How to Handle Customer Complaints

Handling customer complaints is an art

Every company that deals with customers have to know how to handle customer complaints.  Let us face it, no matter how online entrepreneurs try to satisfy their clients, there will always be some who will feel that they did not get the kind of service that they deserve.  It is simply not possible to please everyone all the time.

For every 10 clients who are satisfied with your service, there will always be at least 1 who will send a series of emails and complain about the service they receive.  Some of these clients will find a way for their complaints to be heard by the public.  They will talk about their ire in Facebook or in Twitter or in any other social media which may seriously damage the reputation of your company.

In my over 6 years of managing my own website, I have received several complaints from my clients. However, I have learned to control the actions of these dissatisfied customers so they do not vent about their complaints in the social media.  In many cases, these complaining customers have been my most loyal customers. 

Why is that so? Because I have made it a point to listen to their complaints and to address them right away.  

Below are the ways by which online entrepreneurs should handle complaining customers:

1. Set up Google Alerts.  Google Alerts is a free tool that allows online entrepreneurs to monitor online conversations about their business.  Using this free tool, online entrepreneurs can stay ahead of the pack by knowing how their customers feel about the service they received from the company.  Knowledge is power.  By knowing about these comments, you can immediately talk to the customers involved and respond to them.

2. Dissatisfied customers want to be heard.  Dissatisfied customers have one thing in common.  They want somebody to listen to them.  If you do not want your dissatisfied customers to talk about their complaints in Facebook or Twitter and let their friends know about it, you should make it a goal to listen to your customers' complaints.   

Make sure that the person who will talk to the dissatisfied customer is somebody who can actually make decision for the company such as replace a product or send refunds.  A dissatisfied customer wants to know that he is talking to somebody who can actually address his concern not somebody whose task is to file a report.   

3. Address customer complaints immediately.  If there is one thing that will annoy dissatisfied customers it is slow response to their complaints.  If you react to customer's complaints slowly these customers will think that you are not interested in addressing their problems.   

If you receive an email from a dissatisfied customer make sure to respond to it right away and find out how you can appease the client.  Avoid letting another day pass before you will address the dissatisfied customer's complaints. 

4. Be irrationally generous to your dissatisfied customers.  An authority in Internet Marketing once said that online entrepreneurs who really want to satisfy their clients should be irrationally generous. This means being ready to send full refund to complaining customers even if they are not deserving of it.   Think of it as a cost managing an online business.   

You may think that it is absurd to apply this policy to your online business.  However, the long term gains you will receive from adopting this policy will outweigh the loss you made from refunding your client's money.  Think about it.  An unhappy customer tells about his friends about the service he received or he posts a review online about the poor service he received from your company.  This one customer's complaint will bring serious damage to your company's online reputation.   

However, if you decide to give out a full refund, you make him happy.  He may eventually make another purchase or he could tell his friends about the great experience he received from your company.

Knowing how to handle customer complains is an important part of doing business online.  Because of the speed by which bad reviews can spread online, it is indispensable for online entrepreneurs to find out what others are saying about their business and to address them right away.   Listen to your customer's needs, address their concerns immediately and be ready to send refunds. Those are the secrets to handling customer complains effectively.

Tools Online Entrepreneurs Need for their Online Business

Even Online Entrepreneurs Need Tools

Everybody needs to have the right set of tools.  Carpenters have their own tools. Mechanics have their own set of tools. Doctors also have their own tools.  These tools enable them to do their job easier.  The same is true for online entrepreneurs who need to have the right set of tools for their business. Without these tools, its very difficult to start and even maintain an online business.

Being a neophyte in the business, I had a very difficult time managing the website.  I tried to ask around but  my competitors were unwilling to share the secrets of the trade.  Eventually, i came to the realization that i can only count on myself to make things happen for the online business.

I started to observe the websites of my competitors. I tried to take note of what they have and what i did not have.  I tried to research over the internet about the features that could help me improve my service to my clients.

