Don’t be shut out by the competition. Here’s how to find and explore profitable online niche markets.

Find a market that you are passionate about…
Let’s say, for demonstrative purposes, that you are passionate about fire safety; particularly in the home. There is a strong online market catering products and services to homeowners who want to take every precaution to decrease the potential for loss of life and property in the event of a fire.

Because you are new to the online market, and particularly to the fire safety market, you do not want to try to compete with the entire fire safety industry for online business. The profitable business model of niche marketing allows you to exploit the concept of supply and demand. Knowledge of the fire safety market, in general, will enable you to laser target the products and services that are sought after, for which the need is not currently being met.

…and break it down into segments.
The online fire safety industry is a pretty broad market. While trying to carve out a niche for yourself you discover that some sites sell the latest in smoke and fire detection technology for the home, some offer safety information, and others offer fire extinguishers of all sizes and classes for the home and business.

These market segments happen to be tremendously profitable niches because consumers are willing to invest in the best of what is available for fire prevention and damage control. So where do you and your budding company fit in? How do you choose your niche within this booming E-Commerce market?

Conduct a keyword search.
Educate yourself about what your targeted consumers are searching for. You may search general phrases, but you should quickly focus on optimizing your search using words your consumers identify with. By studying the patterns and specifics of these searches, you will be able to identify the problem that your consumers want to be solved now.

KWfinder.com is a good keyword tool that is freely available online and will reveal how many times a day a particular word is searched for in major search engines.

Find the problem and solve it.
Your keyword search has revealed a market saturated with products and information related to fire prevention, detection, and first-line-of-defense actions. Overwhelming for some, but you were diligent in your search and you have identified a product that there are few of, and that might, in fact, do very well: a fire-proof safe/ lock-box.

The problem is, however, that your target consumer is not searching for a safe. When you build your eCommerce website, be sure to optimize the content to be relevant to your target consumers’ online fire-safety searches. When they arrive at your site, they will find that you are not selling them a lock-box, but rather that you are selling the benefits that owning your product will afford them.

Your fireproof safe keeps important documents and priceless articles away from prying eyes, day-to-day, but in the event of a devastating fire, your product has protected important material possessions and kept those articles intact in the face of rebuilding a life. When they buy your product, they buy peace of mind.

Celebrate success!
As you discovered, the fire safety market has a wide variety of segments, but you are bright enough to know it is neither wise nor profitable to attempt to offer it all. In our hypothetical business model, you marketed your product to the people who are looking for peace of mind and a sense of preparedness in the face of a tragic fire. Because you selected a niche with great potential and little competition, you stand to attract qualified traffic and gain larger returns on your investment.

Keep in mind that niche marketing is not limited to the realm of eCommerce. If the market segment you are most passionate about is saturated online, then consider the level of competition and demand in your local community. If all signs point to sizable profit, then consider sinking your niche into your own bricks-and-mortar business!

Consult our professional E-Commerce web designers and start making money today!

The post How to make money from Niche markets: Be a Niche Market Mogul appeared first on Make Money Online With Your Computer: LaptopWork.com.

1. Affiliate Promo Videos

One of the fastest ways to make money online is to sell other people’s products as an affiliate, and specifically sell other people’s software. Use screen capture video to demonstrate how to use the software, and then refer people through your affiliate link. You can also make “features and benefit videos” where you simply list off all the reasons someone should buy a product, and then refer them through your affiliate link.

2. Software Demonstrations

Use screen capture video to demonstrate your software as part of the sales process. If you don’t own software you can sell, you can still demonstrate how to get a specific result using virtually any software and then make money charging for the training you create.

3. PowerPoint

Use screen capture video to create PowerPoint Video sales Letters that massively shorten the sales copywriting process. You can also convert virtually any PowerPoint presentation used for offline training into an online tool using screen capture video.

4. Video Marketing

Posting videos to sites like YouTube, Vimeo, and other niche video sites make a great way to get traffic, increase search engine ranking, and gain expert status. With Camtasia’s YouTube settings, you can create and upload effective online videos with just a few clicks.

5. Webinar Recordings

Webinars make a great option for businesses of any size to create content, sell products, and create goodwill in their niche. With screen capture video you can archive the action forever and use it for everything from free bonuses to paid home study courses and customer training.

6. Membership Site Content

Any business can benefit by creating exclusive, members-only content for their customers with screen capture video. Whether that content is free or paid, the relationships created can lead to profits for many years. Use this tool to create training on various topics, create website reviews, offer critiques for your members and more.

