Backlinks – To do or not to do…

It’s tempting, interesting, and potentially seems like a good business decision.  You think “I’ll pay $100.00 for a few backlinks and I will increase my exposure, page rank, and overall SEO standing”.  Not so fast!

We are all stretched for time when it comes to running our business so the temptation of shoveling out a few bucks for what seems to be an immediate upgrade in exposure is hard to resist.  Time is money and paying for backlinks seems like the way to go to save time and in the end make more money.

Did you know however, that paying for backlinks can actually hurt you?  It may not happen right away but in the long term Google will actually penalize you for violating their policies regarding backlinks and you may end up not even appearing in the search results at all.  Yes, backlinks are a good way to gain exposure but paying for them isn’t the way to do it.  So how should you obtain backlinks?

Go to different directories and manually sign up for each one yourself.  Sign up, wait two or three days and then add some valuable content and establish a backlink.  Another way to obtain more exposure is to comment on several different blogs or directories which pertain to your business.  Leave valuable comments that people find interesting instead of just saying “great site, well said”.  People can read through that useless comment all day everyday.  Write a blog and make it useful instead of trying to just push your products and business on people.  We’ve all been to those blogs where it seems like you are watching a tv commercial with products popping out at you everywhere you go.  Write some useful articles and atleast write once a week so readers know you are still current and relevant.  So now you ask “is there any other way to gain backlinks and exposure”?

Yes, offer a useful product and/or information that people can use.  When you do that, the people or potential customers will do most of the leg work for you because they will talk about it, you, the product and share your website, product, and information with their friends, family, and other business owners.  Word of mouth is invaluable and when you offer a useful product or information, you will get a lot of word of mouth.  People will want to be associated with you.

Google loves good content and will rank you higher in their listings if you do offer valuable content like writing blogs for example.  Google goes out of their way to make sure their customers visit top notch valuable product or informational websites.  Buying backlinks will in the end actually hurt you and could knock you off of their search results.

Attention all backlink buyers: Think long term or you may end up being very short term.

Honest Money Making

Friends

Gimmicks

I am truely amazed at the lengths that scam artists are willing to go to rip you off.  Sadly, a lot of the scams are using videos to sell you their quackery and if it wasn’t bad enough that we had to see how truely ugly some of these folks are inside, we now have to stare at them for ten minutes.

“Hi, I’m Rick Ripin You Off and since you are watching me right now I know you are ready to invest in your future today.  Look, I’m a normal everyday guy that broke the code and became a millionaire.  You could to for the low price only today of $250.00″.

So then you begin to leave and you get the pop-up that says “Wait, we must be off our rocker, we have slashed the price down to $97.00 but only if you take action now”.  So you still try to leave and yet another pop-up saying “Ok, we understand times are tight but if you are willing to change all that today only then we must have gone insane because you can get everything including my house, my dog, my girlfriend, my car, my beach, my city, my grandmother, my bank account, and finally my DNA”!

Do you ever wonder how these creeps can sleep at night?  I wonder what it takes for a man or woman to break down and lose all morality and wake up and say “how can I rip people off today”?  To be able to take what little money most people have these days and “deliver” them something they know has no true value is well, criminal.

I wonder how many parents have dished out the $39.97 and thought “Yes, I have everything I need now to make it on my own and fire my boss”!  I know that’s what they think because I have fallen for several scams and the only one getting rich or making money at all is the creator of the scam.  I have spent thousands of dollars on these scams and I know one day, the scam artists will have to answer for their ways.

I decided a while back that I will no longer fall for or be part of any scam and that the only moral way to proceed is to sell products.  The potential customer either buys them or doesn’t buy them but atleast you can sleep at the end of the day knowing you didn’t rip anyone off or take money away from their groceries.  If it’s meant to be then it’s meant to be.

Attention all scam artists: You will pay for your ways one day.  There is no escaping that!

Honest Money Making

Friends

Didn’t You Tell Me That Once Before?

I know we all have that one thing that irritates us. For me, it’s hearing the same story from the same person over and over.

I guess I should look at it as entertainment too but they just don’t tell the story once, but rather tell it in a different way as if to disguise the fact they told you already.

I know I’m being picky here but it seems as though they just can’t help but tell you the left tire on their car had a nail in it. Only the second time they tend to change a couple things like they ran over glass or someone stuck a knife in their tire.

