Build Successful Dating Site – 10 Things on Your Check-List

I bet you’ve read a lot of similar stuff if you’ve ever been interested in launching your own Facebook or Match.com. Dating industry experts and semi-experts keep trying to find a fault-free formula for building an online community business with no hassle and money waste. Before you get down to reading ‘another 10 tips’ on your way, I’ll tell you that there is no prefect solution. But still, there are ways to minimize the time and money loss, and avoid typical mistakes. So, here are the 10 pieces of advice we’ve drawn from watching hundreds of online dating/community projects succeed and fail:

1. Choosing a niche for your future site is crucial. All your steps towards launching a site of your dream will depend on this first decision. Are you building a join-free social network with a few paid privileges and loads of advertisement? Or is it going to be a niche site with unique conception and membership system encouraging your members for subscriptions? Whatever path you choose – it has to be a mature decision based on the goals you want to achieve.

If you don’t have a very strong marketing and development budget – we would recommend you to go for a specialized niche site, as that means significantly lower competition, and thus, more chances to succeed.

2. Don’t develop a site from scratch. Go for a full-fledged dating software instead. A custom dating site sounds like a good idea… but only if you are ready to pay a devoted programmer for his continuous job on keeping your site competitive.

There is always a huge amount of work, time and investment behind custom site development. You will have to choose a developer very carefully. You will probably be in continuous need of his services, because keeping the site up-to-date requires new features, and platform adjustments for new appearing browser versions and coding standards.

Good news about professional properly supported dating scripts is that their developers will take care of all that, thus saving you time and money. Just make sure that the dating or community software solution of your choice comes with an unencrypted source code. This will allow you to modify it for your needs without reinventing the wheel.

3. Be very picky when it comes to a hosting company. Please. When a community/dating script provider attracts your attention to server requirements – this is for a reason. Any program (whether it’s a computer game or dating software) has certain system requirements to run properly. If you don’t want your members to ‘enjoy’ downtimes and mysterious error lines on the site pages – check with the preferred hosting company if their servers are configured right for your dating script.

So, choose the dating software first, and then go for a suitable hosting company that meets the script system requirements (not vice versa). Simple, and will save you a lot of trouble later.

Another important aspect to pay attention to is backups. Make sure that your hosting provider backs up all your web site data, and that you will have easy access to it in case of emergency. We’ve been trying to help one of our customers lately who lost more than 500 000 members because of a server crash. If the hosting company was able to provide him with the database backup, the situation would not be so desperate.

4. Don’t become a clone. Facebook rocks, no doubts. MySpace is cool, also true. But why would people prefer your site over them if it offers similar features and design, but a significantly smaller community? If you aim at building something really worthy, something that has a chance to compete the “social networking monsters” one day – offer something unique. OK, we know that today’s variety of community sites leaves almost no room for “unique”. But true success is never easy to achieve. If I were to launch my own dating or social networking site – I would do my best to make it stand out in a crowd. Otherwise, how are people supposed to notice it?

If you still want your site to be a clone – it makes sense to at least make it geo-targeted or niche-oriented.

5. Do SEO. Spend on online marketing. You can never overestimate the importance of site promotion. A clever marketing campaign can work wonders for your site popularity.

You can find tons of articles, tips, guidelines on site promotion on the web. Participate in webmaster forums, read the blogs of “seo-sharks”, optimize your site for search engines, do promotions. Or turn to professional SEO and marketing agencies, who will do the dirty job for you. This costs money, but keeps your hands and mind free for other stuff to do.

6. Go for offline promotion. TV, radio, newspaper ads and promotional fliers are great tools to improve your brand visibility. Internet businesses mainly concentrate on online marketing and set offline advertising aside. But that means neglecting a whole sector of potential customers with fairly low brand competition. If your site is geo-targeted – offline marketing is especially efficient for business promotion.

7. Learn some coding to manage small issues on your own. No one is talking about major programming languages, but HTML and CSS basics are a ‘must-know’. You should also have a clear idea of what FTP, CPanel, SSH, database and nameservers are. This knowledge will help you perform minor web site adjustments without going through a heap of manuals and bugging customer support every time.

8. Work on your site design. Follow the color marketing principles. That does matter, otherwise why would so many clever marketing specialists would be engaged in color marketing that studies the influence of colors on people’s mood and behavior. If you want to be professional and efficient in every little thing – make sure that your site template reflects the conception, and puts your members in the right mood.

9. Don’t get apart from reality. Listen to your site members’ feedback. Trying to make your community site more user-friendly and feature-rich, you may forget who you’re actually doing the whole thing for. Site users do not like clustered member interface and dozens of notifications. Most of them don’t want to get an email every time someone visits their profile or photo album. They don’t want a 3D game that works in one browser only. They don’t want a fancy video chat that goes down whenever there are more than 3 users online. Expanding your site functionality is good. But features have to be ‘reasonable’, user-friendly and well-tested. Check from your site members if they like the interface and features that you offer. Show them that you care. This will help you see how well you are doing, and get your users involved in making the site better.

10. Remember that online dating/community site business is a full-time job. Working on the site development and promotion during your lunch break, and for an hour between dinner and a favorite TV show is not enough. If you want your project to be successful… I mean really successful – you will have to invest all your time, and plenty of funds.

Building your own competitive dating/community site is always hard and time-consuming. But the results will be truly rewarding if you follow the simple rules of common sense and stay confident about your project success.

12 Secrets of Truly Unsuccessful Internet Marketers

Success as an Internet marketer doesn’t come easy. In fact, many people estimate that upwards of 95% of those who set out to be Internet marketers or online business owners fail.

This failure is for a variety of reasons. While everyone is different, there are some striking trends that are important to pay attention to because they can prohibit your success.

You’re also not likely to succeed unless you avoid some critical errors so many Internet marketers make. These are mistakes — roadblocks to failure — that you need to be aware of.

You might feel resistant to what you’ll read below. Honestly, a big part of that is because you might see yourself within these reasons. It can be like looking in a mirror — and you may not like what you see!

I urge you to really take a hard look at what’s described here, because one or all of them can be blocks to your success. Examine these reasons and take them to heart. Don’t let them hold you back. Don’t be on the wrong side of the statistics.

