Admin, Author at GUJRAT INDIA

Action Learn Your Affiliate Business

You want to develop your home-based business but feel isolated and unsure? One of the downsides of working for yourself is the loss of social interaction that frequently accompanies working for someone else.

Sometimes the issues involved in building your own business seem overwhelming – computer viruses, accounting, marketing strategies, web development, search engine optimization, privacy legislation, tax returns, anti-spam legislation, skeptical relatives and so the list goes on.

Action learning is one way to overcome this sense of isolation and uncertainty, build confidence and continuously improve your Internet business.

Action learning involves learning through action while collaborating with others on personal and business development. It is based on the principles of collaboration, mutual respect and honesty.

Learning to collaborate

Once we build our own business, we typically develop the competitive mindset that we need to survive. We research the competition, determine where our competitive advantage lies, decide what products and services we will offer at what prices and determine how to position ourselves within the competititve marketplace. It is very easy to isolate ourselves and withdraw from our normal circle of supportive relationships. However, it is possible to develop and maintain new relationships while building your business.

For example, I have three professional women friends who have been meeting monthly for a number of years over coffee by the river. They meet to explore with each other ways to develop themselves and grow their respective businesses.

At each meeting, they focus on a major issue for one person while the other two act as critical friends. Sometimes, they may take in turns within one meeting to offer personal or business issues for discussion. The number of issues covered in a meeting will depend on the available time and the depth of the issues involved. Issues may be personal, relationship, family or business. They recognise that life balance is critical to business success and to their capacity to offer value to their clients/customers.

Supportive challenge through mutual respect

The action learning approach combines support with challenge. The aim is to support each other emotionally while being prepared to challenge each other intellectually.

The challenge comes from asking fresh questions that are designed to unearth fundamental assumptions or beliefs about the nature of the problem being addressed. Often our own false beliefs about ourselves, our business or our competition holds us back from realising personal and business growth.

In our everday life we often experience the separation of support and challenge. Support without challenge can reinforce the status quo and perspectives that are unhelpful or damaging. Challenge without support can be self-serving (building oneself up while taking the other person down)and damaging to the self-esteem of the other person (by reinforcing feelings of inadequacy).

Supportive challenge has as its object, building the self-esteem of the other person while helping them to recognise the limitations of their existing mindset about a problem, person or issue. It is about helping the other person to be the best they are capable of being.

Learning to be honest

A fundamental value of action learning is the willingness to admit what you do not know or understand. This is often difficult in the social and business culture that we have today where knowledge and efficiency are so highly prized. However, honesty is the starting point for real learning.

Honesty requires trust and preparedness to be vulnerable. This is a lot easier if you are sharing with supportive friends. Openness builds if the group meets regularly and each person brings to the meeting the intention of working together to build personal and business effectiveness. Over time, honesty grows, relationships develop and effectiveness builds in all spheres of your lives.

Action learning as mutual coaching

Action learning can be a form of mutual coaching where people agree to take action on insights gained from the meetings. The value of the process is enhanced when each meeting includes a review of progress made since the previous meeting. Reflection on action and outcomes from those actions is fundamental to action learning.

If you engage in action learning you will be supported to go outside your comfort zone and try new things. You will be pleasantly surprised at what you are capable of achieving with the supportive challenge of reflective friends.

How to Recession Proof Your Packaging

The news says everyone is worried about the economy and consumers are spending less. Is this causing your product sales to decline? Typically consumers cut back spending during hard economic times. So how can you counteract product doldrums when the economy is in a recession or a slowdown?

The first thing to understand is that consumer still “buy” things. For example 70% of all packaging is food related and people still have to eat. They just buy in different ways. They may cut out fast food or restaurant purchases in favor of home prepared meals. But they still want to purchase the same conditions. In the case of fast food easy to prepare, reheat or ready to eat. Wal-Mart’s fresh take home pizza is a good example of fulfilling a need. In my case in place of a restaurant trip its rotisserie chicken that is ready to go with dozens of applications for meal prep. But I still want convenience too and limited meal prep.

To understand how to recession proof your packaging you need to learn to recognize what buying signals will motivate your customer to purchase your products. They still want to spend money they just want to do it cost effectively and to reap some value for their purchases. Or they just may want to treat themselves to something special as a way of feeling better.

Here are a few ways you can influence the consumer purchasing decision though product packaging.

