The Home Biz Blog

Plug-In Profit Site news

I just wanted to give you a quick update on what's new in the Plug-In Profit Site (PIPS) "world". Stone Evans is never satisfied even though this system is amazing - he's always trying to improve it little by little and making it better and better...

Some of the latest updates are that he has hired a full-time member support director to help PIPS members with their PIPS businesses - her name is Patricia Brucoli. So, if you have any problems there are a lot of places you can turn to: Patricia, the PIPS forum (where other PIPS members are more than happy to help you out with anything you need), SFI support, the SFI discussion board, Host4Profit support, GetResponse support, Empowerism support, TrafficSwarm support, Internet Marketing Center support, Internet Marketing Warriors support - or just let me know if there is anything I can help you with :)

If you've checked out PIPS before you might have noticed that there was an update to the sales letter in the beginning of this year. I think it looks great - people are reporting that a blue background on a sales letter converts best (a little tip if you're going to design a sales letter). Stone also got approved by the TRUSTe privacy certification - TRUSTe is one of the biggest and most respected "website approval" sites.

There are also a whole lot of new bonuses for PIPS members. Like the Newbie Internet Marketing Training Videos - which are 47 quality videos that'll teach you all the basics on how to make money online. What better way to learn how to do this online business than to sit back with your favorite beverage and just watch and listen ;)

Another bonus that I think is really cool is a new software called "Impact Popup" - it'll help you easily create these "sticky notes" PopOvers you might have seen on several websites. They are sure to catch the visitor's attention to have them sign up for your newsletter or act on a special offer. -- This is actually being sold right now for $67 (I was even considering buying the software before seeing it in the PIPS bonus section - phew... saved me $67 there).

Just check out the PIPS page to see all the other bonuses, such as "Confessions of an Affiliate Millionaire" eBook, "Passive Income Secrets" Teleclass... :
http://www.workathomemadeeasy.net/freewebsitebuilder.html

Safety in the Home Workplace

One of the most ignored aspects of working at home is safety. Business offices go to all sorts of lengths to avoid any injury or harm to their workers (they don't want to get sued, after all). Meanwhile, you might not even know that it's possible to injure yourself with nothing more than office equipment. If you're going to avoid a lot of pain in your future, you need to read up on home office safety now.

Your Chair.

The chances are that you're going to be sitting on your chair for quite a long time each day. If you have a bad chair, or you haven't adjusted it properly, you could give yourself a back injury -- and they're painful, not to mention expensive to treat.

When you're choosing your chair, make sure you sit on it for a while in the shop, giving yourself a chance to get used to the way it feels, and be prepared to walk away if it starts to get uncomfortable quickly. Don't pay a ridiculous amount, but don't get the cheapest and worst thing in the shop, either.

Your Mouse and Keyboard.

If you're using a computer mouse a lot for your work or doing a lot of typing, you can give yourself some pretty nasty injuries. This is because doing the same thing over and over again can give you a repetitive strain injury (RSI), such as carpal tunnel syndrome or tendonitis. This is one of the most common problems amongst office workers, home workers included.

You might have an RSI if you notice pain, weakness and fatigue in your muscles. One of the most common symptoms is pain when you're lying in bed. People tend to think that they must just be sleeping in an awkward position, or that they need a better bed or pillow, not realising that their office equipment is to blame. If you think you might be an RSI sufferer, go and see your doctor. Massages tend to be the most effective treatment, when given by a trained therapist.

To protect yourself against RSI, there are a number of things you can do. You should take regular breaks from using your computer, and stop immediately if you start to feel any kind of pain. You may also wish to invest in an ergonomic keyboard and mouse, which are laid out differently to normal keyboards and mice in an effort to make them more comfortable and less dangerous to use.

Clean and Tidy.

Silly as it might sound, the second most common problem amongst home office workers is that they make a mess. Your home office might become cluttered with wires, open drawers, and various objects all over the floor. It's quite possible to trip and fall over all of these things, and if you walk around enough in a confined space then eventually you will. Do as much as you can to keep your home office uncluttered: always close drawers, keep wires in one corner of the room and don't put anything on the floor.

