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If you haven’t downloaded lesson #5 in Melissa’s Ingold’s free course “Getting Your Business Into Shape for 2011″,  I want to  remind you to do so …

Melissa says in lesson 5: ” … nobody fits perfectly into any particular stereotype, but let me give some examples of common behavior among online entrepreneurs. You might be able to see where you fit in and where you might start correcting your approach to projects.

Are you…
1. The Serial Project Builder: Many online entrepreneurs build one project after another, without taking the time to really research, evaluate and take the steps to ensure the project is a success. Then they’re left with a bunch of stuff with little traffic, fewer sales and not much to show for all that hard work.

2. The Project Starter: Another type of “typical entrepreneur” (if such thing exists) will take so long on each project, over think things and get so paralyzed they don’t launch it. Sometimes they get paralyzed on their first project and never get anything launched. Others will serially start projects that don’t come to fruition.

Don’t be like 1 or 2. Instead, be someone who:
Does their research (and we’ll talk a bit more about this shortly)
Plans all the necessary steps of a successful project
Plans how each step will be completed
Executes the plan fully”

This short lesson (only 8 pages) packs a lot of solid and helpful information!
Even if you’re just planning to start an online business, you will get so much
helpful information!

Here is the link again: Taking Your Business Inventory

List of the six lessons:

Week 1: Taking Your Business Inventory
Week 2: Operation Clean Out
Week 3: Maximizing Efficiency
Week 4: Time for Remodeling
Week 5: Add-Ons & Construction
Week 6: Long-Term Planning

Melissa Ingold is the CEO of Internet Marketing Sweetie, and she is a full-time entrepreneur with over 8 years of experience working online. She has built a successful online business through information product marketing, affiliate marketing & management, membership sites, and content marketing.

Here’s wishing you success in your business!

Related articles

• Serial Entrepreneurs & Self-Sabotage (theworkathomewife.com)

Related posts:

1. Internet Marketing:How Does an Aspiring Internet Marketer Get Started.
2. Taking Your Home Business Inventory for Clarity
3. Time for Remodeling – Getting Your Business Into Shape for 2011 #4
4. Getting Your Business Into Shape for 2011

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Wandering from blog to website to blog you could be spending a lot of time somehow believing that you will find all the information you need to start your own business and of course this might happen if you know what you’re shopping for!

When you go shopping for ingredients for a meal you start with a list in hand for the specific ingredients you know you are missing so when you explore the internet for information it would make sense to be looking for answers to questions you already have!

However, if you don’t have a definite plan, you’re going to run into business models you had not even thought about so you get a glimmer of another way you could be doing business and begin to follow that path until some other tempting offer catches your eye!

Then you have the problem of copying, printing and filing all that information … I know what that’s like because I did it all and I ended up more confused in spite of the piles of so-called information I was accumulating and all my newsletter subscriptions.

I got some binders, and spent many hours organizing and filing so that even if I was not actually in business yet I had a file clerk … ME! At the end of a day spent in that file clerk role I would sometimes experience the sense of accomplishment a company employee gets after a job well done but only for a moment – no paycheck!

Many times when I was in a marketing forum, following some enthusiastic exchanges between a few members on a quest of their own, I would think “there is a good idea” and print out the whole discussion … I did that for months spending time and money because I would occasionally buy ebooks and programs and try different things but that information did not fit into an overall plan.

I did end up learning a lot about many different aspects of Internet Marketing but a person needs to come to a decision about the choice of a business model to follow and the most important factor then is to take action – without action there are no possible
results – so I realized that repeatedly seeking that extra information item can be a form of procrastination!

Among a few very interesting marketing blogs where I now know I will find reliable information, one in particular is run by Jon Leger who is highly regarded for his many useful contributions to the success of affiliate marketing entrepreneurs.

I highly recommend Jon Leger’s

Geek-Free SEO.pdf.
Get your free download

Related posts:

1. Basic Search Engine Optimization Skills Explained in Geek-Free Language!

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Questions 8 through 19 - consider which answer best applies to you:

Y = “Yes, this is what I’m like.”
S = “Somewhat, and I feel I could develop this trait.”
N = “No, I’m not like this at all.”

