Q&A with Nick Williams

What do you do for a living?

I inspire people to new possibilities in their work and educate and encourage them to create successful businesses doing work they love. I do this through writing, speaking, coaching, events, broadcasting, products and programmes. I help people understand and believe that their work doesn’t have to be a form of suffering but can be a joy and blessing.

How do you help others do the work they were born to do?

Firstly by example, secondly by sharing with them the nine signposts that I have developed that ‘point’ people at the work they were born for. I help them find and follow their personal sense of purpose, joy and passion and how to create work around it.

How did you get involved in this activity?

I was dissatisfied and unhappy selling computers to banks in the City of London and felt there was a greater life beckoning. I asked myself those bigger questions, like, “Well, if I haven’t been put on this planet to sell computers to Japanese banks, why am I here? What would truly inspire me?” The answers began to come but I was afraid of the change this would entail so resisted for a long time, but eventually started moving in the direction of my heart.

What one piece of advice would you offer to someone starting a business?

To trust in themselves and their dreams. Be willing to move in the direction of your fears so you can grow bigger than them. Learn to get support and collaborate and become skilful at finding clients.

What are your business plans for 2010?

To grow our London platform of events, speakers and community and have digital versions of our events available for those who cannot make the live events. I want to write another book and develop some more programmes this year and step up my mentorship activities.

Nick Williams is co-founder of Inspired Entrepreneur
 

Enterprise Nation in the Yorkshire Post

How to make your dream of home working become reality

Photo credit: farmhouse by tricky™

Slip in to something a little more…

Felt

The manufacturers of these rather funky felt slippers recommend “a minimum per day usage of 2 to 4 hours”  or .. even better .. "if you can pull it off we highly applaud all day usage for a truly transcendental experience!”

Sounds perfect for the home business owner. Available in grey and a rather eye-catching red.

• Felt slippers

Freud

For the rather more crazy-minded, these Freudian Slippers are said to be “available in three sizes and ideal for wearing around the house. They are perfect companions when you're all alone.”

• Freud Slippers

Functional

One concept we do promote on Enterprise Nation is multi-tasking and what a way to go about it with these ‘vacuum shoes’ that clean as you walk about the house. “The Slipper Genie contains microfiber fingers that pick up dust, pet hair, and other dirtiness, as you shuffle around your home aimlessly as usual." Hey. Less of the 'aimlessly', please :-)

• Functional Slippers 

And to end with a blast from the past; a post in 2007 that offered 5 reasons why you shouldn’t work in your pyjamas. But it doesn’t mention not wearing slippers!

• 5 reasons why you shouldn't work in pyjamas

Emma Jones: My Mum, the ‘mumpreneur’

Business in my blood

As my brother and I were growing up, Mum ran restaurants. This led to a childhood of being driven around town in sign-painted cars (promoting the restaurant of the time), talking cashflow at tea time, and weekends and summers of waiting-on work. The experience created the person I am today; where working weekends feels right and normal, and a love of business comes as second nature.

I learned from the best in that Mum was resourceful, innovative and great at PR! She’s still at it today, still in business and still making a difference to all who come in to contact with her.

My Nan once said ‘you can’t be nice and succeed in business’ – I think my Mum has proved her wrong.

Happy Mothers Day to all you hard-working Mums!
 

Two artists, one house. Can it work?

Who became their own boss first?

We had both been working as 5-9ers for a while with Paul making the first move to working part time on his photography business. He works part time as a Data Analyst (three days) and four days as a very passionate photographer. His main interest is in fine art photography, but he also enjoys photographing events and portraits and is always on the lookout for a quirky angle! I still work full time (in tourism and arts development) and work on my business at nights and weekends.

How did you meet?

We met when I moved back to the UK after living in Germany for a few years. I went to college in Bournemouth and met Paul through my sister and a friend of hers - we all went out for a drink one evening and that was it!  We have been married for nearly twelve years now.

Did you follow your passion in business?

Yes. Paul has been a keen photographer since childhood when he first made a pinhole camera and then had his own darkroom. He has now moved onto digital photography, which I feel is even more creative. 

I have always been crafty and enjoyed knitting, sewing and making stuff. I used to knit and sew without using patterns, just making it up as I went along – not sure I would wear those creations now!

Does your work ever overlap?

