Perhaps you are a small business person, and you are like me; when you hear a politician tell us they are for us little guys, you just cringe. It appears to me after decades of watching their lips move that they could care less about us, and would rather continue to get their campaign war chests filled by their large corporate lobbyist piggy banks. Okay, let’s talk.You see, there was an interesting article in Reuters on February 1, 2016 titled; “U.S. small business borrowing sank in 2015: PayNet,” by Ann Saphir. The article stated:”What started as a full gallop in 2015 is barely trotting along now, said Bill Phelan, President of PayNet; “We are barely replacing worn-out assets here.” Small Company borrowing is a key barometer of growth because it is the little firms that tend to do much of the hiring that fuels economic growth. Lending slowed sharply to small businesses in mining and agriculture, as well as in wholesale trade, transportation and construction, the figures showed. Texas was particularly hard hit.”So, what’s the Obama Administration’s answer to this vexing problem, oh something typical of the way they run things and adjust their economic data (like employment figures) just change the definition of “Small Business” for instance there was an article in Government Executive online news on January 29, 2016 titled; “SBA Finalizes New Business Size Standards,” written by Charles S. Clark which stated:”The new size standards will enable nearly 1,650 more businesses in those industries to obtain or retain small company status; will give federal agencies a larger pool of smaller companies from which to choose for their procurement programs; and will make more small businesses eligible for SBA’s loan programs,” SBA said in a release.”Okay but, smaller companies do not want to borrow money, why? They don’t trust the system, the future, the economy, this administration, or future regulations due to a socialist population base mindset and evil-one percent hatred motif, nor would I as a former franchisor. This new size standard change would include businesses over 150 employees and the “SBA estimates that more than 8,400 additional businesses will gain small business status under the adjusted size standards and become eligible for SBA’s financial and federal government procurement programs,” the agency said. “These changes can possibly lead to $150 million to $200 million in additional federal contracts and 80 additional loans, totaling about $30 million, to small businesses.”Great news right, well not so fast. You see, these larger firms will get Federal Contracts that small businesses, real ones cannot get, meaning fewer mom and pop businesses getting money from the Federal Government in our ever increasing government-run economy, not free-market run economy. This is no solution, this is just stupidity worsening the real problem is search of political expediency. Please consider all this and think on it.

Want to make money online without any money? Of course you do. Most of us starting out with a home-base business do so because we need money, not because we have a lot of it. The great news is that there are some free marketing techniques out there. Sure, they take work on your part, but they do not take any money. So, if you’re willing to do some work, read on.You can start by offering a free product to your current customers for referrals as incentive. The catch is that this product should not be of cost to you. For example, you could write a five-ten page report on a topic that is relevant to your home-base business and offer that as a bonus for referrals. This free marketing technique does not cost you any money, but provides your customers with something extra. You could also structure it as a raffle: if they refer a customer, they are in the raffle for this bonus product. Customers often respond well to contests.One great way to get the word out about your home-base business is to write articles about it and post them online. There are several websites where you can get your article published for free. Alternatively, you could also start a blog about your business. Lots of people do this in order to promote their business or product online.If you are very uncomfortable with writing, you may want to hire someone to do the writing for you. This usually costs money, but you may be able to barter with this person, especially if they also have a home-base business or a product that you can promote for them in exchange for the writing. This person is called a ghostwriter. However, if you’re just starting out, try to write your own articles at least at first for a couple of reasons: One, there could be a fee involved, and two, writing your own material will give you an idea of how well you write as well as you know your product.Another free marketing technique is search engine optimization. This means getting your website to the top of the search engine result lists. This is done by using the right keywords when writing about your home-base business. There are websites that can help you learn about the most researched keywords for your business. Learning about search engine optimization will definitely help you in your online marketing.Finally, video marketing is the newest and hottest free marketing technique. Nothing beats a personal connection when you are trying to build your home-base business. With video marketing, you can finally make that connection online. There are several websites where you can post a short clip advertising your business.Follow these tips about free marketing techniques to help your home-base business. You need to be willing to do the work, but the resources are out there. Don’t waste any more time. Go out there and build that business!

What do most people lack, becoming the number one reason many home-based businesses fail? Customers.

My rule number one? Never buy leads, and only buy customers.

This is only one of five topics discussed here so that your home-based business can achieve optimal success.

First, I would like to list the top five reasons most home-based businesses fail:

1. Lack of a business plan.

Just because it is a home-based business does not mean you do not need a business plan. You should be taking your home-based business just as seriously as if you were heading into any other type of business, so you need to make sure that the business plan you have is sound and that it has already worked for someone else who has used it.

