WORK AT HOME LAUNDRY LIST

Here's a brief list of items without which nothing will happen.  Just because your goal is to be able to work at home in your pajamas doesn't mean you don't need to treat this like a business.

You do, and it is!

Some items which you'll need to take care of on your own, are determined by where you live and what laws are in place in your local vacinity.  As in any brick and mortal business, you'll be responsible for any licensing fees and taxes mandated.

A talk with a good accountant in your area should head you in the right direction for those details.

Regarding the nuts and bolts of gearing up, I've listed below what I believe to be the absolute, bare-minimum of what you'll need to get going:

Before I take you any further, I'd like to get something out in the open. Beside the fact that I love to write, I also rather enjoy being able to pay the bills on a regular basis. If at any time you feel compelled to click thru and purchase any of the products or services that I recommend, please don't cut my affiliate link off. You won't be getting whatever it is any cheaper going direct, and you'll be damaging your integrity. I believe that integrity is the #1 ingredient you must not jeopardize if you expect to reach any amount of success on the internet. And besides, it's also not a very nice thing to do. Nuff said? Great.

Let's get back to it.

•   A guide



•   A product



•   A domain name



•   A web host



•   An auto responder with follow-up capabilities



•   A Merchant account



•   A sense of humor



•   Patience



•   A willingness to learn



•   Good work habits

Each of these items deserves an article or two of their own just to be fair to the concepts.  I'm sure I'll get around to devoting time to a more in-depth discussion on each, but for now that's beyond the scope of this site.  

If you would like to receive articles and information from me as soon as it falls out of the end of my pencil, the fastest way to do that is to go over to: Article Request Form , and decide which way you'd like it served.  Alacarte or with all the trimmings.

Meanwhile, I'll offer a brief summary for each point below.

OK.  The minimum of what you'll need to get started:

•    A Guide - Real people with everyday questions need a real person able to help guide them through the gauntlet that is internet marketing.
  
  Someone who's sharp enough to provide solid answers to those questions or problems in everyday terms that they'll understand.  It would be helpful if they had a sense of humor along with the sensitivity to know when not to use it.
  
  They should also be patient and not be afraid to point elsewhere for the answers they may not have.
  
  I have somebody in mind for the position, but they're not available.  So, how about me?
  
  The last time I checked, I was real;-)

Helpful Tip:  I'd be remiss as a guide if I didn't let you know about the most useful guide that I've run across.  After all, that's my job (if you've decided to keep me, that is;-) Finding ways to make your life easier and more productive.

If you plan on tackling some of the technical side yourself, please check this out as soon as you can.  I'll tell you what, if the internet was a desert, this would be my canteen.

My guide to web-design

•   A Product(s) - It could be something you create or something you buy.  It could be an affiliate program.
  
  I focus on info products for the reasons stated on the main page, but until you know what it is you plan to promote, the rest of the laundry list can be placed on standby.
  
  That's why I encourage anybody and everybody to check out Create Best Sellers   CBS will help you gather ideas, and zero-in on exactly what it is you'd like to do.  Once you've determined that, the next few items will be bumped up higher on your list of priorities.



•   A Domain Name - What's in a name?  Answer:  A lot!   Once you've decided what you're going to promote, and the closer you match your domain name to the search terms, the better chance you'll have at "natural traffic."  The best, and also the least expensive I've found is GoDaddy.com They are a full service, web-based management center that will keep all your important domain information in one place.  Domain name, servers, propogation, forwarding, etc., can be very confusing issues.  These folks place simplicity and control back into your hands.



•   A Web Host - Good, better, best.  You have the choice of free and up.  Which you'll choose will be dependant upon how much you know and are willing to fork over, and how much control you want to have.  I would steer clear of the free accounts for anything but playing around, practice or testing because you won't get much in the way of service or professionalism.
  
  You can find some hosts out there for as little as $5.00, on up to hundreds of dollars.  Typically, but not always, the more you pay, the better the service.
  
  I would look for a host that has a forum of users.  You'll be able to see what other users think of the service, and see how well (quickly) problems are resolved.
  
  When it comes to choosing your web hosting service, it pays to do a little homework.   To read about a host that I've been fairly impressed with, go to this page and consider some of the ramifications of choosing your host.

  For those of you who don't have any (or at least not much) interest in, or time for the tech side of things, and are looking for more of a push-button way of doing things, Bryan, over at
  
  Push-Button may have just what you're looking for.  It's definitely worth taking a gander at.
  
  

•   Auto Responders - If you're serious about a business on the net, you've got to automate as much as possible or you'll be overwhelmed with customer maintenance.  One thing you could do would be to learn how to operate you own autoresponder by owning the script.  It can be pretty techie, though, and unless you understand what you're doing, there can be serious security issues to overcome, as well as a potload of liability issues.  If you are an absolute control freak, get your own script, but if you can see your way clear to letting someone else take over the headache side of your business contact and follow-up, a great service that I use is:

  Aweber

  The folks at Aweber , have you covered for an autoresonder service!  You can create unlimited lists with unlimited follow ups as well.  They've also got an impressive list of audio/video tutorials that'll make you an "old pro" faster than you can say "sequential autoresponder";-)

  I highly recommend them.