Keep it at the top of your mind that you will be part of the successful group of Internet marketers. You will succeed beyond your wildest dreams.

The “success blockers” below are not in any particular order. You might recognize some of them in yourself, and not others. Pay particular attention to those that tug at you, the ones that make you think, “hey, that’s me!” Those are likely the ones blocking your own success.

Success Blocker 1: You don’t really know what you want.

When someone asks you why you are an Internet marketer, what do you say?

If you’re like many people, then you reply that you do it because you want to earn some extra money. If you’re ambitious, then you might say you do it because you want to be able to quit your job and work full-time online. If you’re really ambitious, you might say you do it because you want to develop mostly hands-off income streams so you can go lounge on the beach and sip Coronas!

These wishy-washy ideals of what you want are not enough! There is no way to achieve just earning some “extra money.” There is no way to achieve just “being wealthy.” Because, what do those things really mean? They are too abstract to be effective or really make an impact on you.

You have to really define your goals and know what you want out of your Internet marketing venture.

Consider the specifics:

How much money you want to earn?

What, exactly, are you going to do to achieve your goals?

What business model do you plan on following?

It can really help to, literally, write down your goals. Write down all you might hope to achieve today, this week, this month, over the next year, over the next five years, and over the next 10 years.

Believe me, if you don’t outline your goals and make thinking about them part of your daily life, the days will pass you by without you having achieved any tangible success. You need to define your goals. When you do that, your mind will naturally start to guide you to take the actions you need to take in order for you to succeed.

In addition to writing down your goals, it’s all about having a clear vision in your mind. Visualize how you see yourself in the near future. Where will you be living? What will you be doing in your online business? What do you want out of your online business?

Be specific.

Goal setting is an extremely extensive topic. You are urged to learn all you can about it, because it really can help you define what you want. It can also help you take the steps you need to take in order to achieve your goals.

Success Blocker 2: You are not passionate enough about the reason for your online business.

One of the biggest mistakes people make with their online businesses is that they are just in it for the money — or the idea of the money. This is not enough! You really need to be passionate and excited about what you’re doing.

Now, that isn’t to say that you have to love every single step along the way. It just means that there has to be something that drives you to keep on going — something that drives you to succeed.

The question to ask yourself is: “What is my “why”?”

Your “why” will be different than any one else’s. Everyone wants to make more money, but why do you want to make more money? Do you want to pay off your debt so that you don’t have an albatross around your neck? Do you want to have enough money so that your spouse doesn’t have to have a job, or a second job of your own?

If earning life-changing income, even if you’re not generally thrilled with the niche you’re in, is something you’re passionate about, then you might be willing to do just about anything in your online business (within reason, of course) that you can.

Find your passion and run with it!

Success Blocker 3: You don’t think big enough

If you’re putting a lot of hours into your online business, then you’re likely not content with earning just a small amount of money here and there. Though, you might have tricked yourself into believing it because you will not allow yourself to think big enough. Don’t make this mistake!

In fact, even those who are earning $1000 or even a few thousand dollars per month could dramatically increase their earnings if they just thought bigger. That’s right — you need to think bigger and have bigger goals with just about anything you do in your online business. It’s all about scaling up. It’s all about doing things bigger and better.

That’s why it’s so important to learn and grow all the time. Let yourself make mistakes along the way! Even those who you might consider to be the most successful in their online business are constantly expanding their education and developing their business sense. There are always ways to increase your income — it doesn’t matter who you are or what your experience level is.

If you don’t think it’s possible for you to earn more money in your online business than you’re making right now (or any money at all, if you’re just starting out) then consider this. Have you built an email list? If so, are you doing all you can to increase the size of that list? Are you developing positive relationships with other marketers? Are you taking full advantage of the traffic you receive to your website?

In just about every case, there are things you can do to improve your earnings online. Not thinking big enough and having a small, impoverished mindset, is one of the biggest mistakes people make. Do not let yourself fall into this trap because it will just get you down and you’ll be stuck with low earnings. Thinking big means bigger earnings!

I say that and I believe that, even though I wrote a book about setting small achievable short term goals, inside my “5 Bucks a Day” book. I encourage people to think about working on a project that will earn them just $5 a day in recurring income.

Sure, that sounds small, but the thing is, $5 a day is $1825 a year in income. And a $5 a day project every week is $260 a day, every day, by the end of your first year of doing 5 buck a day projects. So small becomes big quickly if you have the “Think Big” mindset.

Success Blocker 4: You don’t believe in yourself

The truth of the matter is that you will not be able to reach higher levels of income if you do not believe in yourself. Sure, you might have those fleeting moments of hope and belief right after you’ve read a motivational story or e-mail about yet-another-marketer who’s pulled themselves out of the depths from their job as a McDonald’s clerk to make great money online. You suddenly think, “that could be me! They don’t have anything I don’t have!”

When that happens to you, I urge you to hold on to that feeling. The feeling that you can do bigger and better things. The feeling that you really can succeed online and that you have everything you need to do it.

What happens that makes you doubt yourself, even when you have those initial good feelings? In many cases, it is the voices of others. Perhaps you do not have a supportive family at home. They wonder when the fruits of your efforts are going to come to fruition from all the time you spend working online.

Do yourself a favor — turn these other voices off. Unfortunately, even when you do this, you may find that an internal voice may continue to nag you. Don’t let that happen! Whenever you start to hear a negative voice telling you what you can’t do in your online business, turn it around to something you can do in your online business!

Yes, it can be hard if those you love and respect do not support you. It can be even harder when you don’t truly support yourself. Make it your mission right now to start believing in yourself. Once again, you will not succeed if you don’t believe you can — there are no two ways about it.

Do this. Get involved in an Internet marketing forum. You can even start with a free one if finances are tight, but if you can manage it, you’re much better off in a smaller forum that you have to pay to belong to. Find the right one and you’ll be surrounded by others that are there for the same reason, are non-judgmental, and you can either watch from afar or you can ask for advice.

When I had my worst days, I finally found such a forum, and I started following someone who was successful. I developed confidence in myself because I convinced myself that “if he can do that, I can do that”. Sure enough, I did start succeeding, after three long years of being unsuccessful.

