Tips Guides Resources

As we enter the information age and the world enters a global economy, more and more women today are turning to alternative ways to earn additional income. The old adage of “go to school, get good grades and get a safe secure job with benefits” may have worked in the industrial age of our parents and grandparents. However, relying on old age advice in a new age can be a recipe for financial disaster. What are you going to do if your job gets outsourced to another country? What if you are happily married to a loving husband with three wonderful children and God forbid, your husband dies unexpectedly. In an age where most households are a two income household, how are you going to provide for your children?

Some women make an incredible income and have a job in a very stable industry. However, they never have time to spend with their children. A mother’s worst nightmare is when your youngest child calls the babysitter “mommy” instead of her. It is for these and many other reasons why women are flocking to the work from home businesses and having massive home business success. Here are some examples of home business success stories of successful women who have made the transition to the home business industry.

In a recent issue of Home Business Connection magazine, we learn the story of Ms. Elizabeth Foo. A young, single and successful woman in her mid twenties, Liz had a very successful career as a top salesperson marketing gym memberships. With a six figure income in her twenties, you would think that Liz had the ultimate lifestyle. Unfortunately, that income came with a price and the price was working 6 days a week including nights and weekends with very little time to do anything else. By getting involved in a proven home business, she was able to make $40,000 part time her first year and over $100,000 full time her second year. She now not only enjoys home business success, an incredible income, but she actually has time to enjoy it and the income continues to come in whether she personally works or not.

Dani Johnson has an incredible story of the power of owning your own business. Getting started in the work from home industry, at the age of 19, she really struggled to have success, not making any money and going deeper into debt. However, after investing in herself and getting much needed training and development, she was able to go from being broke to becoming a home business success as the #1 producer in her work from home opportunity and earned her first million by the age of 23.

Margaret Tanaka was a highly successful producer at a public broadcasting station in Chicago, Illinois. However, she and her family were tired of the big city life and wanted to slow down. Of course, with a slower pace in life, her income took a huge hit as well. Prior to moving from Chicago, she got involved in a work from home business but didn’t do anything with it for 3 plus years. She finally made a decision to get started and work her business like a business. It’s a good thing she did that. Her husband unfortunately died at the age of 36. However, because of the time she invested into building her business she was able to take off completely, spend time with her son and still earn monthly checks that averaged $5000 a month.

There are many reasons why getting started in a work from home opportunity is often the right move for women. Success in this type of opportunity is usually based on effectively communicating your vision for what the business opportunity can do for people. Women, generally speaking are better communicators than men, which is one of the reasons why so many women are coming to this industry and are experiencing massive home business success.

Success in this type of opportunity is also based on building effective relationships, another trait that women tend to do a better job at then men. For example, one of the reasons why Margaret Tanaka decided to give her business opportunity another try is because her sponsor, also a successful woman distributor within the opportunity constantly followed up with her through letters and phone calls over the 3 plus year period that Margaret was inactive in the business. As you can see there are many home business success stories for women. The only question that remains is will you be the next one?

Janet Giacoma provides home business coaching to put you on the road financial freedom. Your time-tested, proven solution is just a click away.

Working at home on the Internet is a great business for single mothers. They receive the added benefits to stay home with their children and save the cost of childcare and other expenses that go along with working outside the home. When you work at home as a single mother, you have time to meet your child’s needs and at the same time, you can earn cash to pay for your bills and make the quality of life for your child better. Working at home is becoming a necessity for many people besides single mothers because of the cost of gasoline and the rising economy.

Outsourced employment is becoming a booming business. If a company hires you to work at home, they do not have to provide the equipment, the computers, the workspace, or pay rent on a building for you to sit in. When you work at home for a business you are not paid hourly but by the task. This saves the business owner money for downtime when a worker does not have anything else to do. Not only do you get paid for the real-work you do, you also have time to do the household tasks that are demanded of you.

If you want to start your own business as a single mother there are a plethora of opportunities out there. There are millions of work at home businesses that you can start and earn money from the very beginning. Put in the key word ‘work at home’ on your search engine and you will see that there are literally millions of businesses out there that want you to either work for them or to show you how to start your own business at home. Be wary of companies asking you to put money up front. There are proven companies out there that can show you how to make money at home and only ask for your time or your web space or a small startup fee.

