Creating systems and processes for your home-based business is an important strategy for long-term growth.

When done correctly, these systems and processes allow you to improve efficiency, increase productivity, and focus on tasks that will impact your business the most.

It can also free up your schedule and allow you to spend more time doing the things you love, both in and out of your business.

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Have you ever heard of a “money story”? A money story is a popular term used to describe an individual's personal beliefs and attitudes toward money, shaped by their unique experiences, upbringing, and cultural background.

We all have a money story, whether we’re business owners or not. However, in the context of entrepreneurship, a money story can significantly impact how you approach your business, make financial decisions, and pursue your goals.

Entrepreneurs' money stories are as individual and unique as they are. Sometimes money stories are pleasant and empowering; other times they’re complicated and fraught with negativity.

In general, they often include beliefs about the role of money in your life (like whether money is a feel-good source of security or a stress-inducing headache), whether it’s a neutral/positive tool for unbridled freedom and success or a source of world corruption, whether you should hoard it or share it (or just spend it!).

Entrepreneurs' money stories can also influence their financial decision-making processes. If you have a generally negative money story, you might have trouble managing your business finances, feel iffy about investments or undervalue and undercharge for your products and services.  

On the other hand, if you have a positive money story, you probably enjoy checking your bank balances and keeping your books up-to-date, feel confident in the decisions you make about when to save and when to splurge and generally feel like you’re making the money you know you deserve (because you wouldn’t accept anything less).

In this step-by-step guide, I’ll walk you through the process of unearthing and understanding your money story and the role it plays in your entrepreneurial journey, as well as help you ‘rewrite it’ so you can achieve your financial dreams with ease.

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As an entrepreneur, building a successful business isn't just about having a brilliant idea or a genius strategy; it's also about developing healthy money habits to help you (slowly-but-surely) achieve your highest financial goals.

In this post, we'll discuss the top 6 money habits of wildly successful entrepreneurs that you can adopt today to help you feel better about money–and move exponentially closer to your own dream financial future.

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Have you always dreamed of building a successful business?

For most people, that’s because they want to be their own boss and have the freedom to work on their own terms.

But what those aspiring entrepreneurs don’t realize is that running a business is a lot harder than it looks. And most new businesses fail in the first few years.  

Don’t despair just yet. You can avoid that fate by focusing on building a strong foundation and growing your business quickly. But what exactly does that involve?

In the following post, I’ll share 9 expert tips for building a thriving business, so you can concentrate on what matters most in achieving your goals.

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Do you truly believe you deserve to earn good–even fantastic–money in your business?

If your answer isn’t a resounding yes, you’re not alone.

Money–despite it being necessary for existence–is still a taboo topic and can feel uncomfortable for people to talk about, let alone make. At the end of the day, though, businesses require money to function–and so do you.

What if you could finally believe that you deserve to earn good money and reap the rewards of your labor (and all those late night espresso shots)?

Below, I’ve compiled five must-read reasons why you without-a-doubt deserve to make good money from your business:

1. You Bring Unique Value, Skills and Talents to the Market

 
You’ve heard it before, but allow me to reiterate: You bring a wildly unique perspective and swirl of skills, talents and resources to the market.

You literally have experiences, skills, thoughts and ideas nobody else could possibly have, which means the offers, coaching or content you bring into the world is 100% unique.

And not is it unique, it’s truly packed with value. Whenever you put out a new offer (or piece of value-laden free content), you’re not just giving your audience or clients the fifteen minutes you spent writing the post or three days you spent crafting the sales page. Think about everything that went into learning what you summed up in that snappy IG caption: 10+ years in the field? An MBA? Several thousand dollars’ worth of online courses in marketing and web development?

Remember that every time you create something new, you’re also bringing ALL of that well-earned expertise to the conversation. Just imagine how much money (and time!) your reader or client would have to spend to accumulate all the knowledge you already have (and probably just divulged in an Instagram post).

At the end of the day, your unique skills and expertise is worth a lot. And you deserve to be compensated for it.

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Follow these 10 tips (and avoid these 10 mistakes) and you’ll be on your way to networking – and marketing – success.

10 Networking Tips:

1. Meet People Through Referrals

The best way to expand your network is through a referral from someone you know. That way, your mutual friend or acquaintance can put in a good word for you, connect you with someone compatible and truly helpful, and provide assurance that the person is trustworthy and reputable. Referrals remove (or at least, reduce) the uncertainty, awkwardness, and stress associated with initial contacts. Think of it like a “warm lead” in your marketing lingo.

2. Prepare Your Elevator Speech

An elevator speech is a quick explanation of who you are and what you do. It should be so concise that you could deliver it in the time it would take you to ride an elevator to the 4^th floor. Rehearse it, but don’t memorize it word for word. Adapt your ‘pitch’ depending on who you’re meeting and the environment. Don’t take this advice for granted. Prepare your elevator speech right now, if you don’t have one. Rehearse it regularly and be ready. You don’t know who serendipity will bring your way tomorrow!

3. Do Your Homework

Never go to a networking event without doing your homework. Research the people who will be there. If it’s an online event, see who has marked themselves as ‘attending’. If it’s an in-person event and you don’t have access to the list, hone in on the speakers and presenters. This way, you can better prepare what you’ll say and what you’d like to know about them. Then imagine the kind of audience that the event will likely attract. Prepare yourself on how best to engage with such audience.

4. Make a Good First Impression

Meet each person with a confident smile, steady eye contact, and a firm handshake. Practice at home in front of a mirror if you’re nervous or unsure of how you come across to strangers. Remember that old Will Rogers’ quote (or was it Oscar Wilde): “You never get a second chance to make a first impression.”

