The Truth Bar

It is only natural that when you start a business, you are
doing something different than most people. They not only
will look at you because you stick out like a sore thumb,
but human nature will cause people to naturally ridicule
what you are doing.

They will tell you all types of things like: “You’re not
Business material.” “You can’t make a living working for
yourself.” “You’ll fail because nobody can ever make any
money that way.”

Being an entrepreneur is not just about having a lot of
ideas or business sense. It is also about having a lot of
guts. You have to build self-confidence in yourself. You
have to only be concerned with pleasing yourself.

Then, when you should fail with this particular venture,
you’ll just dust yourself off and start again. It doesn’t
matter if people think you’re nuts. They aren’t paying your
rent and running your life. Don’t be concerned with what
people “think” you should be.

Simply please yourself and do what you feel is right.
People are too busy competing with society and “keeping up
with the Jones’s” that they do things they are not
comfortable with just to appease them and look normal
whatever that is.

And if you have to, start out small in building your self
confidence. I used to be so self-conscious that I would
never go to a public event alone because I thought people
would believe I was lonely and had no friends.

Unbelievable, but true. Everyday I worked on walking into
public places adjusting to their environment. I’d take a
magazine or would be by myself. I would glance around, and
to my amazement, no one ever looked at me. No one cared
that I was alone. Then it dawned on me. “Who cares what
these people think? I’ll never see them again.” Besides,
there were a lot of other people all by themselves also and
I could absorb myself in the magazine I had took to read.
Now I can enjoy the comfort of being by myself and not give
any thought to the people around me.

When most people do fail in business they try to “save
face” by telling everyone they are “just in a slump” and
every thing will be back to normal soon. Besides, they don’t
want people to say: “I told you so” and destroy any pride
they are still hanging onto. Unfortunately, this only
delays the problem and creates even more false hope for the
people in your life as well as yourself.

The best thing to do for anybody in this catastrophe is to
swallow their pride and admit they screwed up. Just face it
head on! Admit that you were so proud of your
accomplishments that your mind became diluted with “visions
of sugar plums and fantasyland.”

If your small business is beyond repair, go out and find a
job and begin working on your next small business in the
near future. Keep your family fed and your financial
obligations met but look forward to the day when you will
succeed with your new business venture.

And why should you try again? Simply because you won’t make
the same mistakes you made this time. If you built
some thing successful before, but failed, you are certain to
build the next business stronger and wiser. Even if you
fail the second time, it won’t be because of mistakes you
made the first time. You’ll learn more and more and
eventually be successful.

You may publish this article in your ezine, newsletter on
your web site as long as the byline is included and the
article is included in it’s entirety. I also ask that you
activate any html links found in the article and in the
byline. Please send a courtesy link or email where you
publish to: support@multiplestreammktg.com.

Abe Cherian is the founder of Multiple Stream Media,
a leading performance-based Internet advertising
company dedicated in helping small businesses create
online presence, brand recognition and online automation.
Main company web site: http://www.multiplestreammktg.com

An online work at home business you are in, it always helps to be seen as an expert. If you were calling someone to fix a drain or sell your house you would approach the person you saw as most credible and reputable in that area of expertise.

To become an expert takes hard work and experience. It can involve study or the honing of your skills. It demands high standards of work. Online work does require this effort and then you will be perceived as an expert?
Once you feel you’ve earned the mantle of expert but are not recognized as one, here are eight ways to start establishing your reputation for your home online work.

1. Publish a book or series of reports or articles
The internet has made this much easier. You can now create an ebook that can be downloaded without having to involve a publisher. There are ezine owners always looking for good quality articles and reports for their ezines. A well-written book or series of articles will establish your reputation as an expert in your field.

2. Publish a newsletter
Set one up on the internet and distribute it to your customers. This is an excellent way to regularly keep your name in front of your prospects as an authority on your subject.

3. Write press releases
Used correctly these can gain you a lot of positive publicity. Make sure the press release looks like newsworthy information and not like an advertisement.

4. Creating your home internet business website
Set up a user-friendly website that will appeal to customers and you have expanded the reach of your reputation. Keep it timely and informative, and people will continue to return to your site. If you don’t know how to set up a website there are plenty of web designers who do. Alternatively enquire at a college teaching web design. Some students might want to build a portfolio.

5. Join associations
If you are a member of an association it will enhance your credibility. But don’t just be a member. Be an active member. This will build your reputation among your peers and lead to useful introductions. Membership can have many benefits, and it will certainly keep you up to date in your field.

6. Networking
You can boost your reputation and influence by speaking to the right people. Keep your name in front of your prospects. Organize mutually beneficial ventures. You cannot predict what may come from a contact so make as many as you can.

