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.

Get Your Business System With Autoresponder Here

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.



Get Your System With Autoresponder Here

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.



Your Autoresponder and More

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…


Your Autoresponder and More

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.


Hosting and More

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.


Hosting and more

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 an entrepreneur with a home-based business, you may have considered getting business insurance. Well, hesitate no longer. The question is not whether or not to get insurance, but what type of insurance to get.

You definitely need insurance for your home-based business.

Just because you can run your business in your pajamas doesn’t mean it’s not a real business. So, it needs to be insured just like any brick and mortar establishment.

Your homeowner’s policy carries little or no coverage for a business and some insurance companies may even invalidate your policy if you file a business-related claim.

As a result you’ll have no coverage for:

Buildings used for business purposes
Loss or damage to business records or data
Loss of income that results from a business shutdown caused by physical loss to business property.


Why Do You Need Insurance for Your Home-Based Business?

Consider the following:

1) You run a consulting business from home, as an IT professional. If your home is robbed and all your expensive computer equipment is stolen, you may find that it’s not fully covered under your homeowners’ insurance because it is considered business property.

2) A business delivery person is leaving your home-based architect office and slips on some wet steps and sustains injuries. Your policy might not pay for these injuries because your insurance doesn’t cover business deliveries or any third-party injury claims.

3) If you run a landscaping business out of a building adjacent to your home and it catches fire and burns your equipment, you’re mistaken to think your homeowner’s policy covers such an incident.

4) As an accountant, you advise a client on a financial matter that ends up costing her money. As a result, she files a lawsuit. A homeowner’s policy won’t come close to touching that.

These are only a few reasons to purchase home-based business insurance.

Neither homeowners’ nor renters’ insurance policies cover home-based businesses.


The many types of business insurance include:

Business property insurance which covers any kind of equipment used to operate your business including your computer, printer, fax machine, furniture, etc.

Liability insurance that protects you and your business from being liable for damages caused to another person or property.

Product liability coverage to protect your business from damages to property or a person caused by a product you supplied, manufactured or designed.

Business automobile coverage which will provide coverage if you are in an accident while making pickups or deliveries, visiting clients or performing other business-related tasks. Your personal auto policy does not cover using your vehicle for business.


Here I have covered only a few types of insurance for your home-based business. There are many more for you to consider, depending on your particular business.

It is wise to work with an insurance professional who can furnish the details you need for the particular type of home-based business insurance that’s available for your business.

Based on the many potential business liabilities, you’re probably better off having at least a combination of a few policies, depending on your business needs. And that could be one less thing to keep you awake at night.


Get Your System With Autoresponder Here

by Rahimah Sultan

When you start an online business you’re probably selling one of three things:

Your time (coaching or consulting)
Your products (ecommerce)
Someone else’s products (affiliate marketing)

In this article, written several years ago, I discussed several things to consider before starting a home business that are still applicable.

With a blog you can sell all these. Blogging is the ultimate low-risk, high-reward business idea. You can set your plan in motion by starting a blog. You can test the waters by using it as a hobby or you can set yourself up as a scalable full time business with a business structure such as an LLC, which requires filing certain paper work for a fee.

You can use your blog to advertise whichever of these Seven Business Ideas for Working from Home that you choose or others.

Now, what are these seven business ideas for working from home?


1. Start a Profitable Blog

You need to be clear on your reason for starting a blog. For example:

To increase retirement nest egg
For the ability to quit your 9-5 job
To be able to spend more time with your family
To take more vacations

When you’re clear about your goals move forward with setting up your blog.

Install WordPress as your blogging platform if your eventual goal is to make money. A WordPress blog can be monetized.


2. Web Development

Front-end web development is a valued skill to cater to the rising demand for starting new websites.

Although there are a lot of tools to help small businesses create their own websites, developers are needed for more custom jobs. New businesses are always looking for efficient coders at cost-effective prices.

You can start by building websites for relatives and friends to improve your skills and then slowly transform your career into a more lucrative business plan.

