If you’d like to be in the category of people who make 6 or 7 figures a year in your home based business listen up because this could truly be the article that changes your business forever!

95% of all people in network marketing treat their businesses like a hobby. What do I mean by that exactly?

– They don’t have set work hours
– They don’t have their goals set in stone
– They don’t have enough “skin in the game”
– And they don’t expect success

Let’s look at each of these things one at a time and you decide for yourself if you have a “business” or a “hobby”.

One of the top reasons why people want to work for themselves because they want to work WHEN they want to work. Now that can be a good think or a bad thing. Yes it is awesome to be able to move your work hours around your life, things like family outings, school plays, little league games. However, in the beginning at least, it’s very important that you write down the hours you plan to work each week.

That doesn’t mean that you have to work 9-5 Monday through Friday it just means that you need to keep track of how often and how long you are actually working your business. A lot of people fail because they think they are working more than they actually are. By setting out times and days when you will shut out the world and just work on your business you ensure that you get the work done and keep your business on the right track!

It could be as simple as working 2 hours before you go to work in the morning, 2 hours when you come home and 3 hours on weekends. Or it could be that you only work Mondays, Wednesday and Fridays but on those days you block off 4 hours at a time to call prospects or market online. Whatever it is that you choose map it out and then stick to it!

Not having your goals set in stone is another problem that may home business owners face. Think of it this way, if you were going to invest your money in opening your own restaurant you’ve need to have financial goals right? I mean you’d need to know how much you needed to make each month to cover your expenses and still have a good profit left over. You would also probably have an idea of how your business should be progressing over the next 6, 12 and even 24 or 36 months.

Simply put if you aren’t writing out the goals you have for your business and looking at them every day you are treating your business more like a hobby and less like a business.

Now what do I mean when I say, “the don’t have enough skin in the game”? Well let’s go back to the restaurant analogy again for a moment. All traditional brick and mortar businesses cost a LOT of money up front to start. That’s why people take them so seriously. To start a business it can cost hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars to get it off the ground.

The traditional home based business usually costs less than $1000 to get started and in a lot of cases under $500. Do you see the difference? Hundreds of thousands VS. a few hundred, there is no mistaking that you’re probably going to take the more expensive business more seriously. However, that can be what hurts you in your home based business.

Just because a business might not cost that much to start doesn’t mean it can’t generate you 6 or 7 figures. So make sure you treat your $400 business (or however much it is) like it’s a million dollar investment and you’ll work that much harder to see success!

Finally we come to one of the biggest problems, not expecting success. If you’re going to be a part of a home based business, well really ANY business, you have to EXPECT to succeed.

I hear so many people say “Well I’m gonna give this thing a shot” and guess what the people who say that usually don’t make any money. If you expect to fail you will most likely fail. However, when you expect to succeed it’s only a matter of time until you will.

Nobody would start a traditional business and say “Well we’ll see how this thing goes” NO WAY! When you start a business you have to KNOW you’re going to profit otherwise it’s just a waste of time and money. The difference between success and failure really is right between your ears.

So what do you think? Have you decided if you’re treating your business like a business or a hobby yet? If the answer is “hobby” I hope that you understand that that can all change TODAY! Take the tips I’ve given you and start yourself on the pathway to amazing success with the help of your home based business right now!

1. Be Organized

Organization can make a gigantic difference when it comes to managing your time. If you only have 2 hours that day to work on your business you don’t want to waste 30 minutes of that time trying to get your phone numbers organized or trying to find something you misplaces. Try to have everything organized and ready so that when you’re ready to work you can get right down to business. By spending a little time here and there to get things more organized you can save a whole lot more time when it’s actually time to call prospects or return emails.

2. Make A List

Making a list is perhaps the easiest way to make sure you get the most out of your work time. However, it’s something that so few people actually do. When you first sit down to get to work take a couple of minutes to write out everything you want to get accomplished for your business that day. When you have a list to visually look at you’ll get more done and be more focused. Plus, every time you get to scratch something off that list you’ll get a sense of accomplishment.