So find a mentor (they don’t even need to know they’re your mentor, by the way), and watch what they do carefully. Be sure you have one that does business the right way, with integrity, and soon you’ll be on your way.

It bears repeating — you can’t succeed if you don’t believe in yourself!

You can attract success and develop positive work habits simply by believing in yourself and knowing that you will achieve the income you want to achieve and the lifestyle you want to live — it’s only a matter of time.

Success Blocker 5: Expecting success right away

Think about your own expectations for the business model you are currently following or are considering following. Were you given a realistic timeline for when you could see success by the person you are learning from? How long have they been in Internet marketing and how long did it take for them to see success? Are there variables you’re missing that contributed to their success?

Consider all the factors that go into the business model you are interested in or are invested in. In many cases, you might be relying on things like search engine traffic. It takes a while to rank in the search engines! Always consider the time factor and know that it can take a while to see success, no matter who you are. This is something many sales pages gloss over.

In fact, the reality of the early stages might be that you’re working hour after hour without seeing a single smidgen of benefit. Keep pushing!

If you just kept pushing a little bit further, you would have made it! Keep pushing, and you will make it. Be persistent and know that success may not be immediate, but it is imminent.

Don’t feel like it will take forever, though! One of the great things about having an online business is that you can achieve success far more quickly than many do when they start an offline business. This is one of the great things about working online. As long as your expectations are realistic and you keep on plugging away, you can achieve all of your dreams and goals.

You should also realize that 80% of your results will come from 20% of your efforts. That means that not all of your efforts will pay off. For example, if you build 10 niche sites, the chances are good that the bulk of your income will come from just two of those sites.

You also can’t expect to get something for nothing. If you’re not putting in the effort, you will not succeed online. If you are not doing absolutely everything you can to better your business, you will not see success. If you’re not willing to invest either time, money, or both, then you will not see success online. Invest yourself in your efforts and you will succeed!

Success Blocker 6: Not educating themselves

You really can dramatically cut down on the time it will take you to earn a great living online by educating yourself properly. Now, that doesn’t mean just buying every course that comes your way willy-nilly. Once again, you need to sit down and really think about the business models that are out there. What appeals to you? Does it pass the litmus test of success?

Here are just some of the available business models that are a sure thing, if you work them the right way:

Selling ebooks

Freelance writing

Freelance graphics

Affiliate niche websites

Blogging

Membership sites

CPA marketing

Do any of these appeal to you? If so, you will need to zero in on one and learn all you can about it. It can really help to find someone you admire who has already had success with a particular business model. Have they put out a course? If so, you may want to pick it up!

Educate yourself, and actually follow the instructions. They are so many people who just will not follow directions! They want to go down their own path because they think they can do it better.

In fact, that’s something drives me nuts sometimes. We have some incredibly successful people in our insiders club (Earn1KaDay), and occasionally one of them will post a step by step method that they’ve actually used to earn big profits.

Success Blocker 7: Educating themselves too much

Despite what was mentioned above, there is an even bigger group of people who educate themselves too much! These are the people who are on all the marketer’s lists. They’re constantly browsing the WSO section and the Warrior Forum, trying to find the next big thing. Their pulse quickens when they read a sales page. They constantly think, “I’ve finally found the thing that’s going to change my life!”

They read the product, watch the videos, and get excited about the possibilities. They forget about it as quickly as they chose it. Something else shiny has landed in their mailbox and they are on their merry way!

There are some people who collect business models and courses like they are trading cards! They think, “well, if I implement this business model I can make $1000 a month right away. If I implement this other business model at the same time I can earn another $2000 a month. If I implement this business model…”

They lack focus! They go after shiny object after shiny object, never giving a single one of them their full attention.

In other words, the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence, but if you watered your lawn on your side of the fence, you might be better off.

Not being successful is not the only harmful effect. You’ll also put yourself on information overload! You cannot fully digest all of the information you’re gathering!

Your head will be swimming with ideas and you can’t implement anything because nothing is solid or coherent.

You have to find the right balance. Yes, educating yourself about the right business model is extremely important. There are so many wonderful products out there that can help you achieve great success online. However, you will never succeed if you do not sit down and implement a business model from start to finish.

Having the ability to focus on a business model is so powerful. It will allow you to succeed where others do not because they are busy chasing the next Big Thing.

Instead of flitting from here to there, never finishing anything, you will be implementing one thing at a time. Your chances of success will be dramatically improved because you are actually following through. You will not be on information overload like others, because you take things one at a time.

Success Blocker 8: Hanging around the wrong group of marketers

One of the best things about being an Internet marketer is that there are some wonderful groups and forums you can join. This is a great thing, because it can be very isolating when you work online. It’s also neat because you can meet and work with people from all over the world. You learn from all different perspectives, and it’s very powerful.

Imagine: you are very excited to try a certain business model and you go post on your favorite Internet marketing forum about it. You’re sure this business model will work either because people have been successful with it in the past, or it is a solid plan you’ve thoroughly investigated. In any case, you’re pumped to try it out.

Unfortunately, some of these “forum vampires” immediately tell you that you can’t do it for this reason or that reason. All they do is tell you why something won’t work. In fact, they do this all the time. Suddenly, you start to doubt yourself and leave your surefire business model behind.

While you can get valuable and amazing feedback from others on forums, it’s often the case that you’ll run into doubters who have nothing to do but doubt themselves and others. Many of the know-it-alls out there are actually not at all successful. They don’t know what works because all they do is spend time complaining about things and thinking about why things won’t work! They are not who you should be listening to or hanging around.

You need to surround yourself with good influences. Make friends with people who are already successful at what you want to be doing. When you do that, you will start to develop a more positive mindset yourself. You know it will know it is possible because you hang around people who have made this lifestyle possible. They will encourage you and life you up.

You’ve really got to reprogram yourself. Far too many people have self doubting thoughts far too often. Don’t think of yourself as a loser. Think of yourself as a winner! Think of yourself as someone who is just around the corner from seeing massive success from your online business.

When you start to think of yourself in this way, and surround yourself with others who see themselves in this way, your success will happen by default. You will be able to break out of this rut and achieve success beyond your wildest dreams.

If you hang out with the wrong people — with those success-sucking vampires — you will not see success. Do not let that happen to you!

