secrets of home business

ACKNOWLEDGE YOUR SUCCESSES.

One of the secrets of home business is reminding yourself of the things that have gone well, especially during the leaner days (or months or years).

To quantify my successes, I recently tallied up exactly how many new customers I had in a nine-month period and how many of those customers I considered customers "for life" -- because they really love my products and make repeat purchases on a regular basis.

The results were somewhat surprising. It turned out I had attracted about twice the number of solid customers in that short time period than I had the entire two years before!

And instead of looking at what didn't happen in the two years prior, I chose to focus on what is now happening.

This is one of the secrets of home business: Acknowledging and quantifying your successes. You can do this exercise any time, whether you're struggling today with your business or you're struggling this year with your business. Take a moment to list out all your clients or customers or products or services sold the last month or six months or however far back you need to go to see results for yourself.

Give yourself a pat on the back for what has worked -- now or in the past. If something is missing from the present, take inventory of where most of your business has come from. Advertising? Word-of-mouth? Events? Networking? Email blasts? Concentrate your efforts in things that have produced results and let go of those activities that are no longer working.

And always know that hard times, though they may feel like the most solitary and solemn moments, do come with the entrepreneurial territory.

Read what these other small business owners have to say about getting through them.

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