7. Public Speaking
Even speaking to a local group of people can establish you as an expert and get you referrals that may lead to a wider audience. If you are not sure you can speak in public, preparation and rehearsal are the keys to success.

Make sure your presentation is aimed at the right level, follows a sensible sequence and will not sound like a dry textbook-like monologue. Write your main points on small cards so you are not relying solely on your memory and start in front of a small audience.

8. Teach workshops or seminars
If you have knowledge that people would like to tap into you can pass on your expertise. If your presentation is well planned you will be seen as an authority in your subject. You will also meet people who are likely to recommend you to others. If you are teaching a hot topic you will also be gaining a useful income stream.

9. Online Forums
Here is where you can shine, answer or give your opinion on a topic that is in your area of expertise. Or ask a question related to your expertise. Remember to create a signature line that shows your area of expertise.

Any of these methods will start building your reputation as an expert. As your expertise becomes known then your website traffic will grow exponentially for your online work at home business. Use them correctly and you will gain the sort of reputation that will have potential of growing your online work at home busniess.

There are many factors to consider when working from home but I believe the biggest one is determining if you personally are cut out for such an endeavor. There is a 95% failure rate, don’t be one. Learn to get it right the first time, go to; More Spending Money

Internet or e-mail fax services are becoming very popular with
the computer savvy public. The ability to receive and send faxes
whenever and wherever you access you e-mail has proven too
irresistible for many fax users to ignore.

It’s an offer they couldn’t refuse. Can you blame them?

No more paper-jams, no more bulky fax machines, no more messy
inks, no more busy signals, no more extra phone lines, no more
return trips to the office at 10 o’clock at night to retrieve
that important fax.

Internet fax is easy, mobile, convenient, accessible and very
compatible with most of today’s and tomorrow’s computer gizmos
and gadgets. From cell phones to BlackBerries to ultraportable
notebook computers, e-mail fax services will work with all of
these contraptions.

Besides, almost every aspect of doing business in our brick and
mortar world has been transferred onto the Internet. Faxing
services are no different. However, using an Internet fax
service has some distinct advantages over the old fashion fax
machine/service; mainly the ability to access your faxes
anywhere, anytime. This mobility is a big plus for both mobile
professionals and ordinary fax users. Being completely connected
in a wired world can give any business or company a competitive
edge.

But there are so many Internet Fax services to choose from, each
with its own features and pricing structures, so just which
Internet fax service is right for you?

The answer will mainly depend on your own faxing needs or
requirements. How much faxing do you plan to do? What types of
faxing services do you need? Will you be only receiving faxes?
Will you be only sending faxes? Will you need both functions?
Will you need a fax broadcasting service?

Perhaps, the first question you have to ask yourself? Do you
need Internet fax at all? Some people like to keep their
businesses 9 to 5, weekdays only, please don’t bother me after
working hours or on the weekend. If you want your faxing
strictly confined to your office, during office hours on your
old fax machine, then Internet fax is probably not for you!

On the other hand, if you want your business or company to be
able to receive and send faxes 24/7 - 365 days of the year, then
you should check out the different Internet faxing services.

There are many Internet fax services available to the consumer.
Some of the better known ones are MyFax, eFax, Send2Fax and
TrustFax. All these e-mail fax services have different plans and
features. They also have different rates and fees, so it pays to
shop around and check out each before you sign-up to any one fax
provider.

Each Fax Service provider has slightly different ways of sending
and receiving faxes. They all use e-mail and the Internet. Some
have a free desktop application download that sits on your
desktop. Most can be used with Windows Outlook and Windows
Office. Most or all have a Web Interface, online web site where
you can access your Internet fax account to send or check your
faxes. Most also provide storage space if you wish to keep your
faxes online.

Almost all are completely flexible and scalable to meet all
corporate faxing requirements. They can be customized to any
size organization or business. Fax broadcasting, where you send
a fax to a large numbers of recipients is offered by most online
fax services including the ones mentioned here.

And obviously, all supply you with a local or toll-free fax
number.

What Internet Fax service is right for you depends mainly on
your own personal needs. Are your faxing needs very minimum or
do you do a lot of faxing? The answer will usually determine
which faxing service you go with. Of course, you must also check
out customer support, service reliable and the overall quality
of the fax service you are signing up for. But you knew that!

If you just want to ONLY receive faxes, eFax will provide you
with a free account where you can receive up to 20 free faxes a
month. But be warned, you will have to upgrade to a paid service
if you want to send faxes. The charge is minimal but they can
quickly add up, so keep a close check on how many faxes you send
each month. You should also be aware that each of these services
charges higher rates to send international faxes; domestic faxes
are cheaper.

