How to Build Your Own Business Website, Part I

If you intend to sell things, offer services, or brand your expertise on the Internet, it's a very good idea to have your own website.

Now some people may be intimidated by this, thinking that creating a website is beyond them. Well, I must admit, it's not easy and it's definitely not quick; but it doesn't have to be expensive, and it is definitely not impossible either.

So let's jump straight into it. What do you need to build your own website?

1. Domain name. Some people are able to build their business websites for free on Multiply or even Blogger. If you don't mind having "multiply" or "blogspot" as part of your site's domain name, then you don't need to spend anything to get a domain name. But if you want something that's truly yours, you only need to shell out P500 per year to get a domain name from Blogger.com.

2. Logo. A logo helps build your brand. Even if you're just blogging, if you intend to use your blog to brand your expertise or eventually sell a product or service, you will need a logo. You can make your own logo or get a professional designer to make one for you.

You'll need two logos, by the way: a big rectangular one to use as a banner for your website and a small square one to use as your Favicon (that tiny icon that appears beside the name of your website on the tabs of your browser).

3. Template. Blogger lets you choose among preset templates when you open an account, but if you want something more classy-looking, check out the free downloadable templates on Btemplates.com. That's where I got the template for this blog, though I had to do a lot of tweaking on the HTML to get the exact look I wanted.

4. Content. This refers to images and text. If you're selling a product, you'll need good quality images to display on your site. You'll also need text content for your website's pages.

Mandatory pages are your front page, where you would probably want to tell your clients exactly what you offer; the About page, where you tell your clients about yourself and why they can trust you and why they should buy from you; the Contact page, which lets your clients reach you. To establish the legitimacy of your business, it is best that you include a physical address here, your full name, your landline number as well as your mobile number, and other ways they can contact you.

Other pages you may want to have are Privacy Policy, Terms and Conditions of Use (you can copy the text for these two from businesses similar to yours and just tweak the information and guidelines so that they fit your business perfectly), FAQs, Services (where you give further details on the services you outlined on your front page), and Location (there is a Google Map code you can input here to show people exactly where your office is located, in case your clients want to visit you).

5. Mode of payment. You open a business to earn money. Your online clients need to have a way to pay you. Will you accept payments via bank deposit or Gcash or Paypal?

For bank deposits, make sure you have an account with a bank that's easily found even in remote areas. BDO is a good bank for accepting payment deposits because they are open after regular work hours and even on Saturdays, and you can find them in nearly all SM malls. Metrobank and BPI are good too because they have a lot of branches. If your bank is not one of these three, you may have trouble finding clients willing to make bank payments to your account.

If you're selling products or services overseas, Paypal may be your best (if not sole) option. It's free to open a Paypal account, but you need a credit card to verify your account. If you don't have a credit card, you can use Unionbank's EON card. I can't speak for other debit cards because I've never tried them. I've tried to use BPI's ExpressCash card to verify my Paypal account, but it did not work.

Why do you need to verify your Paypal account? Verifying your Paypal account will remove limits on how much you can withdraw from it. Withdrawal limits vary from country to country. If you are from the Philippines, your withdrawal limit if you are unverified is $0. That's right: you cannot withdraw a single cent from your Paypal account if you are from the Philippines and you are not a verified member. You can use your Paypal credits to buy stuff on eBay, though, and other online stores.

So these are the things you need to have on hand when you start to build your website. Next article, we'll talk about putting it all together.

Did I miss anything? Let me know!

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Work-at-Home Jobs and Businesses You Can Do in the Philippines, Part III

(Photo by Images of Money)

Finally, here's our last installment of the Work-at-Home Jobs and Businesses series. Here are five more ways you can make money from the comfort of your own home:

1. Home-service mechanic. Okay, this is not exactly something you can do at home, but it's a service you can manage from home and offer to your neighbors and everyone within a two kilometer radius from your house. Actually, I've always wondered why this service is so seldom offered. If my car is broken, isn't it obvious that I would need somebody to go to my house to fix it? I could hardly drive it to a shop if it won't start, right?

2. Ironing and laundry service. You already wash your own clothes, right? It shouldn't be too hard to put up a sign in front of your house offering to wash your neighbors' clothes as well. Better yet, put the sign up at the village gate. Really, you never know who might need your help. Good target: moms with new babies. (Can you imagine all those diapers to wash? Just make sure to ask them to rinse the diapers out very well first!)

3. Web design. If you're running an online business, you would do well to have a Web site. For some, Multiply works well. But for the more finicky among us (like me), we want our business Web site to carry our own domain name and our own unique template. I'd been forced to design my own site for this blog and for Escrive.com, but it took so much time, I tell you, if I could have found somebody I could afford, I would have enlisted their services.

