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.

If the programme appeals to you then please sign up here and then we advise signing up to our step-by-step guide on the partner site. This will teach you everything you need to start generating a steady income from hiremyparents. Please check out the sign up page before sending us any questions by email, more is explained there, or please make a comment below.

TURN ON YOUR SPEAKERS

www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHEfXnIvUeI

You must experience the same. Every website and ‘mom’ blog is full of MLM, turnkey, don’t have to work, retire on a beach, send the kids to Harvard business models that just ‘can’t lose’. They set you up with a ready to go website, that looks like the website they gave a 1000 other people, and tell you to put your paypal address in and wait for the currency flood. Listen to me! The only person making money is the guy/gal selling you this bullshit notion that an online business is easy money. I’m actually quite insulted.

I’ve been in both worlds, internet and real, as an entrepreneur and every business I’ve had runs on the same principles – make the best product you can, market it, sell it and try to get them to come back again with excellent customer service. You can’t just set that on auto-pilot, in any medium.

If you want an online business the opportunities are endless and the market huge but don’t expect it to be easy, and stay a million miles away from anyone that tells you it is. You have to work just as hard to keep the basic principles going every day as you would in a bricks and mortar enterprise. It’s still a business, you have to treat it as such.

 

This Guys My Favourite –

 

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)

 

Details of the eCommerce Advisor position are on our Job Board as well as the geographical positions available.

Related Articles…

Small Business Opportunity: WinWeb eCommerce Advisor – WinWeb are committed to developing a national network of eCommerce Advisors to support small and SOHO Businesses in their local area.

1. Are You a Salesperson?

Some people have a natural talent for sales, while others couldn’t sell water to someone stranded in the desert. For the home based worker who has the ability to sell, network marketing may be the perfect home based business. Network marketing typically involves selling products in one or more niche markets, as well as selling the opportunity. Also known as multi-level marketing, network marketing pays commissions based on a percentage of your sales and on the sales of your “downline,” or those you have recruited to sell the product. Each opportunity has its own commission plan, and many pay bonuses on top of commissions.

2. Are You Experienced?

If you have years of experience being a home worker, you probably have a good idea of your strengths and weaknesses. On the other hand, if you’re new to being an entrepreneur, you probably need training. Look for a company that offers the tools and training you need in order to succeed. The type of training you receive can encompass everything from weekly conference calls or webinars (Internet-based seminars), to one-on-one coaching from your upline, to training manuals and other written materials.

3. Are You Internet Savvy?

If you know your way around the Internet and know something about setting up and hosting websites, the possibilities are endless. You can create your own websites, for example, and start generating affiliate revenue and Google AdSense revenue.

If you haven’t the foggiest idea of how to set up and host a website, be sure to find a company you can partner with who will do the heavy lifting. There are many Internet-based opportunities for the home based worker from companies that provide what are called “replicated sites.” They’ll design and host your websites for you, so that all you have to do is work on marketing in order to drive traffic to your site.

4. How Much do You Want to Work?

Before selecting a home based business opportunity, honestly assess how much you want to work. If a stay-at-home mom needs extra money, she may only want to work two or three hours a day. If someone wants to quit the rat race and work full time as a home worker, money for moms simply won’t be enough income. Sometimes a single home based business will provide all of the revenue a person needs, while other times you have to embark on several opportunities to diversify and multiply your revenue streams.

5. How Hands-On do You Want to Be?

Some home based business opportunities require that you be actively involved on a day-to-day basis, either in order fulfillment and customer service or in marketing your websites or businesses. Other opportunities are more passive in nature, in that you have to spend a lot of time initially, but they become self-perpetuating. If you’re a home worker who enjoys being an ongoing active participant, choose an opportunity that requires you to interact with other people. If you prefer to be hands-off, select a business that will basically run itself.

• 2.8 million home businesses contributing £284bn to the annual UK economy
• Over 60% of small businesses started in the UK are started at home
• 89% of home businesses expect to increase turnover in the next 12 months
• The majority of businesses will grow by outsourcing and sub-contracting, as opposed to taking on staff
• ‘Working 5 to 9′ is on the rise as people hold down a day job and build a business at nights and weekends
• Home business is bringing families together and contributing to the local economy and environment

You can download your copy of the report from Emma’s site