Why Become a Home Based Business Professional?Corporate downsizing, layoffs and a shrinking number of jobs available are all common reasons to look for new ways of generating income. With the power behind the internet and the declining job market, it is no wonder hundreds if not thousands are looking to legitimate home based business companies before the end of this year alone.But, is there more than meets the eye?Starting a new venture as a home based business professional is a very exciting idea. The idea of freedom to live the life you want and the freedom to come and go as you please…Sounds good right? Caution, it is not without its challenges.According to recent statistics, the odds of success past 3 years with a home business are greater than a traditional brick and mortar or franchise type business. Awesome, sign me up! Not so fast; it also comes with a lot of hard work and some hard lessons along the way.When starting from scratch, expect to put in many hours just learning your new business and honing the talents necessary to gain the level of success where freedom and flexibility exists along with earning an income.What are 5 Foundation Principles on the Journey to Success?Depending on what book you read or who you talk to there are infinite possibilities of achieving success with a legitimate home based business. That is probably why there are many home business professionals who are living the life of their dreams.You will find a short overview of 5 key ideas below. Each of these principles lends itself to some very in-depth discussion. However, for this discussion, a quick overview will suffice. You are invited to review the discussion presented and spend some time reflecting on the concepts offered. You decide for yourself if they apply in your life.Each Person We Meet is Our Teacher and StudentThink of this idea as you design a new life for yourself. You will come across others who have been there and done that and do not had the same values as you.Consider each relationship with curiosity and confidence. Be curious about what you can uncover about your business and yourself. At the same time, be open to the thought that you are unique and your view is unique to you.You have a fresh view and are able to share your experiences and knowledge. Regardless of the skill level of a mentor, sponsor or potential business partner, you are each the teacher and the student.We are Each a Product of our Own Belief SystemThink of a successful business icon like Donald Trump, Warren Buffet or Robert Kiyosaki; what are some of their core beliefs? Maybe some of their core beliefs sound something like, “if I can dream it, I can be it.” or “success doesn’t just happen. It starts for those who take action.” -D. TrumpHow successful would these guys be if at their core, they made statements like: “money is the route of all evil.” or “only people with money make money” or even something as simple as “I don’t deserve it.” or “No one should have that much.”The idea here is to be very much in tune with your core belief system. What is working for you? If you are not seeing the results you desire, take the time to go within. If you aren’t spending some time within, chances are, you’ll go without!Work is Doing, Being is EffortlessThis concept builds directly on how well you are aligned with your core belief system. When you are tuned into your belief system, it is serving you in your life today; you are in a position of choice.This is when you are able to consciously make choices to be in alignment with your core belief system and your core values. This is the point at which you cease to do work and you are simply being effortlessly.It may be that the number of hours you are being in your business may be many, but you will be in a place that is effortless. Your work ceases to be work. Talk about enjoying life! This is what all home based business professionals strive for.We Either Grow or Die”Life is a daring adventure or it is nothing.” -Hellen KellerSelf growth and entrepreneurship go hand and hand. Much in the way we are each teacher and student, each situation and experience we have is an opportunity to grow and learn.Look for the lesson around every corner and strive to grow at every moment. Two things that are critical to maintaining success as a home based business professional is to participate in a mastermind team and hire a coach.A mastermind team should consist of 4-5 people with different skill sets who come together on a regular basis. It can be based on a commonality of business or personal growth. You can’t go wrong. Imagine the teams of people that Trump or Buffet surround themselves with. They don’t do it all alone!Perhaps most important, all successful business entrepreneurs have a professional coach. Even the most successful business coaches hire a coach. The joy of working with a certified professional coach is they work with you to merge your inner self with the outer self to help you tap into your passion and purpose and help you create the world you want to live in.Now is all There Ever IsYesterday is gone and tomorrow is yet to come. All you have is right here and right now. Live with the expectation that you will achieve all that you desire and act as if it has been here all along. You have the power to manifest all that you dream.
5 Foundation Principles For New Home Based Business Professionals
The Economics of Online Education
As more and more universities are opening up to the idea of online proposition, it becomes important to raise the question: “Can online-education be a profitable and sustainable business?” To answer this question, let us explore the various important facets of this model which would decide the feasibility and financial sustenance of the e-idea. Some key parameters to be considered are the demand, ability to supply, technology and delivery process.
The demand for the service is abundant as previously discussed and so is the availability of market players who could cater to this growing demand. Hence, the viability of the proposition rests solely on the issues of effectively delivering the services and choosing or rather designing an appropriate business model. It is critical to analyze the following factors to assess the economics of the idea:
-Virtual university vs. traditional university (in transformation)
-Selling commodity vs. selling experience
-Technology: availability and costs
-Process of delivering quality and differentiation
-Cost analysis: Initial vs. marginal
Virtual University vs. Traditional University
There could be two different versions of an online education: a virtual online model and an existing university expanding its traditional model to accommodate the online proposition. Both models have different economics. A virtual model starts from scratch and has no prior experience with a traditional education model; it prepares curricula either by itself or in conjunction with an existing educational institution; it also has low infrastructure expenses but simultaneously no branding support.
It is relatively easy to start this business, but what matters are the quality of content and the process of delivery. For standard modules or programs, this seems to be a good venture as the content would not be difficult or expensive to produce or distribute. However, care needs to be taken to ensure the target segment for the program is carefully identified, as this model is not only competing with traditional models but also with online propositions of existing reputed educational institutions.
