Are You an Entrepreneur?   by Daile Tucker

Ask yourself this question, "Do I have what it takes to be a home entrepreneur?" Like any business venture, a home-based business requires an investment of time, energy and resources.

An entrepreneur is a person who has decided to take control of his future and become self-employed whether by creating his own unique business or working as a member of a "team," as in multi-level marketing. There are several character traits and work ethics that are common to successful entrepreneurs.

Entrepreneurs are careful about money. They always know how much money they have. They know the value and cost of things so they can recognize a real bargain.

Most entrepreneurs earned money when they were teenagers by babysitting, mowing lawns, delivering newspapers, sacking groceries, etc.

Entrepreneurs are competitive by nature. Many were active in sports and other competitions in high school and college. Others were competitive in wanting to make good grades, earn the respect of their parents and teachers and achieve their goals.

Entrepreneurs believe in the old adage, "the early bird gets the worm." They sleep and eat enough to maintain their energy levels but they don't usually linger over nonproductive tasks.

Entrepreneurs are risk-takers who trust their hunches and act on them. Taking risks can be small first steps, like placing your first ad in a mailorder publication.

Entrepreneurs have a "head for business." They are always thinking of new ideas and new ways to make money or increase their business. They are not afraid to put these ideas to use.

Entrepreneurs are usually loners rather than joiners. That's one reason why the home-based, mailorder business is so appealing to many entrepreneurs. They prefer a solitary work environment.

Entrepreneurs are usually honorable people who do business based on a handshake or a promise. They tend to form strong associations with others who share this work ethic.

Entrepreneurs do set aside time for leisure activities and family. Their principal form of relaxation is their work, but they do realize the importance of downtime and spend time with their family.

Entrepreneurs don't retire. They may sell or change their business, thinking they will retire, but they always jump back in with a new project or get a new idea that they just can't ignore.

Entrepreneurs are professionals. Whether working from their bedroom, the kitchen table or a modern, well-appointed home office, they operate just as they would if they were in an expensive office building in a major city. When they are working, they don't let outside influences distract them.

In general, entrepreneurs are people who have high energy, feel self-confident, set long-term goals, and view money and financial security as a measure of accomplishment and piece of mind.

They persist in problem solving, take risks, learn from failures (their own and from others), take the initiative, accept personal responsibility and use all available resources to achieve their success.

Entrepreneurs compete with themselves and believe that success or failure lies within their personal control or influence. They do not see non-successes as failures but as learning experiences. Most of all, they never give up and never quit striving for success.

If you fit most of these criteria, you have what it takes to be an entrepreneur. Success comes mainly from educating yourself and A LOT OF HARD WORK!

Daile Tucker is an author and publisher of several mailorder and home-business related publications, incl the widely read and respected mailorder newspaper, SmartShopper. Daile has written two booklets to help people succeed in mailorder "Mailorder Made Easy" and "Mailorder Insider Success Strategies". For more write: PMG Publishing, PO Box 3096-HB, Hueytown, AL 35023.

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Today's Motivational Reading

INDECISION by Og Mandino
Procrastination robs you of opportunity. It is a significant fact that no great leader was ever known to procrastinate. You are fortunate if ambition drives you into action, never permitting you to falter or turn back once you have rendered a decision to go forward. Second by second as the clock ticks off, the distance time is running a race with you, delay means defeat. Because no man may ever make up a second of lost time. Time is a master worker which heals the wounds of wrongs, and turns all mistakes into capital, but it favors only those who kill off procrastination and remain in action when decisions are made.

Life is a great checker-board, the player opposite you is time. If you hesitate you will be wiped of the board, if you keep moving you may win. The only real capital is time, but it is capital only when used.

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Subscribers' Corner:

Are you a Daredevil Marketer? By Judy Wogoman

When I was a lot younger, I loved to climb. Trees, fences, rocks. Even after scoring one broken bone, still fearless.

The second broken bone was a little different. Not only was there the pain and inconvenience, there was the embarassment factor (I fell out of the choir loft at church at the end of early services in front of the entire Youth Choir).

It seems that I spent most of my young adult years carrying babies. (We had eight children in twelve years. ) Which required learning a bit more caution. But still taking basement steps two at a time whenever possible!

Now, disabled by a bad knee that lets me know in NO Uncertain Terms when I have done something Stupid, I have become Very Cautious Indeed. Ease down those steps, with a deathgrip on the railing.

Those lessons also apply to Internet marketing.

A lot of marketers are targeting newbies. Some, because they sincerely want to help them. ( Sharon Lambkin and Jane Fulton are two prime examples of this category. There are others, I know.) But still others (the spammers and scammers) want to merely take advantage of the newbies' fearless optimism.

Buying a crummy product or useless program is like the first broken bone. You know you should have been more careful, and you try to be.

Then--wham! It happens again. Maybe this time you suffer the embarrassment of explaining to a spouse or friends why the Great Internet Enterprise is such a monumental flop despite your huge investment of time and/or money.

You begin to tread very, very carefully. Babying your new ideas. But still optimistic enough to try to skip an occasional step.

Ultimately becoming Very Cautious Indeed.

How are you approaching your prospects? Do you expect them to have the childlike faith of the newbie? The step-skipping confidence of a few testimonials and endorsements on your web page?

Or do you kindly provide them with a good solid railing to hold onto?

If you're advertising your product, you're asking people to skip a step. And some will. But what about the ones who were a Little Bit interested--but afraid to take the Giant step? Will they see your ad the next time it runs? Or will they see Somebody Else's ad first? And without their contact information, you don't even have the opportunity to keep in touch.

I see dozens of free ads for products/ services.

But I know from experience that My best pulling ads are the ones that aren't selling a single thing. They're the ones that offer a free ebook for signing up for a free trial subscription to NetNuggetz. No risk.

Building the list instead of trying for the quick sale. Because once I have the list, I have the potential for a lot more than one sale. If the list doesn't respond to offer # 1, there's always offer #2. And we're getting to know each other better all the time. Building those steps. Attaching that rail.

Daredevils may attract some attention. But as a marketer, I'd rather build on a foundation of friendship and ongoing trust than a fleeting moment of attention. How about you?

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Judy Wogoman publishes NetNuggetz Newsletter--25 FREE Biz resources every week, original articles, free subscriber ads. Click below to subscribe: mailto:subscribeddvl@netnuggetz.com

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Today's Tip On the Site worth visiting:

CBDNet is the Government's official FREE electronic version of the Commerce Business Daily (CBD).  This site has all the answers http://cbdnet.access.gpo.gov/

Today's Tip On the Software worth trying:

Want To Get Super Affiliates To Sell YOUR Unique Product? Go and Get them here! http://www.thecassiopeia.com/Guide/SuccessSpider.html

Today's Tip On the Book worth having:

YOUR Business a Bit Slack? Boost It For the first time, 10 of top marketers reveal their secrets they use to make millions on the Net. Electrify YOUR Sales by applying them. http://www.thecassiopeia.com/Guide/SuccessDiamonds.html

Today's Tip On A Course:

Really One of the Best Business Courses on the Net! http://www.thecassiopeia.com/Guide/BizCourse.html

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Parkinson's Law    Expenditure rises to meet income.

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