12. You are observant
You watch what others are doing, and you learn from it. Successful
entrepreneurs know what is happening in their niche. They see what
their competition is doing right, and what they’re doing wrong.
While it’s wise to learn from your mistakes, it’s safer & cheaper to learn
from your competition’s mistakes.

13. You are confident
You know that you can handle any challenge. Successful entrepreneurs
are confident that no matter what, if they take on a project they will be
able to carry it out. They know that even if they don’t have a necessary
skill or knowledge, they can obtain it or find the right person to help
complete the project. Their motto is “I can do it!”

14. You can handle unfamiliar situations
With the many hats an entrepreneur must wear everyday, you’ll
sometimes find yourself in an uncertain or unfamiliar situation.
Successful entrepreneurs adapt to these challenges. You cannot always
chose what you’ll have to deal with, so you must be prepared deal with
any situation.

15. You are enthusiastic
Running your own business requires a lot of enthusiasm. You are the
one who has to motivate yourself. You can’t spend the greater part of day
moping about the house or putting off essential tasks.
Successful entrepreneurs are enthusiastic about their business, and
often have to be physically pried away from it.

16. You are an optimist
Not the kind of optimist who traipses around seeing the world through
rose-coloured glasses – but, the kind of optimist who takes a realistic
look at a situation and sees the opportunity.
Successful entrepreneurs see the positive. They acknowledge the
negative, but they don’t let it influence them. They are enthusiastic
about how things will turn out.

17. You take calculated risks
Entrepreneurs are often look upon as risk takers and gamblers, but that
is a misconception. Successful entrepreneurs only take risks after they
have assessed the situation and are confident that the outcome will
favour the. In fact, usually they minimize the risk by having control
over that outcome.
What to an insulated 9-5 worker may seem risky, is actually just
stepping outside the comfort zone and getting something accomplished.

18. You value achievement
Although making money is important, it is the sense of achievement
that will keep motivating you. Building a business, creating products,
increasing sales, being recognized in your industry – these are all
achievements that motivate you to keep climbing and seeking greater
achievements.
Successful entrepreneurs are driven to achieve, and the money simply
follows.

19. You take responsibility
As an entrepreneur, the buck stops at you. You cannot pass problems
on to a boss – you are the boss. You alone take full responsibility for
the success of your company. This means that you cannot blame
anyone but yourself when something goes wrong. No blaming outside
factors. No excuses.
Successful entrepreneurs don’t make excuses – they do whatever it
takes to achieve their goals.

Y = “Yes, this is what I’m like.”
S = “Somewhat, and I feel I could develop this trait.”
N = “No, I’m not like this at all.”

Download the free 14-page report by clicking here: Working for Yourself.pdf

Please share some of your thoughts …

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Here are questions 7 through 12 - for you to check off  to what degree they might apply to you:

Y = “Yes, this is what I’m like.”
S = “Somewhat, and I feel I could develop this trait.”
N = “No, I’m not like this at all.”

Download the free 14-page report by clicking here: Working for Yourself.pdf

7. You are organized
You can manage your time and resources. Running your own business,
you often have to wear a number of hats and some days may see you
tackling a bunch of tasks. If you’re not organized, you can end up
wasting a lot of valuable time, and being distracted by non-productive
activities.

8. You are independent
As a home-based business person, you usually have few people to rely
on. Sure, you can become part of business networks and get support at
forums, but in the end it is you who must do all the work to build your
business. A successful entrepreneur is independent, and relies on
themselves.

9. You are a problem solver
You can’t let a problem interfere with your purpose. To succeed, you must face problems
head on and figure out a way to go through, over, or around the
problem.
In fact, successful entrepreneurs see opportunities in problems. Solving
other people’s problems is how your business can make a lot of money.

10. You take action
Planning is an important part of your success, but without action your
plans will never be achieved. Over analyzing a plan can lead to
“analysis paralysis”, where you never put the plan into action and
nothing is achieved.
Successful entrepreneurs consider their path of action, and then they
soon take action. They never wait for things to happen – they make
them happen.

