow it down until you get a couple that just excites you and you have a burning desire to do.  Then do your research and see if there is a market for your business or services.  If there is, the rest is up to you.

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Whether you have an Internet-based or a brick and mortar business, we all want more traffic or customers coming through our doors, right?   There is an online tool that can make a major impact on your marketing effort to bring those customers in.  It’s called Google Local Business.  It’s quick, easy and best of all – Free!

Here is a short video that explains everything about Google Local Business.

Isn’t that great?  Get your business set up on Google Local Business now and get ahead of your competitors!

If you liked ” Want to Drive More Business Through Your Doors?”, please share it with your friend by clicking the buttons below.

If you have been online for any length of time you’ve been exposed to a blog in one way or another. In fact you’re probably using one yourself and understand the importance of a small business utilizing a blog for several reasons such as increasing traffic, building a relationship with your readers, etc.

Not all people are as fortunate as those of us that know the importance of blogging. Speaking on a local level if you’ve ever had a conversation with a small business owner who has a brick and mortar business you have probably come to the conclusion that some of them don’t even know what a blog is!

That’s where a anyone who loves WordPress, has a creative side and doesn’t mind working mostly behind the scenes can utilize their services by becoming a blog consultant. Then you can start evangelizing to small business owners in your local community not only the importance of blogging but the truth – blogging is smart for business.

So exactly what is a blog consultant?

It’s someone passionate about blogging. They love blogging in general but more importantly they understand the importance of blogging for small business owners and want to share that understanding with small business owners especially on the local level.

So if you’re that person mentioned above and are passionate about blogging and want to share that passion with others then be sure to check out Become A Blog Consultant. If you’re not that’s ok too, this course was created for anyone who has a passion for blogging and wants to share it with local small business owners.

Be sure to visit our site where you can watch a quick two minute video and see a real life client example and sign up for a 16 minute audio that will help you decide if this is for you. Become A Blog Consultant

More people are looking for ways to quickly and effectively start an online business. Some have lost their jobs due to downsizing and just can’t find a comparable position. So they are hoping to “cash in” on their expertise and take advantage of sites like Facebook and Twitter to help build a business online. But there is so much more to developing an online business than just throwing up a website and posting on social media sites.

My friend, Jason Spurlock, knows how these people feel and he has developed a new approach to starting an online business. It’s called OBE Pro and it is the “last” place you will need to go to gather the tools to become successful online!   Jason says, “we make online business owners, and those that desire to own a lucrative online business, more profitable…producing a great amount of change in a short amount of time.”

OBE Pro has an incredible product suite that focuses on the three critical aspects of owning a successful online business.  

 
1. personal development   
2. business development
3. results-based marketing strategies 

And the best part about OBE Pro for those skeptics is that it is completely free for 30 days.  You can establish an account, take advantage of all the reports and pdfs in your own private “back office,” and learn from some of the leading online business marketers through webinars, teleconferences and mastermind gatherings. OBE Pro is convinced that by following this system you will be a 6-figure online business owner!

Why not give it try?  You have nothing to lose and lots of valuable information for starting and building a successful online business to gain. OBE Pro is the future of home business…for smart people!  Sign up for your free 30 Days Now!

If you’re stuck on reaching a goal in your business and procrastination sets in, you’re not alone. It is one of the top reasons why we don’t flourish in our businesses.

If it were so easy everyone would be doing it right?

In my friends Sue Painter and Amy Franko’s 4 Ways to Flourish Telesummit, Million Dollar Income Acceleration Coach David Neagle provided a great formula for becoming unstuck.

David Neagle shared a specific tool for reaching any goal in your business or personal life.

First, define your need, being as specific as possible. This is different than the big picture for your business; instead, it’s getting to the very goal you’re trying to reach in this moment. What David reminds us is that whatever we need is already here. This can be hard to accept or believe, but it’s true. When you put the need out there, the answer is there – waiting for you to find it.

Second, take a blank sheet of paper and draw a vertical line down the center so you have two columns. Title the left column “Why I Can’t.” Title the right column “How I Can.” Beginning on the right side, list all of the ideas that come to your mind about how you can achieve the goal. But here’s the thing – simultaneously, your subconscious is going to tell you all the reasons why it can’t be done. Pay zero attention to that subconscious mind and continue writing the ideas down, no matter what.

Third, take action on each of your ideas. Don’t skip one, no matter how tempting! The answer is in your action. David says:

“The universe is trying to get you the thing that you need, more than you think you need it. But if you talk yourself out of doing one of those things, or you are afraid to do it, or it’s calling up some kind of fear for you, or you procrastinate – then you are not going to get the thing that you want. But if you [take action on each idea] you will take care of whatever your [need] is immediately.”