7. Blog Content

Blogging represents a double-edged sword. To get traction, you must publish to your blog regularly. Use screen capture video to shortcut the process by quickly creating updates, sharing your opinions, or reviewing products.

8. Article Conversion

Article marketing works for any size business. The incoming links and credibility it creates far outstretch the time it takes to write and distribute articles. However, converting your articles into screen capture videos rates quick and easy, and allows you to combine video marketing with the power of article marketing. Simply create bullets from your article and put them into PowerPoint. Then, record the screen while reading the article as you advance through the bulleted presentation. Very simple, but oh so effective!

9. iPod / iPad Content

Camtasia allows you to create content for mobile devices. With the coming onslaught of mobile media devices, you can become a source of valuable content for your customers looking to use their mobile devices. Mobile devices represent an amazing opportunity to distribute content created with screen capture video.

Remember: if you can show it on your computer screen, you can record it and share it through the power of screen capture video. Let your mind run wild with the possibilities, but then get busy using the tool to build your business.

The post 9 Instant Uses for Screen Capture Video in Your Online Business appeared first on Make Money Online With Your Computer: LaptopWork.com.

Usually, you will have to sign up for at least two, sometimes three of the offers that show up between pages of the survey to be eligible and a few of those will require some sort of payment. Free information or free products often requiring you pay for postage with your credit card. When these types of surveys offering free products first began to appear, it took getting to the third or fourth page before you learned there were requirements you had to fulfill in order to be eligible.

Now, most have something on the first page to refer you to the eligibility requirements. Filling out surveys can earn you a few extra dollars but if a person is looking to earn a living by becoming a professional survey taker, it is going to take a while to get on the approved list of many companies in order to make any real money. You will spend time registering to take surveys with hundreds, if not thousands of companies, and once you establish yourself as a survey taker you will be given surveys to take, for which you will be paid.

For a person with a lot of time on their hands and the patience to scroll through numerous pages of questions and offers before saying it is not worth my time, there can be ways to receive this free money online. If you own a website, you can also earn money online through affiliate programs and since the company with which you affiliate is doing al the work and you are just pointing your visitors in their direction, it could be considered free money.

However, to get visitors to your website requires marketing or advertising which is not usually free. But obviously you are already promoting your site so any sales commissions you earn from these programs can be considered free. Then there are the companies that promise to pay you just for being online. While reading your own emails, surfing the internet and even doing homework, they claim you will be earning money.

Realistically, what you are earning is points that can translate into cash but the number of points you need for each dollar is going to be immense. Additionally, your earnings level are adjusted by your level of membership in the company. In other words, the more you pay to join their club, the more money you can make. In many cases, you will be lucky to break even. However, if you spend a lot of time on the internet, you get some free money by allowing them to place their menu bar on your computer.

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It doesn’t matter what type of business you are in, there will always be tools available that you can apply to your business. These tools will not only reduce unwanted or unneeded time to do a task but, they also will create a higher productivity rating. Most webmasters that work from home online have run into the “time” problem at one point or another wish they could find a way to solve it.

Let’s face it, time is precious, it doesn’t matter if it’s for business or pleasure, the last thing you want to be doing is wasting time to do things the hard way when you could be doing it the easier and quicker way. Listed below are 4 tools you can utilize in your own home business:

Auto Responders – One of the best sites I know of is Aweber, not only have they been around for a really long time but, they are a stable business to work with. Aweber allows you to set up an autoresponder for your business. Of course, this can send prospects on your list an automated email of your choice that you can personalize, keep on file and send as many times as you want.

These autoresponders can be used as; thank you for joining emails, welcome to the list emails, thank you for order emails, and well, anything else you want. I have a few set up in my account. The first one that gets sent is after a person joins my list, it just is a small thank you email. The second one is a welcome to my list type of deal, kind of letting them know who I am and a little bit about my background in writing.

My last one and most recent one is a “specials” email which allows my customers to know that when they get on my list, only they will be permitted to have the sale prices. Now with all of these, I send them out to ONLY the newest members who just joined. This way Bob that has been a member for a year, won’t get the same email 100,000s of times.

Google Docs – This software is a great way to share docs with special customers you might have. You can share graphs, charts, docs, XML docs, text files, photos, business plans, etc. This is also nice if you are working “side by side” with someone on a project. Just open the file and you can both work on it together even when you are on other sides of the world. It’s super efficient, quick, easy, and free which is important!

