Aspire to Inspire

Merry Christmas

No, this is not Thanksgiving, but I was reflecting yesterday how thankful I am for this last year.  And as I sat with my husband drinking coffee and watching my son play with his new toys - three, because that is the number the wise men brought to Baby Jesus - this morning, I began to name them:

My ever so patient, ever so wise husband

My beautiful, precious and oh so precocious son

My family and friends which defy description they are so wonderful

My no-mortgage house

With an unbelievable view of hills and live oaks

My relationship with God and the knowledge that now I really know the meaning of Phil 4:13

My job with BSF (Bible Study Fellowship) - what a privilege to be able to teach the bible and see lives transformed!

My business I can run from home which allows me to set my own schedule

The leaps and bounds that I have made in learning how to do business online

My restored health

God is good.  He sent His son to bring peace and goodwill toward men.  No, we don't have peace between men, but that is not what He said.  He said toward men.  The opposite of peace is war and we no longer have war with God if we choose to accept the gift He sent so long ago.

I hope that is one you have unwrapped and accepted!

No sweeter words have been uttered than were voiced in this 1964 video about the True Meaning of Christmas.

Merry, Merry Christmas 2008!

What a Year!

My kidlet has spent yet another night with his grandparents and I got up to peace and quiet this morning.

Actually, as nice as that is, I am going to be glad to have him back tonight.  Not that I mind, it is a fabulous thing to have a great relationship with your in-laws and live close enough for him to go over there often. And with this, I am highly blessed.

I was also blessed to have some quiet time this morning, just me, my coffee and my Bible (and my yellow labrador with her head in my lap - she was in heaven too).

And as I read Psalm 18, I got to thinking about my past year - 2008.  It has been one of the best years because it was one of the worst - hmmm, sound a bit like C. Dickens "It was the worst of times, It was the best of times....."  May sound completely ridiculous, but I think it is all a matter of perspective.

Starting in Nov 2007, I went on the worst downhill slide I have ever been on and hit rock bottom in April of 2008.  I may talk more about the actual journey sometime, because it is amazing what I learned going through the medical system that changed my perspective forever when dealing with any health issue.  And if I can help someone with that information, it would be an honor and privilege.

But that is a dissertation and not what I wanted to dwell on this morning.  Now, having come to the other side of this issue - I wanted to dwell on my thankfulness!  

God was with me through that dessert and the transformation that has taken place in my attitude, my ability to deal with difficulty and learn from it and my desire to live a life that matters is the gift He gave me for taking His hand and focusing on Him instead of the heartache and pain.

It is all a matter of perspective.  I could have focused on the complete lack of "fairness", the inability to change what was happening or the fact that my body felt like it was being ripped apart from pain (can you tell excrutiating pain was involved)  OR  I could focus on the One who mattered.

God "heard me from His sanctuary; my cry reached His ears" (Ps 18:6).  This time last year I was at a point at which I could only be on my knees and the only words I had were "I know You are faithful".  And as the Psalm says "THEN, the earth quaked and trembled; the foundations of the mountains shook; they quaked because of His anger.......... He reached down from heaven and rescued me; He drew me out of deep waters.  He delivered me from powerful enemies, from those who hated me and were too strong for me..." (Ps 18:7-17).

God heard my cry and began His plan to rescue me.  I have heard it said that if only we could see the unseen war that goes on when we pray, we would pray more often.  The plan was laid out and was tough, but I had to walk it.  I just didn't have to walk alone.

And this reminded me that over 2000 years ago, God heard another cry from His sanctuary - the cry of humanity to rescue it from destruction.  And thus His Plan of Salvation was born and the most perfect plan ever put into place was begun.

Tomorrow, we celebrate Christmas.  And most of the world gives but a nod to the reason we celebrate.  (Yes, I do know it started as a pagan holiday and I know that we should celebrate His birth all year AND that it is too commercial- I am not going to debate all that).  But, it is good to make a specific effort to think about what this season means and why we celebrate at all.

I, for one, have a lot to celebrate!

Starting a Home Based Business - Branding YOU - Introductions

Who are You?

You have an expertise.  You have determined a niche.  You even know who your target market is.

Now, what can you do for them and how will they know that?

You want to introduce yourself to your audience as someone that will solve their problem.  And you have 2-3 seconds to do it.  People make their decisions quickly.  

If you are marketing online, they had better see what you are about in the first few seconds or "click" and they are gone.  

If you are marketing offline, you have a window of a few seconds at best to set yourself apart when the opportunity arises. 

So you must make your self-introduction (truly a marketing message) succinct and distinct. 

Say in as few words as possible who you work with, what their main challenge or frustration is, and how you help them solve that problem or achieve their desired results. 

If you are marketing online, put it in the headline of your website, blog or other site, or in the footer of your email.  This will become your brand and you want it everywhere!

If you are marketing offline, have a 2-3 sentence description of what you do.  To set yourself apart from others, you can begin with "You know how _________(fill in the blank with the challenge or frustration)?  Well, I _______(fill in the blank with the results you offer) to help those people."

See Terry Dean's Blog on Creating Your Elevator Speech for more ideas.

Then, get the word out.  The best way to do this is to ask other people how you can help spread their message and they will reciprocate!

Here's to an Inspiring and Branded YOU!