Based on my experience, looking for the right service provider that could meet my needs was very difficult because I had to balance the price and functionality.  After several trial and errors, I have discovered these service providers which I consider as partners that gave me the tools to manage my online business.

Below are the tools that have helped my online business a success.  

1. Online businesses need a domain name and a hosting account.  The domain name is the name of your blog or website.  The web hosting provider is the company that manages the hosting for your domain name.  In my case, I have chosen bluehost.com for my web hosting.  Costs for the registration of the domain name and web hosting for 1 year is less than 3500.  The best part about my partnership with bluehost.com is that they have a live chat support system that allows its client to talk to their representatives about how to set up the blog/website.  Not being knowledgeable with the technical stuff, their representatives helped me through the entire process of setting up my blog.

If you want to test the waters first before you actually part with your hard earned money, you can check blogger.com you just need to create a gmail account.  It is free so you do not have to worry about the yearly fees. However, when you use a free account with blogger, .blogspot.com will always be added to your blog' s name.  This could prove to be a hassle if you want a short name for your blog.  You may also create a blog using a free wordpress account.  In this case .wordpress.com will appear at the end of your blog's name.

Both wordpress and blogger give you the tools to customize your blog and add features that will help improve its functionality and user-friendliness.

2. Online businesses need Web developers. There are a lot of skilled and experienced web developers in the Philippines.  In Google, type the keyword web developers in the Philippines. You will see a number of experienced web developers who can create the right website for your needs.  You just need to talk to them and discuss with them your goals and the features of your website. The costs range from 20k to 100k depending on the features of your website.  

3. Online businesses need a live chat support.  When you have a live chat support system, your prospective clients can talk to you when you are online.  You can converse with them and chat with them in real time.  If you are offline, the clients can leave their message and email address that will allow you to respond to them.  Many of these companies providing live chat support system also has a built-in analytics feature that allows you to monitor how many clients see your website at any given day, what keywords they use to arrive at your site, where they are, what pages they have viewed and how much time they spend in viewing your site.  These features are indispensable to somebody who wants to understand the behaviour of their clients and how he can utilize it to his advantage.

My live chat support service provider is providesupport.com.  They have a 24 hour support system so their clients can easily contact them should they have queries.  They have a 30-day free trial which you can discontinue anytime. The yearly subscription costs $99 which is pretty cheap given the information they can give you.

4. Online businesses need toll free numbers.  In my case, my clients need to call me and talk to me.  I have a toll free number which my clients can use to call me anytime during the day or night.  The toll free number is linked to my own cell phone number.  Every time a client calls using the toll free number, the call gets forwarded to my cell phone. My clients do not see where the calls are forwarded to. They only know that they are calling a toll-free number.

I obtained my toll free number for tollforwarding.com.  The minimum yearly subscription is $84 for a plan of 7 minutes per month.  This means you can only get up to 7 minutes of phone calls per month.  If you exceed the limit, you will be billed an extra amount.  If you receive more than 7 minutes of calls a month, you can always upgrade your subscription.

5 . Online businesses need to have email marketing software provider.  I am a firm believer in email marketing campaigns.  It allows me to stay in touch with my clients and give them updates about important news and events.  It also allows me to send to them coupons for discounts and other offerings.  

I have found a free email marketing software provider which is madmimi.com.  If your email list is not more than 100, madmimi.com will send to your clients your newsletters and email messages for free.  You can actually send unlimited number of messages for free.  Madmimi.com also allows you to customize the newsletter and inset your logo to your newsletter.  it is a good option if you want to try whether email marketing fits your business model.

I am not suggesting that these service providers are indispensable for all types of business.  But i suggest that you check them out first before you start looking for other service providers.

