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October 27, 2014 0 Comments

Maintain Your Home-Based Business & Your Sanity During the Holidays

As a mom and home-based business owner, you probably feel like one of those circus performers who can keep a dozen plates spinning on sticks all at once. It can be challenging from day to day, but most of the time you are pretty good at keeping your plates in the air. However, add the upcoming holiday season to the mix—which, of course, includes shopping, decorating, incoming guests and kids bouncing off the walls with anticipation—and it might seem like those carefully balanced plates will all come crashing down.

Fortunately, we have some work life balance tips to help. With some planning and preparation, you can make it to 2015 without losing your business or your sanity.

Adjust Your Schedule and Your Expectations

Accept the fact that your usual schedule will be disrupted for awhile. Once you’ve accepted this, look for pockets of time during the day and night to fit in shorter spurts of work. For example, if your kids are watching “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” for the thousandth time and dinner’s in the oven, head to your computer and knock out some emails or invoices. If you are an early bird, set your alarm an hour or so earlier and try to crank out some work before the kids and company get up. If you are more of a night owl, work a little after the kids go to sleep to catch up on some of your projects.

Prioritize and Push Back

Schedule some specific times and activities with your family and guests during the holiday season, and post the calendar in a place where everyone can see it. Whenever possible, schedule things to do during the times when you wouldn’t normally be working anyway—that way, you won’t feel as stressed out about missing work time, and you can really focus on your kids. You could swing by your local coffee shop for hot cocoas to go, and then drive around your neighborhood looking at lights.

Also, try to push back at least some of your work and deadlines into January. Chances are good that many of your clients are also trying to juggle their lives and the holiday season, so depending on what type of at-home work you do, it may be possible to reschedule at least some of it until early 2015.

Shop Online

If your to-do list is already three pages long, you might wonder how you’ll find time to get to the mall to shop. You don’t have to fight the crowds and parking lots to get toys and gifts for everyone on your “Nice” list. Pour yourself a cup of coffee or a glass of wine, put on your comfy flannel jammies, and when the kids are asleep, take care of your holiday shopping online. Walmart always has some great Black Friday deals and it seems like every online retailer offers shipping deals this time of year. If you are planning on sending out holiday cards, you can also upload photos to sites like Snapfish or Shutterfly and order them from there.

With these work life balance tips, you will be able to skate through the holidays having a fun and relaxing time with your family.

Check out these other great articles about productivity / time management as a work from home professional. Also check out our current job postings for mom professionals.

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September 22, 2014 0 Comments

Conquer Career Goals with an Online Education Program

The job market can be tough. Recent college graduates are struggling to find work just as much as older, more experienced individuals. That philosophy degree may have seemed like a great idea when you were in college, but now, after starting a family and taking time off, it may feel like an unwise decision. If you have taken a break from the workplace in recent years, it can be difficult to stay relevant in the current hiring market.

We have some great work from home career ideas that you can adopt today. Mentoring, volunteering, and internships are great first steps towards a new career. Here are a few tips to get started!

Start by Volunteering

If you are curious about the opportunities out there, look into volunteer programs in your area. Sign up for websites like Volunteermatch.org to find local opportunities that meet your interests. Volunteer Match notifies users about opportunities with organizations that are associated with advocacy and human rights, art and culture, animals, and board development. Through volunteer work you may discover a career path to pursue outside of your degree. You can also look at community bulletin boards in your area to see what other volunteer opportunities are in your area.

Become a Mentor

If you’ve ever considered mentoring others, Mentoring.org is a great resource that helps you locate mentoring programs in your area or start one of your own. It’s as easy as entering in your zip code to get started. Once you enter your zip code, a list of organizations will be provided, along with the program type and the age group being assisted. Opportunities vary from helping homeless youth, to free arts programs, to providing families from reservations health services and a safe place to stay.