Additionally, any edits that you make are also visible to other users that share your document in real time. With Google Docs, users can store their documents without worrying about losing unsaved work, and they can be accessed from anywhere. It also gives even the most unorganized person the power to organize their documents.

DropBox – This website is especially for people that would like to have the ability to store docs, photos, spreadsheets, videos, zip files and much more. All of these items are safely and securely stored online and can be accessed by anyone that you want to share them with such as clients, colleagues, or even your friends. As with most other online collaboration tools, the nicest benefit is that files can be edited anywhere, anytime, without having to re-upload from your desktop.

Digital Calendar – Two of the bests are Google Calendar and Outlook Calendar. I use Google Calendar most of the time because it ties in with my Gmail, Google Doc, Google Hangout, Google Analytics, etc., which work seamlessly on Google’s Chrome browser.

The drawback of this route is Google will collect quite a bit of data about your web activities. Thus, I suggest you use a different web browser for things that are more personal.

Of course, there are thousands of other tools out there that you can use, but I know for me, these are the top 4 that I use. Not only do they keep me organized, but they keep my business running smoothly and semi-automatically. I hope you find this article helpful. If you do, please share it with other on your social pages. Thanks!

The post My Top 4 Work At Home Tools appeared first on Make Money Online With Your Computer: LaptopWork.com.

There are ample messages in any email inbox complete with grand promises of the fastest riches for minimal effort. There are promises of lazy days on the beach while your bank account grows and grows and you don’t have to do anything because your business will run itself automatically while you go off and traverse the world. That sounds easy. I could do that. So, if all I have to do is sit back and collect my checks, why are all these people still out there working? And why on earth is anyone bothering to send me an email about this since they are out there on the beach playing in the waves?

If you want to earn a legitimate work at home income and create a home-based business, you can do this. Anyone can do it. But don’t be fooled by the promises of 365 lazy days a year. The easiest home-based business is the one that you commit yourself to learning and implementing. The easiest home based business is the one with a real product and a real business plan. Internet marketing is a business, and just like every other business that we can consider legitimate, there will be some actual work involved. Whether you are checking out an affiliate program, a work at home program, or a home-based business, this is the very basic principle which you need to honor in order to grow a real business.

1. Realistic Time Frames
Affiliate programs, work at home programs, and home-based businesses are all built on the same principle. If you take the time to learn the business, promote your business well, and can relate to people (or learn to) well enough to light their spark, then you will start to build a successful business venture from home. There really aren’t any shortcuts. There are different ways of achieving this goal, but there isn’t one business out there that can promise you an income without effort.

It really doesn’t matter whether you’re talking about a home-based business, a work at home program, or an affiliate program, none of these business opportunities have shortcuts that bypass real efforts. That is called charity. When you start a successful business venture from home, you need to keep your time frames realistic regardless of what awesome promises the email header may promise you. You get to control many things when working from home. But you can not control the actions of other people. When you want your world to change so dramatically, you have to expect to put a little effort into the changes and you have to expect to “build” your business.

We live in a fast-paced society. Bosses, children, friends, spouses, and even the family dog don’t like to wait too long for their needs to be fully met. The biggest problem with the emails and businesses that promise fast returns for little effort is that as a society we have already been “trained” to believe that it could be possible. Everything, even our food, is fast. Why can’t we change our life around in a week? Well, we can but changing a life so dramatically in a short period of time usually requires a near-death experience or another epiphany moment. Either way, we can’t usually turn our bank account around in a week without winning the lottery, pulling out our retirement funds, or settling a lawsuit.

2. Building Long-Term Businesses
Most people who are looking for a successful business venture from home are seeking a long-term financial change. When given the choice, most people would rather take on a business that could provide them with $3000 per month for the rest of their life than one that delivered $50,000 one time. While fast, big money can be tempting, building up a long-term residual income helps to create long-term residual changes in your life. Using this knowledge as a basic building block, we should be able to hit the delete button with a little more assurance when those big promises come flooding into our inbox.

Long-term businesses are stable businesses that will be here to provide an income for you and your family for the rest of your life. Fly-by-night businesses that are cashing in the big chips are not likely to provide a long-term income to anyone, and when the chips fall, there are bound to be hardworking families that suffer the effects.