 

Top 5 Things Freelance Writers in the Philippines Should Know about Online Writing Companies

Freelance Writers Can Earn More Managing Online Businesses

Top 5 Things Freelance Writers in the Philippines Should Know about Online Writing Companies

1. Most of the online writing companies are based in the Philippines.  There are many freelance academic paper writers and article writers in the Philippines.  Most of these writers do not have an idea that the companies they work for are based in the Philippines. Some are in Quezon City, Makati, and Ortigas.  There are also some which are in the provinces.  These companies keep secret their name so the writers would not know which website they work for. Some companies give a foreign sounding name to their writers and they get assignments via email from these individuals.  Most freelance writers do not even have the chance to talk to the representatives of the company but they receive emails from individuals who represent the company.

2. Freelance writers only get 1/3 of the money given to the owners of online writing companies.  There are very few freelance writers who know that they only get around 25% to 35% of the money that is paid to the company.  While they do all the work they only get 1/3 of the money and the rest goes to the corporations which operate the websites. 

3. Writers can manage their own online business.  If these individuals who hire freelance writers managed to create their own online businesses and hire freelance writers to do the work for them, it is possible for freelance writers to start their online business too  With the help of web developers who are experienced in creating the websites for their niche and the right marketing effort, freelance writers can actually own their website and hire freelance writers.

4. Marketing your own website is no longer difficult. Despite the fierce competition in the academic paper writing industry and/or article writing industry, it is possible for anybody to start their own business, attract clients and earn money.  With the right marketing efforts, competing with the established companies is no longer impossible.  In our case, we were able to attract clients even when we did not have any knowledge about internet marketing, social media, or blogging. 

5. The tools you need to use to run an online writing company are sometimes free of charge.  Those who are interested to run their own online writing company needs to have a live chat support and/or a toll free number.  All these services are able over the Internet. In some cases, these companies charge less than $100 for a full year of service if you just look for them. 

Jim Cockrum, an expert in Internet Marketing, said that there has never been a better time to be a marketer or entrepreneur than now.  The broad reach of the Internet has helped online entrepreneurs
market their product and compete against established corporations.


Freelance writers need not be contented writing for online writing companies.  Freelance writing should not be the goal.  Starting your own online business should be the only goal.  

Secrets to Managing a Successful Online Business

Want to know the secrets to managing your own website?

Around 2005 years ago, I worked as a freelance writer for a company which writes academic papers for students.  Back then, I was happy I found that website which helped me earn 5k to 15k a month.  It was a substantial income on my part considering that I had a day job. 

I worked hard to meet deadlines and make sure that the papers I will turn in meet the academic standards of the clients. I also made myself available to the company just in case the client asks for revision. Every time I fail to meet deadlines, the company imposed penalties which they deducted from my pay.

Soon, I got tired of writing. Long hours of writing can be physically taxing.  I got burned out.  I thought I needed to find a way to earn higher income without sacrificing all my time for my family and mentally and physically draining myself.

I realized, since I am actually good at writing why not make it as a business as well. Having written academic papers for more than 1 year and having pleased majority of my clients, I felt confident that I could pull it off. 

Thus, I started to come up with a website similar to the business model of the company I worked for. Since then, our website has helped me earn more than six figures every month.

After more than 5 years of managing my own website, I have met with several people including developers, programmers, and writers. I learned so many things from which I want to share to every Filipino who desire to have their own online business.  

If you are interested to have your own online business (not just an online business dedicated to academic paper writing) here are some tips that can be useful in the different aspects of online business

1. Choosing a Domain name.  Choose a domain name that is easy to read and difficult to misspell.  Choose a domain name that your clients can easily recall.  Preferably, it should be something that will give an idea to your clients about the nature of your business.  Avoid weird sounding names because it may be too difficult to recall and sound unprofessional.

Remember that once you have picked a name and you have paid for it, it can no longer be changed.  So make sure that the name you choose is the name that you want your company to be known. 

2.  Choosing a Web Developer.  There are a lot of talented and skilled web developers offering their services in the Philippines. In fact, most Americans hire Filipino web developers because they are hardworking and easy to work with.  Just search in the Internet and use the keyword Web Developers in the Philippines and you can see several Filipino web developers who can help you with your website. 