Developers must have basic coding skills in computer languages like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. There are several cheap or free online courses that can help you learn and get started with web development.


3. Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate Marketing is a branch of Internet marketing where the advertisement publisher gets paid for every customer or sale provided by him, i.e. publishers and bloggers.

This is not a new concept. It’s essentially, getting a commission on a sale. Affiliate marketing is a quick way to offer products and services without having to create your own.

For more information read my in-depth article on affiliate marketing.


4. WordPress Web Consultant

Small businesses and bloggers use WordPress to start their own website.

If you are experienced at setting up WordPress websites, use your skill to build a business.

Along with your consulting, you can offer digital marketing services to your clients as an additional income stream.

Once you build a successful business as a WordPress website consultant, you can change your business into a digital marketing agency.


5. Freelance Content Writing

There is a huge demand for content writers. If you can create engaging stories and write articles, you can turn those skills into a profitable freelance writing business.

You can write content for a variety of purposes from website copy and sales pages to blog posts and email newsletters. You can also edit and proofread work.

Grammarly is the most popular grammar checker. It enables you to develop your writing by using proper grammar, punctuation, spelling, and better word choices.

As a freelance copywriter you have the opportunity to work from any location. You need to build your portfolio, and then you can launch your own inbound lead-generating website. You can connect with potential clients on social media platforms like LinkedIn and offer everything from content writing to SEO writing.


6. Computer Repair

Due to the high cost of computer repair at authorized service locations, you have an excellent opportunity to earn money by offering cost-effective repair services. You can approach small businesses and neighborhood homes to get repair projects. Then you and your team can steadily expand and take bigger orders from medium to larger organizations.

The opportunities in this field are immense and include learning to fix networking issues and replacing crashed hard drives.


7. Pet Grooming

Pet grooming is a booming business idea where wealthy pet owners live. People are spoiling their pets with spa and foot massages, haircuts, and massage therapists.

It takes about $2,000 to set up a pet grooming business. You can find clients in your neighborhood or check on Facebook and WhatsApp groups.

For a better understanding of the job, you can take a dog grooming course. If grooming is not for you, you can set up a pet sitting business which requires small startup fee.

Of course there are many more options including but not limited to:

Baking
Child Care
Computer Repair
Crafts
Dog Walking
Home Services
Self-Publishing

You can access many courses here(skillshare.com) to get started with your business idea. This is just a suggestion. I receive no compensation for this recommendation.

Working at home in your own business requires the same discipline as working in an office for someone else. If you treat your business like a hobby it will be difficult to make progress. You must have a plan, a proper set up and keep good records.

Use these Seven Business Ideas for Working from Home to help you start brainstorming your next entrepreneurial venture.



Hosting and More


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 affiliate marketing?


Affiliate marketing is the process of promoting products or services of another person or company in exchange for a commission on the resulting sale. Affiliate marketers join the affiliate programs, find trustworthy affiliate products or services to promote, and share them with their audiences.


This is not a new concept. It’s essentially, getting a commission on a sale. Affiliate marketing is a quick way to offer products and services without having to create your own.


An affiliate, also known as the publisher, can be a single individual or a company.

So, what are the 4 Steps to get Started in Affiliate Marketing?


First, let’s cover a few of the technical aspects that run in the background with the merchant’s affiliate program software.


When an affiliate joins the merchant’s program, s/he is given a unique ID and a specific URL to use to promote the product. The affiliate then includes this link in blog posts or other marketing efforts and invites readers to click it for more information.


When someone clicks the link to visit the affiliate partner’s site, a cookie identifying the affiliate is placed on their computer. This cookie confirms the publisher is credited with the referral sale even if it happens days or weeks later.


Whenever a buyer completes the sale process, the merchant checks the sales record for a cookie identifying the source of the referral. If the merchant finds a cookie with an affiliate ID, the affiliate is credited with the sale.


The merchant makes reports available so that the affiliates can see their referrals (clicks) and sales. Then, at the end of each payment period the merchant pays the affiliate commission (i.e. revenue sharing).