5. Look for Common Interests

Quickly establish something you have in common. Shared interests will build rapport much more effectively than generic small talk. Shared interests could be work or business-related. Or they could be about common hobbies – do you both play golf, or love fly fishing, or basket weaving, or whatever. The key is: you can make a deeper connection with someone when you talk about something meaningful to them, not just small talk about weather or traffic.

6. Ask Questions and Listen Attentively

When networking, take the focus off yourself and place it firmly on the new people you’re meeting. Don’t ask questions that can be answered with a ‘yes’ or ‘no’. Instead, ask open-ended questions that will encourage discussion. Practice active listening: summarize and paraphrase what they’ve said, nod your head in encouragement, and really pay attention. Remembering details about them will help you during follow-up conversations.

7. Use Social Media

Social media offers a variety of ways to network virtually. Use LinkedIn or Twitter to connect with people online, while at the same time finding and attending offline networking events. Work your way towards a one-on-one meet up, either online or in person.

8. Keep Your Online Presence Up to Date

Make sure your online presence is up to date, as people you meet will search for you afterwards. This includes all social media profiles and anywhere else you can be found on the internet.

9. Be Proactive

You can make great connections by attending networking events, seeing who’s there, and meeting people by chance. But even better, decide who you want to meet and then find opportunities to connect with them.

10. Get out There and Mix

Attend networking events and opportunities as frequently as your schedule will allow. The more you get out there and mix, the more you’ll establish valuable connections.

10 Networking Mistakes to Avoid:

1. DON’T Network Without a Plan

Clarify your goals before you get out there and network. Decide what kind of relationships you’re looking for and how you want your new contacts to benefit your business.

2. DON’T Get Nervous

Everything’s going to be fine! Networking is not a life-threatening situation. Get into a relaxed state of mind and ready to have fun. You may want to practice some relaxation exercises before you go out.

3. DON’T Make Assumptions

You’re there not only to make connections, but to also learn about the people you’ll meet. Don’t make assumptions about who they are or what they do. Ask and listen.

4. DON’T Deliver a Boring Elevator Speech

Your elevator speech should not only tell the other person who you are and what you do, but how you’re unique and why it’s beneficial to know you.

5. DON’T Stay in an Awkward Situation

If a person you meet is rude or unresponsive, don’t stick around. Move on to the next person. There’s nothing to gain by wasting time with someone who you won’t get along with.

6. DON’T Talk Too Much

You should be friendly and outgoing, but don’t dominate conversations. And don’t spend the entire conversation talking about yourself, no matter how interesting you think your life is. How else are going to get to know the other person if you did all the talking? The best balance is to let the other person talk twice as much as you do.

7. DON’T Get Negative

Don’t complain about the snacks, badmouth other people, or say negative things about companies you’ve worked for. Sometimes people try to build rapport by having a common enemy. This is dangerous in a roomful of strangers – you don’t know who they’re connected to. Instead, focus on constructive and positive conversation.

8. DON’T Cling to People You Know

We have a natural tendency to stick with what we know. At networking events, make sure you mix with a variety of people, not just familiar faces. Approach people who are alone and draw them into conversation.

9. DON’T Demand Too Much from New Connections

Try to create opportunities to get in touch with new people you meet, but don’t ask too much of them at first. Focus on offering something beneficial to them instead.

10. DON’T Forget to Follow Up

The follow up is the most important part of networking. If you want to nurture a relationship, email or direct message them shortly after the event.

The post 10 Tips to Make Networking Work for You, And 10 Mistakes to Avoid appeared first on Smart Marketers Tools.

Many new marketers, however, underestimate the time and work necessary to launch an internet business. They are solely concerned with the fact that they no longer have to report to a boss and that they may work their own hours.

However, one of two things frequently occurs. First, the novice marketer becomes so engrossed in their business that they overlook everything else in their life. Or they don't dedicate enough time to their business and end up struggling for weeks, months, or even years.

The following ideas will help the smart marketer develop a strategic time management.

1. Begin with the end in mind

Yes, you’ve heard that before from the late Stephen Covey!

You must have an end goal in mind in order to manage your time and succeed in your online marketing activities. This does not imply being vague and broad, as in you "want to make more money online."

You want to be as precise as: “I want to make $20 extra per week.” You also don't want to say anything general like, "I want to work less hours." How many hours does this mean to you?

An hour? Ten hours less? You must be specific in order to develop an effective time management plan.

A goal may be anything you want it to be. It might be financial, such as earning $10,000 a month. It might be based on time, such as working 20 hours per week while getting a full-time income.

It may be a productivity goal like creating six new digital products every year, or it could be something different. Only you know what you want to prioritize in your life in terms of goal setting, and this may change from person to person.

Don't simply make something up out of thin air. Take the time to sit down and imagine your life once you go on the route to become a successful internet entrepreneur.

2. Set a deadline for completion

Whatever your goal is, you will have an idea of how much time you want to devote to your business each and every day.

Let me be clear, it’s not how many hours you work on your business that count for productivity. It’s what you are able to produce that counts for your marketing success.

Some people “work” all day on their business and end up with very little result, in part because they focus on every minutiae and have themselves stretched thing trying to do everything involved in online marketing.

With strategic time management, however, the smart marketer can get a lot more productive work done with less time.

If you're not sure how many hours you'll need to work and have complete control over your schedule, you should start by setting an end date for your goals or project.

It's got to make sense. You can't make a goal of losing 100 pounds in one week, and you can't execute some tasks in your business in too short a time frame, such as establishing a list of 10,000 subscribers in 48 hours.

Your timetable will be determined by what you want to do personally vs what you intend to outsource.

