Guilt, guilt, guilt.  Guilt is a terrible feeling and is often self-inflicted by creative entrepreneurs, especially during the holidays.
Most people who work for themselves say they chose to do so because they wanted to “control their time.”  People who value time over money, recognize that time is a precious commodity that cannot be created, bought, or borrowed.  You have to use it wisely or else it is gone.
Having the luxury to control how, with whom, and where you spend your time is one of the bonuses of working for yourself.  So, why is it that an overwhelming number of female entrepreneurs also say they feel guilty when they are not working on their businesses or with a client between the hours of 9 am to 5 pm?
To be truly happy and successful as an entrepreneur, you must break the corporate-created walls of time and learn how to set your day according to your needs and the needs of your clients.  There is no law chaining you to your desk eight hours a day between 9 am and 5 pm.
Here’s my advice: stop feeling guilty about when you are working and when you are not, and ditch the idea of playing by rules set up by other organizations.  Make sure you benefit from the freedoms of entrepreneurship and maximize your time by performing regular activities such as food shopping at off times like 10 am on a Tuesday or having your teeth cleaned at 2pm on a Monday.   You will spend less time waiting in line, you will be less stressed, and actually have more time to devote to your clients and other activities, then if you went on a weekend or during a busier time.
Of course, be sure to take a day or two off completely during the holidays to go gift shopping, ice-skating, or for decorating your home.  Give yourself permission to enjoy your life and do something for yourself, even if it is on a week day between nine and five.  You deserve it.
Happy holidays!

I hope this information will enable you to concentrate your efforts for effective results.

I was recently at a conference with my colleagues and heard from one of the top entrepreneurs in my business the ultimate in explanation for what defines an entrepreneur.  Most people use the word entrepreneur very loosely and I think that the following will set the record straight.

An Entrepreneur is personally growing

An Entrepreneur is always learning

An Entrepreneur is always looking for opportunities everywhere

An Entrepreneur is seeking advice from qualified people

An Entrepreneur invests in their future

An Entrepreneur is willing to pay a price

An Entrepreneur supports their own business

An Entrepreneur is developing others

An Entrepreneur is a blessing to their community

An Entrepreneur is always developing people skills

An Entrepreneur is an ambassador for their business

An Entrepreneur takes responsibility

An Entrepreneur understands that for every adversary carries with it the seed of equal benefit

An Entrepreneur has long term thinking

An Entrepreneur knows that success is the progressive realization of a worthwhile endeavor

An Entrepreneur sets goals and works towards those goals

Entrepreneurs create jobs and fuel the economy

This is the most concise collection of the characteristics of an entrepreneur that I have ever heard and is truly the heartbeat of what characteristics are necessary to truly succeed as a business owner.  The Entrepreneur is a rare breed.  It takes guts and determination to manifest greatness in one’s life.  It takes the ability to lead others and sometimes be humble.

In today’s society Entrepreneurship is almost looked down on by the average Joe or Jane and here is why.  People don’t believe enough in themselves so when someone stands above the crowd and tries to do something great and above average with their lives, they are looked down upon.  An Entrepreneur learns to stand above the crowd and press forward.  Entrepreneurs have a burning desire backed by faith and determination ; A Winning combination that every worthwhile endeavor demands for complete fruition.

Until next time..Adios.

DOING BUSINESS ONLINE COMPARED TO OFFLINE

What makes a successful internet entrepreneur? In some ways being an internet entrepreneur is no different from being an entrepreneur in any other field. The qualities of perseverance, business acumen, creativity, initiative, optimism, diligence, cooperativeness, work excellence etc are universally required for any entrepreneur. These qualities determine the success or failure of any business whether online or offline.

However in my personal experience, I have found that there is a distinct set of qualities the internet entrepreneur needs that the offline entrepreneur does not require. Doing business over the internet is quite different from doing business face-to-face. I have had first hand experience doing business both ways. In any offline business whether retail or wholesale, providing services or products, locally or internationally, business is often transacted and concluded because of personal contacts. Customer relationships are developed mostly through personal meetings or over the phone. This requires great skill in communication and negotiation on the part of the entrepreneur.

But for the internet entrepreneur, communication and negotiation is largely impersonal. Even with the advent of Web 2.0 technology, an internet entrepreneur can still remain anonymous by engaging ghostwriters and professional voice over experts or actors to do his communication and negotiation for him. Have you heard of the Rich Jerk? Very few people know his identity but he has made millions as an internet entrepreneur. Such a thing would hardly be possible in offline business.