Prices may range from as low as 20k to as high as 100k depending on the features of your website.  These web developers have portfolio showing the websites they have done in the past.  Ask around if the web developer is reputable.  Before you make your decision, meet with them and talk to them about what you want and how you want it done. 

The key to getting the right website for you is to communicate with your web developer. Make sure that you have made up your mind about how you want the website to look like.  Slight changes after the web developer has started building your website can be an additional cost on your part.

3. Be irrationally generous to your clients.  Jim Cockrum, an Internet Marketing Expert, said that the key to retaining long-term clients is to be irrationally generous to them.  Wow your clients with your service and give them the best service that you can give.  These clients who are satisfied with your service will definitely tell speak about the great service they received from you and refer their friends to your website.  No amount of marketing will beat the words of a satisfied client.

4. Develop partnerships with influential leaders in your field.  Telling the world about your service is no easy task. It requires a great deal of time.  Having an impressive (and expensive) website or blog is no longer enough.  In fact, thousands of blogs out there are irrelevant insofar as attracting the target clients.  Internet marketing experts suggest that you develop partnerships with influential people in the field you are in.  Talk to them, visit their blog or website and leave useful comments. 

5. Do not listen to marketers who promise get rich quick schemes.  As I was starting my online business, I have hired the services of SEOs.  I even paid an individual who promised to help me boost the ranking of my website in Google.  Of course, I was not satisfied with the result.  Instead of focusing on search engines and Google, I realized that I should concentrate my efforts on pleasing my clients.  After all, happy clients are your best marketers.  Running a successful internet business is a slow process which involves talking to your clients, listening to them and asking about what they want. 

The Secret of Managing Your Own Online Writing Company

If you are a freelance writer chances are you have already worked for companies which write academic papers for students overseas. 

Perhaps, you have been writing for years for these companies earning 10k or 20k a month for them working tirelessly just to meet deadlines and quality standards.  Perhaps, you have received penalties for every time you are delayed with the submission of the academic papers.  Perhaps, you have received calls from representatives of these companies in the middle of the night following up the submission of papers.  Perhaps, at one point, you have experienced mental block while writing  an academic paper.

I know how you feel since I was once a freelance academic paper writer and article writer for different companies.  After doing it for 1 year, I realized that it is not sustainable. 

What if I tell you that you can create and manage your own online business (not just an academic paper writing company) and that you can manage it at a very affordable cost would you want it? What if I tell you that you need not be stuck writing for these online companies and instead establish your own business?

Do you want to experience how it feels to hire writers and let them do the work for you while you earn from their efforts? What if I tell you that you can earn as much as 100k a month just managing your own online writing company? What if I tell you that the income potential is so great that you can earn as much as 500k a month depending on your marketing efforts?

The reality is that most of the companies writing academic papers for students are based in the Philippines. They have their offices here and their writers are Filipinos.

It is a thriving business.   Some companies earn six figure as their monthly income depending on their marketing skills and the level of expertise of their writers.

In their websites, they masquerade as companies which are based in the United States and hiring writers who are native English speakers, but the truth is that they are in Makati, Ortigas and Quezon City.  They earn millions of pesos for years from their writers who work for them day and night just to earn a small amount.

I will not mention the names of these companies because it is not the point here.

The point is that you can be a manager of your own website too. You do not have to be a writer just to earn money.  You can be an entrepreneur and get all the income from writing.

When I was starting to create my own website, I tried to ask to individuals whom I have worked for how they managed to get clients.  All of them kept it a secret fearing that I might compete with them.

Indeed, nobody out there will share the knowledge to you and give you advise on how they managed to attract clients and sustain their business.  

Of course, it is annoying.  Why not share the secret to another Filipino?

Now that I am managing my own online business and earning six figures every month, I thought, why not share my knowledge to all the aspiring writers who also want to start their own online business?

In this blog, my goal is to share my knowledge and experience to you about the different strategies to help make your online business a success, my goal is for the writers to have more time for themselves and for their family.  I want freelance writers to learn how to become entrepreneurs and employers.   I want to free them from the mentality of looking to become freelancers or employees instead of becoming entrepreneurs and employers.
 