4. Tailoring. This is so classic, we often overlook it. With a sewing machine and a lot of talent, you could sew up a dozen outfits and sell them online. You could also offer alterations and repairs to your next-door neighbors. There's always a zipper getting broken or a pair of pajamas getting ripped somewhere, and honestly, not all of us have the time to repair them ourselves.

5. Be an Avon lady. If you love lotions and make-up and jewelry and bags and all those kinds of girly stuff, this is one of the easiest and most fun businesses to get into -- and often, all you need to do is to leave a catalog lying around where people can get them! My mother-in-law makes a pretty good living doing this, I tell you, though of course, it took her years to build up her client base.

I've said it before, I will say it again and again: it takes years to build up a client base. You've got to start sometime!

(Ma, I advise this to others, but I can't do it myself because, as you know, I don't use makeup or lotions or even a toner, and I hardly ever buy shoes and bags; I'm in the running for stingiest person on Earth.)

How to get clients

Now the question is, how do you get clients? Here is what you need:

1. Time. I can't emphasize this hard enough. People write and say, I'm giving birth, I want to quit my job, how can I start my own homebased business?

Oh, boy. We are presuming here that you want to start your business so you can replace your job's income? Not going to happen in that time frame! And if you opt to take a shortcut and get a work-at-home job instead, you'll soon find that you'll need to double your office job's hours when you move at home, in order to match your old income. That is, unless you're so lucky that your current office job will allow you to telecommute.

If you want a homebased business, start taking steps toward it as soon as possible. If necessary, offer your work for free just so you can build a reputation and a portfolio.

2. Have an online presence. This means having a shop at Multiply or eBay or Sulit.com.ph. Better yet, have your own Web site. I put up Escrive.com on twenty-four hours of labor and a P500 cashout.

3. Brand your expertise. This is how my friend Tarie gets all her clients. If you want a detailed crash course on how she did it, she's holding a seminar on it this March 2012. Click here to read more. If you want just a brief summary, here it is: she's been blogging on her niche since 2005, and she maintains an active presence on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Pinterest, etc.!

4. Activate your network. You can't build a client base by being a loner. Solitude can help you be a great philosopher or scientist, but if you're starting a business, you've got to go out and meet people. And you've got to let them know about your business. Have business cards printed out. Have a Facebook page. Have a blog. (If you can't write, find somebody who can. Escrive has written for a lot of blogs.) Join online groups and attend meet-ups. Oh, and be nice! Come on time, keep your promises, do favors, give free advice, etc.

It's hard work, I tell you. If you want something easy and comfortable, you won't find it in a homebased business; you will find it in an office job. But that won't let you watch over the kids and their yaya.

That's as many tips as I can give right now. I hope other successful work-at-home moms out there could add their tips too!

Next up: where to get funding and how to build your own classy Web site!

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How to Gain Fame and Fortune from Your Blog

March 6, 2012

"How do you make money from your blog?" Well, first, you have to write it. Then, you have to get readers -- which you will only get if you write your blog articles well.

But how do you write good blog articles? And after you've written them, how do you really get the readers to come? (No, they won't come flocking simply because you're an excellent writer.)

An old friend of mine, Tarie Sabido, has been writing on her blogs Into the Wardrobe since 2005 and Asia in the Heart, World on the Mind since 2009. She's got more followers and readers than I have Facebook friends.

"And," you ask, "does she earn anything from it?" Oh yes, she does.

You will notice, though, that her blogs don't have ad units on them -- not a single one. And she doesn't do sponsored posts, ever -- never did and probably never will.

But through her blog, she's managed to brand her expertise. Since 2008, she's been getting invitations from all over the globe to speak at conventions and judge book contests. I am bound to suspect she gets some sort of honoraria for it (as it is only fair she should!), not to mention all that glitz and glamour that inevitably comes your way when you're the judge of  a prestigious book contest.

In short, she is living the life. While the rest of us are content with our short-term sponsored-post pennies, Tarie knows how to get real rewards from her blog.

Well, now she's sharing her secrets with the rest of us! On March 14 and 28, 6-9 p.m., at the Filipinas Heritage Library in Makati City, Tarie will be giving a crash course on how to create an attractive and meaningful blog and, more importantly, how to get loyal readers and visitors to your blog!

Here's the text of the event poster:

Learn the basics of starting a blog or website and skills essential for writing effectively in the virtual world. See social media unveiled. Participate in exercises that will work towards the creation of your own Web space.

