Educate for Success
| Category: Home Based Business - Getting Started | Date: 2003-06-24 |
Many people start a home based business without the essential skills or knowledge that can lead to success. They are unprepared to operate a business, they dont have the proper training. I was once an example of this type of person. Let me explain.
I graduated from Ohio University in 1971 and begin work as a chemist. After working for a few years I decided that a home based business seemed like a better idea than working for someone else. Therefore I started a home based business about 20 years ago. Unfortunately I didnt know what I was doing and made a few mistakes while losing a small amount of money. But after a few false starts I begin to educate myself for success.
Over the next few years I have had good success with several different kinds of home based businesses. I have sold books by mail, operated a very successful mail list service/rental agency, published a newsletter and magazine, and written over 20 books. In summary my home business education has paid off. It can work for you too. Here are some tips that can help you gain the essential knowledge that will lead to success with a home based business.
TWO KINDS OF SKILLS
There are two basic kinds of skills that you need in order to succeed.
1. You need the basic skills that are associated with the kind of business you want to operate. For example: If you want to operating a printing service then learn to be the best printer around. If you want to operate a word processing service then learn to be a great typist who can give the customer what they need. If you want to write for a living then become an expert with words and descriptions.
Most people who start a home based business already possess a particular skill or at least know how to get that skill. You always need to continually sharpen your skills and learn the latest methods. So these type of skills are usually not a problem for many entrepreneurs. However there is a second kind of skill that is a problem for most people.
2. The second skill area that most people fail in is that they simply dont know anything about operating a business. Using myself as an example here are some things that I did not know:
How to write a good classified or display ad, How to write a good sales letter, Where to advertise, How to get the best postage rates, how to prepare a brochure for the printer, what a backend product was, How to provide incentives for customers to buy, the proper way to test, and a hundred other things.
Many people who start a home based business also dont know how to do the above business methods. But in order to operate a successful business you need this knowledge. How do you get it? Here are a few tips.
First there is no one source that can give you everything you need. Therefore you will need to use a variety of knowledge gaining techniques. Second, there are very few (if any) absolute truths about business methods that will work everytime. Youll need to pick those that work most of the time and then test to see which gives the best results for your particular situation.
1. You can learn from other successful business owners. Here is how I did this. I learned about mail order selling by studying successful mail order sellers. I watched for classified and display ads that appeared regularly in several magazines. I wrote for information, and bought some products. I discovered many mail order selling methods just by observing what these successful companies were doing. You can do the same.
2. You can take formal training courses at schools, seminars, or workshops. This is not the most frequently used method but it can be useful.
3. You can read a wide variety of business books and publications. This is one of the best methods that is available to the average person. It will cost a little money to build up a small library of knowledge -- but it is well worth it. The rest of t his report will identify some of the best sources for your reading.
There are literally thousands of business books and publications available. How do you choose the best ones? To be blunt some of these publications are of little value --they are poorly written and contain little useful information. But most of the books and newsletters do contain good information and facts. Some are better than others but you can learn something from the majority of them.
So I think each entrepreneur should spend some time reading, every week. You should also buy books and subscribe to publications that you find particularly useful. Build yourself a library-- a library of knowledge. Here is a list of some "classic texts that are well written and contain the kind of indispensable knowledge that you must have. Most of these publications are available from many different sources: libraries, bookstores,, catalogs, the Interent, or mail order companies.
HOW TO GET RICH IN MAIL ORDER by Melvin Powers. This is one of the best books on the topic of mail order selling. It has plenty of good examples. It costs about $20.
THE GUIDE TO SELF PUBLISHING by Dan Poytner. This volume tells you everything that you need to know if you want to be a publisher.
CASH COPY by Dr. Jeffery Lant. This book is very useful for teaching you how to write advertising material that makes your customer want to buy. 480 pages $40 direct from J.Lant Assoc., Box 38-2767, Cambridge MA 02238 phone 617-547-6372
HOW TO SUCCEED AS AN INDEPENDENT CONSULTANT by Herman Holtz published by J. Wiley and Sons Well written and packed with inside information.
PUBLISHING NEWSLETTERS by Howard Penn Hudson published by C. Scribners available at most bookstores.
HOME BUSINESS NEWS A disk based publication (requires windows 3.11) Packed with the facts you need for operating a successful home based business. $20 from Home Business News, 12221 Beaver Pike, Jackson OH 45640 phone 614-988-2331 email esimpson@zoomnet.net http://www.thebook.com/homebiz
CASH FROM YOUR COMPUTER by Ed Simpson Inside information and methods for making money with your computer. $15 from the same address as Home Business News (above).
The above are just a few of the many excellent publications that can help you to educate yourself for success. There are many others, but the main point to remember is that you need to make an effort to educate yourself. After all your competitors are! Get started today and youll begin to profit soon.