Yes!  Paul takes all of the photographs of my jewellery and now he has taught me how to use Photoshop to edit them and put them on my website. It is very satisfying to be able to do it all ourselves.  I help him market his business and we are always bouncing ideas off each other and of course, celebrating every success, however large or small.

Do you work from separate spaces?

No, we love sharing studio space and can work happily together for hours at a time, interrupted only by the occasional “what do you think of this?” or “shall we have a nice cup of tea?”  It’s normally me who suggests we stop for tea and biscuits!

Do you help each other out with business advice?

It’s really important to us that we support each other and also offer constructive criticism if needed. We work well as a team and he is really strong on all the technical stuff so he sorts me out if I get stuck with my website.  I have the patience of a three year old, so he is the calming influence when I am ready to throw my computer out of the window!

I help him with ideas for promoting his business, suggesting new clients, etc and I also sit for him if he needs to practise a new portrait idea or to test new lighting techniques.  I don’t go with him when he goes off to do his beautiful seascapes or abstract photography, though, as there is a lot of standing around and waiting for just the right sky, light and so on, so it’s best if he does that on his own.

What are your respective business plans for 2010?

For Paul, it is to do more gallery work and continue to promote his fine art work as much as possible, to raise his profile and also build up his local client list. He currently gets a lot of his work through word of mouth referrals and he wants to develop this very valuable network further. 

For me, I want to work more on PR for my business and get some coverage in the national media. I am extending my range of wedding jewellery and I want to develop my skills and learn new silversmithing techniques.

We are also dipping a toe in the world of social media and both have Facebook pages and I am getting to grips with Twitter.  It is a busy time for us, but very enjoyable and exciting.

• Paul Coghlin Photography
• Karina Anne

   

Survey respondent's "Truly Ace" netbook prize

Netting a netbook

"It's very small," says Amanda, owner of Truly Ace design. "And way more portable than my old, clumsy laptop."
Amanda won an HP Mini 5105 business class netbook by filling out a Home Business Survey on our website.

It allows her to meet with clients on their premises, without suffering "heavy laptop elbow."

"I'm going to get more into photography this year too," she says. "So the netbook will allow me to upload and edit photos 'on the hop', instead of having to wait until I get home."

What is a 'netbook'?

Netbooks are small, light and inexpensive laptops, somewhere between computers and smartphones.

They're designed to be used on the move and are built for wireless communications, sometimes via mobile phone networks, so you can always get online, wherever you are.

Actual computing specifications are usually a bit lower with netbooks. They might have smaller hard drives, for examples. But since so much of what we do and where we store our files, pictures and music is online anyway, this isn't really a disadvantage, especially if you're buying a netbook as a second computer.

Sponsor

Thanks to kindly sponsor HP for Amanda's prize! Find out more at their pretty cool Business IT Advice mini-site on the link below:

• Business IT Advice - HP business answers

San Sharma: My mum, the 'mumpreneur'

Both of my parents moved to the UK from India in the early 1960s, before their 10th birthdays. By the time they were introduced, my dad was already running a business, selling watches that looked a bit like more expensive watches.

But it wasn't until they were married that they ran a business together. And it was a home business. They lived in the flat upstairs and ran a grocery store on the ground floor.

It was into this home business that I was born. And is it any coincidence, that now in my twenties I'm running a business from my home too?

Some of my earliest memories are of my mum, talking to customers with a kindness I've not seen again in retail or in customer services. She'd remember to ask them about their children by name, always with a smile, and make sure she'd have in stock the products her customers would request, even if it made little economic sense.

She's been an inspiration to me. Her name's Saroj and she's turning 60 this week too! So, happy birthday, mum, and Happy Mother's Day.

San Sharma
Social Media Consultant and Web Designer, Author, Moonwalker, etc.

Homeworking in the movies

5. The Godfather

"You must see The Godfather," replied @shedworking, when I admitted at #watercoolermoment than I hadn't seen the Coppola classic. "There's an offer you can't refuse!" wrote @rtaltd, which I imagine is some sort of reference to The Godfather.

Why's it in the list? According to @rtaltd, "Marlon Brando, as the Godfather, held meetings at home... thus it was a home based business."

4. Home Alone

By the end of his week 'Home Alone', Macaulay Culkin was already cooking for himself, doing his laundry and defending the house against moronic burglars. Who knows how long it would have been until he'd start running his own home business?

Not sure, based on that theory, that it should be on this list, but @chrisodonoghue seems to think so!