And remember, I mentioned it before, but to put it in this context, the success-sucking vampires tend not to invest in the forums or insiders clubs that they would have to pay to belong to, so it’s relatively easy to avoid them.

Success Blocker 9: Not taking action

This one is such a doozy! Not taking action is a huge reason why people do not succeed online. They educate themselves and they might even surround themselves with the right people. However, they don’t actually do anything to further themselves and their business.

For example, have you ever had spent all day at your computer, typing and clicking away, but you can’t name a single thing you accomplished at the end of the day? I have, we all have — but if you make a habit of it, you will never be successful! Doing something and looking busy is not the same thing as taking action in your business.

If you actually want to be successful, then you need to make sure you do something every single day that moves you forward. Develop a solid business plan and break down the action steps you need to take to get it done. Then do the steps! That’s the part so many people miss out on.

I call it incremental progress, and it’s a foundation for my success and what I teach people who I coach and mentor.

Checklists can be phenomenally helpful in this regard. Break things down into systems and they will be easier to achieve. Perhaps the reason you are not taking action is because you’re not sure of what your next steps are.

It can seem like there are such overwhelming projects looming ahead of you that you don’t think you’ll ever be able to tackle them. Breaking things down into smaller steps can definitely help you achieve your goals. You will be successful before you know it because your checklists and action steps are actually moving you forward.

You have to make sure they are taking the right kind of action, of course. This goes back to getting the right education. Follow in the footsteps of those who are already successful. Emulate the steps they take, and how they take them.

Remember, if they can do it, you can do it, if their methods are congruent with your beliefs, and if you do exactly what they’re doing.

That doesn’t mean you can’t add little tweaks along the way, but it is far better to do what you know will work. In other words, you don’t have to reinvent the wheel. Follow the examples people have already laid out for you.

Combine these action steps with your goals and outline them now and in the future. Break things down in stages and chunks — go through them one by one. Take action! Let nothing hold you back from doing whatever it takes.

Success Blocker 10: Not being disciplined enough to follow through

You absolutely, positively, need to be disciplined to succeed as an Internet marketer. You have to have a plan in mind and you need to have the resolve to complete that plan. You have to have it in your mind that nothing is going to stop you. As long as you have laid out your goals and the action steps you are going to take, you know you will succeed.

One of the biggest pitfalls as an Internet marketer, is that you are making your own rules. You’re not working for a boss who is telling you to do this, that, and the other.

This is a good thing for some people and not good for other people. If you do not consider yourself to be a disciplined person, then you will have to take steps to become a disciplined person.

You should put all of your blood, sweat, and tears into your business. You would bust your butt for a boss, so why won’t you bust your butt for yourself? It takes discipline, and it takes persistence. You’re not going to succeed as an Internet marketer if you are not disciplined enough to follow through with it.

You need to set timelines for yourself. If you don’t set timelines, you will be slow to take action. Your projects will stretch out way too long and you may not even complete them at all. If you develop timelines, and are disciplined enough to set your own deadlines, you will be far more successful.

Make it your mission to really treat this like a business. You need have a solid business plan, office hours where you know you are going to do work and nothing else, and an action plan that you follow through with each and every day. At the very least, you need to do something every day to move yourself forward in your Internet marketing business.

Keep in mind that it can take around 30 days to develop a habit. If you are currently not disciplined and organized enough to succeed with Internet marketing, you ought to make a conscious effort to do the right things every day. Over time, it will become easier to stick with what you have to do and the timelines you have to do it in.

At the same time, you need to follow good time management techniques. I could write a book about that subject, but what I’m saying is that Internet marketers are often painfully distracted.

Be brutal in time management, and you’ll be able to accomplish more in a day than most people accomplish in a week.

Success Blocker 11: Fear of success

It can sound strange, but an incredible number of people have a fear of success. They get comfortable with where they currently are in life. The thought of actually being successful might sound great, but the reality can be a bit scary. You will be out of your comfort zone if you become a successful and wealthy person.

How would it feel if you were successful and wealthy? On the surface, you might answer that makes you feel great. You might feel like it will solve all of your financial and life problems to be a successful Internet marketer.

You have to think beyond the surface. Are you a little bit fearful? Do you worry what people think about you? Do you feel like it will be too much pressure to be successful?

Or maybe you aren’t fearful yet, but when you tell your friends what you’re doing, they try to talk you out of it. They plant seeds of doubt in your head. They try to convince you that they know more than you know about your business, even though the opposite is true.

Truth be told, they’re probably a little bit jealous, and maybe a little bit fearful that you’ll rise out of your current state and no longer be the same person you’ve always been, and they don’t know how to cope with that possibility.

The chances are good that you recognize a least a little bit of this fear of success in yourself. You really have to let yourself get over this to move forward!

What is the worst thing that could happen if you are successful? Be honest with yourself! Sure, you’ll be out of your comfort zone, but the chances are that nothing bad will happen. You will be successful and more comfortable in your life. Yes, people might look at you differently, but it will likely be with admiration.

It can really help to visualize yourself as a successful person. Doing this will allow you to become more comfortable with the feelings that will surround your success. The more you visualize yourself as a success, the easier it will be to become one!

Some people do this with vision boards or by making mind movies. You can gather pictures, magazine cutouts and other images of your ideal life. These can be pictures of your ideal home, car, family, significant other, electronics, and so on. Put these images in a prominent place. Watch your mind movie frequently. This will help you reprogram your mind so that you no longer fear success, but look forward to it.

Success Blocker 12: Fear of failure.

Along with fear of success, many people have a fear of failure. It can be incredibly scary. You’re trying something new and really putting yourself out there as a business person. You think, “what if I can’t do this?”

Once again, consider the worst that can happen. If you do fail, you can think of it as a lesson learned. You know what not to do next time. It also might be the case that with a little bit of tweaking, you can turn that failure into success.

Failure isn’t a dead end, it’s a detour.

The secret of the most successful people out there is that they know how to learn from their mistakes. Remember — the most successful people in the world are also those who have made the most mistakes. They don’t let these mistakes knock them down. They don’t let criticism knock them down. They keep on going, despite any supposed “failures.”.

