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June 2, 2014 0 Comments

How I Grew my Virtual Business by 50% in 3 Months

In 2013, I boosted sales by 50% in 3 months, while also cutting my stress and workload by about 25%.

Before I get into the details of how to make money online, first you should know about a very special group of 15-year-olds running a Billion-dollar business.

Yes, that’s Billion with a “B”…

Miraculous Billion-Dollar Teens

In their personal lives they can be air-headed and make bad decisions clouded by hormones.

For some of them it’s a miracle they even graduate from high school.

YET…

When they yank on their work uniform suddenly they’re *the* heartbeat of McDonald’s, one of history’s greatest business successes.

Collectively, this teenaged staff (still too young to buy booze) are serving 70 Million people every single day!

…while getting almost ZERO complaints and making a tidal wave of sales… day after day after day… predictably, successfully, profitably.

YET…

You and I – as smart, proud entrepreneurs and salespeople – struggle to manage our load of 20 – 30 active prospects, projects, and customers at any given time.

We follow-up inadequately with new opportunities, we often ignore our best customers, and quickly fall behind on paperwork and filing taxes.

What’s wrong with this picture?

It’s simple.  The solution is SYSTEMS.

Let me use fiery NASCAR driver Danica Patrick to explain…

Tim VS. Danica – It’s ON Like Donkey Kong

Let’s say Danica challenges me to a 1/4 mile drag race – fastest down the strip wins.

She gets to drive her fire-breathing, 750-horsepower NASCAR race car.

Me, a far inferior driver, is allowed to race my everyday, 200-horsepower Mustang.

I would get destroyed.

BUT…

If we swapped cars, I’d crush Danica.  Every. single. time.

How can that be?  After all, she’s *such* a better driver than me!

Well, a car is nothing more than a big system, made up of a bunch of smaller systems: cooling system, fuelling system, steering system, etc.

When I’m driving Danica’s 750-horsepower race car, I’m a fairly average person running a world-class machine – just slam on the gas and keep it pointed straight down the track!

Because the race car’s systems makes it SO easy to go really fast, instantly I’m smoking Danica every single time.

When Danica’s in my (much, much slower) 200-horsepower Mustang, she’s a world-class driver running a fairly average machine.  Even though she could handle so much more, she’s completely limited by the system she’s running.

And *this* is the major difference between entrepreneurs and McDonald’s….

You Are Handicapped By Your Systems

You are like Danica driving an everyday Mustang.  You’re a world-class talent being completely held back by the systems you’re running in your business.

You’ve probably got ho-hum systems to get new customers / clients / investors.

Ineffective systems to complete paperwork and reporting.

Maybe even inefficient systems to produce your product / service.

But McDonald’s?

They’re a bunch of 15-year-olds driving Danica’s 750 Horsepower race car – fairly average workers driving world-class systems, producing world-class business.

The Kids of McDonald’s make Billions while entrepreneurs burn the midnight oil scratching out a living.  Always remember…

Stellar systems, driven by average people,

Will always beat

Stellar people running average systems.

My Path to Systems and Increased Profit

Since 2003 I’d read The E-Myth (Micheal Gerber), Built to Sell (John Warrilow), The 4-Hour Workweek (Tim Ferriss).  All of these books were inspirational but short on details.  I struggled.

My marketing business – Tim Francis Marketing – was growing.  In 2012 it hit a plateau.  I couldn’t possibly take on another stitch of work – I was maxed out.  Or more accurately – my business model was maxed out.

Then in 2012, I read Work the System by Sam Carpenter, which rocked my world.  Best book on small business systems out there.  I immediately took the Work the System Group Coaching, offered by Sam Carpenter and Josh Fonger.

Over the course’s 3 short months I adapted the general lessons they taught – intended for any kind of small business – specifically for my 100% online, virtual business.  I’m sure you’d agree running a business entirely online with staff around the world in multiple time zones is far different than a brick-and-mortar factory or warehouse.

With my first few systems in place, I was now ready to hire staff.  I turned to HireMyMom.com and had two winning applicants working for me within weeks, each executing systems I’d created just a few weeks previous.

In the end, the revenue of my small marketing company soared by 50%, and my work week lightened by about 25% – from around 60 hours to only 45 hours / week.

Today the process continues.  I haven’t reached Tim Ferriss’ 4-Hour Workweek, nor have I reached Sam Carpenter’s 2-Hour Workweek… yet.  But I’ve made some colossal strides forward and sincerely hope I can help you learn how to make money online too.

