Pretend you have to answer to "the man". If you work in corporate America, more than likely, you have a boss. Many people who work from home, work for themselves, therefore it is easy to miss a deadline, let a goal slide, not do your best work. Imagine that someone looks over your shoulder every day and that your "at home" performance will be a determining factor in whether or not you get promoted. Join a CEO group or a small group of others who work at home to hold each other accountable. I am a part of a small group of local business women. We meet once a month and have set times and topic ideas. We discuss challenges and offer advice. One woman in my group of 4 is a Social Media Strategist. Where do you think I go when I have social media issues?. Another is the owner of a Part Time Staffing Firm. She is my go-to when it comes to that thing I hate, HR! And the other woman also owns a franchise system. We strategize and commiserate on all things franchising. These women are a lifeline to me and I count on these sessions to get me through challenging times. We are open books to one another because we know that "what happens in our MMM (Mastermind Mompreneur Group) stays there. I also utilize a group of advisors that I call my "Executive Team". They are not employees, but have their own area of expertise. When I need advise about the tiniest to the largest issues/ideas…I know that I can run them by this group and get honest, transparent feedback immediately. I like to say that these are the people that can "spank" me and I am okay with it. They are not the friends that tell you everything you do is awesome. They tell you when you have a stinky idea or when you did something really dumb and they work through it with you so that you can get to the other side.
Set work hours as if you had a job in the corporate arena. Let your family know that these are work hours for you and interruptions affect your bottom line. Set aside specific days for specific tasks, for example...Mondays (Meeting day). Tuesdays (lunch with a client or customer). Wednesdays (Marketing and Sales), etc. Segmenting your work can help you accomplish more each week. The simple fact is that we only have a certain amount of time in our day. When I say yes to something that means that I have to say No to something else.
If you are anything like me, you probably realize that you could use some help. But you aren't sure about inviting an employee into your home and don't want your business to take over every available space in your home. Take stock of what you do every day and determine what can be handled by someone else. Having employees is a key factor in the success of small businesses. Find someone that can work from the comfort of their own home and delegate tasks to them. Outsource your weaknesses to others who have strengths where you do not. Utilize services like FreeConferenceCalls.com This is a big Duh...but many people do not do it. Set long term milestones: 3 months, 6 months, 1 year, 5 year and post it where you can see it everyday. Do at least one thing everyday that gets you closer to each goal. Jot down your daily tasks in your ipad or go old-school like me and use pen and paper! I like to be able to look at my list of to-dos and choose the hardest thing (the one that I really don't want to do) and tackle that first, then I don't have to think about it all day. Be specific on your short term goals and make sure that they give you some type of ROI and move you toward your big goal. Prioritize them and knock em out!
This is something that, in the beginning, I thought was so cliche. Yea, right, network…what good does that do? I have come to realize that someone knew what they were talking about! Networking is not about handing your business card to strangers. It goes much further than that. It is about strategically creating relationships with others that can affect your business and help your ROI. Your investment here is Time. There are so many different opportunities to network, and, unfortunately…this typically is not done from the comfort of your home in your pajamas. You have to get out there, attend conference, go to Chamber events, become a part of an association in your industry or any other opportunity where you interact on a business level. However, if you spend three hours a month in any group and get zero business, it may be time to re-evaluate your involvement and find another avenue for "relationship building". Early in my JBF business, I had hired someone to do my website and when I needed something changed, I had to call her. She was less than responsive. So I took my own advice and took an online class on "Developing a Website". With that new-found knowledge, I was able to get our website up and running and was also able to keep it up to date and fresh. Had I not learned how to do that…JBF could have floundered and quickly lost momentum. Participation in Free online webinars has been a huge help to me and to our franchisees. Join some business websites and get on their mailing list. Many of them offer free online learning opportunities and are dispensing business advice and new ideas all day long (Inc.com 
You may have seen Just Between Friends Co-Founder, Shannon Wilburn on CBS News earlier this month, sharing tips for small business owners, here. We asked Shannon to share some tips with our savvy readers too! Here are some awesome tips!
1. Create some Accountability
2. Manage your time
3. Utilize virtual assistants and virtual offices
4. Plan
5. Find ways to Network
6. Never stop learning
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