It will also be determined by how quickly you work. If you can write five pages in an hour and want to develop a 50-page eBook, you will need to commit ten hours to the production of your digital information product.

Remember that you need a cushion in case of emergencies or unexpected setbacks. You should also allocate time for additional duties linked with your launch. The production of an eBook is not the only factor in the launch of a digital information product.

You also need to create a listing on the site where you plan to sell it, such as Warrior Plus or JVZoo. You must also design the joint venture page for affiliates, as well as the sales text for the front end and any further one-time offer upgrades.

You'll need to network with people to get them on board to promote your launch, schedule emails to your subscribers to announce your debut, and produce any visuals needed for the info product itself, the sales page(s), or the affiliate toolkit.

Even if you want to outsource or delegate part of these activities, you must allocate time to interact with the freelancing service provider, account for any delays, and budget for time spent on revisions and changes.

3. Get Rid of Time Wasters to Make More Time in Your Day

When you first start working as an internet entrepreneur, you'll have to be harsh on yourself when it comes to procrastination and squandering time in general. Being your own boss will give you greater independence, especially if you are leaving an unpleasant 9-5 job.

If you realize that your goal is always getting pushed out to a later date for completion, you should take a step back and examine how you spend each hour of your day.

If you want an honest appraisal, conduct a sort of productivity audit of your day. Record everything, from the time you get out of bed to the time to go to bed, and see if you can determine how many hours you actually spend on business productive activities.

You perhaps, might realize that you are not spending as much time on productive activities as you might think. And you will determine where you have been spending much of your time – on your phone, social media, binging on Netflix, running errands, etc.

Some people are unaware of how much time they waste.

Time wasters are frequently caused by outside sources. People may drop in on you at home because they know you're there. However, they are unaware that you are actually working.

If you find yourself falling behind on your tasks and goals, you must put your foot down anytime you need to be establishing your business and not allow anyone to intrude on your work time.

4. Make a Schedule That Balances Your Work and Life Needs

Working the most hours isn't necessarily the best approach to succeed at time management. It's about being strategic such that your life balances out and your business thrives while you enjoy your personal life when you're not working.

Some people fall so far behind with their job that they are unable to relax when they are meant to. They are filled with guilt and humiliation for being absent when they should be working.

Some suffer in silence, while others take severe steps to begin disregarding their own needs in order to burden themselves with additional labor. Instead of attempting to keep all of these plates spinning, look for something that provides tranquility and peace.

Begin by identifying the time of day when you are most alert and energetic. This should ideally be done while working. You must be able to concentrate and absorb information without fail.

You also want to observe how you work best - in huge chunks or spread out throughout the day. You may commit to working Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. until noon.

Or, you might work from 8 to 10 a.m. and then again from 2-4 p.m. This allows you to enjoy some personal time, such as stopping for lunch with a friend or spouse, spending time with your children, or even napping in the afternoon if you so want.

You should plan your schedule ahead of time, regardless of the hours you work. Take each project and divide it into tasks. If you know you need to write a 20-page report in 10 days, you must commit to producing two pages every day.

How long does it take you to compose those two pages? Twenty minutes? An hour? What else do you have to accomplish that day? You should write down all of your duties, including project activities, administrative chores, and even networking.

Handling customer care emails, uploading an article you produced to your blog, or checking on your paid ad accounts are examples of administrative activities. Befriending fellow niche marketers, evaluating their products to advertise, or asking them to support your future one are all examples of networking.

You should also make time for brainstorming or idea generating, as well as research. It should all have a place on your calendar, whether you're contemplating a slant for an eBook or blog post or investigating a breaking news article in your sector to share with your audience.

5. At the end of each day, evaluate your productivity performance

Being smart with your time management requires you to check in on a regular basis to assess how you're doing. You can't just make some modifications and hope for the best.

You should evaluate your progress in little increments. Begin by considering how you performed at the conclusion of each day. Were you able to quickly complete all of your tasks? You might be able to push yourself a bit harder.

Alternatively, if you enjoy your current speed, keep it up. However, if you feel harried and overwhelmed, or even if you have failed to complete all of your tasks, you may have taken on too much.

If you know you were working hard, you can revise your project completion objectives and timelines. But if you can accept that you didn't perform your best - that you were preoccupied or had brain fog - then strive to make some improvements.

You may need to work in a new location with fewer interruptions. You may need to utilize an egg timer or alarm system to assist you work focused until the timer goes off.

Continue to adjust until you see the correct sort of timetable emerge from your efforts. You should also check in every quarter. Every 12 weeks, you should set goals that show you how far your business has come.

That's fantastic if you're on time or ahead of schedule! Continue doing what you're doing. However, if you're far behind, it's time to start working smarter or asking yourself some difficult questions.

Are you still passionate about what you are doing, or are you loosing steam and rather do something else?

Maintain a quarterly review, as well as serious end-of year evaluation.

Being strategic with your time might feel like a difficult effort at times. You must cast a light on yourself to determine if you are meeting your own expectations. There is no shame in doing so; in fact, it is a sign of a wise business leader. It’s your business, it’s your life.

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In today's world, there are many different reasons why individuals are seeking extra money from online side hustle. From the need to supplement their income from an existing career to those who currently do not have a job to support themselves, men and women around the world are looking for online work.

Whether they are dealing with low wages, struggling to afford gas to commute to a job, or trying to pay off debt, some people are desperate to find extra work to afford their necessities while others want to improve their current lifestyle.

Side hustles are great opportunities for everyone – from students to senior citizens. You can choose to make money with one, or work in a variety of areas that provide extra income.

Below, you’ll find a 30 best online side hustles. You can test the waters in many different areas. Based on your skills and personal preferences, you’ll find something that matches perfectly with what you want to do.

