Archive for home business

11 Nov 2011
home business

11 Reasons To Celebrate 11/11/11


So, today is November 11, 2011 (aka 11/11/11) – there are numerologists and many others out there wringing their hands in anticipation of what will occur today.  I thought I’d come up with 11 reasons or ways myself…

1) If you consider yourself to be a Nerd (I am one for sure!) then 11/11/11 is your Nerd New Year!

2) Because you deserve to give yourself a treat every now and then and 11/11/11 is now!  Take a break at 11:00 am.  It’s called Elevenses.  It’s a mid-morning refreshment such as tea and biscuits taken around 11am.

3) Celebration is all about acknowledging the extraordinary in the ordinary.  In other words, what’s special about an ordinary day or event or person (is there such a thing as an ordinary person?)  Anyway – turn a mundane task you have to do today and make it extraordinary.  Instead of just vacuuming – dance while you vacuum.  Instead of just driving to work, crank up the CD and sing out loud!  Smile when others stare at you!

4) The number 11 is symbolic of sensitivity and intuition.  Celebrate today by trying to be both.  Sensitive to the needs of others and intuitive enough to know how to act in a manner that makes others feel extraordinary.  We all love to receive that gift.

5) Make a list of 11 things you would love to do or have today and go for it.  Consider it today’s bucket list.  My list is…
1) Get up early and post a blog (I rarely have time for that)
2) Spend lunch with a friend (I’m usually working during lunch)
3) Watch a rerun of a Glee episode and sing and dance with them.  (I’ll be alone of course)
4) Wear my favorite outfit.
5) Lay down in the backyard for 30 minutes and watch the leaves fall from the trees.
6) Spend an extra hour with my husband tonight after dinner (instead of going back to work)
7) Eat Cocoa Puffs for breakfast
8) Call my mom in law (cause I love her so much)
9) Get to bed before 1 AM!!!
10) Listen to my favorite playlist all day while working
11) Avoid watching TV news (I don’t need to know Joe Smith’s opinion about anything)

6) Spend some extra time with your pet(s).  Most of us are so busy with our daily activities, our pets end up just following us around hoping for a minute or two of affection.  Your pet will love you and YOU will love you too!

7) If it’s just a little cool where you live, throw some wood in that fireplace tonight just because!  There’s nothing like a firepit or fireplace fire to relax you.

8) Treat yourself and hire a maid to clean your house before Thanksgiving.  One less series of activities to do and you’ll be contributing to your local economy.

9) Contact someone you haven’t spoken to for a while.  Call them, text them, email them, whatever.  Just take some time to do it.  How many times do we go to bed at night and think, “Damn, I meant to talk to so and so today!”

10) Begin reading that book you’ve been talking about or thinking about reading.  I’ve been telling myself I’d like to read Harry Potter (I’m probably the only person on the planet who hasn’t read it or seen the movies) and I just never seem to get around to it.

11) Celebrate 11/11/11 just cause it’s 11/11/11.  In reality, you should celebrate every day.  When my husband and I were living together very early in our relationship, I took out the fine china I had for a dinner on Thursday.  I set the table as if company was coming.  My husband wanted to know why and I said, “Cause it’s Thursday.”  it doesn’t matter, just celebrate!!


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eckweb | No comments
26 May 2011
business tips • home business • small business

Learning The Internet


You know, there are SO MANY new programs and websites coming out online daily that it’s not just difficult to keep up with them but you also have to consider the time it takes to “learn” them.  At least how to use them.

Personally, I find it difficult to find the time (as I’m sure you do as well) so I’m always asking anyone I speak to, if they’ve “learned it” – could they share what they know?  Of course, they rarely have the time to do that!

So, I found a great alternative.  Grovo.com.

It’s a new site that is FREE and it gives you tutorials on many different programs some of which are Amazon, eBay, Basecamp, Facebook, Firefox, Google Apps, LinkedIn, Skype, Mint, Meetup, Yelp and many more.  They’re all video tutorials and simple enough to follow.

It’s a great idea – check it out.


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19 May 2011
home business • seo • small business

Courage


It’s not easy being different – although I always thought it was harder to conform. But, that’s from someone who’s different. So, consider the source!

As some of you may know, my husband and I host a monthly “movie night” where we choose a movie, give out clues and trivia and our guests try to guess the movie. It’s a great excuse to get together, watch a movie, discuss it and learn a bit more about it. It also introduces all of us to movies we probably would have never watched.

Since we host the event every month we usually pick the movie. Well, I usually pick the movie! But, I’m thinking I’ll have to change that plan. It seems I don’t choose the movies the majority of others like. (Hence, the part where I’m a bit different.)

