Archive for the ‘Working From Home’ Category
Want To Be A Solopreneur?
by Rahimah Sultan
Advertising Disclosure: Marketing Success Review may be compensated in exchange for featured placement of certain sponsored products and services, or your clicking on links posted on this website. There is no expense to you.
The rise of digital platforms and the gig economy (freelance work and side hustles) have shifted the perspective from one of large teams, extensive resources, and complex structures to one of making running a one-person business realistic and appealing.
How do you get started?
The challenge is navigating many options and determining the business concept that aligns with your skills, passions, and market needs.
You can feel overwhelmed by choices or fear the potential risks of running a business by yourself.
In this article, we explore compelling solopreneur business ideas that cater to different skills and interests, making sure you can find an idea that resonates with your unique goals.
Some favorite one-person business ideas include:
Newsletters: Use platforms like Beehiiv to monetize your passion. Only FYI. No money is exchanged for this link.
Blogging: Use AI SEO tools to create engaging content.
YouTube: Blend educational content with ad income and product sales.
UGC (user-generated content): Excel as a social media influencer.
Service-based ventures: Jump into fields like consulting or personal training.
Selling Courses: Share your expertise and make money from online courses.
The starting point, for choosing the right one-person business idea, is matching your passion with a smart business structure.
If you’re looking to leap into the world of online business ideas or are just excited about being your own boss, you have a range of options that are practical, profitable, and perfect for you.
What are some solopreneur business ideas?
Below are some of the best one-person business ideas that can get you started on the exciting journey of running your own business.
1. Online Dating Consultant
Are you good at giving dating advice and understanding the nuances of relationships? Becoming an Online Dating Consultant could be just the ticket to a profitable one-person business.
In this position, you’re a consultant and trusted confidant helping people find their way around the often-confusing world of online dating.
You can build a loyal customer base, who rely on your expertise to find love and meaningful connections, by offering personalized advice and strategies.
2. Newsletter Business
Whether you go solo or collaborate with a business partner, starting a Newsletter Business is a terrific way to run your own business.
Using platforms like Passion Froot or Beehiiv‘s native platform can make writing and sending engaging newsletters easy while also opening up avenues to monetize your content. Only FYI. No money is exchanged for this link. This solopreneur business idea is not only about sharing your thoughts but is a strategic move to build an audience and create a steady income stream. You can also increase your earnings by promoting other products within your newsletter.
3. Freelance Writing
Another smart move, in the area of a one-person business is to start a freelance writing business especially if you’re skilled in content writing and SEO.
This has become more feasible with the introduction of AI writing software like Surfer AI or Writesonic. These tools can help you effectively produce high-quality SEO content, thus allowing you to take on more clients and scale your business.
NOTE: If you choose to use AI-produced content, fact-check it before publishing. Your integrity and reputation are on the line!
With a freelance writing business, you have the flexibility and creative freedom to tap into the growing demand for digital content. It’s an excellent opportunity if you have a way with words and want to leverage your writing skills in a rewarding, self-driven business.
4. Build AI Software
Since you no longer need a team to set up shop, use Bubble.io and Make.com to help you build your AI app. This is one of the best ways to make money using AI and your ideas.
5. Graphic Designer
Graphic design is a highly sought-after skill that may be appealing to you if you want to be a solopreneur.
Your skills as a graphic designer are invaluable and can be used online, in local advertising design, and content marketing. You might consider using AI image generators like Canva to simplify your workflow, enhance your designs, and maintain a high standard of professionalism.
6. Social Media Manager
In this role, you’ll manage your clients’ social media accounts and enhance their social presence. Using AI content generation tools, you can create content that resonates with and engages audiences and that also expands a brand’s message. The role is more about building a community, engaging followers, and strategically driving business growth rather than just posting updates. Your knowledge of social media platforms navigation can substantially impact a business’ online success.
These are just a few of the many options to consider, if you want to be a solopreneur. Others include:
Dog Walking
Pet Sitting
Pet Grooming
Opening a Coffee Shop
Online Course Creator
Funnel Builder
Web Design
Personal Training,
Blogging
and whatever you are passionate about.
Choosing the right one involves balancing what you love and existing market demands. When starting a one-person business, you’ll face opportunities as well as challenges.
The most successful businesses fill a market gap and also resonate with your entrepreneurial skills and interests.
If you want to be a solopreneur, these suggestions will help you get started.
Should You Run a Business from Home?
by Rahimah Sultan
Advertising Disclosure: Marketing Success Review may be compensated in exchange for featured placement of certain sponsored products and services, or your clicking on links posted on this website. There is no expense to you.
This is a great time for you as an entrepreneur to consider starting your own home business.
