Whether you want to admit it or not, soap operas may hold key to your home business success. This article includes a few home and small business principles I learned while watching SoapNet.

Be really, really good looking. I don’t know if you’ve had this experience, but every time I turn on SoapNet I feel overweight, ugly, and hopelessly average. There is no way I could ever compete with collection of beauties, male and female, that soap operas have assembled. But before you go out and buy a Bow Flex and dye your hair blonde, remember that I’m talking about your home business in this article. Just because you are running your business out of your home on a low budget does not mean it has to look like you are running your business out of your home on a low budget. Invest a little bit of money into getting a professional logo and stationary. If you own a website and cannot afford a professional web designer, take courses at your local college. Presenting your business professionally can open up doors you may believe are closed to you.

Give them something to talk about. If soap operas do nothing else well, they create scandals that have people talking for days. It is a TV show for crying out loud! Can you imagine what kind of publicity you could bring to your business if you gave people something to talk about way soaps do? I’m not suggesting doing anything illegal or scandalous. But make sure your business does something that people would be willing to talk about. What do you differently than your competitors? How can you turn that idiosyncrasy into positive publicity? What good causes are related to your area of business? Is there some kind of event you could sponsor that would make evening news and benefit a worthy cause at same time? People like SoapNet because it is a lot more exciting than there own lives. Give people something exciting to talk about, and I guarantee they will.

Be good guy. In days of silent films, audience used to cheer when hero first appeared on screen, and they would boo and hiss each time villain showed up. Earn your clients’ and customers’ applause by being good guy. We have all had dealings with people we don’t trust or who were extremely difficult to work with. Ask yourself, Are you shifty-eyed gravedigger American housewives everywhere hate to see on television? Or are you honest, wholesome doctor moms would love to have their daughters marry? Conducting your business in a way that earns peoples’ trust will go a long way in creating word-of-mouth referrals and sincere praise for your company. Remember, like so many SoapNet actors and actresses, your business can get type-cast very easily. Make sure you are cast as a hero and you can’t go wrong.

It may sound like a strange question on day before Thanksgiving but it really isn’t. When scheduling your promotions it is like a game of chess. You should always be thinking at least 3 moves ahead.

In this case each "move" should be one month. Therefore you should have been thinking about your Valentines, or February promotions as you fall asleep after your big Turkey dinner.

There are a few reasons why you need to have your promotions figured out that early.

Getting Promo Out Takes Time.

By having it all worked out months in advance you give yourself enough time for logistics. Getting concept down, getting artwork put together, printing, and mailing all have to be done and this can take several weeks from being an idea in your head to being a piece of promo in your customers hands. You are also going to want to have piece in your customers’ hands at least 2 weeks before sale or event.

Get Message Out Multiple Times.