No, not everything you try in your Internet marketing business will be a success. But if you are persistent, disciplined, and avoid the reasons people are not successful, then you decrease your chances of ultimate failure. You will make mistakes and not everything you do will be amazingly successful! Get over it! You will do other things that are great and are successful.

Surround yourself with winning people, a winning business plan, and a winning outlook, and failure as a whole will no longer be an option. When failure does happen, it will be a stepping stone to bigger and better things.

Now get out there and create your own success! Be sure to write me when you’ve done that, I thrive on those messages.

Home Based Business With Support From a Team

The home based business model is very popular with people looking to break free from the regular 9-5 jobs and want freedom to work on their own. Even so, the rate of failure of home businesses is very high. This failure rate can be attributed a lot of reasons. Here we will see how having the support of a team when starting a business can have an effect on its success.You can share the costsThe first advantage of having the support of team behind you is that you can share the costs that come with starting the business. Many people are apprehensive to start a home based business because they do not want to risk losing their hard earned money, if the business were to fail, which is not completely baseless.When you start a small business with a team, you share the costs of investment. This way you minimize the risks of starting the business. Not only that, you also share the costs of maintaining your business like production and advertising costs.Complementing each otherWhen you start a home based business, you are not an expert in all the areas. For instance, you may be good in managing finances, but not as good in advertising as you would want to be. However, if you cannot advertise your product properly, your business is likely to grow very slowly. In this case, it is always better to have someone who can do the job for you.This is where teamwork can play a huge role in the success of your business. You will definitely be more effective in your business when you complement each other’s strengths and find ways to work around your weaknesses.When things go wrongWhen you go through rough phases in your business, you may find it very difficult to handle everything on your own. This is the time when you need some new ideas which are innovative and creative to have your business up and runningTwo minds will always produce more ideas than one mind can. When you are with a team, you always have someone who has a new idea that can change the course of your home based business.Knowing that you have good support behind you always gives you more confidence to work out new ideas. You are never alone when the chips are down for your business and always have someone to fall back on. When you plan on starting a home based business always consider having a team with you and you will increase the chances of success.

3 Hints to Identify Legitimate Home Based Businesses

You’re not happy with your current financial situation and you’ve heard about millions of people changing their lives with an internet home business. And then you hop online and Google “legitimate home based businesses” and you find a ton of internet business opportunities, only most of it is crap. How do you sift through all the junk to find the best home based business for you?There are some fine points to consider to ensure you don’t get scammed into paying up money you don’t have for a losing business that you’ll never succeed in. The best internet business opportunities are noticeably different than the crappy ones if you know what to look for.Avoid Outrageous and Unbelievable ClaimsMany of the online scams prey on the laziness and greed of hungry prospects by painting a picture that you can do nothing and get rich fast with their program. All you have to do is pay the startup fees and BAM! You’re an instant millionaire. Any person with common sense knows this is too good to be true, but the truth is some of these scam artists are such good marketers that their advertising campaigns can be alluring. They know how to trigger you on an emotional level to get you to throw down your credit card in the heat of the moment with your fingers crossed. So use some horse sense to avoid becoming another statistic in the annals of broke internet failures.Accessible TrainingWhile ultimately your success will depend on your own willingness and motivation to learn new skills and apply them, the best legitimate home based businesses will have a plethora of nuts and bolts, step by step training set up online for you to access 24 hours a day, 7 days a week so that you can learn at your own pace around your busy schedule. These days video trainings are very common which allows you to see what is being explained in real time. This will be especially helpful if you learn well through listening and visual aid.Live SupportIn addition to web based training, having access to live support can be crucial to filling in the gaps where you are having trouble grasping new concepts. Many of the best home based business opportunities are structured where a business partner has a financial interest in your success and they will have an incentive to hold your hand when your getting started, and help you overcome hurdles on your path to making money from home, whether your goal is more freedom, a little extra cash or unspeakable riches.There is nothing crazy about starting an internet home business with the belief that there is money to be made. The opportunity is real, people are doing it everyday. Don’t be trigger happy though. Weed out the junk so you’re looking at legitimate home based businesses, not scams.

Home Based Business Marketing Tips – How to Market Your Home Based Business For Free

If you have a home based business you probably already know that one of the biggest challenges is paying to expose your business every single month. So many people are forced to give up on their business because they just don’t have the money to invest. There are plenty of really great free ways to market your business. So if you don’t have hundreds of dollars to spend every month on marketing give these three tips a try. I know you can have success with them.Home Based Business Marketing Tip #1 – Talk To Your Friends And FamilyTalking to your close friends and family about your new (or old) business is about as free as it gets. A lot of people are hesitant to talk to the people closest to them. There are a large number of people who make $100,000 a year, or more, who work from home that are successful, at least in part, by signing up a close friend or family member. Starting a conversation, or showing a DVD costs you nothing and that’s why it’s number one on this list. It’s also something you can do today!Home Based Business Marketing Tip #2 – Article MarketingOnline article marketing is one of the oldest and most effective ways to market your home business for free. Simply write an article like this one that contains useful information for other home based business owners or potential prospects. Then all you have to do is publish your articles on free online article directories. This is a great way to get more people to look at your website or blog and of course, it’s 100% free.Home Based Business Marketing Tip #3 – Video MarketingRight now we live in a world where video is king. Why would we bother reading a book or a magazine article when we can have the information spoon fed to us with online video? Websites like YouTube and Revver are free to use and you don’t need a ton of fancy equipment. A regular camcorder or even a good quality cell phone is all you need to start posting video online.I can show you many more free and effective ways to market your home based business. Marketing your home based business doesn’t have to cost you an arm and a leg, and when you market your business for free it’s a lot easier to turn a profit every month.

Why SEO Is Perfect for Small Businesses

SEO is not for every small business out there. However, being a small-scale business has many advantages in terms of incorporation with SEO. Even experts say that SEO is perfect for small businesses.

Small companies are easier to manage and operate.

Compared to corporate companies, small businesses are easier to manage and operate. Business owners can put less time on overseeing operations and allot time to personally focusing on their SEO campaigns. This is essential especially when the SEO is just starting out. This is also a reason why SEO service providers love dealing with new and small-scale companies. They get the time to teach SEO without hindering the business’ operations.

