My wife has been operating her eBay business now for about 3 years. I have watched her progress with great interest; the jubilation and sometimes her utter frustration. Her original intention was (and to an extent, still is) to build a successful business to add to her other business interests. Whilst personally, becoming a member of the eBay community has never really set my pulse racing, I have no doubt that for some, the business can prove lucrative and sometimes, fun.As with any new business you are proposing to get into, it is important to have a plan. Yes, the plan can be modified with the benefit of experience, but it really helps to determine in your own mind, what you want to achieve from the business at the outset and how you are going to achieve your goals. This is as important with eBaying as it is with any other start up home based business.It seems to me there are predominantly three types of eBayer profiles:First we have the “dabblers”. These are people who enjoy the experience of selling the odd item here and there. The items they list are usually sourced from a clear-out of the attic, children’s bedroom and garage etc. Expectations in terms of earnings are usually very modest and if they end up getting a few dollars for unwanted items and at the same time de-clutter the house, well the exercise is worthwhile and satisfying. The dabbler usually has no ambition to take the business any further. In essence, eBaying from time to time, is a hobby.Next we have the person with slightly more ambition; someone who wants or needs to make a part-time income from the business. This could be a work at home mom or someone who is already working for an employer part-time and wants to continue to earn the same level of income, but working for themselves at home. For such people, the need is to sell items on a daily or regular basis; therefore, the challenge is to find a product or products which are in demand. For example, my wife is very smart at making girl’s dresses and she also knits really nice sweaters. She also sources kid’s necklaces and bracelets. These product lines form the basis of a nice little income. I think the point about the products you sell is that you don’t necessarily have to sell manufactured items. If you have a talent for making or creating things, why not put those talents to good use.Lastly, we have the Powerseller or wannabe Powerseller. These are people or organisations that are deadly serious about making as much money as they can from their eBay business. A new level of sophistication comes into play; bulk purchasing of products, storage facilities, often a fully customised e-commerce website and a finely tuned marketing strategy. Given the number of sales the powerseller makes, some prefer to use the services of a drop-shipper i.e. they outsource the order fulfillment side of the business to concentrate on marketing their products. They have also developed their own product niche and of course, made sure their pricing strategy is highly competitive. The professional powerseller is always mindful of his reputation and therefore has to maintain a high feedback rating (as near to 100% as possible). Yes, make no mistake, some powersellers make a very good living indeed, but the demands of being in the top echelon of eBay, in terms of time, commitment and energy are not going to be for everyone, even if they do have sufficient business acumen.So, if you have been contemplating becoming an eBay seller, which category do you think you might fit into?

If you are looking for a free business opportunity, you are on the same track that millions of others are on searching for financial independence. It seems that everyone is looking for new ways to make some extra money and the first thing they think of is, “How do I find free business opportunities?” Whether it is with a part time job from home or starting your own home business from scratch, there are numerous ways to make money, so long as you have a grasp of how to go about it.The Best Home Based Business is…The best home business is a free one. However, free home based business opportunities are difficult to come by, especially if you are looking for legitimate ones from that you can make money with instead of losing money. While legitimate companies to partner with can be found, it usually take s a few tries to find one that will not try to defraud you of your earnings or give you a runaround story as to why you aren’t working correctly to earn the money that they have claimed.Too good to be True?Some of the better opportunities for a free work from home jobs and businesses include two characteristics from which you can determine if it is a “problem” opportunity or a good one such as:No start up costs. Many “free” home based businesses claim you can make a lot of money if you put out from $50 to $1,000 of “start up money”; money you will never see again. These “start up costs” are what make the people running these frauds rich, and they play you like a puppet on a string because they know you are willing to do anything once you give them the initial payment.
Monthly fees after the initial “free trial” are a sure sign that your free opportunity is anything but free. If the company’s promotional material for the new business is labeled “free”, then it should be free – not free for a day, free for two weeks or even free for a month. These “free trials’ do almost nothing but lure people into contracts that are nearly impossible to break; all the while they have your credit card number and continue to charge you monthly fees because you did not follow their “cancellation procedures” properly. These types of programs make their procedures difficult to navigate hoping you will not figure them out and remain enrolled until you report them, but by then it is too late to get your money back.Many people try their hands in anything just to make a few dollars, including survey sites, cash mail order clubs, etc. – you name it, they will try it. This is because many people do not realize how easy it is to get trapped into thinking someone who is trying to help you is only trying to get rich themselves instead. Any time you think that you have found the perfect free home based business opportunity, always read the fine print to see what you are really getting into.