Participate in an Internship

Another way to explore career options outside of your degree is through internship programs. Most job sites post internships along with job listings which makes them easy to find. Internships will give you immersion into the workplace, offer new skills, and help you network within any industry. Through an internship programs you may find what interests you most and decide what to pursue further.

Go Back to School

If volunteering and internship programs help you find the career path of your dreams, consider going back to school. With the ease and availability of technology today, quality education programs are at your fingertips. There are many online certification programs out there that can help you get an edge on the competition. In 2011, 65 percent of students had taken online courses and 89 percent of four-year universities were already offering online courses to their students. These numbers have continued to grow as more individuals are recognizing the benefits and convenience of online courses.

Worried you don’t have the time? It can be hard to juggle the responsibilities of running the household, taking care of the kids, and all that comes with it. You may not have the time to go sit in a classroom three days a week, but with online programs, you can make your own schedule and do your assignments at home. It is that easy!

If you have ever considered going into medicine, now is the time. Health care students no longer have to go back to medical school to learn the skills required for jobs in various health care-related professions. Eight years in medical school and hundreds of thousands of dollars in student loans is no longer required to get going in the medical and health care fields. Unlike many industries today, the health care field is always growing and looking for driven, smart workers. College Online’s health and medical degrees include medicine and nursing programs with certification courses in health care administration, therapy, counseling, nursing, pharmacy and more.

Be proactive. Use these creative work from home career ideas to take the necessary steps to get the education you deserve and the career you want.

Check out these other great articles about continuing education as a work from home professional. Also check out our current job postings for mom professionals.

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September 12, 2014 0 Comments

Manage Your Image Prior to the Big Job Interview

Not that long ago, employers relied on interviews, reference checks and resumes to determine whether or not they wanted to hire someone. These days, business owners use a variety of other methods to decide if someone is hire-worthy. Some business owners will look into your background as part of the screening process; this may include asking you information about your educational background, any criminal records, your financial history, and the way in which you use social media, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission notes. Potential employers may also do a background check, which can include looking up a credit report and any past criminal activity, and they will probably spend some time online learning what they can about you and your activities.

Here are some interview tips to prepare for the background screening and help ensure that your image is as upstanding, responsible and professional as possible.

Research yourself

Since employers often use a search engine like Google to learn more about you, beat them to the proverbial punch and research yourself, Lifehacker suggests. Hopefully what pops up will be a pretty accurate representation of who you are, including recent achievements and awards, articles that may have mentioned your name, and social media profiles. If your name is fairly common or if you are in the unfortunate situation where your name is the same or close to some notorious individual, you may want to go ahead and mention this during the interview. You could even add links and URLs to accurate articles about you to your resume.

Make sure your driving record is spotless — or close to it

Many employers will want or even require that you have a clean driving record. In addition to being a good indicator of responsibility and competency, a lack of tickets and other moving violations can show your future boss that you are capable of good decision making. Of course, this is especially important if the job involves any kind of driving. If your license has expired or if you have recently moved to a new state and you have not been down to the MVD yet, do everything you can before your interview to make sure your driving records are up-to-date. For example, if you just moved and you need to get your driver’s license, you can prepare for your exam by taking the permit practice test online at DrivingTests.org.

Clean up your social media act

Chances are good the person who will be interviewing you will look you up on social media sites. Take the time and go through all of your pages and remove anything that might be remotely questionable. This includes those fun pictures taken of you at that party on your Facebook page — you may not have been doing anything wrong, but it’s probably best to err on the side of caution.

Also, as Wisconsin Job Center notes, never speak poorly of your last boss in a job interview. If you ever did any complaining about your job, boss or co-workers on social media sites, take those comments off, pronto. Assume that your potential future boss will scroll through some of your Tweets, so go back and remove any that make you look less than positive. In addition, if you have a page on LinkedIn, make sure your profile is up to date with your latest job history and references.

Take these interview tips to heart — do anything you can to make sure that whatever someone learns about you online will increase, and not decrease, your chances of being hired.