Starting a Home Based Business - Who Is Your Customer? Part 2

Now, look at why they would be searching for you:

What is their attraction to your niche? - what are they looking for?  Do they want to learn from you how to do something, are they looking for someone to do it for them, are they looking for answers to a question that you can provide?

What is their main challenge or frustration? - write down 5 questions that you can start with.   Ask yourself, "How can this situation be improved?"  Ask people in your area what services they would like, or what would make their _____ better (you fill in the blank).  

** It might be a good idea to use a survey to do this!  Check out Survey Monkey - easy and fun!

What do they want to achieve in your niche? - write down 5 goals that you can start with.  Ask people, "If you could solve any problem about ______, what would it be?"

What else are they looking for - look online and offline at magazines, websites, trade publications, newsletters etc.  These are the things they are probably already reading in your niche and this will give you insight into the things that will pull them in.  It is a good idea to also  study the other advertisements in those publications - these are the ads that work so they make great market research.

Some places to Search:  The Ezine Directory, Magazine Directory, Online Magazine Directory, 

Website Research - this site will also show you what other websites your customer looks at!

You know who you are marketing to and what they are looking for and where they go to do it.  Now, mull this over and you will be amazed at what will come out.

Here's to Inspired Marketing!

Starting a Home Based Business - Who Is Your Customer? Part 1

WHO will be buying what you will offer?

Now create a generalized bio of this person and keep that in your head.  This is essential when you are creating products and then when you begin marketing.  

Design your IDEAL CUSTOMER.  This may seem like a silly step, but skipping this step will cause you to wander.  Marketing to everyone (even IF everyone can use it!) will cause you to market to no one because it will be too general.  

People are looking to buy because:

• they have a specific basic need
• they have a problem 
• they want to feel good  

You need to determine which of these categories your solution falls under and then create products and market according to that reason.

Your product may fall under more than one category - Fabulous.  But don't make the mistake of marketing to all three at once.

Determine and describe each customer individually.  For example, if you are creating products to help aging gardeners do what they love more efficiently, even if younger gardeners could use it, you will not be marketing the same way.  They do not have the same questions or concerns and therefore, do not make decisions the same way.

So, what do you know about this person?  Answering these questions will help you zero in on the right target market:

Describe them -

• Age 
• Gender 
• Marital status (and for how long) 
• Kids (how many, how old) or no kids 
• Occupation 
• Education level
• Income level 
• Ethnic background

Describe their personality - 

• Activity level (on a scale of 1being couch potato and 10 being type A never sits down)
• Introvert/extrovert
• Opinions (figure things out on their own/have things done for them
• Buying Style (carefully researches/impulse buyer, conservative, trendy, economical, frugal)
• Other Interests (shopping, sports, books, movies, gadgets....)

 The list can go on and it should!  List out as many descriptors as you can.

Some help:  Type in a domain name Here, and this tool gives you demographic info!!  (SO valuable, I can't believe I am giving away this secret!!)

Congratulations, you now have a great start at describing your perfect customer.  And what you may notice is they are a lot like you - that is great!  It is easier to start there, because we always relate better to those most like us.  Master that, then branch out!

So whether you are marketing easy meal plans for the working mom, an iphone application to make keeping track of 990 coversations on twitter easier, or a how-to manual for photographing birds, you now know who you are talking to and how they are thinking.  Now, you can figure out how to set yourself apart from the competition.

There is a market for everything -- think Pet Rocks!

Here's to Inspired Marketing!

Beginning to Smell a Lot Like Christmas

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What about making your home smell like Christmas - the smell of FREE fresh pine wafting through the house?  

Well go here to see if you can't win a FREE 24" Wreath - Shopping Gems

And if you need several to fill your gift list, check out Grandma D's Tree & Wreath Farm.

And they offer FREE Shipping.

FREE STUFF - who doesn't like to get something for free?

Starting a Home Based Business - Consider Your Niche

Do you have a great idea?

Or have you had one, one you just knew would allow you to achieve time and financial freedom?

But you didn't know what to do with it, so you just went back to life as usual?

What if you had the right resources to help you take that idea from your head to your pocketbook?

In this next series of posts I will be focused on starting your homebased business.  I will highlight different work at home options and business opportunities and give you my view of the pros and cons (if applicable).

 

I want to provide practical information and give you the tools and resources that will inspire you to begin making money while working from home.

I have written before about finding your passion and how to determine what you love.  If you haven't done that, go back and read the post entitled "Have You Decided?  Take the First Step".

You know your passion, now answer these questions: What question can you answer?  What problem can you solve?  What different angle on a common issue can you give?  What can you offer that others will not?

These will be your niche.

Why have a niche?  Because you can target your marketing.  You offer something larger companies don't or won't offer.  And you can focus on offering the best service.

But what do you do with it from here?  

How do you take Your Knowledge and turn it into a Money Making Enterprise?

2 Words - Market Research

You need to know if the market will buy what you have to offer.  You may have a better recipe for sandtarts, but if the market isn't after better sandtarts, it won't pay to even offer them!

Here is a fabulous article on Do It Yourself Market Research.

And a great website to help you develop your niche into a passive online income - Niche Partners.

Check both of these out and let me know what your new niche will be!

Now, Have an Inspiring Day and turn your Expertise into Money on the Internet!