1: Start Freelance Ghostwriting for Other Marketers

The online marketplace is a vast network of websites, social networking sites, emails and more. Because of the sheer number of users and topics, there’s ample work for ghostwriters who can create content for marketers.

These people may not have the time (or talent) to create all the content they need, so they love it when someone else steps up and does the work for them. You can write their eBooks, lead magnet reports, email autoresponders, sales copy, press releases, and social media content (to name a few).

To secure work as a freelance ghostwriter, you need to whip up a sample of your writing style for a portfolio. Then, sign up at one of the many freelance platforms to find work, like Fiverr or Upwork.

Set up a profile that talks about your skills with writing content and upload your samples to a portfolio. Begin bidding on projects until you get hired by someone and start getting feedback and ratings.

If you want to, you can also actively network with other marketers and secure ghostwriting gigs from word of mouth. They’re always looking for more writers to handle the heavy content load they have.

2: Start a Social Media Manager Side Hustle 

These days, every entrepreneur and brand need to have a presence on various social networking sites and apps, or they’ll get dominated by the competition. The problem is, most don’t have time to create content for it, publish it, engage with consumers, and analyze the results.

That’s where you can step up to serve others for a fee. Become a social media manager who maintains the profiles, pages and groups for brands or vendors on sites like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest, YouTube, Twitter and more.

You will be creating the images, text, and video files, uploading them at strategic times, making sure you engage with anyone who comments or asks a question, and then look at the data to see how many views and actions it received so you can tweak the performance of the account.

3: Put a Graphics Gig Up Online

Just as marketers and brands need written content, they also need a visual representation of their business, ideas, and other elements. If you can create graphics, you stand to make a lot of profits.

The kinds of gigs you’ll be doing will vary, depending on who’s buying it. For example, an online entrepreneur might need a header graphic for their blog, Facebook header, banner ads to sell their info products, etc.

A company might need a logo designed for their website – or the entire site graphics. Self-publishing authors will need eCovers for their digital uploads to sites like Amazon Kindle.

You may also be asked to create things like infographics, where you distill a number of steps or tips into one image. Or they might want you to create a series of social posters they can use to motivate their audience.

4: Become an Online Editor for Authors and Marketers

Some people have no problem writing content themselves, but before they release it into the online world, they want to make sure it’s polished to perfection. If you have a good grasp of the English language and grammar rules, you can serve as an online editor.

Marketers love to use them for the digital info products that they create, as well as the sales letters they publish. And self-publishing authors like to use a content editor to scan through their manuscript before it goes live to their readers.

You can find editing jobs on sites like Upwork. But you can also launch your own freelance editing website where you take clients directly, polish up their work for them, and charge a fee.

5: Start Selling Low Content Products on Etsy and Spotify

Low content products are very popular these days. There are many different reasons why people will purchase a digital download file that they can print out themselves. For example, homeschooling parents will purchase a digital download pack that includes worksheets on a certain subject matter for whatever grade level their child is in.

You also have other types of low content products, such as trackers for things like weight loss, journal pages that are designed with a particular theme in mind, checklists, and even fun things like a Bachelorette party or baby shower for games.

Two of the most popular places to sell low content products are Etsy and Spotify. You can create individual digital download files and upload them separately, and also sell a pack of multiple files in one bundle for a higher price point.

6: Become a Versatile Virtual Assistant 

There are many online entrepreneurs and companies who need a virtual assistant to help them get a lot of their drudge work done throughout the day. These are usually paid on an hourly basis, but some may be paid per project.

Depending on who is hiring you, you may be paid for things like answering customer service emails, taking content they have created and publishing it to their blog, sharing their content on social media, and more.

Sometimes, you may be doing some of the technical work like updating their blog plugins or cleaning up their email autoresponder database. You can set your own price as a virtual assistant and work anytime you like, unless they have certain business hours they need you to be available for.

7: Do Some Spring Cleaning and List Items Online 

Utilizing the various online marketplaces is a good way to get some quick cash flowing into your account. Do some spring cleaning at your home, and list everything from clothing to fitness equipment, furniture and more for sale.

You can even pick up unwanted items from people locally who just want to get rid of it and then list it for sale online. Use platforms like Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, and eBay to flip the items for a profit.

8: Offer Video Editing Services

Having versatile content is important for online brands. They can’t simply have text-based content anymore if they want to be competitive and showcase their products and services.

So, they often have someone in their company create video content, but once they hit record, they don’t know how to polish it up from there to make it viable for online publications.

If you know how to edit videos, where you remove any blunders, add intros and exits, as well as inserting any text as an overlay to the video, you may be able to make money as a side hustle offering video editing services.

You can often charge quite a bit of money for every minute you have to edit. The customer will send you the raw file and you will polish it up using a tool like Camtasia or CamStudio and send the finished product back to them so they can upload it to their video channel.

Many times, the customer will allow you to include your information at the end of the video as the editor so that other interested parties can contact you if they need video editing work done, too.

9: Take Pictures to Sell as Stock Photos

If you have good photography skills, you can start a side hustle selling images that you take that you want to license to start photo sites for commercial use. Whenever a brand or online entrepreneur needs to publish content, they often go to a stock photo site to download an image to pair with it.

These are used to break up large blocks of content on their blog, and to use on the covers of eBooks for info products. They also use them in their social networking content so that their post shows up better in the feeds.

You can sign up on sites like Shutterstock and iStockPhoto, to name a couple – and there are many more. Be a contributor who submits images people need for their marketing.

Make sure you abide by their submission guidelines Once you upload your content, it will be available for a global audience to purchase. Whenever your images are downloaded, you will be paid as a contributor.