Strangers in Your Home.

An aspect of safety that many people don't think of is the fact that you could be letting strangers into their home when you agree to meet clients there, and this can be risky for you and your family. You might be especially worried if there will be children at home with you while you're working.

The simple answer, of course, is to always meet new customers in a public place, until you know and trust them. Coffee places are good for this. As a bonus, you'll inevitably look more professional if they don't realise that you're a home business, and having a coffee each gives you something to do during any lulls in conversation other than just sitting there and looking awkward.

First Aid Kits.

Finally, one last note if you're doing manual work: you really ought to have a first aid kit in your workshop, as well as one that you carry around with you. You really shouldn't be doing anything physical as a business unless you've taken a first aid course -- they're quick, easy and inexpensive, so there's no excuse. It could save your life someday, after all.

*** About The Author ***

Hannes Johnson is currently using the Plug-In Profit Site (PIPS) system to build his online home business. Hannes highly recommends the PIPS system to anyone interested in starting a successful home business - click for more information: http://www.workathomemadeeasy.net/pips.html?blog

NOTE: You have full permission to reprint this
article within your website or newsletter as long
as you leave the article fully intact and include
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Working Alone: Who'd Have Thought You'd Miss Your Co-Workers?

Remember co-workers? Those annoying people who you're forced to share an office with -- some of them friends, but most of them insufferable. If you're anything like me, one of reasons for starting a home business was to get away from these people. And yet, when you do work at home all day, every day, you might find that you start to miss that kind of companionship, and feel more than a little lonely.

All Alone...

Picture the scene. You get up for another day of work. Your husband or wife has already left, since they have to get up earlier to commute to their job. Your children are at school. All the neighbours are at work. Your house feels deserted, and your neighbourhood feels like a ghost town.

It's all too easy to become enormously demotivated in this situation, and to begin to feel like your work is pointless. Worse, when you get stuck or something bad happens, you have no-one to turn to -- at work, you were all in it together, but now it's just you, out on your own.

Even if you don't feel like it's affecting you, the lack of human interaction could be causing you quite a few problems. Ask yourself honestly if you've been more irritable than usual recently, found yourself lacking in energy, or felt upset or sad without being able to figure out the reason why. If you have, then it could be related to home-worker loneliness.

The Power of the Web.

Since you've presumably got a computer and Internet access on your office computer, you might find it worthwhile to get on a search engine and find a few forums for your industry, especially ones dedicated to people who run home businesses. You might think what you do is too obscure, but it's a big web out there.

Finding friends on web forums can be good for replacing the lost interaction with co-workers. More than that, it can offer you a good outlet for your frustrations and problems -- many of the people you're talking to will have been through the same thing themselves, and will be more than happy to sympathise with you and offer advice.

There's only one thing to be careful of, though: don't let chatting about everything and nothing on the web interrupt your work. Give yourself a certain amount of time each day to talk to your newfound 'colleagues', and don't go over it. You don't want to be sitting there pressing 'Refresh' on a long discussion when you should be getting some work done, do you?

Get to Know Your Clients.

Here's a good way to turn your loneliness into an advantage: make your clients your friends! The customers that will be the most loyal to you are the ones that trust you and know you, and going to meet with them sometimes as a friend can be rewarding on both a personal and a business level.

Associations, Groups and Societies.

If you look, you might be surprised at how many things there are out there that you could join. Perhaps your area has a Homeworkers' Society, or an association for your industry that holds regular meetings? Go along, and you could find some new friends, as well as some good business contacts. Two or three groups should be enough.

Go to a Coffee Place Sometimes.

You've seen those people who seem to be doing work in Starbucks, right? Well, they've figured out something valuable -- being at home alone all day sends you crazy, and it's nice to get away sometimes and have some coffee while you work. Over time, you'll even become a regular, and people there will start getting to know you.

Use Your Breaks to Contact People.

Most people have a list a mile long of friends and family that they've been meaning to get in touch with for ages, but never seem to have the chance. A great thing to do can be to make a big list of all these people, and then phone or email one of them each week, in one of your breaks. Not only does this fight loneliness, but it's also a plain fun and nice thing to do.

