I have been in the WAHM scene since about 2002 - when I decided to become a childbirth educator and was a consultant for Natural Family Boutique. Prior to having kids, I also sold wedding invitations. Currently, my husband and I are in our second year of running a full time home business that pays all of our bills.
I have tried many, MANY different ways to make money from home. I've also made many mistakes and some of my ideas were utter failures. I hope that I can share a little insight and some tips on what I have learned over the past nine years or so.
Don't just jump into a business because you like the products. Is there really a market for them? Are you addressing an under served market? I have seen dozens of women start little quaint online boutiques that completely fizzle out after six months, and they are left with credit card debt and inventory gathering dust. They bought a bunch of stuff they were passionate about, but didn't bother learning how to run a small business. You have to be willing to be a business person. Try not to buy your inventory on a credit card. It prolongs how soon you'll make a profit. Start very slowly if you're low on capital. One product at a time. Hone your marketing skills. Before you even explore an idea, first determine who your customers are. Don't just say "MDC moms"...there's an enormous amount of competition now in the 'green' market now that it's trendy. Granted, the majority of them won't be around in a year or so (that's just the harsh truth!) but another business will start up in its place.
If you're not willing to invest either time or money in a good website - cut your losses now. Good websites include lots of helpful content to your visitors and helps your rankings. You need to be writing articles, displaying top notch photos of your products, and projecting a professional image with good graphics. If you're not good at graphics, then hire someone who is. This should be one of your first expenses. If you're not committed enough to do this, then I question your commitment to your business.
Of all the people I've known in direct marketing, only one of them is succeeding and actually making money. Because she treats it like the BUSINESS it really is, and she is not afraid to make cold calls and pay large upfront expenses to build her business. Everyone else hits up their friends and family, and when that reception is less than inviting - they say "Oh, I'm just not a sales person...MLM doesn't work..." No, it DOES work, but most people are too scared of rejection and unwilling to learn real sales skills. Some great training (I'm not affiliated with them at all) that I have found is http://www.workathomeprofitzone.com and http://networkmarketing.sitesell.com Start with these two resources, read and listen to everything you can. Your company's training is probably hurting you. There is a formula to succeeding. If you are teachable enough to learn the formula and teach your downline to duplicate it, you will be successful.
Become a marketing guru. Focus on meeting customers needs, not making a sale. Listen to your customers first, and lead them to the most appropriate solution to their needs. Research your advertising options, and make them really targeted to your market...Don't try to be everything to everyone, to succeed you must find a niche and serve it well. Don't waste time with costly advertising that will only reach a tiny percentage of your market. Hang out where they hang out. Network with other businesses, locally and online. Reciprocate links. Become an 'expert' in your niche. Don't just slap up a free blog, throw up some Google Adsense and typo ridden keyword posts, and expect the money to come rolling in. You have to provide a benefit, useful information to your visitor. The SiteSell link above goes into this in great detail.
This about sums it up for now, and children are calling. If anyone wants to chat about building long term business, find me through my profile!
I have tried many, MANY different ways to make money from home. I've also made many mistakes and some of my ideas were utter failures. I hope that I can share a little insight and some tips on what I have learned over the past nine years or so.
Don't just jump into a business because you like the products. Is there really a market for them? Are you addressing an under served market? I have seen dozens of women start little quaint online boutiques that completely fizzle out after six months, and they are left with credit card debt and inventory gathering dust. They bought a bunch of stuff they were passionate about, but didn't bother learning how to run a small business. You have to be willing to be a business person. Try not to buy your inventory on a credit card. It prolongs how soon you'll make a profit. Start very slowly if you're low on capital. One product at a time. Hone your marketing skills. Before you even explore an idea, first determine who your customers are. Don't just say "MDC moms"...there's an enormous amount of competition now in the 'green' market now that it's trendy. Granted, the majority of them won't be around in a year or so (that's just the harsh truth!) but another business will start up in its place.
If you're not willing to invest either time or money in a good website - cut your losses now. Good websites include lots of helpful content to your visitors and helps your rankings. You need to be writing articles, displaying top notch photos of your products, and projecting a professional image with good graphics. If you're not good at graphics, then hire someone who is. This should be one of your first expenses. If you're not committed enough to do this, then I question your commitment to your business.
Of all the people I've known in direct marketing, only one of them is succeeding and actually making money. Because she treats it like the BUSINESS it really is, and she is not afraid to make cold calls and pay large upfront expenses to build her business. Everyone else hits up their friends and family, and when that reception is less than inviting - they say "Oh, I'm just not a sales person...MLM doesn't work..." No, it DOES work, but most people are too scared of rejection and unwilling to learn real sales skills. Some great training (I'm not affiliated with them at all) that I have found is http://www.workathomeprofitzone.com and http://networkmarketing.sitesell.com Start with these two resources, read and listen to everything you can. Your company's training is probably hurting you. There is a formula to succeeding. If you are teachable enough to learn the formula and teach your downline to duplicate it, you will be successful.
Become a marketing guru. Focus on meeting customers needs, not making a sale. Listen to your customers first, and lead them to the most appropriate solution to their needs. Research your advertising options, and make them really targeted to your market...Don't try to be everything to everyone, to succeed you must find a niche and serve it well. Don't waste time with costly advertising that will only reach a tiny percentage of your market. Hang out where they hang out. Network with other businesses, locally and online. Reciprocate links. Become an 'expert' in your niche. Don't just slap up a free blog, throw up some Google Adsense and typo ridden keyword posts, and expect the money to come rolling in. You have to provide a benefit, useful information to your visitor. The SiteSell link above goes into this in great detail.
This about sums it up for now, and children are calling. If anyone wants to chat about building long term business, find me through my profile!