Due to the rise of digital technology, there are many more opportunities than ever before to launch a successful business from your home. There are plenty of home businesses to choose from, whether you want to build a full-time career or are just looking for some extra income. Your choice ranges from online tutoring and freelance writing to selling products on Etsy and drop shipping. So, should you run a business from home? In this article, you’ll find answers to some questions you may have and information you need to get started.
CONSIDER THESE FACTORS BEFORE STARTING A HOME BUSINESS
1. Is there enough space?
Before launching your business, you have to know how much space you need to operate and flourish. You absolutely must maintain a separation between your business and your personal living space.
You can make your choice in one of two ways. First, check out your living space and see if there’s a place for boundaries to create a work area that is free of distractions.
Do you have a spare bedroom, study, or a quiet corner off your living room that you can use?
The second choice is to make a list of the materials and equipment you’ll need. If you can imagine putting new printers, monitors, cables, wires, mic stands, and boxes in this workspace, then go for it.
If not, you might want to consider renting a small workspace. That would be an added cost, however, a separation between business and personal living space is of utmost importance.
To avoid frustration, keep a buffer between your work area and where you rest. You don’t want your business activities to disrupt the flow of how you live and relax.
2. Is a special license required?
Before starting a home business, you should check with your attorney who can ask you important questions regarding how you’ll operate and the types of services or products you’ll offer.
If you need inventory or machinery, you might need special licenses or certificates.
Before you purchase any materials, inventory, or equipment, talk with your attorney and local government officials.
Although there will be a fee, it will be much less than the frustration and headaches of fixing mistakes after your business is moving along. It’s best to ask for advice first rather than start your business and have to shut it down later.
3. Is permission required?
You may need to get permission to operate your home business if you live in an apartment building or your home is part of a homeowner association. Read your lease or check with your landlord before altering your apartment to suit your business.
Check with your board president or the association’s attorney.
If you’ll have clients or customers visiting your business, there could be parking challenges, or if your business creates any excess noise or disturbance it will probably upset your neighbors.
4. Is there a need for special equipment?
If you start a home business in the pet care, catering, or retail area you may need special equipment.
You’ll need a laptop and a Wi-Fi connection. If you need machines, bulky items, or containers, be sure they’ll fit in your living space, your furniture is protected, and your family is safe.
Otherwise, consider renting an office or commercial space.
5. Do you have the right business strategy?
Create your business strategy before deciding to buy equipment, build a website, and market your brand.
Consider the following:
In which area will you participate?
What distinctive skills or abilities do you have to compete?
Which customers will need your solutions?
How will you set apart your business from your competition?
It’s vital you craft your strategy FIRST and your plan SECOND.
Your business strategy needs to find and fix 1 BIG problem.
Once you have your strategy, you can then develop a plan to carry it out.
You can begin to work on your website, marketing message, pricing strategy and the tech part.
Decide on your social media strategy and decide which platforms will work best for your ideal customer profile; TikTok, YouTube, LinkedIn, or Instagram.
What are the benefits of starting a home business?
Starting a home business can be a very rewarding experience. If you have the right planning and dedication, you can have a steady source of income and a lot of flexibility.
The following are some benefits of starting a home business:
1. Low Start-Up Costs
Compared to traditional businesses, the start-up costs are minimal. Therefore, as an entrepreneur, it’s easier to get your business off the ground without having to invest a lot of money upfront.
2. Flexibility
When you work from home, you can set your own hours and work when it’s convenient. This can be especially beneficial if you have family commitments or other responsibilities that make it difficult to commit to a regular 9-5 job.
3. Tax Benefits
Your home business is eligible for certain tax deductions which can help reduce your overall tax burden.
4. Increased Productivity
When you work from home, there are fewer distractions and interruptions which can increase productivity. You can focus on the tasks at hand and get more done in less time.
5. Personal Satisfaction
Starting a business from home can give you a sense of personal satisfaction, a sense of pride, and accomplishment as you’ve created something from nothing.
What are the pros and cons of starting a home business?
Pros:
1. Low Overhead Costs
It’s easier for entrepreneurs to get their businesses started, as most of the equipment and supplies needed can be purchased or rented at low cost which saves you from having to invest large sums of money.
2. Flexible Hours
Working from home allows you to set your own hours and work at your convenience. This is especially beneficial if you have a family or other commitments that prevent you from working a traditional 9-5 job.
3. Tax Benefits
Your home business is eligible for certain tax benefits that can reduce your overall taxes.
Cons:
1. Limited Resources
Unlike larger companies, home businesses often lack marketing budgets, experienced employees, and access to capital.
2. Isolation
In a traditional office setting, there is lots of interaction with colleagues. As an entrepreneur working from home, you may not have this level of interaction.
3. Distractions
There are often more distractions than in a traditional office setting. It can be difficult to focus on tasks and complete projects on time.
How to Balance Work and Family Life While Running a Home Business
1. Set Boundaries
Set clear boundaries between work life and family life. Set specific hours for work and family time. Also, designate certain areas of your home for each activity.