Check out these other great articles about job search tips as a work from home professional. Also check out our current job postings for mom professionals.

 

 

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September 4, 2014 0 Comments

Five Terrific Jobs for Moms

As a mom, you may want or need to work outside of the home. While you may be qualified for all sorts of positions, you are hoping to find one that gives you the ability to bring in some much-needed income while still having enough flexibility to be there for your kids when they need you — and even when they don’t. With this in mind, the following five jobs for moms are ideal for those who would prefer not to work a typical 9 to 5 schedule:

Real estate agent

Real estate agents usually set their own hours, but they also work some odd times like on weekends and nights, SheKnows notes. If your spouse works a traditional schedule, this can be an ideal situation because chances are good at least one of you will always be home with the kiddos and you won’t have to spend some of your hard-earned money on daycare. Some Realtor moms just list a couple houses at a time, so that they can still devote a lot of their days to their family.

Small business owner

Do your friends freak out when they see the gorgeous postcard-worthy photos you post on Facebook? Are your cupcakes or cinnamon rolls legendary in your neighborhood? It may be possible to turn your talent into a money-making venture by opening up a small business right from home. You can set up a website that sells your products or services, and spread the word via social media and word of mouth that you are now available to shoot family portraits, or pet sit, or cater birthday parties. If you are super crafty, you might also find that a website like Etsy is a terrific place to open your own store on the Internet.

Insurance agent

The insurance industry is great for moms who want to telecommute. Many different companies have jobs that allow people to work from home. Insurance agents also tend to have an entrepreneurial spirit that can be very appealing to moms who are also looking for some freedom in their schedules. Lead aggregation services like Quote Wizard enable moms to pursue life insurance business opportunities in between dropping the kids off and picking them up from school.

School teacher

As Business News Daily notes, working at a school is the perfect way for a mom to be on the same schedule as her kids. In an ideal world, you might also be able to find a position at the same school your kids attend. If you do not want to work as a teacher, there are still plenty of other openings in schools that are ideal for moms; these include working in the school’s library, being a lunchroom and playground aide, assisting in the front office, and being a teacher’s assistant.

Pharmacist

Careers in the pharmaceutical industry can be ideal for working moms who are looking for job flexibility. As Forbes notes, the positions offer an outstanding balance between working and home life, and they typically offer a great salary and benefits.

These are just a few flexible jobs for moms seeking something different than the corporate world.

Check out these other great articles about home-based jobs as a work from home professional. Also check out our home-based job descriptions and current job postings for mom professionals.

 

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August 30, 2014 0 Comments

How to Run Your Home More like a CEO

4 Tips for Time & Budget Management from a Business Development Strategist

All successful CEOs have one thing in common: They’re able to maintain a big-picture perspective. It’s also something successful moms like you have in common if you run your home like a business, says Zenovia Andrews, a business strategist, speaker, author and mom who coaches entrepreneurs and CEOs on time and budget management.

“In business, CEOs implement a process that achieves efficient time and resource management in the most cost-effective way; sounds a lot like a mom, doesn’t it?” says Andrews, founder and CEO of The MaxOut Group, a company devoted to empowering and teaching entrepreneurs development strategies to increase profits.

“If every mom were a CEO, America would rule the world!”

Andrews, author of the new book “All Systems Go – A Solid Blueprint to Build Business and Maximize Cash Flow,” (www.zenoviaandrews.com), suggests the following tips for moms to better manage money and time.

•  CEOs utilize apps, and so should CEO Moms. When a CEO’s personal assistant isn’t around or, if it’s a small business and she doesn’t have one, then apps do nicely. There are several apps for moms, including Bank of Mom – an easy way to keep track of your kids’ allowances. Set up an account for each child and track any money they earn for chores or allowance. The app also allows you to track their computer and TV time as well as other activities.