Unfortunately, all areas of internet marketing (affiliate programs, work at home programs, and home-based businesses) have enough scammers and grandiose promises that you can’t shelter the likelihood of being tempted at least once or twice in your internet marketing career.

3. Stick to the Plan, Stan
Long-term businesses and home-based businesses that are bound to be around for awhile require a little effort and a daily devotion to the practice of earning money through your business. Build a plan for your successful business venture from home and then work your plan.

While it is advisable to make the necessary adjustments along the way, revamping your plan every other week is sort of like spinning your wheels in a snow ditch. It doesn’t matter how fast and hard you spin your wheels, once you’re in that ditch it takes a phenomenal effort to get out of it. Keep it simple, build the plan, and then stick to it. Making decisions based on a ready-made formula will help keep you consistent, and your consistency is bound to lead to success when it is applied daily.

4. Down with Self-Doubt
One of the biggest reasons that people switch from one home-based business to another is self-doubt. While somewhere inside they believe they can make the “right” home based business work for them, they seem to believe that the next one in their inbox might be a little more up their alley, a little more doable. As they get into it, they realize that this one also requires the same amount of work, if not more, and before long, they are switching businesses again, flushing money, time, and hope with every switch.

If you believe, even just a little bit, that you can find a successful business venture from home then you are able to do it. Period. There is not a need to continuously move about the internet finding the one that will bolster your self-belief. That has to come from an inside source.

You have found a business that offers you a good, quality product, a fair and reasonable payment plan, is cost-effective to join and run, and that offers you a new start to your life. You have developed your plan and are sticking to it, making a daily effort in your home based business. You are finding inspiration and learning that you can accomplish these tasks every day.

It doesn’t matter whether it falls under the affiliate program, home-based business, or work at home program, you now have the power within your grasp to start making long-term residual changes in your daily life. Thus, you are now on the road to a successful business venture from home. You have found the easiest home-based business on the planet.

The post The Right Approach to Home-based Business Success appeared first on Make Money Online With Your Computer: LaptopWork.com.

So follow these 5 simple ideas to start generating daily traffic back to your home based business site:

Idea 1 – Include Keywords in your Online Profile.
How often have you had to create an online profile recently, especially if you are into the web2.0 craze, one excellent way to generate good backlinks is to use carefully chosen keyword phrases in your online profile. This will dramatically increase the chances that people will find you, either via search engines or via a site’s search facility.

Even though profile links are not very valuable in Google’s eyes, they are quick and easy to set up. Looking for forums to create an online profile is simple just go to Google and type in

Keyword + Forum

Idea 2 – Get one-way backlinks.
Even though reciprocal links are not as important as they used to, they can still be very useful especially when you are trying to get a new home-based business site established in the search engines.

However, keep in mind this warning from Google webmaster guidelines.

“Do not participate in link schemes designed to increase your site’s ranking or page rank.”

So even though a good linking campaign is important for traffic generation, it should not be your major traffic generating strategy

Idea 3 – Invite other sites to Publish or Share your articles.
A good traffic generation idea is to write a few good unique articles, with good keyword phrases. Host these articles on your home-based business site with a note at the bottom of the article, giving other people permission to reprint the article providing the “Resource Box” at the end of the article is published too

Idea 4: Publish a lively newsletter.
How many people have you got visiting your home based business site on a week, 3000, or less? Most of these people will only look at a few pages then disappear forever. In fact, the least amount of traffic you have going to your site, the more important this idea will be.

You need to persuade these people to return to your home-based business site.

The best way of doing this is by writing your own newsletter, which is an excellent way of booting traffic, a good well-written newsletter will not only remind your readers that your site exists, but will keep them loyal month after month.

Newsletters not only enhance your reputation and add to your credibility, best of all, it will give you repeated opportunities to make a sale.

Another advantage of having a newsletter to that if you start another home-based business website, you will be off to a flying start because you already have a captivated readership that trusts you.

Idea 5: Publish a mini-course.
This is also a great idea to get people to keep on coming back to your home based business site, you can decide on the format whether you want the course to be a long or short mini-course, what is more important is that you provide genuinely useful content.

After you have won the trust of your readers start weaving in relevant affiliate links into your mini-courses.

To retain your readers interest, at the end of each message, give them a little teaser by telling what will be in the next message of the mini-course.

Conclusion.
As you can see from the above 5 ideas, traffic generation is not hard, but you have to take action, you will not get any decent traffic by just doing good SEO, you have to have a detailed plan of action and the more varied your ideas are the more success you will have.

