Have you seen the news lately?
More Americans than ever before are giving up on traditional methods earning a living. Do you have a job you love that offers financial security? A recent Gallup research study surveyed 1032 adults on the satisfaction of their personal income. A mere 69% reported they were unsatisfied with their earnings.
A 2012 Seth Godin interview published on YouTube raised questions about how we work, save money and grow our families. Godin reported that many employees are beginning to see the long-term value of building their own brands.
Secret #1: Do You Have A Brand?
The company you work for sure does. They've probably spent millions of dollars developing it to capture market share in the minds of their target customers.
Think about it. In the next ten years, where will you? Chances are good you'll fall into one of three categories:
1. Be clinging to a dead end job.
2. Jobless hoping to land a new position.
3. Freelancing your expertise to earn a living.
Godin suggests smart people are starting to invest in themselves to carve out their own brands. Specifically through the use of home-based businesses. Whether it's selling a product or service, your personal brand can impact your earning potential.
Secret #2: Define Your Core Passion
You're probably wondering how so many people are earning a living working online. Just last week a CNN report revealed how stay-at-home moms once filling their days shopping and cleaning now earn a great income blogging online.
One mommy creating online buzz is Melissa. She built a review site helping other moms get the inside scoop on products they shop. Her blog
www.MommyLivingTheLifeOfRiley.comoffers real-life reviews on consumer products moms shop for everyday. Just last month her blog reached more than 500 daily visitors.
Secret #3: Take One Year
Many work-at-home business owners know all too well overnight riches are a pipe dream. We recommend you develop a 6-12 month strategy. Brainstorm what drives your passion.
Once known as a technology blogger, David Risley (
www.blogmarketingacademy.com) moved into the niche of teaching people from all walks of life how to develop their own brands as a way to work for themselves. Risley's secret? Brand yourself as an expert in something you love. He reports his own success has always been in his interest in blogging.
In an economy where job security is a thing of the past, more people are beginning to see the benefits of work for themselves. Peter Gustafson, owner of pdgseo, left his position working for a national advertising agency to carve out his twist of online profits.
"I was traveling 10 days a month and it wasn't something I wanted to do for decades," he explains. "So I invested my expertise in advertising and search engine optimization (SEO) opening my own firm. It's been extremely rewarding and the time I have with my children is wonderful."
Secret #4: Publish Your Content
David Risley recommends taking a smart approach by investing in a reliable web hosting platform such as
HostGator or
MyHosting . Then build your website using WordPress.
Why WordPress?
It powers more than 30 million websites and blogs. Risley recommends this popular content management system for one reason: scale. Your business will grow with WordPress rather than require website upgrades costing you thousands of dollars.
Secret #5: Pinpoint Your Target Market
Peter Gustafson advises clients to focus on niches that have little-to-no competition. "Research your ideas and then work with a professional who has experience evaluating target keywords and their competition. SEO is the best investment of your time and the return-on-investment is exponential as you begin ranking on Google."
With a struggling economy continuing to fester, your long-term security could very well be right at home.