THE KEY TO SUCCESSFUL INTERNET ENTREPRENEURSHIP

So what are the unique qualities needed by the internet entrepreneur which are not as crucial for the offline entrepreneur? Technical ability (able to create websites, knowing basic HTML etc), copywriting skills, marketing knowledge, list-building skills, ability to drive traffic to websites are just some of the abilities needed to succeed online. Some are more necessary than others.

Aside from these common skills which everyone knows, I would like to share four other skills which are more subtle, less-emphasized abilities essential to being a successful internet entrepreneur.

1. The ability to cope with loneliness

The internet entrepreneur spends many lonely hours for months, even years on end in front of his computer screen. This is especially so when you are just starting out. Many successful internet gurus today can tell you how they worked through the nights reading, trying to understand technical stuff, testing campaigns, writing articles or copy, scouring the Net, all the while drinking coffee to stay awake. The only communication they make is with faceless human beings through electronical means such as email or blogging. Been there, done that!

Even though such hard work is not unknown in offline businesses, but at least those who work offline often have colleagues or business associates to work with through the long hours of toil. Not the internet entrepreneur. His wife doesn’t know what a squeeze page is, his friends think he’s chasing an empty dream and his enemies sneer at his seemingly fruitless efforts.

Don’t believe the hype that says you can earn millions working only a few hours a day. That becomes true only after your internet business has become successful, not before. Beginners and intermediate internet entrepreneurs must be prepared to work many long lonely hours.

2. The attitude of always over-delivering

People look for information on the Internet. The internet entrepreneur provides that information. The better you do that, the more successful you become. In the offline business world, this is called quality control. It is obviously important to deliver quality products to your customers whether online or offline.

But there is one big difference between online and offline businesses in the area of delivering quality. This is especially so when you are marketing intangible products such as info-products. In the online business world, you only have one chance to make a good impression. Your website visitor may never visit you again and you may have lost one customer. In the offline business world, you probably would be able to get more than one chance to sell your product because a potential customer can cross your path again quite easily.

That is why it is crucial for the internet entrepreneur to over-deliver each and every time. When it comes to information, over-delivering means presenting very good content. If you have a flair for writing, always try to create your own content. All my articles, copy and other content have been original up to today and I intend to keep it that way so that I can over-deliver.

3. The ability to remain focused on your primary goal

The Internet is a plethora of information of all sorts. When you are starting out as an internet entrepreneur, there’s so much to learn. I have discovered that it is vitally important to focus on what you want to achieve without getting sidetracked by endless information. This may be overstating the obvious but reading a lot does not profit your business! Good information is always useful but there’s so much out there that you can easily become swamped and in the process your internet business does not make money as quickly as it could.

As an internet entrepreneur, the bottom line is to make money. However there are many ways to do so. Do you create your own product or become an affiliate or start a blog or monetize a membership site or make money through eBay or what? The possibilities are endless. And if you get distracted in learning about all these business models without actually implementing one of them, then you end up with lots of information but no money! Have you ever bought ebooks that you have not even finished reading, let alone put into practice what they teach? I know I have! That is why it is imperative that you focus on one business model and implement it well to make money as quickly as possible.

This brings me to my final quality.

4. The attitude of being an expert in your chosen field or niche

An expert is one who knows a lot about very little. That’s just a play of words to define an expert as one who is very knowledgeable about only one thing. If you focus on one business model at a time and one chosen field or niche at a time, you will make money in the quickest possible time.

Read all you can, work as hard as you can and do whatever you can to build your internet business but in one niche at a time. This is the only way to become an expert in it. Once you are recognized as an expert, people will trust you and do business with you.

Only after you have mastered one niche should you move on to another niche. But make it a related niche as far as possible. Are you good at training dogs? Be an expert at that. Market yourself and your products expertly. Once you become known as an expert, move on to another related niche, for example dog food. Your existing customers who already recognize and trust you as an expert will obviously accept your recommendations on what kind of dog food to buy.

CONCLUSION

In many ways the Internet has leveled the playing field in business. It allows anyone to become a successful entrepreneur because business on the Internet can be conducted largely at home. Developing the above qualities will go a long way in helping you become successful in your internet business.

