I happen to know someone personally who does just that: Loretta Oliver. In fact, I have worked with her personally and she has done transcription work for me.

She recently authored the Transcription Crash Course, so I thought I would interview her and get some details for you. I asked Loretta 5 questions about the market for transcription work, what qualifications there are, what it takes to get set-up and get started, etc…

Hi Loretta! You’ve been doing transcription work from home for quite a while. I know, because I’ve hired you myself and love your work! How long have you been doing transcription?

It seems like it’s been a really long time. I think in total it has been 7 years now. The first three or four years I wasn’t really doing transcription work full time though, it was sort of a second job that I was doing for extra income.

I was picking up overflow for a bigger company that did insurance files and I would do a few a week, sometimes there would only be 20 minutes a week that they needed covered. It was enough to keep me in the field, but not my focus during that time by any means.

After awhile I finally realized that I really enjoyed having the transcription work more than what I was doing full time, so I started applying for more hours and to other places. Before I knew it I was transcribing on an almost daily basis.

Is there a big market for transcription work?

I hate to be quoted as saying there’s a big market for anything in this economy, but I’d say there’s a flexible market. By that I mean you’re not glued down to one particular target audience – there are a wide range of people and companies that hire transcriptionists.

There are so many options out there, that it’s just a matter of letting people know that you offer the service. You could be transcribing insurance files, teleseminars, podcasts, dictation, court recordings, police interviews, voice mails, and hundreds of other things. If there’s a recording it can be transcribed!

What qualifications or characteristics do you feel it takes for someone to do transcription work from home?

The only qualification you really need is the desire to make a go of it. If you’ve got a computer and access to the internet (even if that access is temporary at the library twice a week) you can get started.

Characteristics on the other hand, I have to say that like most work at home business ventures this can be a lonely one. You’re listening to people all day, but you’re not really interacting with people much.

I think that one thing is the reason a lot of people give up on working from home, it’s hard to get used to that alone feeling and you have to find ways to get out there and be around people, you need to join forums and talk with people, you can’t just isolate yourself completely or you might go crazy.

I’ve been very fortunate in that a lot of my clients have become good friends of mine, we talk about things other than work, and we’ve even gone on to do other things online together. I know it doesn’t always work that way, so I am super grateful. I have the best clients on the web.

Is it expensive to get set up as a transcriptionist?

Absolutely not. It’s a really affordable business model to start off with, which I love about it, because I’m cheap!

I laugh at that now, but I remember when I first started looking into working from home and all the scams and rip offs that were out there. 10 dollars here, 27 dollars there, 47 dollars for this or that only to find that it wasn’t what we thought it was.

It can be frustrating getting started online and having something that is affordable from the beginning is like a breath of fresh air.

What would you say are the Top 3 reasons to choose transcription as a work-from-home business model?

Top three reasons… hmm, putting me on the spot now. I guess I’ll go with the reasons I chose it personally:

1. It’s never boring. You always have something different to listen to, and you’ll never do the same thing twice. Not every recording is going to be like listening to a symphony, but I cannot recall a single time that I was actually bored in all 7 years of doing this.

2. It’s flexible. You’re in total control of how much and how often. If you’re freelancing you can take an entire week off if you want to. Even if you’re working for a bigger company picking up their overflow you can still take time off, you just have to let them know what days you’ll be away first.

After you get experienced at transcribing you’ll know about how long an hour of audio is going to take you and you can plan around that.

Side tip – when you’re starting off be very careful not to take too many jobs at one time. I did that early on and it was not fun at all. I would even go as far as saying to just take one job at a time in the very beginning.

3. It really is affordable. You can get started with less than 20 dollars if you don’t have a budget.

There are fancy gadgets and cool wireless headsets that you can buy later on if you want to, but you don’t have to.

In fact you don’t even need the 20 dollars at first if you don’t want to buy a domain and setup your own website, but I do recommend doing that because you’ll quickly find yourself wishing you had one.

–Thank you, Loretta! I really appreciate you taking the time to share your experience with us on transcription as an at-home business. It’s a question that gets asked a lot!

If you’d like to learn more about doing transcription work from home, check out Loretta’s Transcription Crash Course. It’s only $17, and it will save you endless hours of research and confusion. If you’re serious about starting a transcription business, why not get started today!

Best,

Most of them come from people who have heard about the opportunities online, and are struggling with all of the options and information out there. Just like this email I received from Rebecca…

I am trying to do too many things at once. I have been trying to learn it all to start an online business: Affililate marketing, article marketing, video marketing, creating and maintain a blog, etc. and really just going in circles.

My goal is to find ONE good method of creating an income from home similar to what you have done. The problem: Where to start. Most likely I need to scrap it all, and just start with a clean slate. Any suggestions as to a starting point? (Just one)

Thank you so much for your advice!
Rebecca

How To Start An Online Business

The proper way to start an online business, just like any kind of business, is to first decide which market you want to serve – and how you want to serve that market.

All of the other details will fall into place once you make that decision. Details such as your website model, business plan, marketing strategy, etc.

Most people start out backwards, trying to learn all of the models and strategies, without actually having a specific business idea in mind. You’re certainly not alone on that point, and it can be very overwhelming.

Especially when you don’t yet have a business to apply it to!