I just spent a good deal of time switching over from a different service. I like the "other guys", but when I compared all the similarities and differences, Aweber beat them all - hands down. It was a little funky getting used to after using the other service, but with a little practice...

•   Merchant Accounts - OK.  You've got a product or an affiliate program to promote.  You've decided on and purchased a brilliant domain name, and found a web host to provide you space for your site.  You've even gotten the autoresponder of your choice lined up and ready to act as your silent salesman, never sleeping so that you can.  What's next?
  
  What happens when a visitor to your site says, "Yes, I want that"?   How are they going to pay you for your hard work?   You'll need some sort of mechanism in place that will accept payment from them.
  
  That's where a merchant account or third party billing company comes in mighty handy.  If you're working with information products (the easiest to handle) it's a simple matter to sign up for a third party billing system.  For a one time fee, usually under $100, and a small percentage of the sale (varies), you can leave all the headaches of the accounting end of things to your 3rd party billing outfit.
  
  A third party system will accept payment for you, pull out what they're due, and drop the remainder in your account.  It's automatic and very straight forward.
  
  The leader in third-party billing, and a wonder at managing affiliate programs is an outfit called Clickbank.  When you're ready to take the plunge and sell something on-line, I recommend that you visit the good folks at Clickbank and let them help you where you need it the most, accepting other people's plastic.
  
  While we're on the subject of Clickbank, if you haven't already had the opportunity to sign up for their free affiliate program, you might as well do it here.  This area is different than the merchant account area above.  You see, anytime you sign up for any affiliate programs that are managed by Clickbank, you'll be asked for your Clickbank nickname, a name you choose for yourself when you sign up for their free account.
  
  When you promote someone's product that's handled by Clickbank, you're tracked by that nickname, and payed accordingly.
  
  There's a lot of information for you to check out over at their site.  So if you need to get that "nickname" thing out of the way, head on over to Clickbank , and check out the rest of the details there.
  
  If you're working with a physical product there are other considerations to take into account.  Storage, shipping, packing, insurance, etc.  Because we're focusing on digital products, I won't go into all of the ramifications of working with physical products at this point in time.



•   The Last 4 Bullets - The last four items on your list of web business essentials are probably the most important.  Without the character traits of humor, patience, willingness to stretch your limits, and the development of good work habits, the rest of them aren't worth the electrons they're made of.  If you're not enjoying what you're doing, the solution is to do something else.  You can have all the technical skills there are to possess, but if your heart's not into it, there will be no success.  And trust me, if cracking a smile was able to break your face, mine would be in so many pieces I'd have to carry it around in a bag.  (I've been told I should wear one anyway;-)

The above descriptions and links should give you a good, basic knowledge of what you'll need to enter into this particular world of business.  If you're serious about having your own on-line business, and would rather forego the hassles of keeping track of separate accounts for your hosting, site-building software, auto-responders, and everything else that goes along with it, or you need more kid gloves treatment as far as learning and training, you can't go wrong with Dr Ken Evoy's Site Build It Systems.

To be honest with you, (and I always will be) I was way behind the 8 ball when it came to knowledge about Site Build It and Make Your Site Sell products.  I'd read a number of articles by Dr.Evoy, and even a few articles about him, but his systems seemed a little too comprehensive for the time that I felt I had to study it.

Big mistake!

I was right in that it is comprehensive, it's just comprehensive in the best way.  I've spent a lot of time and money on programs and books and in overcoming a tremendous learning curve, that could've been better spent (at a savings) on investing in Ken's programs.  He's even added more (and I didn't think it was possible) to his system of ways to help you get up, running, and profitable... by the numbers.

For a look at what he's got to offer the newcomer to this business, take a look at www.sitesell.com

And don't say I didn't tell you it was out there;-)

I have to confess, I'm an information junkie.  I understand there are a lot of us out there who feel that you just can't learn or know too much.

Hey now!  There's an idea for a product and service.   I could start a forum for people like us and call it "Infoholics Anonymous."  I could even create a responder course for it.  Something like "12 steps to freedom from information."

Whaddaya think?

Well OK.  But for those of you who are still in denial about it being a problem, let me tempt you with the next link to a huge knowledge-bank of tips, techniques, and tutorials on home-based businesses of all sorts.

When I say huge, I'm talking about over 1500 pages, 210 videos, 200 plus audios, and over 100 downloads available.  Talk about turning Tim Taylor loose in a hardware store.

This is a member site that's constantly being added to and upgraded.  Right now the owner and developer, Paul Barrs, is giving away a free, high quality, 8 part audio course on creating your own web influence.  Over the period of a couple weeks, Paul will show you three (3) different ways to build your web business using his four (4) step formula to determine the viability of your idea(s).  If nothing else, you owe it to yourself to jump in and listen to his introductory audio.  He truly is an amazing young fellow.

I'm still kicking myself in the backside for not checking his info out the first time I was introduced to it.  I guess when the timing's right, things happen.

For a look into this home-biz candy store, and a good listen to his audio, head on over to The complete Guide to Home-Business Success

Better hurry, though.   The audio course normally goes for $67.00, who knows how long it'll be before someone sticks him in a very comfortable, albeit padded room because of his generosity.

(Oh man, now I'm going to be accused of being an info junkie enabler;-)

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