Do you have a business plan?

In August of 2002, I was one of 'those' people... someone that was starting an online business, without any real clue of how to start or where to start even.

I didn't know that free websites weren't all they were cracked up to be, didn't know a thing about html (or what it was for that matter), didn't know a thing about marketing, and yet, here I was creating a website. Think I was nuts lol!

One gift that I have been blessed with is the ability to learn quickly - anything that is computer related. I've had this gift since I was a kid, and my former boss used to remind me of it on a regular basis :)

It didn't take me long to create my vision - I knew exactly what I wanted to accomplish and started creating that vision online. I learned, soaked in all the information I could find - and am still learning today.

The difference today is, I know what html is, and I know how to code. I also know php, cgi.. what my path to perl is and a lot more technical stuff that many work at home moms have never heard of.

I don't like having to rely on someone else to do things for me... I'd much rather ask someone for help to walk me through it so I can learn it for myself.

Now back to business plans. I mentioned that I had no idea what a business plan was when I first started. Well, it didn't take long for me to find more information on what they are. Even though I knew it was something that I needed, I still held back on actually taking the time to sit down and write out my own business plan.

Until yesterday I still only had my vision in my head. However yesterday I decided to sit down and start to seriously figure this out, with the help of a good friend, Patrysha Korchinski from Incredible Impressions.

Most of what we discussed during our hour & a half chat was pretty much what I already knew I should be doing... but discussing it with someone else that could add to my vision, and clarify my goals really helped a ton.

I realized that my financial goal really was set too low. Having someone actually take the time to break it down into $$/time/people was incredibly eye opening! I also made the affirmation that I will start setting business hours online (I'm here 24/7 right now it seems lol). Patrysha was also able to help me set up a schedule of hours in a day & goals.

I highly recommend that everyone talk to Patrysha - you will definately come away with a great feeling - excited and ready to move your business forward!!

AND... here's a great deal - let me know that you're definately going to speak to Patrysha - email me about it, and I'll send you a Referral Card that will save you 10% off every service that Patrysha offers!!

Keep in mind that Patrysha only charges $25 for press releases, and in the last few weeks, two that she's written and submitted have been picked up BIG TIME!!! Never thought about Press Releases? YOU SHOULD!! Visit Incredible Impressions for more information on the Power of Press Releases!

~ Dianne ~

What’s in a name?
By Dianne Fratscher
www.WahmsUnited.com

We’re not talking about people names, we’re talking about Domain Names!!

Domain names are extremely important for every business that wants to join the many millions already online today. The domain name that you select for your business will be the identity that your business is known by. First impressions count, and in order to turn visitors into customers having your own domain name vs. a free address is crucial.

Having your own domain name has many benefits.

Some people believe that they just can’t afford to pay for their own domain. In truth, you can’t afford NOT to. When starting a business online, your goal is to let as many people in your target audience know about your website. If you’re promoting a lengthy free domain, it makes it that much harder for your visitors to remember and return to. Domain names are also very important to search engines. In many cases, search engines won’t even spider your website if it’s hosted on a free domain, and if you’re not listed in search engines, you’re completely eliminating anyone finding your website via internet searches (i.e. Google).

Purchasing your own domain allows you to create email addresses such as you@yourdomain.com which is also helping to establish your business identity and make you and your business look professional. Customers want to know they can trust you, and having both your own domain name and domain email address will help to build their trust. When using either a free domain name or a personal email address from your Internet Service Provider (ISP), you are only promoting them, and not your own business.

When selecting your domain name, there are a few things to remember. Shorter is always better, however short domain names are extremely difficult to come by today. If you find it necessary to use multiple words in your domain name, separate each word by a hyphen ( – ). Some search engines such as Google see the hyphens as a space whereas using and underscore ( _ ) to separate words will be treated as being the same as if the underscore was never there. Using hyphens instead will help Search Engines differentiate the words in your domain name. Also try to place a keyword or two into your domain name for increased impact.

The small fee that you pay per year for your own domain name is peanuts compared to the overall benefits that you receive by having your own domain. You can check out the availability of domain names and register new domains at Home Business Hosting (http://www.wahmsunited.com/homebusinesshosting).

.~*~ .~*~ .~*~ .~*~ .~*~ .~*~ .~*~.

About the Author:
Dianne Fratscher is a work at home mother of 2 children. A full time online entrepreneur, owner and founder of www.WahmsUnited.com, a leading informational resource site for work at home parents. For further information about Dianne, WahmsUnited.com or how you too can run a successful online business visit www.WahmsUnited.com.

This article may be used at no cost providing the resource box is left in tact and all links are active. It would also appreciated that you send a copy of the publication you are using this article in to: info@wahmsunited.com. If this article is to be used online, please send an email with a link to the location of the article.