Everyday you can read articles about how people network and find another job. You can find countless numbers of books and articles on how to create relationships to find jobs that might not otherwise be known. But what about people who don’t want to work?

I am not talking about a lazy person without any ambition. The person I am referring to is the unemployable, the serial entrepreneur or corporate refugee. If you are currently working in a job and what you want is not another job but to become a work at home entrepreneur networking can still be for you.

Here are 7 networking strategies you can use to catapult your work from home career.

1. Create your own Board of Directors. IBM and Microsoft are not the only ones who should have a boardroom team. As a home based business owner you want to have a group of people who you can meet with, mastermind and get advice from.

Often times they may see skills and talents in you that you might not recognize. Once you have identified what your business goal is you have the opportunity to leverage the power of six degrees of separation. Six degrees of separation is the principle that anyone on earth can be connected to another person on the planet through a chain of acquaintances that has no more than five relationships apart.

2. Join Networking Organizations for Entrepreneurs. Successful business owners like to connect with each and expand their relationships. Look for organizations that have business owners in the same area of interest as you. Don’t just see them as competitors. Look for opportunities that you might be able to assist them in some way. Here are a couple of groups to consider:

The Chamber of Commerce

BNI (Business Networking International

Le-Tip

Rotary International

Each of these organizations have different personalities and cultures. Attend a few meetings before you call one of them home. Know what you ultimately want. Basil S. Walsh states, “If you don’t know where you are going, how can you expect to get there?”

First establish in very specific detail what you are going to achieve. Did you notice that I said going to achieve? Life will give you exactly what you expect from it. Start with the end in mind.

Now is the time to dream big and visualize what your life will look like when you are a successful business owner. Don’t worry about the how. Simply set goals by asking yourself some key questions such as:

A. What would I love to do even if I did not get paid for it?

B. How many days will I work each week?

C. What type of work from home business am I interested in?

D. Where will I live?

E. What do I like to do?

Determine what you need to happen to get out your job. Do you know how much you need to make in your business to leave your job? What is your financial freedom number? Your financial freedom number is the amount of income you need to have coming in passively each month to cover all of your expenses.

One of the reasons you want to know this is when you are looking at home based business income opportunities you want to choose one that has the profit potential you want and need. If your financial freedom number is $5000.00 per month you don’t want to choose a business that does not have the potential to net that on a passive basis.

As you are networking and meeting new people you can analyze the business opportunities that arise from a totally unemotional point of view because you are clear about your goals.
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There are two type of people in the world. Those who see the glass half empty and those who see it half full. This experience was heightened for me when I had lunch with an old colleague from work and he began to complain about how only rich people could start a business. I thought he was joking.

As I sat and listened he ranted for almost ten minutes giving all the reasons he could not start his own business and get out of the rat race. He talked about the high cost of start ups,
franchising and real estate development. When he finally came up for air I decided to ask simply ask him one question. Mark, “Have you every asked yourself what kind of low cost businesses with high profit margins are out there?”

He looked like he had been run over by a truck. I went on to say, “You are just asking the wrong question.” He sat for a minute and said, “Ok, if you’re so smart give me some ideas.” I said, “Great. Oh and by the way let’s make it fun and focus on the ones you can work from home in your pajamas.”

Here are the 5 low cost high profit businesses I shared with Mark.

1. Internet Marketing: Do you have a computer in your home? If so you could be sitting on a gold mine. People use the internet to do all types of things. From a multimillion dollar wire jewelry making enterprise to a young kid from Long Beach California who created his empire teaching people how to play music by ear. Everyday people are getting on the internet and pursuing their own dot com fortune.

2. Tele-seminars: If you not a very technical person one of the
best strategies is tele-seminars. With simply a telephone and a
conference call line for your guest to call in on you can offer
a class or seminar. You can either use it as a lead generator or you can sell your product or service from the seminar itself. An additional product can come from recording the class. Once you record the class it can become an instant product you can create passive income from.

3. Joint Ventures: If you like the idea of not needing a product or money of your own than the idea of joint venturing could be for you. This business is simply the art of the deal. You are paid in direct proportion to your ability to bring together two parties who would not otherwise know each other outside of your introduction.

For example if you combine company A’s products, knowledge,
resources and partner it with company B’s client list you get to share in the profits. And it would not cost you one cent.
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Have you ever been in moment where you realized that your perception of something would never be the same? Well that’s exactly what happened to me when I attended BB Kings Restaurant to hang out and listen to a violinist for an upcoming CD release.

Much to my surprise I walked away with 5 lessons that I could use to take my home based business to the next level. Within moments of world renowned jazz violinist Karen Briggs (formerly with Yani) taking the stage the quote from Tony Buzan rang my head.

“Whatever your discipline, become a student of excellence in all things. Take every opportunity to observe people who manifest the qualities of mastery.”

Here are lessons I walked away with that you can use to
successfully create a business you can work from home.

1. Change an idea or business by 10% and you can be a leader in what you do. Ms. Briggs is not the only violinist but she is one the first to become known as a “Jazz Violinist.” She took traditional classical music and put a jazz twist on it and made it her own. She created a fortune by doing so. You can do the same thing. Find a work at home business you love, add your unique slant and become an expert.
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