1. Do what you enjoy.

What you get out of your business in the form of personal satisfaction,
financial gain, stability and enjoyment will be the sum of what you put
into your business.

2. Take what you do seriously.

You cannot expect to be effective and successful in business unless you
truly believe in your business and in the goods and services that you
sell.

3. plan everything.

Planning every aspect of your business is not only a must, but also
builds habits that every home business owner should develop, implement,
and maintain. The act of business planning is so important because it
requires you to analyze each business situation, research and compile
data, and make conclusions based mainly on the facts as revealed through
the research.

4. Ask for the sale.

A business entrepreneur must always remember that marketing, advertising,
or promotional activities are completely worthless, regardless of how
clever, expensive, or perfectly targeted they are, unless one simple
thing is accomplished–ask for the sale.

5. Remember it’s all about the customer.

Your business is all about your customers, or clients, period. After all,
your customers are the people that will ultimately decide if your
business goes boom or bust.

6. Project a positive business image.

You have but a passing moment to make a positive and memorable impression
on people with whom you intend to do business. Home business owners must
go out of their way and make a conscious effort to always project the
most professional business image possible.

7. Invest in yourself.

Top entrepreneurs buy and read business and marketing books, magazines,
reports, journals, newsletters, websites and industry publications,
knowing that these resources will improve their understanding of business
and marketing functions and skills.

8. Build a rock-solid reputation.

A good reputation is unquestionably one of the business owner’s most
tangible and marketable assets. You can’t simply buy a good reputation;
it’s something that you earn by honoring your promises.

9. Get involved.

Always go out of your way to get involved in the community that supports
your business. You can do this in many ways, such as pitching in to help
local charities or the food bank, becoming involved in organizing
community events, and getting involved in local politics.

10. Master the art of negotiations.

In business, negotiation skills are used daily. Always remember that
mastering the art of negotiation means that your skills are so finely
tuned that you can always orchestrate a win-win situation.

11. Get and stay organized.

The key to staying organized is not about which type of file you have or
whether you keep a stack or two of papers on your desk, but it’s about
managing your business. It’s about having systems in place to do things.

12. Get to know your customers.

Call it high-tech backlash if you will, but customers are sick and tired
of hearing that their information is somewhere in the computer and must
be retrieved, or told to push a dozen digits to finally get to the right
department only to end up with voice mail–from which they never receive
a return phone call.

13. Follow-up constantly.

Constant contact, follow-up, and follow-through with customers,
prospects, and business alliances should be the mantra of every home
business owner, new or established. Constant and consistent follow-up
enables you to turn prospects into customers, increase the value of each
sale and buying frequency from existing customers, and build stronger
business relationships with suppliers and your core business team.