Leanpub

Imagine that authors can actually make money writing books.

The way that Leanpub accomplishes this is to empower authors to apply Steve Blank’s Customer Development and Eric Ries’ Lean Startup principles to the process of writing and publishing a book.

Specifically, Leanpub allows authors to self-publish and sell their books–while they are in-progress. This lets authors determine if there is a market for their book and build a community of readers around their book. This community building is vital, since it not only helps authors build buzz around their books but also helps them get real feedback from real readers who are invested in the success of the book.

At Leanpub, we enable authors to publish early, publish often and listen to their readers.

The insight behind Leanpub is that the writers who are the best at doing this are bloggers, and that the best platform for writing a book is actually a blogging platform. So, we’re taking the world’s best blogging platform, WordPress MU, and making it into the best platform for writing and self-publishing books.

Take a look at the following tips on how to write online for a living:

Compare Different Writing Sites

There are countless writing sites online. Several of them are full of merit, others take some getting used to and the rest have as much potential of earning you a dollar as if you were to meditate on a stone until it turned into gold. Do your research before you start filling out registration forms and choose two or maybe even three sites to start sharing your attention. You can divide and conquer, but splitting your focus too much might just end up to be a waste of valuable time.

Realize that Freelance Writing is a Business

Freelance writing is so easy to jump into that it is necessary to issue a warning right out of the gates so those who are actually serious about making this a full time job are not fooled by the cavalier attitude of those that would treat writing as a mere hobby. It is definitely possible to make a full time income from writing online, but you must approach this goal with all the planning and energy of jump starting a home business to be successful.

Set Your Rates

Freelance writers need to decide early on what kind of rate they will be willing to write for. There are many sites that advertise lower paying jobs and online article sites may offer a share of ad revenue. It is advisable to have a mixture of both, since this protects you against fluctuations in one or the other.

Create a Freelancer Website and Blog

Every freelance writer should have a website and a blog. These two things are the marketing tools for your home business, because they display your crafty writing ability and also provide a means for interested clients to contact you for work. Think of your website as your storefront and your blog as your communication with your market.

Work on a Schedule

Finally, freelance writing does provide the lucky writer with the freedom to write from anywhere and at any time, but successful freelancers take this excess of freedom and mold it into a workable productive schedule. If you are a night owl, by all means work from midnight to four in the morning and rest during the day, but do it consistently.5 Freelance Productivity

Related Freelance Writing Articles …

Tips | All Freelance Writing

Clint Osterholz enlightens freelancers on staying on task when working for yourself.

Start Freelance Writing even if you are not fully prepared …

If you are interested in freelance writing you can get started before you are fully prepared.

Becoming a Freelance Writer « Freelance Writing Articles …

The freelance writer in home business requires you to have writing skills, good English, and the ability to write about different topics. You may like…

To become an expert takes hard work and experience. It can involve study or the honing of practical skills. It demands high standards of work. But after all this effort will you be perceived as an expert? If you feel you’ve earned the mantle of expert but are not recognized as one, here are nine ways to start establishing your reputation.

Publish a book or series of reports
The internet has made this much easier. You can now create an ebook that can be downloaded without having to involve a publisher. A well-written book or series of reports will establish your reputation as an expert in your field.

Publish a newsletter
Set one up on the internet and distribute it to your customers. This is an excellent way to regularly keep your name in front of your prospects as an authority on your subject. I personally use aweber for distribution and find it very robust.

Write press releases
Used correctly these can gain you a lot of positive publicity. Make sure the press release looks like newsworthy information and not like an advertisement.

Write Articles
By publishing information packed articles, you’ll soon enjoy the status of being seen as an authority on your topic. This can lead to joint ventures and many other exciting opportunities that you would have never enjoyed otherwise!

Create a website
Set up a user-friendly website that will appeal to customers and you have expanded the reach of your reputation. Keep it timely and informative, and people will continue to return to your site. If you don’t know how to set up a website stay tuned I’ll be releasing part one of my ‘idiots guide’ (literally) later this week.

Join associations
If you are a member of an association it will enhance your credibility. But don’t just be a member. Be an active member. This will build your reputation among your peers and lead to useful introductions. Membership can have many benefits, and it will certainly keep you up to date in your field.

Networking
You can boost your reputation and influence by speaking to the right people. Keep your name in front of your prospects. Organize mutually beneficial ventures. You cannot predict what may come from a contact so make as many as you can.

Public Speaking
Even speaking to a local group of people can establish you as an expert and get you referrals that may lead to a wider audience. If you are not sure you can speak in public, preparation and rehearsal are the keys to success. Make sure your presentation is aimed at the right level, follows a sensible sequence and will not sound like a dry textbook-like monologue. Write your main points on small cards so you are not relying solely on your memory and start in front of a small audience.