In an effort not to be rude you just say “wow, that’s crazy” and you are really thinking “wow, I’ve heard this before but either you have the worst luck or this same thing happened to someone else I know just the other day”.

I know, I know, I know I should lighten up and just be glad to have conversation with someone I know but sometimes I think I could go without conversation forever!

Stay At Home Jobs For Moms: Why You Need To Consider Them

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At home jobs for moms are a great opportunity for mothers to raise their children on their beliefs, without the interference of daycare, school, relatives, or the baby sitter. It can also help you to decrease your stress from wondering how your child is doing, what the caretaker is doing, and it can even save you money and save you from needed stress. Not only is working at home a great opportunity for mothers, but for their children also.

Children love the attention from their parents and with you working from home, you are able to tend to their every need at any time of day or evening. Being a work at home mom is great for your child’s development and self confidence. If you are working out of your home with a newborn or toddler, it is a excellent opportunity to raise them on your beliefs and your rules so that they have a consistent idea of what is expected which avoids making them confused and unsure of what behavior is expected. If you put yourchildren in daycare at a young age, your child will spend a majority of the day learning rules and everyday values from other individuals which is like throwing darts in the dark. This can confuse the child on what is right and wrong and cause future problems.

At home jobs for moms allow mothers to save a large amount of money on daycare, gasoline, fees, and lunches for you and your child. All the money spent in those areas can be spent on something that is actually worth your money, such as a college savings for your child. Another great benefit to you staying at home to work is the income you can make with a little work. Stay home jobs allow you to make twice the income you earned from your outside job, but only if you put forth the effort and time. At home jobs for moms are also a great way for you to be close to your child and know where they are at all times. When your child is in daycare or at a relatives, a lot of stress comes from not knowing what they are doing or if they are okay. This type of stress can take a toll on your work.

With your child at home with you, they are safe and sound and under your supervision. Once you have experienced life as a work from home mother, you will realize that it is the best decision for you and your child. Saving money and being around your child every hour of the day is something no other job offers.. You and your child will both benefit from you working from home, everyday you will watch them grow and not miss any firsts that may occur. This is a benefit all parents should share.

Stay Home Tomorrow
The Home Business System That Produces Real Results ®

Email: Service@stayhometomorrow.com

Contracting VS Full Time

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I often get asked about working as a contractor or a full time employee. When I get asked this question I always pause and try to think about the mindset of the person I am talking to.

It’s not that I’m wondering if they are all there when they ask me this question but rather I’m thinking in regards to what type of person they are, how they live their life, are they Type A, Type B, Alpha, etc… You might be scratching your head right now thinking “why does that matter”?

There are so many things to think about when dealing with the contracting or full time employee question. What is the industry that you work in? What is the market value of a contractor or full time employee? What is your education and how advanced is your degree? Are you looking to manage, project manage, or be a worker? What is the name of the company you want to work for? How long have they been around? What is your degree in and is it an advanced degree?

As they scratch their heads I go on. Do you have a nest egg in case contracting doesn’t work out? Do you have good insurance now and if so what would your insurance situation be as a contractor or a full time employee? Are you able to work from home or are you required to be in the office part time or all of the time? What does their benefits package look like. I can see they now are overwhelmed by what I have mentioned up to this point. So I go on some more.

Do you have children? Are they currently in daycare? If they are currently in daycare how will switching from contracting to full time and/or full time to contracting change your daycare situation. Does your company have daycare or are you going to have to factor that in to your budget if they don’t? I go on some more.

Have you met the people you will be working for? How do you like the people you work for now? Is this a step up or a step down the career ladder? What does your resume look like? Does your resume show several job hops? That’s common with a contractor and an industry expectation. How do you explain your twenty different jobs or how do you explain your possible lack of experience by staying with one company for fifteen years? Are you a good interviewer? Have you dipped into your 401K and savings with your current company? How much do you have saved with your current company and how aggressive is their program as far as putting money in your future? What was your GPA and how big is the company? Will you be competing with a village of people and what are your chances at progression through the company?