In small businesses, customer service is personalized

The personal level of customer service is what SEO providers like about small businesses. It is always easier to talk with owners of small companies and convince them on how SEO can be beneficial to their companies. Startup business owners usually work on their own or with a small team, which makes the optimization process easier because there are fewer people to explain SEO to.

Smaller scale companies don’t have much to lose

Owners of small and start-up businesses have considerable investments in their business, but most of them have nothing much to lose in case their companies fail to become successful. Startup business owners are usually risk-takers, and embarking on an SEO campaign is something exciting for them.

Small business owners are easier to please

We know that many small business owners make less profit compared to bigger companies. Smaller sized companies aren’t run by corporate CEOs who have experienced immense amounts of profit. That’s why startup business owners tend to feel more appreciative when their SEO campaigns become successful.

Smaller scale companies cater to a small part of a locality

SEO becomes a major promotional tool for these companies because small businesses cater only to certain parts of their locality. Unlike corporations, small companies don’t need to capture a nationwide or international market. For many large-scale companies SEO is considered only as a supporting marketing tool to traditional marketing methods such as TV and print advertising.

SEO is perfect for small businesses because SEO can greatly benefit business owners who cannot afford costly regular advertising methods. Obviously, many of these business owners do not have the financial resources to try the conventional way of selling a product. SEO is an affordable way of introducing a brand, making a network, selling a product, and gaining massive amounts of profit.

Outdoor Education Camps With Programs

Summer camps are special camps arranged for people to enjoy their vacation or tour in any adventures. Summer camps comes up with special offers outdoor education camp, leadership camp, science camp, awareness camp and many other social welfare schemes are offered to the public for reasonable prices. Outdoor education forms major part of the education and it is more required for people. Outdoor education is considered has important and essential requirement for most of the people and they fetches more demand among the people. Outdoor education is created and offered specially for kids, children and adults.

The main purpose of estimating and offering outdoor education is to develop self confidence and self esteem among the people. The outdoor education activities, outdoor education courses, outdoor education programs are offered to kids, children, adults by outdoor education schools or outdoor education centers. Outdoor education camps are conducted either inside or outside classrooms. Outdoor education forms major part of the education system and it is more important to be known by the people to come up with every possibility in life. Most of the parents feels better that their children should be aware of outdoor education programs offered and they should compete with outside world.

Outdoor education activities or outdoor education courses are provided by more number of outdoor institutes or adventure outdoor schools. An outdoor education course, outdoor education programs initiates cooperation, coordination, team building, goal settings and spirituality among the students and others. Outdoor education camps are provided by more number of outdoor education institutes or outdoor education schools for reasonable and affordable prices. The outdoor education camp provided will be more worth and valuable for the students who obtains and they are provided under complete knowledge and experience.

Generally, adventure outdoor school or outdoor education schools provides outdoor education activities, outdoor education courses, outdoor education programs to kids, children and adults under prescheduled, guidance and procedures. With regards to qualified, professional and expert outdoor education instructor, outdoor education programs will be offered. Under proper guidance and precautions, outdoor educations will be offered to the people to enable them to know the required outdoor education provided. More number of kids, children and adults are obtaining the outdoor education programs offered.

The outdoor education professionals, experts or instructors guide the kids, children and adults in efficient manner. Generally, outdoor education programs and outdoor education courses are offered to students based on age group, duration of course offered and kind of outdoor education program selected. The outdoor education camp offered will be creative, enthusiastic, innovative and technical appraisement for the students hindering. Outdoor camps will be offered to the students for reasonable price consideration and they are offered by more number of adventure outdoor schools.

Ethics in Business

Sustainable advantage of an organization can be determined by its ethical capability. Ethical capability of an organization is its duty to do what is right. Some organizations such as Enron, Sathyam, and Tyco etc have made false statements in their accounts and cheated both the stakeholders and government. These kind of issues gave rise to the importance of business ethics in business schools all around the world.

Sustainable advantage can be defined as the beneficiary element that determine the long term objectives of an organization, where objectives would be the economic development that generates wealth and meets the needs of the current generation while saving the environment, so future generation can meet their needs as well. There are number of factors that determine the sustainability of an organization, which are its ethics, strategy, employees, financial capital etc. in present scenario, human resource of an organization considered to be its competitive advantage, but it will not provide sustainability. Sustainability of an organization will depend on the impact it has on the people, in the form of trust, honesty, integrity, respect, quality and responsibility. Organizations with poor sustainability will fall back as happened in case of Enron and Sathyam.

Enron was an American energy company founded in 1985 by Kenneth Lay after merging Houston natural gas and internorth( citetation). In early 1990′s Enron sold electricity at market price. At around the same time US congress passed a bill regarding the deregulation sale of natural gas which favored Enron to sell energy at higher prices. In 1992 Enron was the largest merchant of natural gas in North America. Online trading model developed in November 1999 known as Enron online has developed and extended the abilities to negotiate and manage its trading business. By 2001 Enron had both owned and operated gas pipe line, pulp and paper plants, broad band assets, electricity plants and water plants internationally. Enron stock was priced at US $ 83.13 and market capitalization exceeded US$60 billion, and Enron was rated the most innovative large company in America in fortunes most admired companies survey. By the end of 2001 the Enron scandal was revealed. The CEO Jeffrey Skilling with some of the executives have hidden billions in debt from failed deals and projects. Chief financial officer Andrew Fastow and the other executives were able to mislead the board of directors and audit committee by presenting them psydo account statements. Once the scam was published the Enron stock priced at $90 per share in 2000 plummeted to less than $1 by the end of November 2001. This fall in stock value has caused at $11 billion loss for its share holder. The employees of the organization received a limited amount of their salary and pension when it was bankrupted. Several law suits were filed against the company CEO and other executives.

Similar is in case of Sathyam computers, which is termed as the Indian Enron scandal. Sathyam computers were an information technology company which produces software’s headquarters at hyderbad, India. Its chairman Ramalinga Raju produced an account sheet which has a 7000 crore fraud. The chief auditors were also not able to identify this adjustment. As a result of this scam the employees lost their job and chairman was jailed for fraud.