•  Measurement is the key to knowledge, control and improvement. CEOs have goals for their businesses and Moms have goals for their family members. In either case, the best way to achieve a big-picture goal is to identify action steps and objectives and a system for measuring progress. Want to improve your kids’ test scores, help your husband lose weight or – gasp – free some time for yourself? There are four phases to help track progress: planning, or establishing goals; collection, or conducting research on your current process; analysis – comparing information from existing processes with the new one; and adapting, or implementing the new process.

•  Understand your home’s “workforce.” A good CEO helps her employees grow and develop, not only for the company’s benefit, but for the employee’s as well. Most people are happiest when they feel they’re learning and growing, working toward a goal, which may be a promotion within the company or something beyond it. When they feel the CEO is helping with that, they’re happier, more productive, more loyal employees. Likewise, CEO Moms need to help their children gain the skills and knowledge they need not only to succeed in general but to achieve their individual dreams.

•  A well-running household is a community effort; consider “automated” systems. In business, automated systems tend to be as clinical as they sound, typically involving technology. Yet, there’s also a human resource element. Automated systems are a must for CEO Moms, and they tend to take the form of scheduling at home. Whose night is it for the dishes, or trash? One child may be helpful in the kitchen, whereas another may be better at cleaning the pool.

It’s easier than you think to run your home like a business. Using these tips, you will quickly become CEO Mom.

About Zenovia Andrews

Zenovia Andrews, www.zenoviaandrews.com, is a business development strategist with extensive experience in corporate training, performance management, leadership development and sales consulting with international clients, including Pfizer, Inc. and Novartis Pharmaceuticals. A sought-after speaker and radio/TV personality, she is the author of “All Systems Go” and “MAXOut: I Want It All.”

Check out these other great articles about productivity / time management as a work from home professional. Also check out our current job postings for mom professionals.

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July 15, 2014 0 Comments

5 Social Media Lessons for At-Home Businesses

If you work from home, online marketing may be key to your success. Strategic use of social media can maximize your reach and resources including skills, successes, contacts and supporters (particularly those who can give you a professional reference). You don’t need to blanket social media. Your time is limited, so focus on key sites you are comfortable using and attract the type of customers you want. Here are five strategies to get you started.

Link In to Other Businesses

If you aren’t already on LinkedIn, you need to get on it. “LinkedIn is today’s Yellow Pages,” says Brad Friedman, a Denver-based social media consultant. “Business introductions are made, potential deals discovered and new employees or employment opportunities” happen on LinkedIn.

According to the latest stats from eBiz/MBA, LinkedIn is the third most popular social media site in the U.S. If you aren’t familiar with it, think of it as a business-minded version of Facebook. It’s free, easy to use and offers great online networking resources.

Even the Smallest Business Needs a Website

Get a website. It will help people find and contact you because even the Yellow Pages is online!

While today’s DIY technology makes it relatively easy to build a basic website, consider outsourcing this to a local firm that specializes in small business marketing. This way, you will (1) make a contact in the community, (2) support another local business and (3) get it done right by someone you can physically meet with if necessary.

A competent Web service will provide or refer you to a skilled writer who will ensure your site content is appropriate, relevant to your business, and optimized for search engines with keywords and metadata to boost visibility in Web searches. Request a WordPress-based site, which provides a back-end content management system that you can easily maintain on your own.

Use your site to blog about your product or service. Ask customers for permission to feature them and how they use it. Write about issues that customers need to know about, and provide links for more information. Invite them to comment or guest blog.

Make a Separate Facebook Business Page

If your business is a B2C (Business to Customer), you will likely benefit from a Facebook page. Be sure to create a separate business page for it: don’t combine business with your personal profile. Use Facebook’s tools and suggestions to create a page that works.

Why Facebook? Because it’s nearly impossible to be entirely free of it. According to the Pew Research Center, 57 percent of all American adults and roughly 73 percent of teenagers use Facebook. Even half of all Internet users who aren’t on Facebook live with someone who is.