3. The Net

"We're sitting on the most perfect beach in the world," says Jeremy Northam in The Net. "And all we can think about is -"
"Where can I hook up my modem?"
Oscar winning actress, Sandra Bullock stars in this thriller about the homeworking computer analyst who gets caught up in a case of mistaken identity - spotted by @shedworking.

2. Pretty Woman

@mooosh suggested Julia Roberts/Richard Gere romcom (and one of @emmaljones's favourites) Pretty Woman. Well, it is one of the oldest home businesses, I suppose...

1. Where the Wild Things Are

But the home business box office number 1 has got to be Where the Wild Things Are, as suggested by @outtherehq. "The mum tries to work at home, while her kid tells her a story." Bet you know at least one kid who keeps you from working sometimes! Where the Wild Things Are is really good, by the way. You should check it out, if you haven't seen it already.

And join us for #watercoolermoment on Twitter, 11am daily.

San Sharma
Social Media Consultant and Web Designer, Pop Culture Critic, Author, Moonwalker, etc.

Photo credit: Jerry Maguire, available on Amazon.co.uk

Cover your motoring costs with AMAPs

Road Map? No, AMAPs 

If you use your private car for business activities, then AMAPs is a way of covering your motoring costs.

The best thing about AMAPs is they are tax free. The government has set the target at 40p for the first 10,000 miles in a tax year; and 25p per mile thereafter. Be sure to keep a record of these business trips, recording the mileage.

Claim the expenses on your tax return and watch your tax bill go down!

For more information on managing your car as a business asset, visit Ralph’s site on the link below.

• Ralph Morton, Businesscarmanager.co.uk 

Do women have to work for themselves to work for equality?

Big win? Or big fail?

Kathryn Bigelow's big win at last night's Oscars was a triumph for women in film - and timely, on the eve of International Women's Day. But as the first woman to bring home the best directing trophy and only the fifth ever to be nominated, is Bigelow's success an anomaly in a male-dominated workplace?

Despite the Equal Pay Act of 1970, women still only earn 83p to the male pound, which is actually illegal. Gordon Brown says that only 10% of directors in the UK's top 100 companies are women. And in parliament only 291 women have been elected, compared to 4,559 men since 1918.

In other institutions, like the media, there are still twice as many men on television than women, despite the fact that there are more females in our population than males (by one or two heads per 100). Sky News is hoping to rectify that, for one day only, by handing over the entire station, it's presenters, producers and editors, for International Women's Day - basically a day off for male members of staff!

Sisters doing it for themselves

These statistics are at odds with what we see amongst self-employed home business owners at Enterprise Nation. Our members are an almost equal mix of men and women and our books and blogs are full of successful stories that ignore the gender divide.

So, what do you think?

Are women who run their own businesses exempt from the discrimination of a male-dominated workplace? Is working for yourself the only way to achieve equality? Or are you treated differently as a woman even though you run your own business?

Let us know what you think in the comments and find out more about International Women's Day and Kathryn Bigelow on the links below:

• International Women's Day
• 7 businessy things we learned from the Baftas - Enterprise Nation

San Sharma
Social Media Consultant and Web Designer, Pop Culture Critic, Author, Moonwalker, etc.

Photo credit: onehundredeightythree/threehundredsixtyfive by Morning theft

5 steps to going global

Expand your horizons. Increase trade.

Research carried out by Professor Colin Mason of the University of Strathclyde revealed that:

“The proportion of home based businesses deriving more than half their sales from overseas customers – although very low (6%) – is actually greater than for other SMEs indicating the presence of a small proportion of home based businesses that are highly export oriented.”

This is certainly something we see at Enterprise Nation; from the artisan who is importing fair trade bags from India, applying a special design, and selling them to the US, to the information publisher who is expanding his site to Sweden after spotting a gap in the market and forging local partnerships.

Follow these five steps to increase your own international sales.