These two cases throw a light on how an organizations as well as economy of the country or in large the world can be impacted with their unethical practices. That, if the organization does not practice ethics will not have sustainability.

Need for the business ethics: for the following

1. Business operates with in the society

2. Every business irrespective of size exists more on ethical mean or in total regard to its social concern to survive long.

3. Business needs to function as responsible corporate citizens in the country.

Business is a part of subsystem of a society, therefore its functioning should contribute to the welfare of the society. If the business earns social sanction of the society, where it exists then it would be able to survive, develop and excel in activities, because only through earning social sanction the business can get loyal customers. Loyal customers are sustainable advantage and therefore can survive in market without which it will collapse and die away. Large organizations put more interest on public, the managers are eager to have public opinion and always seek to maintain a proper image of company in their minds.

Now a day’s minimizing profit is not the only priority of business, it should have sustainability, which can only be achieved through ethical practices. Any organization big or small should follow ethical practices as it brings in a sense of social responsibility which eventually provides sustainability to the organization. Business should also be a responsible corporate citizen which does not allow narrow mentality goals and motives.

Cross culture variability

Ethical practices in a country or society will depend on various factors such as religious, beliefs, historic, traditions, social customs, and existing political and economic rules or policies. For example in Asian countries such as Japan, China etc loyalty to work groups and corporations has strong ethical values. This kind of ethics has been brought down through centuries long traditions, therefore one does not think of oneself but rather think of family, government and others involved with him, thus providing social responsiveness.

Nature of ethics

The concept of ethics deals only with human beings, as they only have the freedom and means to choose free will. Human being can distinguish between good and evil, right and wrong, and just and proper. For example a Japanese employee believes that it Is unethical on his part to attend an interview with other company when he is still with the current company. So human can fix a goal and the means to achieve it. Ethics is also science that nowadays has become a set of systematic knowledge about moral behaviour and conduct. Ethics deals with human conduct which is voluntary and not forced by any person at any circumstances.

Business ethics and profits

The cases of Enron and Sathyam makes a point that ethics and profits are opposed to each other, as when an organisation is ethical it makes short term profit and if the organisation is unethical it makes huge profit. The same cases prove us one more thing that is it makes huge profit unethically but will not sustain in the market. Ethical companies not only make profit but also overcome their competitors and other turbulent changes happening through out the years and have contributed to social welfare. Ethical companies have social responsibilities which allow them to flourish undiminished and make profit. Tata group of companies is one company which follows ethical practises. It is said that the chief executive officer of Tata is also its chief ethics officer. Some of the ethical policies followed by the company include national interest, support from open market economy, gift and donation for social cause, political non alignment, health safety and environment care, quality product and service and regulatory compliance etc. Ratan Tata the present chairman of Tata group has declined from airline industry because he was told to bribe then minister to enter the business, which he claimed to be unethical and against the policies the group follows. His predecessor JRD Tata had set up the first commercial airlines ‘Tata Airlines’ in India which was later overtaken by the government of India and named it as Indian airlines. So besides being a pioneer in airline industry they were not able to procure it because they felt it would not sustain them and it would bring a bad image for the company. This is the reason why people have great respect for Tata group and their ethical practices and policies have created brand loyalty which has helped them to survive in market even though many competitors came.

Cross cultural contradictions

Ethical policies become a problem when the companies are not able to do business at home, therefore the other societies where the ethical policies are liberal or works in their favour. At home they are not allowed to sell products because it is unethical to use unsafe products but they may sell it in other countries where the ethical standards allow them to sell these products. It happens especially with pharma products. Some factories which emit pollutant gases are set up in neighbouring countries because ethical standards at home do not allow the factory to run business. These pollutant gases emitted are dangerous for people and the environment. Still it is ethical in certain countries. These kinds of issues give rise to cross cultural contradiction and exploitation. These issues which arise become difficult for the managers and firms to solve. Therefore the business has responsibility for their country but to four major groups they are society, employees, customers or consumers and investors.(example drugs)

Factors influencing business ethics:

Leadership, strategy and performance, individual characteristics, corporate culture and environment

Leader is a person who leads the people towards achieving a common goal. Leader can be good or bad, great or small they arise out of the needs and opportunities of a particular time and place. Not all leaders are considered to be perfect in their decision making because each and every decision they make will depend upon the character of person which differ from person to person. Character of a person includes their inborn talents, learned and acquired traits which were imposed upon them by life and experience. Leaders are models and mentors to their followers therefore they follow the path way set by their leaders. In a large organisation the top level managers or CEO are considered to be the executive and supervisory leader. The CEO should have strong commitment towards ethics and ethical conduct and should give a constant leadership in renewing the values of an organisation. They play a key role in creating, maintaining and changing the ethical culture. It is necessary for the leader to set good examples, and follows ethics. One such good leader is JRD Tata who set a good example for his successor and they still follow it. Where there are good leaders there will be good ethical practices in business.

Corporate governance: is the set of systems and processes that a company follows to ensure that it is in the best interest of the stake holders. Stakeholders are the shareholders, employees, customers, creditors and the community.

Sustainability has three components according to john elkington’s triple bottom line concept they are economic, social and environmental. According to elkington the business does not have one single goal of attaining profit but to extend the goal set by adding environmental and social values. Thus sustainability has become the new goal set by the organisation.

Environmental perspective: natural resources.

Economic perspective: about the future generation.

Social perspective: over exploiting of employees and not providing equality in gender employment, caste creed and religion based employment employing child labour.

Organisational culture: is the set of shared values, beliefs, goals, norms etc that prevails within an organisation. The organisational culture emphasis on ethics but as it grows it may change, as in the case of tyco where its organisational culture supports unethical practices. If the company makes huge profits in unethical way then individual who joins the organisation would also have to practice unethical things to survive in the company. As in the case of enron where many executives and managers knew that the company was following some illegal and unethical practices, but the executives and the board of directors did not know how to make the ethical decisions and corporate ethical culture. Thus they fall back and managers have to pay in the form of fines and imprisonment.

Business ethics is the application of ethical principle in the organization or business. An organization should produce or make its own ethical cultures, but this ethical culture formulated should be drawn from the concept of what is ethical to all and not what is right for the organization itself. The employees of the organization, also has to follow the same ethical principles. The organisation being ethical will provide certain social responsibilities such as they do not harm the stake holders, the general public and the society as well. “business that treat their employees with dignity and integrity reap rewards in the form of high moral and productivity” (Frederic, Post and Davis).