I have a personal rule when it comes to “learning”. I learn only what I need to know to accomplish what I am working on right now. And when I do study a method or strategy, I implement as I learn – on the spot.

My suggestion for your starting point is to choose a niche. Just one niche. Then decide how you are going to serve that market, or what your business model will be in that niche. Everything else will fall into place from there.

See How To Make Money Online – For Beginners for 10 simple steps to start a successful online business.

Click on the link above, read through my advice there, and then start with step one. Each step includes detailed instruction, with an opportunity to leave a comment or ask a question about that particular step.

Best,

p.s. You’re going to have even more questions along the way, and you may need technical help as well. Find a community you can get involved with where you can get feedback & resources, and ask questions. I run a community for online business owners and welcome you to join us there – even if you’re still just trying to figure out how to start an online business (yes, newbies are welcomed!).

First, I’d like to thank Lynn for inviting me to tell the story of RAP Bank with you. We had the chance to meet in Atlanta earlier this year, and she’s a wonderfully down to earth person who clearly cares about each and every one of us.

I say us, because I’ve been a long-time follower myself and more recently joined her Elite Member roster, many of whom I also met at NAMS.

Perhaps the primary lesson, and indeed the way Lynn does it herself, is to take a project from “start to profit”. This slogan of hers is a constant reminder to remain vigilant, put on the blinders, and see things through to their natural conclusion…

And so, having arrived at the P for RAP Bank, I thought it’d be fun to have a look at the S and the long, hard, journey in between. Which isn’t to say our work is done. Not at all, but in tech-speak, the proof of concept has done just that.

It’s a Go, big time.

It all started a couple years ago with my purchase of Rapid Action Profits (RAP). {cue the wavy lines} I’d just completed my vegan cookbook, and after a few months using a hosted solution was ready to step it up and offer my affiliates instant commissions. Now, instead of waiting until the end of the month, my affiliates could see the results of their promotions immediately – every other sale would go directly into their PayPal accounts!

I had no idea I’d soon be creating add-ons for RAP. As a programmer by education and trade, my own customizations to the software turned out to be useful and salable to others as well. In February ‘09, I was one of the tens of thousands laid off by Corporate America. Rather than seeking to return to the fold, I’ve stubbornly pursued my entrepreneurial dreams, and in Atlanta, after countless hours on the phone and Skype in the intervening year, I finally met the man himself, Sid Hale, creator of RAP. A very smart marketer and an all-around good guy.

So, that’s a little of my story as a solo software developer. Somewhere along the way, the one I actually set out to tell begins. I had written a WordPress plugin designed to interface with one of the most well-known of the RAP Addons, Membership Plus, and wanted to have the author, Bill Ortell’s imprimatur. We got to chatting on the phone and haven’t stopped since! LOL. Thus began the business partnership that’s seen several other monster addons and now RAP Bank.

The core users of RAP form a fairly tight-knit community. The support we all give each other and any new folks in the forums and on Skype are unrivaled for a software product. One thing that’s always been missing though, as much as everyone tries to keep each other in the loop about new promotions, is a single location to go to where all such instant commission products can be found, compared, shared, etc.. This is especially important for product owners and affiliates in the non-IM niches.

As Bill and I talked, we soon discovered that each of us had envisioned creating such a marketplace (indeed, I’d long ago purchased the domain name with this idea in mind), but the task was monumental, too much for one person, and we’d both seen others fail in their attempts. With ideas flowing and excitement renewed by a strong partnership, we decided to tackle it once and for all. We cleared our plates and double-mindedly put all our energies into the half year coding frenzy that followed.

These were hard months, as no new income streams were being created during this time, and we both had to go on faith that it would be as well-received as we all thought (we communicated regularly with Sid and later, as the beta itself was launched on March 5th, 2010, with other big name marketers, most of whom approached US).

The official launch was April 1st, and it was no joke. By then we already had 1800 members and several hundred products, and both numbers continue to climb at a steady pace. One of the many reasons for this success and quick adoption was how easy we made it for RAP owners to get their products listed on RAP Bank. We designed a free addon that makes it push-button simple to automatically have all the products on a domain pulled into RAP Bank where the owner can further categorize, add images, and rewrite the descriptions, as they wish.

And for affiliates, we made the entire marketplace, and any page therein, cookie-able. So, you could send someone to a list of products by category or even by search term, and if they go on to purchase, you’d get credit for the referred sale on the vendor’s site. Furthermore, if they register with RAP Bank on your recommendation, you are locked in as their “sponsor” so no matter how long it takes for them to upgrade, even with others referring them in the meantime, you get credit for that recurring membership (or any of the other RAP Bank label products or services).

We continue to improve, enhance, and add features daily to the already long list. In fact, just one week into April, we added a viral twist to our official WordPress plugin, and in so doing found it better for everyone to remove the $47 price tag and make it completely free via a click-sharing model.