2. Prioritize
Be sure to prioritize your family over the business. You need to take time off to spend with your family and be sure you are present during important events.
3. Schedule Breaks
To be sure you’re not overworking, schedule regular breaks throughout the day. This ensures you stay focused and productive and will also allow you to spend quality time with your family.
4. Utilize Technology
To make your life easier, take advantage of technology. You can use tools like online calendars, video conferencing, and task management software to simplify your workflow and increase efficiency.
5. Outsource
To free up more time for you to focus on your family and other parts of your life, consider outsourcing non-essential business tasks.
So, should you run a business from home?
Running a business from your home can be a great way to become your own boss and attain financial freedom. Nevertheless, it’s most important to carefully weigh the pros and cons before making the decision to start a business from your home.
With the right strategy and a plan in place, you can successfully balance your work and family life and achieve success.
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What Are the Recent Shifts in MLM?
by Rahimah Sultan
Advertising Disclosure: Marketing Success Review may be compensated in exchange for featured placement of certain sponsored products and services, or your clicking on links posted on this website. There is no expense to you.
If you’re marketing online, you see daily advertising for MLMs. You may be thinking about signing up for one of the programs.
So, what are the recent shifts in MLM?
There are low-cost products, a simple recruiting system, and a high percentage of affiliate products.
Although pyramid schemes resemble MLMs, MLM is a legitimate money-making business model. So, what are the differences?
Pyramid Schemes vs. MLM
Both operate with the same structure, although it comes down to sales versus recruitment in the compensation plan.
The FTC (Federal Trade Commission) states that MLM will pay you based on your sales to retail customers, without having to recruit new distributors. A pyramid scheme relies on the continuous recruitment of dues-paying members to keep afloat, even if members are required to continue buying the products they may not be able to sell.
After doing your due diligence, you might want to consider other ways to bring in income instead.
What is MLM?
MLM (Multi-level marketing), also known as direct selling and network marketing, is a business model for selling products directly to purchasers using independent sales representatives.
Usually, MLMs have a detailed compensation plan that outlines exactly how these upline and downline relationships work and how distributors get compensated. These plans explain recruiting and sales commissions, and they define requirements members must meet to be eligible for compensation. These are usually expressed in minimum sales targets and numbers of new recruits.
There are hundreds of the old MLM companies still around and many people are still making money from them. That’s because they signed up when those were startups, within the first two or three years after they launched.
So, again, what are the recent shifts in MLM? Check out the current best MLMs.
What are the current best MLMs?
If you want to go ahead with MLM, the following are touted as the best five new companies for 2023-2024.
1. LIVEGOOD
LiveGood is one of the fastest growing. Their products include CBD supplements, dietary supplements, and beauty products.
2. APL GO
They carry lozenges and drops with propriety health benefits. It is a Acumullit SA technology that is revolutionizing the wellness industry.
For motivation, they have travels, promotions and motivating events, technology that is one of a kind and exclusive for their products, six options for starting your business, and 15 kinds of bonuses.
They also have 24/7 support and a step-by-step plan and a nice website, webinars, videos, etc.
3. PAWTREE
Although Paw Tree which has been around since 2018, got off to a slow start, it has been making up time.
They obviously offer pet supplies for cats and dogs. There’s a full line of supplies plus supplements.
4. IX GLOBAL
This is a learning-based MLM. They are leveraging today’s most addictive trends such as health, productivity, fitness, spirituality, etc.
You get training, from the top experts in the area that most interests you, from brilliant minds who know how to encourage and impact. You’ll see speakers from all different global stages.
5. IGENIUS
This MLM is about financial markets and investing practices. You’ll get an education and tools for cryptocurrency equity and forex markets. There’s live training and market research provided by experts and it’s easy to follow along.
You should just watch this one for two or three years before jumping into this network marketing business.
In summary, research indicates that older MLMs are not so profitable and not the way to go.
When considering an MLM company, remember the low-cost products, simple recruiting systems, and the high percentage of affiliate products in recent MLMs.
Most importantly, you should get in during the first 2-3 years.
Before getting into MLM, explore your own strengths and what needed service you can provide to others. There are inexpensive ways to start and you can create a very sustainable and ethical income avenue without the headache of a garage full of products you can’t get rid of.
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Beware of the Pitfalls of Working from Home
by Rahimah Sultan
Advertising Disclosure: Marketing Success Review may be compensated in exchange for featured placement of certain sponsored products and services, or your clicking on links posted on this website. There is no expense to you.
There is an abundance of business advice to be had which includes delegating certain tasks so you can focus on your business. Although this is great advice, what if you’re a one-person business and you work from home?
Although you can run a small business on your own, it takes planning and a lot of patience.
