Winning,the,Home,Business,Jack DIY Winning the Home Business Jackpot
When starting a new work at home business it is very easy to become consumed by it. We spend so much time trying to get the business up and running that we may end up becoming burned out and lose our motivation. There is so much to learn and Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;mso-style-noshow:yes;mso-style-parent:"";mso-padding-alt:0in
Well, once again I *did not* win the California Lottery.I can always tell when things are going well in my life,because I don't daydream about getting rich quick. When Iwas working outside the home full time, I found myselfbuying tickets every week and checking the lottery websiteon a daily basis. I was simply unhappy with that job anddesperate to quit to stay home with my daughter.These days, I have a business I enjoy and I rarely noticethe lottery... except when business is slow, which can beexpected from time to time, especially when you're aone-woman operation.Since Memorial Day, traffic for my website has plummeted byabout 40% and revenues are bound to follow. This is probablya natural occurrence tied in to the fact that my audience ismade up of moms with children who are now home from school,so they have less time to surf the Internet. It happenedlast year, I expected it to happen this year, and tried tobudget for it... but the buzz about the economy got my mindthinking about a quick solution, and when the jackpot hit$141 million a few weeks ago, I bought myself a $1 fantasy.Needless to say, I am one dollar poorer and still lookingfor ways to get over my seasonal hump, and you maybe, too.It is tempting to step back business activities dramaticallyand take a long vacation. This makes sense - but only to apoint. By all means, slow your pace and enjoy time with yourfamily - that's why we're working from home in the firstplace. But don't neglect your long-term goals... becausejust as a summer downturn is a predictable occurrence,September is only just around the corner and back toschool starts the busiest selling season of the year. Ignoreyour business and marketing plans and you risk having toplay catch-up and losing profits.So what should we be doing this summer to stay on track?Here are some suggestions to help you 'have your barbecueand eat it, too:'* With the year half over, this is a great time to review and fine tune your business and marketing plans. Gather your numbers, see how you've been performing and what you might change to improve them.* Brainstorm your fall marketing campaign. Be ready to go by mid-August and watch your September sales soar.* If some activities don't seem to be working, try something new. Slow times are great for testing new products, methods and opportunities. If they don't work, you can easily shift gears back - and if they do, just think how much mileage you'll get when your customers are back in a buying mood.* If your family vacation or outings include some long, lazy days at the beach, forego the usual romance and mystery novels and tote some new business books. Find out what's new by subscribing to Amy Shellhase's BookReviewZ ezine: < Mailto:[email protected] >* Fewer summertime customers could give you more time for networking. Attend a meeting of your local Chamber of Commerce or professional association. There's nothing like the power of professional referrals for attracting new customers to your base!* If customers aren't coming to you this summer, try going to them. Look into getting a booth at your local farmers market or summer fair. If it's too costly, you may try teaming up with some complementary businesses.Inc. Magazine's June issue was its annual 'State of SmallBusiness' report, with some interesting insights courtesy ofUSC Business School's William B. Gartner.Gartner told Inc. that 'effort and momentum' are key toentrepreneurial success. Keep both going and your businesswill survive a summertime slump. It may not be as excitingas a big lottery win, but it's a heckuva lot moreattainable.
Winning,the,Home,Business,Jack