Watch the Internet for seminars or webinars that will teach you how to start a great business for yourself. No longer are you locked down to businesses like Amway or Avon. Stay at home mothers have become a force to be reckoned with as they have learned how to make money on the web and have created businesses that have toppled corporations. Anyone can do it. Start networking with other single mothers and find out how they are working at home and how they are making money. Join forums and chat groups on social networks and start asking questions. If you really want to learn, there are people out there that will teach you how to work from home for free, even other single mothers.

Whether you open an affiliate page, take on some outsourced work from large corporations, or just sell items on eBay, you can make enough money to pay your bills and at the same time take care of your child. If you do a great job, you can make significant income. There are great businesses for single mothers out there; you just have to be able to find them and see if they are a reality in your life.

Lana Hawkins is the author of Mom Pays for College blog. If you’re a single mom that needs to finance an education for yourself or your kids, get the free audio and a detailed report covering many ideas on how single moms can earn money for college. Go to Free Report and Audio - How Single Moms Can Pay for College
.

Once upon a time, only major corporations and Fortune 500 companies took the time to test their advertising. But as small business owners become more savvy - and the cost of advertising continues to rise - testing the effectiveness of ads, whether in print or on the web, is one of those marketing strategies that just makes sense.

First of all, you’ll want to determine exactly where you want to spend your hard-earned cash. Think about your target market - i.e., the people with the highest likelihood of being interested in the products or services you’re offering. What publications are they reading? What websites are they visiting? Depending on how targeted your market is, trade publications may be an inexpensive option in terms of print advertising, while numerous high-traffic websites are oriented around a specific profession and/or interest that may place its visitors within your target market.

Next, you’ll need to design your ads. Whether you work with a graphic designer or have the skills and know-how to do it yourself, creating a range of possible designs is key - because once you have them, you can use them to solicit high-quality input from your friends, colleagues, and employees.

Once you have 5-7 designs in hand, you’ll want to get them in front of as many people as possible. Have individuals pick out their top three designs, then hand them a red marker - to mark the things they don’t like, on each of those three ads - and a green marker - to mark the things they do.

Once you’ve used this info to select the 2 or 3 most popular designs (and strengthen them, by addressing the negatives) it’s time to submit your ads to the websites/publications you’ve chosen.

Here’s the key, though: always advertise in more than one (roughly equivalent) publication or website, and make sure to include a different contact .url and/or phone number on each ad. (This could simply be a different page off your main website - or, in the case of a phone contact, a number that routes to your main number with a different ring, a service that can be provided by your local phone company.)

That way, you’ll actually be able to track the number of impressions you’ve created with each ad, and the number of actual sales each ad has generated.

Once you’ve let these ads run for a while - three months is generally considered a minimum amount of time for an effective run - you can compile the results you’ve received from each ad. If one ad has generated at least 5% more impressions/sales than either of the other two, you’ve got a clear indication that it’s more effective in terms of design and appeal.

You may want to continue advertising in one of the publications/websites that produced lesser results for you - but switch your ad design to the one that produced a higher return, in order to make sure you’re getting the most out of your advertising budget.

Testing your advertising is a great way to get a handle on which marketing strategies have the most pull within your target market.

So go ahead - create some great, dynamite advertising, and watch those sales roll in.

Michele DeKinder-Smith is the founder of Jane Out of the Box, an online resource dedicated to the woman’s entrepreneur community. Discover information, networking and marketing opportunities for women small business owners by joining Jane Out of the Box for free at http://www.JaneOutoftheBox.com

In order to ensure that the new products and services they launch stand the best possible chance for success, Corporate America employs a variety of marketing research techniques before investing time and resources in development. A little basic smarts and network know-how will allow you to do the same thing for yourself.

In this article, I’ll show you how you use powerful market research tools to save you time, money, frustration and maybe even ultimately your business. So let’s get started.

Once you have a clear idea in mind for your new product or service, you’ll want to do what Corporate America commonly calls a concept test.

First of all, you’ll need to sit down and clearly delineate exactly what your product or service is, including what features and benefits it will offer and how much it will cost. Typically, you’ll write 2-3 paragraphs describing your idea, making sure to clearly explain the benefits to the consumer. Really invest some time here and have other people read your description to make sure, A) your word choices are clear and, B) you’ve hit all the major highlights.