3. Limit Interruptions

If you really want to get the most out of your work time you’re going to need to limit the amount of interruptions that happen every hour. That meals switching off your IM’s if you’re on your computer. Turning off your cell phone (if you have a business line, so that only business related calls can reach you at this time), and letting everyone in the house know that you’re working and don’t want to be disturbed.

Obviously if you have small children this might not be possible but if you have older kids, a spouse or a roomate this can be extremely helpful. Bottom line, when you’re working you’re WORKING don’t go surf the web or check your email. Keep all of that stuff until after you’re done working for the day.

If you follow these three tips you’ll be able to manage your time better and build a better business faster!

Is it easy to use?

One of the most appealing things about Twitter is it’s simple design. You can pretty much jump right on the site and learn everything you need to learn in a half hour. You can use Twitter from your computer or your cell phone which makes it pretty addictive for people on the go. If you can text or update your status on Facebook you can easily use twitter.

Does it take much time?

Since all you’re really doing is updating your tweets and responding to others Twitter takes very little time. You can do it on the go or just have it minimized on your computer as you work through the day. One thing that’s very important about using twitter effectively is that you use it every day. This isn’t something you can just sign up for and ignore. This is something you need to do consistently.

Does it get results?

The only key to getting results on Twitter is having a lot of followers. If you don’t have a lot of followers you might as well be talking to air. So when you sign up you’ll want to focus on getting as many followers as possible, thousands. If you can get that many followers and more importantly if they are targeted followers who are either in a home based business or are interested in being in one you can do quite well with the social network.

Bottom line: Twitter is a very easy to use social network. Even if you don’t know much about the Internet you can easily figure out this simple website. It doesn’t take much time but to be effective with it you have to update in regularly. The results can be good but don’t count on many bites when you first get started in fact it might be best not to count on much at all. Just have fun with twitter and if you get some sign ups from it awesome, but it’s not a guarantee.

1. Get organized. Figure out what your goals and priorities are, in your business and in your personal life, then figure out how to achieve them. Then put your house, office, and life in general, together in a way that will help you achieve your goals.

2. Lists, lists, lists. One you have your plans and goals, make to-do lists. Try to organize your lists by priority. If something doesn’t get done, it probably wasn’t that important anyway.

3. Multitask. At some point, you’re probably going to get burnt out doing things that seem tedious or that you just don’t want to do. Try mixing it up. If something is really stressing you out, go on to something else and come back. As a WAHM, there’s always something else that needs to get done.

4. Set work hours, and follow them. Set work hours for times when the kids aren’t around, or don’t require a lot of attention. When your work hours are done, stop working. If you can’t manage to get your work done, you may need to reset your work hours, but you most likely need to look at how much work you can actually take on.

5. Make a separate space for work and family. While it may be easy to work and play in the same area, it helps to have a dedicated office area when you work from home. This will help you focus on what you need to be doing, and even help protect you from getting your work disrupted by your family.

6. Get the family to help. Sure, if your kids are young, they aren’t going to be able to help with much, but even very small children can often help organize the house or dry dishes. Make sure everyone does their part.

7. Take time for you. When balancing work and family, you often forget an important part of the equation: you. When scheduling your work and family, always schedule some time to relax, socialize, and do what you like to do.

8. Make friends. Even if you don’t get to see them a lot, friends are an important part of maintaining your physical and mental health. Remember to take time to keep your friendships alive.

9. Stay positive. One of the biggest keys to success is keeping a positive attitude. You’ll be surprised what you can accomplish as long as you believe you can do it. Plus, you’ll be setting a great life example for your kids at the same time.

10. Remember that you are unique. Trying to fit into someone else’s schedule and someone else’s plan isn’t necessarily going to be successful. You need to tailor your plan into your family’s unique needs and find something that works for you.

