I read a blog not long ago on Expert Business Resource by Brad Huisken that rang true with me, so I filed it away for today. Huisken discussed a survey and its results.  When surveyed about their shopping experience, 41% of retail shoppers were satisfied with their experience. Huisken’s speculated about the other 59% and if they were disappointed or wowed by their shopping experience.  

Although, I deal primarily with Internet businesses, I can related because I’m often not very impressed with businesses customer service. On a recent shopping trip to Wal-Mart (which honestly is not always pleasant) I had money from my mother-in-law to purchase a Christmas gift for my daughter. I was doing this because I’m one of the few people who understands my daughter’s cryptic clues about what she REALLY wants for Christmas.  I also was using an old gift card and making other purchases for our home. So, I had three different orders.  Once I was done, I thanked the patient Wal-Mart associate who handled my seemingly confusing transactions. She was efficient and patient-for me it was a satisfying shopping experience.   

 This got me thinking about how others handle the needs of their customers.  It’s no longer good enough to have a shopping experience, you want to make it a positive interaction for each one of your customers. And you’ll find that with a home based business opportunity, this couldn’t be more true. There’s a tendency for your customers to have fewer people to interact with, so you have to make every experience count. The more you can personalize it, the better results you can give and doing it all with efficiency can give your customer that impression you don’t want them to forget.    

A few weeks back Jeremy Schoemaker of Shoe Money made a post that almost took my breath away. First Schoemaker pointed out that it’s no longer adequate to have a good product to make money. You must have a story to tell with it, something people can connect with to instill trust. This alone would have been a great post. People most definitely want to know who you are, where you came from, what birthed the product and why it’s important to you. In the information age, people are used to having full access.  

Next Schoemaker posted a quote from the book: All Marketers are Liars: 

“We believe that wine tastes better in a $20 glass than a $1 glass. We believe that an $80,000 Porsche Cayenne is vastly superior to a $36,000 VW Touareg, which is virtually the same car. We believe that $225 Pumas will make our feet feel better-and look cooler-than $20 no-names . . . and believing it makes it true.”

Ultimately, if you have a decent product you’re on the right track. But having a product that others place high value on is what will make you successful or extremely successful. Position yourself and your product or service in such a way that people first value you and they will easily find value in whatever it is that you offer.

Accountability doesn’t sound like such a great thing. It kind of ranks up there with submission. Eww. But there are many positive sides to being held accountable and holding others accountable.

 Not only do you have to be in a vulnerable position to allow yourself to be held accountable, but there’s a cultivated relationship that feeds into that as well. Consider if the Big 3 would have had and answered to a responsible group of others-not just their hand-picked board-but unbiased others. And now that Congress is asking for some answers, for a detailed plan and considering $34 billion in bailout money, in hindsight having a core group of people to hold them accountable seems like a small price to pay. I’m not saying they wouldn’t be in the same position-I believe everyone has contributed to the recession in some way, but maybe it wouldn’t have been so bad. 

 If you are contemplating starting a home business opportunity or already have one make sure you look to others for guidance. Find a mentor, or someone is doing what you want to be doing-successfully mind you-duplicate what has brought them success and learn from their mistakes.

 Additionally, create for yourself an accountability group. A group of people who will speak the truth to you and have your best interest at heart. Not only will you find these relationships satisfying, but you will be more effective at everything you do.

I was inspired by Jennifer Wolf’s recent blog post “Will you be making any homemade gifts this year ?”  Jennifer mentioned that she’ll be making a no sew fleece blanket for her son. I have plans to fill mason jars with the main ingredients for cookies myself and decorate the lid nicely. In all honesty, I thought if I did this, I may not have to bake Christmas cookies, but I don’t think I can get off that easily.

I’m curious what is your idea for home based businesses ? Seriously, send me your ideas! I have a girlfriend who makes the no sew fleece blankets as well and they’re always personalized for whoever she’s giving them to and really so nice. I’ve told her she could sell them.

