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Benefits of Home Based Business – 4 Things to Consider!

There certainly are a multitude of benefits of home based businesses although there are some drawbacks as well. But when one looks at the overall picture it would have to be said that the benefits certainly do outweigh the negative aspects. Now keep in mind, there is a lot of work and by no means am I stating that this is easy, it takes drive, patience and a focus like no others but over time, one starts to realize these benefits of home based businesses. 4 things to consider:

1) Financial Reasons:

To begin with it can be a real money saver in many different ways. When you think about having to drive your vehicle for example to outside employment you have to look at the cost of the gas, the insurance and the parking for example. Then most often a second family car is required because one car being the way to business all day. This is one of the major cost saving benefits of a home based business.

Money can even be saved on clothing when one doesn’t have to become dressed for business. This can be a good saving over the year as well.

Another benefit of having a home-based business is the fact that you don’t have the overhead costs. If you have your own business on land there are many extra costs that you are faced with. In addition to this it is much easier to do your marketing and advertising online than it is on land. Most often the cost is far less than on land based businesses.

2) Flexibility:

Then there is the flexibility that goes with the benefits of home based businesses. Most often you can work the hours that are most suitable for you, which means that if you have small children that you will not only save costs on not having to have a daycare program, but you will be able to enjoy the benefits of being with your children through the day and perhaps doing your work at night.

3) Priorities:

Most often individuals that work a home based business find that they are much more successful at their business because they can stay more focused. Many benefits of home based businesses include not having the hassles of travel and the distractions of being in an office setting. The benefit is that at home you can choose your office space away from the rest of the house, and this is where your work can take place.

4) You call your own shots:

You can decide products, supplies, suppliers, time lines, actions, reactions, prices, rewards, employees, hours, etc. all of which can take you down a good path or a bad path. One kink in the armor and all could be lost. But do not get discouraged, if you get yourself the right resources in training and mentoring then mistakes can be avoided. The mentoring part is key, here. Good training with no guidance is nothing but a shell… Be sure to get yourself into proven mentoring system with an actual person and the resources to follow through.

Another benefit of a home-based business is that you can even hire virtual secretaries as opposed to having extra staff.

When you add up all of the cost savings that we have just mentioned as well as the emotional benefits, one can find that benefits from a home based business is a substantial money saver. This means that you can take the time to allow your business to grow a little bit as you don’t have the financial pressure of all the costs as a burden.

You have much more flexibility from working at home, not only with the way that you run your business but as we mentioned in the schedule and times of operating your business. Without all the overheads and the concerns of an online business that certainly makes working at a home based business much more beneficial.

For those that are just thinking about starting a home based business there is much to think about, and it is worth doing some research into seeing if your online business would be a workable for you from home. The fact is, though, there are benefits to a home based business, it just takes work!

How Important Is the Fundraising Auctioneer to the Success of Your Event?

I want you to think about the term “Fundraising Auction”.

A “Fundraising Auction” is an event where items of value are gathered, and then sold in a competitive bidding situation, either in a Silent Auction format, or in a Live Auction format by a Live Auctioneer. And since typically the best items are saved for the Live Auction, arguably it is the Live Auction that should generate a significant portion of the proceeds in any Fundraising Auction.

So why do so many non-profit groups consider the Fundraising Auctioneer to be the least valuable component in a Fundraising Auction?

The Hosting Facility gets paid.
The Printer gets paid.
The Caterer gets paid.
The Liquor Store gets paid.
The DJ gets paid.
The Florist gets paid.
But the Auctioneer … the individual who is expected to raise the lion’s share of the event’s proceeds… is expected to work for Free. And is usually under-appreciated for the professional services he/she provides.

I’m not trying to underscore the value of the invitations & programs, food, booze, music, and decorations. All are important in their own way. But each of these are “Expenses”. It is the Auctioneer who is going to bring “Revenue”… and thus, the “Profits”… into any event. Which is the ultimate objective of any Fundraising Auction.

Here is a real-life example of how under-appreciated the Auctioneer can be. In two comparable events we worked last year, during the dinner portion of the event one non-profit group sat the Auctioneer (me) at a table with the DJ, the Interns, the Volunteer Staff, and other event “Help”. The 2nd non-profit group sat the Auctioneer (me) directly next to the CEO of their organization, where we chatted about how important the pending revenue would be to their organization. Which group do you think valued the services of the Fundraising Auctioneer more?