Make sure you focus on some of the top niche topics, such as fitness, cooking, pets, money, and more. For example, you may want to take a picture of a basket of fresh fruit for the nutrition niche.

10: Tutor Kids in a Subject of Your Choice Online

Many parents struggle to find help for their children whenever they are doing poorly in a subject at school. These days, it's common for moms and dads to look online for a tutor who can work with their child via video and help them bring their grades up to par.

You can sign up for many of the different online tutoring platforms and help kids with subjects like math, science, English, and more. You might get paid per hour or per minute depending on the platform that you are using.

11: Start a Side Hustle as an Affiliate Manager

There are many entrepreneurs who are launching their own digital info products or memberships on a regular basis. One of the tasks they are burdened with is recruiting affiliates to promote their launch.

You can offer your services as an affiliate manager to take a load off of these vendors so that they can focus on getting their product finished and handling all of the technical tasks for the launch.

The strategic task of recruiting affiliates is something where you will be researching who would be the best affiliate to bring onboard based on their track record of promotions. You would then reach out to everyone with details of the product, the launch, and a review copy when you invite them to promote the product.

12: Launch Your Own Online Course

If you have knowledge in one of many different niche topics, you can put together an eBook of your own and launch it on one of the many platforms that allow you to sell digital downloads.

For example, you could write an eBook on how to create a blog, how to train your dog, how to lose weight on a keto diet, how to survive in the wilderness, and a million other different topics.

Then, you can list the info product for sale on a site like ClickBank, Warrior Plus, or JVZoo. If you want to create a video course, you can do that and list it on a site like Udemy.

Instead of just having a single info product, you can launch an entire line of courses that teach people a variety of targeted topics. So instead of just having a course about how to start a blog, you can have other topics like how to build a list, how to use Facebook ads, and more.

13: Become a Social Media Influencer

Social media influencers are making a lot of money these days. If you can create online content on a social networking site that attracts a large audience, then you have potential to get paid as a social influencer by a number of entrepreneurs and brands.

You don't have to have millions of followers or be famous to be a social media influencer. As long as you have a targeted niche topic for your account, you will have people approaching you with deals ranging from free products to a cash payment.

14: Become a Notary Public Online

You can become a notary public who does work online. You do have to apply to become a notary, and pay the state fees, but once you are accepted, you can begin promoting your services online.

As an online notary, someone will upload their files in PDF form to you and you will have them prove their identity. This can be done via picture or video, depending on how you want to operate.

Usually, a video call will be necessary so they can witness your signature on the paperwork. Once the process is done, the other person will download their notarized files and you’ll get paid.

15: Take Your Thrift Finds Online to Sell

Thrifting has become a very popular pastime for many individuals. These people go to places like Goodwill and look for items that normally shouldn't be sold for that little. you can become a thrifter and take your finds online to sell or flip to interested individuals.

Shop at places like Goodwill or the Salvation Army. Even garage sales or estate sales can provide good products for you to flip online. You can use platforms like the Facebook marketplace, eBay, and other sites or apps to sell these items for profit.

Some of the most popular things you can flip are luxury handbags, clothing, electronics, or vintage items that are now hard to find. Make sure you do some research before spending any money on a thrift store find so that you know how much potential there is to sell it for a profit.

16: See If You Can Flip Domains for Profits

Just as you can flip tangible items, you can also flip domains for income. You have two different ways you can achieve this goal. The first is to register domains that are currently not owned by anyone else, and then sell those to someone else.

You can either sell the domain unused or build the site up so that it has a high ranking in the search engine results pages before you flip it so that it sells for more. You can also purchase domains that have expired and flip those to interested parties as well.

17: Start Selling Private Label Rights 

Private label rights (PLR) are a good side hustle because you can work at your own pace, create content that others will buy, and sell the same bundle to multiple individuals instead of just having a single client as a ghostwriter.

You can create all kinds of content to sell as PLR, including articles, reports, full eBooks, email autoresponders, product reviews, and social media posts. You can also create them in multimedia formats, including text, images, video, and audio files.

The great thing about PLR is that you only have to do the work once and then you get to profit from your efforts for years to come. This is a great way to use your side hustle as a passive profit system.

18: Launch Your Own Podcast for Ad Revenue

If you don't want to write the content, and you have no desire to be on camera, then you might want to consider creating a podcast on a popular topic that people will tune into. You can publish a podcast that will not cost you anything on sites like Anchor.fm.

In fact, not only does it not cost you anything, but you can get paid for allowing ads to run on your episodes. The average earnings for advertisements are approximately $20 to $25 for a 30 to 60 seconds spot.

Your podcast doesn't have to be anything fancy. You don't need any special equipment. If you have a good smartphone, you can even record directly onto that and upload to the platform to begin earning.

19: Start Earning from Creator Funds on Social Networks

There are many different sites that pay creators a stipend from what's known as a creator fund. These are usually found on social media networks such as TikTok, YouTube and Instagram, to name a few.

What you have to focus on is the creation of good content that generates a buzz within your niche topic. You want to prove that you can get a good deal of traffic to your content and that it clearly engages people to either like, share, comment or subscribe to your channel.

This is not something that will happen overnight, but if you start creating content consistently, you may find yourself being offered a share of the creator funds in a very short time.

20: Launch Your Own Affiliate Niche Blog

Some people don't want to work for another person, such as a client as a freelance ghostwriter. Instead, you can purchase a domain for as little as $0.99 and to pay for hosting that's under $10 a month if you want to start an affiliate niche blog.

You want to pick a topic that you are passionate about, so you won't mind creating content frequently for it. Your affiliate niche blog can position you as a leading expert on that topic, but you will also be giving product recommendations to your audience.