If you have a nicely packaged gift, craft or food item you can sell it. Consider doing a little advertising in local shops, asking them to place your item on a visible counter with a few business cards. And friends and family are always good sources of advertisement along with trade shows. You may think this is a lot of work to sell something that requires a lot of your effort for little in earnings, but that’s how most major businesses have started off-in a garage or basement-not in rented out office space.

And if you don’t have anything you could make and give or sell, consider supporting others who do. You’ll help a legitimate business grow and get a well-crafted gift to give.

There’s hope for change! If you sell an item-be it t-shirts, books or jewelry, it can all be done online now. Many salespeople or folks who don’t consider selling their small scale items a business suffer from the mentality that it can only be done in person, at a shop or at a party-type event. This is completely false.  Remember, you have to envision where you want your business to go.  

Rena Klingenberg wrote an amazing and inspirational article published on Girls Business  about selling through your blog. Klingenberg compares drawing in people through your interesting stories to medieval times when travelling artist would attract crowds of interested listeners while they worked on their art. When you connect with people on a personal level, you are gaining their trust while at the same time entertaining them and informing them.   

A blog allows you to converse with an audience. You can make it specific to who you are selling to or make it general and give quality information to whoever stops by to read. The goal is to have your readers bring their friends along. And the more readers you attract the more likely you are to sell your product.   

If you don’t have a website already-get one! And if you don’t have a blog, consider how being social-as a person and a businessman (or woman)- can connect you with others and give them a glimpse of why you do what you do.   

Just as in the days of strictly brick and mortar selling techniques, reaching out to others is key but now you can do it with your online home based business.

Yesterday I touched on some really great advice from Kelly McCausey and Angela Willis from Spark Plugging. I forgot to mention that these women were speaking from experience. It’s one thing to hear someone regurgitate data and bold advice because it sounds good, but when I know someone is giving me a piece of their past it means a heck of a lot more.

So, I had been digesting and working through the tips/advice these ladies were offering yesterday and I came upon this old Newsweek post by Sharon Begley titled Male Chauvinism = Big Paycheck? I was a little shocked at the findings, but a more hopeful at Begley’s conclusion. Basically the study suggested that men with traditional views of women and women in the home tended to make more money; while women with traditional views of women in the home made less money. A little discouraging at the front end, I know, but read on.

Begley on the other hand, which I agree with, argued that where your thoughts go, your career will follow. If the woman who is working believes that she is out of place in her work environment and should really be at home caring for her children then she will not fully apply herself to her work. She may rather take a lesser position deeming herself as less worthy to compete for raises and promotions as her counterparts.

This takes us back to some very sound advice McCausey and Willis offered up yesterday. When you undervalue your skills and abilities you’ll take fewer risks, lower pay and others will begin to do the same.

No matter what field you are in or whether you are working in an office right now or toward an at home career, your value is what you make it. When you begin to change your thinking, set the bar higher and attach the value to your work that it deserves you’ll see transformation come alive.

So today, I challenge you to think non-traditionally.

Although I am not one and often feel like one (as my husband is gone for work more than I’d like some weeks) I have a heart (and admiration) for single mothers.  I’ve had several inquiries lately from women who are single working mothers who would like to work from home but aren’t sure they can make it work.

It isn’t always a glamorous life, working from home and caring for children full-time, but it’s one I’ve been chasing for years and have finally realized myself. I’ll be one of the first to admit that I don’t envy anyone who has to do it all-all by themselves, but I would much rather be doing it from home than from a recycled cubicle.

So, where’s all of this going? Whether you’re trying to work from home as a single parent or not I found some very encouraging tips from Kelly McCausey and Angela Willis over at Spark Plugging. I’ll say much of the information involves how you perceive yourself and your skills.  For instance, Don’t undervalue your abilities or experitse, Do charge enough for your valuable skills, Don’t be afraid to take a risk and Do get out of that poverty mindset-even if you’re still dealing with debt. This article has a lot to offer and I’d recommend that anyone really would benefit from reading it.