Your success is about reaching one goal at a time, and this simple tool can help you reach your next goal. This was just one of the great ideas that David shared, along with 3 other amazing entrepreneurs, during the 4 Ways to Flourish Telesummit.

Your call to action? Decide now to order the Four Ways to Flourish Telesummit Package.

For only $47, you’ll receive the audio files and professional transcripts from David and the other entrepreneurial leaders.

When you compare just one hour of these experts’ time with the price point of this series, I know you’ll see the value in taking action! And the truth is, you really can’t buy an hour of time with a few of these folks at any price!

Reprinted by permission of Edward Boches http://edwardboches.com/

If you are a CEO, it’s time to get on Twitter. If you know a CEO, do him or her a favor and tell him to get on Twitter. If you are the PR counsel to a CEO, make him get on Twitter. America has about had it with our business leaders: from Enron’s deceit, to the auto industry’s incompetency, to AIG’s bonuses. Trust and confidence is at an all time low. Even Steve Jobs is no longer immune given the lack of openness about his illness. There’s a sense that you’re insular, selfish, focused on the short term and don’t care about anyone but yourself and maybe the board that protects you. But if you get on Twitter, here’s what will happen.

1. You’ll personally get to hear and feel what people think about your company, about your industry and about you.

2. You’ll discover that you don’t have to be so scared of the public. They’re not trying to bring you down. They just want you to be accountable.

3. You’ll find that there are hundreds, if not thousands of smart people with good ideas that can actually help you lead and make decisions.

4. You’ll be surprised to find that the return on being honest and open and generous is as high as virtually any other investment you can make.

5. You’ll encounter a community of people willing to give you credit just for being there and trying.

6. You’ll get a chance to test and improve your ideas, your communication skills and your knowledge of popular culture.

7. You’ll be taking the first step toward building a customer-centric organization.

8. You’ll have the chance to turn prospects into customers, customers into loyalists, and loyalists into advocates.

9. You’ll be a significant step ahead of your competitors unless they get there before you.

10. You’ll conclude that you never again want to be so isolated from the people who buy, and will buy, your products and services.

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Edward Boches
http://edwardboches.com/

and on twitter
http://twitter.com/edwardboches

I had the opportunity to attend a teleseminar this morning by L. Drew Gerber CEO & Partner of PressKit 24/7. It was part of the Big Fish Nation program I am a member of. Big Fish empowers women entrepreneur’s to take their business to the next level through hard core business skills with a spiritual approach to success. Today’s teleseminar focused on Online Press Releases.

Drew shared with us that he defines PR as, Your Relationship with the Public and that you should begin using PR from the onset of your business. It will increase brand recognition, and boost your sales of products and services. 90 percent of reporters are getting their information from the Internet, so an Online Press Kit is essential to your Online Business Success!

As part of his company, PressKit 24/7 he has established a source to bring potential media opportunities right into your Inbox. PitchRate.com is the name of this site and it’s completely free! You can register, include a profile, select your area of expertise, along with subcategories and daily you will receive a digest of media opportunities. You can also search on the site for keywords relative to your business.

Drew loves games, and so do I! So he has offered the participants of today’s teleseminar an incredible prize for the person that gets the most people to sign up for PitchRate. That’s where I need your help! If you would like to get daily feeds of media opportunities and grow your business through online press release marketing, please sign up for this free service. And then send me a quick email to (terri.avirtualbiz@gmail.com) and put your name in the subject line. And of course, I’d love to get your feedback to share with Drew.

It’s very important that you send me an email, otherwise, I won’t know that you signed up and can’t count you in my group. I’ll follow up and let you know if YOU helped me win!

They will make a day for just about anything! I haven’t checked my Send Out Cards system to see if there is a greeting card for this special day, but I will. hehe

If I could get a different name what would I choose? I’ve always liked Alexandria, I don’t know why really. I don’t anyone with that name personally, but I’ve always liked it.

Lots of my online friends know me as “avirtualbiz” that’s my username on most of my social media profiles. So I guess in a way, I have already gotten a different name. In order to build up my brand name, I wanted people to know my business, A Virtual Business Solution, through my username of avirtualbiz.

What about you? Do you have a brand name? If not, today’s a good day to get one and starting marketing it for your business.

And if you just hate your birth name, go ahead…change it. Today’s the day!

Hugs & Kisses,

Alexandria (for today)

As I learn more and more about WordPress and the enormous opportunities that this platform offers, I get so excited. I currently have WordPress loaded up for my blog and I am working toward using it for my main website and for a new product launch for later in the week.

If you aren’t seriously looking at WordPress for your Online Business presence, I would highly recommend that you do. It’s jam-packed full of options, called “plugins” and there are so many free themes available that you can never review all of them.

So take the plunge and dive into WordPress. Even if your not a “techie” you can handle WordPress. But if you get lost, just give us a call, we’ll help you out.