How Do I Make Money?

Even before you choose the best work from home business for you, it's important to know the answer to the question, How do I make money? As basic as that question sounds, many people don't give it any thought before they sign up for a home business income opportunity, and then wonder why they don't make any money once they do.

No matter what you consider to be the meaning of success, if you are successful in any business, you are making money. Otherwise, it's not a real business, but rather a hobby, a pastime, or a volunteer activity. People who start a home based business usually do so because they need to earn extra income for the things that are important to them, so making money is not an option!

Why am I NOT making money?

Some months after starting a greeting card business, I came to the realization that I wasn't making any money. Month after month, I was spending more than I was bringing in. As much as I wanted to blame the company, the compensation plan or my upline, I finally had to face the fact that I was the only one responsible.

People ahead of me in our business continued to offer their support and provide weekly training opportunities. The company made a variety of business-building tools available, as well as a step-by-step guide to success. But rather than plugging into these excellent, proven resources, I sabotaged my own success by:

• My lack of focus. I would jump from idea to idea, trying this and trying that. I always stayed busy, but didn't focus on high value, income-producing activities, repeated over time.
• Trying to “reinvent the wheel,” rather than adopting the proven best practices of successful distributors in our company.
• Making my business too complicated, instead of duplicating the simple, daily activities recommended by successful leaders and teaching others to do the same.

Mark LeBlanc, author of Growing Your Business: What You Need to Know; What You Need to Do, says there are three reasons that businesses don't make it (i.e., don't make money): These are

• Lack of clarity
• Lack of congruency
• Lack of consistency

Looking back, I know that these were the reasons I wasn't “making it.”

How to Make Money

Are you asking yourself – "How do I make money?"

I recommend you evaluate your business practices, and make sure they are Clear, Congruent and Consistent.

Like me, you'll want to:

• Be clear about what you do and who your ideal clients are.
  
  
• Be congruent in running your business, making sure there's a “match” between who you are, what you do and how you do it. It's important to “walk your talk,” do what you say you'll do, and deliver what you promise.
  
  
• Be consistent – repeatedly choosing high value, simple activities that you do over and over again.
  
  

You may also find it helpful to sign up for my free mini-seminar Starting a Home-Based Business: Five Keys to a Successful Fresh Start.

Have questions about how to make money or need help getting started? Contact me.

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