There are more great things to come; our list is jam-packed. The response has been amazing, and it’s clear now the sacrifice was worth it. Lynn’s message of focusing on single project completion has borne fruit for me, and it can for you too…

Erin, http://netkickstart.com

“I am trying to figure out where to start with internet marketing. I just read your post about lifestyle and I know the kind I want for my family, I just don’t know where to start…”

-Lynn Woolums Smith
http://life-inbloom.blogspot.com

Hi Lynn! I actually hear this question a lot, so you’re not alone. In fact there are 161 searches every day for “how to make money online for beginners” and more than 700/day for “how to make money online”…

There are a number of ways to make money online. Options range from creating your own product to sell online, making money as a professional blogger, managing an online community, developing a content site on a hot topic – just to name a few.

All of these are just various ways to deliver content online. Your first step will be choosing a niche, which is the market or topic you are going to focus on.

Speaking of focus, with so many options to make money online – focus is key. You want to choose a niche and a business model, and work on that one project all the way from start to profit. Don’t let all the other options distract or derail you.

Once you decide on a topic or niche, you should sit down and map out a plan for your internet business model. What market are you targeting, and how can you best serve that market? This is the angle you want to work from, vs the more common: how can I make the most money from this market? (Most people get it backwards and then get frustrated when that doesn’t work out for them)

See: How to Become a Market Leader in Your Niche

So you choose a niche, create a blog or website, set up social media profiles to interact with your target market on the topic, and you create and share useful content that will build your reputation and readership in that niche.

I can hear what you’re saying…

“That all sounds great, but how do I make money from it?”

How to Make Money Online (For Beginners)

The absolute easiest way to make money online is with Affiliate Marketing. You don’t have to create a product, set up a shopping cart and merchant account, do customer service, work with clients, etc. It’s very much like a traditional commission-based sales job where you earn commission on any sales you refer.

The difference is that you’re doing it online, and you can do it from home without ever doing in-person or phone sales. You simply recommend products and/or refer people to specific merchants through the content on your website.

The method I prefer is creating SEO Content, or content that is optimized to rank well in the major search engines. People find it when they are searching for that, click through, and buy what they need or want. This works really well because you write the content once, and it continues to rank well and earn you money for years to come. As long as you maintain your search engine rankings.

“How can I make 3-4k a month or more? What steps will it take to get there?”

I know this is stating the obvious, but it should be said: It takes time, work, and being both persistent and consistent. An online business is the same as any other business in that it requires an investment on your part to get it up and running. The positive side of online business is that it takes a lot less time and money than most traditional offline business models.

Do these 10 steps, in this order, to get started:

• Choose Your Niche
• Register a Domain Name
• Set up a Website or WordPress Blog
• Set up a Facebook Page and Twitter account
• Download and read SEO Fast Start (free)
• Create Optimized Content for your Site/Blog
• Sign up for Affiliate Programs in your niche
• Write Product Reviews for those products
• Get links pointing to your pages or posts
• Continue creating content, getting links & interacting via Social Media

Once you get all this set up and you’re making money as an Affiliate, you can look at other ways to monetize your site. You might create short reports on your topic to sell, test contextual advertising, or look into even more methods to make money.

Yes it’s work. And yes – it’s worth it!

If you do these steps, and continue to learn & tweak as you go, you’ll start earning money. You can increase your traffic (number of visitors) and your income as you continue to grow and market your website. It takes time to get to a consistent $3-5K per month in revenue, but you could easily do that within the first year.

Best,

p.s. Lynn was referring to my Lifestyle & Income of a Super Affiliate post. Give that a read if you haven’t already as it will give you a sneak peek into my life and success doing the exact things I outlined here. If you have any questions, feel free to leave me a comment below.

But then there’s that long grueling phase in the middle. The work it takes to get from point A to point B. It seems like a million little tasks that need to be done for every single business or marketing idea you want to implement.

That’s where I get bogged down. That’s where we ALL get bogged down.

You work at it day in and day out, week after week. Sometimes investing years to reach your target, even. It’s easy to lose sight of the end goal and get sucked into mindless work – or mindless management of a million outsourced tasks…

Obviously the goal is to get from start to profit in the shortest time possible. It takes focus, self-discipline, a lot of hours – or a lot outsourcing if you’re willing to invest some cash.

With an online business, things move fast. Trends and new strategies require evaluation and change. Not to mention the fact that constant business growth requires close management. So even after you reach the profit stage, you’ll still go back to the drawing board and find yourself in a work phase again now and then.

That’s exactly how the last year was for me.

I’d reached many of my lifestyle & financial goals along the way, but it was time for me to buckle down and restructure my business model. Set and reach some new financial goals. I also decided to launch several new websites.

So I went from working 10-20 hours a week with a lot of free time & flexibility… back to working full-time on my business. As usual, the idea phase was fun! Then came the work, and the million little details.

I just came out on the other side of it all. I still have my hands in a lot of pie, mind you. I don’t think I’d be happy otherwise -lol. But at the moment I am enjoying that deep sense of satisfaction and accomplishment – and it feels great!

A year ago, I was overwhelmed and frustrated. My business was not running as smoothly as it should. I was working more hours than I preferred. I owed more in taxes than I used to make in a year. And I was feeling a lot less personal fulfillment from my work. A far cry from my “work less, make more” formula, and the flexible laid back lifestyle I’d been used to for years before.

I worked hard to change all of that. That’s a confession. I should have worked smarter, than harder. But hey – I got it done.

I’m betting you can relate to all of this. If I had to guess, I’d say you’ve been putting in a lot of brainpower and long hours with your online business.