The post 5 Quick Ways to Generate Traffic to Your Website appeared first on Make Money Online With Your Computer: LaptopWork.com.

Free traffic is available in abundance on the internet; you just need to know how to find it!

There are two common types of internet traffics available for the online marketer: search engine traffic and traffic received from strategically placed backlinks on other websites or social sites.

Search engine marketing is an art in itself. If you want your website to rank high in the search engines, you need to study and stay on top of the ever-changing search engine optimization (SEO) world. I can provide a few pointers for ranking your website high in the search engines, but I strongly recommend you to learn the basic of SEO to promote your website correctly.

Search engines rank their results based on many factors. Two of these factors are within your control: your website content and your backlinks.

Your content should always be relevant to your product (never copy text from elsewhere on the internet! Always write original content for your site). The more relevant content you provide for your particular product or service, the more search engines will view your site as a valuable resource for web searchers.

Search engines keep track of how many links on the internet point to your website. The more high-quality backlinks, the higher your site will rank in the search results.

Although not entirely within your control, backlinks can be placed on the internet via many free methods. You can acquire backlinks through: writing articles, asking other websites for a link by “indirect” exchange, adding your site to social bookmarking sites, adding your website to online directories, and the list goes on.

There are many, many ways to acquire backlinks to your website. I suggest you perform a search for how to get backlinks and you will find enough ideas to keep you busy twenty-four hours a day. The more backlinks you acquire from high authority sites with relevant or complement topics, the higher your site will rank.

While you can purchase backlinks to your website, it is advisable not to buy backlinks from websites that are selling out too many backlinks to other sites because that makes it easy for Google to know you are buying backlinks from those sites, and Google doesn’t like it. You want to buy backlinks from sites that have a small and limited number of backlinks for sales and the owners have a good way of hiding it from the Big G.

Another great method of backlinking is to use a signature on user forums. Let’s say your business website sells dog training products. You can join a user forum that focuses on dog training (or dog ownership or pet ownership, etc).

Within your forum profile, you can add a link to your website and a brief line of text, such as “Please visit my website to get my free dog training tips!” Once your profile is in place, you can start communicating with the forum by joining their conversations and providing your input.

As long as you provide worthwhile content to the forum, other users will not object to your signature promoting your website. However, not all forums allow commercial signatures, so make sure you examine other user’s signatures before you invest any substantial amount of time participating in forum discussions.

Another great method for getting direct traffic from a backlink is to post comments on blogs. There are many blog search engines available online. When you find one, perform a search for your niche keywords and you will get a list of blogs that are relevant to your content. Then, read the author’s posts and place a non-spam, relevant comment. Your comment will include a backlink to your own website with relevant and helpful content which will draw visitors from that particular blog to your site.

Hopefully, you find this article helpful. If you do, please share it with others. Thank you very much!

The post How to Start Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Your Way to Success appeared first on Make Money Online With Your Computer: LaptopWork.com.

I remember the first time the idea of starting a business online popped into my head. Pumped and full of enthusiasm, I was scared but also ready to jump right in and make myself a whole load of money.

Well, despite all the hype about getting rich off the Internet, it turns out that starting an online business is in many ways just like starting one in the “real” world. Here are a few things to consider before jumping into the online business world:

__1. Take a Personal Assessment.
What type of skills and interests do you have? Many people start businesses in areas in which they already work – for example, someone who works as a programmer might start an Internet business writing custom scripts. Identify the types of businesses you think you’ll love to do; after all, there’s no point in leaving a job you hate for a business that makes you miserable!

__2. Conduct Market Research.
It would be a real shame to pour your heart, soul, and funds into a product or service that no one wants! All too often, usually out of sheer enthusiasm, people create a product or service that *they* want or like. Then they try to find a market for it. You can’t force an unwilling market to buy your product or service. Instead, through research, you can find out what your market wants – and then create a product to satisfy that want. Every business contains an element of risk. Researching your market will help to reduce that risk, by helping you to make an educated judgment on whether or not people are willing to pay for your product – and at a price that will allow you to make a decent profit.

__3. Research Your Competition.
I’ve often heard people say that they want to be the first to a market. The risk you take with this approach is that perhaps there *isn’t* a market — which is why you have no competition! Entering a market where there’s plenty of competition, on the other hand, probably indicates that there’s sufficient interest to sustain at least some of these businesses. The risk is that there might not be room for *you*.

