work at home

November 19, 2009

• Successful Entrepreneur – Can I Make It As An Entrepreneur?

  

  How Can You Make Your Business Successful When Working By Yourself?

  These are uncertain times, and it can cause even the bravest soul to think twice before launching a new business.

  • Will I be able to pay the mortgage?
  • Can I put food on the table?
  • Will my kids have clothes and shoes?
  • Can I do this on my own?
  • Is there any way to know I will succeed before I begin?

  I can hear you now: "I want some assurances!"

  Unfortunately, there is no blueprint for success, no surefire way to tell if a person can make it in the land of the self-employed. However, most successful entrepreneurs have a few traits in common, a few habits and ways of thinking that push them toward success.

  Here As Some Traits I Think Are Most Important

  They believe in themselves. The most important trait successful entrepreneurs have in common is an unswerving faith in themselves and their ability to get the job done.

  They know they are capable of completing any task, no matter how daunting. Even if they don't know exactly how it will get done, they know they can figure it out and make it work. Even just this attitude sets them apart from 99% of the rest of the world.

  Successful entrepreneurs know they can go head-to-head with anyone and come out on top. They thrive on competition and improving themselves through battle in the business arena.

  They don’t shy from competition, they see it as part of the fun they have in this game.

  “It's kind of fun to do the impossible.” Walt Disney

  They visualize success. Successful entrepreneurs keep what they want to manifest forefront in their thoughts.

  Successful entrepreneurs SEE the business they want to create and keep a picture of it in their heads all the time. And visualization isn’t all they do: they write down their goals and strategies to be sure they stay focused.

  • They see themselves acquiring product and moving it out to distribution centers.
  • They see the product moving off shelves and reorders flowing in.
  • They see the service they provide helping their clients succeed.
  • They see themselves shaking hands with business partners, closing deals, and the deal working out smoothly to the benefit of all parties involved.

  Entrepreneurs have an unswerving belief in themselves and their ability to get the job done. They may not know exactly how they will accomplish a given task, but they know they can figure it out because they see the success they will achieve even before they start.

  They don't think about what could go wrong.

  They never, never, never worry about what could happen.

  Believe me, if you're worrying about all the things that can go wrong, you're not keeping the success-vision of your business at the forefront of your thoughts. You're not visualizing success. In fact, you're visualizing the bad stuff that can happen and all your energy is going into creating it!

  And since what you think about most EXPANDS, be sure to think of all the success and goals you have to achieve and let them be utmost in your thinking.

  Here’s something I learned from a good friend who happens to love to ride his motorcycle when the weather is good.
  Read more on Successful Entrepreneur – Can I Make It As An Entrepreneur?…

October 29, 2009

• Work At Home: 10 Tips To Create Your Business and Save Your Sanity!

  

  How To Set Up Your Business From Home

  So you're thinking of leaving the security and comfort of your day job and voyaging into the world of the self-employed OR you recently started working at home and aren’t sure what steps to take first.

  Congratulations! Nothing beats the feeling of accomplishment you get from growing your own business from scratch, from taking on the world with nothing but wits and a lot of hard work. I've been working at home since 1983 and haven't regretted it for a moment.

  Here are ten tips I've learned along the way to help make your journey a little easier.

  Tip Number One: Set a schedule.

  Time management can be problematic when you're self-employed.

  It's easy to get sidetracked when you're working from home and before you know it, the morning is gone. You probably had to be at your old job at a certain time so do the same thing with your business. Resolve to be at the computer, on the jobsite, or with a client by 7:30 AM (or earlier) and stick to it.

  For me, no matter what time I go to sleep the night before, I’m “at it” by 7:30 the next day. Some days I’m walking with my voice recorder creating WalkAbout Marketing podcasts and some days I’m at my desk. But it’s important to get started as soon as you can.

  And turn off your email: don’t let it beep every time you get a new message. I literally average 837 emails every day. Most should never see the light of day, though some are important. But nothing is so important that I have to be interrupted twelve times an hour to reply to it. In fact, I only download emails to my computer ever half hour and only look at them a few times each day (when I can reply to several emails in one short stretch of time, and then back to finishing my goals for the day).

  Tip Number Two: Tailor your workspace to your personality.

  How do you work best? Do you like to work with music in the background or do you like it perfectly quiet? Do you like pictures of family to remind you of your goals (and the reasons you work so hard), or do you prefer motivational posters and superhero action figures to spur you on to greatness? Find out how you work best and set up your space around your preferences.