I just wanted to take a moment today and encourage you. It pays off.

Keep your eye on the target – whatever your personal goals are, or whatever you’re working on & toward at the moment. And remember to pass everything that comes your way through this one simple filter:

“does this take me closer to my goal, or does it distract me from it?”

Work smart when you can, and work hard otherwise.

It’s so worth it!

Best,

My friend Maria Gudelis has put together an Offline Money Mindmap and a system to set you up to take advantage of this hot business model. You’ll get the mindmap you can use in your presentation with offline business owners, video instructions on how to present (to double your close!), a training webinar and more.

This system is normally $197, but Maria has extended a generous special offer for ClickNewz readers to get it all for only 17 bucks! Keep reading to find out how…

Maria Gudelis Offline Money Mindmap Coupon Code: clicknewz

In the video above, Maria outlines the 2 things you need to be successful in this business model – and how easy it is to earn money just doing what you already know. You’ve spent the time to learn things like social media, blogging, search engine optimization, video marketing, branding, content development, etc. This is exactly what local business owners need in order to compete in the current & future landscape!

Huge Market, Huge Demand

Offline business owners are struggling with high advertising rates and low return. They may be running pay-per-click advertising online with poor results due to lack of keyword targeting & ad writing skills – if they even know about the opportunity at all! Many of them are completely lost as to where to even begin making use of the social media tools. And there are many out there who aren’t even online at all…

This is where you can step in and put your skills to good use, help them achieve awesome results, and earn a great income all at the same time.

Just one of my clients Lynn, who paid me $5,000 upfront and $2,000 a month for SEO and branding has realized a return over one year of an increase in their sales of over $600,000 (that is right from the clients CFO)

Maria Gudelis’ Offline Money Mindmap course provides you with a ‘magical piece of paper ‘ that will get you hired. It presents a simple step by step system that they can easily understand, and that you can use as your service model.

Maria says: I’ve had many clients say to me that I’m the first marketing company that has demonstrated such a clear and concise plan for their business – and that is exactly why they hired me.

There are a lot of courses and guides out there about the Offline Consulting model. Many of them are high priced, and some of them are offered by people who are not even consulting offline themselves. Maria has offered to share the exact system that she is using herself – and she is practically giving it to you for only $17!

Hey – my special coupon code for you to get that $17 deal is “clicknewz” (that is a 87.8% discount!) Go to www.offlinemoneymindmap.com

With all of the time you’ve invested to learn Internet Marketing, if you’re not already making a consistent monthly income at it… this may just be the perfect business model for you.

Best,

disclosure: this blog post was sponsored by Maria Gudelis

Some of my “IRL” friends have accused me of being obsessed with my work. They just don’t get it. I’m not driven by status or money, I just LOVE what I do. There’s a difference…

A BIG difference.

Last year I talked about Falling In Love With Your Business All Over Again. That post was made on Valentine’s Day, and so again this year I’d like to share a little inspiration with you about creating a lifestyle and business that you can truly love…

I can tell you in all honesty and from personal experience that it’s always going to be a work in progress. Always. Any successful online business is going to continue to grow and evolve, and if you’re smart – you’ll take complete control of the direction it goes.

This month marks the beginning of my 14th year in business. It also marks my 2 year anniversary in my new home – the one I closed on with ONE affiliate check. And this year, it also marks a decade since my marriage ended unexpectedly.

Over the years I have experienced many great successes, my fair share failures and disappointments and frustrations, and a lot of growing pains. Like most people, I didn’t walk into this role of entrepreneur fully prepared, and have learned some hard lessons along the way.

An important thing that I discovered, that I imagine we all have to find out for ourselves: It’s true what they say. Money does not buy happiness.

When I first went into business, making money was the primary goal. It had to be at that point, as it is for most new entrepreneurs. I had a family to support, and later two children to raise on my own as a single mother.

Eventually I met my financial goals and found myself managing a successful business with a consistent income. And what a great place to be! But then I had to create new goals, which I found quite challenging.

With our immediate needs met, I then had to sit down and plan my future. And not only did I need to create a vision for where I wanted to be in 10 years, I also needed to decide how I wanted to spend my life. Starting then, and each day after.

That’s the important part: deciding how you want to spend your time. Once you figure that out, everything else falls into place. You’ll know how much money you need to earn to achieve that goal. You’ll know what you ultimately want to outsource, so that you can spend your time doing the tasks you enjoy.

And you’ll know how to strategically grow your business in the right direction to achieve all of these goals. Or at least have a great starting point for figuring it out.

Today is a day for chocolates and flowers, and for love – and appreciation of love. Take today to celebrate the things in life that make you the most happy. When you’re ready to get back to work, consider how you can create success. True success, which includes loving what you do – not just the results.

Ask yourself:

• Where do I see myself in 10 years?
• How do I want to spend my time every day?
• How do I NOT want to spend my time?
• What does my ideal lifestyle look like?
• What are my truest priorities in life?

Answering these questions will help you create a business model you can actually enjoy. One with less stress, and many more rewards. Like I said earlier, it will always be a work in progress. Particularly as your business grows and evolves over time. I’m amazed at how my life has changed over the last decade, and how much a role enjoying my work has played in that.