Onwards and Upwards,

Tim

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Tim Francis teaches How To Systemize Your Virtual Business at http://www.SmoothOnlineSystems.com.  Tim also runs his marketing company, which has clients in CAN, USA, and AUS, spanning from $150K in sales all the way up to $100MM.

Check out these other great articles about home-based business as a work from home professional. Also check out our home-based job descriptions and current job postings for mom professionals.

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April 30, 2014 0 Comments

Why Having a Third Space is Good for Your Business

Have you ever thought of using a coworking space or a business incubator to give you that “third” space for your home business? We all know working from home really is a big challenge. If you have young kids in the house, taking a conference call is hard to schedule between nap times. You want quiet to be able to do your work and knock out that client project. But you don’t want that eerie quiet that suddenly sets in when you go, “uh-oh, what are the children doing” and you find the dog getting a makeover. When you do get out of the house to take that client meeting, you are either meeting at the client’s location or you have picked your local coffee shop. Neither place really gives you a chance to show that you are a professional running a professional enterprise. Plus, when working only from home, it’s just you having to work on your projects all by yourself. One of the biggest benefits of working in an office environment is that you are surrounded by your peers. You can bounce ideas off of them, have conversations, and get inspiration on how to tackle problems. Adults need adult time too, away from the kids every now and then.

What you need is a good “third” space to give you the things that your home office just can’t give you. There are many kinds of “third” spaces out there that help get your business moving to the next step. Think about joining a coworking space that has a good vibe and gels with the business you are building. There are coworking spaces that cater to programmers, artists, makers, marketers, and professional services. Some of the best coworking spaces have a nice mix of these kinds of people in them. Coworking gives you a chance to have that professional adult time and work on business problems and get access to a professional office environment, conference rooms, and have a real business address. You know, someplace that you would feel good having a meeting with a client. Many of the coworking spaces offer programs to help you with your business. Session speakers, hackathons, and other networking events are usually part of the membership fee.

Also over the last few years, business incubators have opened their doors up to more than just tech companies. The incubator I am involved with has a mix of tech, legal, marketing, healthcare, and retail companies. In the same vein of coworking, you get a professional space with some additional support from programs that might be offered by the local venture capital firm, university or community college to help with your business. All good resources to have, especially if you need to have a summer intern to knock out that branding project you have not had a chance to get around to.

It is long winded, but here is the point. Get out and socialize your business. Make connections, build a network of like minded entrepreneurs that are willing to help each other. The best place to start is in a coworking space or business incubator. Make the time for yourself to pursue your business objectives. Even if it is just one or two days a week, you’ll find that being a solopreneur isn’t so lonely when you find others that are just like you trying to solve the same kinds of problems.

Check out these other great articles about productivity / time management as a work from home professional. Also check out our current job postings for mom professionals.

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January 14, 2014 0 Comments

Challenging Times Call for Creative Hiring Solutions

In today’s economy, many businesses are having to downsize and cut back expenses every place possible in order to survive. This includes letting valued employees go – often times with much regret. And unfortunately some believe our economy will not improve for a couple of years. So what are businesses to do? How do you support and grow a business if your employee pool is or will be dwindling? Are there creative hiring solutions?

Outsourcing is a Creative Hiring Solution

The good news is that many businesses are finding a perfect solution in outsourcing to independent professionals. These professionals offer the same skills and experience as an on-site employee yet they work as an independent, not requiring employee benefits or office space. One of the largest pools of independent professionals is mom professionals who have left the workforce voluntarily or involuntarily.

Many of them are looking for ways especially now to help supplement their families’ income. And in some cases support their family altogether if their spouse has been laid off. These professionals are experienced and educated but are seeking the freedom and flexibility to work hours that are more conducive to having a family. Some of them work part time and some work full time. Some of them work on an hourly basis and others work on a salary or by the project. What’s great for them and for the company is that studies have proven that a person’s productivity actually goes up when working from a home office. This is at least partly due to the fact that independent workers want to prove themselves and go above and beyond expectations to ensure the work keeps flowing to them.

A Win-Win Solutions

The beauty of it is that these creative hiring solutions is a win-win for the company and the professional. In the majority of cases the company saves on payroll and employee benefits and the professional is pleased to have flexible work and puts forth his or her best effort to make sure the work keeps coming in. For more information on hiring at home professionals, visit www.HireMyMom.com.