Another fax service you should check out if your faxing needs
are light, Send2Fax Prepaid charges you $0.15 for every fax and
a $20 deposit along with a very low $1.95 monthly fee. They also
have a plan if you only send faxes - Send2Fax Broadcast is a
send-only account at $0.06 per sent page and a $1.95 per month
fee. TrustFax has a Power User plan for $19.95 per YEAR with 70
Free Fax Pages (Incoming AND Outgoing) and 15 MB online storage
for your faxes.

If your faxing needs are a little heavier you could try MyFax,
it has great customer support and is only $10 a month which
includes 100 sent and 200 received faxes. No setup fees, no
hidden charges and it also informs you how much each of your
faxes cost.

Which one should you choose?

It’s always a good idea to try before you buy. Many of these
Internet fax services have free one month trials. Some servoces
such as MyFax and TrustFax have online demos which you can use
to see what your faxes will look like. You can Test Drive their
faxing systems before you buy.

If you check online, MyFax has garnered top customer or user
ratings in such sites as Microsoft Office Marketplace, PC
Magazine and on Fax forums. It provides good quality service for
a very reasonable price. Not to be outdone, eFax is extremely
popular with over 9,000,000 users and that must count for
something. TrustFax and Send2Fax also come highly rated.

But make up your Own Mind!

There are many more Internet faxing services on the web. You
will have plenty of other services to choose from. Just make
sure you have an Internet fax service that meets all your faxing
needs and you won’t be disappointed. Whether you’re running a
small home office or a large multi-national company, there’s
probably an online faxing service that will meet your needs.

Isn’t it great to wake up in the morning and, in your robe, toddle into your home office yawning with a cup of coffee in your hands and your hair uncombed? Who’d ever know but you?

Okay, so those are the good parts. The tough parts are that once you get in there, you’ve got to be organized enough to get work done no matter how you’re dressed. So, here are a few suggestions to help along those lines.

Updating and Understanding Your Technology. What kind of equipment or software do you not use because you don’t fully understand it? As I write, there’s a router that didn’t work stuck under my monitor so it won’t tip the heat-seeking cat off. What software have you downloaded that seemed so cool but you never used it? How long has it been since you backed up your PC or defragged the hard drive? Take an inventory of “drag-along” tasks that have been “pending” for a long time. Consider a good-guy-day-off just to get those tasks done. Be sure you upgrade Internet Explorer on that day, too. Those patches can make your working day run a lot smoother.

Website Stale? You want those clients to call you, right? Do you have a method in place to track your website statistics? Are they dropping? A little site maintenance goes a long way to getting the numbers back up again. Refresh your testimonials, at a minimum. Think about adding a links page to your website and trade banners to your friends and colleges. This will attract more visitors to your site in a big way!

Marketing to the Local Press or on the Internet. How long has it been since you’ve sent out Press Releases? Remember how important you thought that was in the beginning? How about a freshly-written one with the benefits you are absolutely certain you can provide now. And have you avoided those internet articles? That’s one of the best ways to get the word out about your company and it’s services. pat@paperworkpartners.com wrote this one!

Catching Up on Filing. Filing is a hateful beast until you absolutely have to have a specific piece of paper and it’s nowhere to be found. We think you should use part of that good-guy-day-off to look at your filing systems. Are they working for you? Should they be revamped? Would a straight alphabetical system be best? Or can you see the sub-directories clearly and then you alphabetize within them?

Here’s an invaluable tip for staying abreast of filing. To get caught up, hire a student to do the filing under your supervision. To stay caught up, keep an alphabetizer on top of the filing cabinet. Put things To Be Filed in their appropriate slot in the alphabetizer. They might not be in the drawers, but you can get to them in a jiffy.

Other Tools. Do you detest invoicing? So did Seth Matson, of Matson Graphics, a home-based entrepreneur in Huntington Beach, CA. So Seth invented EZI. EZ Invoice, Inc brings effortless simplicity to your small business. It installs on the back end of your web page. You can invite all of your customers to the EZ Invoice, Inc Client Lounge where their password-protected data allows them to review all the invoices billed to them in one central location. They can pay only one or all of the invoices at one time using their credit card via PayPal or they can pay regularly via check. At the end of the year, EZ Invoice, Inc provides an annual summary spreadsheet that’s downloadable to your computer. This feature is a snap for calculating year end taxes that you can readily email or carry to your accountant!

Enough about organization. It’s time for another cup of coffee! Cheers!

Pat Matson has been writing for pleasure, business and now her son’s new business for over 50 years.