  And speaking of space, I use a spare bedroom for my home office. When we bought this house in 1998, I picked out this space for my office. I can see the driveway when FedEx and UPS show up and it’s at the other end of the hallway from our bedroom. OK, so a 20-foot walk to work isn’t bad, I admit it!

  However, when the door is closed, the office is closed and I don't think about work (well, usually – I admit that I work at the kitchen table when Pam and I “watch” TV together. I can always look up for the replay or when a news report catches my ear).

  If you aren't able to have a separate space for an office, a room divider or curtains could do the trick. Just find some way to separate your space from the rest of the house and family and to hide your workspace from view so you don't have to look at it all the time (and be reminded of all the work you should be doing).

  And let your phone go to messages rather than letting every caller interrupt your work when they have the whim to call you. Batch the messages together, find time twice a day to return calls and make all of them then. AND, better yet, if someone wants to chat with you by phone, SET AN APPOINTMENT – I don’t take phone calls that aren’t prearranged – believe me, your clients will get used to it when you help them see the importance.

  Tip Number Three: Market yourself.

  Now I don't mean paying for advertising, creating glossy brochures, or doing weekly direct-mail piece.

  This website is FILLED with ideas for you so read my blog!

  Also, do you have a Facebook account? Keep it up to date and post often. (You can friend me at http://facebook.com/CharlesSeymourJr – be sure to send a note when you friend me: you should ALWAYS send a note, and this way I’ll know why you are asking to friend me.)

  Start a blog and use it like a diary. Think of all the things you are doing that clients and customers might be interested in. I post lots of videos to my blog (and to my Facebook profile, which acts like a mini blog for me).

  Keep friends and family informed of what you're doing. Word of mouth can be the best advertising and it's free (but you have to give them something to talk about!).

  Tip Number Four: Show that professionalism counts.
  Read more on Work At Home: 10 Tips To Create Your Business and Save Your Sanity!…

July 13, 2009

• Be Your Own Boss – NOW Is The Time

  

  Be Your Own Boss – You CAN Do This With Some Help

  No one said starting your own business would be EASY. No one said you wouldn't have to WORK at it.

  OK… so your dream left you a long time ago, especially as the economy turned south. It languishes still and really doesn't show any sign of improving.

  So… you're resourceful (to be a successful entrepreneur you HAVE to be resourceful): you came up with NEW dreams, and you know that only YOU can pick you up and get you moving.

  But has the economy improved? Well, small signs are seen, but are they signs that impact you directly?

  If you're like most people, the answer is no. You see some signs on the evening news or in the paper, but nothing affecting YOU directly… yet. Maybe some things for larger businesses but not for the type like you and I operate. (And let's face it, the only signs that matter are the ones that impact YOU directly… after all, we all listen to the same radio stations in our brains: WIIFM: What's In It For Me – so we want to see improvement to the economy around those things that impact use directly!)

  Some are screaming for more tax cuts (but you have to earn money to take advantage of those cuts). Some scream for more stimulus, but do we want to pay down that national debt forever?

  But YOU can't wait for the government to make things work: YOU have to make things work.

  So, what are you doing to be a successful entrepreneur, now that you are your own boss and run your own business? How do you create your own work at home now that you are the boss?

  How do you start to improve when those around you are struggling?
  Read more on Be Your Own Boss – NOW Is The Time…

June 8, 2009

• Copywriting For Profit – Turning Your Words Into Gold

  

  You, Too, Can Learn How To Turn Your Words Into Gold When Following Simple Steps To Profit

  “Do You Struggle When You Write? Does It Seem Easy For Others But Not For You? Have You Dreamed About Turning Your Words Into Cash?”
  • Are you tired of spending hours on your website and blog and getting nowhere?
  • Are you not building a relationship with people who might purchase something from you and they just pass you by?
  • Are you losing money, taking steps backwards, and not growing a business that you have spent hours creating – making you nervous that you might lose your whole business?

  Who Else Wants To Turn Their Words Into Emotional Responses By Buyers?

  People often asked me, "Charlie, how can I write better so that after all my hard work, I can actually SELL my products and services?"

  Like those asking me this, do you struggle when it comes time to write? Does it seem easy for others but not for you? Do you fear the time when you'll have something to sell but then you'll blow it when it comes to putting words in front of prospects?

  You're not alone.

  Other than Public Speaking, one of the things that most small business people fear is writing.

  Even a blog like this one is a chore (painful chore!) for some people.

  Believe me, I'm not a born writer. I didn't get A's in all my English classes. I haven't always enjoyed it or done well with it.

  But once I learned how to do it, the fear fell away and my success started to rise.