But what is the secret of managing an essay company? What is the secret to succeeding on the Internet? How do you compete against the bigger companies which earn thousands of dollars from your nice market.

I assure you that its possible.  It can be done. I did it. So can you.

It is not easy but it can be done.

The Benefits of Managing your Own Online Business

Recent studies say more people prefer to be called entrepreneurs than CEOs.   With the recent developments in Internet Technology and availability of tools gadgets that help entrepreneurs manage their businesses online, more people have discovered that they want to free themselves from the bondage of 8 to 5 jobs to manage their own online business.

But what are the perks of becoming entrepreneurs?

There are a lot. Most entrepreneurs are surprised that they are enjoying these perks that they never even thought they wanted.

Indeed, becoming entrepreneurs is not only about becoming your own boss or enjoying a lot of free time on your own.

Recently, I came across an article entitled “The Secret Guilty Pleasures of being an Entrepreneur.” It discusses four (4) benefits of being entrepreneurs.  The article spoke wisdom about the benefits of becoming entrepreneurs and managing your own online business.  I hope you will enjoy it too.

How Small Businesses Can Compete with Big Businesses Online

It is not unusual for small business owners to have doubts before they establish their own online business.
It is normal for a person to have doubts about the amount of time that he will spend or the competition that he will face when he joins the online community.

These doubts, however, do not have any basis. In fact, having an online business is the best alternative for small business owners.

Small is Big in Online Business
The era of the social media has at least leveled the playing field between big businesses and small businesses.  In fact, small businesses can actually compete with big businesses online because of several advantages.

Its first advantage is mobility.  Small businesses are typically managed by one or two individuals.  Decisions, therefore, revolve around the owners making it very easy to implement minor or even major business decisions.  In contrast, big businesses need approval from the board before they can even implement minor changes on their website.

Small businesses are more personal compared to big businesses which make them closer to their customers. Small business owners personally write the blogs for their websites, they post updates on their Facebook wall or even personally tweet.  In contrast, big business owners hire individuals to manage their Facebook or their Tweeter making it very impersonal.

Build Relationships with your Client
In the age of the social media, size does not matter.  The only recipe for success is to build relationship with your clients.

In our case, our writing business has managed to maintain loyal clients because we make ourselves available to their needs 24/7.  When they have questions we make an effort to respond to these questions immediately. We listen to our clients and find out what they need.

Small business owners have nothing to fear in competing with big businesses. Our cardinal rule – build relationship and listen to your client.

Reasons Why You Should Hire Filipinos for your Online Business

In the past, India was considered as the outsourcing capital of the world.  However, in the past couple of years, outsourcing in the Philippines has substantially increased.  In fact, since 2011, the Philippines has taken over India’s position as the outsourcing capital of the world.

There are several reasons for this.  Filipinos are hardworking, skilled and they would love to show you the opportunity that they can do a good work.  Tell them what you want to be done and they will gladly give you what you want at reasonable costs.

Jim Cockrum, author of Free Marketing 101 said the following about Filipinos:
In the Philippines, there is an overabundance of talented English speaking, skilled, tech-savvy workers reading and willing to go to work to make your Internet business grow even while you sleep. I’ve hired web designers, writers, e-mail  customer service agents and content distribution experts from the Philippines.  

The Filipino culture is characterized as hardworking, honest, and not resentful of foreign employers, as some people might suspect they would. They are grateful for the work in most cases. Typically, they love the chance to make meaningful work and they will thank you frequently for the chance they are worthy of your trust.

If authors and experts like Jim Cockrum have discovered the skills of the Filipinos for their online business, I believe there is no reason for other aspiring authors and experts not to hire the services of Filipinos.
Tell us how we can be of service to you! Tell us how we can help you!

Take your Business to the Next Level – Start Online Business

You have a small business.  You feel confident that you are ready to take your small business to the next level by establishing your online presence.

