homebiznotes.com

December 26th, 2007

5 Tips for Planning “After Christmas” & “After New Year’s” Sales at Your Home Business

 Home Biz Notes.com

Shoppers often look for “after Christmas” and “after New Year’s” sales.  So home business owners can utilize this as a shopping promotion, too.  The manager of a mall store told me shoppers are always coming into her store looking for special sales after Christmas and for new sales to start out the new year.  So her store regularly plans specials

1. Do you have Christmas or seasonal items you don’t want to hold over for another year?  Put these out at reduced prices in your shop and online…while supplies last.

2.  Plan a New Year’s special or beginning of the year special on specific items or to the first 10 or 20, etc. customers.

3. Run some specials on services through a specific date or to a specific number of customers, if this is a slower time for your business.

(However, when you plan your specials, make sure you aren’t getting yourself into a bind where you’re going to lose money on the items you sell.  If they are products you don’t want to hold over and store for another year, that’s one thing.  But make sure when you introduce new items at a special price, you state some limits or “while supplies last”.)

4. Organize an “Open House” right after the new year starts to introduce new items.  These may not necessarily be items on sale but new ones you’re planning to feature.  You might offer refreshments and door prizes with these.

5. Develop a gift card program whereby customers can purchase gift cards to give to recipients who use them to purchase from your store.  Laura Spencer, blogger at Work From Home Momma, mentioned gift cards in her post, After Christmas Sales - Top Tips for the Small Business Owner.

If our own household is any indication, gift cards were a major part of Christmas this year. For the first time that I can remember, every single person in my immediate family received at least one gift card as part of their Christmas, said Laura.

 What do you use for special promotions this time of year?

(c)2007 Mary Emma Allen

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By Mary Emma Allen -- 4 comments

November 22nd, 2007

25 Activities to Keep Youngsters Busy in A Home Business Household

Are you’re trying to operate your home business this weekend while the children are home from school?  Do you become dismayed by the many interruptions?  (In the United States, most schools are closed so students have a 4 1/2 day holiday weekend.)

Laura Spencer at Work from Home Momma has just the solution!  Check out her post, Twenty-five Thanksgiving Activities and Puzzles for Kids. 

Ah!  Now to get some work done on the Internet, finish making items for an order, or wait on customers in your shop while the youngsters are occupied with Laura’s suggestions and checking out activities in books you may have on hand. 

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By Mary Emma Allen -- 2 comments

November 22nd, 2007

Happy Thanksgiving from Home Biz Notes

For those who celebrate in the United States….Happy Thanksgiving Day and may you have many blessings to count.

For those who don’t have this holiday, may you have a very happy day, too.

The majority of businesses are closed here including home business owners. We usually spend the day with family, getting together with members they may not have seen for awhile. Often friends join us, too.

We have snow on the ground at our home in New Hampshire, the first of the season. So…snow and Thanksgiving herald the beginning of our winter season.

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By Mary Emma Allen -- 0 comments

November 5th, 2007

Developing Creative Home Business Promotions

Developing creative promotions for your home business adds interest and draws more customers, or in the case of blogs, more viewers and participants.  Some of these will encourage customers to visit your walk-in shop.  Other promotions can increase customer awareness of your online presence.   

Noreen at Hankering for Yarn has developed a promotion around a doll she created, Tottie Tomato.  A whole world has around Tottie, complete with stories and activities. 

The most recent?   Noreen and Tottie invite you to a virtual tea party, where you can enjoy a cup of tea with other artists and crafters.  Also, invite someone to tea with you and share your favorite arts and crafts stories.

Noreen even has a gift for some lucky guest…read more about it at Hankering for Yarn. You’ll also find there links to all the activities surrounding Tottie.

This may give you ideas for promotions you envision for your business. 

*A mascot

*A story or ongoing ones

*A contest

*Special decorations

*Theme prizes…to suggest a few

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By Mary Emma Allen -- 2 comments

October 31st, 2007

Have an Idea for a Home Business?

Darlene, at Interview Chatter, mentions an interesting idea in her post, Need a Job?  Got An Idea? Check Out Cutie Pies.  She refers to Shai Coggins’ blog, Just Make Money Online, for her inspiration. 

Are you up to a dare?  Darlene is putting out one...”what can you do, what ideas do you have that will help you generate wealth?  I dare you to take an idea and just see what and just see what could come of it! ”

If you have an idea to share, Darlene invites you to share your story in her comments section.  Share that idea for your home business…or one you’ve already started.

