Every day thousands of people join the ranks of home-based business owners without first considering whether they actually have the time to operate a business successfully.

That’s not to say that running a work-at-home business on a part-time basis can’t be done successfully. It can… with managed use of your time. But it may mean giving up a few of your favorite pastimes – such as having a few beers with the guys after work, or planting yourself in front of the TV each afternoon to watch your favorite soap opera.

If the thought of doing either of those things makes you cringe, you may want to ask yourself how serious you really are about building a successful home business.

If you decide that you are willing to make the sacrifices, the first thing to do is to sit down with pencil and paper and list everything you do each day step-by-step. Take stock of the time you spend doing wasteful, time-consuming things and eliminate all that isn’t necessary. After doing so, most people find that they have two to three hours each day that can be utilized in a more constructive or efficient manner. Efficient time management boils down to planning what you’re going to do, and then doing it without backtracking.

Start by making a list of the things you want to do tomorrow each evening before you go to bed. Organize your daily errands to take care of as many things as possible in one trip. Not only will you save time you’ll also save money on gas. The important thing is to think of time as your most valuable asset, because it is. So organize it accordingly. Decide what has to be done each day and from there it’s just a matter of arranging priorities.

Set aside a specific time to do household chores that need to be done and a specific amount of time to devote to them. For instance, just one hour per day devoted to yard work would probably make your lawn the envy of all your neighbors. Whether it’s painting your house, fixing leaky faucets or mowing your lawn and trimming shrubs, do one particular job each day and you’ll be amazed at your progress.

Once you start listing and planning what you want to do, and then carry out your plans, you’ll find that you have more time than you thought you would to devote to your home business.

You can also consider outsourcing certain business tasks to a virtual assistant. He or she will usually be able to complete the work in much faster time than you can. So what might take you 3 hours to do at whatever your hourly rate is, could take a VA half that time at his or her rate, saving you both time and money.

Finally, and above all else, when organizing your time, don’t forget to set aside some for relaxation. Be sure to schedule time when you and your family can be together. Although it is easy to do when first starting out, do not become so pre-occupied with your business that you exclude other people – particularly your family
and friends.

Taking stock of the time you waste each day, and from there, reorganizing your activities is the key. It may not always be easy to do, but you will find that once you get into the habit of setting priorities and following a set pattern to accomplish your daily goals that you will realize greater fulfillment in your business and your personal life.

What sacrifices will, or did, you make to devote more time to your business? Please share it in the comment box below.

Sharon McPherson – Live A Fuller Life Working At Home

About the author:
Let Sharon McPherson show you how to “Live A Fuller Life Working At Home” by bringing you content, tools and resources to help you accomplish it. Sign up for her FREE email course, “Networking Know How”

One of my favorite clients Jennifer Davey, of JJS Coaching
shared this great article with one of the Linkedin groups
we belong to. With her permission, I am sharing it with
my readers, along with my own thoughts on this
very important subject.

You Can’t Do It Alone, By Jennifer Davey

To make money (more than you’re making now) you need someone to help you.
That someone can be a coach, a virtual assistant, a programmer, a copywriter
or any other kind of support staff. It might even be a mix of “someones”.

Tending to all the details involved in running your business can take up a big chunk
of your day. It can take time away from marketing, creating and other activities
that only YOU can do in your business. Bringing on support staff to help you,
or a coach to give you support and direction, can be the boost you need
to take your business to the next level.

You may be thinking, “I can’t afford to pay a coach, or some other type of support staff.”
But remember, this support will help you get clients, build your business and make more income. It’s an investment that will give you a terrific ROI.

Think about it: If you had certain tasks off your plate, would you have more time to market? If you could have someone implement some of your marketing tactics for you, would that be a time-saver? Would it bring in more clients and more income? If you had a coach helping you design a business plan, a marketing strategy or just helping you get out of your own way, what would that do to your bottom line?

Still having trouble justifying support? Check out this finding from the ICF’s (International Coach Federation) Coaching Client Study: “The ROI (return on investment) for companies (that are coached) can be significant….. with a median return of 7 times the initial investment. In fact, almost one fifth (19%) indicated an ROI of at least 50 (5000%) times
the initial investment while a further 28% saw an ROI of 10 to 49 times the investment.”

WOW! It makes you think about how much you’re missing out on NOT having support.

Schedule a FREE Discovery Session to explore how Jennifer can help you get clients,
build your business and make more income.

Thanks, Jennifer. So many of my clients have reported increased business and creativity
once they start outsourcing things that they usually do not LIKE to do or are not at their very best at.

I have helped clients with research, their social marketing maintenance – so that they can spend their time on the fun, interactive facet of this practice, scheduled appointments & booked interviews and a lot more as a Virtual Assistant.

When you think of all of the outsource-able duties you spend your valuable time on,
when you could, instead, be free to perform the ones you really want to do or excel at,
having a helper or even several, may be the way for you to go to grow your business.

Remember, I am a Virtual Assistant who LOVES to do editing, proofreading
and transcription assignments along with research, blog posts, article submissions
and social media maintenance!

Why not Schedule a Project now?

Jan Tallent
Tallent Agency Virtual Assistance

573-775-4520 jan@tallentagency.com

One of my own wonderful clients, Small Business Coach and Marketing Strategist, Jennifer Davey, is the author of the “Getting Clients Home Study Program”, the step-by-step guide to getting clients, building
your business and making more income, and is also the author of
the testimonial that you see when you get to the home page of my
Virtual Assistance site. She shares this summation of when to ask
for a testimonial from your past and current clients.

Jennifer says, “Many of my clients are uncomfortable asking for testimonials.
They feel that testimonials should just come to them, and sometimes this happens.
But most of the time, clients need a nudge to write down their thoughts.

A great time to ask for a testimonial is when your client is happy with what you’ve done
for him or her, for example:

* When he or she has had success.
* When his or her problem is on its way to being solved.
* When his or her problem is solved.
* When he or she tells you he or she is happy with you.
* When he or she says thank you.
* When you deliver a product.

As soon as a client tells you that he or she is happy with you, ask if you can share
his or her story with potential clients. When he or she says yes, say, ‘Terrific, I will
send you an email with a request for a testimonial.’

Another great way to ask for a testimonial is to give your clients a survey form to fill
out whenever you complete a project, sell them a product, or finish a service.
Reach out to folks who wrote feedback and ask for permission to use their testimonials.”

Jennifer is one of my favorite proofreading clients.
I have also done transcription work for her webinars.

Small Business Coach and Marketing Strategist, Jennifer Davey, is the author of
the Getting Clients Home Study Program, the step-by-step guide to getting clients,
building your business and making more income.

Grab a copy of her Report What you Need to Know to Be Successful at Getting Clients.

Although I specialize IN proofreading and editing, I offer a wide range of services and have recently added retainer packages to ensure a steady work flow and save my clients money.

My rates are very reasonable and I guarantee my accuracy. If YOU need a Virtual Assistant for any of the services I offer, contact me to schedule a project or for more information on how we can work together to help free up your time for doing the things you excel at
and/or enjoy doing!

Remember, I am a Virtual Assistant who LOVES to do editing,
proofreading and transcription assignments!

Jan Tallent
Tallent Agency Virtual Assistance

573-775-4520 jan@tallentagency.com