by Laurie Morris
Copyright © 2004- - all rights reserved
I know that many of you out there automatically think of *M*L*M* as a Bottomless Money Pit. The TRUTH is that it does not have to be that way! It's true (as in any business) that you have to spend some money to make some money, but the amount does not have to be astronomical in order for your business to succeed! TIME IS MONEY. How often we forget this concept. Keeping this in mind lets talk FACTS.
1. There is no such thing as an easy fix. Think back to basic math from grade school.0x0=0, 0+0=0, 0-0=0, well you get the idea. People who are looking to g.et ric.h qui.ck seldom do and often throw good money after bad, jumping from one new scheme to another. Arm chair quarterbacks never get any real glory. Nothing worth having is ever that easy. Nothing ventured nothing gained.You get the idea.
2. Any Business takes some sort of investment. All business takes an investment. Money is a factor in any business venture entered into, this is a universal truth. The trick is to start with a budget you can afford monthly (in other words disposable income money you can afford to loose) I know this sounds scary, but it is only a temporary concession, in time this money (as well as a substantial gain) will be recognized with the proper attention to detail. I Know!... Who has time for details? YOU DO! I will show you how to do it later if you will just bear with me.
3. Time is Money. How much time do you have, how can you get more, how to get the most $value$ from your hour. If you are like most people you are a busy person, work, family, friends, obligations of many kinds demand your time. I'll bet there are things that you can do differently without shorting the quality results you have come to demand from your life. For example how long does it take you every week to visit various stores gathering the necessities for day-to-day living? Not to mention the gas it takes (with prices soaring without end in sight). Most people I know spend 2-5 hours a week to accomplish these tasks. Shopping online is an easy way to reduce the amount of time involved allowing you to spend that valuable time doing something else (maybe working on your business). If you are a person that functions well early in the mornings get up 30 minutes early and allot that time to your business. If you are among the vast majority of people and that's not your bag just pick another part of the day like ½ hour prior to bed and faithfully dedicate that time to your business. There that was pretty painless wasn't it? Now take that 30 minutes a day and multiply it by 7 days, WOW! Suddenly you have 3 ½ hours a week for your business, when added to the time saved by shopping online vs. running all over town you should not have the excuse that you don't have time to pay attention to details anymore. I will show you how to get the most value for the time you are spending later in this article.
4. Make Your Budget. Not just money, don't forget to include the time (remember it is money also!). Remember that your total budget of time and money will affect the growth rate of your business, so keep this in mind when setting your goals later. An example of unrealistic is to have a monthly budget of $100 and a goal of a six figure income 6 months from now. As I said before decide on a monetary budget that you can afford on a monthly basis, DO NOT put an undue financial strain on yourself (no matter what you are promised in return for your investment) or you will be forced into failure. Don't make the mistake of running up your charge cards while visions of sugar plums dance in your head, this is not a fairytale (even if everyone wants a fairytale ending). I repeat again set your budget at a comfortable level that you can pay on a monthly basis thus avoiding a trap that even the savviest of the internet millionaires have fallen into early in their careers. The idea here is to help improve your outlook for the future not dig a deep empty hole for you to jump headfirst into! If one month you have extra to spend then that is a bonus. You may have to alternate on an every other month basis with buying leads and various advertising methods when you 1st start out. When you spend your time wisely it is possible to augment the dollars with valuable low cost and often n.o c.ost advertisement and exposure that can be worth hundreds or thousands of dollars if purchased, all it takes is some of your valuable time on a regular basis, this translates into money you will not have to spend out of your budget. See I told you time was money.
5. Choose Wisely. Make sure there are Real People and Help available to you in whatever you choose both before and after you join. It does not matter what you choose to do, if you cannot get answers and help easily your chances for success are greatly handicapped before you ever start. Make certain that the ventures are legitimate, check memberships in consumer protection organizations, and send an email to your potential sponsor to check the waters sort of speak, if they fail to respond send another one maybe the 1st one didn't get through. In this way you can get a feel for what kind of response you can expect from them. Needless to say if they won't talk to you now or are short with you then what will happen after they set the hook? Probably leave you to your own devices while you struggle to learn by yourself. It is also helpful if you get information, training or tools that you can utilize for more than one project, this is just smart shopping. I have been lucky enough to hookup with several interactive programs that I would be happy to share with you. Just follow the link at the bottom of this article for more information on these programs.
6. Set REALISTIC Goals! A group of ATTAINABLE Goals are a must! If you set your goals too high whatever you are shooting for becomes so far beyond your reach that it is not going to happen in a million years. I hate to be the one to break this news to you (ha-ha) but none of us will live that long (another universal truth). My friend this is the 1st step to your guaranteed failure. On the other hand goals that are too low do not give proper motivation to continue in your endeavor. If reaching your goal does not trigger a real sense of accomplishment why put out the effort? So pay careful attention to this part as in the long run it may be one of the deciding factors in how you feel about your business, face it, if something makes you feel inadequate you are not likely to love it and you must LOVE YOUR BUSINESS in order for it to be successful.
7. Be Dedicated and Loyal to Yourself and Your Dreams. Make a long term commitment to this, I recommend at least 1 full year. Work your desired marketing plan faithfully and do not be afraid to test new methods or sources after investigating them thoroughly. No-one else can make this succeed but YOU. If you are dedicated and loyal you will be rewarded in the long run with measurable success. To Thine Own Self Be True.
8. Setup a bookkeeping system and USE it. There are many programs out there that you can use to do this. Record and track all expenses for your own knowledge as well as cost control and taxes. Some things to count as expenses; mileage traveling to a business appointment, business lunches, membership dues, advertising costs, ect. That's right many of your business expenses are tax deductible! If you have complete accurate records it makes your job (or your CPA'S) easier.
9. Learn something new every week. When you are starting out there is a steep learning curve. Minimize this by prioritizing the skills that you are in need of developing, then picking the most important ones to focus on 1st. Do not try to learn it all at once, that is a sure way to become confused and discouraged. There is an unbelievable amount of training materials available to you if you just look. Devote part of your precious time to education weekly, it is one of the most $valuable$ things you will do.
10. Diversify. Consider augmenting your assets with some retail sales so that you are not totally reliant on building a downline to earn a profit. There are many options available on that front. There are lots of affiliate opportunities available where you earn a commission on your visitors purchases or maybe direct sales is more your bag. Remember this is your Business and the choices you make will largely determine your success.
Following this basic outline is the key to your future success on a shoestring budget. Remember it is Your Business; Love it, Feed it, and stay focused; it can bring nothing but the sweet smell of SUCCESS!
Laurie Morris-The Key to your Family4Tunne
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