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Lesley Pyle is the founder and president of HBWM.com Inc. which includes the national association of Home-Based Working Moms helping moms network, learn and grow in their role as a Home-Based Working Mom and HireMyMom.com connecting at-home Mom Professionals with home-based jobs and projects in virtually every career field.  Pyle has been featured in numerous publications including Forbes, Entrepreneur, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Home Office Computing, and many others.  Twitter @lesleypyle and @hiremymom

Check out these other great articles about tips for mom as a work from home professional.Also check out our current job postings for mom professionals.

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January 3, 2014 0 Comments

Hiring a Virtual Assistant Will Help You Grow Your Business

What VAs Provide their Clients and How it Has Helped Their Business

As a home based entrepreneur, most of us look forward to getting to the point where we need to outsource work. If we are outsourcing, we must be busier than we can handle and looking to lighten our load. If that’s the case, you’ll want to take a look inside the opportunities available to home business owners in hiring a virtual assistant (VA).

What is a Virtual Assistant?

If you have not heard of a Virtual Assistant, they are “highly skilled professionals who excel in their given area of expertise. They provide extensive marketing solutions, administrative support, proofing, editing, website design, bookkeeping and many other specialized services for entrepreneurs, small businesses, authors, and others who want to bring their business to a new level. VAs work globally taking advantage of all the many benefits the Internet offers,” Diana Ennen, author of Virtual Assistant – The Series: Become a Highly Successful, Sought After VA, says.

Ways A Virtual Assistant Will Grow Your Business

“A VA can help a client’s business grow in so many ways.  One of the main reasons a person hires a VA is to just take over the daily administrative tasks so they can focus more on their clients and customers, thus making more money and growing their business.  But once the immediate tasks are taken over by the VA, they can start to move into more of a partnership.  A VA can become the second in command for the client.  When the trust grows over time, the VA starts to work with the client’s customers, also helping to make even more money and allowing for their business to grow,” Carolyn Berg, Virtual Assistant/Owner of CyberOffice Solutions, LLC says.

Another way a VA can help a client’s business grow is research.  Most business owners do not have time to do research on the internet or make updates to databases, etc. A VA can handle research as well as help search new business alliances and opportunities.

“Carolyn Berg has been my Virtual Assistant since December 2006. She handles many responsibilities that allow me to develop and market my business. She maintains my online newsletter, creates campaigns, makes calls to clients, creates marketing packages with desktop publishing and overall, keeps me on track. She is always willing to assist me, and she has made some great suggestions toward building the business,” Tom O’Brien, owner of Tom O’Brien Productions, in Washington, CT shares.

A Virtual Assistant is a Business Owner

A virtual assistant is not only an assistant to other business owners, they are business owners themselves. They understand the ins and outs of running a business and know what is involved in owning a home based business. “VAs have a unique way of looking at problems from a business standpoint. Many of them have had their own growing pains and dealt with them which is a big advantage to businesses who use our services,” Candy Beauchamp, CVA, CRESS OffAssist says.

“I use three VAs in my business. I have my main VA who performs administrative tasks for me, another who does my accounting and a variety of others I bring in for special projects such as designing a brochure or doing research.  If I was doing all of this work, I would never have time to see the number of clients that I am able to see and consequently wouldn’t be able to achieve the income that I now can.  Beyond that, they have added capabilities to offer services to my clients that I either don’t have the skills to do or don’t have the motivation or time to do. VAs have given me back time and created a broader range of services that I can offer to clients,” Brad Farris, Anchor Advisors, Ltd, in Chicago, IL, adds.

In today’s world, you don’t have to be in a big office building to have an assistant. You simply need to look online for the many talented VAs out there. I’ve found hiring a Virtual Assistant to be a great way to help manage and grow my business.

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Lesley Pyle is the founder and president of HBWM.com Inc. which includes the national association of Home-Based Working Moms helping moms network, learn and grow in their role as a Home-Based Working Mom and HireMyMom.com connecting at-home Mom Professionals with home-based jobs and projects in virtually every career field.  Pyle has been featured in numerous publications including Forbes, Entrepreneur, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Home Office Computing, and many others.  Twitter @lesleypyle and @hiremymom

Check out these other great articles about tips for mom as a work from home professional.Also check out our current job postings for mom professionals.

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