Starting up a home based business can be not only exciting, but perhaps even a little confusing as well. Some factors come into play with a home based business startup. Determining where to start is the first step in the process.The first thing that should be done is to establish what the local regulations are regarding a home based business startup. These regulations can come in the form of county, state or federal and it is a good idea to make sure that these rules are clearly understood.Once this step has been completed, it is recommended that a non-residential address be used for the business, such as a post office mailbox, as well as a separate business phone line. Even though the business will be run out of the home, so are the residents’ personal lives. Using a non-residential mailing address and a separate phone line will help ensure privacy during closed business hours.Deciding on what type of business model to use for a home based business is the next step. It is likely that at this point the type of product or service that will be provided has already been decided; however, how to sell the products and what structure to use may be more uncertain. Some research can help clarify which model can be the most effective for what the home based business offers as well as its needs.There are different business models that can be used when starting a home business that can fit both the business and the owner’s needs. The business can be either internet based, such as using auction sites, or be a brick and mortar retailer, which allows customers to interact personally with the business. Internet auction sites provide flexibility in schedule and can be run full or part time, often times at any time of day or night. Business interactions can be done in the comfort of one’s own home, whereas a brick and mortar business may require daily attendance. Using an e-commerce model utilizes a website that promotes the business and offers sales of products or services to the consumer.Another model is called affiliate marketing. This is where others provide advertising links for a business and for each customer that visits the business’ website through the third party a commission is paid. The third party is rewarded for advertising with this commission and the business receives increased website visits. Affiliate marketing can be a very effective method of advertising and could prove to be a very useful way to increase customer exposure and sales.Home based business startup does not have to be confusing and most of the information that one would need to begin can be found through some thorough research on the internet. There are many companies that offer website development and even those that offer help in developing the business model that is desired. Knowing what product or service the business will offer will help determine which business model will be most successful.

From the outside, it may look like the perfect ideal that anyone wants. For example, I’ve had people tell me that I’ve got the best of both worlds; that I have a home-based business as a freelance writer and I get to be with my kids all the time. They perceive that my freelance writing career comes with no worries, there’s not much ‘running around’ to do because my home-based business is a pretty ‘straight-forward’ one and that my kids are angelic all the time.

How I wish it was all true.

You see, as a freelance writer with more than ten years of experience in my pocket, I dare say that anyone with a home-based business can tell you that it’s impossible to start a business, yes, even if it’s just a small home-based business, without some planning. Because there’s a certain amount of passion and emotion that you’re going to be pouring into this home-based business of yours, you’ll certainly be yanking all your hair out trying to make sure that there aren’t any loopholes and that it would run as smoothly as a yacht on a hot, sunny, cloudless day.

Never truly prepared for your home-based business
As with becoming a parent, you can never be truly prepared for your home-based business. That’s the sad truth about life, about a freelance writing career and also about your home-based business. What you’ve planned for your home-based business may not roll out the way you have planned it to roll out and along the way, you will discover that you could burn all those strategic marketing and online marketing plans that you’ve painfully drawn up without causing a dent in the way your home-based business works.

But does this mean you ought not plan your business at all? That if you’re a freelance writer like me, you can start pounding on every door that you see, asking to be hired as their writer or blogger?

Essential to write a marketing and business plan even for home-based businesses
Far from it, I’m afraid. As unpredictable as it is, it’s still essential for home-based business owners to write out and plan their home-based business’ marketing strategy. No ship can sail without knowing where they’re heading and if you head in blindfolded, you’d better be ready for a surprise, then. It’s ‘good luck’ to you!

And if you’re thinking, ‘I don’t have anyone to answer to apart from…well, myself, what’s there to worry?’ but that’s what the whole worry is about. This makes your whole home-based business a very direction-less and eventually a very messy one. And the worst thing is that one fine day, you would start comparing your own home-based business with others and realize that they’re doing much better much faster – where did you go wrong and then you remember the marketing plan that you burned.