Congratulations! You now have a concept statement.

Next, develop a survey to gauge the reaction of your target market, covering the basics:

- Purchase interest (i.e., How likely are you to buy this product, if it were available to you? A) Definitely will buy, B) Probably will, C) I might, D) Probably will not, E) Definitely will not buy.)
- Overall Likes and Dislikes
- Value
- Uniqueness

Make sure you include a range of possible responses for each question.

From here, you’ll need to determine exactly what the target market is for your new product or service - if your product is a new all-natural diet soda, for example, your target market might be health-conscious women, ages 20-45.

Talk with friends, family, and friends-of-friends, as well as those of your employees. Anywhere from 50-200 people will work. Giving respondents an anonymous way to return your survey will help to ensure unbiased feedback.

When your surveys have been returned, decide what your minimum requirements will be in order to take the next step. (Do this even before you take a peek at your data.) Large corporations call this an action standard.

As a small business owner, an action standard that makes sense would probably be how many people are likely to buy your product.

The rule of thumb some professional marketing research firms use to gauge true demand is that 80% of the people who answered that they would ‘definitely purchase’ your product actually will - while only 20% of those who answered they ‘probably will purchase’ will do the same.

Using this rule of thumb, let’s say your data shows true demand of 20%. Now you have to take into account the role of advertising and exposure.

Let’s say there are 10 million potential customers in your market, but you’re advertising on a shoestring. With the budget you’ve got, how many people can you make aware of your product? Five percent? That means 50,000 people will become aware of your product. With 20% true demand, you might expect 10,000 buyers.

So - is 10,000 buyers enough to make your new product viable?

If not, it’s time to go back to the drawing board, using the feedback you received to strengthen your overall concept.

If so, it’s time to move confidently ahead - knowing the market is with you.

Michele DeKinder-Smith is the founder of Jane Out of the Box, an online resource dedicated to the woman’s entrepreneur community. Discover information, networking and marketing opportunities for women small business owners by joining Jane Out of the Box for free at http://www.JaneOutoftheBox.com

Fortune 500 Companies know the importance of market research. That’s why they conduct something called a concept test before launching any new product or service.

Don’t you wish you could do the same thing? Well, here’s the good news: you can.

First of all, you’ll need to sit down and clearly delineate exactly what your product or service is, including what features and benefits it will offer and how much it will cost. Typically, you’ll write 2-3 paragraphs describing your idea, making sure to clearly explain the benefits to the consumer. This is your concept statement.

Next, develop a survey to gauge the reaction of your target market, covering the basics:

- Purchase interest (i.e., How likely are you to buy this product, if it were available to you? A) Definitely will buy, B) Probably will, C) I might, D) Probably will not, E) Definitely will not buy.)
- Overall Likes and Dislikes
- Value
- Uniqueness

Make sure you include a range of possible responses for each question.

From here, you’ll need to determine exactly what the target market is for your new product or service - if your product is a new all-natural diet soda, for example, your target market might be health-conscious women, ages 20-45.

Talk with friends, family, and friends-of-friends, as well as those of your employees. Anywhere from 50-200 people will work. Giving respondents an anonymous way to return your survey will help to ensure unbiased feedback.

Now, here’s the most important part: how to use your results.

Before you even take a peek at your data, decide what your minimum requirements will be in order to take the next step. Large corporations call this decision an “action standard.”

For example, many packaged goods companies (soft drinks, chips, cereal, etc.) will hold to an action standard that requires at least 80% of survey respondents to say they “definitely” or “probably” will buy. If the results do not meet the required action standard, large corporations will either “kill” the idea or “if it’s close” go back to the drawing board in order to strengthen it.

But there are other ways to create an action standard that might be more relevant to a small business-owner. Foremost among these would be using your “purchase interest” data to estimate the true likelihood that people will buy.

Let’s face it, people often say they will do something that, in the end, they don’t. Market research professionals understand this, that’s why they’ve created a rule of thumb to better gauge true demand, based on years of experience.

One rule of thumb for true demand states that 80% of the people who answered that they would “definitely purchase” your product will actually follow through, while only 20% of those who answered they “probably will purchase” will do the same.