It reminds me of an incident that occurred years ago. MANY years ago, 20 or more. I was creating ceramic products as a hobby and I began selling them at festivals with another woman. She was a great ceramic crafter and her items were always “things”. You know, statues and knick knacks for the wall, etc. My ceramic products were almost always practical items like pie plates and picture frames and toothbrush holders.

At our first show together, we each unpacked all of our items and I was thinking to myself, there’s no way her stuff is going to sell, it’s just knick knacks – who wants more stuff to dust?

Well – as you probably have guessed, I was very, very, very wrong.

Her stuff absolutely sold and usually sold out. She didn’t create these items like sculptures, I mean they were still ceramics made from molds, painted and glazed. But people purchased her items in much more volume than my items.

That was the first time I remember in my adult life that I knew I did not have the same pulse everyone else did. I still don’t understand it, I still don’t get it – but it’s true to this day.

So, why am I sharing this story?

Because I say if you’re “different” – go with it! Don’t let others discourage you or make you feel “odd”. Take that difference and do something with it! People will not only remember you but your actions will have a greater impact, believe me.

So, have courage. Be different and if you find that you’re not so different, find folks who are and learn from them. You’ll not only have more fun in your life, you’ll live a more richer life because of it.


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11 May 2011
home business • internet marketing • small business

Admit It – We’re All Just Human


Remember years ago when we were in high school or even junior high school and the one person in school you couldn’t stand was “Ms or Mr Perfect?” (Hmm – I wonder if that’s mostly girls who think that way – let me know!)

Anyway – as we grew older (and I hope you’ve grown out of that) we realize that it was not really “hate” but envy or jealousy only because our “vision” of that person was that they were perfect. I mean, really, who is perfect? Let me clue you in, NO ONE!.

So, if you make a mistake – admit it. If you quoted something wrong, if you coded something wrong, if you uploaded something wrong, if you performed something not to your best capabilities – admit it. Believe me, not only will your customers understand, they will trust you even more.

Here’s a great little article on admitting mistakes via your blog.

You know, I’ve said it many different ways many times before but showing all that you know and don’t know is always a great way to connect with others. If your business deals with people then you have to learn to deal with people. And everyone can relate to someone who has made a mistake. It’s the folks who don’t or can’t admit that they made an error that need to be avoided. They can’t be trusted – I mean really, their own judgement is impaired!


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10 Feb 2011
home business • small business

I Remember When…


The other day I was thinking about the fact that just in my lifetime, the world has gone from black and white tv to 3d television!

Rotary land line phones have turned into small mobile phones complete with cameras and computers and connections beyond anything we ever dreamed of.

And now, it seems the Yellow Pages will soon be gone as well. San Francisco is considering banning Yellow Page directories in the San Francisco area. The reason seems clear, they’re just not being used.

I mentioned this to some neighbors yesterday and they all confirmed the fact that they don’t even take the books out of the wrapper anymore, they just automatically pick them up and put them in the recycling bin. As the Huffington Post points out, they’re in the group of 70% of Americans who do the same thing. The cost savings to governments who have to pay for disposing and recycling is significant. We also though, have to consider the fact that those jobs will be taken away as well.

I remember years ago we had a yard sale and I convinced my husband to sell some of his records (remember those black vinyl things?). Well, this was at least 7 years ago and I remember a father and his son approached the box of records and the son asked his father “Dad, what are those?” His father chuckled, I chuckled and I’m sure that we both felt very old right then!

Imagine what the next 5 or 10 years will bring. If Americans do rise up to the challenge Obama is presenting to us, to become innovative and productive, it will be very interesting indeed to see what changes are just around the corner.


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02 Jul 2010
home business • internet marketing • small business

Small Business Internet Marketing Tips


In today’s tough economy, more and more individuals are looking at earning income on their own.  In other words, starting a small business.  It doesn’t matter if the business is from the kitchen table or from an office, the number of small businesses are exploding.  It’s no surprise.  With fewer available jobs, it’s just a matter of survival!

But if you’re one of the millions who have gone down this path, you may be wondering how to begin or improve your marketing campaigns?  Now that you’ve got something to sell, how do you let others know that you’re here?

One of the (if not THE) cheapest marketing venues today is the Internet.  Now, when I say “cheap” I mean monetary.  Don’t think it’s completely free and easy.  The cost comes in time.  So, yes, it can be practically free to do most if not all of the Internet marketing yourself, but it takes time and quite a bit of it.  Just wanted you to know!