1. Perfect your product – is yours a product that is likely to have high demand from customers overseas? Handmade and British craft products are popular, as are products and services appealing to a niche audience. If you cater to a niche audience in the UK, the likelihood is you’ll also be well received by customers overseas.
2. Present yourself  – you have your product/service, how do you present it to potential customers? For handmade goods, consider selling on international platforms such as Etsy.com Artfire.com and Dawanda.com. If you have your own site, sign up to payment providers such as PayPal so you can accept worldwide currencies. Consider having your site displayed in the local language as research from www.lingo24.com shows you’re more likely to make sales when content on your site is translated.
3. Choose international suppliers – there is a support network of providers offering everything from parcel delivery to local call numbers and meeting space; companies such as Skype, parcel2go.com and Regus. Make the most of their international network to expand your own.
4. Strengthen links – visit countries in which your trade is increasing to meet customers and win new ones. Keeping in touch with local customers and partners is now so straightforward with online project management and meeting tools such as Dimdim, Huddle and Basecamp.
5. Tell your story – so others can be inspired to look overseas and achieve the same success. A good time to celebrate these stories is Global Entrepreneurship Week.

Without a doubt, home based businesses are producing products and services that have global appeal. With the technology tools and applications now in place to help secure customers and partners, expect to see international trade flourish yet further! - Emma Jones

Stress? We haven't botany!

A green oasis in your home office

We know that working from home means working at times that are convenient to you, no interruptions, no journey time and reducing your environmental impact whilst keeping the wheels of industry turning.

We all want to be effective and productive, and probably strive more so to satisfy our own sensibilities when we work at home. Thomas Palfreyman, chairman of the interior landscapers' association eFIG suggests, "There are some simple ways you can really improve your working lifestyle and productivity by simply including a green plant or two into your home office."

Surround yourself with plants, either on or by your desk, as they refresh the air, which will keep you alert. More than that, they really aid your concentration, according to a study carried out in Holland, especially if you sit glued to a PC screen for four hours or more a day.

Plants not only aid concentration and therefore make you more productive, but also improve your creativity according to another study conducted in the United States.

It's no surprise that the colour of calm is green. Natural green spaces and plants have an organically calming effect on us. They create a tranquil space and lower stress, especially in the workplace. Researchers found that pulse rates and blood pressure - two of the physical signs of stress - were both reduced in people working in planted surroundings.

And that's just the beginning - plants also help to clean the air you breathe indoors, which can be more polluted than the air outdoors. How? Well, all those soft furnishings, carpets, cleaning commodities and even personal hygiene products omit VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds), some of which are recognised as cacogenic. Plants absorb these pollutants and turn them into food for themselves.

As we spend the majority of our time indoors, bringing a bit of the outdoors in makes sense it's what we respond to best, it's our original natural habitat. So be sure you have a plant or two by your desk.

Coll Smith
Coll works for the interior landscapers' association, eFIG. Find out more on the link below.
Photo credit: Flower Council of Holland

• eFig

Working 5 to 9 at MMU

Working 5 to 9: In summary

Regular visitors to Enterprise Nation will know I've got a book coming out in May called 'Working 5 to 9 - how to start a business in your spare time' - last night's lecture was based on what I've discovered from research for the book and through meeting many 5 to 9'ers.

The presentation aimed to answer three key questions:

1. Why is Working 5 to 9 on the rise?
2. Who is working this way?
3. What are the opportunities for you?

Why?

More and more people are holding down a day job and building a business at nights and weekends on account of four key reasons:

• The economy - safeguarding against future loss of employment and just wanting to earn some extra cash
• Unleashing creativity - over 70% of 5 to 9'ers run a business that's not related to the day job; their business is an outlet for their creative talent
• Technology - the audience may have spotted that this is where I got really excited! Technology tools and platforms have emerged that make Working 5 to 9 so much more feasible; use sites such as Business Smiths or Wooshii if you're selling knowledge services or sites such as Etsy and MyEhive.com for the crafting community. There are many more - they are all referenced in the book.  
• It's the best way to start - the final reason why Working 5 to 9 is on the increase is because it's simply the best way to start a business. You have salary coming in and give yourself the time you need to build confidence and cashflow in the business. 

Who?

In the book I profile 60 successful 5 to 9'ers; they range in age from 17 to 64, they're from across the UK and are working on a range of businesses from developing iphone apps to breeding rare pigs. A few facts and figures were shared ... including the number of people who are planning to give up the day job in the next 12 months (and it's not as high as you might imagine.)

What are the opportunities?

Endless! The opportunity is to become a 5 to 9'er (in which case, the book really will be a good investment for you) or to supply services to 5 to 9'ers which is a road followed by Staples who have launched a 5 to 9 Club and a mobile telecoms company who we hope to be announcing shortly will be launching a special 5 to 9 tariff .. you could, on the other hand, ask someone who came to last night's event as I may have mentioned the mobile brand there and then! 