But you know almost nothing about the Internet.  You don’t know anything about social media.  You are not a geek and this is your first time to venture into online business.

Do not be afraid.  You are not alone.  There are many other entrepreneurs out there are who have not tapped the Internet as part of their marketing strategy.

There are several steps that you can do to establish your online presence which you can do on your own.

1. Register your own domain name.  You need to get a good domain name for your business.  Use a domain name that you can associate with your product or services.  Follow our blog post with the title “Domain Name – What is in a Name” for more information about domain names

2.  Start a blog.  When you have purchased a domain name the next thing that you think about is the web hosting.  Some blogs are hosted for free by wordpress or blogger.  However, having a blog like home-business-partner.blogspot.com may not suit well for our business because the name is too long for our clients to remember.  So some bloggers make the decision to pay for web hosting services.

Some domain registrants also offer web hosting services as part of their package.  Some companies offer their services for the price ranging from $40/year to $100/year.  In our case, the cost for web hosting of our other blogs is $50.88.  If you will include the fees for domain name registration and the privacy registration services the total fee we paid was $60.0 which is for one year of service.

You might say that you do not have time to blog.  Blogging is not supposed to take too much of your time.  You can post your blog at least once a week or twice a week depending on your availability.  Moreover, if you have the time now you can schedule the posting of your blog so they can be published during the weeks or months that you are very busy.

3.  Have a LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter account.  Your clients are into the social media so it is not a bad idea to be into social media.  Make sure that you use your own name or your business so your clients can easily find you.

4. Find out more about your audience.  Know your audience.  Understand the social media that you are using and make sure that you are there too.  If you are new in the social media, make sure to follow your competitors and understand how they are using the social media so you can adopt the same strategy for your own business.  You can also study how the social media is being used by other businesses and see if you can apply the same in your own business.

5. Devote your time to your blog and the social media.  In making sure that you have loyal clients you need to devote your time to your blog and the social media.

6. Be generous to your clients.  A successful Internet Marketer once said that the secret to his success is his generosity.  He started a newsletter campaign detailing the secrets of his business.  For some of you this could be unthinkable.  However, it was his strategy to success. The more information he gave to his loyal clients the more these clients became loyal to him.

7. Do all these things by yourself.  Home-business-partner.blogspot.com is a blog built by a lawyer who simply fell in love with Internet Marketing.  He is not Internet savvy and has no knowledge, training or exposure on html codes or programming languages.  But he was able to build a blog on his own.  You can do it as well. Hiring a consultant who will do these things for you may not be the best idea. If there is somebody who knows your business it is you.  There is nobody who can speak for your business other than you.

Good luck with your online business!

We already posted the most important reason why you should have an online business.  We have said that the Filipinos heavy use of the Internet makes it indispensable for every entrepreneur to have their businesses online.

Now, let us talk about the other reasons why you should have a website and establish an online business

1. 24/7 availability.  When you have a physical store business you have limitations in terms of your availability.  Perhaps you may be open only from 8 A.M. or 9 A.M. to 5 P.M. or 6 P.M. Your store could only be happened during weekdays and be closed on weekends.  In contrast, when you have an online business your business can be opened 24/7.  You can still receive emails or calls even during the night or during weekends. In our case, our website allows us to accept orders from our clients even before sun rise I can confirm these orders using my Blackberry without physically getting out of bed to confirm orders.

2. Unlimited Visibility. When you have a physical store business you are only visible to those who pass by your store.  In fact, even if people pass by your store it does not follow that they will even notice your store.  In contrast, when you have an online business you are visible not only in the Philippines but even in remote places in other parts of the world provided they have access to Internet.  In my case, my clients who are in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and Australia can see our website and place their orders.

3. Specific Market. When you have a physical store business it does not follow that the people who pass by your store will purchase your products and services.  In contrast, when your target customer finds you on Google and clicks on your website you can be assured that the person who is viewing your website is looking for precisely the same product or service that you sell.  In our case, when our clients go to our website I am sure that they are looking for the products that I am selling.