Beware of the pitfalls of working from home so you can be successful. Here are four challenges that you need to avoid.
What are some pitfalls you need to avoid?
1. NOT STAYING FOCUSED
It’s difficult to stay focused with distractions from television, family members, and dirty dishes. And, if you’re new to working at home, it’s hard to feel like you’re working, because your home environment doesn’t feel like your work in an outside office.
Solution: If you’re not an expert multi-tasker like some people and you find your productivity is suffering, you should come up with a more formally structured day, as in a traditional office setting where you would not do home chores or run errands during work.
Create a dedicated area as your office, one with a door, if possible. At the very least, a corner just for work so that when you go there your brain signals it’s time to work. If you find yourself stuck from time to time, try a change of environment such as a cafe for an hour or take a walk outside.
2. LOSING BOUNDARIES
Although you should take advantage of the flexibility working from home provides, remember how easily time can be ripped away from your workday. After all, your work is just as real as any traditional office job.
Solution: At a traditional office job, everyone appears to understand your work schedule, and you’re not expected to get everything taken care of in one day. However, when you’re working from home, all those boundaries seem not to apply.
Although you should take advantage of the flexibility working from home provides, remember how easily time can be ripped away from your workday. After all, your work is just as real as any traditional office job.
3. WORKING TOO MUCH
The stereotypical working-from-home in pajamas and easy days is not the reality. When you work from home, you work longer days because there’s no separation between work and home. You don’t have a natural stopping point nor do you drive away from the office, and days get longer because it’s hard to put aside your work.
Solution: As with most jobs, there’s always going to be more to do. You need to regulate yourself and be disciplined and set a boundary between your work and personal life. Although this doesn’t have to be every night, if you’re serious about working from home for the long term, this lifestyle has to be sustainable. You’ll need time away from the computer and the stress of work.
4. FEELING ISOLATED
Not being in a traditional office setting with day-to-day social interaction can bring on feelings of isolation.
Solution: When you’re working from home, you’ll need to create social interactions. You can:
Schedule lunch or breakfast get-togethers
Use social networks such as Facebook or Twitter as your virtual “water cooler” during the day
Use real-time communications like skype, phone calls, or chat instead of email
Get involved with local meetups or networking groups
Spend some time working in shared office spaces
In summary, find a proper work-life balance. Schedule breaks on your calendar and don’t miss them. Note your in and off hours on the calendar and in your chat tools.
Outside of work take time to unwind and spend time with your family. Pursue your hobbies, make plans with friends, and occupy yourself with things that aren’t work-related.
So, beware of the pitfalls of working from home and use these four challenges as a starting point for overcoming pitfalls.
Work From Home With Affiliate Marketing
by Rahimah Sultan
Advertising Disclosure: Marketing Success Review may be compensated in exchange for featured placement of certain sponsored products and services, or your clicking on links posted on this website. There is no expense to you.
If you’re looking for an alternate stream of income, affiliate marketing may be your opportunity.
Affiliate marketing is a growing industry and is set to grow even more by 2024. More than 80% of advertisers use affiliate marketing.
The most popular niches are Fashion, Sports & Outdoors, Health/Wellness & Beauty, Travel, and Home & Garden, in that order. Due to covid, Travel may have dropped down the list a bit.
Amazon Associates is still the largest affiliate network.
In the past, affiliates were traditional bloggers or media publishers who had websites they could use to promote and review affiliate products. They tried to earn an income by promoting multiple brands from a range of popular affiliate programs, and even competing products.
Now, influencers are the stars of the internet. Data suggests consumers trust an influencer over an advertisement or traditional celebrity endorsement. Genuine influencers only promote products they like and trust.
What is affiliate marketing?
Affiliate marketing is an advertising model for publishers to earn a commission by promoting a product or service made by someone else.
You don’t have to worry about high startup costs, as affiliate programs are normally free to join.
In affiliate marketing, you refer a product or service by sharing it on a blog, social media platform, podcast, or on a website. You (the affiliate) then earn a commission every time someone purchases through the unique link given to you to use for advertising that product or service.
Commission rates vary according to the company and the offer. There are some programs that offer a flat rate per sale as opposed to a percentage.
There are several types of affiliate marketing in existence, and some are used strictly for generating income.
The best type of affiliate marketing is one that is honest and genuine and in which you become a trusted source on the topic.
If you’re thinking about working from home, here are some business ideas to consider.
What are the pros and cons of affiliate marketing?
Pros
Affiliate marketing is a no- to low-cost business venture you can profit from.
It’s easy to execute, as you have no developing, supporting, or fulfilling of offers to do.
It’s low risk since there are no costs to join programs and you can generate passive income.
With successful affiliate marketing, it’s easy to scale your earnings without hiring additional help, and you can introduce new products and services to your current audience and build campaigns for additional products while your existing work continues to generate revenue.