To those who attended - thanks for your questions - and thanks to Huw Morris and MMU for inviting me to talk (without notes.) - Emma Jones

Home Business Affairs: week two

About the NFEA

The NFEA stands for National Federation of Enterprise Agencies and it’s a body made up of members who are, as you can guess, enterprise agencies!

Together those member agencies supported over 100,000 people in 2008 who were considering starting a business, and assisted 25,000 start ups.

The organisation has launched a pre-election Enterprise Manifesto (that references home business – good news!) and sets out NFEA views on what more could be done to stimulate business start-ups. Some excerpts:

“Ours is a society which is becoming more enterprising. In a fast-changing world, people are adapting to changing circumstances quicker and more effectively than ever, they are learning new skills, they are more confident to apply their natural abilities to innovate, they are more comfortable in taking risks and they are eager to take responsibility from an early age.

Throughout most of recorded history, we have been farmers, hunters, craftsmen, traders or merchants - living on our wits and our skills, and taking responsibility for ourselves and our dependants. Exactly the attributes the twenty-first century needs.”

The Manifesto is politically neutral and concludes with a suggestion that whichever party wins the election, the Government should adopt an ‘Enterprise Escalator’ that helps people each step of the way on their entrepreneurial journey.

Take a look at the Manifesto by clicking on the link below.

• NFEA’s Enterprise Manifesto

Q&A with Rob Pittam

Working Lunch at home

I joined the BBC twenty one years ago, in that time I’ve worked for national radio and television programmes as well as regional news too, all of which means  I’m leaving with a full contacts book and a redundancy cheque that I hope is big enough to tide me through starting up my own business.

What kind of business are you planning?

I’m about to become a poacher turned gamekeeper, or is it gamekeeper turned poacher? I’m setting up a media company, specialising in public relations, media training and making films for businesses and websites.  I’m gambling on the hunch that my experience of working in newsrooms in print, radio, tv, and online, means I know how to pitch a story to journalists in a way that makes them want to bite.  I also know how they bite and how to stop it – hence the media training. But I don’t want to give up the fun of film-making either, so I hope to be able to produce promotional films and I also have a few ideas for tv websites. Hopefully I shouldn’t be bored.

Do you have a name?

Finding a name has been one of the hardest parts and I still can’t make my mind up. I can’t decide whether to use my name – hopefully some clients will know me from my work for the BBC, - or have something more generic. I’m based in Nottingham and thought about Robin Hood Media, but maybe naming yourself after an outlaw who robbed the rich might not send out the right message! At the moment I’m veering towards Pittam Media, but if anyone has any better ideas, I’d welcome them.

What are the PR tactics you’ll be applying?

First of all my motto is something I firmly believe there is almost no such thing as bad publicity. With a few dishonourable exceptions, any mention in any media can be turned into a positive way of getting your message across. I’m also aiming to tailor my story to hit as many outlets as possible, looking to get a mention in specialist magazines and websites, persuading a newspaper to take a diary feature, writing a blog and turning up to as many networking events as I can. I’m going to be eating a lot of vol au vents.

My other guiding principle is something I know from the other side as a journalist; behind the hype there has to be some substance. I’m confident I’ve got the contacts and the know how to mean that if I promise a client I can get them publicity, I really will. PR is pointless unless you can actually deliver when the hacks come knocking at the door.

Is the family planning to get involved?

Under no circumstances are my two boys allowed to become involved, I have nightmares that they might answer the phone and treat a client to their world weary teenage tones. I have a daughter studying Chinese at University, and I have a notion that might come in handy somewhere – although I haven’t shared that with her. My wife works part time and her big fear is that if things go badly, she might have to become full time, so she’s taking a more than passing interest in my progress. The very hardest part will be persuading Ben the family Border Collie that just because I’m home doesn’t mean he can expect five walks a day.

What’s the one thing you’re looking forward to?

That’s easy, and the reason I’ve decided to go down this route; being at home more. I’ve absolutely loved my job and the BBC has been a great employer, but the work  has taken me all over the country, regularly staying away overnight. I agonised for ages about whether to leave the Beeb, but being based in Nottingham with all the good jobs in London, or increasingly, Salford, meant I couldn’t carry on working without having to stay away. I always promised the family that whatever I did next, it would mean I would be home every night, hopefully I’ll be able to deliver on that promise now.

What will you miss most?