There’s nothing better than waking up every morning with a sense of gratitude, looking forward to your life and your day’s work. Well, maybe chocolates and kisses. But we’ll get our share of that today if all goes well.

Don’t search for, or wait for success and happiness. Create it!

Happy Valentine’s Day…

Best,

p.s. I want to help you achieve what I have in my life and business. From financial success to lifestyle design. I am not for hire and don’t offer personal coaching or consultations, but I do have a free discussion forum where we can talk.

You’re welcome to post technical questions you need help with, resources you need – or want to share, discussions on various ways to work online, success topics, etc. Or just join us and say Hello. I hope to see you there!

If you click on the link above, you’ll see an offer to sign up for a free video that will help you gain focus and clarity in 5 easy steps. That content is also available as a PDF file if you prefer – and at the very least, I encourage you to read or watch that message from Amel. The first half alone was a major eye-opener in how we should be approaching our online business…

The course officially begins on Wednesday February 10th and runs for 7 weeks in a step-by-step, hands-on format. During the first four weeks, Amel walks you through:

• The Preparation Process
• The Planning Process
• The Consumption Process
• The Implementation Process

… followed up by live calls and audio training for three weeks after these modules.

Each of the sessions include actionable take-aways like systems, templates, worksheets and checklists. Unlike most courses you purchase online, this program is designed to be interactive – encouraging you to take action and walking you through to a solution.

If you’ve bought or downloaded any number of courses, guides, ebooks, or other material… only to find that you read it but don’t take action, or perhaps never complete them at all, this may very well be the program you need to get yourself into action-taking mode.

You can study, buy products, and read blogs all day long. But until you start implementing what you learn, it’s only costing you time and money. And there is a big difference between an expense and an investment.

On that note, I’m curious – how much have you spent towards your Internet Marketing education? If you had to guess, would it be hundreds? Maybe thousands? And of all the courses and guides and materials that you have purchased… how much of it have you studied beginning to end?

Better yet, how much of it did you put into practice, implement right away, all the way from “start to profit”?

I have a lot of material sitting on my hard drive too, so you’re not alone. We all do. It’s easy to become a virtual packrat. But if you really want to start an online business, or get your website to the point of consistent profit, digging in and taking the steps is the only way to make it happen.

I’m going to be following along with Amel’s course myself when it starts in February. While I am successful, productive and efficient already at this point in my business… I am always looking to improve.

And I really liked what Amel had to say in the free video that she offered at her site. It gave me a new perspective on things, a fresh way to look at how I plan and how I work. And one new idea that helps me take my business up a few notches is worth a heckuva lot to me…

You can get more details, or register for the course at:
http://www.courseintocash.com

Best,

Dislcosure: this post was sponsored by Amel Mehenaoui

Sometimes I get that nagging feeling that I should be further along on a project than I am. That there are entirely too many itty bitty mundane tasks to achieve. There are days it feels like I’ve been working on it forever, and wonder if I will ever get it to the point of completion. And then I do…

I’m working on multiple projects at the moment. If that sounds like a contradiction to my “start to profit” teaching, keep in mind that I am already in profit.

When you get to a point of securing a passive base income in your online business, you’ll have the free time and resources to work on new projects. I also outsource a heckuva lot. Another perk to having achieved that “start to profit” model.

It’s 9am on a Saturday morning as I write this. Already today I have:

• set up a new ClickBank account for one of my products
• created and customized the Aweber mailing list for a new site I’m launching
• sent off a blog interview request
• outsourced a task to someone who is better at it than I am
• secured affiliate links & graphics for 3 new products I want to review
• added a new backlink to a page I want to rank well

… and of course I’ve answered blog comments, questions on my discussion forum, answered a dozen or so emails, updated my social media profiles, wrote a blog post, had a quick meeting with my programmer – and did a load of laundry.

So now I’m off to a fun lunch and a nice break with @GinaParris, after which I’ll probably enjoy a long afternoon nap, and then I’ll get back to work.

Daily action. That’s what it’s all about. No matter how small the tasks seem, they still have to be done. Every task is one step closer to the goal. Then one day you look up and realize just how far you’ve come.

I’m amazed at what I’ve accomplished in the last week, just getting up and going through one step after the other every morning… Even more so when I look back over my 13 years in business. Makes me want to light up a Virginia Slim!

What have you accomplished today?

Best,

p.s. Sometimes the tasks come with a learning curve, sometimes you’re not even sure what tasks you should be doing to achieve your specific goals. Anytime you have a question – technical or otherwise – just stop by my discussion forum. We’ll help you out!

It’s a great question, and an issue that a lot of people struggle with when working from home. Self motivation and self discipline go hand in hand with being self-employed.

That’s the first step: realizing that an online business is a business and treating it as such. For me, it’s best answered with a simple photo. As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words – and this one really speaks volumes for me…

Working from home has been a lifestyle choice for me. Not being materialistic by nature, the money alone was never a big motivator, but rather a means to an end.

Self Motivation stems from personal desire. The things that motivate us are those things that we want so badly we’ll do anything to make them happen.