Take a look at your research results. Does the number you get after taking this rule into account demonstrate sufficient demand for your product or service? Don’t forget that you also have to create awareness in your target market - through advertising, publicity, search engine marketing, etc. - in order for them to buy.

For example, let’s say that, using this rule of thumb, your DIY Concept Test data shows a true demand of 20% for your new product or service. Sure, there are 10 million potential customers in your target market. But the reality is, you’re never going to get all of them to be aware of your product, even if you land a spot on Oprah!

So, with the advertising budget you’ve got, how many people can you make aware of your product? Five percent?

That means 50,000 people will become aware of your product. With a true demand of 20%, you might expect 10,000 buyers.

So, the question is - is 10,000 buyers enough to make your new product viable?

The thing about market research is, you can often manipulate the numbers to make them tell you what you want. The key is to make them tell you the truth. Although it may be difficult to discover that, after doing the math, “your baby is ugly,” it will save you a lot of time and frustration in the long run.

But what if your product of service is “close,” in terms of meeting your action standard? Then, by all means, take your concept back to the drawing board, adding new features and/or lowering the cost of purchase. Use the rest of your research to guide you in making improvements. And then run this test again.

When your research meets your action standard, that’s when you’ve got a clear signal move ahead with your latest, greatest idea - knowing the market is with you!

Michele DeKinder-Smith is the founder of Jane Out of the Box, an online resource dedicated to the woman’s entrepreneur community. Discover information, networking and marketing opportunities for women small business owners by joining Jane Out of the Box for free at http://www.JaneOutoftheBox.com

When you think of Couture there are some names that need no explanation and epitomize the height of fashion. Coco Chanel is one of these names. When you think of the Chanel brand today , you think of the suit, the perfume, Paris, Grace Kelly, Jacky O. The name conjures images of the beautiful women who have adorned the front covers of the world’s magazines wearing designs and accessories from the famous Coco Chanel over nearly a century.

For it was in a modest milliners shop in Paris in 1910 that the designer, christened Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel began her career. Her first dress shop followed shortly afterwards in 1914. Her trademark suit launched in 1923 of short knee length skirt and box jacket was one of many trends set by Chanel in the 20’s. She was accredited with ‘the little black dress’ whose necessity in the closet of every women goes without saying. Hairstyles and handbag styles were also set by designer in pre-war Paris.

In 1939 she closed her shop and it re-opened after the war in 1954. It was not long before she was once again influencing the world of fashion. In 1955 she launched the quilted shoulder bag that took the world by storm. It still remains one of the ‘classic’ handbags to own. Through the late fifties and sixties Hollywood endorsed her and stars such as Grace Kelly and First Lady Jacky Kennedy would often be seen wearing Chanel.

By her death in 1971 the house of Chanel was firmly established as the hallmark of Parisian couture and the diminutive ‘Coco’ would be revered for all time as one of the greatest influences in culture and fashion of the twentieth century.

One of the major influences that Coco Chanel made to the fashion world was the introduction of highlighting the importance of accessories. Handbags, Perfumes and jewelery all became part of the overall couture experience. This rise led to other fashion houses of long standing such as Hermes rising to new heights.

Hermes was a family owned business for nearly two hundreds years founded by Thierry Hermes in 1836. Originally a saddlery company Hermes fame grew in the first half of the twentieth century on the back of accessories such as its silk scarves and handbags such as the Constance bag and the Kelly.

The Kelly Bag was, in fact first produced in the 1930’s but got its nickname much later in 1956 when the actress come wife of the monarch of Monaco was pictured wearing the bag on the cover of Life magazine. The nickname stuck and the Kelly bag was born.

Of all its bags though, the Birkin has probably retained its popularity and fame the most. Originally designed by a collaboration between the then head of Hermes, John Louis Dumas and , of course, Jane Birkin, the off the shoulder bag is still sported today by the rich and famous such as Sharon Stone, Martha Stewart and most recently Lindsay Lohan. With such a diverse spectrum of admirers the bag cannot fail to continue as one of the most sold accessory items in the world today.

Replica-handbags-shop is a retail supplier of high quality replica handbags Handbag replicas of Chanel, Luis Vuitton, Hermes and many other brands can be found and purchased at our online store. Read more Business Articles at OMDN