I could go on and on and on but I think you get the idea. There are benefits to both contracting and full time as well as cons to both. Contractors typically make a lot more money, often times as much as fifty to seventy thousand dollars more but full time employees typically don’t have to worry about job security and don’t have to pay significant health insurance and bills out of pocket as a lot of contractors do do to their insurance not being as beneficial.

Contractors often feel a sense of independence because they don’t “belong” to the company they currently work at if you will and there is no long term investment with the people you currently work for. On the other hand a full time employee typically is expected to work significantly longer hours as opposed to a contractor who is required to log and watch his or her hours closely as they get paid more.

A company often times prefers to bring in contractors due to low cost as they don’t have to pay health insurance, new employee costs, benefits and so on. A company will often bring in contractors due to not being able to find the expertise in their own house and once the job is done they can cut ties with the contractor after they had the contractor train one or more of their full time employees and/or create a knowledge base. Another question would be do you specialize in one area or are you skilled in several areas?

As you can see there is a lot to think about in making any career move. Look at your current situation and ask yourself what will change? What will change for the better and what will change for the worse? Make a list and look at the list everyday you wake up, before you go to bed, and when you get home from work. Do this for an entire week to give yourself quality time to look at the whole picture.

Stay Home Tomorrow
The Home Business System That Produces Real Results ®

Email: Service@stayhometomorrow.com

What’s On Your Mind?

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Don’t be shy and don’t procrastinate. If there is something on your mind then think about it, let it consume you, talk about it with a friend or family member, write about it, deal with it, be distracted with it, let it bother you, let it make you cry, and then get over it.

Trying to run a home business while being distracted is a tough task to handle. When working on your home business you have to stay on task as time is money.

You might be expecting a baby, a job review the next day, a tax refund, or thinking about your significant other. But, that’s ok because you need to go ahead and get it out of your system. But sometimes you can’t get those thoughts all out of your system at once so what do you do?

You have to be organized to stay on task and give your home business the daily attention it needs. Go to every tool you use to run that business and put those tools in a place that you can access with ease. For example, you could visit every website tool you use or every account you have and bookmark them into a folder called “business” so that everyday you can work your way one by one in the order they are to view information and/or get things done relating to your business.

Another way to organize your business is to set aside a time slot each day to work on your business even if it’s only twenty minutes and you only get one thing done. If that time is interrupted by a baseball schedule for your son or a soccer schedule for your daughter then push the time slot back or up. You could try to schedule conflicts by marking down all the dates that something is going on and put your business time slot in a place where there are no conflicts or very little conflicts.

You can take your business with you by purchasing something like a netbook with an always on connection to internet satellite or purchase a mobile card for your laptop. So when you are waiting 2 hours in between your son or daughters wrestling or soccer matches you could work on the business and not only get things done but also pass the time.

You could use free time throughout the day to think about cool ideas for your website, blog, or product offerings and enter them into your smart phone or even on paper so that you don’t forget about them later when you are tired. On your way home from work during your forty-five minute commute you could use a recorder on your phone to dictate things that need to get done or even an article you want to publish on your site.

When you have some free time and find yourself on the bored side of things, you could go research websites that you find useful so that when you are in a pinch for time you can utilize those tools to help you think and/or get things done more quickly.

So go ahead, keep thinking about anything and everything that is on your mind and let it distract you. Because if you are organized and have your tools at your disposal, you will still succeed in any home business.

Stay Home Tomorrow
The Home Business System That Produces Real Results ®

Email: Service@stayhometomorrow.com

Opportunity Or Not? Warning Signs

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Before you jump in the market to purchase or invest in any business, keep the following 10 business plays in your playbook to weed out the scams:

1. The Rolex Imposter. You know the type, the overdressed sales representative you see at a retail store who dresses up like they are going to court. Your first thought is that they are successful at first glance and you are banking that somehow if you hang around them long enough, you might be successful.

2. We’ll Give You Everything. Put the pressure on: “The deal won’t be here tomorrow!” “I’ve got 4 other buyers/investors that are willing to act tomorrow!” “Do you want to keep doing the same dead end job you are doing now?” “This is your chance”!They will make you feel like a total loser for not getting involved today.

3. It’s Not That We Don’t Trust You. If a company only accepts cash then they are either trying to avoid being detected by authorities or their business credit is terrible and may not be able to cover processing fees or even obtain a merchant account.