Anyway, back to Internet marketing for small businesses…

There are multiple ways that a small company can market their services and/or products on the Internet.  The key to remember in anything you do on the Internet is to KNOW WHAT YOUR AUDIENCE WANTS.  In other words, find out what they’re searching for and then give it to them.  Here’s an example:

Acom Communications provides business phone installation services as well as selling new and refurbished phone systems for offices of all sizes.  They do this in the Atlanta Georgia area.  So, one keyword phrase they would like to use is “business phone installers atlanta georgia“.  Okay, that’s good.  But is their audience looking for that?  Luckily, there are ways to find out what people are searching for on the Internet, and that’s what we did.  Here’s how.

1) We used tools like SEMRush.com and Wordtracker to find the keyword phrases people are using AND the keyword phrases the competition is using.
2) We used Google Adwords Keyword tool to find the keyword phrases companies are bidding on.

Come to find out lots of people were searching for “avaya phone installers” – so we created a page to market just that phrase.  Now, without this keyword research this company would have only marketed the main phrase for “phone installers” but the research gave us data that allowed us to narrow down the keywords to specific brands which the audience are already looking for.

Some Small Business Internet Marketing Tips You Can Start On Today

Okay, so now you know that the very first step you must take is getting the list of keyword phrases you’ll be marketing.  The second step is to WRITE.  Yes, I know, it’s horrible.  I mention this to some prospects and then I never hear from them again!  If you absolutely can’t write, find someone who can.  There’s no getting away from the fact that in order to market on the Internet, you actually have to write.  Personally, I just tell my prospects and clients that “…if you can talk, you can write…”

So, what to write about?

Well, you have your list of keyword phrases.  Take one phrase and write 3-4 paragraphs about it.  You can follow the old rules we all learned back in junior high.

Who, What, When, Where, How and Why

If you’re writing about Avaya Phone Installers then answer the questions…

1) Who are you (your company I mean)
2) What do you do exactly and more important, what can you do for ME?
3) When can you do your work?  Monday – Friday?  24/7?  When?
4) Where do you do your work?  I know you’re in Atlanta but will you come as far as Cummings?
5) How do you do your work?  Can I trust you?  Are you licensed?
6) Why should I buy from you?

Aim your content towards the customer.  What I mean is don’t write JUST about your company and who you are, etc.  Your content should be about how your service can benefit the reader.  It’s all about them.

I will recommend that you use the keyword phrase you’re marketing in the title of the article, in the body of the article 2-3 times.  This is the very least you can do to optimize the content for that keyword phrase.

My 3rd Internet Marketing Tip for Small Businesses

So, now you know that you need to have the list of keyword phrases and that you need to write 3-4 paragraphs about each keyword phrase.  What’s next?

Well, this content now needs to be put out on the Internet.  There are multiple ways to do this.  Here are some…

1) On a website page.
2) On a blog post.
3) On Squidoo.
4) On Facebook.
5) On articles which are then submitted to article directories like Geckoe.com

Doing any one of these can help you to market your business, doing all can help even more.  There’s alot you can do for your own Internet marketing campaign, but like I said at the beginning, the cost may not be in dollars but it will be in time.  So, just be prepared for that!  Good luck!


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16 Feb 2010
home business • internet marketing • small business • social media

Your Customers Are Changing – You Keeping Up?


The future world of customers is rapidly changing and as a business owner, you MUST keep up.  I know, technology has taken over our lives and our businesses but in many ways, it’s still in the first stages.  We’re still in the “model T” era of integrating computers and technology into our businesses.  This video below is just one example:

What Cisco is trying to tell you with their “borderless business” concept is that growing your business in the future means integrating technology into your business today.  And integrating technology in such a way that the possibilities are seemingly endless.

It’s really all about bringing people and ideas together.  No matter where you are on the planet, technology can bring you two together.  So, it doesn’t matter what you do or sell, if you can establish yourself as an expert in your field, you will be sought out.  By everyone searching for your expertise.

Your customers are changing because they’re getting smarter.  They’re learning everyday more and more about how to conduct searches on the Internet.  How to use social media for reviews and background checks, (well, sort of background checks).  They’re doing what their parents did at business chamber meetings, they’re listening to what others are saying about you only this generation is doing the majority of the listening online.  Via emails, blogs and other social media venues, they’re listening.

So, as a small business owner, your job to keep up with all of this is to establish yourself as an expert in your field AND make yourself available via multiple venues.  Here’s how you can accomplish this and build your business.

1) Showcase what you know via a blog.  Use that blog to “talk” to your customers.  Tell them what you’re up to, what the company is up to, what the industry is up to.  Give them facts and details but keep the information as informal and “laymen” as possible.  The idea isn’t to dazzle them with fancy words, the idea is to dazzle them with what you can do for them.