On the other side are the existing schools that would be extending their services to e-learning. These do face a challenge of adopting a business model which may not be compatible with their existing proposition. There is a risk of cannibalizing their existing successful business model. Both models, if to be continued simultaneously, need to be targeting reasonably different markets.
This model has an edge over a new virtual setup in terms of already available content and existing and successful brand; thus the institution could charge a premium. The model does not require huge costs as the content is available, and only needs to be digitized; it is also relatively easier to generate demand for the proposition, riding on the back of the existing traditional model. However, the institution still needs to work towards differentiating the model, not by the content but by the process of delivery.
Selling Commodity vs. Selling Experience
The institution may well decide to sell 10,000 degrees a year or may like a number that is much lower (i.e. < 200). The question is whether the institution is attempting to focus on the quality of the students and education or is merely happy with building the numbers and playing on cost. Online education does provide an opportunity to reach the masses with very low marginal costs but simultaneously could affect its reputation.
Though it is extremely hard to replicate the experience and environment of a traditional model, an attempt to get the program experience as close to the traditional experience would be considered a good differentiating factor. This experience would not stem from the content of the program as it is easily replicable, but from the content delivery process reaching the end user. Again, the type of module and the class of customer segment would decide upon the extent of the “experience” required to be instilled in the program.
Technology: Availability and Costs
The complete business idea of online education is dependent on technology. The base of this technology is the internet which is the fastest growing tool in terms of number of users. According to Lance Secretan, “It took 37 years for TV to reach 50 million homes and it took the web 4 years to do the same.” Though the base technology (the internet) does not seem to be a constraint, the bandwidth available to support the online education is questionable. Technology such as streaming audio and video requires huge bandwidth which may not be a constraint for institutions but for end users.
In most countries, the internet is at a nascent stage. More importantly the bandwidth to support “virtual reality” is not available. Even in developed countries it would be very expensive to have synchronous and interactive video lectures or sessions.
Though the pace of technological advancements is increasingly fast, and thus the bandwidth problem would soon be resolved, it may still be expensive to have a model that provides a similar learning experience to a traditional model. Therefore, the educational institutions would need to strike a balance between the “experience” and the cost depending on their target market segment(s).
Delivering Quality and Differentiation
In order to differentiate itself from others, it would be essential for an institution to focus on the process of delivering value to the end users. Educational institutions, keeping in mind their target market(s) and the available technology, would have to decide on the extent to which they should replicate or rather extend the strengths and benefits of their existing traditional model, if any, to the online proposition.
Aspects such as how to hold online lectures or how to transfer digitalized case material or even how to structure the program to make it more effective, would need to be evaluated.
If the proposition is to sell the program as a commodity, it would be better to conduct it in an asynchronous fashion, focus on delivering standard requirements, and cut down costs rather than add a new “experience” to it. This excludes premium programs with higher fees. These ones would be targeting people who are willing to pay for the technology needed to get a real experience of learning.
Cost Analysis: Initial vs. Marginal
The costs associated with an online proposition are low when compared to the ones of a traditional model which requires much greater infrastructure. The profits would depend upon the economic rent that could be derived from the services offered. This economic rent could only be sustained in the long run if the institution has sufficiently differentiated itself from its competitors.
The online model also has very low marginal costs compared to the initial set-up expenses. Unlike a traditional model which is limited by the size of its buildings (physical infrastructure) or the number of its faculty members, the capacity of an online model can be stretched to a great extent. This would help reduce marginal costs until a further increase in users requires significant investments in technology upgrades.
From the above arguments, there is no doubt that a sustainable online education model is definitely achievable. However, care has to be taken when defining the model that is in appropriate accordance with the targeted customer and service provision. Established universities, no doubt, have an edge over the new virtual universities but at the same time they carry the risk of endangering their established and successful traditional model.
The economics would also significantly vary depending upon the differentiation strategy, if at all, is pursued by the players. Selling a commodity would require a different strategy and would have different implications compared to the proposition when selling “experience”. The availability and costs associated with the technology would vary depending upon the geographical location of the institution and the students.
Home Based Business Opportunity Seekers – Discover the Opportunities to Take Advantage Of
There are many home based business opportunity seekers who want extra money with fewer amounts of investments. People who want to see some extra money in their pocket take up this idea and there have been many successful people in it. Choosing a suitable business is crucial.A home based business can be done in many fields like arts, entertainment, marketing, information technology, teaching, home science etc. House wives and ladies can take up business related to home science, art, teaching etc. They can indulge in it very easily as they have lot of time to be used. Day care centers and private canteen can earn lot of money if they learn to manage them easily.The information technology field requires lot of people who can work part time. They are given work related to designing and software development. They need creativity and some software skills to survive in this business.Affiliate marketing is a very good home based business option. As many companies require affiliates or distributors to promote their product there are many opportunities in this field. It requires good marketing skills which will attract customers. If you have good literary skills along with marketing skills they can go for newsletter services. This is also a way of promoting products which is required by many organizations.There are many extracurricular skills which can be used to start a home based business. Music, dance, and photography are the fields in which home based business can be done.One can use their managing skills to become a home based event manager. Busy people may require third parties to organize an event for them. You can serve them by arranging the appropriate things required for the event.Consulting can also be done from home as many are in need of ideas from people having good expertise.