4. No One Does It Like Us. “Our product is superior. We don’t let just anyone do business with us. This would be your privelege as we have people knocking down our doors to do business with us. It’s really up to you.”

5. You Will Get Rich. This is a huge sales pitch and a big reason why Attorney Generals end up litigating with class action lawsuits. “Work an hour while at the beach and watch the money roll into your bank account” How about it?

6. You Don’t Have To Do Anything. “Work one hour a day and make thousands . . . This business runs on autopilot while you enjoy life. . . Four hours a week will earn you $20,000.00 a month.”

7. You Will Have The Prime Spot. “We’ll give you all the high traffic areas.”

8. Once We Know Your In We’ll Give You More Details. “We’re taking a risk on you and don’t want to share too much of our trademark information until we know you are serious.” “And to know you are serious, you need to invest up front”.

9. You Didn’t Find Us? If the Better Business Bureau doesn’t know who they are and the state doesn’t know who they are then do we need to go any further with hints?

10. Let’s Talk Money Later. No, let’s talk about money now. If they are trying to avoid showing you their balance sheets and available capital then there is a reason for that. They don’t have any or they don’t feel confident about what they have.

Stay Home Tomorrow
The Home Business System That Produces Real Results ®

Email: Service@stayhometomorrow.com

Do You Feel Secure Ordering A Credit Card Online?

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Should you feel comfortable applying for a credit card online?

The technology of ordering anything online has changed drastically for the better in the last 10 years. Nearly all online stores, auction sites, affiliate sites, and application sites include security encryption which includes some of the tightest security you can find.

What you as the consumer have going for you is that the last thing a bank wants to happen is for you to have a bad and expensive misfortune and lose trust in them. Why? Because you will never be back and the bank will lose a customer forever. Banks go out of there way investing in and dedicating a Quality Assurance organization to make sure your credit card or financial application of any kind is more than secure.

It used to be even in the late 1990′s that a lot of us would say “I don’t think so because I’d rather see a person processing my card”. Most sites these days provide you a guarantee that your information will not be compromised. Banks such as Bank of America even go as far as to tell you that some criminal could steal your card, go use it to buy everything they can, and Bank of America will not hold you responsible for one red cent. Not to mention that the criminal getting away with using your card in the first place has become very difficult to do all by itself. Most cards now have pictures on them and if they don’t the cashier will almost always say “can I see your drivers license please”?

Is it secure enough that no hacker can get to my information? Yes, but they would have to know all of your personal information (information gathering) and take the risk of spending a lot of time in prison. In the early and even late 1990′s there were not harsh penalties or even any penalties on the law books but with the increase in credit card and financial crimes, laws were quickly thrown on the books and they are stiff.

Fraud can happen, but it is more likely to happen with someone opening your mail box or looking through your garbage or even listening to your name called in a restaurant and seeing your credit card on the table.

Secure e-commerce technology is actually considered safer than sending your application through DSL or UPS.

I do feel secure ordering a credit card online.

Stay Home Tomorrow
The Home Business System That Produces Real Results ®

Email: Service@stayhometomorrow.com

How Can You Keep Your Home Business Successful?

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I enjoy playing Texas Hold Em but I’m not sure I would feel comfortable teaching the strategy of Texas Hold Em, how to evaluate your opponent, when to take the risk, etc… However, I would feel comfortable setting up a website and talking about the different strategies and methods that other Texas Hold Em players have used after I myself have evaluated them. That meets the criteria: my passion meets my capabilities.

Once you know what your passion is you can focus on finding a realistic home business opportunity. It may be a retail home business, affiliate business, or an MLM business that sells a product or service that you like or would suggest to your friends, family, or others.

You might be a website designer who’s looking for clients. Did you know that there is a large market for website designers? Whatever you decide you’ll need to determine what the income opportunities are and if they meet your goals. Also, do you have the initial costs to get the business started or do you need to save some money first to get started?

Many MLM companies this day will let you sign up for free and offer great benefits to you if you sign up with them. Great product discounts or resources alone can be worth any investment you might need to make especially if they give you a good strategy to take with your business. The best ones handle the administrative tasks and offer your own website for advertising, presence, and marketing for free or for a minimal cost.

