OverviewIn my years of mentoring and conducting Business Management training, people usually want me to tell them if I think they have the attributes to succeed in Home Based Business.Much as this appears to be a difficult question to answer, research has shown that there’re indeed certain character traits that predispose some people to succeed in home based enterprise.Aspiring to become a Home Based Entrepreneur is quite exciting; what with the pride of being your own Boss. But desire is one thing and having the right Personal Traits that can ensure the success of the business is another ball game altogether.Some of these traits are innate while some can be learned. However I have enumerated them here for you to consider before taking the leap. This is not meant to discourage you but to bring them to your awareness in order to help you prepare properly and make a success of your dream. Do not be dismayed even if you lack some of these attributes because they can be learned or acquired through training.So in this write up, we’ll discuss the personal character traits most successful Home Based Entrepreneurs always seem to have.I hope this will help you do a self-assessment and thereafter invest in training to beef up areas of need.Without further delay, below are the attributes.• Great DeterminationRight from the beginning, you must make up your mind to succeed in your chosen endeavor. Having a “Can Do Spirit” is always an advantage. When the pressure builds up, it’s only that huge determination to succeed that will help see you through.As the saying goes “when the going gets tough, the tough get going”• Having Self ConfidenceThis is almost like having strong determination. Having self -confidence and believing in one’s ability is also very important in the potential success matrix needed by a Home Business Owner. The saying “self- confidence makes the man” must have come from this. Even the ordinary con man is able to perpetrate his activities through his self-confidence.• Consummate Self StarterA self-starter is a person who does not procrastinate. He does not wait for someone to prod him into taking necessary action.A self-starter will not postpone to tomorrow what he’s supposed to do today. A self-starter is an action oriented person who attacks the task at hand and achieves set targets without being supervised or reminded.• Being A Natural Risk TakerIn order to succeed as a Home Based Entrepreneur, you must be a natural risk taker. Some people are risk averse but almost all successful Home Business Owners are ready to take that risk, burn all bridges and do whatever it takes to succeed.• Fast Thinking And FlexibilityHaving the ability to think fast and react quickly to unfolding situations is the hallmark of a successful Home Business Owner.Threats can come up suddenly from new government policies and the ability to think fast and adapt to the new situation can make the difference between success and collapse of the business.• Do What You EnjoyYou have to be totally obsessed with your Home Based Business. You eat and drink it every moment of the day.You must be very passionate about your business or else you’ll cave in when the pressure builds up.I recommend that you get involved with what you enjoy doing. Even turning your hobby into a Home Based Business could be the best decision.You’ll work harder and succeed faster because you won’t see what you’re doing as work. Invest in that thing that you would enjoy doing even if there are no pecuniary benefits.• Have A Good Business PlanYou must be able to prepare a good Business Plan and work the plan. It’s said that “He who fails to plan has already planned to fail”. Your Business Plan is like a Blue Print for your business. It must be flexible though to make room for adjustments as you go along. It’s like a road map that’ll lead you to the final goals set for your business.• Good Money Management SkillsHaving the right attitude to money is very essential. No matter the amount of cash available, a Home Business Owner without the right Money Management Skills will run the business aground.You must have a Money Management Plan and stick to the plan. Knowing how to allocate resources to the most needed areas of the business is very important.My advice is that you must be shrewd and frugal with your expenses- especially cash flow. This is to avoid running out of cash at an auspicious time.• Good Selling SkillsHaving the right selling skills can help you succeed in your business.You must be able to explain to people why what you’re offering is the best solution for the problem they’re having.• Create Authority Around YouIf you want to succeed in your Home Business, you must be willing to learn new things. You must be willing to keep up to date with latest industry trends.Being disposed to reading books, attending seminars and staying ahead of the competition is very essential.Your ability to market yourself as an Expert and a reliable resource in your field is very important.People will run to you for solution to their problems.• You Need Good Marketing SkillsThe ability to develop the perfect USP for your Home Business is very important. You must have a very good reason why I should buy your products/services instead of buying from the shop down the road. This could be the difference between growth and early bankruptcy.• Excellent Net Working SkillsA Home Based Entrepreneur with excellent networking skills already has an advantage.Good networking skills entail having the ability to strike up relationships that can generate business opportunities and mutually beneficial relationships.It should not be a one way street though. You must think of what you can contribute to the relationship even before thinking of what to get from the other person.• Develop A Magnetic PersonalityHaving a likable persona that will attract people to you is an advantage. On the internet, design an engaging website. Don’t be aloof. Always stay engaged with your customers and community.• Be Organized, Be Disciplined!You must not take for granted that you are your own boss and so wake up 10 am and decide to chill with a glass of wine and some music. No! You must maintain a high self – esteem and discipline. Wake up early, listen to industry news and get started with the day’s activities.I mean you must have a positive daily routine• Embrace New Technology And Management ProcessesBy this I mean you should be disposed to the use of modern technology. Invest in new technology that will help you work smarter by achieving more results while working less. For instance, if you are being inundated with orders and you are having problems meeting up with schedule, you can outsource this aspect of your business to experts in that field. This way you keep your business lean and responsive.You can also invest in modern software like inventory management software to help you manage your business more effectively.You can also invest in ICT to help you run your business more efficiently.• Be ProfessionalStrive at all times to be professional in all your dealings. Maintain the highest ethical standards. Honesty must be your watch word!Dress appropriately when meeting with clients.Ensure you have a home office and a dedicated phone line for your business• Don’t Be Afraid To FailFinally, this might sound weird but failure is part of the process of learning how to do it better next time. Do not be afraid to fail but remember to take away the lessons learned.The great Thomas Edison who failed over 5000 times while trying to discover the incandescent lamp said that each failure taught him how to do it better next time.Wrapping UpWe’ve come to the end of this discussion and I hope you find this write up useful. Though some of these attributes are innate, they can all be acquired through structured training. So you should not be discouraged if you find yourself wanting in some areas.Do you feel I’ve left out anything, please feel free to send in your thoughts.