11. You have imagination
Being successful often involves using your imagination to be that little
bit different – to stand out from the crowd. Sometimes, you’ll have to
think outside the box to put you above your competition.

12. You are observant
You watch what others are doing, and you learn from it. Successful
entrepreneurs know what is happening in their niche. They see what
their competition is doing right, and what they’re doing wrong.
While it’s wise to learn from your mistakes, it’s safer & cheaper to learn
from your competition’s mistakes.

Y = “Yes, this is what I’m like.”
S = “Somewhat, and I feel I could develop this trait.”
N = “No, I’m not like this at all.”

part 3 to-morrow…

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In  Working for Yourself.pdf a 14 page pdf report, Kevin lists 19 questions you could ask yourself if you’re thinking of making a change in your life.  He suggests that you consider each statement in this checklist, and then check off to what degree it applies to you:

Y = “Yes, this is what I’m like.”
S = “Somewhat, and I feel I could develop this trait.”
N = “No, I’m not like this at all.”

I’m listing 6 of Kevin’s questions here and you can decide if it fits your purpose. This is a
free report  and you can download it by clicking here:

Working for Yourself.pdf

1. You are a hard worker
When you first start a home business, you must be ready to sometimes work
longer hours than the regular 9-5. There’s no fellow employee or boss to
take up the slack. You are the one who has to put in the extra hours.
If you are still working a 9-5 job while starting your business, are you
willing and able to sacrifice some of your leisure time? Can you invest
an extra 2-3 hours per day into building your business?
The time you invest in your business during the building phase will pay
off with big dividends later, when you can take long vacations and have
a flexible schedule.

2. You like to take charge
You don’t wait for others to make the decision or take the lead.
Successful entrepreneurs see an opportunity, seize it, and take full
responsibility to see it through.
When a task or challenge comes up at work, do you seize the
opportunity and take charge? Or do you wait for someone else to take
the initiative?

3. You are a decision maker
As an entrepreneur, you often have to make important decisions, and
make them quickly. You cannot agonize over decisions, or keep putting
them off.
In business, the old adage “You snooze, you lose!” has a lot of merit to
it. Often, opportunities will present themselves, and you must decide
quickly if they are advantageous for your business.
As the boss, you must make important decisions on a regular basis.

4. You are persistent
Success usually does not come overnight, and quite often it’s only those
who persist and push past obstacles that succeed. If you easily give up,
it will be difficult for you to be successful running your own business.
Successful entrepreneurs carry on and do not let minor obstacles stop
them. They keep their eye on the goal and keep moving towards that
goal, even if they have to take detours to get there.

5. You can weather criticism and rejection
Running your own business is not always smooth sailing. There will
always be those who criticize your decisions or reject your ideas. While
you should always be open to bounce back from criticism and carry on,
you can’t let it stop you.
Successful entrepreneurs don’t take criticism personally. Instead, they
learn and improve from the feedback.

6. You desire to create your own destiny
For successful entrepreneurs, it’s not just about making lots of money.
It’s about being your own boss and enjoying the freedom to run your
business as you see fit. Money is not the only reward.

Y = “Yes, this is what I’m like.”
S = “Somewhat, and I feel I could develop this trait.”
N = “No, I’m not like this at all.”

to be continued…

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* The number of women starting businesses today is double the number of men.

* Women now account for 55-60% of new startups.

* The number of women-owned companies has doubled in the last 25 years.

* According to the Labor Department, baby boomers and older make up 54% of the self-employed.

Yes, there are various reasons baby boomer women might feel called to start their own business.. perhaps the desire to take on a new challenge,  but also economic reasons…  many have seen their retirement fund severely damaged by the economic crisis  of this past year… they feel compelled to use their knowledge of the business world to recoup their losses.  

For women who have had jobs over the years, the internet presents a new freedom…  an ideal opportunity for them to have their home business and offer consulting, coaching, writing and whatever they decide they would like to do, as independent entrepreneurs.

They have what it takes… attitude,  experience,  the tools,  the skills and
the know-how to set successful goals.

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