2) Make yourself known through social media.  Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and now Google’s Buzz are all the rage.  Why?  Because they’re easy to use.  Quick, fast and filled with tons of information about individuals, companies and much more.  Your customers will get to know you and your company.

3) Invite others to follow you, join you, listen to you, etc.  If you’re taking the time to use social media then flaunt it.  Place your social media icons everywhere.  On your email signature, in your website, everywhere!  Get folks to follow you, listen to you.  They are your greatest assets.


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01 Oct 2009
home business • internet marketing • seo • small business • social media

New Internet and Marketing Tools


I collect bookmarks on new tools that I may be able to use either for website marketing, search engine optimization or simply to beef up the interactivity of a website.  So, here are just a few of what I’ve collected lately.  See if you find any of them useful for your own business!

Posterous – The Place To Post Everything
Might be the easiest method for ANYONE to post just about ANYTHING online.

Bigola – A multi search engine for social media
If you want to search for a topic or person on multiple social media sites, this is where you can do it.

Ether
An interesting program to “monetize” what you have to say.  I haven’t investigated it yet but it looks interesting.

Screenr – instant screencasts for Twitter

RefMob – another interesting “monetizing” site
Another interesting concept on sharing and referrals.  Again, I haven’t tried it yet but if you do, let me know what you think of it.

Tweetadder – another program for Twitter
I know, Twitter this and Twitter that – there are a gazillion programs and services out there for Twitter.  It’s just amazing.  Add this to your list.  Let me know if you like it.

Groupon (get it? Instead of Coupon!)
Launched in November 2008, Groupon features a daily deal on the best stuff to do, see, eat, and buy in a variety of cities across the United States.

Tagul – for creative clouds
If you like those clouds of keywords on your website or blog, here’s a creative way to showcase them.

PitchEngine
An interesting concept – blending Press Releases and Social Media.  What will they think of next?

So, give these programs a try.  Let me know what you think!


eckweb | One comment | Tags: , , , , ,
21 Jul 2009
home business • small business

Love The Internet – Hate Computers


I am an SEO webmaster and I run my own online business so as you can probably guess, I’m on the computer about 12 hours every day (yep, every day!).  My husband, friends and neighbors will attest to that!

So, when I say I Hate Computes – you know that I’m coming from a place of experience!  But, I truly do love the Internet!  But, how can one live without the other?  I haven’t figured that out yet.

I mean, even if you use a mobile device to get to the Internet you’re still using a computer of sorts.  Anything that holds programs (in my humble opinion) is a computer.

Why do I hate computers?  Programs don’t match other programs, programs need multiple updates, ongoing maintenance, wires, wires, wires!  It’s a constant update, update, update process and frankly, I’m pretty sick of it.  I do hope that Google’s OS (which is supposed to be launched in 2010) will help to alleviate some of these problems.  Wouldn’t that be amazing?

What are your thoughts?


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09 Mar 2009
home business

Find Helpful Information About Looking For A Great Online Business


The financial demands on the people in today’s society can be very stressful and people are looking for ways to either supplement their income or just plain replace it altogether. Everyone wants to relieve some of the stress that their finances constantly place on their lives.

People are turning to the internet everyday to help solidify their financial future. Maybe you don’t like working 40 or 50 hours a week. Or perhaps you don’t like your boss and coming home mad and upset every day. You may have gotten passed up for that promotion that you had coming for somebody that kisses up to the boss! I really can’t stand people like that!

So a while back I decided to start my own work from home business. You might not really even know what that means. I didn’t. For those of you who don’t here is a simple description. You are going to be offering either goods or services to others that need them. There are many ways to accomplish this.

People are turning to the internet for a solution. Why not? This world is filled with opportunity and it’s up to you to grab your piece of the pie!

My mother and father worked for thirty years and are now retired and they live quite comfortably. But those were the old days. Today you put in 20 years at a company and they lay you off before retirement or many are going belly up for one reason or another.

This is why people are looking for something different. They want to make more money. They want to spend more time with their family.

Not having to get up so earily everyday and go to a job that they don’t like. From my own experience I will say its great not having to get up everyday and spend money to travel to a job that has no future.

Many people have decided to go after their dreams. Thousands of people are having great success doing just that! I figured why not me? So I decided to go after my dream of financial independence. I enjoy the freedom that working from home gives me and I don’t regret it for one second. It has been great!

So if you are looking for a great opportunity and want to be personally trained to success visit my site or just give me a call. All my contact info is supplied. I welcome you to learn more about work from home business tampa and wealth building opportunity canada issues and answers. Have a great day!

Get pragmatic facts about work from home – read this webpage.


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