Know that great affiliate marketing is built on trust. It’s best to only highlight things that you personally use or would recommend. Becoming a great marketer for a certain product requires a lot of work, even when the product interests you or fits within an existing hobby.
Cons
Affiliate marketing requires time and patience. It’s not a get-rich-quick scheme. You’ll need to research the most relevant and credible products to promote. You have to spend time blogging, hosting virtual events, publishing free content on social media, and doing other lead-generating activities.
Since it’s commissioned-based, you have no boss.
Temporary browser cookies are used to track people’s actions from your content. You’re paid when the desired action is taken by someone.
Affiliates have no control over the program. You must obey the rules and guidelines set by the company as to how to present their product or service.
How do affiliates get paid?
There are five common ways affiliates get paid:
Pay per sale – earn a commission for each sale you make.
Pay per action – earn a commission for a specific action.
Pay per install – you’re paid for every installation you generate from your website traffic
promoting mobile apps and software so that people download or install them.
Pay per lead – pays every time someone signs up for something. This method is common for beginners, as it’s easier to generate leads than to sell products to an audience.
Pay per click – earn a commission on every click on your affiliate link. This method is used by big merchants desiring to build brand awareness. Customers don’t need to sign up for or buy anything, just to visit the merchant’s website.
What are the top affiliate networks?
The top affiliate networks are:
Affiliate Future
AvantLink
CJ Affiliate
ClickBank
FlexOffers
LinkConnector
ShareASale
To work from home with affiliate marketing starting today, decide on a niche, choose a platform, find relevant marketing programs, create valuable content, and follow FTC guidelines.
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Avoiding Burnout While Working From Home
by Rahimah Sultan
Advertising Disclosure: Marketing Success Review may be compensated in exchange for featured placement of certain sponsored products and services, or your clicking on links posted on this website. There is no expense to you.
What is burnout?
Burnout is the accumulation of work-related stress coupled with continued pressure to perform at an increased level over time without sufficient breaks and downtime.
What are the signs of stress?
1. Fight response
People who have a fight response to stress may have increased irritability and anger. They may have an urge to lash out, raise their voice, be accusatory toward others or the situation. This response can also show in their physical demeanor such as tightening of parts of the body and muscles, and high blood pressure.
2. Freeze response
The freeze response is manifested in an inability to concentrate, the mind freezing or locking up, brain fog, and forgetfulness. Those suffering this response may be avoiding certain situations and distancing themselves from others, and are becoming demotivated at work and in other parts of life.
3. Flight response
The flight response can cause people to become restless, fidgety, and unable to sleep. People suffering this response to stress may be having anxiety-like symptoms, such as a tight chest, affected breathing, stomach pains and excess sweating.
How do you manage stress?
If you notice any of these symptoms, it’s important to manage them as quickly as possible in order to avoid burnout and to keep your brain and body functioning in a healthy way.
Following are some things you can do to avoid burnout.
Sleep
Establish a consistent bedtime routine, so your body and brain know when to start winding down. Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day.
Do not exercise, use caffeine, nicotine or alcohol for a half hour before going to bed, and limit blue light exposure from mobile devices. This will improve sleep and good quality rest.
Exercise and movement
Aerobic exercise will pump endorphins through the body, reducing stress. And, physical activity leads to positive physical effects, such as improving cardiovascular, digestive and immune health and can protect the body.
Do not over-exercise. Exercising too much and too hard without adequate recovery can add to the burden on the nervous system. Those who like to do intense exercise might want to do less to give their nervous system more recovery time. Choosing other types of exercise like walking, yoga, and pilates instead of some of the more strenuous workouts during the week, can be beneficial.
Along with exercise, daily pick-me-ups such as spending 10 minutes in a park or the garden can be beneficial in minimizing stress. Fresh air and greenery are instant mood boosters that do not require putting time aside like a long, strenuous workout. These also provide the necessary regular breaks from work and help avoid burnout.
Journaling
Reflecting through writing is an effective way to manage stress, since it encourages you to explore the cause of your stress. It’s a good way to gain a deeper understanding of stress by putting it into words and then working to improve the root causes of negative stressors.
Reflecting will also provide the tools to mindfully treat stress triggers, rather than simply managing the symptoms of the stress. This will reduce overall stress as problems are solved and removed, leading to greater long-term confidence and avoiding burnout.
Take a break from technology
While on a morning walk before starting work or while attempting to wind down after dinner, we can be tempted to check messages and emails. Thus, the home office space becomes blended into the living space. This constant exposure to work-related technology can have psychological consequences and lead to an inability to switch off.
Social media can lead to distraction and prevent you from getting tasks done, and this can lead to work backlog, and ultimately contribute to burnout. Set clear parameters for work time.
Be conscious of how much time you spend on social media and look for ways to reduce this.