A Facebook page extends your business reach and acts as a kind of super magnet for your product or service. Keep your page tightly focused. Take for example a company like LifeLock. People who visit their Facebook page get the information they expect and judging from the numbers who Like it, find value in it.

Make Real-World Connections Through a Business Meetup

Meetup.com helps organize social and business groups in a given geographic area. Use it to find a business group that matches your interests. Many Meetups are free while others charge a small fee to help cover meeting room costs and other expenses.

Also attend Meetups that attract the kind of customer you are looking for. It’s not unusual, for example, for a writer to attend a Web developers’ Meetup and vice versa. In addition to finding potential customers, it’s an opportunity to learn about the issues customers face and gain insight into their interests and concerns.

These social sites will allow you to get “out” even if you work from home. Online marketing provides a great way to market yourself while being able to stay home with your family.

Check out these other great articles about marketing and social media as a work from home professional. Also check out our current job postings for mom professionals.

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June 11, 2014 0 Comments

4 Great Apps Every WAHM Needs in 2015

Not that long ago, work-at-home-moms relied on giant wall calendars, fax machines, decent computers and plenty of caffeine to get in a full day of productivity. Now, working at home means having a handful of the best devices and dozens of organizational apps that reach across your computers, tablets and smartphones. WAHMs keep discovering ways to stay on top of both work and family commitments—caffeine still required, of course—so there’s no excuse for not using them.

The following four work from home apps are perfect work-at-home-moms who are ready to start 2015 with a boost in digital organization.

Evernote

Being a WAHM involves lists—lots and lots of lists. Thanks to Evernote, WAHMs can access to-do lists, notes, schedules and all of the other mom stuff from any smart device. Evernote allows users to manage expenses, including those omnipresent piles of bills, receipts and invoices, and it can even help plan a trip to see the in-laws next summer. Available on both Android and iOS, the basic Evernote app is free, and upgraded versions with more bells and whistles can be purchased. Plus, since it is available for all devices, anything done on one device can then be accessed on another simply through the app.

Imagine that: she can be in line at the grocery store and planning an upcoming project on the new iPhone 6 Plus, Samsung Galaxy S4 or Windows phone she got over the holidays, and in the afternoon, she can continue planning from a tablet or laptop while she’s using her phone to schedule dentist appointments.

Dropbox

When it comes to must-have apps for WAHMs, Dropbox is definitely top pick. This amazing and innovative program lets users upload important work files, photos and documents and then share them easily with co-workers, employers, clients and more. Everyone who signs up for Dropbox automatically gets 2GB of space for free, and the app can be accessed from computers, tablets and mobile phones. Because who has the time to sift through piles of paper?

Google Calendar

For WAHMs who have relied on a huge white board calendar with different colored dry erase markers, Google Calendar is a terrific replacement. The Android app has more than 132,000 5-star ratings and allows busy work-at-home-moms to see daily, weekly and monthly schedules all in one easy to read place, and even includes maps to where they might be going to a meeting with a client, or to drop off their son or daughter for band practice. Once reservations are made for date night with hubby at a local restaurant or trip plans are finalized, they will be added to the calendar automatically through Gmail. The app also allows WAHMs to flip back and forth between different types of calendars including daily or several days at once.

Cozi Family Organizer

The Cozi Family Organizer has an average rating of 4.5 stars from more than 30,000 reviewers, and for good reason. The free app was winner of the Appy Award for the Best Family App and the BMA Gold for Best Mobile Calendar. This awesome program features a color-coded calendar that a WAHM can use to expertly keep tabs on her kiddos’ play dates alongside her own upcoming work deadlines, to-do lists and shopping lists. Just give each child or task a color and see at a glance what “teal Tommy” or “red Rachel” will be doing that day. For those who wish to do away with the ads that are part of the free version, they can upgrade for $29.99 to a premium version with additional features called Cozi Gold.

Let us know more work from home apps that you find useful in your home-based business. We are always looking for ways to make our workday more productive.