Even though overall purchasing might be down people are still willing to experiment. As a good example they might cancel a planned vacation. Can you products be used to simulate a “vacation” at home? Products could be oriented toward having a lifestyle experience without ever leaving home. You could package that experience as an alternative to a vacation. Words like have a luxurious spa experience in your own home or vacation at home with our X. It’s all in how you connect the experience with the desired outcome on your product packaging.

Despite the economy luxury product sales are increasing too. People are willing to spend money to treat themselves or to make a personal statement. What do you package that can be considered

luxurious and a special treat for someone? Is your product packaging glitzy and unique? A good example is the number of companies incorporating Swavorksi crystals into their product packaging or using ultra sophisticated, elegant glass bottles instead of plastic. Other products include people purchasing something unique, different and expensive to make their own branding statement. In this case price is not an object its the “feeling good” outcome that counts.

On the other side of the coin is the switch from branded products to private label usually with considerable cost savings. Almost every retailer now has its own private label line of products.

Can you private label your product for an untapped market opportunity? Literally anything can be private labeled. It’s one of the fastest growing market sectors. As consumers look for ways of saving money they are willing to experiment with new brands. private label packaging is now as sophisticated an branded goods.The interesting fact is once they switch and are satisfied they are generally never go back to the branded counterpart. So what can you private label with your packaging?

Another way to capture the consumer is to provide more value. Numerous articles have recently been written about the “shrinking package” on products yet selling at the same price. As I have said when asked, smart marketers would figure out how to offer more value not less. So in McDonald’s lingo supersize me. Give me more for my money not less. Call this out on your packaging 10% more for the same price, value pack or even our packaging is NOT smaller. Your customer will be watching what you do and might be buying from someone who is.

I’d like to got back to rotisserie chicken again. This week I bought a chicken at Publix. I was shocked how much smaller it was as a usually much larger chicken but still selling at the same

price ( just like the packaging shrink). I was an unhappy customer for two reasons. I like the chicken from Kroger much better (the store is equally close). Krogers’ chicken comes in a resealable ziplock bag that makes it incredibly easy to store while Publics chicken comes in a paper bag which tears easily and isn’t airtight making me take an extra step to repackage. Even better Kroger runs the member special with rotisserie chicken at a lower price frequently. That’s what I mean about connecting with your core customer: On the same packaged product Kroger is offering value and convenience Publix is not.

Lastly think about repurposing your packaging. This is somewhat similar to “value” in packaging but in this case people will retain your packaging, refill it or use it for something else. Think about how you can give double the reasons for purchasing something by letting your consumer know. You get twice the bang for your buck as you can capture the environmental movement too. Words like our product is reusable, refillable or collectible, or even don’t throw it away.

To recession proof your product packaging its all about listening to the consumer. They WILL buy, if you package the right message at the right price with the right value, recession or not.

Book Review – QBQ! The Question Behind the Question

Here’s a little poll: How many of these questions have you heard? Better yet – how many of these questions have you heard yourself ask?

Why does this customer expect so much?
Why are our prices so high?
When are we going to become more competitive?
Who made the mistake?
Why do we have to go through all this change?
Why don’t I get paid more?

If you’re like most people, you’ve asked a few of these yourself and you’ve probably heard them all. Reasonable questions, right? But are they the right questions?

According to John G. Miller in his book, QBQ! The Question Behind the Question, these common questions contribute to blame, complaining, and procrastination. In fact, Miller believes that they actually put us in the role of the victim, waiting for someone else to do the right thing and make it all better. He calls them IQ’s – Incorrect Questions – and suggests replacing them with QBQ’s – Questions Behind the Questions.

The QBQ, says Miller, “…puts the power of personal accountability into daily action, with astonishing results: problems are solved, internal barriers come down, service improves, team-work thrives, and people adapt to change more quickly.”

Miller offers three simple guidelines for asking better questions. He says that QBQ’s:

begin with “What” or “How” (not “Why,” “When,” or “Who”);
contain an “I” (not “they,” “them,” “we,” or “you”);
focus on action.

The question, “What can I do?” follows the guidelines perfectly. It begins with “What,”, contains and “I,” and focuses on action: “What can I do?” But, Miller cautions, don’t let the apparent simplicity fool you. Asking the QBQ can have a powerful effect on our lives.