If you decide to become an affiliate marketer in which you do the marketing and promoting of other companies products, do they clearly spell out the details, commission structure, how often and when you get paid, what is required of you to stay an active affiliate, when and if you will be billed, etc…?

If you know how or can learn how to market your business, you will succeed! You could have the greatest product or service but if nobody knows about it, it doesn’t matter because you will fail. The most successful home based businesses are the ones that get their business product(s) in front of people.

Find a company with a product that offers a successful way to advertise. And then you need to dedicate your most time to managing the promotion part of your business.

This includes “attraction marketing.” Those that over time have become an expert in what they’re doing, and earn the respect and trust of others, will sell themselves as someone to do business with. If you can do that then your business can grow quickly.

Stay Home Tomorrow
The Home Business System That Produces Real Results ®

Email: Service@stayhometomorrow.com

Strategy For Success – Do You Have A Strategy?

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Have you ever thought about why some people are successful? It’s what keeps me constantly studying different business minds and strategy. I would be lying if I told you I have found all the secrets to success but I have found some and would like to discuss them here in hopes that you find them useful for your business.

I think that whatever we choose to do in business, whether it’s blogging, administration, bookkeeping, surveying, MLM, consulting, etc., we still need to have that special tool in order to push forward.

1. How Fast Are You Able To Implement?

The dreamer vs the make it happen guy or gal. I had an associate bring this up in a business discussion and it resonated with me. If you are going to be successful, you must take your ideas and implement them – and not slowly, but rather FAST. Don’t hold back and don’t procrastinate with details or with trying to be perfect. Get it viewed and recognized in whatever stage it is and tweak as you go.

2. Do You Use Your Strengths & Delegating the Rest?

I get it – I like to do everything myself too. Let’s face it – we all know we feel 100% more comfortable when taking care of our own baby, children, and our new business. We believe we are brilliant and don’t want to let go but if you are going to be successful, you need to learn to delegate to the best person for the job. Efficiency is crucial in making money in any business. Focus on what you are good at and then delegate the rest. Find the right people and they will make your business grow.

3. Do You Surround Yourself With A Good Support System?

It is a great idea to surround yourself with a great support system. My family has always told me to go for it and my wife sometimes looks at me like I’m crazy but understands I need to take some risks to reach my goals. Do not surround yourself with negative people. Ever hear the old saying that you are the people you hang out with?

4. Do You Focus On What You Love to Do?

Why would you do anything else? If you do things you don’t like to do, then you run the risk of failing and not running your business efficiently. Remember there are deadlines on tasks getting done and you would much rather be whistling while you work instead of moaning and groaning while you work. I know our nature is to conquer all but does the saying that you might be a jack of all trades but a master of none ring a bell? For example, I would not teach advanced calculus because I just don’t have a passion for it and know that I would not be productive within it.

5. Do You Only Work With People Who Energize & Inspire You?

This relates back to not surrounding yourself with negative people. Have you ever been in a department meeting and there is always that one colleague who no matter how happy and enthusiastic the rest of you are that day, the negative one always has to say something like “Yeah, but I don’t like how slow the system is” when you all just got done talking about how much time the new system has saved you. I call these the “Negative Nate” complex. This is the type of person that could win the $200,000,000 lottery and complain that they only get 100,000,000 because they have to pay taxes on it.

6. Are You Aware That You Are Not A Robot?

I find this a major struggle when I am running a business. I often find that in the realm of entrepreneurs, too many people forget that they are human and also forget that their colleagues or clients are human. Often times, things are done or said that would never be done or said if both parties were standing in the same room. If you treat your fellow colleagues or entrepreneurs with respect you will get a lot out of them and they will want to work with you and go the extra mile for you. I think this is a continuing learning curve for us all.

7. Are You Generous?

Don’t be afraid to share what you know or give away information or help out your fellow business person or colleague for nothing in return. I have created or added substantially to knowledge tree databases for almost every company I have ever worked for. I knew that putting this information, fixex, strategy out in the view of all my colleagues could possible make me a little less valuable if they knew what I knew. However, I also knew that when I share what I know with everyone, then they would look at me as a valuable contributor and a deeper thinker. Why would you not want to work with someone like that when you go into business battle?

What is your strategy for success?

Stay Home Tomorrow
The Home Business System That Produces Real Results ®

Email: Service@stayhometomorrow.com