Tarie Sabido, the facilitator for this workshop, was a writing and literature professor at De La Salle University-Taft and the Ateneo de Manila University. She also edited instructional materials at goFLUENT International. Now, she is an instructor at Obelisk International Learning Hub and the Ateneo Language Learning Center.

A prolific blogger, Tarie writes about children's and young adult literature through her personal blogs, "Into the Wardrobe" and "Asia in the Heart, World on the Mind." Aside from writing personal blogs, Tarie is a staff writer for "Color Online," a website dedicated to women writers of color.

The workshop fee is P2,500 inclusive of handouts, materials, snacks, and certificate.

To register, please contact Joy de Asis-Villaflores at 892-1801 local 27.

Again, if you're serious about getting real rewards from your blog, this is one workshop you should not miss. Go register now.

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Work-at-home Jobs and Businesses You Can Do in the Philippines, Part II

(Photo by Images of Money)

As promised in the first part of this series, here is a continuation of my list of work-at-home jobs and businesses you can do in the Philippines, items 11 to 20:

11. Rentals. There are plenty of things people would do better to rent than buy: formal gowns, maternity clothes, UN Day costumes, Halloween costumes, Linggo ng Wika costumes, non-convertible infant car seats, musical instruments (when you're not yet sure your kid is going to stick with those saxophone lessons), videoke machines, chocolate fountains, LCD projectors, lighting and sound systems, required readings for college general education subjects like Soc Sci II (read them two days, never open them again), vans ... my imagination runs out, but I suppose you get the idea by now.

12. Tour guide. If you live near a tourist area, why not advertise your services as a tour guide? You'll need to learn a lot about the nooks, crannies, and history of the place, but you'll get to go out a lot and meet new people and get paid too!

13. Business card/invitation/letterhead designer. Big companies probably have their own graphics artists to do this for them, but startup homebased businesses often don't. If you've got an eye for design, offer your services online. We homebased businesses who want professional-looking stationery could use your help.

14. Album/scrapbook organizer. Am I the only person in the world who finds it too much trouble to have my digital pictures printed and to put them in an album for posterity? If I could send you my digital files and you can send them back to me as printed pictures arranged chronologically in an album, I'd be willing to pay a reasonable price.

15. Homebased concierge. Mr. X keeps forgetting his wife's birthday; he would love it if somebody would remind him and order flowers for her every year. Ms. Y wants to book a Cebu Pacific flight, but she doesn't know how to use their online portal or she just can't afford to wait two hours waiting for the d*mned pages to load. Mr. J wants to buy gifts for all his godchildren but simply does not have the time; he doesn't mind the purchases being done online as long as somebody else does it for him.

Have you ever been in situations such as these? I know people who have. If there were somebody who could do these things for them, they'll pay. After all, how do you put a price tag on your wife's affection because you remember her birthday and send her flowers unfailingly every year?

16. Project manager. Oh, I personally know three homebased businesspeople who need this (but only two of them realize it. The third is my husband, ha ha ha).

If you know how to manage projects, create timetables, and coerce people into keeping the sched, then this could be the job for you!

17. Pet sitting. This could be a lucrative job if you give your client base time to grow. You don't need a big yard. Most of your prospective clients keep their pets in condo units anyway. If all you have is a condo unit too, but you promise to take good care of their pets, make sure they stay safe, hydrated, walked, and well fed while their masters are gone, your business could be good to go!

18. Marketing/advertising consultant. Have experience in marketing and advertising? Then why not share your skills with the rest of us who need it? We have businesses, we want to grow it, but we don't know how, and we're afraid to approach consultants because we don't think we can afford you, but if it turns out we can, why wouldn't we want to?

19. Public relations agent. My biggest inspiration today, Ms. Nancy G. Pascual of NGP Integrated Marketing Communications, started out as a public relations agent 14 years ago. She had one client. She did all her work from her house.

Today, she has enough clients that she can afford an office in Shaw Blvd. Some of her clients are household names in banking, cookware, baby products, softdrinks, fuel, and transportation. The first time I heard who her clients were, I exclaimed, "Talaga? Kliyente n'yo 'yun? (Really? They're your client?)"

But let me highlight one fact: it took her 14 years to get to where she is now. There are no shortcuts to starting a homebased business.

20. Private investigator. Honestly, missus, have you never wondered if your husband was really going to so many meetings or if he was meeting somebody else all that time? If you have the wits to find people's secrets out, we who are less skilled but just as suspicious may find use for your services. (But don't offer it to me; I know where my husband is all the time.)

Okay, just one more list to go. After that, we'll talk about how to find clients and funding! Stay tuned for next!

Are you already doing any of these businesses? Let us know and we'll post a free blog article to let the world know about you and the services/products you are offering!

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