Clarence Chan is an Internet Marketer and Entrepreneur. He is trained as a public speaker and counselor and has written on various topics including marketing, self-improvement, family and religion. He teaches many people how to have a successful online business. To get all the tools you need for your own successful Internet business, visit : http://www.internet-money-tips.com

Entrepreneurs are generally business people. However, this is only half of who they really are. You see, entrepreneurs are also idea thinkers and deal makers. Through the available or existing circumstances, an entrepreneur can uncover new ideas and then turn them into a good deal.

Many entrepreneurs hardly ever concentrate on one business venture. THheir primary aim is to earn money so will try to venture into all kind of businesses as long as it provides a profit.

The business ideas created by a certain entrepreneur are often found in archives. This is because some business ideas may not be feasible at present and so they keep it for future use or reference. Those business ideas which have higher market feasibility are investigated further and if in case the entrepreneur decides to act on the idea immediately, he will put such ideas to work and earn money.

Feasibility studies are vital to every business venture. From the idea, the entrepreneur thinks of certain services or products and formulates questions. Oftentimes, the entrepreneur conducts surveys to potential customers and he meticulously records all the responses. The documentations made can be used by the entrepreneur once he secures capital from financial backers.

If the entrepreneur have the capital to finance the said business idea, then it will be good for him because he will reap all the profits. However, most entrepreneurs prefer to seek assistance from financial backers so that their decisions will not be affected by their own vested interest.

Different interest groups will look into the business ideas provided by the entrepreneur. If anyone from the group is willing to finance the business proposal, then they will have to contact the entrepreneur. The business deals are usually carried out together with a lawyer so that everything will be formal and documented. Once the ideas are backed, the entrepreneur will start earning money. If the business idea proves to be successful, more money will come rolling in for the entrepreneur.

Being an entrepreneur is hard especially for beginners. However, with diligence, hard work, patience, knowledge, and a whole lot of other qualities, even you can become a successful entrepreneur.

At present, many entrepreneurs are into internet business. One reason is that many internet businesses are potential money makers and are not hard to handle. If you want to become an internet entrepreneur, make sure that you conduct your own research about it and how it is done. As beginners, you have to have to gather as much information as you can for the success of your chosen field.

Now that you know everything starts with an idea, you can already determine if being an entrepreneur is what you really want in life. Some say that if you want to become a successful entrepreneur, you have to be born with the characteristics of one.

However, you can work things out as you grow older and learn new things. So don’t get discouraged and try really hard if you’re determined to become an entrepreneur.

For a start let us take a look at the dictionary definition of entrepreneur. I think we need to be clear about what exactly an entrepreneur is before going any further.

Cambridge dictionaries online define an entrepreneur as someone who starts their own business, especially when this involves risks

So there is no confusion here. It is very clear. If you start your own business you are an entrepreneur but it does seem to have to also include an element of risk.

You could argue that any new business involves risk and that is certainly true, but successful entrepreneurs are willing to take much greater risks than your average new business starter

How exactly do you become a successful entrepreneur?

Well that has to be the million dollar question. If there were a prescribed and reliable formula, we would all be multi millionaires. There would be no risk and so paradoxically, perhaps no more entrepreneurs!

There are certain characteristics that successful entrepreneurs seem to possess, such as total dedication.

So what drives an entrepreneur and what makes them different to most other people? What is their vision compared to mere mortals?

For certain there are a number of qualities they all share and without them, they would probably not be entrepreneurs

Entrepreneurial qualities

You could say that any person willing to work hard at their own business is an entrepreneur but it has to be more than that. Many people try unsuccessfully to make it on their own, and many, in fact most fail, often just giving up because their efforts do not produce the hoped for results quickly enough

The true entrepreneur is remorseless in the pursuit of their goal. It is as much about achievement as it is about money but the money, as you might guess, is the real proof of success.

Entrepreneurialism has making money at its heart but the means to achieving this is almost incidental.

You could sum up the major qualities of a successful entrepreneur as follows

A successful entrepreneur thinks outside the box and is never satisfied with mediocrity in any part of their life

A successful entrepreneur is not necessarily obsessive, but is extremely highly motivated and committed to achieving their goal

The journey will be determined by its likelihood of success, not because it is enjoyable or laudable (although it might be either or both). Ultimately the enjoyment is in the success

All successful entrepreneurs leverage the efforts of others. This is a good and beneficial thing as long as it does not involve exploitation

No obstacle (short of death maybe) is too difficult to overcome. Where there is a will, there is a way. It is all in the mindset!

