Starting a home based business in Australia can offer you a very good alternative source of income. But just like all businesses, there will surely be a lot of ups and downs along the way. The disappointing times in a business should not be seen in a negative way but rather as a great tool in knowing what to do or to avoid in the future. By learning from past mistakes, a future of great success may be in store for you as an Internet home based business owner. Here are some of the common causes of problems to avoid.Lack of CommitmentThe main winning ingredient of any traditional or home based business opportunity is full commitment. Without this, failure is already a certainty. Different businesses have different needs but the only thing that’s constant is commitment. The degree of success to be achieved will be proportionate to the amount of commitment dedicated to a home based business.Wrong Product and CompanyWhen choosing a product to sell, make sure that it is something that can sell itself. Cheap products may be tempting to consider especially if promised to sell by the volumes because of its low price. But make sure there is plenty of demand for the product, as you will need lots of sales to make the project viable.It is also highly recommended to look deep into the company you are investing in before taking the plunge. A good network marketing company with a solid background can support its members well. Any person joining a reliable company stands the chance of a good and long successful business partnership.Joining The Wrong CrowdAnother sure way of achieving success is to be with the right crowd. Always remember that misery loves company. Avoid being with negative people as they will bring you down. Be with positive people that will and can help you grow with your business.Poor Communication SkillsBeing in the network marketing home based business requires good communication skills. Talking to clients, the people you are working with etc., will happen on a daily basis. Having poor communication skills can be a critical deterrent of success in this business.Absence of PlanningWorking from home has many positive aspects but there are some negatives, too. One of which is how easy it is to forget to plan ahead. Planning is important as it helps you understand what you need to do, and will give you clarity about your goals and how to reach them. Without planning, time and money may be wasted from wrong moves and lost opportunities for the business.No Dependable AdviserIn multi level marketing businesses, it is important to have someone guide you along the way. As much as having your own business gives you freedom to ‘run your own show’, it is still advisable to have somebody to rely on for guidance. Especially someone who has already seen the good and the bad in the business.Taking Short-cutsAnother common mistake in having a home based business is that some people take short cuts regarding crucial decisions. It is important to base all decisions on facts and to think and re-think them over and over to cover all bases. It may seem tedious to do so, but it is much easier to work on it from the beginning than doing troubleshooting at the end because of poor decision making.Short FuseHaving a home based business entails hard work and long patience. Success does not happen overnight; sometimes not even for weeks or months. If you have no patience, you may easily be discourage by the slow development of your business, especially in the early years. Patience will give a home based business owner the ability to wait until success comes.
How to Invest and Why You Need a Plan
What makes rich people rich? Looking at the spending pattern of various income groups in the U.S. makes it clear: Savings. The real difference between the rich and the poor is that the rich spend a larger share of their income on savings (pensions and insurance) and education.
Source: WSJ, Labour Department,
When building wealth, preserving wealth, and passing it to the next generation is the formula for financial success it is surprising that less than 20% of Americans do have a written plan when it comes to investing and even retirement [1].
The paradox in human behavior is that we are perfectly rational and capable of planning for a major event in our lives, but this is usually forgotten when it comes to investing. In fact, you will find that only a third of investors have a written plan guiding their investment strategy and retirement plans.
Why is a plan needed?
The investment world is a harsh jungle, a world of murky waters where the smartest and the most organized survive and become successful while the rest are gobbled up. A written plan short circuits our normal response to something as emotional as money. It prevents us from resorting to our gut feelings and emotions. Instead of following the herd mentality that may prompt you to make unwise investment decisions, a plan will force you to stick to a rational strategy that is underpinned by fundamental investment principles. Some of the difficult emotions that you will have to overcome while investing include:
1) The fear of failure
2) The tendency to continue with a certain approach just because you started it
3) Personal matters such as relationship issues at home
It is also important to point out the main reasons why investors fall prey to the market and lose their precious funds:
1) Omitted facts and figures mislead investors into investing in a structurally unsound company or financial instrument
2) Overconfidence makes some investors think that they are invincible and that they can always beat the market.