Regardless of what anyone has ever told you about at home work moms or starting all over in a different industry being impossible, it’s just not true. That person is thinking too small. Kudos to you for thinking big and taking your family on the adventure. Truly anyone can work from home and if you already are working from, ask for a raise, you deserve it.

If anyone understands why saving money is so important, I do. Even working at home, especially if you’re on your own in the beginning, can mean cutting down on certain exspenses for  a short time. Five years ago I went from a full-time career to staying home with my first child and working a few different part-time positions. Not only have we added another child to our family at this point, but the price of most everything has increased as well and I now am part of a small home base business opportunity. Whenever I have a chance to save money, I grab a hold of it with both hands.

So, today I want to offer some valuable tips on how you can save money and these will work for anyone.

#1 Live below your means. By this I mean you never know when an emergency will come up or you or your spouse will have a reduction (or loss) of income, so while you have it, spend it wisely and on occasion, deny yourself. And when you live below your means you, you’ll naturally be able to do ….

#2 Which is saving some of your money. This not only creates a safety net for emergencies, it develops a naturally healthier relationship with money because it’s not commanding all of your decisions.

#3 Eat at home. Just today, I heard a report that stated very simply, when you eat at home you typically eat less fat, sugar, salt and overall  you just eat less. The 99 Cent Chef has some great recipe and shopping ideas for everyone. He cooks some fabulous meals with a budget in mind.

#4 Finally, shop for deals. Spending less on the stuff you have to buy is not only financially wise, I think it makes for a great shopping trend all around. When you shop mindlessly you give yourself permission to not care. But being responsible for your finances-especially what you spend-makes you more aware of what you’re buying and why you are buying it. Little Miss Know It All has made a career out of saving money and doing the same for others, check her out for some practical and surprising tips.

As always, I love to hear from others. Send me your money saving tips and I’ll add them to my list. Saving money is not hard, giving someone else my money can be. When I know I’m getting a deal it makes it a lot easier though.

In the spirit of Black Friday (your local mall at 5 a.m. in the company of thousands who are sleep-deprived deserves a frightening term) I thought I’d spotlight a great job for those who like to be out and about and that’s working as a personal shopper.   

For the regular Joe a personal shopper may seem extravagant, but for those who can’t afford the time or don’t have the patience or ability to shop with skill, a personal shopper is a bargain.   

Personal shoppers can work with as little or as much direction as you want to offer. Their skill at finding the right gift for the right price will often trump your stanby gift ideas.   

And a personal shopper can do much more than just shop. Amie Berger of Details by Aime in Cincinnati, offers services such as organization, stylizing, and fills roles that often spouses would fill in a home (grocery shopping, organizing a closet, etc).   

If you are considering a home job opportunity full or part-time and you enjoy being out and helping others maximize their time, then consider becoming a personal shopper. And if you’re like many others who avoid the malls and stores during the month of December, then consider someone like Aime Berger. She’s a gifted shopper who makes it all look easy-even the early morning bargain shopping.

Going along with the attitude of the season, I wanted to offer some thanks today. Thanks to people like Athlyn, Angel and Carrie for all of their wisdom and insight they offer online. Their posts and willingness to offer a little direction is what makes my job easier.

I’ll be the first to tell you that I don’t understand everything I come across and so I’ll usually start by browsing information online and you can’t trust everything you read, but I do know that when I go to one of the ladies mentioned above that it will not only be reliable it will be given with no expectations. Finding a little camaraderie can really give your business or your business mindset the boost it needs to rocket forward.

As a working Mom I don’t have unused time I’m looking to burn. My time is valuable, my business is a priority and I want to make every minute I spend on my home based business work opportunity count.

So, I’m curious, what online resources do you go to when you’re stuck? Who’s at the top of your list each day? What sites do you check on a regular basis? And thanks in advance for your contributions to the site as well. When everyone gives a little it makes a huge difference and seeing change in motion is what spurs me on.