There is no giving up even when the way is fraught with setbacks. Expect them

The successful entrepreneur will do whatever it takes to reach the goal even if it means starting again

The successful entrepreneur must be able to handle both risk and stress. If not, burn out is extremely likely

So where does that leave you?

It seems clear that the entrepreneur is a special breed

Is it your intention to become one or are you already an entrepreneur?

Do you think you have at least some of the above qualities? You will probably need them all unless you just happen to get lucky in some way

Are you or have you already been successful? This will help

The new Entrepreneur

I believe a new breed of entrepreneur is emerging. They have all the necessary qualities of determination but are of a different mindset and they want success quickly. Most of their business is conducted online often utilising powerful software and the opportunities provided by Web 2.0 (at least at the time of writing)

But it is not just about making money for many of them. Many are also dedicated to helping others and often set up and fund special projects to achieve this. This is not a show of wealth but a genuine act of benevolence

With this in mind, perhaps there is a further quality we should be adding to our list of what it takes to become a successful entrepreneur

Sharing success with others, and especially with those whose lives are deprived or impoverished in comparison to our own

The new successful entrepreneur is most likely an online operator because it is more than possible to have a great deal of success, even just working from home

The risks are much smaller working online and it is a relatively inexpensive start-up compared to most traditional businesses

The secret of how to become a successful online entrepreneur is quite simple. You need a proven system that can easily and quickly be tapped into where all the hard work has already been done for you. You just buy into the ride

There are many offers available but the best solution has to be a top tier, high ticket, business in a box, with a minimum commission of around $1000 (one thousand dollars).

I would not involve myself in any other kind of business. Why bother when it takes no more effort to make a thousand dollars than it does to make a hundred

The word entrepreneur, in its most basic form, means “founder”. So in this context, it’s someone who founds a business. They’ll often build it from scratch, with the ultimate aim of making it profitable and successful.

An entrepreneur is someone who isn’t afraid to take on all the risks and potential downfalls associated with running a business. They don’t shy away from risk, but embrace it. They see the potential you can gain from it, as a risky venture can often turn into the most profitable – it’s how you face those risks that count.

They’ll have an inherent understanding of business and how to make one successful. This quality is essential, as without it you can hope of being a success. If they don’t know how to do something, they find out. They love being challenged and are always learning something new.

They’re always trying to think up what will be the next big thing, and how they can succeed with their next venture. Never satisfied with just getting on with things, entrepreneurs are always looking to expand. It’s this kind of motivation and ambition that is essential to the success of a business. If you don’t have ambition or aren’t willing to put the effort in, how can you ever realise your full potential?

They’re never disheartened. If an idea doesn’t work, they pick themselves up and move onto the next one. It’s essential to have a thick skin in business, as nothing is ever easy or straightforward!

These are just a few of the qualities that make an entrepreneur. If you possess some of these, maybe you’re an entrepreneur as well – but, if you are, you probably already know it!

You find out how to do something if you donâ??t know straight away. You love being challenged and always want to learn new things, whether itâ??s through workshops, courses, or simply doing research in your own time. If you can learn new things to make you more successful, as well as more confident in business, then even better.

Youâ??re always trying to offer business â??adviceâ? to your friends and relatives, even if they donâ??t want to hear it. You just canâ??t stop talking about it! Itâ??s on your mind 24/7. Youâ??ll take heed from other entrepreneurs, and will often carry around a notepad and pen just in case you get that spark of inspiration.

You approach risks with a sense of excitement rather than caution. Youâ??re not adverse to risk in your business plan; you know that itâ??s often by undertaking the most risk that you can reap the most reward. An entrepreneur knows that risk means profit, so as long as you attack it correctly, you can be in line for a huge pay-off.

You look at other businesses and think you could do better. Itâ??s this type of confidence that means you probably will, and all entrepreneurs have to possess it.

Youâ??re always thinking of how you can secure your next investment. Your business plan is at the forefront of your mind, and you always want to tweak it to make it perfect. You know that a good business plan is the key to getting investment, and you want to make sure that you do.

You donâ??t get upset if one of your ideas doesnâ??t work out, you pick yourself up and get on with the next one. You understand that business is difficult, and that not everyone makes it all the time, even the most successful of entrepreneurs. It just makes you even more determined to succeed with your next business venture. This type of persistence is essential.

Youâ??ve just read this, and all the points apply to you!