Maintaining Social Connections
Control what you can. Feeling like you have no control over your situation is another common burnout contributor.
It’s very powerful to accept that you cannot control certain things, and work on what you can.
Try some relaxation techniques, from breathing to mindfulness, which engage the parasympathetic nervous system.
And you can always share your concerns and fears with your trusted social connections.
Prioritize and plan
Regularly step back and look at what needs to be done in order of priority, and direct your energy accordingly. Do not let the small, less-important tasks overly absorb your limited energy.
Look at the big picture and make a plan. Then break the plan down into smaller tasks that you can direct your energy toward on a day-to-day, week-to-week basis, until you feel like you’ve got things under control.
At the beginning of the day write a to-do list. At the end of the workday look at what you achieved to remind yourself of how much you do and recognize what you can let go of.
Remain focused and don’t be afraid to say ‘no’ to things that distract from your plan.
When you have the tools to recognize and manage stress and burnout, you can take control and manage many of the variables that can contribute to this. Stress and burnout are something that we all experience at various stages in our lives, but we have inner resources such as adaptation skills and resilience.
So, the first step in avoiding burnout while working from home is recognition and then taking the necessary steps to alleviate it.
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Reprise: 5 Tips for Starting a One-Person Business
by Rahimah Sultan
Advertising Disclosure: Marketing Success Review may be compensated in exchange for featured placement of certain sponsored products and services, or your clicking on links posted on this website. There is no expense to you.
Are you the only person in your business or are you just starting a business?
You can run a small business on your own, although it requires planning and lots of patience.
You need to write your business plan, meet with a business advisor to discuss activating your plans, and have patience.
Your business plan needs to include the right business structure. You’ll need to prioritize tasks and set goals.
Following are 5 tips for starting a one-person business:
1) Start as a Side Business
Continue reading…
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7 Home-Based Business Ideas
by Rahimah Sultan
Advertising Disclosure: Marketing Success Review may be compensated in exchange for featured placement of certain sponsored products and services, or your clicking on links posted on this website. There is no expense to you.
Many people who are trying to start a full-time or side business are looking for home business ideas. With new technology and software, opportunities to create a low-cost home-based business have never been easier.
Here are 7 home-based business ideas:
1. Web Development and Digital Marketing
Although websites have seemingly been around for ages, people still need high-quality sites. As a web developer you have many options for creating websites.
In order for you to create custom websites, you’ll need to learn code. If you are proficient at WordPress, you can set up sites for people or teach others how to use it. WordPress and others like it are semi-custom websites.
A semi-custom website can earn you about $2,500. However, if you build websites using code you can make up to $15,000 or more.
Digital marketing is a term that includes any online strategies used to get more customers to a business. This includes online Ads, social media marketing, search engine optimization (SEO), and Google My Business.
The goal of digital marketing is to help businesses make money. If you can do that, you can create a business as a freelancer or marketing agency.
2. Affiliate Marketing
Although the term affiliate marketing has several meanings, it typically means selling someone else’s products for a fee.
Affiliate marketing can work for you if you recommend a product, service, or software on your website. You earn a commission for every person that clicks on your unique link and buys a product. The difficulty is finding people to sell affiliate products to? You have to build an audience of people who know, like and trust you. You can do this by way of a website, an email list, social media channels, or a video platform. Once you have an audience you can recommend your affiliate products and services to them.
3. Personal Trainer
As a personal trainer you can freelance in your own home, a client’s home or a public place such as a park, beach, or parking lot.
It’s helpful to have documented results from clients. If you’re just starting as a personal trainer, consider taking on a couple of committed clients at a cut-rate and document their outcomes. Then you can show their success on your website, on social media, and in your marketing materials. Rates can range from $11 to $52 an hour.
4. Yoga Instructor
Yoga instruction is similar to personal training in that you can host classes outside. You can also teach virtual classes with a software to assist you like namastream which provides the tools needed for a successful virtual yoga business. Use the software to create multiple membership options, set up autopay, and integrate email marketing.
5. Voice-Over Artist
The demand for voice over artists is high due to the rise of e-learning and e-books. Also, the diversity of voice quality has increased with people looking for unique accents and dialects.
Technological advances have proven advantageous to the voice over industry and have brought it to a new level with the arrival of podcasts, audiobooks, and even smart devices that enable self-command features.
You are not limited to jobs in your local area. With a voice coach you like and believe would properly train you, try remote coaching which makes use of video chat apps such as Skype and FaceTime, and podcasts and webinars.
Even as assistive apps such as Alexa and Siri have grown in popularity, people still prefer the emotional connection of a real human voice.
6. Sell Handmade products
You can sell handmade products through a third-party website like Etsy or AmazonHandmade. If you use a third-party site instead of your own ecommerce site, you gain access to the third-party site’s visitors.