Teach workshops or seminars
If you have knowledge that people would like to tap into you can pass on your expertise. If your presentation is well planned you will be seen as an authority in your subject. You will also meet people who are likely to recommend you to others. If you are teaching a hot topic you will also be gaining a useful income stream.

Any of these methods will start building your reputation as an expert. Use them all correctly and you will gain the sort of reputation that will have potential clients approaching you without having to seek them out.

Image by Kaptain Kobold via Flickr

You have to make a change – you know this. Kid number 4 has come along or the commute is killing you, whatever, you want to work from home but what the hell do you do about it.

There are 2 broad camps, as inferred by the title – start a home business or work from home on someone else’s business.

Now for some of you the choice is simple, that little entrepreneur synap starts firing and you’ve been working for the ‘man’ for 20 years already – time to go-it alone. For others the thought of going out there without a safety net and a steady paycheck is a little too much to consider.

Personally I think there’s a middle ground, the option I took when I first started working from home – do both.

Use resources such as the hmp job-board to take on part-time and freelance gigs consistent with your skills and related to the business you want to set up in the future. If you want to set up a pr/marketing firm then use these jobs to build your resume and the breadth of your skills. As you go on you should be building your website and blog (keep an eye out for our free course – coming soon) and adding authority content that engages and creates leads.

As your following and portfolio grows you can start to apply for jobs as a company with a provable history and demonstrable authority. You can raise your prices and point people to your, by now, impressive site which will not only help you convert leads but will actually capture them from around the web.

Now, I know all of this is easier said than done but you’ll be amazed at how fast your website and reputation grows if you add a little content everyday to your site and do it in the right way. hmp only started it’s job-board in October ’09 and we have over 4000 members from all over the world – that’s 3 months!

Taking the middle road of Home Business v’s Home Job is like having 2 jobs but the security it gives you and the resume it builds will give you a stronger foundation for your future home business.

Related Video …

7 Rules for Building a Business Community

Related articles …

• Home, Sweet Home Office (usnews.com)
• Harvard Business: Predictions for 2010: Five Changes in the Way We Work (blogs.hbr.org)
• A Home Based Business Entrepreneur Offers Tips On Fighting Back The Recession (PRWeb.com)

 

1. Meet Expectations. Although the adage, “It’s better to give than to receive,” is a sentimental favorite, those with whom you do business expect to be remembered during the holidays. Holiday greeting cards help smooth your business relationships during the rest of the year by meeting expectations during the Christmas season.

2. Improve Customer Relations. Whether you have a business-to-business enterprise, provide a professional service, or own a retail store, chances are that your success is built upon maintaining relationships with your customers and clients. Christmas cards show your customers and clients that you appreciate their business, and that you want to share the spirit of the season.

3. Cost Effective. Perhaps you already buy holiday gifts and remembrances for your best customers or clients, but business holiday cards allow you to reach many more people for relatively little money. You can purchase personalized business holiday cards for as little as $1.40 each, including options to select among many different styles and verses, several colors of ink, and imprinted envelopes. This is an excellent investment in your business.

4. Excellent Return on Investment. Chances are, you and your company receive business Christmas cards from your vendors and suppliers. So, you understand the warm feelings that arise when you read their holiday cards, and you probably experience a “carryover” positive impression when you do your purchasing in the New Year. If you doubt that business holiday cards generate an excellent return on investment, ask yourself this: All other things being equal, which company would you choose to do business with – the company that sent you a holiday card every year or the company that only contacted you when it was time to reorder or collect payment?

5. Limitless Choices. With the rise of Internet and ecommerce, companies have an unprecedented opportunity to select business Christmas cards that reflect their company’s image and values. The best online sources for business holiday cards have a wide variety of high quality card designs. In addition, the best online greeting card companies offer a free choice of verse, free coordinated foil-lined envelopes, free samples of Christmas cards, and a multitude of choices for personalization.

In today’s business world, you need to take advantage of every opportunity to differentiate your company from your competition. Sending business Christmas cards is a small gesture than can mean improved customer relationships and an excellent return on investment. You really can’t afford not to send holiday cards to your customers, clients, and associates.

1. Schedule Uninterrupted Work Time

Set aside hours when the kids know that you’re working, and they can only interrupt if it’s a real emergency. You may have to explain to them exactly what constitutes a “real” emergency. If the house is on fire: emergency. If Timmy won’t share his toys: not an emergency.

2. Explain the Importance of the Family Business

If you launch your home-based business and you’re off and running, you suddenly have less time for the children. If you don’t take the time to tell them why the business is important and why it takes so much of your time, they’re bound to interrupt a lot. Sit them down and explain the many benefits of the family business, and how they can help by minimizing interruptions. With that said, being a parent is a higher priority and the most important job you have.

