I Know It Said Free But A Business Has Cost.

By Anthony Russell
Posted Tuesday, December 14, 2004

The other day I was working o­n my web site and having a conversation with my eldest son about free offers. My son who I love dearly started o­n a conversation about a product that he wanted and it was free to get. Dad all you have to do is go here, do that, and it’s yours for free. Now I have three kids and o­ne of my favorite sayings to them when I get the look after the free offer is announced “Free does not mean free”.

Then my oldest son said, “But Dad doesn’t your web site say that it is free to sign up.” Well yes it does but let me explain the difference between signing up for Free and Free as I see it. As adults we all know that there is something else to come. So after explaining it to my kids (his brother tried to make it to the doorway). I thought I would post my thoughts o­n the subject. So here is the lesson that I tried to explain to my sons and would like to pass o­n. I will give you the short version:

Yes there are a lot of free sign up programs and promotions out there. But you have to be realistic about any offer you are thinking about. If it is a business then you should expect to have some kind of business cost. I have learned that if you put nothing in you get nothing out. Remember that all of the costs are not just monetary they include your time, sweat, and effort. Just think of the amount time you spent looking for a business opportunity that was of interest to you. Time spent researching and wondering o­n the business that you finally decided to do. I have seen the amount of money it takes to run a business with as little as 5 employees up to 200 plus. It takes a lot of time, work, money and effort to start and keep most businesses going. Some may take a minimal amount of money but still a lot of time, effort and patience. My main point to anyone is that for any Business whether o­n-line or off-line to succeed it will take a real effort o­n your part.

You should always remember the reasons why you started your own business and stay focused. Success usually comes after continued effort but be smart in your efforts. Planning is a very big part of anyone’s success so think out what it is you want to accomplish o­n a regular basis (Time Management). Do a calendar to plan you time out so that you see what has to be done daily, weekly, and so o­n. You need to make a plan and stick to it even through the times that when you ask yourself “Why did I Start This?” Now that I got that of my chest I guess I need to do an article o­n time management. That will come out later in the year.

When setting goals keep this in mind they should be o­nes that are realistic, attainable and measurable. One of the best way to do this is to always write down your goals. Yes write them down then map a plan of action using these guidelines in setting goals. Trust me I used it for many years in business and with others to help them understand how to accomplish a certain goal. The better you get to know the hows and whys in reaching your goals the easier it is to reach them. Remember the goals you set are what you want to accomplish whether they are business related or personal.

I have said this to many people and will say it again here Always Keep You Goals Real.

Hopefully this shorten version of my lesson will help you either in getting started or just in setting goals.

About the Author
Anthony Russell is the editor of Self Employment Internet Style. Anthony has over twenty-five years of experience in the management field. For more o­n Home Business related articles and information. Visited his web site at: Self Employment Internet Style at: (http://www.2interbiz.com)