This flow works the same for any kind of product you’re promoting and for any affiliate marketer.


Now, the 4 Steps to get Started in Affiliate Marketing.

The number one thing to remember is that you’re getting paid a commission in exchange for offering readers information on products / services they’re already thinking about buying.


By using your blog and the Internet in a systematic process, you are providing valuable advice to thousands of people to help them make a smarter decision.


Following are four steps to help you get started:


Step 1. Choose a Product to Promote as an Affiliate

As a principled blogger you will always face two constraints
when choosing products you want to promote:


a) You’re either limited to products you’ve used and like that have an affiliate program and are a good fit for your audience, or


b) You’re limited to products you can get access to for evaluation by buying them or getting a free sample or free trial.


Of these two options the first one is the most common way to get started with affiliate offers.


Option #1: Promote Products You already Use and Love


You become an affiliate for a product or service you’ve used and tested and feel good about recommending. It could be a course or an ebook or something else.


Make a list of courses, products, and services you have experience with and choose the one you would be excited to promote. Cross off any that are not a good fit.


Then, check to see if the merchant has an affiliate program. Some will not, although many do.


You can do an online search using a search engine such as Google for:


“affiliate program” + [product name], (i.e. “affiliate program” + Pinterest Marketing Course, or other product)


or email the merchant and ask.


Use a check list for your other products that includes the following:


>> You’ve previewed the product so you know its quality.
>> They have a solid refund policy that you trust they’ll honor.
>> They provide good customer support (and you’ve tested it).
>> You have a good story to share about your experience with the product.
>> The offer fits your audience’s needs and won’t abuse the trust you’ve built with them.


The affiliate products that meet all these requirements are your best income opportunities. You can add as many of these products as you like in the future.


Now, you’ve found your first product! Apply using the merchant’s process and start promoting.


This option may be enough to get you started if you’re new to affiliate marketing channels.


However, as a blogger you’ll also want to try option #2.


If you don’t already have a product that you love and is a good fit for your audience and that offers an affiliate program, you’ll have to explore this second option.


Option #2: Find Products through an Affiliate Network


This option requires investing time into research and money into buying products to try, even more than the first option. So, be very careful.


That’s because you have no prior knowledge so there’s less trust. Do your due diligence, to protect your reputation and the trust you’ve built with your readers.


When you work through a network, your business relationship is with that network, and you normally won’t know the merchant ahead of time and won’t build a relationship with them.


Popular and reliable networks include Clickbank, CJ Affiliate (formerly Commission Junction), the eBay Partner Network (EPN), ShareASale, and the Amazon Associates program.


Some networks will assign you an affiliate manager to show you the ropes.


Many new marketers begin by becoming an Amazon affiliate and then scaling to other types of more profitable affiliate offers.


Step 2. Get Set Up as an Affiliate


Whether you work through a network or directly with a merchant you have to apply, be approved, and provide specific information in order to be paid.


At the very least, you’ll need to furnish your personal/business contact information for tax and reporting purposes as well as your bank account where commissions will be deposited.


The merchant will provide you with a trackable affiliate link that you’ll use whenever you post about the product. It will have a long tag at the end with your affiliate ID.


Here’s what some typical affiliate text links look like:


LINK THAT DIRECT’S TO THE MERCHANT’S HOME PAGE


https://merchantsite.com/dap/a/?a=1199



LINK TO ANOTHER PAGE ON THE MERCHANT’S SITE


https://merchantsite.com/dap/a/?a=1199&p=merchantsite.com/page.html


You’ll usually get some tips and useful marketing resources that could include:


a) An affiliate guide as well as instructions on how to use the platform and summary of policies such as payouts.

b) Online marketing tools like banners and sidebar graphics.

c) Sample email/webpage swipe copy.

d) Ongoing communications from the merchant about promotions, new products, etc.


You’ll get a link for each product you promote, if you use a network like Amazon.


Do check your specific network’s help and support pages for more information.


For your global audience you can check out geniuslink for tracking overseas sales through Amazon, iTunes, and Microsoft Store.