  After all, I sold more than $247 MILLION in real estate and most of it started with direct-mail pieces I sent out… so I had to be doing SOMETHING correctly.

  
  Here's Why I Do So Well Now!
  

  Several years ago I LEARNED Read more on Copywriting For Profit – Turning Your Words Into Gold…

April 13, 2009

• Work at Home: Can You Really Work at Home in Your Pajamas?

  

  How Many Of The Millions Of Unemployed In This Economy Will Begin To Work At Home?

  Are you unhappy at work? Do you find yourself daydreaming about working from home? You are certainly not alone.

  Millions of successful, professional people are finding that working at home is the answer, whether they have been downsized, rightsized, paradigm-shifted, or simply couldn’t take hearing another buzzword.

  Of course, the work at home industry is not without its own buzzwords. Like freelancing, outsourcing, virtual assistance, consulting and others which continually overlap, making the whole work at home concept very confusing for first-timers.

  Perhaps even more mind-blowing and confusing than these word games, though, is the pervasive concept that everyone who works at home does so in their pjs, coffee in one hand, sugary treat in the other, and both slipper-clad feet up on the desk.

  Enticing as this image may be, only Hugh Hefner gets away with this trick. For the rest of us, pajamas simply won’t work, and here’s why:

  Wearing pjs or gym clothes may interfere with your productivity.

  Choosing a blend of casual comfort and professionalism creates the best work at home wardrobe. Our clothes define how we feel and, to a great extent, who we are.

  Remember that time you ran a quick errand in a pair of old sweats and a slightly ripped t-shirt? Remember how you ran into Sue from across the street and avoided her like the plague?

  The same thinking applies to working at home. Sure, no one is going to see you. Sure, you’re only talking on the phone. But you can see you.

  When you dress for the job, you feel prepared to meet the day’s challenges, ready to present yourself as a competent professional. Must you put on a full suit and tie? No. But pajamas aren’t going to cut it either.

  If you’ve ever tried it, you know what I mean.

  These four tips will help you remain comfortable and productive:

  Read more on Work at Home: Can You Really Work at Home in Your Pajamas?…

March 25, 2009

• Facing The Bad Economy – Opportunities Abound!

  

  Opportunities Abound For Work At Home Dads, Even In THIS Economy!

  How often do we have to hear it from or read it in the news? The economy is the worst since our parents (and for some of us it's our parents' parents) were young. It's really awful.

  All indicators are down. My personal retirement fund has shrunk by about 50%. Unemployment is rising (about 6.5% in my county), and if it hasn't touched your family, you KNOW a family it has struck.

  What do they say: it's a Recession when your neighbor loses his job: it's a DEPRESSION with YOU lose your job! It sure feels that way! (Seems to me the only time you feel worse is when everyone tells you that the economy is GREAT but you just lost your job – that happened to me once and that feeling is burned into my brain and heart, still searing my insides.)

  And the effect ripples through our town, county, state, country, and world. You can't escape that we're part of a SYSTEM, not a series of individuals. Someone losing a job in Maine doesn't buy as many groceries so the farmer in Texas doesn't plant as man crops and the family in California has to pay more. And on and on and on.

  And Bernie Madoff can only account for about $67 Billion of this, so there are many other factors at work.

  And when I was a kid, I remember my Dad talking about the economy (he later ran a major real estate firm and was on the Board of the Philadelphia Fed… so he had learned a thing or two).

  And if there was one major lesson I learned from him it's that OPPORTUNITY is just as great in any part of the cycle (for indeed, economies are cyclical).

  So… that means that there are opportunities abounding right now.

  And if you follow Internet Marketing (especially Information Product Marketing), perhaps you just witnessed Frank Kern (one of the really good guys) sell more than $4,000,000 worth of CDs and booklets, teaching people how to succeed in today's economy. And this was in about 26 hours.

  But For Many, Where Did The Dream Go?

  But for people watching their 401(k)s being drained or their IRAs tumble, it certainly must feel like the sky has fallen. And if you're sitting at home instead of going into that job in an office, store, warehouse, or factory, the pain can be intense.

  Or Perhaps You've Been Saying, Take Me From The Rat Race

  Read more on Facing The Bad Economy – Opportunities Abound!…

March 24, 2009

• Welcome To Charlie Seymour Jr's Blog on Ultimate Work At Home Dads

  Friends,

  This blog is devoted to guys like me who are working at home. I'll have musings, new products, reports, quick notes, and other helpful tidbits of information to help all of use thrive in this economy as we work at home

  Read more on Welcome To Charlie Seymour Jr's Blog on Ultimate Work At Home Dads…