The Modern ENTREPRENEUR: Secrets to Building  a Thriving Business from Home

By Winnie Sun, Managing Director, Sun Group Wealth Partners In collaboration with Michael Dubrow, Co-Founder, MoneyTips.com table of contents:

Introduction 03

Commuting Cost$! 04

Profile: Adryenn Ashley, Founder, Crowded Reality Inc. 05 Revolutionizing Reality TV

4 Common Money Mistakes Made When Working From Home 08

Profile: Jeb Blount, CEO, Sales Gravy, Inc. 09 The Road Warrior Wears Flip-Flops

5 Common Mistakes Made When Working From Home 12

Profile: Lindsey Natzic-Villatoro, Photographer, 13 Love Song Events and Photography Capturing Hopes, Dreams and Tragedies

The 10 Biggest Benefits Of Working At Home 16

Profile: Jeff Timmons, 98 Degrees Music, Inc. 17 The Stay-at-Home Pop Star

Social Media Marketing 19

Profile: Dr. Joyce Knudsen, Ph.D., The ImageMaker, Inc. 20 The 71-year-old Social Network Goddess

What We Can All Learn From Successful Work-At-Home 23 Entrepreneurs

Disclaimer: The content of The Modern Entrepreneur: Secrets to Building a Thriving Business from Home is provided for general information purposes only and does not constitute investment or professional advice. You could lose money investing. Prior to making any investment, a prospective investor should consult with his or her own investment, accounting, legal and/or tax advisors to evaluate independently the risks, consequences and suitability of that investment.

THE modern ENTREPRENEUR secrets to building a thriving business from home 02

introduction

As our economy continues to shift away all of whom were selected because they from manufacturing, and freelance reported feeling satisfied with their current employment continues to climb, more standard of living. (We declined to use any Americans find themselves working specific financial metrics to define success, from home. In 2013, 2.8 million self- as the cost of living varies dramatically by employed people considered home as geography and lifestyle). their primary place of work, according to globalworkplaceanalytics.com. Rapid Finally, we speak from personal experience. improvements in digital tools, social media, I launched my first successful business, and the cloud continue to make working Crowded House Entertainment, from remotely more productive. my college apartment when I was just 21 years old. My husband currently works To understand the work-from-home from home as CEO of a mobile application movement better, personal finance development company, and my good community MoneyTips.com recently friend and partner on this project, Michael surveyed 160 successful Americans who run Dubrow, serial entrepreneur and co-founder their businesses or freelance from home. of MoneyTips.com, has worked from home The results are striking: 97% LOVE or like since the mid-1980s. working from home. They enjoy the lifestyle so much that 54% would turn down an offer We hope these candid tales and survey of free office space just one mile results provide inspiration and insight from home! to anyone considering a work-at-home lifestyle, particularly if you want to optimize However, 69% of freelancers and business the financial opportunities and minimize the owners have financial concerns that keep financial missteps that can happen when them up at night. That’s why we created running your own show from home. this book.

Together with MoneyTips, we set out to demystify the most common financial challenges and missteps people make when freelancing or building a business from home. We also reveal the advantages of the work-at-home lifestyle, and show how people incorporate the time- and cost-savings advantages into their overall business and personal finance strategies.

In this eBook, we’ll introduce you to five To your success, entrepreneurs who built prosperous businesses from home, including a multi- platinum pop star, a 71-year-old image consultant who has developed a social Winnie Sun media network of nearly one million Managing Director, people, and a photographer who is ready Sun Group Wealth Partners to STOP working from home. In addition, we share insights from MoneyTips’ panel of successful entrepreneurs and freelancers,

THE modern ENTREPRENEUR secrets to building a thriving business from home 03 commuting cost$!

According to the US Census Bureau, 10.8 million Americans travel more than an hour each way to work, and 600,000 endure “mega-commutes” of at least 90 minutes and 50 miles each way. As a mother of three and the owner of a Southern California-based wealth management firm, I recognize all too clearly that time is money, and every minute spent fighting traffic comes at a high price.

When MoneyTips asked successful freelancers and entrepreneurs what they do with the time saved by eliminating their commutes, here’s how they responded:

Exclusive survey results

What do you do with the time you save by eliminating your commute?* Most trade their commute 67% I get more work done time for productivity or family time.

61% I spend it with my family

28% I go to the gym or engage in fitness activities

27% I use the time for online activities

23% I socialize with my friends

18% I use it to invest my supplemental income more wisely

* Multiple responses ok

THE modern ENTREPRENEUR secrets to building a thriving business from home 04 Home is Where the Heart is. Plus the Business. And the School!