More and more people are turning to the internet to start their own home based businesses as a result of losing their jobs. Many people see it as a way to ‘recession proof’ their income and gain more control over their finances. It can be an exciting time, but there are definitely a few things to think about before jumping into anything.There are many people and many products online that are offering less-than-genuine offers of starting one’s own home based business. These companies see you as a sitting duck and they are ready to pounce all over you, but if you do your homework and take emotion out of the decision process you won’t be taken advantage of. The Federal Trade Commission just doesn’t have enough manpower to regulate and shut down every illegitimate business, but there are steps you can do to protect yourself while starting your own home based business.To begin, search for businesses that have been in operation for a while, a flash in the pan business offering garbage products won’t last very long. When on the company’s website, look for prominent news sources that you are confident have done the proper research to make sure they were covering a sound home based business. Seek out home businesses where the founders have achieved success outside of their current opportunity, who began their current business to fill a particular niche in the market, and who are genuinely interested in helping others start their own businesses and not just interested in making a quick buck.Of course, once you find a company that you feel you can trust, make sure you are ready to handle the urgency it requires to work for yourself. Being able to put every bit of energy into your work is the only way you will be able to fulfill you end of any bargain you make with an online marketing company.There are many internet ‘business in a box’ solutions out there that can meet your needs and talents. Home based businesses that have an application process end up saving you many hours of working with people that are not very serious because it will weed Read their client testimonies carefully and look between the lines. This should go without saying, but make sure you know what you are getting into when joining a company. Businesses that provide in depth training, workshops, and live support is a big step in the right direction. Businesses with good clear communication can be an indication that they are for real interested in your economic security as well as their own.Marketing online can be tricky and a difficult landscape to navigate, but being able to ask lots of questions and have them answered clearly are the signs you are getting a great return on your investment when starting a home based business.

Going to Build a Home Based Business in Canada?I get asked about this a lot. We Canadians tend to be more reserved than perhaps our friends to the south. Our national heroes were trappers and explorers, not giants of industry. The perfect home based business is not one with an upline, downline as a sideline. It is affiliate marketing.Here are 3 top concerns that have been expressed to me about a home based business:What chance have I got from the middle of nowhere, Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan? Online, you have the same chance as someone living in Manhattan, Los Angeles or Toronto. It is the great equalizer. All you require is access to the internet. After that, it is all up to you. This is truly the best Canadian home based business opportunity imaginable.I live in Northwestern Ontario. I watched a moose roam down the road the other day as I was taking care of business. Doing business in Canada, you have to love it!Where do I get financing? You don’t need any with affiliate marketing. I suggest you start for free. No, I am not kidding. By far the best way to start online is by starting an affiliate business. What this involves is that you basically become a commission salesperson for a company. They handle the closing of the sale, collection of money, shipping, handling, customer issues, everything. The best of these companies can be seen at ClickBank. You can also check out Linkshare and Commission Junction.Make sure to check with your accountant to make sure you are getting the proper business tax deductions from Revenue Canada. Running a home based business in Canada legally allows you to write off a certain percentage of your household expenses.How do I get set up? It’s easy with affiliate marketing. Choose a niche you would like to be in and that you believe would bring you profit. Do some research on how much demand and supply there is, determine if you can find a suitable product to fill the need in your niche and either start producing SEO’d articles or lenses at Squidoo. You do not need a web site to start and these places are free.Can you see now that the perfect home based business in Canada is affiliate marketing online? The biggest difference with an offline business is that you have no one coming through your door. They all enter your premises on your internet cable and people seem to find this intimidating.