Look again at the questions in the list above. Read them aloud. How do they make you feel? There is a powerless quality to them, that of a victim waiting on something to change. Now let’s see what happens when we look for the QBQ. Read these QBQ’s aloud:

How can I best meet this customer’s needs?
What unique values separate us from the competition?
What can I do today to be more effective?
How can we improve this process and reduce chances for errors?
What opportunities exist for me in this changing environment? How can I prepare myself to take advantage of them?
What can I do to advance my career and income?

By giving up the IQ’s and asking the QBQ’s, we move from victim to in control. We’re not just waiting for something to happen; we’re making things happen.

Try it for yourself. When you catch yourself asking an IQ, try turning it around into a QBQ. See if the shift in focus from helpless victim to powerful actor doesn’t change your world. The power of personal accountability is ours to harness. The answers are in the questions.

John G. Miller’s book, QBQ! The Question Behind the Question (G. P. Putnam’s Sons, New York, ISBN 0-399-15233-4) is available at www.amazon.com.

Network Marketing Business – How to Make Money in Network Marketing Even When You’re Broke!

So you scraped up your last bits of cash to join your network marketing business, and now you have no money to advertise with. This happens a lot and people will actually sometimes lose their momentum and not start to build their business until they have money to advertise with. Unfortunately this usually never happens.

This is a bad idea and usually will be a huge downfall.

The good news is that you can market your network marketing home business even when you’re broke and there are literally dozens of ways to do that. Of course some ways are better than others. Some are more effective than others, and some take a lot more time than others. But I want to give you the ones that you can start with right now, which are very effective.

Getting the Word Out FAST About Your Network Marketing Business for Free…

I’ll talk about the online ways to get traffic to your network marketing website in a minute, but first I want to tell you about a way that you can start building your network marketing business FAST starting right now…as soon as you read this article. The best way is to start talking to people that you know. Please don’t listen to all the BS hype of people telling you that the old methods of network marketing are dead.

Proof That Traditional Network Marketing Principals are NOT DEAD!

First of all they’re not and we’ve got over 60,000 people in our downline to prove it. But second of all if there’s anything more free than talking, then I don’t know what it is. Not only that but it’s likely that you dropped a good penny on your network marketing business kit when you joined, and if the opportunity you joined is worth it’s salt then there are some great promotional tools in there for you to use, so USE THEM! They’ve likely been tested and tweaked to work like crazy.

Building Your Network Marketing Business Online for FREE

First thing’s first. You need somewhere to send traffic, and to start branding yourself. You need a website for your MLM business. “But I don’t have money to buy one” you’re saying to yourself. Well you don’t need it. You can build a free site at Weebly.com, or you can set up a free Blog at Blogger.com and start running with it.

The Life Blood of any Network Marketers Chances of Success

You’ll have to start collecting leads ASAP. This means you need an auto-responder service. I suggest that here is where you should borrow money if you have to and get set-up with a service like Aweber, but there are some good free one’s out there that will be good enough for now. Just Google free auto responders and see what you can find, but it’s a must to have it to contact your leads.

Getting Traffic to Your New Network Marketing Website for Free

Ok, you’re all set up with a site, now you need some traffic to it. One of the best things that you can do is write articles and submit them to article directories like this one. EzineArticles.com is the best and you can get tons of traffic from the site itself, plus if you’re savvy you’ll get your articles ranked in the search engines. Look up The Bum Marketing Method at Google and you’ll find a great resource on finding the right keywords to use to get ranked in Google.

You’ll also want to post the articles on your own blog, and then change them pretty significantly and put them up at other article directories online as well.

Making Friends and Getting Free Traffic

You’ve probably heard about social sites like Facebook and Twitter. You may already have accounts there. It’s a great place to get traffic to your sites. Post a status or Tweet and let all your friends that you already have know that you have a business opportunity, or that you just wrote an article and link to it. And then start making new friends that are interested in making money.

Remodeling to Feel Younger – Aging-In-Place Home Design

Have you heard about aging-in-place home design? It is a new trend for seniors and older adults who dream of living independently in their own familiar home as they age, surrounded by many rich and fulfilling memories they have long cherished. When recently starting a new business focused on home modifications for elderly and disabled in the Atlanta, Georgia area, I was very pleased to find that the National Association of Home Builders was offering the courses I needed to obtain my Certified Aging In Place Specialist (CAPS) certification right here in Atlanta, Georgia. I was able to complete all three courses in February of this year, thanks to the Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association. Many subjects were discussed, including how to do aging in place home assessments.