The way the home-based business works will change all the time
But this is the way business works – you’ll need to change and revise all the time but it DOES NOT mean that you can do away with planning out your home-based business. There are consequences to think about, a back-up plan and a strategy that you can fall back on.

One fine day, you will revise your home-based business, work on it, see that something’s not working, revise it, work on it, do it….well, until you feel that everything’s okie dokie.

And then something goes wrong.

Believe or not, this is the way the world works…this is the way your home-based business will work as well. And you’ve got to learn how to deal with this…but not without a marketing strategy and a home-based business plan.

Many small businesses are experts in their field and know their own business inside and out. However lots of small business owners lack the time or expertise required to implement certain projects. That’s where a small business consultant can step in and help.

In order to achieve a successful project it’s important to be clear about what you want your consultant to be able to do for you. Just as important is selecting a consultant with the right skills for the job, but how do you make sure you don’t get off on the wrong foot?

Here are some things to consider:

1. Are you looking for a research/diagnostic approach or do you need help with implementation?

Firstly are you looking for someone to take a diagnostic approach to a business problem you are facing? For instance, which market segment should you enter? Or what product line should you sell? Or is your business need about implementation? For instance, you’ve identified that you need to be on Social Media and need a marketing consultant with the expertise to make this happen.

The two needs are different and some consultants are better in one area than the other. To find out whether your prospective consultant prefers to work on implementation projects or research projects ask them. Don’t be afraid to ask them for specific examples of projects they have worked on and how they have tackled projects similar to yours in the past.

2. Ask prospective consultants how their clients are better off after they leave.

What sort of outcomes were they able to achieve for their clients? Look out for wishy-washy answers. Look for specific examples and outcomes. Does this fit with the sorts of outcomes that you would like for your business? Where they able to increase website traffic by a certain percentage, reduce staff turnover by a certain amount or generate more business for the client?

Picking the wrong person for the job might end up feeling like you are pushing water up a hill with a rake. Not only will the results be less than optimal but it may end up being a costly and stressful experience also.

3. Be careful of wanting champagne on a beer budget.

Do you want fast, cheap or talented? You must pick two out of the three. There is a triangle trade off here. You can get premium talent, faster results or a cheaper cost but Taylor Swift won’t teach your team how to sing tomorrow for free if you see what I mean.

Often a small business owner will set a budget and then begin the search for the best talent and/or fastest result within that budget. From my experience a budget-driven approach can often compromise results. Your best approach is to establish your desired outcome, then judge each potential candidate by how likely they are to be able to achieve that outcome.

4. Look for a solid “About Us” page.

Ask consultants about their qualifications and their approach. With so many so-called ‘experts’ out there it’s really important to identify who is qualified and able to do the job for you. Ask prospective consultants questions about their skills and experience to determine whether they are fit for the job. Are they methodical in their approach? Do have a history of achieving quality results for clients? This will help you to avoid being mislead by organisations with few processes, a glossy website and no real qualifications or experience.

5. Ask yourself whether you think you will be comfortable working with the consultant.

Do you think they are going to be the right fit for your business? Can you see yourself and your team working well with them? Sometimes it’s less about the exact industry experience they have had and more about their ability to get results.

6. Think about goals and outcomes first.

Don’t pick a technical specialist to do a job when you really need someone who can deliver a sales outcome. Think about your goal first, what are you trying to achieve? For instance, if it’s conversions and leads from your website then perhaps what you really need is a marketing consultant to advise on the layout of the website rather than just a technical person to do the build. A technical person can definitely build the website for you, it will function beautifully, but will it achieve your goal of converting traffic to sales?

7. Be wary of small business consultants who are all things to all people.

A good consultant will be honest about what their speciality is and will not simply be a ‘yes’ man or woman. They will push back on projects, ideas and suggestions that they don’t think are right for your business or are beyond their area of expertise. Look for a consultant with backbone not someone who lets you steer the project without alerting you to the danger that lies ahead because they are too afraid to question your judgement or afraid they will upset you. I’d rather have an expert question me and make suggestions than sit back and watch me sink the ship!

So whether it is a marketing consultant or a small business consultant you are looking for, many of the same rules apply. Identify what you need and look at it from an outcomes perspective, work out who has the expertise to help you achieve your goals and whether or not you are comfortable working with them. Look for someone who is genuinely interested in working with you and passionate about what they do.