Ed Simpson Copyright 1996
About the Author
Ed Simpson is the author of many books including CASH FROM YOUR COMPUTER. He also publishes HOME BUSINESS NEWS, a magazine of disk. If you are connected to the Internet you may receive his FREE newsletter by email and read an online version of Home Business News at the web site http://www.thebook.com/homebiz. He can also be reached at Home Business News, 12221 Beaver Pike, Jackson OH 45640 phone 614-988-2331
esimpson@zoomnet.net
http://www.homebiznews.com
I graduated from Ohio University in 1971 and begin work as a chemist. After working for a few years I decided that a home based business seemed like a better idea than working for someone else. Therefore I started a home based business about 20 years ago. Unfortunately I didnt know what I was doing and made a few mistakes while losing a small amount of money. But after a few false starts I begin to educate myself for success.
Over the next few years I have had good success with several different kinds of home based businesses. I have sold books by mail, operated a very successful mail list service/rental agency, published a newsletter and magazine, and written over 20 books. In summary my home business education has paid off. It can work for you too. Here are some tips that can help you gain the essential knowledge that will lead to success with a home based business.
TWO KINDS OF SKILLS
There are two basic kinds of skills that you need in order to succeed.
1. You need the basic skills that are associated with the kind of business you want to operate. For example: If you want to operating a printing service then learn to be the best printer around. If you want to operate a word processing service then learn to be a great typist who can give the customer what they need. If you want to write for a living then become an expert with words and descriptions.
Most people who start a home based business already possess a particular skill or at least know how to get that skill. You always need to continually sharpen your skills and learn the latest methods. So these type of skills are usually not a problem for many entrepreneurs. However there is a second kind of skill that is a problem for most people.
2. The second skill area that most people fail in is that they simply dont know anything about operating a business. Using myself as an example here are some things that I did not know:
How to write a good classified or display ad, How to write a good sales letter, Where to advertise, How to get the best postage rates, how to prepare a brochure for the printer, what a backend product was, How to provide incentives for customers to buy, the proper way to test, and a hundred other things.
Many people who start a home based business also dont know how to do the above business methods. But in order to operate a successful business you need this knowledge. How do you get it? Here are a few tips.
First there is no one source that can give you everything you need. Therefore you will need to use a variety of knowledge gaining techniques. Second, there are very few (if any) absolute truths about business methods that will work everytime. Youll need to pick those that work most of the time and then test to see which gives the best results for your particular situation.
1. You can learn from other successful business owners. Here is how I did this. I learned about mail order selling by studying successful mail order sellers. I watched for classified and display ads that appeared regularly in several magazines. I wrote for information, and bought some products. I discovered many mail order selling methods just by observing what these successful companies were doing. You can do the same.
2. You can take formal training courses at schools, seminars, or workshops. This is not the most frequently used method but it can be useful.
3. You can read a wide variety of business books and publications. This is one of the best methods that is available to the average person. It will cost a little money to build up a small library of knowledge -- but it is well worth it. The rest of t his report will identify some of the best sources for your reading.
There are literally thousands of business books and publications available. How do you choose the best ones? To be blunt some of these publications are of little value --they are poorly written and contain little useful information. But most of the books and newsletters do contain good information and facts. Some are better than others but you can learn something from the majority of them.
So I think each entrepreneur should spend some time reading, every week. You should also buy books and subscribe to publications that you find particularly useful. Build yourself a library-- a library of knowledge. Here is a list of some "classic texts that are well written and contain the kind of indispensable knowledge that you must have. Most of these publications are available from many different sources: libraries, bookstores,, catalogs, the Interent, or mail order companies.
HOW TO GET RICH IN MAIL ORDER by Melvin Powers. This is one of the best books on the topic of mail order selling. It has plenty of good examples. It costs about $20.
THE GUIDE TO SELF PUBLISHING by Dan Poytner. This volume tells you everything that you need to know if you want to be a publisher.
CASH COPY by Dr. Jeffery Lant. This book is very useful for teaching you how to write advertising material that makes your customer want to buy. 480 pages $40 direct from J.Lant Assoc., Box 38-2767, Cambridge MA 02238 phone 617-547-6372
HOW TO SUCCEED AS AN INDEPENDENT CONSULTANT by Herman Holtz published by J. Wiley and Sons Well written and packed with inside information.
PUBLISHING NEWSLETTERS by Howard Penn Hudson published by C. Scribners available at most bookstores.
HOME BUSINESS NEWS A disk based publication (requires windows 3.11) Packed with the facts you need for operating a successful home based business. $20 from Home Business News, 12221 Beaver Pike, Jackson OH 45640 phone 614-988-2331 email esimpson@zoomnet.net http://www.thebook.com/homebiz
CASH FROM YOUR COMPUTER by Ed Simpson Inside information and methods for making money with your computer. $15 from the same address as Home Business News (above).
The above are just a few of the many excellent publications that can help you to educate yourself for success. There are many others, but the main point to remember is that you need to make an effort to educate yourself. After all your competitors are! Get started today and youll begin to profit soon.
Ed Simpson Copyright 1996
About the Author
Ed Simpson is the author of many books including CASH FROM YOUR COMPUTER. He also publishes HOME BUSINESS NEWS, a magazine of disk. If you are connected to the Internet you may receive his FREE newsletter by email and read an online version of Home Business News at the web site http://www.thebook.com/homebiz. He can also be reached at Home Business News, 12221 Beaver Pike, Jackson OH 45640 phone 614-988-2331
esimpson@zoomnet.net
http://www.homebiznews.com
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