The NAHB Certified Aging-In-Place program instructs individuals in the business management, handicap accessibility aspects of architectural design, and client service procedures necessary to conduct full service design and installation modifications to homes. There are three aging-in-place categories. The first group is made up of 50+ seniors who are healthy, but wisely endeavoring to remodel their homes as they age. The second group is people with progressive illnesses or disabilities that need to modify their homes to accommodate their increasing needs for greater accessibility. The last aging-in-place group is persons who have had an accident and require immediate modification to their homes, as they return from rehab or hospital. Aging-in-place specialists are trained to serve each of these three groups; skillfully serving seniors and disabled persons as they seek to remain living independently in homes they have long cherished.

Home assessments are professionally conducted by certified aging in place specialists. Home modifications are determined by evaluating the needs of the disabled resident, and comparing the needs to the Atlanta home spaces.

Who wants to move out of that comfortable abode where sweet thoughts of days gone by with children or a beloved spouse fill your thoughts? Aging-In-Place home specialists know how to make your house fit you like a glove, for your lifetime! Be sure to consult with a certified aging-in-place specialist before you undertake any remodeling plans.

How to Find the Best Christian Home Based Business

So you’ve been searching for a Christian home based business opportunity… WHAT should you be looking for?

With the myriad of home business opportunities out there … each one claiming to be the answer you have been looking for …. how do you know which one is the best Christian based home business for you? And if you’ve ever wanted to work from home, you know how desperately you want to believe all those promises of untold wealth just flooding into your bank account without you having to do one single thing to make it happen!

Well …… nice though that would be – it certainly isn’t the reality of the situation!! However, there ARE Christian home based businesses out there that are excellent and as we are very clearly called to rise above and out of the world’s system, a work from home business opportunity is often an answer to prayer – I know it certainly was for me!

So, what do you look for in a good Christian Home Based Business opportunity?

A good place to start would be prayer. Ask God for guidance, wisdom and direction – make Him your Controlling Business Partner – He will not let you down! 🙂

Right – here are 10 top things you should check out when looking for the best Christian home based business:-

1. Is the business legitimate? It really doesn’t need to be a Christian home based business as such – but it must be grounded in loyalty and integrity ……. all the way from the inside – out. Therefore, make sure you check it out thoroughly.

2. Are there actual products involved? If it is just passing on the business opportunity / gifting, don’t go anywhere near it. These businesses are considered illegal in most states and countries and are popularly known as pyramid schemes. Look for a REAL business – one which you will be proud to tell your friends and family about.

3. Are the products or services offered in demand? Most business cater to a very specific target audience – and thus do not work very well.

4. Are there any hidden costs? Be prepared to pay to join a good Christian based home business – it’s unrealistic to expect something for nothing – but do check if there are any hidden costs. Be sure you can afford the ongoing costs. These are not necessarily a bad thing – it costs to set up and run a business – but you need to take a responsible, informed approach.

5. What is your ROI (Return on Investment)? With some companies, the commissions are so tiny that you need to sell truck loads of products to earn anything near a decent income. Pick one where you actually stand to make some money! 🙂

6. Try and talk to someone within the business. Most home based businesses are online business opportunities and talking to someone is like trying to talk to the man in the moon!! Is it easy to talk to a real person within the business? What is their attitude? Run like mad if they try and talk you into anything. The primary duty of a company representative or anyone else within the business is to provide you with all the information you need so that you can make an informed decision.

7. Check out the available training and support – there should be tons and tons of this. It really doesn’t matter how good the company is – or how good the business is – you will almost certainly fall flat on your face if you do not have excellent training and support – specially in the early stages of your online Christian home based business opportunity journey.

8. Talk to your prospective sponsor. Most online home business opportunities, including Christian based home business opportunities work through you being sponsored into the business. Is your sponsor Christian? What is their primary motivation? (Absolutely nothing wrong with wanting big houses and cars, etc., – but do remember what the Bible says about being un-equally yoked – so check out their motives and try and get a feel for where their heart lies). Is he or she readily available? Do they provide training and support? What safety net is in place should your sponsor be ill, go on holiday, etc?

9. Choose the best sponsor for YOU . What do I mean by that? Well some sponsors advertise huge earnings, which is great …. but how does that help you? Don’t always assume they will pass that knowledge on to you – even if they say they will! Do the math – if they are as successful as they say they are, they are attracting many people each week. Do they physically have the time to provide you with the training and support they say they will? Do they have regular training calls where you know you can reach them every day?

