No matter what type of home based business you are involved in, you will need to do some type of marketing. Odds are, if you are just beginning your business, you are on a shoe-string budget. Advertising what you have to offer can eat up your budget. The good news is that there are a number of ways to build a business on a budget.This article will review 3 methods taught by Mike Dillard which have been of great value to me as I built my home based business. They help you generate consistent leads to your home based business opportunity.1. CRAIG WHO?Craigslist.org is one of the largest websites on the internet where people can place free ads in various cities all across the United States and generate interest in your product or opportunity. Alexa.com ranks it 60th most viewed, meaning it is a source of serious traffic. It is a place where people go to advertise everything from sofas to jobs. Placing the right type of advertisement in the correct section of craigslist.org can help you produce an endless amount of prospects who would be interested in your home based business.2. ON-LINE VIDEOSOnline video is the hottest internet trend. Video site like YouTube.com has been growing rapidly. Posting online videos is a perfect way to get your product or opportunity in front of lots of people, if you’re building your home based business on a budget.If you want to use videos in your marketing effort, you will need to invest a little of your budget on a video camera. Good and reliable video cameras are going for about $150. Next, you carefully create compelling, valuable content aimed at your target market, then you go live on the web and reach out to the world using free online video platforms such as YouTube.com.3. BLOG WISELYA blog gives you online presence and it takes next to nothing out of your budget. A blog brings fast and reliable traffic to your business. However blogs are not meant for blatant personal advertising. Your goal with a blog is to deliver value and gain loyal readers who you will attract into your marketing funnel.There are two types of blogging platforms to choose from, Blogger.com and WordPress.com. If you know how to use the power of blogs, you can develop a home based business that will pay you for years to come.In summary, it is possible to start your home based business on a small budget. Many home based businesses, for example, an MLM business, can be built on a small budget and lead to tremendous rewards.
What to Ask When Looking for a Good Property Manager
If you’ve ever searched for a good property manager before, then you know how difficult it can be to find a good one for your rental property. There are several property managers out there, probably more than what you really need to bring your property into the market.
With so many choices available, you may find it difficult to choose one for your unit. But don’t worry – if you ask the right questions while shopping around for property managers, you’ll get a better idea of who would make the best fit for your property. Ask them these questions when discussing your property to see if they’re the right property manager for you:
1. What type of properties have you managed?
Experience counts for a lot in property management, and it can separate the good ones from the ones you should steer away from. Experience in this field, however, isn’t just about the number of years worked in the field; it’s also about what type of properties they’ve managed. Depending on what type of property you have, you can either go with someone who specialises in managing properties like yours or someone who has more varied experience managing different types of properties.
2. How do you screen potential tenants?
Screening potential tenants is one of the most important steps to property management, so the way they do this often reflects their level of service to your property. Ask them how they’ll match tenants to your property and what their process is like for finding tenants. This will give you a better idea of how they operate and what lengths they’ll go to find the right match for your property.
3. How do you handle late payments by tenants?
Finding tenants is just one phase of property management; the longer phase involves managing the tenancy itself. Asking them this question will show you what their management style is like and how they’ll deal with critical rental issues like these. See if their process aligns with what you expect them to do and how you want your property to be managed.
4. How do you respond to complaints?
Similar to the previous question, this question allows you to gauge how well a potential property manager will handle the landlord-tenant relationship. Remember that a property manager will act as the mediator between you and your tenant, so it’s important that you’re comfortable with their process for dealing with any complaints or issues.
5. How often do you do inspections?
Routine inspections are important to any tenancy agreement, and the number of times it’s done per year will help give you better peace of mind as the landlord or owner. This question will also show you how well the property manager will look after your property even after the start of the tenancy.
6. What’s the right rental price for my property?
If you’ve done your research beforehand, this question will let you assess how well a potential property manager knows the market and what they can offer you. It also allows you to get a better idea of what your property is worth in the current market. Compare their answer with different property managers to see what they offer and to better understand where your property stands in the market.
7. What are the things I can do to improve my listing?
Asking them this question won’t just reveal their expertise in property management, but it’ll also help you put your property in the best position in the market. Note their suggestions, assess how relevant they are, and decide whether or not they can get your property where you want it to be.
8. What are the full costs and fees for managing my property?
Some have small sign-up fees but a variety of hidden fees once you sign on and let them manage your property. Avoid getting surprised by such fees, and ask them to indicate all management and service fees included in their service. The more complicated their fee structure is, the bigger the headache (and expense) it will likely be.
9. What can you do that others can’t?
This is where prospective property managers will try to sell you on what they offer and how well they set themselves apart from the competition. It’s also the part where you assess the intangibles in any working relationship, giving you a better idea of how well they meet your standards. Listen well, take notes, and assess if they provide what you’re looking for.
Home Based Business – Start Here
The home based business idea is growing year after year. Considered by many as just a whim or passing phase, these skeptics have all been proved wrong as the home based business sector continues to grow with more people joining every day. A home based business using the internet as your vehicle can be a very lucrative opportunity giving you access to potential customers worldwide at low cost. Nobody appears to be surprised these days when your office address and your home address turn out to be one and the same. The advent of technology has put the home based business within the reach of millions of people. Today our homes are becoming more like 1960′s space fantasy with all the equipment that is priced to be available to the householder rather than just to big business. So if you possess the keenness and the will to run your own business it is now well within your reach.Before you start to run your home based business there are a couple of basic things that you need to look at -1. Identify the type of business you would like to run2. Maintain a separate area within your home for your working areaTo keep your home life and business life separated it is best if your office area can be in a corner of the home, but easily accessible for any potential customers/clients that you may meet or that may want to meet you. You need to be in an area where you are not going to get constant interruptions from members of your family because they have to walk past your home office to get to another part of the house. You may even think of changing your garage space into your home office. Providing there is a good distinction between the home and the home office you will leave clients with a good impression. Once you have picked your ideal business opportunity you will need to prepare a written web marketing strategy with the intention of having set paths to follow and specific goals to meet if your achievements are to be attained.Having given due process to your location and business strategy you need to start putting those ideas into actions. It is probably best to start by picking an appropriate and catchy name for your new business enterprise, while also trying to adopt an appropriate strap line for your new business. Once you have a name sorted out you have to decide if your new business is going to be a propriety or partnership concern or corporation. Do not forget to obtain the required licences and permissions from the necessary state department regulating the home business sector. You may also be required to obey specific zoning regulations. Having ensured all the necessary permits and licences are in place you can set about renovating and furnishing your new business space. Make sure you have phone and fax lines available and a working computer with a good internet connection. The internet connection is going to be a vital lifeline if you are using the internet in your marketing strategy. If you expect clients or potential clients to be visiting you then make sure you have comfortable seating available for them and also a coffee maker.If you are planning to run a business that will require you to keep stock then you will need somewhere to store the stock. It will be essential for this area to be clean and dry and safe from the possibilities of fire or theft. You may find that you will have to take out extra insurance to safeguard the stock, just in case of the unlikely accident. If you are selling physical goods then you need to locate a good supplier and probably have a back up supplier in place to cover any emergencies that may arise. Put an advertising budget aside to make the public aware of who you are and what you are selling. This can be done both online and offline using local media in the case of offline advertising.If, you are going to make your new home based business, a runaway success, then look forward to doing some really hard work, especially in the early days. Plan everything out and don’t get ahead of your self. Set a plan and make sure you follow it. Planning will help you to make your new home based business the success it deserves to be.