4. Savings on Business Expenses. When you have a physical store business you will be spending so much money on securing your business licenses, registration requirements, lease contracts, monthly salaries of personnel and other business expenses.  Moreover, it will take time, around two to three years, before you can actually recoup your investment. In contrast, aside from domain name registration and hosting which are paid yearly, and expenses for developing your own website which is a one-time fee, you do not have to pay for any other thing.

5. Direct Sale. When you have a physical store business, generally, before your clients can actually purchase anything from your store you need to be opened first so your clients can go to your store and make purchases.  On the other hand, when you have an online business your products and services are available to your target customers 24/7.  Transactions can easily be done as well since our website is linked to website allowing me to confirm payments after I receive orders.

6. Accessibility of Information about your Company.  When you have an online business your customers can easily find you in Google to know more about your company, philosophy, values, mission, vision and products and services.  We have an About Us page in my online business which contains information about our company.  If my clients sends me an email asking me questions, I refer them to my FAQ page where the answers to their questions can be found.

There are many more benefits of having an online business.  The information which I gave are only those things which we found very important based on our experiences.

Why Your Business Should be Online

It is not uncommon to hear people say that when you are looking for information about something you can find it in Google.

We live in a society that is always pressed for time.  We want immediate information at the time we need it.  The Internet helps us achieve this penchant for immediate gratification.

That is why many people are online to find information about something.  This is not only true in the Western countries but even in the Philippines.

Filipinos are heavy Internet users

According to InternetWorldStats.com, as of June 2009, there are 29,700,000 Internet users in the Philippines which is 29.7% of the entire population in the Philippines.  This is a substantial increase compared to the 24,000,000 Internet users in the past year.

The Nielsen Southeast Asia Digital Consumer report also said that Filipinos who spend 21.5 hours online per week are second heaviest Internet users in Southeast Asia.  We are only second to the Singaporeans who spend an average of 25 hours online per week.

If the potential consumers are online then don’t you think you should be online too selling your products and services.  If people are actively using the Internet to get information about anything, don’t you think that it is wise for you to have an online business where your clients are?

Think about it.  A customer could be looking right now for a product or a service that you are already providing.  Help your potential customers find you in the Internet. Establish an online presence.

Identifying and Targeting Your Goals for your Online Business

Are you starting your own website?  Don’t know how to start building your website?

The common pitfalls among many online entrepreneurs is that they focus on the design of their website first before they think about its content.  When this happens they end up inserting additional pages on their website that may affect its overall design.

Before you starting designing your first blog or website, you need to clarify your goals.  What is the function of your blog or website? Is it simply a personal blog or website? Is your blog or website seeking to convince other people about political issues? Is it a company blog or website seeking to give out information about your company? Does it sell a particular product or service?

If you are just starting your own online business you need to make sure that your design fits well with the goals that you want to achieve.

Before you start building your website you need to see if it has all the elements that can help you achieve your goals.  These elements may or may not be present on your blog or website depending on your goals.

A. Corporate history
If you are a company your blog or website needs to have a page dedicated to show your target customers your corporate history.  Corporate history tells about your company and the products that your company sells.

B. Company Information
This page contains more details and information about your company such as your address, contact number, and hours of operation.

C. Press Releases
You may have an important news to share to your target audience.  Press releases ensure that the most recent and up to date news about you or your company is made available to your audience

D. Product and Service Information
If you set up your blog or website to sell products or services, a page dedicated to your products and services should be made part of your blog or website.

E. Online Purchasing
Online Purchasing page allows your loyal customers to purchase your products and services.

F. Support for Existing Customers and Prospective Clients
A blog or website needs to provide information that can help or assist your clients should they have questions.  This can be embodied in a Frequently Asked Questions page where the most common questions you encounter are answered.

G. Sitemap
A sitemap allows your target clients to see the outline of the entire website.  At the same time, it allows your target clients to immediately go to the page they want to see.