Including investing 18 hours a day for months on end to make dramatic lifestyle change, getting up at 4am to be done with my work early so I can spend the entire day with my two kids, pulling a 36-hour weekend to set up a long-term passive income source for financial security & peace of mind…

The desire and the goals are going to be different for everyone. I happen to be a single mother with unique circumstances. I originally had a traditional offline business until my son got sick at the age of 9. I was working online in that biz, but I did have a commercial location and employees. I closed my office and chose working from home as the solution, as I had to homeschool the kids for a couple of years.

More than anything else, being a Mom is what defines me. It is behind every single decision that I make in both my life and business.

I love being at home with and for my two children, now 13 & 18, as well as my stepdaughters who have been an important part of my life long after my unexpected divorce 10 years ago.

I have created a home, a lifestyle full of stability and flexibility, options and opportunities for my children, and memories that are absolutely priceless.

I never would have been able to have it all any other way. I wake up every single day appreciating not only what I have accomplished, but also the opportunities before me. That thought alone fuels me, and is the sole source of my self motivation.

Yesterday I checked my daughter out of school early and we went to lunch with Lizzie Keiper, then spent the rest of the afternoon shopping together. How many parents get to do that in the middle of the week just for fun??

It’s those simple luxuries that drive me to get up every day and write one more blog post or host one more webinar. To keep on keeping on.

What if I didn’t get up every day and work on my business goals? I would end up having to downgrade my life, take a day job, give up all my quality free time with the kids… and admit failure. None of which I’m willing to do. So yes – consequences are a great source of self-motivation for me as well.

I feel incredibly fortunate to have a rewarding career and a lifestyle that I created with purpose, both of which I love. I can honestly say that I truly enjoy my work. That keeps me going as well – I wake up every day looking forward to it.

It wasn’t always this way, of course. There were years of hard work, long hours, uncertainty, major adjustments to working from home with all the usual distractions, finding balance between career and parenting, etc.

I had to just learn as I went along, figure out ways to create balance, learn the best ways to manage my time and stay focused. Was it worth it? Absolutely.

Your goals, and your source of self motivation, may not be the same as mine. The point is that you have something that drives you, and you use that as your focal point. Want it bad enough to get out of bed every single day and work towards it.

Working from home has it’s unique challenges, but having a successful online business is not that different than any other goal. Take weight loss or fitness for example – there are no shortcuts, you just have to wake up every day and consistently work towards the end result.

Those who truly want it will. Those who just wish they had it… won’t.

I’ve written several pieces on focus, motivation, time management and other aspects of working from home and making it happen, so I’ll share a few of those with you here in closing…

• No Regrets (personal)
• Staying On Track – From Start to Profit
• Staying Focused When You Work Online
• Get Your Focus! How to Beat Distraction
• Why Most Time Management Techniques Fail…

Best,

p.s. I would love to help you achieve the same success that I have in working from home. If you have any questions about starting an online business, join us at my SSWT Forum. It’s a great community for support & resources, and a great place to get your questions answered by people who are already doing it successfully.

Starting a Home Business? Read this…

If you look behind the curtain of any solo-entrepreneur, you’ll most likely find an entire team of assistants and service professionals keeping that business running smoothly.

One of the primary disadvantages of outsourcing is that you lose quality control over the tasks. This can be particularly risky if you are not familiar with the task, or how it should be done, and you’re working on blind faith. Especially with important aspects of your online business, like SEO or link building.

One of the major advantages of outsourcing: getting more done in less time…

I outsource quite a bit myself, but I thought I would bring in an expert to discuss the advantage & disadvantage of outsourcing in more detail. My friend Traci Knoppe runs an outsourcing company for web tech services, so I sent her an email with a few questions:

Hi Traci, I was just reading your article on the pros & cons of outsourcing and it reminded me of some outsourcing nightmares I’ve had in the past…

Fortunately most of my experiences have been positive… but, any advice on avoiding a bad experience with outsourcing?

In a word: References. Just like hiring anyone, you need to check their references. So many people are too quick to hire the first person or company they believe they can afford, regardless of the integrity and work ethic of the person or company.

Without checking references, you are acting on blind faith that this person or company can do what they say they will do.

Ahh – very good advice! I usually start by doing a search on Google for reviews or conversations about the company or person I’m considering. References I hadn’t considered…

I tend to outsource tasks I am not good at, such as graphic design or copywriting, and then I also outsource tasks that are repetitive or time consuming. With those, such as link building or article submissions, I prefer to do the task myself at first to get a feel for how I want it done.

That way I can share detailed instructions with the assistant or company. As someone who runs an outsourcing company, would you agree with this process?

It can be helpful when a client understands some of the processes involved in accomplishing the work they require.

When we would need information from them, knowing even a little of the how and why behind the request can make it easier for the client to provide us with the exact information we need.

However, it certainly is not necessary for a client to feel they need to learn about what we do in order to work with us. After all, that’s why most companies outsource, because they don’t know how to do something, and they don’t have time to learn, or don’t want to take the time to learn.

True – I do love the people on my team that seem to just be intuitive to what I need and “get it done” – they rock! Especially with graphics and site design.

A lot of people fear the cost of outsourcing. I’ve found it to be a very rewarding investment, increasing my productivity and revenue exponentially.

You’ve been self-employed for over a decade yourself – what’s your personal experience with this?

Everyone outsources something: we don’t do our own dental work, and we don’t cut our own hair. For many who do cut their own hair, perhaps they shouldn’t. We buy goods and services every day: and that’s all forms of outsourcing.

