Downsized? 7 Steps Of Internet Success Paying Nobody Else

Suddenly you are unemployed. Maybe you worked hard for your money forever it seemed. Possibly your company downsized, or you were fired, or your health declined. In any case, you found yourself at home watching cable news, yet still receiving the same bills reflecting your previous lifestyle. Aside from the obvious ego-blow, you feel confused, sad, and overwhelmed.

There is another way to look at it. Though it sounds trite, for certain, this ending is your new beginning. Now is the time to do just what you wanted to do in the first place with your life. But wait, you still have the same bills. What about that new German car in the carport? What about the fact that you have gone green and will only ingest organic foods now? What about wining and dining clients, friends, and associates?

I am not going to paint a rosy picture of what to expect. A lot of it depends on various factors such as savings, return on your investments, are you a trust-fund baby? Do your friends and family have resources and willing to help?

I found myself with nothing but a beat up used car few dollars, and a used computer. Oh, and a loyal stray mutt, who I gave the title "administrative assistant".

You might be surprised how simple these 7 steps are. They are hard work, a good bit of research and experimentation, but they work:

1. Budget your life and change your lifestyle: Think about selling the suburban home, furniture, and take a modest apartment. I am single and this will not work for everyone. You may decide to keep your house and find another job to pay the notes. I did not have that luxury as my health turned into an official disability. In any case, one's level of living may decline. Get it in your mind this is not the end of the world. In fact it is a chance to truly show the creative you.

1. Start making lifestyle changes now: I made a small office in my apartment and put my computer there. My biggest "luxury" was now cable Internet. I adopted a rescue dog to keep me company and remind me of what was important. Now I had to care for something important to me aside from my job, a living creature. Do you own a summer home? Great item to sell. A Cessna? Fly on the net, dump the plane.

1.Research: Find scholarly articles, not guru hype on running an Internet business. Since I happened to be a cartoonist, I found POD (Print On Demand) manufacturers willing to try my images on such products such as t-shirts, mouse pads, buttons, magnets, posters, and other items that people love to purchase on the Internet, mainly because they cannot be found elsewhere and they are considered valuable collectibles by many. I realize not everyone is a cartoonist. Maybe you are a plumber or banker or psychologist. In any case, you now have a skill that can be purveyed as information on the Internet. The Internet is now where the people are, and, where your business will be.

4.Research More: Just a little research is not enough. You are embarking on a whole new career journey. Read all the major trade magazines online. Read articles from major online ezines like Ezinearticles.com and Helium.com and others on your topic. Google "how to launch a newsletter on banking or law or whatever field you were in. You are still in it actually, but now you are simply in it in another form. A purveyor of information. Possibly a creator of goods.

5. Read a bit about POD Printing (Print On Demand) firms. You can sign up free. You may have slogans, art or both that can be sold on various products. Such companies include Printfection, Zazzle, Cafepress and others. Maybe you've written some slogans, designed some graphics or both. Great. Presto, you're beginning your own brand.

6 Study up on blogging, article marketing, pay per click, Google, Ebay and all the sites that offer opportunity for you to promote and sell your product or service. But don't stop after the studying (as most do). Then it is time to act.

7. Maybe you've always wanted to be a published author. You now can, simply by writing an ebook. Don't know how? Google "how to write an ebook". There are plages and pages on the topic.

Staying "in the game" during this downtime is hard work, but very do-able if you practice a discipline way of working at home. You may find you never want to go back to "corporate America". There are now more than 30 million Americans working in home offices according to statistics. And guess what. These people are the ones creating the most jobs, while the large companies continue to downsize. It might be time to re-evaluate what "security" really is. In a nutshell, all you have to have is a little belief in yourself, the ability to organize yourself, and act on the information your are absorbing. If I can do it, you can do it. And I did.

Article Source: http://www.a1-articledirectory.com

Rick London is a cartoonist/entrepreneur and founder of the most visited offbeat cartoon site on the Internet. His award-winning original unique gifts & funny tees are critically-acclaimed. Click here to visit Rick's newest store:

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