Check out these other great articles about productivity / time management as a work from home professional. Also check out our current job postings for mom professionals.

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June 11, 2014 0 Comments

Keys to Getting a Virtual Call Center Job

Many people have asked me how they can get a virtual call center job from home.  Others have advised they were not hired though their skills matched those requested.  Unlike a call center building, virtual centers have an unlimited area in which to recruit meaning there are 100s seeking the same position as you.  The odds of getting a job change from 1 out of 2 at a center to 1 out of 50 for virtual call center.  Below are seven keys to getting a call center job as a virtual agent.

  • Be professional and smile when you speak with the recruiter.  Although it seems silly, the truth is your voice is friendlier while smiling.  This is very important when the recruiter is sitting 500 miles away and only “knows” you through the phone.  Note the recruiter has 100s of applications to fill very few spots.  You want to shine above the rest.  The recruiter is not your friend and is choosing people who will make her/him look good.  Your professionalism is important.
  • Practice, practice, practice answering questions on the phone with a friend.  Be sure the friend is articulate and honest.  You will need to answer with authority, at the correct sound level, and again, with a SMILE.  It isn’t as easy as it seems, so don’t be afraid to practice.
  • Know your computer.   You will be expected to know how to open several browsers at one time and easily search the internet for answers while speaking with the interviewer.  Remember, this is an interview for speaking with the companies callers, and everything you do should reflect capability, understanding, and quality.
  • Be compassionate and empathize with the caller. “I’m sorry you are having this problem.”  “I’m sorry you had to call for an answer.”  “I’m sorry for ___”  This is the number one reason people do NOT get a virtual call job.  You must show you will be empathetic with the caller.  It does not matter who is at fault, who doesn’t understand, or who performed the negative issue.  Your job is to tell the customer you are sorry for the problem and immediately advise you will be “happy to help them”.  There will be several recruiting questions that are tied to the above, so practice this with your friend.  Make it automatic.  Many potential agents think they didn’t cause the problem so why should they say sorry.  Because that is YOUR job, so be prepared to do it

Caller … I dropped my computer on the floor and it does not work.

Agent … I am sorry you are having this problem.  I will be glad to help you.

Caller … I have called several times and the issue is not resolved.

Agent … I am sorry you are having this problem.  I will be happy to help you.

Caller … My dog ate the owner’s manual.

Agent … I am sorry this happened to you.  I will be happy to help you.

Get it? Do it!

  • Answer questions honestly and succinctly.   A good answer is complete but does not need to be long.  Plan on every question taking no more than 2 sentences to answer.  When an answer becomes longer, it wanders off topic and brings up questions in the recruiter’s mind.  You want to answer the question and then stop.  Silence is your friend.  If the recruiter needs more information (Can you give me an example?) then give a short example.
  • Prepare for the trick questions:  Why do you want to work for us? And tell me your worst personality trait (or something like that).  The first answer should refer to how much you enjoy working with and helping people.  The second question is a trick, so never fall for it.  You need to answer this with a positive trait like … My worst quality is that I love to work many hours and have a hard time saying ‘No’ when asked to work more.  Or, “I have a personality of a fixer because I always want to solve people’s problems.”
  • Always have a question available at the end.  The interview will end with the recruiter asking if you have any questions.  This is your chance to ask pertinent questions ie “Will I be able to work additional hours?”  “I am interested in this company as a career, will there be chances for advancement?”  These types of questions are very positive in the recruiter’s eyes because they refer to areas that help the company.  Never ask about vacation, benefits, or money.  These items can be discussed once you get the position.

