We’ve talked about website pet peeves before.  It’s a subject that’s actually talked about ad nauseum, but for some reason the message doesn’t appear to be getting through to those who need it most.

The glory of being an independent consultant or freelance business owner is that we do have the autonomy (in most cases) to run our business as we choose.  However, I could be wrong here, but I would think that anyone who is attempting to earn an income using the Internet would want to heed some advice from those who have gone before and paved the way.

As a public service to those who wish to increase their web results, I thought it would be prudent to list some website pet peeves (read: if you’re doing these things – STOP!)

1. Pick a font and stick with it.  You don’t need a multitude of text colors and fonts all on the same page.  Please stop doing that.
2. All centered text.  Screams amateur.  Please stop doing that.

I know there are many other website pet peeves.  Let’s compile a list.  Leave a comment and tell us what you don’t like to see on a website.

Over at Lifehacker there is a simple script that can help you stay on track with your work projects. The scrip will provide a pop-up every 20 minutes asking you if you’re on task. While such an application could get annoying, if you find that you waste time surfing the net, Twittering, or reading about the latest celebrity gossip, it can help get you re-focused on work and thereby improve your productivity.

To learn more or get the script, visit Lifehacker

A successful business trainer and I were talking one day about how people give up their goal of working at home before they get started. “The Martians get them,” he said. He calls the dream stealers Martians, but I like to think of them as lemmings.

Lemmings are those creatures that follow everyone else even if its off  a cliff and to their deaths. I have found that in some cases, people are like lemmings and that they want the people around them to be lemmings too. They don’t want others to reach for the stars and break away from the pack particularly to be successful. You see it all the time when friends and family sabotage dieting efforts (they don’t want you to be thinner or prettier than them). As long as the lemmings keep everyone in the pack, they can blame their circumstance on anything but their own failure to take action. (more…)

So you’ve just started a Direct Sales business. You’re pretty excited, aren’t you? Your mind is going a million miles a minute. You haven’t even received your starter kit yet and you can’t stop talking about your new business.

That’s how many new consultants feel when they first decide to start a new venture. To keep the momentum going, make sure you know the answers to these five basic questions:

1.    When is payday? To include follow-on questions: How do we get paid –Pay Card? Hard Copy Check? How often? Is there a minimum commission I need before they’ll issue a check? It always amazes me the number of people who start a business and don’t know how or when they get paid.
2.    How much do I get paid? Would you ever accept a jobby job without knowing the pay scale? Then don’t start a business without knowing the compensation plan either!
3.   Are there any smart start incentives? Many companies have time-sensitive promotions and incentives.  Don’t let your window of opportunity pass you by.
4.    What are the top policies I need to know? Likely you received a policies and procedures manual. It can be overwhelming. Find out initially what you absolutely must do and also what you must avoid doing.
5.    Who is my upline? If you don’t have the contact information for your sponsor and for your upline manager/director, get it. When you actually need help is not the time to be tracking down your support network. Obtain this information before you need it.

While it’s not brain surgery, there is much to know in Direct Sales.  Rather than overwhelm yourself initially trying to learn it all, or conversely, not attempting to learn any of it – concentrate on these five basic questions.  Once you have these mastered, keep moving forward and keep learning.

Enjoy your new business! (Because if you’re not enjoying it, what’s the point of continuing!)

Sparkplugging is continuing our tradition called ‘Spark an Idea Thursday’. Each week we’ll be sharing some great ideas for a topic of interest to our readers. We invite you to grab our image and carry the tradition through to your own blog! If you do, please link back to this post so we know where you were inspired!

This week we’re Sparking an Idea About Purging.

I’ll admit it. I could use a good purge. I’ve got piles of papers, closets full of stuff, and storage room full of … well more stuff. I’d love to get rid of most of it.

The problem is the sorting. If I could just take it all and trash it, that would be easy. But I can’t. I have to go  through it, deciding what to keep, what to trash, and what to donate. That process is really horrible because in order to sort, you have take every thing out. That gives you a bigger mess than what you started with. And when you’ve finished sorting (assuming that you do), then you have to deal with the keep stuff….which for me means just piling it again. The whole thing is too overwhelming. (more…)

Adapted Excerpt from The Work-At-Home Success Bible.