*** About The Author ***

Hannes Johnson is currently using the Plug-In Profit Site (PIPS) system to build his online home business. Hannes highly recommends the PIPS system to anyone interested in starting a successful home business - click for more information: http://www.workathomemadeeasy.net/freewebsitebuilder.html?blog

NOTE: You have full permission to reprint this
article within your website or newsletter as long
as you leave the article fully intact and include
the "About The Author" resource box. Thanks! :-)

Happy (Belated) New Year - 2005 recap

Like last year I wanted to do a little recap of the previous year (2005). I also just realized that it's been 2 years since I started this blog - wow, I sure hope I've gained a few loyal readers and that I'm not just writing into empty cyberspace ;)

Well, the year 2005 was good. I more than doubled my online income (as well as my expenses). Although, my goal was a bit higher - but you've got to have big goals, right? This was mainly thanks to PIPS and all the income streams built into that amazing system. I also sold a few resale products through PayPal.

What Was Big in 2005 in Internet Marketing/Making Money Online?

There is one thing that I think was pretty big in 2005: Google AdSense. A lot of people were talking about it (some reported making thousands of dollars each month), a lot of new products came out that were supposed to help you make money with AdSense (how-to guides, site generators, private label articles to use as content, etc...).

I spent quite some money (and time) on building "AdSense content sites" (sites whose goal is to attract visitors through i.e. search engines and generate revenue when these visitors click the Google ads). I wouldn't say I fell for the "hype" because this isn't hype - you really can generate a nice income with AdSense. But I got sucked into this because everybody was saying that you could make huge amounts of cash month after month easily. Well, it isn't easy - nothing is. Not if you want to have an AdSense empire that brings you a few thousand dollars a month - and continues to do so for a long time.

This is a classic example of fear of loss (loss of income) - which is one of the most effective ways to sell something. Then you heard news about the much coveted "UPS/FedEx Club" - it got its name because those AdSense publishers that made more than $10,000 a month received their checks through UPS or FedEx. So, people got pretty excited...

Actually, just like with the gold rush in the 19th century those suppliers that sold shovels, jeans, etc. made good money (while few miners made fortunes) - now, with the AdSense gold rush those that are selling tools and content to help people build AdSense empires are making some good money.

Making The Most Amount of Money in The Least Amount of Time

By the way, part of this blog post I wrote on the bus on my way to school. That's one of my goals for 2006 (and in the future) - to make the best use of my time.

That's why I'm looking for "business models" that take little time to set up and maintain but still generate nice revenue. I think I even found one system that fits that profile: Niche Products Monthly. A NPM membership gives you pretty much everything you need to start effectively selling eBooks that you can put your own name to as the author (private label rights) - all you need to do is upload the material and set up your pay-per-click campaign. You also get ready-made AdSense sites for the same niches. But unfortunately you can't join at this point because it sold out in 3 days! (However, you can sign up for the notification list if a few spots become available)

That is another thing that was pretty hot last year: Private label rights - software codes, eBooks, articles... It works because people want content that they can use and sell because you can make so much more money by having your own product than just selling as an affiliate - or people used it as content for their AdSense sites. It's also a very good business model for those providing the private label content - they either create it themselves or hire a ghostwriter (might cost them $300-$1000 per product/set of articles) but then they sell it to maybe 500 people for $25-$50 a month => $25*500 = $12,500 - $1,000 >> $11,500 in profit (every month!).

So, I'm not yet making thousand of dollars a month with AdSense... I'm still searching (by testing and tracking various methods) for the perfect system to create AdSense income that is worth your time. If I find it I'll be sure to let you know - I will probably blog about it here but you might also want to subscribe to my Home Business Tips Newsletter to be certain that you'll get the first scoop (you might even learn a thing or two from the messages you'll receive through that newsletter): http://www.workathomemadeeasy.net/homebusinesstips.html.