You can find both digital and tangible products to promote to your readers in niches like survival, pets, anti-aging, health, fitness, and more. You can look for products to promote on sites like ClickBank, Warrior Plus, JVZoo, Commission Junction, Share-a-Sale, Amazon and more.

21: Invest in Stock to Open an eCommerce Store

You may want to open your own eCommerce store. While you can do this on your own platform, you can also create your own store on a site as big as Amazon. There are basically three steps to profiting from your own online store.

First, you need to find a product that is in high demand so that you know it will sell. Next, you want to find a way to buy that product in bulk at a discount such as a wholesaler price.

Finally, you will sell the item at a marked-up price point online so that you end up generating a profit. Check out programs such as Amazon FBA system that allows you to have Amazon store your inventory and ship your products out to buyers.

22: Become an Audio Narrator 

There are thousands of self-published authors on sites like Amazon and Barnes Noble’s Nook now. These individuals don’t just want to sell digital or print books because there’s a lot of money to be made in offering an audiobook version of their product as well.

But most don’t have time to narrate their own books, so they hire voice actors to create the audiobook version. If you’re good at acting and have a pleasant voice, you can make a lot of money with a narrator side hustle.

Create a quiet home studio to record in and create a portfolio of samples using a variety of characters and situations as well as a range of emotions. Make sure they know what genre you feel most adept at reading.

You can find jobs for narrators on sites like Voices, Upwork, and ACX to name a few. Each site will have different rules and steps. You can usually choose whether you want to be paid in a flat fee or as a percentage of the earnings of the audiobook.

23: Create and Sell a Smartphone App

Digital download apps are very popular, and many people are using easy technology to create and sell apps of their own, or create them for other marketers who don’t know how to do this.

You can create apps for gaming, business, photography, education, fitness and more. You can even create an app that aggregates the news stories from all over the world and presents them to the user in one place.

24: Sign Up as a Twitch Streamer

If you like to game or even cook, you can make money creating a Twitch stream where users are able to tune into you in a live setting and contribute to your online money making efforts.

Not only can you receive partnerships from official brands, but you can also make money selling your own merchandise, selling subscriptions to your Twitch stream, and from donations people make because they appreciate your channel.

25: Profit from a Self-Publishing Author Career

There are many men and women who have launched their own career as an author online with zero startup money. You can write your own book (either fiction or nonfiction) and publish it on sites like Amazon at no upfront cost.

This platform will take a percentage of the sale as their payment. You just need to write to market and create a cover that is in line with others in that genre or niche and you can start seeing sales come in quickly.

26: Teach English Online to Foreigners

Because many can’t travel, even during non-pandemic times, they often turn to English teachers online to help them learn the language. This is a different atmosphere than just learning from a book or audio course because there’s real, human interaction.

The students can learn common phrases and sentences as well as slang terms most likely used in conversation with others. There are many platforms that hire English teachers for foreign learners, and they pay anywhere from $10-25 per hour.

27: Get Paid to Test Things 

Whenever people create something, they often need an outside set of eyes and the user experience that is not part of the company to let them know whether or not things are working as planned.

You can sign up to become an official tester of products on a platform like UserTesting.com. This site will have you take a practice test in order to be a contributor. Once you pass the test and are accepted, you will then be able to browse all the opportunities and answer questions to see if you match with the vendor’s needs. If and when they hire you, you will test whatever element of their business they need help with and get paid for your participation.

28: Start Selling Print on Demand Products Online 

Print on demand products are an easy way to increase your earnings as a side hustle. You can design things that other companies will create for you and send out to your customers as orders come in.

For example, if you want to design t-shirts or images or quotes that will go on coffee mugs, you can set this up on a shop of your own and allow people to go to your store and order whatever size they want and have it shipped to them from the company.

29: Sign Up for Paid Focus Groups

Market research companies need many men and women to answer questions to their surveys on behalf of corporations and brands who need consumer input. You can sign up for many different paid focus groups and get paid per project or per hour.

Sometimes, they may be looking for a certain demographic, such as people of a certain gender, race, geographic location, or income level. They may want only parents to respond or people who are of a specific political affiliation.

You don’t want to sign up for any platforms where you are expected to pay anything. Legitimate platforms will pay you once you’re prequalified for a focus group and have participated in their session.

30: See What Dropshipping Opportunities Exist

You might want to get into dropshipping as your side hustle or choice. This can be done in many different niches. You’ll create a store for customers to order from. After they order, you forward the order and money for the product to the main supplier, keeping a portion of the profits for yourself.

The supplier will ship the product directly to the customer. This is similar to how Amazon’s FBA program works, only you don’t have to source the products and send them to Amazon.

It’s a bit like affiliate marketing, but the customer will pay you and you then pay the company. You can get into dropshipping in niches like health, kitchen gadgets, home improvement, weddings, photography, gaming and more.

The post 30 Best Online Side Hustle for Extra Income appeared first on Smart Marketers Tools.

The Nigerian writer, Ben Okri once said: “Reading is an act of civilization; it's one of the greatest acts of civilization because it takes the free raw material of the mind and builds castles of possibilities.”

If you are an entrepreneur who want to build your castle of possibilities, you must raise your game when it comes to reading. This is not a case of whether you like to read or not (as some people claim that they don’t like to write). This is a case of recognizing that your long-term success as an entrepreneur, depend on you reading. Yes, deep and insightful reading. If you don’t like to read (or you don’t have the time), then listen to the audio books!

Spending time reading every day, will open your mind to the wisdom and insight of great leaders, entrepreneurs, and thinkers.

Indeed, I believe that you cannot take your business to the next level if you don’t read.

