If you talked with the successful person they would be delighted and full of praise for the business system. Yet the failed individual would usually be bitter and full of recrimination – about the same system.

Possibly The Single Biggest Obstacle

This observation, and after talking with hundreds of prospects, convinced me the main difficulty for the average home business entrepreneur is likely to be the person in charge. Themselves. Who wants to hear that?

The solution is also NOT the obvious one.

The straightforward solution seems to be to model the patterns and behaviour of successful entrepreneurs. There is some validity to this argument, but hands-on experience came up with a far more important aspect.

The Hidden Reason

Something I believe to be a major – if not THE major – player in this game is temperament or unlearnt tendency. I made the connection after listening to a young millionaire marketer. I realised that what he was using to increase his sales massively, would also be a hidden reason for success or failure for any home business entrepreneur.

This was a revelation and the more this was explored the more it became an unpleasant reality. Unpleasant because people are born and die with their own temperament. And as such all the self-help books and guides that are written can NEVER, ever, be used the same by people with different temperaments.

An Unprofitable Truth

I knew instantly that this was a massive obstacle. And also that it was not something people want to hear – or for that matter buy. Also there is no doubt success will be easier for some temperament types than others. However if we are aware of these traits then we can do something about them. In particular by acknowledging and compensating for our weaknesses. We then dramatically alter our chances of seeing success.

Luckily every temperament has a set of characteristics that are suited to at least one of the recognised business categories.

Reality Bites

I believe it is worth any prospective home business entrepreneur taking the time to assess themselves – their ability, their weaknesses and strengths.

Aside from temperament there is each individual’s experience, expertise, specific talents or skills that every person has acquired. These may or may not be of benefit to one or more of the business models. The most important thing to consider is that you have a unique set of, and combination of, characteristics.

If you can assess the above impartially you will then be able to judge to which business category you are naturally suited. This is in my opinion the single most useful exercise you can do. And the very first exercise you should do. It could save you a fortune.

To paraphrase JFK:

‘Ask not what a home business can do for you – rather what can you do for a home business?’

Thinking outside the box is good for the brain, the home business entrepreneur, and divergent channels for new discoveries.

Associative thinking or lateral thinking brings in diverse elements from different concepts and philosophies. Your creative brain then rationalizes how all these parts fit together. And the result is a multi-faceted, diverse, bigger amalgamation of what works.

Compare creative thinking to a painting where you start with a blank canvas, add shapes. lines, textures, colors, objects, impressions, and what you get is possibly a masterpiece. a sum greater than its individual parts. Reverse deductive thinking is worthwhile also when you take a complex big picture and reduce it to primary elements for purposes of better understanding.

Recently I read a book called Simpleology by Mark Joyner, the Simple Science of Getting What You Want. The intriguing ideas related how we perceive the world and how we build barriers sometimes invisibly to block getting what we really want. But more importantly it started the thought processes about how to apply these principles to the big picture of a home business.

The main premise is that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line.

In other words, the shortest route to go from where you are to where you want to be is a straight line. No fuzzification…no detours…no excuses or constraints.

Picture this in your mind’s eye or you could actually draw it. Start with a blank page.  Draw a straight line (use a ruler if you wish) starting in the bottom left hand corner and traveling diagonally to the top right hand corner. At the bottom corner write the words HERE I AM and note a couple details of what you don’t like about where you are now. At the top corner write THERE IS WHERE I WANT TO BE and add a couple of details of what you do want to make your life happier…more money, more time to spend with family, holidays, credit card paid off, and so on.

The point is this straight line is the shortest distance between HERE I AM and THERE IS WHERE I WANT TO BE. It symbolizes that purposeful direction, clarity of vision and positive self-determination will get you to your destination.  No objections …no procrastinations…no regrets.

The quickest way to reach your goals is to follow a straight line. If this indeed is possible you will achieve two things:

1. focus on simple actions that get you to your goals rather than actions that lead you off-course

2. bridge the gap between your reality and dreams.

Let’s look at building a profitable home business. There are four main functions of any business:

-production (need a product or service)

-research (market trends)

-sales and marketing

-financial tracking

Of the four functions, experts believe that sales and marketing is the fundamental function without which the others wouldn’t be relevant. “You can develop the best mousetrap in the world, but without marketing, no one will beat a path to your door.”

So the marketing plan is a real tangible in-my-hands, person- to- person part of any home business, or any other business, for that matter.

Logically, it follows that a more successful marketing plan equates to more contacts, more sales, more customers, and more profits.

Extending on Joyner’s principles, then, a simple, direct, “straight-line” marketing plan   will function as a more successful home business.

So let’s visualize this scenario.

Draw another straight diagonal line from bottom to top. This time label it the MARKET PLAN. Add the word Start Poor at the bottom and Finish Rich at the top.

Two issues become apparent:

1) a simple marketing tool communicates clearly and time effectively to customers. Why overload with extraneous details…with extensions, addendums, more calls, statistics, references, cross-links, and what my neighbor may think? If you basically understand the benefits and reaching greater financial security, why would anyone deliberately put themselves into the quicksand known as “analysis paralysis?”

b) a simple marketing tool duplicates more efficiently with your marketing team as well…less training, less distractions or objections, less procrastination, and more portability across the street or country without loss of critical elements with more money in your pocket.

Certainly, key adaptations were made in my home business to increase profits following this concept of a simple “straight line”. My marketing plan was streamlined to three No Excuses Allowed   elements:

1. a phone call with expert sales presentation (5 minutes…interested or not)

2. company website with detailed information (for self reference)

3. a simple 1- 2- 3 step marketing plan that provides an overview of changes, choices and steps and actions to “close” or rationalize the final decision.

If people make excuses they block their way along this straight line. What is your priority…how your Aunt Millicent may be feeling or reaching financial independence?  People whose personalities just need more information, then, of course, they are pointed to other plentiful resources. But they have now detoured…they have cast in a few curves, added some potholes…perhaps a road sign that reads, “I’ll spend the rest of my life working for someone else.”