How many times have we heard the saying “we learn from our mistakes”. I have to agree with this saying, and also that the lessons we learn hardest we learn best! I have learned a lot from my mistakes, sadly (for me) most of them were made before the Internet existed as the fantastic networking tool it is today. Today it is possible to read articles or join a forum and get great advice (and not so great advice) from forums.
While it is great to learn from our mistakes, it is better to learn from the mistakes of others, or by ‘standing on the shoulders of giants’ as Newton said.
These are my 'business mistakes' I have learned from.
1) Keep your monthly fixed costs as low as possible, and make your number one priority to arrange an equal amount of regular income on a regular monthly basis to cover this amount.
If there was one piece of advice I would give it would be the above, as more businesses go bust due to poor cash flow than anything else!
2) Thoroughly research and work in your mind and bounced off other trusted people, your idea. Market test it as much as possible while keeping the idea as quiet as possible.
3) Get a business plan on paper (not the sort the bank or enterprise agencies use as they are by and large a load of rubbish (although you will need this for the bean counters). Go to (1) above, and set in stone a solid plan for achieving this. After you hit break even continue it on to the next target, and so on.
I just used the magic word there, 'target'. you MUST be sales orientated in business as the owner, if you are not then you are failing in your main duty which is to ensure the continued existence of the business.
4) Do NOT care what others think about you, i.e. what car you drive etc. ALL of this will change if you stick to the plan and keep your focus on short term targets and longer term goals.
I just tripped another magic word in business ' Focus' .
5) Keep your focus, decide what the targets are, work out how to get them, and focus on doing that. If you need £1000 a month to pay the bills, then this is what you MUST do. If you lose focus of your core objective, you are going to lose out big time, and end up failing.
If you doubt the power of focus, then try this test:-
Get a friend to hold 3 tennis balls in their hand
Get the friend to throw all three at you in one go
Try to catch the balls
Repeat three times. I bet you will not catch many, if any at all.
Now get them to throw them again, and this time focus on catching one ball.
Repeat three times
Now you will have caught one ball three times.
It is true in business that you must focus on the core objective, just as with the balls once you catch one, you move onto the next, until you have achieved all your goals, or at least your most important ones.
Of all the skills needed to succeed, I would say focus is up there with the top 3 along with enthusiasm and determination.
Basic Business Attributes, Do You Have Them?
Basic Home Business Productivity Tips
You finally did it! You’ve taken a brave, big step and have started your own home-based business.
There’s no turning back at this point, and the stakes have undeniably been raised. It’s time to reap the rewards of your courage and hard work. It’s time to earn money. It’s time to get productive.
Here are some tips to help you increase the productivity of your business and receive what you deserve from your home-based business.
Make a schedule and stick to it.
Having flexible hours is one of the best benefits you can have, running your home-based business. But your flexible hours can lead to the failure of your business, if you don’t know how to manage your time properly.
Don’t you think for one moment, that because you control your own time, you don’t have to keep to a schedule, or stick to a routine. You should set a particular time of the day for your business activities, Let,s say every morning from 7 to 12 am is good.
This is important if you’re now getting accustomed to be working at home business. And, you should stick to that schedule as much as you can. Don’t be tempted to put off your work for a later time in the day, because “something new comes up”. Don't be distracted, something new to you will always come up. All you have to do is devote a certain amount of your time everyday to your business, and you can spend the rest of the time in any other activities of your choice.
Try avoiding these distractions.
Don’t work in front of the TV or while listening to the radio. These could distract you form your work. Just because you’re free to do whatever you want, because you are working for yourself, doesn’t mean you should do whatever you want. You must fulfill your business obligations for the day. And until you’re done with them, keep away from those things that might distract you from your business activities.
Set goals for your business.
You may have a goal that you plan to achieve in the long run, but it is wise to keep your goals realistic. Don't fall for the get rich quick scam. You have to work hard to achieve your goals. Nothing comes easy, and everything has a learning curve. You can aim for one objective daily, for instance, sending out your emails to potential clients on Monday, or finalizing your business portfolio on Tuesday. You should also have short-term goals to help you achieve your long-term goal.
Have fun.
Avoid becoming stressed out running your home-based business. The reason why you started your home-based business in the first place, is because you wanted to be free from the regular troubles of your previous day job. If you handle the running your business with passion and determination, you and your business are bound to succeed.
Basic Steps for Home Business Success
When you make the decision to earn income from the internet you will need to go through a set up process to be ready for your home business.
Following are the basic steps in setting up for home business success.
1. Attitude
The key to your home business success is your attitude.
Treat your home business like a business.
This is critical whether you are working part-time or full-time. One of my colleagues is a mother who works from home around her family. She has always put her family first whilst at the same time developing her home business. She says, "I work part-time, but I have a full-time attitude."