Don’t ever under-estimate the value that a professional Fundraising Auctioneer can bring to your event. The Auctioneer adds value as a pre-event consultant. And the Auctioneer can change an event from a moderate to a huge success.

A Case Study Once I was scheduled to call an Auction for a major local non-profit group. They represented a very good cause and they had a strong and dedicated following. Their event was sold out, quality Live & Silent Auction items had been solicited, and the Special Pledge Appeal had been choreographed and was ready to go. The facility was first class, the appropriate caterer was booked, and the food was ready to cook.

But quite unexpectedly, some unseasonably inclement weather forced the event’s cancellation. Despite all of the committee’s hard work, cancelling the event was the proper decision considering the circumstances.

So the Event Committee scrambled to re-schedule the event for the following weekend.

They confirmed with the Hosting Facility.
They confirmed with the Caterer.
They confirmed with the Liquor Store.
They confirmed with the DJ.
They confirmed with the Florist.
Since they already had the Mailing List of those scheduled to attend, no new invitations had to be printed as all were contacted by email or telephone. So with everything in place, the group went ahead and re-scheduled the event for the following weekend.

But guess who they failed to confirm? You got it… the Professional Auctioneer. They thought so little of the Auctioneer’s contribution that they “assumed” that the Auctioneer would be available and at their beck and call.

But the Auctioneer already had another Fundraising Auction booked for that date with another non-profit group. It was only hour away from the re-scheduled event, and things could have been easily worked out. All Group #1 had to do was start their event one hour earlier, or one hour later, than the Group #2, and the Auctioneer could have helped both groups on the same day.

But because Group #1 failed to anticipate a possible Auctioneer conflict, because they failed to confirm with the Auctioneer before re-scheduling their event, their preferred Auctioneer had to bow out and they had to scramble to locate substitute “Volunteer” Auctioneer only days before their event.

And it cost them.

Learning Points

The Live Auction is usually where the profits are made at any Fundraising Auction.
A Professional Fundraising Auctioneer can be vital to the success of any Fundraising Auction.
The better Fundraising Auctioneers usually get booked quickly.
You need to recognize the important contributions that a good Auctioneer can make to your event.
Michael Ivankovich is a Bucks County Fundraising Auctioneer based in Doylestown PA, and serves the Great Philadelphia PA area. He has been a professionally licensed and bonded Auctioneer in Pennsylvania for nearly 20 years, has been named Pennsylvania’s Auctioneer of the Year, and has considerable experience in conducting Fundraising Auctions. Michael loves helping groups raise needed funds for good causes and one of his specialties is the “Special Pledge Appeal” or “Fund-A-Cause Appeal” which usually enables clients to double their revenue in a single evening.

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Home Based Business Social Media Marketing Strategies

Home Based Business Owner have a wealth of opportunity because of the internet, more specifically, social media. Instead of making a list of your friends, family, colleagues, practically calling everyone in your cell phone, why not go on the internet and meet the millions of people searching for “home based business” or “work at home” or “make more money” opportunities? According to the Direct Selling Association, 75,000 people are searching home based businesses every week. As a home based business owner, you should be tapping into that market with a vengeance.I understand some of the constraints of new home based business owners can be cash flow, or lack there of, there are many ways to get online that don’t cost a penny. For example, if you have a Facebook account, you can meet some of the 600 million Facebook Users. If you have a Twitter account, you can meet some of the 100 million twitter uses or if you have a Tagged account you can meet some of the 100 million users over there. Your first step is to create accounts at each of these social media outlets and start meeting people with like interest. The way social media sites are setting up now, it is going to make it incredibly easy to find your target market – which is home based business owners.Make it a goal to meet a certain amount of people everyday. Let me tell you – when you first start, it is a grind. You won’t see any results for a while. But the rule is that if you consistently meet people and provide those people with value that can help them, you will start to see results in your own business. The fact of the matter is that many home based business owners are not consistent at all. If you can post a blog every day, or shoot a video, of some great content that will help someone else, you won’t be able to stop your business from growing exponentially.If you are new, meaning under a year in your home based business career then make it a goal to create a blog and post on the blog everyday. You must implement other strategies that drive traffic (potential prospects on the internet) back to your blog. A key is to have as many websites linking back to your blog as possible. You can only do that through consistent posting to the blog. These are initial steps that you should take to grow your business. As always, there are more advanced strategies to grow quicker but the tendency for many new home based business entrepreneurs is to see all that the internet has to offer and try everything. If you want to fail, then that is your best bet. Learn one strategy and master it. See results with one strategy, then move on to the next.

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