10. Choose the best team for you. I have found that sponsors and teams have their own unique personality – find one that suits YOU , has the same values and principles as you and can work at a pace to suit you. Will your sponsor stick with you if you are an internet newbie? Or is the team full of people UNLIKE yourself? The best scenario is when there are a bunch of people of mixed abilities – all happy to work together, helping each other along to a single goal ….. and having fun along the way!

This may sound like a daunting list of do’s and don’ts – but let me assure you – find the right Christian home based business and you will be rewarded beyond anything you ever thought possible. I went from working 12 hour days and just getting by, to working in the comfort of my own home and earning more money than I have ever done, simply by applying the above check list! To say that my life has been changed would be the understatement of the year! So do your homework now, ask God to guide you and be prepared to think outside the box. A Christian home based business could be just what you need to be able to join me in saying, “Recession? What recession?!”

Internet Marketing – From Zero to Hero

Making money online is a very attractive prospect. You determine your own work hours. You make money for yourself. Best of all, you get to do these in the comfort of your home.

However, many beginners are clueless when they first start internet marketing. As a beginner, you might ask, “How much money do I need to start my online business?” or “Can I get started if I do not have any money at all?” Rest assured that YOU CAN start your own internet business, without any startup capital at all.

Other worries you might have as a beginner might include: “How long does it take for me to start making money?” or “How much time will it take before I start making $5000 a month?” or even just “Is it possible for a new bird like me to be successful at this?” In fact, it is very easy to learn how to make money on the internet. How fast you take to achieve that $5000 monthly income will depend on 3 factors:

1) Effective System

Having an effective system is crucial to your internet marketing success. When you find yourself an effective guide or mentor, half the battle is already won. It saves you time and effort, by cutting down trial and error.

You might have to pay for a quality internet marketing system. I am a firm believer that if you pay peanuts, you only get monkeys. A quality system would cost you a bit of money. See this as a small investment, to help you start making money quickly. Beware of scams. Look for systems with proven results or money back guarantees.

As a beginner, you want a system that is easy to follow. I would recommend you start with Affiliate Marketing. It is simple and profitable.

2) Effort

As with any endeavor, your success will hinge on the effort that you put in. Obviously the more time and energy you invest into your internet marketing business, the more success you will attain.

3) Mindset

Remember, you are starting an internet marketing BUSINESS. As with all businesses, there will be ups and downs. It can make you a lot of money, but you must also be prepared for the challenges that come your way. Persevere with the system you chose, and your online business will go from zero to hero very quickly.

I was lucky to start off with a proven system. This helped reduced much of the trial and error, and helped me make $5k monthly in about 5 months. I strongly recommend that you invest in a quality step by step Internet Marketing System. Trust me, this will save you much time and grief in the long run.

Good luck! Go from ZERO TO HERO TODAY!

The Reality of Life and Owing A Network Marketing Business May Help in Solving Some of Your Problems

Unfortunately, that is not how it usually works out. The reality about our financial future is quite different from our parents.The average person will change jobs several times during his or her working life. And, we all know that in our modern world, there is no such thing as job security when you’re working for someone else.

To stay employed one needs to keep one’;s skills honed and polished and this is a never-ending task. According to the latest statistics, only 5% of people will be financially independent by age 65. The majority of these people are Business Owners, CEO’s and Directors of their own companies. The key is to own your business and becoming your own boss. A home business takes little capital to start and you can begin working on it part-time. Internationally, the number of home-based businesses has increased tremendously. Where do all these people come from? Some have entered the home-based business as a result of corporate restructuring, while others who have simply decided to take control of their lives and to work from home as an alternative to the rat race.

The Reality About Health:

Disease is on the rise as a result of our modern lifestyles. Everyone is at risk. Historically affluent people – particularly the health conscious people have better health than those who are not well-off. Not having enough money can reduce your lifespan by several years. Most people spend their entire lives working under some degree of stress and studies prove that this increases the risk of disease.

The Reality About The Options For Financial Freedom:

Actually, the options are very limited. You can however;

Work overtime but how long can you last?,

Get a second job,

Climb the corporate ladder,

Operate a traditional business,

Operate a Franchise,

Operate a Professional Services business, or

Join a good network marketing company.