Coming to realize that we are already outsourcing, can help one see outsourcing as a help, not just an expense. Outsourcing can actually increase your profits, and it will most definitely afford you the time to manage your business more effectively, leaving you to do the parts of your business that only you can.

Once I personally saw outsourcing as a time saver for me, then I quickly became the ‘Queen of Delegation’. Yes, I’m an outsourcing service provider and I too outsource, that’s why I have staff to help me.

Good point – and great way to look at outsourcing. You wouldn’t want to see me if I cut my own hair! For that matter, that’s what some of my sites look like when I don’t outsouce: a bad do-it-yourself job. LOL

For someone that wants to try outsourcing, just get their feet wet a bit maybe, what would you recommend as the best first step?

My recommendation is to start with one task or small project as a test; and delegate that to an outsourcer.

If you’ve checked references before you choose someone, then the true test of your compatibility to work together and communicate effectively will be revealed through your test project.

If the test did not go well, determine if another test with that same outsourcer might help smooth out some of the new working relationship wrinkles. If continuing with that outsource provider isn’t an option, then find someone else. It’s definitely worth the effort to continue your search until you find the right person or company.

If the initial test went well, then look at your work load and decide what you can effectively delegate and outsource it!

Great advice. Not everyone, or every company, is a good fit. It has taken me time to create a team I can depend on and really enjoy working with. I use the word “team” loosely – it’s made up of a lot of stand alone disconnected individuals who are awesome at what they do.

But I’m working on that.

Thank you, Traci! Very insightful to hear your take on these issues.

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I would love to hear your thoughts on outsourcing tasks for your online business, and specifically your personal experiences with the advantage & disadvantage of outsourcing. Leave us a comment below!

Best,

p.s. Traci Knoppe runs Your Web Tech Team, a virtual outsourcing team with very affordable rates.

I love this quote . So the question is… how much time do you devote to your online business? I look forward to hearing your answers!

I quit my last real job when Ann Marie was 5 months old. And so in 5 months, I’ll also be celebrating 13 years in business.

She used to sit in my lap while I was working away on the computer, or on my hip while I talked to customers in the shop. She was practically attached to me throughout my start-up years…

I look at her today and see a smart, sassy, beautiful young woman in the making. And while somehow 13 full years went by to bring us where we are today, it feels like just yesterday I held her for the very first time.

She was the tipping point that brought me home from my 9-to-5 job, and the beginning of the path that made my life what it is today.

Being at home with and for my children, and pursuing my career at the same time, at times has been challenging. But it has always been rewarding. Looking back now, I wouldn’t change a thing…

Make every year count!

By the way, Ann Marie is a future super-affiliate. Mark my words

Best,

13 Posts To Help You Survive Manage A Home Office:

• Starting a Home Business? Read this…
• Staying Focused When You Work Online
• Get Your Focus! How to Beat Distraction
• Top 10 Reasons I ♥ Working From Home
• Set Your Business Up For Long-Term Success
• 6 Reasons The Majority Fail To Succeed In Their Online Business
• Home Office Blues: The Isolation Factor
• Before You Make Your First Million…
• Why Time Management Techniques Fail…
• Getting Back On Track When You Feel Derailed
• 5-Step Formula For Building Self-Confidence
• 5 Ways To Balance Home & Business, Under The Same Roof
• Getting Your Family To Support Your Long-Term Goals

The article states that “many people do a lousy job of picking businesses they can realistically turn into a profitable operation.”

The co-authors go on to say that most aspiring entrepreneurs consider small business ideas that are cheap or easy to set up, or start a business based on a love for the product or service – instead of basing their decision on true profit potential…

Here is the quick list of the 7 small business ideas they consider “overrated”:

• Restaurants
• Direct Sales
• Online Retail
• High End Retail
• Independent Consulting
• Franchise Ownership
• Traffic-Driven Web Sites

I’ve highlighted the 3 business models that are “work at home” options, but we could easily add Independent Consulting as a 4th model that can be done from a home office and/or as an online operation.

I have no experience with running a restaurant, a high-end retail shop or owning a franchise so I’ll hold comment on those and focus on the other models on this list. My first business was a service-based company that I originally started as a home business and quickly moved to a 5000 sq ft showroom in a commercial building – but not what I would consider any of those 3 models.

Of the four web-based options, Direct Sales and Online Retail require a higher initial investment. Consulting and Traffic-Driven Websites have a lower level entry and are very inexpensive start-ups.

Direct Sales – I agree with the authors that it is the Top % that performs well in direct sales. To some extent the model itself supports this, because as the company grows the top tier stands to profit most. However, the closing statement on this model didn’t sit well with me:

The result, Yancey says: “Most of them wind up with a bunch of jewelry or kitchen equipment sitting in their basement that they can’t sell.”

That they can’t sell… or that they don’t sell?

The fact is, direct sales companies attract people who aren’t willing to invest time and energy with their marketing message of “get rich quick”. Those who do work the system, reap the rewards.

From my point of view, most direct sales companies don’t offer a high enough quality product, at a reasonable enough price. Or better said: the product sucks and it’s priced too high, making it hard to sell. I say this from my experience with 3 different direct sales companies that I worked with in the 90’s.