On Etsy and AmazonHandmade you can sell jewelry, pet toys, candles, ornaments, bath bombs, face masks, knitted products, and personalized planners.
It will take time to build credibility. The potential trust customers have in your products and store will increase as you get more satisfied customers.
7. Pet Sitting
Consider becoming a pet sitter if you love pets and have experience taking care of them. While you can do your own local marketing to find customers, you can also use a website such as Rover.com to connect with those looking for dog boarding, walking, and day care.
As far as pricing, a walk in your local neighborhood can be $15 to $20. A trip to a dog park which requires more work and supervision may cost $20 to $30. Day sitting ranges from $25-$50, and overnight boarding costs between $50 and $75 per night.
To increase your fees you can offer additional services such as mobile grooming or dog training certification.
Freelancing using one of these seven home-based business ideas is a great way to start a home-based business. You can practice your service on, or sell the product to people you know in exchange for free or at a discount and get testimonials. When you have quality experiences and good results to share, use that in your overall business marketing.
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5 Tips for Starting a One-Person Business
by Rahimah Sultan
Advertising Disclosure: Marketing Success Review may be compensated in exchange for featured placement of certain sponsored products and services, or your clicking on links posted on this website. There is no expense to you.
Included in the abundance of business advice is the fact that you should delegate certain tasks so you can focus on your business rather than work in your business. This is sound advice, unless you happen to be the only person in your business or you’re just starting a business.
Can you run a small business on your own?
You can run a small business on your own, although it requires planning and lots of patience.
Following are 5 Tips for starting a one-person business from some entrepreneurs who have successfully done so. You can use your own plan, although this framework tends to lead to success.
1) Start as a Side Business
It’s going to take time to build your one-person business, and quitting your job will create financial challenges if you don’t have quite a bit of money saved.
For financial security, starting your one-person business on the side is often the way to go. If you develop a client base while working a full-time job over a year or so, you’ll be bringing in money and be set to grow an already established brand once you take your venture full time.
Starting your business on the side allows you the time and opportunity to see what challenges may occur or whether you should change course and choose another type business.
Starting your business from home on the side affords flexibility to make mistakes and fail without losing your only source of income.
2) Determine the Right Structure for Your Business
The type of clients or audience you want and your branding play a part in structuring your business.
The simplest forms of business available are sole proprietorships which offer a lot of flexibility. You can be an independent contractor, operate a small more traditional business or do freelance work.
Although this seems like a logical choice, you are solely responsible for everything including any potential lawsuits that may occur and any applicable employment taxes.
The usual advice is to form an LLC or incorporate the business. In doing so you, as the owner, are provided with liability protection.
If you’re a one-person business and operate as a sole proprietorship you can change the structure when you become a multi-person organization.
Click here for more information on choosing a business structure.
3) Prioritize Tasks
Since you’re the only one working in your business, it’s critical not to procrastinate or waste time. You need to prioritize your tasks.
Schedule your day and your tasks. You’re going to be pulled in many directions with phone calls and messages and such. You have to decide what needs immediate attention and what can wait.
Organize tasks with both a short- and long-term view. Block out times of the day to work on different tasks and long-term goals and projects. If your working only a few hours a day on your side business, there’s not a lot of time for tedious tasks and checking emails.
Help prioritize your tasks by setting long-term goals.
When working alone it’s easy to get off track and make little progress. Take a long-term goal setting approach, and hold yourself accountable to those goals. You can set long-term goals to accomplish in three-month increments.
Let’s say you’re just organizing a plan of action because you’ve not actually started your side business. Consider how you’ll get the word out about your business. Consider whether you’ll use a blog, social media or both. Then set target dates for having these in place. Set dates for when you want to begin posting to your blog. Decide how often you want to post and when you’ll write your posts. Setting goals helps you stay on track.
Although sticking to the grindstone and getting work done is great, you’ll need some help from other sources. Surround yourself with great people. That can be other small businesses and independent contractors who can provide a variety of services such as website development, graphic design, and video production. Working together and exchanging ideas and being flexible benefits you and your clients.
4) Community Supporters
Running a one-person business can be mentally tiring, so connect with like-minded people and build a community of supporters. Find activities that are not work related to get involved in like joining clubs and joint fitness groups for human interaction to allow time away the day-to-day office drama.
Connect with business peers for advice and to reduce business loneliness. Reach out to local business owners and entrepreneurs. Talk with experienced business people in your area and share advice and viewpoints with them. This builds connections and gives you a group of people to turn to for advice. LinkedIn is an easy way to connect with business people in your area and quickly build a network.
Attend SBA (Small Business Administration) events in your area that interest you and meet others who are experiencing what you’re going through.
As counter-intuitive as it sounds, it’s not wise to run a one-person business alone.
5) Growth Limitations
Your growth limitations are determined by your definition of success. You can grow only so large without a team. If you find the limit that you can get to on your own and are able to maintain, you can certainly sustain that as long as you desire.