The Reality About Success:

There is no such thing as a get rich quick scheme or rewards without effort. Building a stable residual income stream takes time, consistence, persistence and patience to enjoy the time and financial freedom. If what you are currently doing is not going to give you the lifestyle you desire, then you have to do something different. People who continually play safe and seldom make progress are the ones likely to miss opportunities. Those who achieve much in life take charge to live life by design rather than by default.

You must be willing to do what it takes. You must be willing to make some short-term sacrifice so that you can have more of it later. Robert Kiyosaki, best-selling author of Rich Dad, Poor Dad, says, “A key difference between the rich and the poor is what they do in their spare time”.

You get rewarded by the value you give. The best way to get rich is to solve other people’s problems. Any venture you engage in must provide value, otherwise it will not last.

Leveraging is the way to financial independence and time freedom. Most rich people use the power of compounding/leveraging to earn residual income.

You can work hard or work smart. It is better to work smart. Use the power of compounding/leveraging and work with a team of people who can help you to build your business. They will provide you with training, strategies, techniques and support.

Timing is everything and trend is your friend. The Health and Wellness industry is set to have explosive growth. Generally, those who can see with their minds the potential of an opportunity and act quickly usually enjoy greater benefits.

The Reality About Network Marketing in Health and Wellness Industry as A Feasible and Viable Home Business:

1. It takes advantage of two powerful trends currently and in the future:

Health and Nutrition

Relationship or Network Marketing

2. It also helps us deal with problems confronting most families today:

Declining health even of kids

Lack of job security

Rise in costs of living

You can decide to do something about it or ignore the reality. It is your choice!

How To Pay Off Your Student Loan Before You Graduate

Here are the HARD facts that most college graduates will be facing after school.

Not having a job or not having the job that they want, because the days of graduating from school and staying with the same company are dead and over.

“Most college graduates will have up to 3 careers or more in their lifetime”.

Well, at least that is what the economists out there are projecting.

With that being the case.

I would recommend you to start your entrepreneur career while in school.

You can start an online business or side business right out of your dormitory room and work on it around your class schedule and then turn that business into a cash cow for YOU.

Which you can then use to pay off your student loan.

I mean, you would think this would be a no-brainer for most college students but you would be thinking wrong.

Most of them are too busy using these 4 years away from home to party like crazy and follow the crowd!!

The other thing is you can use this experience to get the job that you want before you graduate.

Okay, now let’s get into a few business models.

These are just the outlines for each one.

You will have to adopt, adapt and expand on the one that you choose, and make sure that you do some research and model your business after other great businesses that are in your market.

Don’t try to re-invent the wheel.

Learn from other businesses’ mistakes and test out ideas that you think may work for your own sales funnel.

The business models are.

1). Reverse e-commerce.

This is when you set up a site or use eBay and list items that you think may sales.

First step.

You take quality pictures and list the item.

If and when they sell, you then go back and buy the item and ship it to the buyer.

This is a great way to do business because you don’t need any inventory.

This will give you the freedom to test out the market in your niche and see what is selling.

2). eBook business model.

This is when you write up a pdf and format it into an eBook with graphics.

Keep in mind though, you don’t need to create anything if you don’t want to.

Of course.

If you have a passion for an idea, try to create an eBook around that passion.

And if not.

You could just interview an expert and then turn that interview into not only into an eBook, but also an actual book and an audio product.

So, you could end up with a home study course or a membership site and earn monthly passive income from it.

Those are just 2 business model you can use and start from your very own dormitory room.

The great thing about both of these business model ideas is that you don’t need that much money to get started.

Now, can you see how this could and should work?

I would like to stress to you guys… really think about using this idea to pay off your student loan and at the same time build a successful online business!

Starting a Business? Reasons Why You May Need to Recruit an Advisory Board

Do you know everything? Do you know everyone? Do you have strengths and weaknesses? I assume that your answers to these three questions are “No, no, and well, yes,” given in the order of the questions, as posed. If you are contemplating starting a business, merrily bootstrapping your way to what you hope will be entrepreneurial success, perhaps you need to reconsider your own human limitations. You might want to strongly consider recruiting an advisory board.

Who should become a member of your advisory board?

That’s a tough one, and an easy one. The tough part is that you probably already have members of your advisory board, yet neither you, nor they, may be aware of their membership. Significant others, parents, friends, and other folks who are a part of your life all tend to give you advice–sometimes, whether you want it, or not. Are these people good advisory board members for your business? Maybe! Maybe not.