That’s easy too. This might sound really cheesy but working at the BBC means you rub shoulders with some of the brightest, most talented and most driven people in the country. Losing that will mean losing a big part of my life. But I imagine I’ll still be talking to them a lot, only this time, from the other side of the fence.

How would you like your business to look in a year’s time?

My main aim for this year is to generate enough money to get by without having to make too big a dent in the redundancy cheque. That’s going to be difficult, but by the end of the year I’d like to have a good mix of clients, from the private and public sector, a good mix of work from pr to media training to production and to have recruited a few businesses that have the potential to grow alongside mine in the years ahead.

Best wishes to you, Rob. 

Can you help?

Can you help this roving reporter come up with a name for his new venture? Let us know your ideas for Rob in the comments below - and be part of his home business story.

What will replace BBC 6 Music and the Asian Network in your home office?

Me, mum and Aunty

A death in the family
This morning's BBC shake-up will shake-up my family, in a roundabout way, since I listen to 6 Music in my home office and my mum 'gets down' to the Asian Network in her kitchen.

We'll be sad to see both stations go for somewhat selfish reasons - and I won't go into why I think the Beeb should cater for us both. But I want to know what you think.

Will you miss BBC 6 Music and the Asian Network? How's the Beeb been part of your homeworking day? And what will change for you following the Corporation's cuts?

On the other side

If you're looking for something to replace BBC 6 Music or the Asian Network - or perhaps something to replace the radio in your home office altogether - here are some options that put you in the DJ booth:

iTunes

iTunes is our favourite 'media jukebox'. It's easy to use and easy to synchronise with our iPods and iPhones. It's a free download on the link below and if you don't have any MP3s to play you can buy some from the built-in iTunes Store or covert your own CDs using the 'Import' feature.

• iTunes - Apple

Spotify

Giving iTunes a run for its money (whilst hardly making any itself!), is Swedish-based Spotify, a music streaming service that lets you instantly listen to full albums or individual tracks for free. You can download Spotify on the link below, but you'll need an invitation to use it. So, be real nice to any Spotify users you meet - or follow us on Twitter and we'll let you know when we have any more invitation codes available (we already gave ours away to our followers!).

• Spotify

And if you do use Spotify don't forget to tune in and collaborate with us on our homeworking playlist, which you can launch on the link below:

• Homeworking playlist - Spotify

Blip.fm

Blip.fm is like Twitter for music. You 'blip' a song you like (from its enormous library) and attach a short message, which goes off to your Twitter and Facebook friends with a link for them listen to the track. We've been 'blipping' to our Twitter and Facebook Page for a few weeks now. Tune into our station - and start your own - on the link below:

• Blip.fm

What do you think?

Will you miss BBC 6 Music and the Asian Network? How's the Beeb been part of your homeworking day? And what will change for you following the Corporation's cuts? Will you tune into commercial stations? Or try iTunes, Spotify or Blip.fm?

Let us know your thoughts in our forum or in the comments below.

San Sharma
Social Media Consultant and Web Designer, Pop Culture Critic, Author, Moonwalker, etc.

Photo credit: BBC 6 Music plectrum (2006) by radiothings.com

Create a publishing empire from your home

Technology, the great leveller

It used to be that if you wanted to publish a book, magazine, newspaper or show series, you could only do so if you had access to large (and expensive) capital equipment and a workforce of hundreds. Not any more. Web-based applications are freeing up the imagination and putting home business owners in control of how content is distributed. Here are some to get you started.

• Books - always wanted to write the authoritative guide for your industry/sector? Want to show off your portfolio of photographs or handmade goods in a coffee table style book? Now you can with self-publishing sites Blurb and Lulu.com 
• Newspapers - move over, Rupert Murdoch, the home business owners are coming to media town! Become a newspaper publisher with Newspaper Club – the service is currently in beta but you can sign up and see what this tool could do for your business. 
• Magazines - digital magazines are becoming increasingly sophisticated with embedded links to buy products alongside video clips and interactive forums. Take a look at Yudu and Zmags. According to digital publishing service, nxtbook media, advertising in digital magazines is more trusted than online ad banners so for your sponsors and advertisers offering a presence in a digital magazine and on your site offers a good rate of return for them. 
• Audio - speak to your audience by producing a podcast and inviting in guests who can be interviewed using Skype. Click here to read a round-up of features on how to produce a podcast. 
• Video - publish content of you making your product/service or customers saying nice things about your product/service, by using a Flip camera that can be bought for around £90 and comes with only one button so is hyper-easy to use! 
• Online – share content and your expertise in the form of an online slide show using Slideshare 

This list does not even cover publishing content for people to consume whilst on the move ie mobile applications and publishing for devices such as the iPad and Kindle – that will be covered in a future piece!