In a recent article published in Blinkist Magazine, Sandra Wu wrote that “the world’s highest achievers have one thing in common: an appreciation for reading. Books were their most profitable investment.”

Warren Buffett, the legendary investor, is famously known to spend about 80% of his day reading. He reads about 600 – 1,000 pages a day. Obviously, you don’t need any more proof that reading pays handsomely.

So, the question is: what do you read? I’d say you should be reading everything – from fiction to non-fiction, including poetry. But given that you are a marketer, I would suggest that you read the following marketing books this year to help you learn about marketing and develop the right business success mindset.

Relationship marketing is the type of marketing that really builds a brand. If you want to be known as the “go-to” person for your niche, you need to learn as much as you can about relationship marketing. Basilico’s book is fun to read and will make you laugh out loud, but it’s also a serious marketing book with tips and advice that will help you learn enough about relationship marketing to get you started on the right track.

Relationships are the currency of business. More often than not, relationships begin with a smile and a handshake. Networking is one of the most powerful and underutilized tools in your business arsenal. These simple, quick, and easy to implement tips will help you make the most of your networking opportunities.

The book is available in paperback, kindle and in audiobook, and even has an accompanying workbook.

Book #2: The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg

This is not really a “marketing” book in the traditional sense. But learning how habits can change your life will make you a more effective marketer. When you learn to identify the actions in your life that will help you reach your goals, you can use those to work towards making them a habit.  This in turn will help you succeed in everything you do in both business and life.

The genius of this book is that you may have all the big entrepreneurial dreams and goals, but if you don’t have the habit of consistent productivity, you might as well be rolling a dice and hoping for some magic. Duhigg argues that by harnessing the science of habit formation, we can transform our businesses, our communities, and our lives.

Book #3: Internet Marketing for Small Business by Carl Willis

Every business that exists should be marketing online, especially small businesses. Online marketing is not expensive, but it is very effective. However, while many small business owners have spent considerable effort building sites and creating social media profiles, only to find that their internet marketing yield little to no results.

What many do not appreciate is that successful online marketing is more than just a beautiful website and social media.

Internet marketing expert Carl Willis shows you in this book how to identify your most profitable customer prospect and then deploy a marketing strategy that will turn your prospects into raving customers.

For any small business, even those with a minimum advertising budget, the marketing plan set out in this book is effective.

Once you grasp this marketing plan, you can use these concepts with any product, company, or service over and over again.

Book #4: Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable by Seth Godin

In this thought-provoking book, Seth Godin insists that for your marketing to be successful in this day and age, it has to be different and remarkable. Something remarkable is worth talking about… worth noticing. Your marketing has to be exceptional, refreshing, and interesting. You can’t be like everybody else, doing the same thing every competition is doing, or you’d be boring. You must be different.

Picture a “purple cow” in the midst of a herd of black and white cows. Yes, that’s how you should make your marketing to stand out for you to be successful. “Remarkable marketing,” according to Godin, “is the art of building things worth noticing right into your product or service. Not slapping on marketing as a last-minute add-on, but understanding that if your offering itself isn’t remarkable, it’s invisible.”

Now, go read the Purple Cow by Seth Godin and learn how to make your marketing remarkable. While you’re at it, order the rest of his books too.

Book #5: Digital Influencer: A Guide to Achieving Influencer Status Online by John Lincoln

Forbes magazine described this book as, "a marketing book you have to read before your competition." That’s one heck of an endorsement! You’ll want this book, not only for the advice, but for the list of tools too. Becoming an influencer can make all the difference in your business. If you have a large hungry crowd who wants what you are offering, you’ll be set for life.

Everything you create will be gobbled up like it’s going out of style. When you become the name behind your niche and a real mover and shaker online you can write your own paychecks. The author’s step-by-step instructions will help you achieve your dreams if you implement. Remember, though, that when it comes to any type of digital marketing the tools change fast, but it doesn’t dilute the importance of this book for smart marketers.

Book #6: Contagious: Why Things Catch On by Jonathan Berger

Why do some ideas seemingly spread overnight, while others disappear? Why do some products become ubiquitous, while others never gain traction? These are the questions this Wharton Business School professor tried to answer.

As one reviewer wrote about the book: “If you are seeking a bigger impact, especially with a smaller budget, you need this book.”

If you want to figure out how to make your business, product, or service explode with popularity (or as we say in modern lingo, “go viral”), you should read this book. You will learn how social influence and word of mouth can skyrocket your marketing. Indeed, social influence has a huge impact on whether products, ideas and behaviors catch on. And while traditional advertising is still useful, word of mouth from everyday Joes and Janes is at least 10X more effective.

Book #7: Digital Marketing for Dummies, 2^nd Edition by Ryan Deiss and Russ Henneberry

It doesn’t get any more friendly and approachable than this guide. With proven tactics and strategies to help expand your brand’s reach, increase engagement, and generate more sales (from SEM and SEO best practices to effective content marketing techniques and influencer marketing), Digital Marketing for Dummies is a great place to start.

I have followed both Deiss and Henneberry for years, and I can tell you that they walk the talk. Deiss built one of the most influential digital marketing businesses in the world, and they wrote this book out of the wealth of experience building and running multiple highly-successful and hugely-profitable digital marketing businesses.

For me, the two most important chapters in that book are Chapters 1 and 2: “Understanding the Customer Journey,” and “Choosing the Right Marketing Campaign,” respectively. If you know your customer and know where and how to reach her, you have a winning game. You can take that to the bank. Of course, the rest of the chapters are all very useful.

Book #8: The 4-Hour Work Week: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich by Timothy Ferris

When this book first came out, some critics charged that Ferris was promoting some lazy get-rick quick philosophy. Some people tend to believe that you have to work yourself to death to justify your success. 