3. Take Turns

If you and your husband are working together in the business, you may have to take turns giving your children the needed and desired attention they require. Work in shifts and take turns managing and playing with the kids, while the other one is working on the business.

4. Involve Your Children

Even if you have very young children, they can still be involved in the family business. Young children can learn to stuff envelopes or help clean the office. Older children can learn simple bookkeeping tasks and even answer the phone for you. Pay your children for the work they do, and it will help them to learn to appreciate the family business (and understand the importance of it all). You can also assign household chores as part of the “business” tasks that they complete. Every dish that’s washed and put away is time that helps you work and contributes to more family time together at the end of the day.

5. Set Up a Rewards System

If you meet all your business goals for the week, take the family out for some special time together. Let the children know that they can help earn these treats for the whole family by being responsible, completing all their chores on time and minimizing interruptions while you’re working.

6. Schedule, Schedule, Schedule

Your schedule doesn’t have to be set in stone. In fact, it can’t be since you’re working from home. However, having an overall schedule for the whole family can help balance work and life issues. Post the schedule in an area where everyone can see it. Have a set routine for each day of the week, and include times for each child. It can list everything from independent coloring time to chores and more. No matter what subjects go into the schedule, setting a routine for the kids will help teach them responsibility, and it will keep them occupied.

Remember, you’re running a home based business for the benefit of your entire family, not just yourself. Keep this in mind and remember that there has to be a degree of flexibility when you implement these work life balance tips. If there’s a short-term family crisis, be prepared to lose a little sleep if you have to in order to continue meeting your business goals.

Love this post, originally written by Daphne Mallory at wahm.com

Hundreds of thousands of entrepreneurs use WinWeb’s OnlineOffice package, the Small Business Infrastructure which provides them with a micro business eco-system. Through this network WinWeb will be able to inform them of the campaign and hiremyparents’ service directly through their newsletters, blog and website.

Stefan Töpfer, chairman and CEO of WinWeb, added: “Winweb is about enabling people and businesses to maximise their potential. Home working parents represent a huge pool of talent that businesses are under-utilising, meaning that both the parents and the businesses are working less efficiently than they could.. It is right that many parents decide that raising their child is their major priority, however, this campaign offers those parents a flexible way to earn an income as well as maintaining their career skills. At the same time businesses can tap into a talent base that they haven’t previously been able to access, giving them top quality skills at economic prices.”

Parent Professionals can take advantage of a free lifetime membership to hiremyparents right now to find flexible work – from freelance to full-time.

Businesses can post an unlimited number of jobs and projects for free!

Students are also overwhelmed with not only their academic responsibilities but trying to balance extracurricular activities and their home and social lives as well. As a result of busy schedules but still needing to fit in time with a tutor for additional assistance, the rise of online tutoring is overwhelming!

Parents are finding it easy and effective for their student to meet in an online classroom and have a personal tutor work with them from the convenience of their own home. By meeting ‘online’ parents save on time, running around and fuel without having to sacrifice their student’s learning.

Students feel much less intimidated and comfortable working online with a tutor. It also is a time saver for them and allows them to focus right on the help they need. Because they are meeting from their own home, the likelihood of having to cancel or running late for a session almost never happen.

As hiremyparents is all about offering parents choice and flexibility this seems like an ideal service to add for our members. We are currently talking to 3rd party providers about discounts for our members and will soon be adding an option for tutors to offer their services directly to parents who post requests, just as businesses currently do to our parent members.

Stay tuned.

What it also draws attention to is the risk factor – what happens if you plough your savings into a business and it falls flat on it’s ass. With today’s economy you can’t just say ‘ah well’ and go and get another job. Saying that – how safe is your job at the moment? Big picture? I’d say there hasn’t been a more ideal time to start your own business in the last 15 years than the present time – but do it safely.

Safely? By its very nature starting your own business isn’t safe – it’s gambling – literally. You take a load of money and place it on your hard work and instincts to win. With luck you succeed and of course there are always safer bets than others. For instance – if you’re an accountant setting up your own firm serving small businesses it’s a good bet – business has always needed accountants, it has a tried and tested structure and as long as you do your research right chances are it will make a profit. However, if your life-long dream has been to be a magician then the whole profit and loss comes down to a wing and a prayer and your sheer persistence and fight. When I went to my bank manager and said I wanted to start a business supplying flexible work opportunities to parents she looked like I’d just pulled a gun on her. It was outside her knowledge base, it was an unknown and so too risky to place a bet on. It was an idea without a triple A rating from a company that the bankers pay to triple A rate things – I’ll stop there before I start to rant.