Find out what your competitors are doing, how they’re doing it, what appears to work well for them and what doesn’t. What can you offer that they can’t? The more knowledge you have, the better equipped you are to make the right decisions for your business.

__4. Plan and Prepare.
Ever heard the saying, “No one ever plans to fail… they just fail to plan.” Some things to consider include… Costs – startup costs, recurring fees such as web hosting, and marketing costs. Building a business takes money, plain and simple. How will you fund your business? Business plan – if you intend to apply for a loan, you will likely need one of these. Even if you don’t need a loan, a business plan helps to give your business some ‘shape’ by setting clear goals. Some great tips on writing a business plan can be found at https://www.sba.gov/business-guide.

Time commitment – it’s tough when you hold down a “day job” and still have to find time to build your business. But businesses take time, and unless you actively set aside time to work on it, it probably won’t happen. There’s a world of difference between “spare time” (which no one seems to have these days) and “part-time”.

Space commitment – do you have a dedicated computer that you can use for your online business? How about a room where you can concentrate? The risk of sharing a computer with others is that someone may accidentally delete, corrupt, or misplace your important files.

__5. Marketing.
A great product just isn’t enough. Your potential customers have to be able to find you first before they can buy from you! Your Internet business may benefit from a combination of online and offline marketing. It’s a continuous learning experience; read and learn more every day to find the marketing techniques that work best for you. There are many resources available online to teach you the basics of marketing and copywriting. One excellent site with helpful tips and strategies is Lynda.com.

__6. Logistics.
This includes the investigation of zoning regulations, business structures, registration of a business name, licenses and permits, bank accounts, insurance… all that boring but necessary stuff. The US Small Business Association, https://www.sba.gov/business-guide, is a good place to start. Also check locally; many cities have organizations dedicated to helping small businesses.

Research, planning, and preparation can help you to avoid headaches and missteps later on – Which helps you make smart decisions for your business. Good luck and good planning!

The post The Basics of Building a Business on the Internet appeared first on Make Money Online With Your Computer: LaptopWork.com.

Many online business owners commit this same sin. They make a point to tell their visitors what exceptional service they’ll receive, how quick they’ll be responded to, how innovative their products are, or a hundred other promises. Then, when a complaint comes in, or phone messages are left, nothing happens. They don’t walk the talk.

How many times has it happened to you personally? You ordered a product or service online. You had a problem or a simple question. You called the customer service number (or sent an email) and nothing. How did you feel? Most likely irritated, frustrated, and taken advantage of.

Yes, it’s common for companies to claims of professional customer service nowadays. The Internet has suffered from “Wild, Wild West” syndrome far too long and surfers are demanding the attention they deserve. However, simply making false claims will do more harm than good.

Don’t promise what you can’t deliver. Before putting claims of any kind on your site, consider these tips:

1. If you say your product/service “will” do something, make darn sure it does. Every time!

2. If you offer “24/7 service” be prepared to answer emails or phone calls cheerfully and graciously at 3:00 am when someone overseas phones you.

3. If you make claims of giving “100% satisfaction guaranteed” refunds, get ready to fork over the money without asking any questions whatsoever. “I wasn’t satisfied” is all the customer has to tell you to take advantage of your offer.

4. UNDER promise and OVER deliver. If you “think” you can get back to customers within 24 hours, tell them it will take 48 hours. This way, when you call them sooner, they’ll be thrilled with the attentive service you offer.

5. Stop and think. Before putting any claims on your site – service, delivery, refunds, product features, service benefits. ANY claims – have an outside party check behind you. Does it work? Is it fast? Are you cheerful? Will it actually wake me up, start the coffee, and heat the water for my shower all at the same time? If not, don’t put it in your copy.

Customers online have had enough. They are paying more attention now and expecting more from the businesses they deal with. Above all – use ethics, manners, and good common sense in your business practices. Stand behind what you say. When you do, you’ll find the profits from your long-term relationships and the increase in your reputation will far outweigh any short-term sales gains.

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Don’t feel alone. Entrepreneurs usually start out having a long-term goal and a strong passion, but somewhere within the many layers of running a business, the original goal may have been diluted or forgotten, and the results feel nothing more than average. In this article, I will point out three top priorities for small business owners to consider in order to maximize their efforts.

Here are 3 critical areas to work on:

1. Build more assets and minimize liabilities.
2. Know how to make your assets work for you.
3. Make gains in self-improvement and knowledge, always revisiting your assumptions.