Indeed, the pandemic has shown that you don’t need the long commute and crazy 9-5 grind to be productive. Many people were highly productive from their homes or wherever they were staying during the lock-down, using the tools of automation and productivity and time management.

I have always believed that anyone starting out a business must read this book, if you haven’t done so already. Even if you have read the book, you should read it again. There is a reason the book has been translated into over 35 languages, and has remained a New York Times best-seller for several years.

This book is a blueprint on how to live more and work less, whether your dream is escaping the rat race, experiencing high-end world travel, or earning a monthly five-figure income with zero management.

Book #9: Building a StoryBrand: Clarify Your Message So Customer Will Listen by Donald Miller

This book is NOT about telling your company’s story. It might surprise you to know that customers don’t really care about your story. I know this is counter to what “marketing gurus” advise you to do. They encourage you to tell your story. But Donald Miller found in his research that customers actually care more about their own story and less about yours.

You see, “your customer should be the hero of the story, not your brand. This is the secret every phenomenally successful business understands.” 

Miller gives you in this book a seven-part framework (what he calls, SB7 Framework) with which to clarify your message and sharpen your marketing. This framework works, regardless of your industry. 

Bottom line is: marketing has changed. Businesses that invite their customers into a heroic story grow. Businesses that don’t are forgotten. Go read Building a StoryBrand today if you want to grow your business in 2021 and beyond.

Book #10: Hooked: How to Build Habit Forming Products by Nir Eyal

This book is about understanding the science of habit formation and how companies used that science to develop products that get their customers “hooked.” The author Nir Eyal wrote: “Through consecutive Hook cycles, successful products reach their ultimate goal of unprompted user engagement, bringing users back repeatedly, without depending on costly advertising or aggressive messaging.”

Eyal gives you a four-step process used to encourage customer behavior subtly which can ultimately drive conversion.

This book is ideal for marketers working with habit-forming products but can also be applied across the larger continuum of marketing.

Book #11: Blue Ocean Strategy: How To Create Uncontested Market Space and Make the Competition Irrelevant by W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne

This book has sold over 4 million copies! And it’s for a reason. When competition becomes intense and market share shrinks and cost is skyrocketing, what do you do? When the ocean turns red with blood, do you continue to swim in it, or do you get out and look for a blue ocean? Authors W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne, professors at INSEAD, share strategies for identifying and tapping new markets successfully.

The book shows you how to get out of a red ocean of bloody competition and into a blue ocean of uncontested market space characterized by new demand and strong profitable growth. The book argues that competition should not occupy the center of strategic thinking. 

Instead of drowning yourself in that ego-driven, cut-throat competition, why not apply your strategic creativity to carve out a new market space that you can dominate? The authors show you how to do that.

Book #12: The 1-Page Marketing Plan: Get New Customers, Make More Money, and Stand Out from the Crowd by Allan Dib

In this highly practical book, serial entrepreneur, Allan Dib maintains that to build a successful business, you need to stop doing random acts of marketing and start following a reliable plan for rapid business growth. To create a marketing plan, however, is often difficult and time-consuming. Hence, many entrepreneurs just don’t do it.

In The 1-Page Marketing Plan, Dib shows you a strategy that makes creating a marketing plan simple and fast.

 As the title of the book says, it's literally a single page, divided up into nine squares. With it, you'll be able to create your marketing plan and build your successful business.

Whether you are just starting out or are an experienced entrepreneur, this book should be a must-read as it is the easiest and fastest way to create a marketing plan that will propel your business growth.

Bonus: Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert Cialdini

This highly acclaimed national bestseller is in my opinion, the bible of marketing. Originally published in 1984 (and have been revised and updated multiple times), renowned professor of behavioral science and marketing, Robert Cialdini, shows you how to apply the psychology of persuasion to attract and hold an army of loyal customers to your business.

Based on over 35 years of rigorous, evidence-based research, Prof. Cialdini breaks down why people say yes, and how you can apply that understanding in building your marketing campaign.

You will learn the science behind such proven marketing strategies like reciprocity, social proof, liking, authority, and scarcity, and how to practice them in your marketing.

So, now you got it… go ahead and start reading without ceasing. Tell us in the chart, what marketing books you read recently.

The post 12 Best Marketing Books to Read in 2023 [UPDATED] appeared first on Smart Marketers Tools.

Successful entrepreneurs are not born, they are made. No matter what line of business they do, successful entrepreneurs share certain common traits that predict their successes.

If you aspire to be a successful entrepreneur, you will achieve your aspirations faster if you possess these traits. Often, the hindrance to entrepreneurial success does not lie with the outside forces but with what the entrepreneur has inside of them. Do you have what it takes?

In this article, you will learn about the key traits that make a business owner into a successful entrepreneur. You do not have to possess all of them in the beginning, but it will give you something to strive for as you and your business begin to grow. 

What Are the Traits of Successful Entrepreneurs?

What is a trait anyway? It is an attribute of your character that makes you who you are. It determines how you will react in certain situations. All traits are learned but it is by practice that we internalize them. 

Having the traits of a successful entrepreneur benefits other areas of your life too. A successful entrepreneur is not just business savvy but also a success in other areas of their lives because they apply the same traits here. It is a pattern that, once recognized, can be seen everywhere and in everything that you put your hand to.

Setting goals

Goals are the benchmarks we use to judge our success or failure. An entrepreneur will have a history of goal setting and achievements. In school, you met challenges both physical and mental.  To accomplish them, you learned how to break them down into manageable pieces called goals.  Every milestone reached made you more confident and fueled your efforts for the next step.

The post 7 Traits of Successful Entrepreneurs appeared first on Smart Marketers Tools.