Good luck.  Be positive, professional, most of all smile during the interview. If you follow these instructions, you will stand out among applications and be able to secure a virtual call center job while working from home.

~~~~~~~~~

Backus and Associates provides consulting services for companies who are investigating or launching virtual call centers.  Our 10 years of experience managing within the virtual setting enables Backus and Associates to bring the needed expertise for planning and initiating a virtual culture including: executive planning sessions; management training; agent surveys/meetings; and Operations, IT, Recruiting, and Training preparation.  Backus and Associates partners with management to design a virtualization plan and follow through with the implementation processes.  Backus and Associates also assists companies who currently have virtual programs with the goal of increasing quality and agent performance while removing areas that reduce program success.  Contact is … bill@backusandassociates.com.  Visit the website at … www.backusandassociates.com

Check out these other great articles about home-based jobs as a work from home professional. Also check out our home-based job descriptions and current job postings for mom professionals.

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June 2, 2014 0 Comments

How I Grew my Virtual Business by 50% in 3 Months

In 2013, I boosted sales by 50% in 3 months, while also cutting my stress and workload by about 25%.

Before I get into the details of how to make money online, first you should know about a very special group of 15-year-olds running a Billion-dollar business.

Yes, that’s Billion with a “B”…

Miraculous Billion-Dollar Teens

In their personal lives they can be air-headed and make bad decisions clouded by hormones.

For some of them it’s a miracle they even graduate from high school.

YET…

When they yank on their work uniform suddenly they’re *the* heartbeat of McDonald’s, one of history’s greatest business successes.

Collectively, this teenaged staff (still too young to buy booze) are serving 70 Million people every single day!

…while getting almost ZERO complaints and making a tidal wave of sales… day after day after day… predictably, successfully, profitably.

YET…

You and I – as smart, proud entrepreneurs and salespeople – struggle to manage our load of 20 – 30 active prospects, projects, and customers at any given time.

We follow-up inadequately with new opportunities, we often ignore our best customers, and quickly fall behind on paperwork and filing taxes.

What’s wrong with this picture?

It’s simple.  The solution is SYSTEMS.

Let me use fiery NASCAR driver Danica Patrick to explain…

Tim VS. Danica – It’s ON Like Donkey Kong

Let’s say Danica challenges me to a 1/4 mile drag race – fastest down the strip wins.

She gets to drive her fire-breathing, 750-horsepower NASCAR race car.

Me, a far inferior driver, is allowed to race my everyday, 200-horsepower Mustang.

I would get destroyed.

BUT…

If we swapped cars, I’d crush Danica.  Every. single. time.

How can that be?  After all, she’s *such* a better driver than me!

Well, a car is nothing more than a big system, made up of a bunch of smaller systems: cooling system, fuelling system, steering system, etc.

When I’m driving Danica’s 750-horsepower race car, I’m a fairly average person running a world-class machine – just slam on the gas and keep it pointed straight down the track!

Because the race car’s systems makes it SO easy to go really fast, instantly I’m smoking Danica every single time.

When Danica’s in my (much, much slower) 200-horsepower Mustang, she’s a world-class driver running a fairly average machine.  Even though she could handle so much more, she’s completely limited by the system she’s running.

And *this* is the major difference between entrepreneurs and McDonald’s….

You Are Handicapped By Your Systems

You are like Danica driving an everyday Mustang.  You’re a world-class talent being completely held back by the systems you’re running in your business.

You’ve probably got ho-hum systems to get new customers / clients / investors.

Ineffective systems to complete paperwork and reporting.

Maybe even inefficient systems to produce your product / service.

But McDonald’s?

They’re a bunch of 15-year-olds driving Danica’s 750 Horsepower race car – fairly average workers driving world-class systems, producing world-class business.

The Kids of McDonald’s make Billions while entrepreneurs burn the midnight oil scratching out a living.  Always remember…

Stellar systems, driven by average people,

Will always beat

Stellar people running average systems.

My Path to Systems and Increased Profit

Since 2003 I’d read The E-Myth (Micheal Gerber), Built to Sell (John Warrilow), The 4-Hour Workweek (Tim Ferriss).  All of these books were inspirational but short on details.  I struggled.

My marketing business – Tim Francis Marketing – was growing.  In 2012 it hit a plateau.  I couldn’t possibly take on another stitch of work – I was maxed out.  Or more accurately – my business model was maxed out.