I’ve been providing work-at-home information and support for a long time. I’ve talked to a lot of women who were gung-ho about working at home one day, and then after a discussion with their husbands are content to commute and send the kids to day care. What happened? (more…)

If you want a crash course becoming successful in direct sales, the information below may help!

I discovered a new way to become proficient in direct sales – work a political campaign. Within a very brief time frame you’ll become proficient and comfortable approaching people and you’ll also learn to let rejection roll right off.  Additionally, you’ll experience first hand some of the requirements needed get a candidate on the ballot, and to ultimately win the election, are some of the very same requirements needed to run a successful direct sales business.

I recently started volunteering on a campaign for the 2010 Gubernatorial Race. Some of the areas you can volunteer to help include: Make phone calls, Door-to-door campaigning, Organize/host events, Attend parades, rallies, etc., Send Friend to Friend cards, Help with mailings, Send Letters to the Editor, Display Yard signs, Internship, Collect Signatures, Help with Fundraising, Join a Coalition, Recruit 5 Friends to Sign-up Online.

Are you able to see the similarities from the above list and those of running your direct sales business? Much of both objectives require simply spreading the word about your product or candidate. (more…)

Sparkplugging is continuing our tradition called ‘Spark an Idea Thursday’. Each week we’ll be sharing some great ideas for a topic of interest to our readers. We invite you to grab our image and carry the tradition through to your own blog! If you do, please link back to this post so we know where you were inspired!

This week we’re Sparking an Idea About Something You Want So Badly You Can Taste It

Admittedly when I first read this week’s meme, I thought, “Oh great, I’m not wanting for anything. What can I possibly write about?” So after a brief discussion with our General Editor, Kelly and also after a bit of pondering I came to the conclusion that my “Something I want so badly I can taste it” doesn’t need to be a cure for world peace or a career milestone.

I was raised with the clear distinctions between wants and needs.  Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs has all of my basics covered – physiological, safety, social, self-esteem and self-actualization.  So when I said that there is nothing that I need; there is also not much else that I want either. I’m a content, happy person.

Alas, I have to pick something. So here goes, dream big with me.  Wait for it… Wait for it… You better sit down for this announcement. (more…)

Sparkplugging is continuing our tradition called ‘Spark an Idea Thursday’. Each week we’ll be sharing some great ideas for a topic of interest to our readers. We invite you to grab our image and carry the tradition through to your own blog! If you do, please link back to this post so we know where you were inspired!

This week we’re Sparking an Idea About Lifelong Learning

When I first started working at home online, there was no Paypal or eBay. The word “spam” hadn’t been used yet. Blogs and YouTube had yet to be conceived. Internet marketing was about bulk mailing (spam), pop ups, and adding your URL to search engines (pre-SEO). If I was still operating under the old rules and ignoring new tools, my business would be dead and gone. Keeping your business up-to-date with the latest resources and know-how is as important as marketing and other aspects of running your business. (more…)

As I drove down to Notre Dame this past weekend, I encountered four different construction zones.  Though seeing as a majority of my trip entailed travel through Michigan, and Michigan is known for our two seasons of driving: “snow” and “construction”, I shouldn’t have been surprised.

Needless to say, I had a plethora of time to think about various areas of interest.  Among the many topics of thought that graced my mind, one in particular correlated to what we do with our downtime; specifically downtime within our businesses.

We all have things that we should do, but there aren’t always tasks that we have to do. Those required responsibilities are easy.  We have to do them; so we do.  But when your engine is idling, or creeping at a whopping 9 mph, do you utilize the time wisely?

Illustratively, every business has seasons.  In some direct sales businesses, the fall traditionally ramps up for the busy season. If your product line would make excellent gifts, then October and November should be peak sales.  But what happens at the tail end of December when Christmas cut-off has come and gone?  Furthermore, what will you do in January when consumers are financially strapped? (more…)