Niche Blogging For Profit

While setting up a home office depends in part on how much space you have there are certain features that any niche blogger working from home is going to need in order to make their company a success.

First of all you will need a computer with Internet access. You probably already have one or you wouldn’t be considering an online career. If you don’t, however, focus on getting the fastest one you can afford. It would also be helpful if it came with Microsoft Word but you can always buy it extra if not.

Next you should get a computer desk. Look for one that will hold your computer, keyboard, mouse, monitor and printer while leaving room for writing and research materials as well as random office supplies you will need.

If space is limited you should consider getting a 4 in 1 printer/copier/scanner/fax to suit all your needs in the smallest area. In the last couple of years the price of these machines has come down considerably.

The office chair you choose should be comfortable and mobile. If there is anywhere you should spend a little extra money it is on your desk chair. Since you will likely be spending hours sitting in this chair, you want to be sure to get maximum support for your back and legs.

A calender may be helpful for keeping track of your schedule. A cork or dry erase board is helpful for keeping tidbits of information as well as your to-dos.

You will probably want to get a four drawer file cabinet. You will be printing out research material, receipts for web services and other papers related to your niche. Additionally you will collect books and files and all sorts of scraps of ideas and information.

If space allows you may also consider purchasing a bookshelf. Over time as an niche marketer and blogger you will likely find yourself collecting many more than a few books and having them on a bookshelf eliminates the need to dig around in drawers or piles.

Lastly, although no necessary, you may want to have some personal mementos and inspiration do-dads. Being able to draw from something to motivate you forward when you feel like giving up is a good addition to a home office.

Password security is always an important issue for people online but it is even more critical (and difficult) for individuals who work online.

As an Internet Marketer I have probably three dozen sites that I have passwords for, at least. As you can imagine trying to remember thirty-something passwords would be maddening if not downright impossible.

There is software available to store and file passwords for easy recall but I don’t trust programs to keep all my passwords secure.

The solution I’ve found is to create three different passwords to use on a regularly basis and created depending on the level of security I want.

For sites that require a password but that don’t contain any personal information that I want to keep secret I use a basic password of six letter and two numbers. Don’t use a word that people would easily guess but that you would be unlikely to forget.

For medium security sites – sites that have some personal information but nothing like your social security number or credit card number, do not use words or parts of words. Instead create a “word” of letters that mean something you but wouldn’t be guessed by someone else. For example you could pick the first letters of the first names of all your cousins on your mother’s side.

In the case of high security, one with critical information, you want to get really tricky. It’s best to use a combination of letters alternating with numbers like A1B2C3 (But of course not that combo). Passwords created in this way are usually strong and secure.

By only using three difficult passwords based on the amount of security your desire, you won’t have to worry about remembering dozens of passwords and if you’re worried about what site has which password all you have to do is write is low, medium, or high after the site name (on paper or in a program) to indicate the password used.

Before you buy one domain, before you purchase web hosting, before you write one single work or find one single affiliate program – know what you want.

“Without focus, every battle is lost.”

Know what you expect from your business. Do you want to be a blogging guru? Do you want to write about niche topics you enjoy and become an in expect in that field? Do you want to slam out a bunch of basic niche blogs and depend on sheer numbers to make you money? No matter how you plan to run your business you should know ahead of time exactly what you’ll do, what you want to accomplish and most important how the two will connect.

In other words how will what you do achieve what you want to achieve?

Before you can know what you want from business, you need to know what you want from your life.  What drives you? Where do you want to be in five years? Ask yourself the following questions to begin your journey towards knowing what you want. Write the answers down on a sheet of paper.

1. Why do I want to work at home? What is my personal mission in life?
2. What is my ideal work day?
3. How much time do I want to dedicate to my business? What is my business’ mission statement?
4. How much money am I willing/able to spend on my business?
5. Does my business mission suit my personal mission? In other words, if your mission in business is to create a new niche blog every two days and your personal mission is spend a large amount of quality time with your family, it’s unlikely both of those things can happen.

The answers to these questions will help you start to see if what you want from your work life is what will help you accomplish in your personal life. When these two mesh, you have a better chance at being successful at both.

During these tough economic times, many Internet Marketers are wondering how secure their businesses are right now.

Well do I have good news for you. First of all Yahoo! voted Internet Marketing as one of the five most secure careers during a bad economy, with an average salary of $53,000 a year and a potential salary of over $100,000 annually.

So how do you make sure your marketing business is one of the lucrative ones?

• Conduct very thorough keyword research: Use the free  Gtrends to find profitable niches and keywords.
• Use your keyword or keyword phrase in your domain name.
• Get a quality domain. .Com is the best closely followed by .net. As a last resort .info could be used but I would try to avoid it.  .Org should be used only when appropriate. Any others should be ignored unless there are specific circumstances.
• Provide high quality and unique content for your sites. You absolutely have to make you and your site stick out.
• Network with as many people as possible. Bloggers help bloggers. You link to them and most of the time they’ll link to you. Say you need a graphic made or learn how to use FTP, odds are someone in your network will be able and willing to help you out.
• Always be on the lookout for free and cheap resources that will help your business. But don’t be afraid to pay for something is it worth it.
• Lastly, work hard, be dedicated and stay focused.

By following these tips, you can maintain a successful business through even the most difficult of economic times.