H. Online Support
If you want to be able to communicate with your clients 24/7 there should be a live chat support system that will allow them to ask you questions or information.

I. Customer Testimonials
You have customers who have said nice words about your products? Why not gather them and share them by building a Testimonials Page so your new customers can see it.

Starting an Online Business

We are not against franchising or food cart business.  In fact, there are a number of success stories in franchising business.  Many entrepreneurial-minded Filipinos have earned substantial amount of money managing their franchising business.  While there are a lot of success stories there are also a lot of failed franchising businesses.

Though we all want to get into franchising most of us just do not have the time to manage a franchising business.  We do not have enough capital to venture into this relatively risky business.

I am suggesting that it is possible for us Filipinos to earn more by utilizing the power of the Internet to get complete control of their life and gain financial freedom.

This is the era where the Internet is slowly becoming a part of our daily lives.  This is the era where the Internet is not only a source of entertainment or information but even a powerful tool for doing business.

Look at it this way, when you set up a food cart business, your clients are limited to a certain geographical area.  Of course, your buyers are mostly your neighbors or the ones who come to see your business.  When you close it down for one day to attend to a more important matter then you have no income for one day unless you have a staff to take over your operation. Opportunities are limited.  Income is also limited.

Now, consider a situation where you have an online business.  Your clients from the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, or Asia can access your website or your blog.  If you are selling a product online think of the potential customers you can have without leaving your home.  They can simply go to your website or blog and place their order.  There is no necessity to  comply with any registration requirements as well.  The best part is you can do this at home or even while at the office.

The Internet is your ally to do business.  Take advantage of its benefits and become an online entrepreneur.

Enjoy Financial Freedom and Control over Your Own Life by Starting an Online Business

Do you want to start a business of your own?

Do you dream of leaving your day job and starting your own business?

Do you want to earn money even if you are at home taking care of your kids?

Do you wish to achieve financial freedom and independence?

Let’s face it.  We all want money minus the hassle of going to the office everyday. We want to earn and save money for our children’s future without sacrificing our quality time with them.  We can only do this if we develop the mindset of an entrepreneur.

Franchising/Food Cart Business
Let’s talk business. When we talk of business the first thing that probably comes to mind is franchising or a food cart business. Many Filipinos are into food cart business.  A franchised food cart business has several advantages. It has small capitalization and easy to establish. Everything is there already -  the name, the product, the strategy.  It is a very simple business to establish.

Downsides to Franchising/Food Cart Business
There are several disadvantages to putting up a food cart business.  The first is that the franchising business should comply with all the labor, tax registration and other commercial requirements under the law.

The second is management problem.  When you enter into a franchising agreement to get a food cart you either manage it yourself or you hire people to manage this business.  When you manage this business on your own you have to stay inside the mall where the food cart business is located.  You need to prepare everything and ensure availability of supplies which could be very difficult if you do it alone.  Unless you hire employees you will be trapped in your own business.

Even if you hire employees to help, you need to make sure that they are reliable and trustworthy.  You need to make sure that everything is accounted for at the end of the day.  I have seen several food cart businesses get mismanaged because of employees who steal money from their employers.

The third problem is income.  Since you can only charge so much for the cost of your product, you income is very limited as well.  In general, foot cart business owners earn an average income of P500 to P1000 a day.
The fourth problem is that you have to be on the lookout for new trends in the industry and new competitors.  Some businesses are very seasonal and some are just fads. You need to make sure that your business has legs so you will continue to earn even after the craze or fad is gone.

Lastly, before you enter in a franchising agreement you need to conduct due diligence and find out whom you are dealing with.

We are not against franchising or the food cart business.  We acknowledge that this is the fastest growing business in the Philippines.  However, the reality is that the returns on your investment is not substantial.  Sometimes the income may not suffice for the effort you will be need to exert to maintain the food cart business.  Needless to state, this is not the kind of business you may want if you want to gain financial freedom and complete control of your life.

What am I suggesting?

See my next blog post