Then in 2012, I read Work the System by Sam Carpenter, which rocked my world.  Best book on small business systems out there.  I immediately took the Work the System Group Coaching, offered by Sam Carpenter and Josh Fonger.

Over the course’s 3 short months I adapted the general lessons they taught – intended for any kind of small business – specifically for my 100% online, virtual business.  I’m sure you’d agree running a business entirely online with staff around the world in multiple time zones is far different than a brick-and-mortar factory or warehouse.

With my first few systems in place, I was now ready to hire staff.  I turned to HireMyMom.com and had two winning applicants working for me within weeks, each executing systems I’d created just a few weeks previous.

In the end, the revenue of my small marketing company soared by 50%, and my work week lightened by about 25% – from around 60 hours to only 45 hours / week.

Today the process continues.  I haven’t reached Tim Ferriss’ 4-Hour Workweek, nor have I reached Sam Carpenter’s 2-Hour Workweek… yet.  But I’ve made some colossal strides forward and sincerely hope I can help you learn how to make money online too.

Onwards and Upwards,

Tim

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Tim Francis teaches How To Systemize Your Virtual Business at http://www.SmoothOnlineSystems.com.  Tim also runs his marketing company, which has clients in CAN, USA, and AUS, spanning from $150K in sales all the way up to $100MM.

Check out these other great articles about home-based business as a work from home professional. Also check out our home-based job descriptions and current job postings for mom professionals.

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April 30, 2014 0 Comments

Why Having a Third Space is Good for Your Business

Have you ever thought of using a coworking space or a business incubator to give you that “third” space for your home business? We all know working from home really is a big challenge. If you have young kids in the house, taking a conference call is hard to schedule between nap times. You want quiet to be able to do your work and knock out that client project. But you don’t want that eerie quiet that suddenly sets in when you go, “uh-oh, what are the children doing” and you find the dog getting a makeover. When you do get out of the house to take that client meeting, you are either meeting at the client’s location or you have picked your local coffee shop. Neither place really gives you a chance to show that you are a professional running a professional enterprise. Plus, when working only from home, it’s just you having to work on your projects all by yourself. One of the biggest benefits of working in an office environment is that you are surrounded by your peers. You can bounce ideas off of them, have conversations, and get inspiration on how to tackle problems. Adults need adult time too, away from the kids every now and then.

What you need is a good “third” space to give you the things that your home office just can’t give you. There are many kinds of “third” spaces out there that help get your business moving to the next step. Think about joining a coworking space that has a good vibe and gels with the business you are building. There are coworking spaces that cater to programmers, artists, makers, marketers, and professional services. Some of the best coworking spaces have a nice mix of these kinds of people in them. Coworking gives you a chance to have that professional adult time and work on business problems and get access to a professional office environment, conference rooms, and have a real business address. You know, someplace that you would feel good having a meeting with a client. Many of the coworking spaces offer programs to help you with your business. Session speakers, hackathons, and other networking events are usually part of the membership fee.

Also over the last few years, business incubators have opened their doors up to more than just tech companies. The incubator I am involved with has a mix of tech, legal, marketing, healthcare, and retail companies. In the same vein of coworking, you get a professional space with some additional support from programs that might be offered by the local venture capital firm, university or community college to help with your business. All good resources to have, especially if you need to have a summer intern to knock out that branding project you have not had a chance to get around to.

It is long winded, but here is the point. Get out and socialize your business. Make connections, build a network of like minded entrepreneurs that are willing to help each other. The best place to start is in a coworking space or business incubator. Make the time for yourself to pursue your business objectives. Even if it is just one or two days a week, you’ll find that being a solopreneur isn’t so lonely when you find others that are just like you trying to solve the same kinds of problems.

Check out these other great articles about productivity / time management as a work from home professional. Also check out our current job postings for mom professionals.

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