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By Mary Emma Allen -- 2 comments

October 26th, 2007

Home Biz Notes Post Mentioned at Biz Chicks Rule

Biz Chicks Rule, one of the new blogs at b5media’s Business Channel, written by co-bloggers Bridget Wright and Kristen King, features topics of interest to women in business.  Bridget, in Really, Really, I DO Really Work! , touches upon one of the topics I’ve often addressed over the years.  Moms with home businesses really do work.

In her post, Bridget refers to my suggestions for moms to feel and appear professional.  We seem to be on the same wave length.  I think you’ll also find Bridget’s analysis of the situation of interest and helpful if you’re one of the moms, or grandmoms, who operates a home business…but friends and family seem to think you have unlimited time to volunteer and run errands. 

(Not that moms  without home businesses don’t work.   That’s another whole  topic!  And one of my pet peeves.)

How do you handle the situation when family, friends, and others think you have a great deal of free time because you work from your home?

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By Mary Emma Allen -- 0 comments

October 22nd, 2007

Home Business Owners Should Consider Retirement Plans

Home business owners are self-employed.  If they or their spouse don’t have another job with a retirement plan, they may find themselves lacking when they want to slow down.  It’s also often very puzzling to know what to select.

Miranda at Yielding Wealth, discusses this in her post, Retirement Plans for the Self-Employed, and gives specifics on the various ones you can consider.  Miranda discusses the one she has chosen as well as several others.

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By Mary Emma Allen -- 2 comments

October 15th, 2007

Blog Action Day - You Create the Environment for Your Home Business

What is our environment?  What do we mean by environmental awareness? To some people it means going green.  To others it means picking up trash.  Still others associate environment with pleasant surroundings to work and live in whether their walls are green, pink, gold, or red.   

   And some surround themselves with flowers to bring color and fragrance to their space.

  My word finder defines environment as habitat, surroundings, setting, locale, background, situation, circumstances or living conditions.   Take your pick! 

Environment comes from the French word environ for “around” and refers to the things or circumstances surrounding us.

Creating Your Own Environment

So….you create the environment for your home business.  You determine your attitude which in turn reflects on the environment you maintain.  You affect your small corner of the world and send ripples out into the larger scheme of things. 

Start with yourself, your home, your home business.  Create an environment that makes you feel good and extends to others around you…your family, friends, customers, and clients.  Your pleasing attitude and attractive environment will ripple out to them and come back in the form of friendships, repeat customers, and

I learned, after my mother’s death, that her attitude in her country general store had gained her many friends.  Her caring attitude, the friendly environment of her place of business, and her desire to help others had made a difference in their lives.  I received cards, notes, and phone calls, even years later, from people who were affected by the environment she created at her small country grocery store.

How are you creating an environment for your home business?

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By Mary Emma Allen -- 2 comments

October 10th, 2007

Does an Eating Disorder Interfere with Your Home Business?

 Eating disorders can affect anyone, male and female and almost every age.  Often these conditions interfere with one’s ability to work well at their business, their craft, their profession.  These disorders generally range from eating too much and of the wrong type of food to eating too little.  Any of these can play havoc with your health, lead to other situations and cause you to be less productive.  (I know…I’ve been there…read below.) 

New Eating Disorder Blog 

 If you’re experiencing any of these situations and desire to learn more about eating disorders or find someone who understands what you’re going through, visit the new b5media blog, Breaking the Mirror by Julia Anna.  She is a recovering anorexic and shares her story, as well as provides resources.   Julia Anna also discusses the overeating that affects people on the other side of the eating disorder spectrum.

Personal Experience with Anorexia

I’ve lived with anorexia since I was 20 years old. (I’m a grandmother now!)  That was before the doctors labeled it and really knew much about the condition.  I’ve learned to control it, but must constantly be on guard that anorexia doesn’t control me again.  I’m  finding Julie Anna’s blog very informative and am learning to understand myself better.

What about you?   

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By Mary Emma Allen -- 4 comments

October 7th, 2007

Home Biz Notes Blogger Writes Guest Post

My guest post, Take Your Writing on Tour , appears at Grow Your Writing Business.  Here I give tips for realizing the potential of speaking to earn additional income from a writing business.

However, most any home business owner can turn to speaking.  This becomes enjoyable, helps promote your business, and can develop another stream of income. 

Opportunities for Speaking - They’re out there, everywhere, if you’ll use some creativity and ingenuity (and utilize some of the suggestions in my post at Grow Your Writing Business).  Some of these speaking invitations may not result in paying gigs at first, yet will generate publicity and name recognition for your business. 

*Local clubs and organizations

*School and college career days

*Guest speaker at elementary, high school, and college classes, depending on your buisness and the type class.

*Presenter at school assembly

*Speaker at business conferences

As you read these, you’ll find other ideas coming to mind.  As you begin speaking, you’ll discover other opportunities cropping up.

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