Online Retail – The article focuses on selling retail product through popular marketplaces such as eBay and Amazon. I agree that was highly profitable back in the late 90’s, however most merchants are now selling below retail or even at wholesale in these marketplaces, making it difficult to break in with a decent profit margin.

That said, there is still room to take advantage of these marketplaces – or at least, the amount of traffic they pull as household names. They key is to set up an online store outside of eBay or Amazon, and then use creative and strategic means to funnel traffic from there to your own website.

This would require an investment in product, or a solid relationship with a dropshipper. It’s also a very active business model which would ultimately require employees to avoid 80 hour work-weeks for marketing, customer service, inventory management and product delivery.

My solution? Affiliate Marketing. Online Retail is alive and thriving, but you can tap into the billion dollar industry more easily by becoming an affiliate for popular online retailers. This cuts out the need for inventory, shipping, and customer service – and allows you to simply focus on the market.

And cashing checks – which is hard work

If you want a sneak peek into how Affiliate Marketing works, see these videos by Rosalind Gardner.

Traffic-Driven Web Sites – The authors focused on Social Networking Sites competing with the likes of Facebook, and also popular blogs, saying: But as the Internet ages, that’s much harder to accomplish…

He goes on to say, “Until you get to the point where you have a million page views a day, you’re nowhere.”

Pfft! Whatever

Okay, so trying to be the next Facebook or Twitter is shooting high for your first internet-based business model. That’s not to say there aren’t plenty of creative ideas or market slants yet untapped. But you do not need a million page views a day to earn a nice living from home with “traffic driven websites”. Speaking of which, aren’t all online business models or websites… traffic-driven?

None of my web properties get a million page views per day, and I make a very nice living online.

Independent Consulting – The small business ideas for people who have a particular in-demand expertise could fall under titles like consulting, coaching, mentoring, training, etc. The article knocks it as a viable idea because independent consultants have to spend far too much of their time scouting for new clients or marketing their services.

Um – solution: market smarter. Position yourself in the exact place your ideal clients are searching for you. Let them find you at the point that they need you most and are actively searching for your services and you’ll never hunt for work again.

Overall the article had a very negative and discouraging slant, which I assume was the intention. I’d be curious what these two authors consider to be small business ideas that do hold high profit potential.

Obviously I disagree with much of their reasoning for why these 7 small business ideas are overrated, or most likely to fail. Personally I feel the biggest reason for failure has more to do with lack of planning, and lack of follow-through – along with the mistake of working hard, instead of working smart.

I quit my last real job in February 1997. I was working 40-50 hours a week and still fell below the poverty level in terms of annual income. I was feeling major burn-out, didn’t have enough time to spend with my family, and was getting nowhere fast.

I had major incentive to make my first business a success. And I did. And here I am, almost 13 years later, making more money and having more fun than I ever could have imagined – in a business I absolutely love!

Don’t believe everything you read

Success, or lack of it, is up to YOU.

Best,

p.s. If you would like to brainstorm small business ideas, or are interested in starting your own successful online business, join us at my Internet Marketing Forum. I’d be happy to answer any questions you have, and help you get started on the right foot.

Instead, do what makes the money and your passion will follow.

I know that may sound like a contradiction, but follow along with me here.

My first business was an electronic repair shop. Not something I was particularly passionate about, but it paid the bills. I was passionate about having a family business and pursuing financial freedom, of course. And I enjoyed the work – it just wasn’t my “passion in life”.

My next business included computer training and web development – helping others learn skills to start & grown their own business. Something I was definitely passionate about, but I didn’t really have the means to do it on any kind of large scale. Meaning I was basically helping one person or one business at a time.

But those were the right choices at those times in my life, because the bills had to be paid and the children had to be raised. It wasn’t until my business saw a sustainable passive income that I had the financial freedom to really discover and pursue my passions.

It’s hard to even know what you’re passionate about when all you can think about is how you’re going to make the next mortgage payment, or put dinner on the table next week.

Even worse is that nobody else will get it. If you’re working all the time, with no profit to show for it, your friends & family will tell you you’re nuts and tell you to go get a real job. But if you have money coming in, nobody will mess with you – and you’ll be free to really start exploring your options.

My point here is that I don’t want you to feel discouraged if you’re just starting out, and you haven’t discovered your true passion yet. That’s okay. Try a few things, make some money first, and let it just come to you naturally.

The cool thing is that the internet provides you the opportunity to do both – to make money AND pursue your passions in life. My own online business allows me to work from home, and allows me both the time and money to work on a series of books I’ve always wanted to write. So I do that, plus give back to the Internet Marketing community, because I have a passive base income that pays the bills. The main source of my income being my affiliate sites and various affiliate promotions.

It took me years to find my place in it all, and create a vision of the lifestyle and future that I wanted – and a plan to fund it. But every single one of those years that I wasn’t 100% sure I was going in the right direction… I still earned a full-time income. Money is necessary – so pursue that first, and let the passion find you when you’re ready for it.

Trust me, it will happen when you’re less stressed about making money.

So get out there and make some money!

Best,

p.s. If you need help making money online, join my group at our Internet Marketing Forum. I check in there daily myself, and would be happy to answer your questions, or share resources with you.