Let’s suppose we take the instance of a spouse or a significant other. It may cause a drain on your relationship to talk shop, too often. If your relationship begins to suffer because you cannot leave your work at work, and spend time on the personal part of your relationship, perhaps you should set some boundaries, and leave your struggle, pains, headaches, and gripes at work. If you are enjoying success: share it. If you work at home, leave all of those other negative things in your in-home office. Adopt a similar attitude as the insurance companies that suggest: “I don’t want to be a burden to my family.”

To the extent that you are able, you should leave the office burden behind and take adequate care of yourself, too, by-the-way. Turn the cell phone off, leave the laptop screen down, close the office door behind you on the way out, and clear your head from time-to-time.

Some personal relationships are strengthened by a great deal of togetherness. If that’s the way yours works, and you trust the “instincts,” acumen, and abilities of someone who is close to you (relative to guiding your business), then by all means, consider adding this person to your advisory board. You may want to have a clearly established set of protocols for ensuring that this arrangement works, however. While it’s not exactly the same thing, it should serve as a warning to anyone that it is not unusual for friendships and other close relationships to evolve into business partnerships, only to subsequently unravel.

In outlining the above, certain things should have become obvious: one needs to establish criteria for the selection and retention of advisory board members. In particular, on an individual basis, one should have skills, knowledge, and insights that will serve to strengthen you, the advisee. The relationship should yield objective advice, which you may or may not adopt, with no hard feelings on anybody’s part.

You should also adopt a holistic view about the composition of the entire board: there should be balance. I am particularly fond of mentioning that there is also a place for non-experts on a board. Some of the greatest insights of all come from individuals who innocently ask what the “experts” might consider naive questions. “Why, do you do it this way?” Every once in a while, that individual who doesn’t know any better may ask a question that stumps the experts, or causes them to produce a very poor answer in an era of rapid change, which we now face. That poor answer is usually along the lines of, “Because that’s the way we’ve always done it.” (Baaawoooonk–game show loser. Wrong answer.)

Recruitment strategies that work.

Have you ever heard of the WIFM proposition? “What’s in-it for me?” That’s the question you should prepare to answer as you craft your message for prospective advisory members, and determine who those members might be. The question I would ask is this, “Who might benefit from being on my board, while assisting me?” Let’s take the example of a Web site or other marketing communications materials: It might be nice if you would provide some public acknowledgement to your advisory board member in your outbound messages, such that they generate visibility and benefit that individual’s own endeavors. Yes, it’s tit for tat. Be thoughtful of the other person’s needs and interests!

Don’t forget sharing. Remember that from kindergarten? You need to be prepared to give, as well as receive. Don’t ask people to be a member of your advisory board if you are too apathetic, or too busy to give a little of your time helping others yourself. Don’t be one-sided in your dealings with other people. Further, it doesn’t have to be the same little group of people. In other words, if you were kind enough to sit on a few boards and lend your skills and insights, the adage, “What goes around, comes around,” will likely apply to you. It may be a different group of individuals, besides the ones you got to know through the boards you sit on, who sit on your own advisory board. That’s o.k., just think of the expanded network that you will have.

Logistics of advisory boards

Don’t be a burden to your board. Too many meetings become very non-productive. Too much communication becomes an imposition. Keep advisory board obligations streamlined, simple, and convenient; meetings should be limited in frequency and duration, mutually beneficial, and enjoyable, while at the same time addressing the “nuts and bolts” of the advising tasks at hand. If you have the budget, you may wish to consider an annual meeting in a setting that’s enjoyable. If you cannot afford it, is it because you were so busy bootstrapping that you didn’t foresee the need for such a board or meetings? That’s called thinking small. Think bigger.

Staying connected, and competent

If you don’t provide for your, and your company’s, own nurturing and development, it probably isn’t going to occur at all. As a related aside, I find that many business plans often fail to address professional development and the entrepreneur’s need to stay tuned in and informed. If you haven’t factored in your own industry’s number one and number two annual conferences, some continuing education and seminars, some workshops, and plenty of books and periodicals, you’re cheating your business out of what should be one if its primary assets: your competence and connectedness as a leader.

Bottom line, you need to stay connected and informed to be effective. An advisory board is a great way to address many aspects of this requirement. You should supplement and offset your weaknesses and human limitations with the help of others, and be sure to reciprocate.