Over time I’ve seen so many people be excited about joining a home based business until they talk to their friends and family. When they do they’re bombarded with people telling them that it’s a scam and that they aren’t going to make any money and before you know it the person who was so ready to go is totally turned off to the business.

If you make the choice not to be involved in a home based business that’s fine. Just make sure that it’s YOUR choice not the choice or your dad, your sister in law or your bitter uncle Frank.

Family and friends have a way of voicing their opinions about just about everything and while they do it mostly because they care about you they can sometimes talk you out of something that could make your life a whole lot better.

If you’re thinking about joining a home based business do what you have to do to get the information for yourself. Do the research, talk to business owners and get the real deal about the company you’re looking at. Then once you have made a decision stick with it! People will talk but who cares! It’s not their life it’s yours and everyone has their own path.

I’m of course not saying that you shouldn’t talk to your friends and family about things just make sure the decisions you come to are yours and not theirs.

Don’t let the world poison you from having your ultimate success. If you want to have more free time, more money and an all around better life a home based business can help you get there!

The truth is you really can build an incredible income from home even if you have little or no money to invest every single month.

Most all home based businesses have a start up cost. The start up cost helps set up and run your business for you. In almost all cases there is no ways of getting around this initial start up fee. A start up fee can be anywhere from $50 to $1000 or more but in most businesses the start up cost is under $500

Businesses might also have a monthly maintenance fee. However, not all home businesses have this and if they do it’s usually a very small amount

Once you get past these things you can literally run a home based business for nothing! All you need is a computer, internet access and a phone or cell phone. Since those are things that most people have in their homes already running a home business is very, very inexpensive.

Don’t believe people who tell you that you have to spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars on leads. Online you can have an unlimited number of leads and best of all they’re all 100% free.

To do this simply set up a simple website that’s equipped with a squeeze page. A squeeze page is a website that gives prospects in formation only after they’ve entered their name and email address into a form. When someone opts into your website you’ll get an email and from here you can either call them or send them an email through an auto responder.

In my experience using an email auto responder works best because it’s less work for you and it’s then up to the prospect to call you which places you in a position of power.

Can you imagine having prospect after prospect picking up the phone and calling you?

The only work you have to do is getting people to visit your website so that they can opt in. You can do this in a number of ways, articles, you tube, facebook, myspace, blogs, twitter, and social bookmarking to name a few.

If you follow these tips you really can build an incredibly successful home based business on a shoe string budget.

When you work for yourself you’re able to create your schedule all on your own. That means that you’ll be able to work your life around the lives of your children, not the other way around. You can work when your children are in bed or while they’re sitting in the very next room playing.

It can be a scary thing to leave your children with a babysitter or at daycare while you’re at work. When you work from home you’ll be able to earn a full time income while still being a full time mom. You’ll never have to worry about who you’re leaving your children with and you’ll never have to miss a moment of your child’s life.

Most single women who start home based businesses start it off part time while still keeping their full time jobs. So you don’t have to risk everything to start a new business. In a few months to a year you may be able to quit your job and work your business full time from home.

That means you’ll save money on gas to and from work, as well as spending money on daycare every single week. Most home based businesses are able to be worked fully online now so that means all you need is a cell phone a computer and internet access to work.

You can even send out emails or market online while sitting with your child at the park. The opportunities are truly endless! So if you’re a single mom and you’re looking for a way to truly make your life and the life of your children better a home based business might just be the perfect thing for you!

1. Social Bookmarking

Social bookmarking is simple. It’s like the bookmarks on your own computer except instead of keeping your favorite websites to yourself you’re bookmarking them for everyone to see. It’s a simple concept that many people just don’t do. Digg is probably the most popular social bookmarking site so you might want to start there but there are literally tons of others. Bookmark your blogs to get more traffic.

2. Keywords in your blog posts

Using keywords is internet marketing 101. However, lots of people use keywords for the tags of their blog posts but not in the actual blog content it’s self. Don’t make this mistake. Keywords are everything online.