There are three major types of ethical issues that arise in a business they are, face to face ethics, corporate policy ethics and functional area ethics. Face to face ethical issues happen between the employees of an organization in their day to day organizational life. the employee face these ethical conflicts when their personal standards differs from what their job demands. Corporate policy ethical issues happen in the basic operations of a company. The top level management including the board of directors and CEO’s are responsible for ethical practices of the organization. Functional area ethics issues arise at all functional levels of the organization. For example in the accounting department, if unfair pressure is put on employees to deliver an audit report which has been altered or not showing current accounts of the organization would be un ethical, as it does not follow the standards and policies set by the organization.

Causes for unethical issues:

There are many reasons for an organization to follow unethical practices they are personal gain and selfish interest, competitive pressures on profits, business goals and personal goals, cross cultural contradictions. When an employee gives more importance to his greed or concern for his personal gain rather than any other concerns, irrespective of the harm it can bring to the organization is termed as unethical practices that arise due to personal gain and selfish interest. When a company has tough competitors in a limited or static market; it may engage some unethical practices just to be in business or to protect their profits. If the organization uses some unethical means to achieve its goal that is unaccepted by its stakeholders will give rise to ethical issues under business goal and personal goal. Here the organisaiton has set a goal that would conflict with the personal goal of its stake holders. Under such conditions the individuals involved have two choices either to follow the ethical ways of the organization or “blowing the whistle” on organization.

Environmental perspective relates to the exploitation of natural resources in business. The company should make sure that the natural resources are not exploited; it should sustain the resources so that the future generation can also enjoy them as we did. One such example is the restriction of fishing in the North Sea, to sustain the availability of diminishing cod fish to the consumers.

Economic perspective of sustainability relates to the economic growth and fall in the society. The short term adjustments made by the companies such as bribes and cartels will only be for a short period of time, it will never achieve a long time sustainability the organizations attitude towards the environment in which it is embedded. If the organization does not pay taxes are said to behave unethically similar in the case of organization that does not give donations to public institutions such as schools, hospitals, police and other justice systems.

What Can You Do With A Degree In Nutrition?

Earning a degree focused in nutrition can have many potential career paths other than becoming a nutritionist. There are six main types of nutrition paths to choose from, including teaching nutrition, public health nutrition, nutrition consulting, clinical nutrition, food science, and food service management. Most nutrition jobs should fall within one of these categories.

A degree in nutrition could help individuals land employment as a public health official, dietetic consultant, school food service director, quality control manager, food distributor, or wellness coordinator. Individuals may be employed through health maintenance organizations, school systems, food manufactures, wellness centers, and exercise and fitness centers. Government agencies also have the potential to employ those with degrees in nutrition. Some of the government agencies could include Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Nutrition Program, SNAP- Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Department of Health, and U.S. Public Health Services.

While earning a college degree, individuals will most likely be required to study a wide range of courses to gain a well-rounded education. Students could be expected to take courses related to nutrition, consisting of anatomy and physiology, introduction to food science, sociology, bacteriology, chemistry, and biochemistry. By completing an internship, individuals are able to gain hands on experience in the nutrition field before committing to a job or while still in school. Internships can serve as a great way to determine where your interests are, and if obtaining a career in this field is a good fit.

It is important for individuals wanting to succeed in a career in nutrition to possess skills such as organization and planning, strong verbal and written communication, proficient math skills for weights and measures, and interest in the well-being and health of others. To be successful working in nutrition, individuals may be required to advise patients in practicing good nutrition, monitoring diet modifications, and assessing health plans. Those with a degree in nutrition should also be able to monitor food safety conditions and create menus for specific dietary needs.

Depending on your place of employment and job description, individuals with a nutrition degree may be asked to create visuals aids and nutrition manuals that could be useful in teaching. Companies dealing with food service may hire nutrition graduates to create meal plans, ensure food safety, or develop new food products. Salary potential can depend on more than the actual job, but also education level, years of experience, and location of employment.

How to Pursue Online Nutrition Programs

Nutrition science a popular topic

One of the popular subjects in the curriculum of various educational institutions is nutrition science. With increased awareness of nutrition for the upkeep of the health of the individual, now more and more people pay regular visit to the nutrition experts to seek their valuable advice on various issues like nutritious diet, calorie oriented food and on such other related topics. As a result, nutrition technology has become one of the preferred subjects for study.

Nutrition program as a profession

Of course, there are several colleges and other organizations which teach nutrition technology as a part of the curriculum. At the same time, many institutions have started online nutrition programs for the benefit of those who are unable to attend the in house training programs. These online programs are conducted under the supervision and guidance of experts in the field. Many of these institutions teaching online nutrition programs have been accredited to appropriate government bodies. These online institutions teach as per the syllabus prescribed by the concerned authorities.

Course content

The curriculum normally is based on the credit hours. The credit hours depend on the course the student has chosen. For example, a diploma in nutrition science has 30 credit hours. On the other hand a bachelor course has 45 credit hours. These online programs also allow for specialization in nutrition science. Some of the popular fields of specialization include nutrition for sportsmen, nutrition for children, and nutrition for elderly people and so on. There are also several therapeutic nutrition programs like for those suffering from high blood pressure or for those who are obese or diabetic. Normally, students taking up online nutrition programs are taught by using the digital canvas. This helps to create a virtual classroom atmosphere for the student. The student is taught on various issues like human anatomy and physiology, application of nutrition principle for treating various ailments, nutritional therapy and also on counseling patients.

Offers better prospects

The duration of the course is normally nine months to one year. This of course, depends on the course the student has opted. At the end of the course, the students will have to undergo comprehensive examination. Normally, the student is required to undertake the examination in person at the designated place, date and time. Eligible students can opt for higher studies in nutrition technology like masters degree. The course fee varies from institution to institution. Some of the institutions also help the student in finding a suitable placement. Many of the students who have completed the online program on nutrition are of the opinion those who have taken up course at an accredited institution will have brighter chances of securing a suitable placement.