Running a business online

I've written a column in Expertscolumn.com. Now if anyone asks me anything about starting up a business online I can point them to my column and hopefully give them enough detail to make a good decision. I've always had a tough time telling people I can't answer their question in a matter of even a day. It's certainly too comprehensive to include here so I thought I'd show you where the column is and hopefully it will help you too! All you have to do is google the words-or you can go to Expertscolumn.com and put the words in the search box on the upper right!

So you want to be an Online Business Owner

Choosing the business you want to own

Running a business either online or off is pretty much the same just without the overhead. Once you’ve done enough research to learn the IRS, and both State and Federal laws don’t care whether you have a brick and mortar business or work out of your house you are ready for the next step; do you really have what it takes to run one.

I’ve spoke to enough people about starting an online business to know many just don’t have what it takes to do it. Sorry but the first red lights that usually go up are the people who throw up their own road blocks. They listen to their friends and neighbors and believe there are too many draw backs to even start looking for opportunity. I would never depend on my friends for advice. It’s like going to your priest for legal advice!

Secondly I hear people say “The IRS doesn’t have anything about running your own business”. Or, “I need a school that will teach me how to run my own business”. Or they will ask, “Can you teach me how to run my own business”.

Anyone running their own business, except for a family owned business, or start working for a company, saving up the money and buying the business, does not ask anyone how to do this! Business owners look for their own answers, go to the right people to ask questions, but they never go to another person who runs a similar business and ask them how they do it! Business owners are far too busy running their own business to spend any time telling others how they do it.

People tend to throw up their own nonexistent road blocks. Once I hear someone doing this it doesn’t pay to waste my breath telling them how. There are never road blocks, only hurtles in business ownership. People are rarely held back for long by a hurtle if they’ve taken on the challenge to do anything they have a passion for.

A perfect example of this is online hackers. They love the road blocks set up to stop unauthorized access to, well, anything you can think of. Hackers love the challenge. Successful business’ look at hackers as people who do them the favor of showing where their weak points are and they in turn come up with safe guards against their weakness’.

No matter what business you run, on line or off, its not easy. If it were easy everyone would be running their own business. So every time you see an advertisement on an infomercial, online or on a telephone pole about the “Perfect business that’s easy and will give you an income you can live on”, you’ve got to ask yourself is; Why are these people trying to bring people to them? If they are that good they wouldn’t have to try getting members?

Once you think you can overcome these challenges without the help of others you will be well on your way to finding the right at home business that fits you.

Home staging to sell!

With the real estate market becoming so unstable it's schizophrenic over the last few years everyone is scared to death of their future in their home. Frankly, I've become very aware of the possibilities with my own home and so has my husband.
We've become faithful watchers of HGTV. We have learned a lot; If you're going to paint your walls, do it in a neutral color. Think of your home as a blank canvass that can become whatever a buyer in the future may want. I know it sounds boring but the rule is: if you're going to add color and show off your personality, do it with decorating! Even then I'm thinking in terms of a future buyer! My home will be staged.
Trying to find someone who stages homes is hard to find. So thrift shops and dollar stores see me frequently looking for ideas. We have no family pictures on the walls. $1 photo books at the dollar store that accommodates 4X6 pictures are very useful. College students love jean pillows in their living space. If you sow look for jeans, flannel and fleece at the thrift shop. Stuff the pillows made from $2 jeans with the flannel etc. Cheap, fluffy fabric makes an excellent substitute for batting.
Go to both types of stores with a plan of action! Coming home with a little of this and a little of that is counter productive.
Be organized. Start a website with a blog. Show before and after pictures. Advertise. Do not be afraid of the customer who asks you to stage a house. The picky customer must also have a plan of action. What do they like? What do they not like? Have them provide pictures for you as a reference. It's amazing the number of picky people who really don't have a clue of what they really like! They sometimes aren't picky at all, they just don't have an idea of what they like. Without a destination you can't plan a path there!

For instance, I love maroon. So the table cloth, vases, bathroom towels, quilts and even the candle sticks are chosen for the destination and path. Any color that compliments maroon will work too. With a neutral background my favorite color will stand out, creating my personality!
I found a pair of old, not antique, wooden candle sticks. $2 for the candle sticks and one can of maroon spray paint later I had a $20 pair of maroon candlesticks. The list goes on!
True, you have to have a work space and you have to have storage space. But for many this would work out fantastically. Next comes links and talking with people. I'd approach Habitat For Humanity and real estate companies.