3. Keywords in your categories

Along with the content of your blog the categories of your blog posts are a good place to insert some keywords. So instead of “tips” try “work at home online tips” it’s as simple as that.

4. Update regularly

Search engines like it when you update your blog or website regularly. So don’t just post a few times and then forget about it. Update your blog at least once a week to see the best results. Some people even update every day.

5. Pictures

When you post pictures on your blog think about what you name them. Use keywords in the picture names. When people do a google search for images they might come across your image which will lead them to your blog!

6. Choose a good domain name

GregsBlog.com is probably not the best use of a domain name. While it might be easy to remember it’s not going to score you any SEO points. Try something with keyword like “GregsUltimateWorkFromHomeSuccessBlog.com it’s way longer but it will make all the difference in the world.

7. Create videos

Create simple videos that you can post on Youtube and Revver that promote your blog. Even if the video has nothing to do with a home based business just add the title of your blog to the end of the video and watch your blog get way more traffic. You don’t even have to be on the screen sometimes a simple text based video will work just fine.

8. Articles

When using article marketing try sending some traffic to your blog rather than your website or squeeze page.

9. Commenting on other blogs

Find other blogs that have the same niche as yours and start commenting. Comment though, don’t just spam! Spam is annoying and won’t win you any fans.

These are just a few ideas that if you implement will defiantly help you get lots more traffic to your blog and eventually make a whole lot more money!

3. Being at home!

That might sound a little silly but it’s true. Hands down one of the best things about working at home is that you get to work… at home! No boss, no office (or cubicle), no dress code, no nosey co-workers, no official lunch break, no office gossip, to favoritism, no deadlines, no commute… you get the idea. What setting would you rather make money in? A busy office building with a boss breathing down your back? Or on your couch with a cup of coffee and your favorite pair of pajama pants? I rest my case.

2. Security

People always talk about having “job security” but to be honest pretty much nobody in America is really, truly safe. When you work for yourself you can have the piece of mind that you can never get fired. You’re the boss, you make the rules. If for some reason you need to make more money instead of asking your boss for a raise you just work a little hard and boom… instant raise. Your paycheck will never ever go down unless you personally decide to make it go down. What’s more secure than that?

3. Time

Time with yourself, time on vacation, time with your children… just TIME! Time to do whatever you want. You can always make more money but you can never get time with your family back. Once it’s gone it’s gone. That’s why It’s number one on my list. Time is the most valuable resource you can ever have. Are you doing what you want with your time or are you giving all of it to your boss? If your answer is the latter you need a home based business fast! Find the business that’s right for you and start taking control of your time right now.

Article marketing is one of the absolute best ways to make money in a home based business. When you write and publish articles it makes you the expert. You get to say what you want to say without being interrupted and when done properly articles are great for SEO.

That means that if someone is looking up something to do with a home based business and they search in Google or Yahoo or any other search engine they might very well find your article. Article marketing is free and if you enjoy writing it can actually be fun.

However, if you’re not so keen on writing you can still cash in on article marketing. Lots of people offer home based business PLR articles for a very affordable price. Then all you have to do is add your own keywords and submit them for free to article directories. Super easy and very effective!

If you have a home based business you need to have a blog! Blogging is easy, free and all you’re really doing is taking people along on your journey as you build your business. Just write a couple of times a week about what you’re doing to build your business. Make sure to include keywords and you’re going to be attracting all kinds of people to your business. Sound easy? It is! The only trick with blogs is to make sure you’re using plenty of keywords (don’t skip this step otherwise nobody will ever see your blog!) and you’ll be good to go!

Finally, Facebook and Myspace. You might be on these types of sites already and really what’s more casual than sitting by the pool and messin’ around on Facebook? These social networking sites provide a great opportunity to market to both people you already know and people you can meet online. Just like everyone should have a blog everyone should have a Myspace and a Facebook page!

Have fun, make some money and trust me about the sunblock!