No matter which method you use, expect to invest money and time into researching the best products for your audience.


Step 3. Start Promoting Your Affiliate Offers


In the end, your hard work of finding and evaluating products only pays off when someone takes your advice and makes a purchase.


So, you need to place your recommendation in front of your audience in a trustworthy manner.


Don’t make the affiliate-marketer mistake of haphazardly slapping some banners on your blog that link to affiliate products and think that’s all you have to do.


Your recommendations should line up with your blog categories and topics, not some random products that are probably of no use to your readers.


Example:


If your blog’s focus is travel related, don’t use affiliate links advertising educational products or some other unrelated merchandise.


Here are a couple of options:


Option #1: Create a Resource Page on Your Blog


You can create your own resource page on which you can promote lots of different products, and they’ll all be organized in one place for easy reference for different readers according to their needs. It can also contain explanations regarding the usefulness of the products.


The page is not just a sales pitch but educational, with quality content. It should be well optimized for SEO so it will also rank well in Google search results and get organic traffic that also leads to good conversion rates.


Option #2: Create and Promote Custom Content


The following strategies are for those who are already sending traffic to your latest content by emailing your list regularly (at least two to four times per month) about what’s new.


A) Write Reviews


You can write in depth reviews of products, books, courses, or software products you promote as an affiliate.


Your reviews can focus on one product or comparisons between two products side by side.


Comparing two products in this way builds more trust, but is distracting due to multiple recommendations.


For multiple product reviews you can set up a “one-stop shop” for your niche by creating a site containing only reviews and affiliate offers.


B) Write Authoritative Content on a Related Topic


Write an authoritative comprehensive post that educates your audience and do a “soft sell” for your products.


For example, set up a guide for writing blog posts and include your affiliate links to your hosting providers.


Make sure your topic, whatever it is, is evergreen content – information that will be useful for years.


Create blog posts, infographics, videos, and more. Just do not create a sales page. You want to focus on building trust and authority.


Pay particular attention to SEO. Be sure to optimize for the right keywords and build links to your content to get a constant flow of traffic from Google.


C) Create Valuable Bonus Content


Check your affiliate agreement to see if you’re allowed to create bonus content. If so, create content, especially for your readers, to help them get even more value from the affiliate product.


People love bonuses! Creating them is fairly quick and easy, and they will help you stand out from other bloggers promoting the same product.


Some example bonuses are:


Step-by-step checklists.
Quick-start guides.
Video overviews or demos.
Complementary or discounted services (e.g., coaching calls).


Step 4. Follow Legal Requirements and Best Practice


In the U.S., the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) requires that you let people know you’ll earn a commission.


But even if it isn’t required by law where you’re located, it is recommended. It’s just good business.


People will appreciate your transparency and honesty and want to support you and help you for improving their lives.


So, wherever you share a link – in blog posts, on web pages or in emails – let readers know you may make a small commission if they make a purchase through you.


Also, create a disclaimer page on your website.


There, you have it, the bottom line on affiliate marketing.


Your dream of making passive income is a completely achievable reality, although it’s not as simple as pushing a magic button. With a little knowledge and persistence you can do it and eventually turn it into an online business.


Affiliate marketing is one of the best business models for making an income from home, once you’ve gained a respectable following.


It’s very easy to get started. Just follow the steps covered in this post.


Find the one big thing everyone in your audience needs to reach their goals and start there.


Choose a great product you believe in. Share your success with it.


Deliver plenty of valuable content to educate your audience, without being too salesy.


Nurture the trust your audience places in you.


Be upfront, honest, transparent, and most of all, patient.



Get Your Hosting and More



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.

by Rahimah Sultan

I’m sure that when you join affiliate programs your primary goal is to make lots of commissions by recommending products.


There are affiliate programs in many categories like web hosting, website builders, fitness, sports, music and many more.


If you don’t have a website, you can set up one with WordPress.


In his article, 105 Best Affiliate Programs of 2020, Adam Enfroy covers the best high-paying affiliate programs of 2020 for beginners.



Hosting and More




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.