One of the challenges that you may run into when you are working from home is to stay motivated. You lock yourself up alone everyday and try to build your business and you will have days that you get frustrated.

There are a lot of tips and advice on remembering your reason why, but there are still times you just can’t seem to get the drive you need.

I have had days that I didn’t want to work, then I found a great tool to help me. I was working on one of my affiliate websites back offices (SFI) and I found their little income calculator. Just for kicks I punched in some numbers to see what would happen. This little tool motivated me, all of a sudden there was a possible paycheck and what would happen if I continued to work at it.

I went a little crazy with some of my numbers, but at the same time I didn’t. There are people with SFI that are sponsoring a lot of people daily. So why can’t I?

These are some of the numbers I played with:

30 people that I sponsor

2 people sponsored by downline

Possible Income

$819.00 per month after 6 months ($9,828.00/yr)
$4,480.20 per month after 12 months ($53,762.40/yr)
$9,048.60 per month after 18 months ($108,583.20/yr)
$15,172.20 per month after 24 months ($182,066.40/yr)

Now I know that in reality these numbers mean nothing, there are too many variables, but they do show the potential earning power based on the companies payment policy. There is motivation in the knowledge that all you need is to sign up one person a day, and help your downline sign up one person every 15 days. That is achievable, you just need one a day, then repeat the process.

It is tangible and motivating for the days that you feel frustrated. Frustration will occur, but if you find a method to motivate yourself, you will get through it and keep building your home based business.

Many people are using strategies in affiliate marketing that causes them to fail. Of course they are not doing this on purpose, but they are still doing it.

The failure rate in affiliate marketing is extremely high, but it is not as high as it used to be. In fact it could be that as high as two out of 10 people are now succeeding. It used to be that 95% of people failed when trying to Make Money as an affiliate marketer.

Part of the reason is because people define success at in different ways, which helps explain why more people are succeeding at it. Some people are happy if they earned $100 a month.

It may not seem like a lot but it makes them a success because they know exactly what their goal is and they achieved it. Others want to earn a full-time income as an affiliate marketer and many who set out to achieve that goal are really doing it.

But what about the others that are failing. What are the failure strategies of the eight out of 10 people?

1. They jump around from one product to the next never making money on any. Because it’s free to join an affiliate program it’s tempting to think that the program is what is keeping you from succeeding.

In reality if you would focus on making money with one product before taking on another you avoid failure.

2. They do not set up a separate website. Using the replicated website is not a good strategy for success unless you drive massive amounts of traffic to it. Most
affiliate marketers never reach that level.

3. They do not own the product they try to promote. This may become less important as you promote more affiliate products.

However when you initially start out owning the product it gives you an advantage over your competitors. You can create a review page and really know what you’re talking about which will help you sell more.

4. They do not capture names and email addresses for future follow up. This is known as building an email marketing list and is the cornerstone of success for many top affiliate marketers. If you want to ensure your failure do not build a list.

5. They never generate meaningful traffic. If you do not get enough visitors to your website you will never make any sales. Thankfully two out of 10 affiliate marketers now get more traffic than they used to.

This is some of the affiliate marketing failure strategies that will ensure your failure. If you would like to succeed you should try doing these five things rather than not doing them.

When it comes to a home business, the computer and the Internet are an essential part of the success or failure of the business.

With this being the case, just like when you are at work, there is always the temptation to check your email, talk to friends online, or play a game when you are not busy. However, just like at a job that you commute to, this should be something that you should avoid when you are working at your home based business.

A method to help you avoid doing this is to set up an account on your computer that is just for your home based business. Set up an email that is just business, set up an instant messenger that is just business, and use the web browser to just do things that are relevant to your business. The temptation is does not go away, of course, but if you start doing this right away you will find that it’s not so difficult to stay focused on your work.

The other reason that having an account that is separate for your business is good is because when you are doing things that are personal on the computer you will be less likely to work during your ‘off’ hours.

One of the biggest mistakes that people who work from home make is that they are ‘always’ working. They never allow themselves time to be ‘off the clock’. This isn’t something that is healthy, and it’s something that should be avoided. Having a separate account on your computer helps to prevent this from happening.

As a home based business, you need to set a work schedule for yourself, and stick to it. Each day when you are finished your allotted work schedule, make a list of things you need to do the next day. It is difficult for a lot of new business owners to stay motivated and focused. People are used to having someone to answer to and as a home based business that outside motivator is no longer present. By writing out your to-do list, you are making yourself answerable, and are more likely to work towards finishing your list.

As with the computer being a distraction, by working from home you have a whole house that can keep you from your work. When starting your business, you need to set up a home office that allows you to limit the external distractions from you day. It is far too easy to decide your laundry needs to be done, or the dusting wasn’t done for a week so you should do it. You need an area of your home that is strictly work related, limiting your distractions.

Running your business requires focus. The great thing about working from home is you get to set your workload and schedule, but far too often, new businesses fail because of the freedom of being your own boss. Treat your business as a work schedule, know when you should be at your desk, and when you should be enjoying your free time. This way you will have a better chance of having a profitable business.