In the meantime, make the most of earning revenue from charging individual subscriptions or secure a sponsor who would like to be associated with your content and the viral way through which you’ll distribute it. Before you know it you’ll be publishing online, in print, and in audio/video, to an audience of interested readers/watchers/listeners. What a business to run from the comfort of your own home! - Emma Jones

Look what happens when 5 home business owners get together

How it all began

Anne-Marie wrote in to tell us how the partnership got going:

“Over the last couple of months I made contact with a group of 4 other ladies as I felt there was a real opportunity for us to help each other out with contacts and maybe work together on some projects so I coordinated a group meet and came up with the title of ‘Parley Queens’ for our meetings as I wanted to avoid the word network as this was more creatively led due to our combined offerings. We are all women and we are all operating home based businesses in Warwickshire.

At our last meeting we came up with the idea of a party package using our combined offerings that would be perfect for hen parties specifically but it could be for any party or even corporate event. So we offer a vintage style makeover for each person who gets their photo taken looking like a pin-up of chosen era whilst tucking into an afternoon tea with tea cups of prosecco.

The group is made up of the following companies that contribute:

• The Urban Bakery – (me!) I provide the tea party food and drinks 
• My Vintage Party – Supplies all the mix and match crockery & cake stands 
• LeKeux Events – They are retro and vintage events specialists who arrange the day for the group. Lynsey also does the vintage hair styling
• Emily Jayne Image Consultant – Emily does all the make-up specific to the era
• Siren Photographic – Photographer who takes the photo of made over lady

The power of partnership

A great story from Anne-Marie that shows the power of coming together with other companies who have a complementary offering to yours.

Who could you call up today to create your own profitable partnership?

And remember to read our recent piece on how to draw up a partnership agreement so everything is written up and agreed from the start!

Twitter is not just about cheese sandwiches

In a paragraph

Mark sums up the content and context of the book in an opening paragraph:

“This book will help you to understand why your business needs to be on Twitter. Why you can’t afford not to have a presence on Twitter. Once you have understood that, then I will go into (with whatever time you have available) how you use Twitter as effectively as you can, understanding the Twitter rules of engagement and finally how to measure the success of what you are doing.”

Well worth a read. To do so, click on the link below.

• Twitter is not just about cheese sandwiches by Mark Shaw

5 top tips for reducing your online marketing costs

1. Build your marketing around a cost per acquisition amount

CPA or Cost Per Acquisition was initially used by the advertising people but nowadays is used by web professionals as well. CPA states how much you’re willing to invest in acquiring a customer. Once you have this figure, you can work backwards and ensure you don’t exceed it eg if you're willing to invest £10 in acquiring a customer, the marketing cost of the sale should not exceed £10.

2. Get rid of noise and focus on the what's working

Online marketing will normally include a selection of channels, some working better than others. Those channels that aren’t working are called 'noise' as they generate more noise than sales. Look at your online marketing mix and focus on channels which are converting well for the business and those you suspect have potential.

3. Don't limit yourself and test new channels

The world of online marketing is always changing Make the most of this and explore new avenues. Using parts of the web from social media to PR you might discover new ways to reach your target market and on a smaller budget. The key to any experiment is to use channels where you can measure results. If your aim is to increase visitors, look to measure it using an analytics software, if you're looking to generate more leads look to measure it through your content management system. etc.

4. Look at unconventional tactics

There are a number of marketing channels which require hard work to get going, but will offer high gains. Consider exchanging banners with another similar sized website; also known as bartering, this activity normally requires no financial investment. The key is to find other sellers which offer similar products, for example, if you were to sell spectacles online you would look for another seller such as an online chemist which caters for your demographics.

5. Pause and resume activities based on seasonal trends

Most businesses have products or services which are selling better at one point or another during the year. To reduce your online marketing costs, start by running a tight ship by pausing and resuming online marketing activities based on your historical information.

• Guest post by Rick Duncan from online spectacles sellers GlassesDirect.co.uk. Offering a range of specs and sunglasses online.