Sure, it may be a noble deed to educate people about prevention, but world does not always work that way. The majority of people look for a home based business only when they get retrenched, when they run out of savings, or when they retire. So why not make your recruitment efforts match this need? Why not develop your niche market based on this category of people?

Instead of teaching them about residual income and power of duplication which they are not interested in, wouldn't your message be more effective if you taught them how to earn a comfortable retirement income, or how to replace their current income instead?

The point is this - as a home based entrepreneur you must understand your target market's need, and serve them well. You should focus on being best in providing cure, not best in preaching about prevention. Focus on customer needs, and they will flock to you.

4) Are You Having Fun?

Everything about Google spells fun. But don't get me wrong. They are probably most innovative company at moment.

The fact that they can present their complicated technology in such a simple way to end-users is an act that every company can envy. Have you ever heard anyone complain about Google search being too complicated to use? Yet as an Internet marketer I can go crazy trying to understand complexity behind simple white page and squiggly logo.

Leave complexity of a home based or network marketing business behind scenes. Teach people how to have fun, while achieving goals and building their business. Show them that you are having fun yourself, and they will buy, they will join, or at least tell someone else about you, and your exciting business.

When you're having fun, it will not seem like work at all. Everyone could use a little fun in their lives, don't you think?

5) Focus on Your Core Competency

Yes, this is another phrase that is thrown around in business world, but how many entrepreneurs actually practice it? As a home based entrepreneur, you may find need to explore other sources of income. There's nothing wrong in that, but here's catch - don't go where money is, especially if it's not related to what you're doing.

Many people tend to find other sources of income that is totally unrelated to their main home business. As a result of that, they become an expert in nothing, and they become best in nothing. If you make custom furniture at home, why take a job at a fast food chain to make ends meet, when you can explore other ways to make money out of your core competency? Having woodworking workshops, writing a 'how to' book on woodworking, or even a sales job at a furniture outlet can make good sources of additional revenue, while building your name and expertise on your core competency itself.

Starting out as a search engine, Google pretty much maintained their core competency until today. When they explore other sources of revenue or develop new products, you can be pretty sure it's related to search technology. And undisputed result of that is that there is simply no other better alternative when it comes to search and information retrieval.

Therefore, we have much to learn from success story of Google. Just as much as age old story of entrepreneurs who drop out of school, and go on to develop multi-million dollar businesses armed with nothing more than guts and ingenuity, Google's success story is inspirational to say least.

A tale of humble beginnings with extraordinary endings. Maybe that will someday be story of your life, and your home based business...

A home business environment is not much different from scenario above. In absence of corporate rules, you must develop your own self imposed "home business rules". Set a time for work, for play, and for household activities. If you just decide to "go with flow", you often get no where at all.

I used to think that money was most important asset of my home business. Being quite naive, I thought that with more money, I could be successful faster. After all, money is king. With more money, I could buy more "big time" advertising, hire assistants and equip my business with best software systems.

It didn't take me long to realize that time is more important than money. Money simply cannot buy time. But with more time, I can all make all money I want. Put in another way, I would say that MORE TIME is more important than just MORE MONEY. But none of us, not you, nor me, can have more than 24 hours a day at our disposal.

So, as a home business entrepreneur, we need to ultimately learn how to make best use of time that we have. This easy to say, but it will take discipline to see it through. Discipline is not easy to achieve, but it CAN be done. Just focus on doing a little bit every day, and stick to timeline you had laid out, and you will get into productive rhythm that comes with discipline.

4) Continuous Self-improvement

The home business arena is highly competitive. As an entrepreneur you will need to keep up with any event that will effect your business, for better or worse.

Corporations usually have mandatory training courses for all employees. If you are someone who attended these courses just to get away from doing work, or just to get some extra sleeping time in class, then you need to change your attitude.

As an entrepreneur you must to find ways to enrich yourself with more knowledge. Take that accounting class, attend that local business seminar and read related books. Don't see these as additional expenses, see them as long term investment. An investment in knowledge, after all, yields best return.

Every type of business is subject to slowdowns. If you do not continuously improve your skills and knowledge, simply throwing in more money or hiring more people when that happens will not solve problem. The only way to move forward, to get to "the next level" is to acquire new knowledge. New knowledge opens up more opportunities for your business.

5) Commitment to Your Goals & Deadlines for Success

"I want this on my desk by 2.00pm".

Sounds familiar? Most of us seek a home based business because we want to escape pressures of a 9-5 job. The word "deadline" may send a shiver through your spine.

The irony, however, is that deadlines are EXACTLY what you need to succeed in just about anything. As an entrepreneur, these deadlines always are, and must be, self-imposed. There are many book on how to set and achieve goals (my recommendations at http://www.home-business-association.com/books/) and I suggest you read as many as you can.

Having family around you can be used to your advantage. Communicate your goals to your wife or husband. Promise your kids a vacation when you've finished a major task. Soon, you will get little "bosses" running around telling you to stop watching TV and get to your work. Well, at least they are "adorable" bosses!

An excerpt from book 'Think and Grow Rich' by Napoleon Hill (pg. 15):

...a great warrior faced a situation which made it necessary for him to make a decision which insured his success on battlefield. He... gave order to burn ships that carried them. Addressing his men before first battle he said "You see boats going up in smoke? That means that we cannot leave these shores alive unless we win! We now have no choice - We win - or we perish".

They won.

And no matter what YOUR goals are in seeking self-employment and an entrepreneurial life, with commitment to your goals and determination to meet your deadlines, you too will win. Take positive aspects of your current of former work environment to build a healthy and productive home business mentality to ensure that you are heading towards success.

Here's to your success. Cheers.