Let’s discuss these three capacities in more detail:

First, let me share with you a true story I learned not long ago. Since one of my relatives works in the medical field in the end-of-life cancer care department, she shares many sad stories that have shaped my perspective as a small business owner. Of all the stories she has told me, the one I remember most was the story of a gentleman who ran a small successful construction business and was the breadwinner for his family. When discovering the severity of his cancer, he had less than six months to live, and everything he was building seemed to come crashing down. Why? Because he knew that without him, his business couldn’t operate. Family members he left behind couldn’t inherit what he had built, beyond his life insurance policy, if he had one.

All the knowledge he had gained over the years which made him a great contractor was about to go down with him. As a fellow entrepreneur, I felt very sorry for him—and his family. While reflecting on this story and what to do as a small business owner, I was inspired to write this article. As small business owners, we can remind ourselves to build the kind of business that will grow our assets over time, while reducing our liabilities, rather than focusing solely on daily operations.

We can ask ourselves this hard question: “What assets can my family inherit if I get hit by a bus someday?” I know this is a sensitive question that no one wants to think about, but if you are an experienced business owner you would know that bad things can arise when least expected. Whatever transpires in your business, you should think of a way to turn it into an asset which you and your loved ones can use.

For example, if you run a small auto service business and your children want to take over the family business someday, start to transfer your knowledge and trade secrets to them—sooner, rather than later. If none of them are interested in the business and prefer to do something else, then you can write a book, eBook or a blog sharing what you have learned from your years of experience. If you can’t write well, outline what you think is valuable knowledge and hire a ghostwriter to help you accomplish it. Many small business owners do not realize the true value of their knowledge, accrued over the years. It’s truly an asset when compiled into a well-organized document. It’s your digital real estate, and content marketers would know exactly what this means.

If you are a real estate agent or business consultant, you can do the same to build your assets or you might have additional ideas that will build assets for you. No matter what industry you are in, if you think hard, you will find a way to turn your knowledge and experience into an asset for you and your family—starting today.

About the liabilities—you can learn to minimize liabilities over time as any clever business owner would do. To clearly understand the differences between liabilities and assets, let me clarify them. A liability is an investment that takes money out of your pocket each month (because of a negative end-of-month balance) and an asset is an investment that puts more money into your pocket each month (a positive balance). Understanding them clearly, you can now consider which things you can focus on to minimize your liabilities, and which things you should work on to build your assets.

Second, when you have an asset, you need to make it work for you, ideally (almost) on auto-pilot. Because that’s the best way for you and your family to benefit from them over the long term. If you are a real estate investor, I think you already know what I mean by building assets that pay out for a long time. However, if you are a professional working for a corporation, you might want to figure out a way to document, package and promote your knowledge and experience in a way that other people will consume it. The logical exception in this example is the information which cannot be shared outside the company, such as trade secrets and confidential or proprietary information.

If you are  an insurance agent with years of experience in the industry, why not create a blog site where you share best practices and other content that would benefit people for free, while running Google AdSense or affiliate programs to generate extra revenue? If possible, try to create predominantly “evergreen” content that will remain relevant for years to come.

Key takeaway: A smart person works for a good company to gain income for each day of work. A wise person invests time producing something once that will continue to gain income and/or benefits for years to come. This is the ultimate cornerstone of how to make your assets work for you.

Third, sometimes success can be your own worst enemy. Why? Because it feeds your ego so that sometimes you are unwilling to listen to other people’s great ideas and advice. Therefore, no matter how many successes or failures you encounter, you should always be open to advice and continue to  improve yourself with books written by people who “walk the talk.”

Sometimes people view successful, rich people like a walking-talking-money-printing machine, which does have some truth to it. Since money is a currency, and, like an electrical current, it will not produce benefits if it stays in one place. It must move or exchange hands to yield the most benefit. In business, we must all continually elevate our knowledge and keep up with new technologies and concepts. Without it, we can’t continue to bring benefits to the business. So, keep on learning and revisit your assumptions often to make necessary adjustments to keep your business on track.

After many years of running a small business with employees on the payroll, these are the three things I would consider THE most important on my list as an entrepreneur. I hope this article provides you with another perspective for assessing your business and considering additional opportunities. If you think this article will benefit other self-employed individuals like us, please share it with them. You might also have a great conversation considering these points and what they could mean to you and your businesses. Thank you!

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