Scoop Bucket

If you are reading this article, it is because you are tired of working thankless jobs for hours on end and come home so drained that you can’t spend time with your family. I used to be in that situation as well. I hated working factory jobs that required me to clock in before the sun came up, or customer service jobs that made me smile to strangers who were rude to me. I decided then to work for myself so that I can spend my working hours during hours I made for myself.

I personally had extensive experience with computers. I did not have a degree or anything, just a good amount of time to teach myself different things. So I ended up sort of falling into the search engine optimization business. I had the basic knowledge and the software to assist me. I proceeded to network and get some paying clients. For me it was a monthly fee per client because that is how professional seo‘s bill out their time. I wasn’t rich or anything, but I was happy to make money without going to work somewhere out of my home.

When I first started out, I had zero word of mouth. So that came in due time only after working hard for my existing clients. When you first start, it will be hard to find clients. You have to establish yourself. In order to establish yourself you will have to put your name out there so that potential customers can find you. There are different ways of doing this. A general resource is Craigslist.org which is a high traffic classifieds website. You can advertise your business in the proper category, and I advise you to learn how CL works. Basic html will help you create some eye-catching ads that will hopefully turn into a phone call or website visit.

There are other classified websites like Backpage and Kijiji but they are not as useful in my opinion. I have had hardly any traffic to my websites in them, and really not much for phone calls either. But you should post there occasionally just in case.

If you are new, then you will want to establish a website. Without a website you do not have an identity. Your website is your showcase and a huge selling outlet for your business. Your website should be professional unlike some of those sloppy websites with horrible backgrounds that blend with text. Be smart and hire a professional website designer, otherwise you can actually turn off potential customers/clients.

You will also want to get your business name out there in your local community. You can join the local chamber of commerce to make yourself known to a large audience.

I do not intend to get deep into the how-to’s of home based business on this article, but rather to tell you that it is possible to become self-employed. A large portion of society does not understand how easy it can be to make money on your own. You just have to get out there and do it. The reason new businesses fail is because of a lack of self confidence in the owner(s). You have to know that you can succeed and go for it, otherwise your negative self image will show to your clients.