Put another way, "If you have a hobby attitude you will have a hobby income, if you have a home business attitude you will have a home business income."
You can be successful working part-time and you can be successful working full-time but it is highly unlikely that you will be successful working in your "spare time".
2. Working Environment
A space that you can call your own, free from distractions for your scheduled time.
A comfortable chair and organized desk.
Stationery supplies as required. For example:
- pens
- highlighters
- stapler
- hole punch
- sticky tape
- note book(s)
- a simple filing system
- ring binders
- manilla folders
Consider the value of a broadband connection. Your time is valuable and a broadband connection can allow you to get more done in a given time frame.
3. Schedule
Develop a schedule that works for you, your family (or "significant others") and your home business. When you allot a block of time for work then use that time for work. Equally important is to schedule time for your other commitments - family time, self education ( reading, listening and viewing), "health time" (exercise, cooking and eating), and leisure time. During these other times don't work. After all if one of the reasons to work from home is to spend more time with your family then you don't want your working at home time to consume your family time.
You are working for yourself and your schedule (by your choice) is your "boss". When you have people calling you or dropping around unexpectedly or maybe out-of-town visitors may want to catch up with you then you need to make a choice. Are you committed to your own home business success? What will be your choice in these situations? Only you can decide what is important to you.
In a family environment you may need to negotiate with your partner and children to have your home business time agreed upon, during which you will not be interrupted. Put this schedule prominently somewhere so all family members are aware of your work schedule.
4. Describe Your Home Business
Be able to describe your home business concisely; a powerful one or two sentence description that someone can repeat in describing your home business to others. A unique and memorable tag line can also be invaluable for promoting your home business.
5. Know Your Product or Service
Once you have selected your product or service to sell, it may or may not be something that you use yourself but you need to know your product intimately. If you are selling ebooks then know the content and its value. If you are selling software then use it know it "inside out". You will develop a reputation of providing quality information and because of your product knowledge you can become the preferred supplier.
It is not practical to use certain products (for example a woman may choose to sell man's shoes or vice versa) in which case the seller won't be a product user, however the seller can still know the benefits and features of the product intimately.
6. Administration
Use good record keeping practices.
This may involve a consultation with a tax advisor who can let you know about the optimal way to set up your financial records and what records need to be kept. Your advisor will also recommend record keeping systems and you can find out what software may simplify this aspect of your home business. Additionally your obtain advice on the best arrangement for your bank accounts. You will most likely be advised to have a separate bank account.
You will also need to keep track of your various logins, usernames and passwords. A very handy little software tool for this is Treepad available as either the free Lite version (without password protection) or the commercial Plus or Biz versions. http://www.treepad.com
There are other useful tools for this also from a simple paper notebook to free and commercial password keepers. One popular solution is Roboform that will remember your login details and can automatically fill out your login and other registration forms. http://www.roboform.com
7. Computer Protection
Your computer is the lifeline to your home business dealings and must be protected including the data that is stored.
You need a virus scanner, personal firewall, anti-spyware and anti-adware and preferably an email scanner with the ability to delete suspect of spam email from the server before it is downloaded to your computer.
Some suggestions are:
AVG Anti-Virus: http://www.grisoft.com
Spybot S&D: http://www.safer-networking.org
Microsoft Anti-Spyware:
www.microsoft.com/athome/security/spyware/software/default.mspx
Adaware: http://www.lavasoft.com/
Mailwasher Email Scanner: http://www.mailwasher.net
8. A Domain Name
You will most likely need a domain name for your home business and one cost effective registrar is GoDaddy, http://www.godaddy.com.
9. Payment Processing
You will need a way to process credit cards; that may be using services such as:
- PayPal https://www.paypal.com
- Storm Pay http://www.stormpay.com
- 2 Checkout http://www.2checkout.com
- Clickbank http://www.clickbank.com or others.
This is the most economical way to get started. Once your home business picks up you may need to look into your own merchant account for credit card transactions.
Consideration may also be given to other forms of online currency such as eGold http://www.egold.com
10. Email accounts
Once you have your own domain you can use an associated email account. This can further assist in the promotion of your home business and promotes a more professional business image.
As a final comment on continuing in your internet home business, conduct your home business ethically, provide extraordinary service and be proud to put your name to the products or services that you are selling and you will be on track to developing a sustainable long term internet home business.
Basic Private Investigation Techniques
We often see and hear of private investigators doing romantic and risky jobs in various forms of media. Well, nothing is far from the truth. In fact, their works are really risky and should be taken as a serious one. When have you heard of a humorous private investigation case anyway?