Focusing On What's Important

Although I think it was a good thing I set up little AdSense revenue generators (that I'll hopefully profit from in months and years to come) - it did take my focus away from what has kind of been my main project for a while now: The it's-coming-out-very-soon-I-promise book Residual Website Traffic. But here is an inside scoop for you: I'm going to change the name of the book because I had some concerns that not everybody would understand at first what "residual traffic" was. If you have any opinions about this please let me know by commenting to this post.

But I realize that by spending time on these AdSense sites I may have made some money that I wouldn't have. But if I hadn't done that it's possible that I would have finished the book by now and would be making money selling copies of that instead.

So, with that in mind - and with the help of Simpelology - I'm going to finish off some small projects I've got going and start focusing completely on finishing writing TSMGTWT (a little hint) and put all other less important projects on hold (as much as I can) for now until I've launched the book's website and started selling.

That's pretty much what Simpelology 101 is all about - only focus on one major target at a time because that will help you achieve all your goals faster. If you would like to learn more about the science of getting anything you want you definitely should sign up for the free Simpelology 101 course here.

On narrowing your focus.. I didn't join any new programs (like SFI, Empowerism, etc.) in 2005 because I don't want to spread myself out thin, just going to focus on the opportunities involved in PIPS. But I joined a few new affiliate programs (while discovering new niches and new products). I even got my first commission for a "high ticket" product which I think is good news and shows that you don't need a mailing list of 10,000+ people or a website that gets million visitors a month to be able to successfully promote these $497-$997 products.

Wrapping This Up, 2006 Predictions, etc...

While working on that whole AdSense thing I had a pleasant surprise. One of the websites that I created back in 1997 has been getting steady traffic from the search engines although I haven't been updating it much in the last few years. But just for fun I put some AdSense blocks on that site and let it run. Turns out that this small niche website is now making me about $20 a month in AdSense revenue and all I did was putting the AdSense code on a few pages :) So, if you have some small sites that you just have laying there but they're getting a few visitors every day you should try putting AdSense ads on it and see if it opens up a new income stream for you.

I think video and multi-media will get even bigger in 2006. Some people predicted that 2005 would be the year of the video but it hasn't been *that* big - but with the recent additions at the end of the year with iPod Video, Google Video Store, etc. I think we will see more and more video content being sold, video tools and more video on websites - possibly more video "newsletters" like Stephen Pierce's stuff. [By the way, his "3 Things You Can Do To Make it Big in 2006" video is very good - again, on focusing and don't letting yourself get distracted]

We'll probably see more private label rights (of any kind) and more high ticket products - it's already started with Mike Filsaime's Butterfly Marketing now coming out at the end of January.

I think AdSense will continue to be big in 2006 with more products and membership sites coming out catoring to that market. Now Yahoo! also has their AdSense alternative called "Yahoo! Publisher Network" and Microsoft is working on something similar called "adCenter". So, 2006 will be about content and making money from it. But with so many content publishers coming out you really have to stand out to survive (and continue to make money for a long time) - and you stand out with quality (day after day...).

The big companies are also starting to see the value of good content and the income it can lead to. In 2005 The New York Times bought About.com which is one of the largest content websites covering a lot of different niches. Also, AOL bought Weblogs, Inc. which generates about $1,000,000 in AdSense revenue per year with a lot of popular blogs like Engadget, TVsquad, Cinematical, etc. The price is reported to be about $25-$40 million - That's pretty nice considering that it's only 2 years since Jason Calacanis & Co. launched Weblogs, Inc.

Well, that's it... wow, almost 1,700 words - if you read this far, congratulations! :D This is definitely my longest post so far. But one thing I noticed while finishing up this post was two of my biggest "flaws" that delayed publishing this post: I often get distracted (thousands of thoughts on my mind, checking e-mail, etc.) and my perfectionism (I have to learn to be OK with sending something out that's not 100% perfect) - I mean, if Mike Filsaime can make over $800,000 a year with typos and grammar errors all over the place then I think it's OK that your stuff is only 99% perfect ;) But I do believe that I'm improving my life every day... making the strengthening decision like they say in Simpleology. So, that's a good thing.

To a successful year!