If you have no goals of building any level of empire, you might be completely content to stay on your own. But if your definition of success involves anything more than that, you’ll need to start considering having a team.
So, write your business plan, with these five tips for starting a one-person business in mind, meet with a business advisor to discuss activating your plans, and be patient.
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12 Top Converting Lead Magnet Ideas for Your Business
by Rahimah Sultan
Advertising Disclosure: Marketing Success Review may be compensated in exchange for featured placement of certain sponsored products and services, or your clicking on links posted on this website. There is no expense to you.
If you need a reminder, a lead magnet is a motivation for people to give you their contact information. This incentive is important because the last thing anybody wants is more emails.
However, they do want solutions to problems.
Therefore, when you offer an impressive lead magnet that solves your target audience’s problem, they’ll be much more inclined to give you their email addresses.
When you have their contact information, you can stay in touch, build a relationship with them, and make more offers that grow your business.
We’ll cover 12 top converting lead magnet ideas for your business.
There’s no reason creating a lead magnet should be complicated.
How do you create a great lead magnet?
There are 4 keys to creating a powerful lead magnet:
1. One Problem
In order not to confuse your target audience, focus only on one problem. When people are confused, they won’t take any action.
2. An Easy Win
Provide an easy win. Your target audience wants to see quick results and the best content to help solve a problem.
Don’t confuse the value of a win with the amount of content you include. A 6-hour video course sounds valuable but it’s too much of a time commitment for a lead magnet. Do something that can be acted on immediately.
3. Specificity
Your lead magnet should solve a specific problem.
Give your reader a step-by-step guide. Concentrate on one problem with a quick win, and enter enough information so the person can understand how to get that win.
Never leave someone hanging with a lead magnet that offers no value or one that leaves them confused.
4. A Great Design
Invest in a great design that pleases your users and demonstrates you’re a professional.
Great designs don’t have to be expensive. For a minimal investment, you can use tools like Canva produced by real designers to create a great-looking lead magnet.
What are some lead magnet ideas?
We’ll be covering 12 top converting lead magnet ideas for your business.
1. Discount
Although some businesses offer a one-time discount of as much as 50% to people who sign up for their email list, a small one of 10-15% will do.
2. Product Sample
Since people like to know what they’re getting before they buy, consider giving away a sample of the product, such as the first chapter of a book they can download.
3. Free Shipping
If you ship physical products, free shipping is an outstanding option as shipping charges may stop many people from making a purchase.
By removing the extra cost of shipping from a customer’s first order they’re more likely to buy. You can also include a discount with this.
4. Free Trial
Free trials help you boost your current and future sales. Free trials provide potential customers the opportunity to try before they buy to see if your product or service will work for them.
If it works, they’ll buy it and you’ve gained a customer. If it doesn’t, you’ll still have their email address so you can stay in touch with them and nurture the relationship to potentially convert them into a paying customer later.
5. Templates
Templates are among the most common lead magnet ideas because they offer an instant win.
Most people need some guidance to start a project, and templates offer that guidance.
Visme is an online platform that helps you design presentation materials and it has templates you can use like infographics or charts to build your business’ visual materials.
They have some free templates and the others are reserved to entice visitors to create a paid account.
6. How-to Guides
You can offer a step-by-step how-to guide to relieve the frustration of those needing to do something unfamiliar and complicated.
7. Cheat Sheet
You can offer your target audience lists of the essential points to remember during a process. For example, things to include when composing an email or some great headlines to use to improve the probability of your email being opened.
8. Audio Recording
If you’re more comfortable with audio content than written, recordings are a great lead magnet idea. Similarly, if your target audience likes to listen while on the go, audio recordings work well as a lead magnet.
9. Video
As video in content marketing is growing in popularity, it makes a great lead magnet idea for three reasons:
a) It’s a great way to access your target audience.
b) It helps them get to know you better.
c) It strengthens their trust in you.
Although you can use a series of videos, one that’s well done will work.
10. E-book
Use a short e-book to give your reader a quick win, as they’re a valuable resource. The operative word is short.
11. Email Course
An email course could be a perfect lead magnet for your business if you love email.
Just as with an e-book, don’t provide so much content that you overwhelm your prospect.
12. Free Consultation
If you’re a service provider working with clients, offer a free consultation to determine the kind of help they need.
Since your time is valuable, do keep time limits in mind. Don’t give away too much of it.
We’ve discussed how to create a great lead magnet and presented 12 top converting lead magnet ideas for your business.
As you look at these lead magnet ideas, remember your audience. Keep in mind the problems they face, and the best content to help them solve one of those problems.
Use one of these 12 top converting lead magnet ideas for your business to help solve a prospect’s problem.
Have you tried this viral mailer that pays?