Central to this issue is the actual personality of the private investigation. There may be innate characteristics that are largely involved yet this does not negate the fact that training, classes and programs for developing private investigators play varied roles in the field of study.
Private investigators should have a blend of creativity and excellent logic. This is rare though since most people who are creative don’t normally have efficient logic. After all, these functions come from the different hemispheres of the brain.
Private investigation uses various techniques that concern wide spectrum of methods to solve cases of cheating husbands to finding missing individuals. To accomplish their investigations, they make use of techniques that would not only unbundled cues but would also resolve the case.
From verifying calls to interviewing and tracking their subjects, private investigators have a technique or two in store.
One common technique in investigation is physical surveillance. This normally involves the actuality of being in the very spot where people and events that might lead to the solution of the case move. Say, a persons' home or a specific spot in the city.
And obviously, this is done secretly and out of anybody's observance. This may be a classic private investigation technique but as it is, it still works well.
However, this also covers other techniques that can maximize the surveillance procedure. Investigators normally use devices such as binoculars, cell phones, video recorders, cameras and voice recorder, practically, everything that would preserve evidences.
Surveillance can go on for several days or even weeks, until enough substantial evidences are gathered to support the case.
Another commonly practiced technique in the trade is the use of computer searches via databases. However, with investigators who have lower proficiency in the field, they normally partner with firms that specialize in this area.
Obviously, computers aid in the accumulation of details and information that could lead to the eventual solution of the specific case. Normally, vital information on the person's life is needed in investigations. Central to these are civil legal judgments, previous arrests and convictions, club memberships, telephone numbers and a number of other details. Basically, if it’s an investigation on public record, any private investigator can surely obtain them.
One main question with this job deals on its being exceptionally dangerous.
Well, this doesn't normally have to be dangerous yet as we know it, danger can come in moments when we are not aware of. There are of course cases that are more dangerous than others like bounty hunting and similar stuffs. In general though, private investigation is not as dangerous as we were made to believe. Certainly, things happen that could bring scare to anyone yet such occasions are rare. Like most stories we hear of, the well-attended to are those that are more like fictions than truth.
Remember that with private investigation techniques, safety is the forefront principle. Many can be caught into trouble but it must be understood that it is trouble that is basically dealt with in here. Nevertheless, any trained private investigation knows this one core fact.
Basic Information on Los Angeles Private Investigation
Private investigation is said to be one of the boomers in the next five years within America. Meaning, it is being forecasted that in the following years, there may either be too much budding of agencies that could provide this service or that there would be quite many individuals who would channel their expertise to private investigation.
Usually though, private investigators are retired police officers. There is not much problem on this except on the proficiency that is needed to accomplish each case.
Private investigation is now largely becoming a new option for people who cannot seem to take the monotony of corporate living. This is also a good option for those who continuously seek adventure and thrill. This way, they do not only have a high-paying job but they are also likely to find the adventures that they have always dreamed of.
Don’t be fooled though with the normal perception that people get with private investigation lifestyle. While it is true that they are in for danger, this still doesn’t mean that they are always at the verge of death or something harmful.
Remember that the case they are resolving goes anywhere from divorce and other related incidences like infidelity or cheating husbands and wives to stalkers, investigation on financial concerns, personal background checks, and identity theft. Thus, they are not only bounded on government issues that we normally witness in films. In fact, it is rare that the government hires private investigators to do works for them. It has large resources enough to train and produce exceptional investigators that would help them with their own issues. If you are lucky (or unlucky) enough, you might find yourself dealing with dangerous matters that would really test the limits of your private investigation prowess.
Los Angeles seems to have made itself into a popular city where various people encounter to bring business or to serve in business. Like most places, when one becomes a pool of various concerns, it is easier to find conflict than not.
But don’t think as if it has already transformed itself into a "sin city" where private investigation on crimes and the likes is the most lucrative business.
Besides, private investigation is not exactly the very thing that most films made us believe in. While investigators are paid for their services, it is rare that they get millions of cash or bulks of jewels as reward or payment for their accomplished works. Anyone, so long as he or she is willing and has enough resources, can pay you according to the deal. Gathering large sum rarely happens but is not impossible.
Thus, the services of a Los Angeles private investigation team are very much in demand. And with the convergence of money-centered people and lucrative opportunities, various dilemmas in the city occur.
If you happen to have found yourself into some sort of trouble, there will always be a private investigation unit in Los Angeles that could back you up with specific assistance.
Contrary to what is popularly believed into, private investigation requires some formal training. In fact, there are multiple requirements that must first be passed before one can become a private investigator in Los Angeles.
A normal practice though so that one could get around the process of undergoing formal training is to open a franchise wherein you are provided with all the needs you are required to present.