3) Everyone wants to be seen as a champion, the successful general capable of leading an army to victory. This can make you make investment decisions that are not based on rational thinking but rather the desire to impress your friends, co-workers or family members
By having an investment plan written down and actually following what it says, you will have dramatically increased your chances of winning and increasing the size of your nest egg or investment portfolio. The following are simple steps in creating a plan and avoiding the herd mentality and instinctual impulses that turn us into fools when investing:
1. Set up specific and realistic goals
For example, instead of saying you want to have enough money to retire comfortably, think about how much money you’ll need. Your specific goal may be to save $500,000 by the time you’re 65.
2. Calculate how much you need to save each month
If you need to save $500,000 by the time you’re 65, how much will you need to save each month? Decide if that’s a realistic amount for you to set aside each month. If not, you may need to adjust your goals.
3. Choose your investment strategy
If you’re saving for long-term goals, you might choose more aggressive, higher-risk investments. If your goals are short term, you might choose lower-risk, conservative investments. Or you might want to take a more balanced approach.
4. Develop an investment policy statement
Create an investment policy statement to guide your investment decisions. If you have an adviser, your investment policy statement will outline the rules you want your adviser to follow for your portfolio. Your investment policy statement should:
Specify your investment goals and objectives,
Describe the strategies that will help you meet your objectives,
Describe your return expectations and time horizon,
Include detailed information about how much risk you’re willing to take,
Include guidelines on the types of investments that make up your portfolio, and how accessible your money needs to be, and
Specify how your portfolio will be monitored, and when or why it should be rebalanced.
A smart investor with a written down plan and strategy has already won half the battle without making a single financial decision. By implementing the plan and adhering to laid down rules of operation, the smart investor will avoid the pitfalls caused by human emotion and behavior and end up winning big.
Home Based Business – The 3 Wrong Partnerships Which Cause People To Fail In Their Home Business.
In this home business industry, there is as high as 95% of people fail in it. There are many reasons to account for their failures, but here, I want to highlight the 3 wrong partnerships which cause people to fail in their home based business.
1. Wrong Company To Partner With.
Many home based business partner with a company and promote their products and services and earned an income throughout the sales of products and services. However, many people do not know how to evaluate a good company to partner with, and hence partner with a wrong company, which is doomed for failure.
They did not choose a company with proven track record of at least 5 years. Yes, there are companies who have just started, and are doing very well in the first year, but they have a very high risk of failure as 80% of start-up companies fail in the first 5 years!
They also did not choose a company with a consumable product that is highly demanded by the market. A consumable product will allow you to receive repeat purchases after the initial sale, and guarantee you income as long as there are customers buying them. If your product is not consumable and highly demanded, you would have a hard time finding customers, and you are unemployed until your next sale!
2. Wrong Team To Partner With
A team is really important to ensure success in the home based business. We all know that you can get more things done in a team. A good creates team synergy and helps each other to succeed. However, many people do not work in a team, or partner with a wrong team of people.
They make a mistake of partnering with a team who doesn’t share a common interest or goal in their business. An example would be that a team doesn’t encourage their members to use the internet to market their business. However, we all know that the internet is a very useful tool to build the home business! But if your team doesn’t support your internet activities, you will find yourself struggling and hating your team for not supporting you.
Choose a team which shares the same vision as you and supports what you do in your business. If you are in conflict with your team, it is then time to build your own team, or partner with a team which matches your values.
3. Wrong Mentor To Partner With
Mentors are really important for any success to be created, be it in the home based business industry or other industries. However, people chose to work with the wrong mentors! Just like a team, you got to work with mentors who matches your value and commits to your success!
You would also want to partner with mentors who walk their talk. You want to partner with mentors who have done what they want to ask you to do, and not just know how to instruct people. A mentor which upholds high integrity is important too, and strong foundation of trust will guarantee success in the long run.
With the 3 wrong partnerships revealed here which are made by most home entrepreneurs, you now know what are the 3 right partnerships to create too.