2. Lack of motivation.

It is easy to become distracted. A home business should be run in the same manner as an office-based business. You need to motivate yourself to go to work in the morning and maintain that motivation during the course of the day in order to succeed. Discipline is a must. I have witnessed many smart people who are totally capable of being successful in their own home-based business, but failed because they didn’t have the discipline and motivation to answer to themselves. Some personalities require direction and management from others in order to be successful, so it is important to know if you properly motivated before starting your own home-based business.

3. Lack of space or proper environment.

If you are fortunate and your home-based business is successful, you may need to expand, so it is important while setting up a home business environment to anticipate growth. Not all businesses can realistically succeed in a home-based location because they need room for equipment, work space, storage, inventory, and employees, so it is important to determine if it is simply too difficult to run your business from your home. Many people learn the hard way by not being realistic upfront.

4. Ignoring a budget.

Too many home-based business owners justify spending money on all sorts of equipment, advertising, leads, and promotional tools because they are not paying overhead. This can result in dangerous overspending which will strip your business of capital needed to succeed and thrive. It is important to spend money wisely on only what is necessary to see growth and success, and not get caught up in unnecessary spending.

5. Lack of customers.

This is quite obvious, of course. Without customers purchasing your products or services, you have no home business. This is the number one reason many home businesses fail because this is what most people lack when starting a business. Of course, there are companies that offer leads or you can go to a third-party source to purchase them, but if you talk to people who have used leads, they are usually a far cry from a constant stream of actual buying customers who could be supplying your home-based business with what it takes to thrive, grow, and become successful: sales.

So, what is a home-based business owner to do to avoid these pitfalls?

1. First, align yourself with a company that will provide you with a steady stream of buying customers to whom you have permanent rights, instead of mere leads.

With customers who are already purchasing being continually generated by the company itself, success will be attained and will continually grow and thrive because you will have all the customers you will ever need. With this, the front-end work of your business is already achieved. However, I know of only one company that does this.

2. Next, make sure this company is debt-free, reputable, and has a proven business model.

This company should have no start-up costs, no hidden fees, and be free to join. You want to avoid a business that starts strong and disappoints later, and instead opt for one that provides ongoing residual income for life. Talk to someone who is already working this business and see how it has worked for him or her.

3. Then, make sure you have the proper environment to work your business from home.

Align yourself with a company that will simply require an internet connection and a phone, and will allow you to be mobile, so you can take your home-based business anywhere you want to go. This company should do all of the back-end work for you as well by supplying you with your own free website and an easy to use back office on your laptop. They should be shipping the product to each customer, and supplying them with catalogs, e-mail alerts, monthly magazines and catalogs, and toll-free telephone customer support, all at no cost to you or the customer. Align yourself with a company that is willing to do all of this heavy lifting for you at no charge that normally weighs others down in their home-based businesses.

4. Next, stick to a budget by duplicating what someone else has already done to become successful in this business.

Resist temptation to reinvent the wheel which could result in needless spending. A great company has affiliates who have already figured out how to bring your business to the next level without spending needlessly, so just follow their lead.

5. Finally, make sure you are motivated to be in business for yourself in a home-based business.

Expect guidance from others, and duplicate what they have already done to be successful, but realize that the bottom line is YOU. If you treat a home-based business like a hobby, it will pay you like a hobby; and if you treat it like a business, it will pay you like a business. Treat it with the commitment and dedication it deserves and it will pay you back many times over.

How do I know this works? I have proven to myself that it does.

The successful interior design business I owned and operated for eleven years took a hard hit when our economy started to fail a few years ago because people no longer had the disposable income they once had. Let’s face it, custom design is neither inexpensive nor a necessity, so I have seen a lot of interior design studios go out of business during this tough economy. I had the choice of either reinventing myself in a home-based business, or go to work for someone else. Being my own boss has rather spoiled me, so I did not want to change that by working for someone else. Why make someone else successful when I could build something for myself?

So, almost three years ago, I aligned myself with a company to start another stream of income. This business is exactly what I described in the five detailed points above as what you should look for in a home-based business. I duplicated what someone else was already doing with the company, so naturally, it worked for me as well. I want to reach out to others to help them to build a successful home-based business of their own, by avoiding the common mistakes people often make. People who are already aligned with this company include individuals with corporate jobs, business owners, parents raising children at home, wellness professionals and students, retired persons, and individuals who simply desire an extra stream of income. There is no better time than in today’s tough economy to start your own proven home-based business by acquiring buying customers, and do it in a way where you will find optimal success.