THE modern ENTREPRENEUR secrets to building a thriving business from home 05 Adryenn ashley founder, crowded reality, inc.

Adryenn Ashley combined crowdfunding with reality TV

Like many entrepreneurs, Ashley’s model has the Things have calmed down Adryenn Ashley did not let potential to streamline the some, but Adryenn typically failure get in her way. Instead, entire pre-production process. works between 60 and 80 it gave her the vision to create “What we’re offering people is hours per week bringing something new and profitable. the opportunity to invest less shows to potential sponsors money and try it our way. The and distributors. She is often The 46-year-old single whole point is to mitigate risk at her desk until midnight. “If mom spent most of 2014 by offering social proof that I did that from an office,” she unsuccessfully trying to get an idea is great and has a fan said, “I’d never see my family.” funding to create a new base, long before it goes into Instead, Ashley’s able to save reality television show about production.” Case in point: the the time she’d usually spend moviemaking. “At the end of pilot for her talk show, Wake getting ready on getting the year, I realized the only Up!, was viewed by 40,000 right to work. “Where most way this was going to happen households on POP cable TV people are getting up, taking is the only way anything has and reached a staggering 3.5 a shower, doing their hair, ever happened for me. I had to million people via social media, doing their make-up, picking make my own break.” including tweet chats and out what they’re going to organic reach on Facebook. wear, having breakfast and commuting, I’m already two hours into my work day,” she “If I did that from an office, said. “I live in a ponytail and I I’d never see my family.” rarely put on make-up.”

Working from home, she When developing the platform, combined two trends to create Ashley worked in 24-hour the world’s first crowdfunding cycles for weeks: she would platform for reality TV, which work for four to five hours supports deep, two-way and then sleep for two. “It was engagement between show exhausting,” she said, “but producers and fans. Crowded the site was crashing, and my Reality enables show creators team was dispersed all over to build a social following the globe.” A mere eight days for new shows before the after her site went live, the first programming even starts. show was funded, yielding a profit right away. The only time Ashley uses the social data she saw her family during that to create demographic hellish stretch was at meals; background reports for those brief interactions, she advertisers and distribution admitted, were possible only outlets to prove the shows are because she was working actually going to be seen by from home. the right people -- even before funding or filming begins.

THE modern ENTREPRENEUR secrets to building a thriving business from home 06 adryenn ashley

Today, everyone on Ashley’s both of which were immediate calendar, you know what twelve-person team works moneymakers. She contends you’re doing, and you’re remotely, and, as she the key to generating profits willing to miss some of the points out, managing the from the get-go is in designing opportunities that become team successfully requires companies that don’t need apparent from 24-hour good processes and good much capital to start, or if they monitoring. communications. “There do, arrange pre-sales to cover are so many different tools those outlays. you can use that you don’t need to be in the same To keep costs down, room with the person to be Ashley uses word-of-mouth Ashley’s 30-minute productive,” she said. Ashley marketing. “Recently, one social media strategy particularly likes Skype for of my Facebook posts went includes the following: video conferencing, GitHub for viral, completely organically, software development, and the and reached 25 million. It was • 10 minutes to respond to Teamwork plugin for Google awesome. It was crazy.” She messages; Apps to manage workflow. added that the posts most likely to go viral are community • 10 minutes scouring a Building a Business posts that are “sick, sexy, silly social media tool like That Makes Money or sentimental.” Product- or Klout to find and schedule Quickly show-focused posts don’t tend content distribution; to spread nearly as much, she said. Crowded Reality isn’t • 10 minutes to check in Adryenn’s first hit from on your list of social The entrepreneur says you home. Previously, she built media favorites (including can successfully build your independent publishing firm prospective clients and social network in as little as ChickLit Media Group and thought leaders in your 30 minutes a day, so long as entrepreneurial coaching industry). you have a plan, an editorial organization Wow! Is Me --

She also offers three finance tips for running your business from home:

Set up a home office. Deduct a ton of your housing Take advantage of every The office rent (she’s already expenses as business business deduction. paying for her home, she expenses. These include deductions points out), the added “A lot of people who work for auto mileage driven for phone line, power line, extra from home use TurboTax to do work-related events, rented desks, and all the other costs their taxes, but that only gives short-term office space associated with maintaining an you one or two ways to deduct (Ashley uses office space office outside the home are all your home,” she said. Instead, at her local country club for overhead costs she is able Ashley suggests getting client meetings) and working to forego. granular about the square vacations. footage you can deduct from your tax return. “Bathrooms, hallways, and unheated rooms do not count against your percentage of square feet,” she said. “Just make sure you have an accountant who knows how to do it.”