As it turns out I have that banker to thank for my present circumstances – I am a few weeks away from launching my company with hundreds of parents and companies already in the mix ready to post jobs and fill them – I have absolutely no debt assigned to the company – and a couple of business partners that are as passionate about the company as I am. How did I pull this off? I did it safely.

What do I mean by safely? I mean that I didn’t place a bet, I took the risk out of it and replaced the risk with hours of hard work. For the last year and a half I have been paid to do what I know  – which is small business – and have advised start-ups on every aspect of their structure, marketing and funding. When I’d finished that for the day I went home and built another page or wrote another script for this website. I had cash coming in but at the same time I was slowly building an asset in the background until I was ready to fully commit and press the button. And that’s how you make the break.

Do not make the mistake of just chucking it all in and going for your dreams…your independence. That’s a fools methodology. Take it slow and give yourself a second job and focus on the outcome further down the road when you can go for it with a good foundation. Because you might just lose the bet.

This is where hiremyparents can help. We have all sort of flexible jobs on offer, part-time, job share etc. but we also have hundreds of freelance projects available that could see you through to starting your own business. If you’re in marketing and recently became a marketing parent and want to spend more time at home then apply for the marketing projects on the job board and build a customer base while being paid. When you feel the time is right send all those companies an email with your new company’s logo on it saying you’re open for business as a legal entity. They know you and they know your work so you’re off to a head-start. If you sent them an email without forming a relationship before-hand you’d have been deleted before they read the subject line.

There is no way to start a business with complete safety – that’s not the nature of things – but you can limit the risk by lowering the bet and building a customer base through completing specifically targeted projects in your business to-be’s market and forming relationships with the companies that will be your life-blood in the future.

Let me know your comments on this post and anything you’d like me to expand on. hiremyparents isn’t just about offering the opportunities for parents to work flexibly but also about supporting them in their endeavours. Let us know what you want and we’ll try and deliver the resources you need.

Link to Guardian article

It’s got to the point that if you see the word “legitimate” you immediately believe that it isn’t. What do they mean by legitimate? If you take them up on their offer and start to work then by that very act it is legitimate – as long as you’re paid (and not doing the books for the Mob)

Which I think gets to the crux of the matter – whatever it is you decide to do or try to break from the standard 9-5 is legitimate if you get paid – unfortunately most of these offers (if not all) only get one person into profit and that’s not you.

During our beta test of hiremyparents we have had our parents start a bewildering variety of ventures from your standard ‘virtual secretary’ to a high end ‘dog conditioner’ (dog trainer not dog shampoo, should probably talk to her about the title) and all of them have been legitimate because at the end of a working day they were a little bit richer than before.

So how do you make sure you’ll get paid? Well, there is no absolute guarantee. If you start doing a product launch plan for GAP or design the look of a new widget for SONY then chances are you’ll get a cheque – their reputation isn’t worth damaging – especially in todays socially connected world (more on that in a later post). But what if you’re doing the VAT for ‘Cardboard Inc’ a small but profitable company based in Nowhere, Wales. If you do the work how do you know they’ll pay up without any grief? Again, there are no guarantees but a bit of research could save you a lot of hassle down the road.

Below is a list of resources for the US and UK that you can use to check up on the companies that sign your cheques. Unless you’ve pulled off a $1m contract with someone I wouldn’t go too in-depth, just make sure that they’re legit and maybe do a google search for the company with the word ‘complaint’ added to the search box – you’ll be amazed at what pops up (social media again).

All in all I’ve heard no complaints from our beta parents concerning non-payment, and if you do hit a big pay-day maybe you should use an Escrow service or get paid in installments. But remember, most companies will pay up without a squeek but it only takes one idiot to ruin your cash-flow so a little research goes a long way.

Hoover’s Online

http://www.hoovers.com/free/

Companies House

http://www.companieshouse.gov.uk/

Industrial Quick Search

http://www.industrialquicksearch.com/

IndustryLink

http://www.industrylink.com/

Foster Business Library

http://www.lib.washington.edu/business/bizweb/

Research Guides from the Baker Library, Harvard Business School

http://www.library.hbs.edu/guides/

Thomas Global Register

http://www.thomasglobal.com/

ThomasNet.com

http://www.thomasnet.com/

Manta

http://www.manta.com/

Rutgers Library Guide to Company Research
Thorough outline of company research issues and resources.

http://www.libraries.rutgers.edu/rul/rr_gateway/research_guides/bus…

Yahoo’s Business to Business Directory

http://dir.yahoo.com/Business_and_Economy/Business_to_Business/

D & B Small Business Solutions

http://smallbusiness.dnb.com/

BizWeb

http://www.bizweb.com/

Business.com

http://www.business.com/

Research Guides – Business & Management

http://www.gwu.edu/gelman/guides/business/

Industry Research Desk

http://www.virtualpet.com/industry/