THE modern ENTREPRENEUR secrets to building a thriving business from home 07 adryenn ashley

Managing Family explained. “He can do his entire When asked how she separates Obligations by day’s classwork in a couple of work and family life, Adryenn Working At Home hours instead of him being held explained, “I hit mute and hostage in class for eight hours scream at my son to shut up, A member of the sandwich and told he’s a bad kid, and to is what I do. There’s the God’s generation, Adryenn financially sit still. I teach him CEO and honest truth. There’s no filter; supports her mother, whom entrepreneurship skills like how transparent, that’s what’s it like she had move in, as well as her to run a shareholder’s meeting. to really work at home.” 12-year-old son Jack, whom Rather than trying to bend him Adryenn homeschools. “My to conform, I decided to really son is ADD Asperger’s 180 IQ, help showcase his assets and which means that he does not then teach him the things that survive well in school,” she he needs to make him an even stronger leader.”

“I hit mute and scream at my son to shut up…that’s what’s it like to really work at home.”

Quotes from survey respondents

4 Common Money Mistakes That Even the Most Successful Freelancers and Business Owners Make Because They Work From Home

Over- or Spending frivolously: Poor bookkeeping/ Not saving enough: underinvesting in the tax planning: business:

“Not setting up an “Spending more on “Spending business “Not setting up my office at first.” lunches out, just money on household own retirement to get out of the expenses.” accounts and house.” investing the money I saved on my “Setting up a fancy “I didn’t take all the wardrobe.” office at home. I “Spending money deductions possible didn’t need half of and didn’t isolate what I bought.” like I have a consistent and my work area to a predictable salary.” set square footage.”

“Trying to save money by using “Not hiring a CPA a slow internet “Spending who is comfortable connection; it’s not the money I’d working with someone who is both a full-time worth the savings.” otherwise spend on commuting for employee as well as a pleasure.” business owner.”

THE modern ENTREPRENEUR secrets to building a thriving business from home 08 The Road Warrior Wears Flip Flops!

THE modern ENTREPRENEUR secrets to building a thriving business from home 09 Jeb Blount CEO, Sales Gravy, Inc.

Jeb Blount spent his family’s entire nest egg, including retirement money, to start his home-based business

As a successful salesman, to grow. I brought in a sales Jeb Blount is on the road team that keeps me in front of a staggering 250 days a clients, doing my thing.” year speaking, training, and Through Blount’s efforts, delivering onsite consulting Sales Gravy, Inc., has become for his clients. No wonder one of the world’s leading when the 48-year-old is home sales acceleration, training, in Georgia, he doesn’t want and recruitment firms. Its to go to the office. Even flagship site, SalesGravy.com, when his office was just four is brimming with sales career blocks away from his house, advertisements and high- he wouldn’t go. Instead, he quality resources for the sales to become a greeter at Wal- sits at home, wearing flip- community, and it is the most Mart,” he said. “Some days, I flops, running his 16-person visited sales-specific website still tell her that!” company. on the planet. In the first quarter of 2015 alone, Blount Where once he sat in a fancy Jeb was a senior executive for earned an amount that equals corner office barking orders to a Fortune 500 firm until nine the original nest egg he used years ago when his position was eliminated. “I always wanted to be an entrepreneur “I took the leap and started my and operated that way in the corporate environment,” said own gig doing what I liked and Blount, “so I took the leap and understood.” started my own gig doing what I liked and understood.” his secretary, Blount was now Blount spent his entire to launch his site. Nevertheless, home alone. “I would sit in my $500,000 nest egg to launch the road warrior hasn’t slowed chair 12-14 hours a day in my his sales training and sales down. “Today, I spend much flip flops, making cold calls to acceleration consultancy of my time speaking to and hundreds of businesses a day,” Sales Gravy. He remembers training sales organizations he recalls. sitting across the dining room across the globe to help them table from his wife Carrie and improve their sales forces and By 2009, Jeb had reached a telling her that he used all increase their bottom line, and point where he was single- their money – their retirement that suits me just fine,” he says. handedly bringing in $50,000 savings included – to build a a month by selling employment website and sales niche job advertising on his website and board. “That was a wonderful helping companies build teams conversation,” he laughs, to grow their sales quickly. sarcastically. With success came difficult choices. “Did I remain a one- As Blount worked to build his man shop and just coast, or business, “I would tell my wife grow the business? I chose every day that I might have

THE modern ENTREPRENEUR secrets to building a thriving business from home 10 jeb blount

Three Valuable Lessons for All Entrepreneurs

Blount, the author of seven books, including his latest, Fanatical Prospecting: The Ultimate Guide to Opening Sales Conversations and Filling the Pipeline, offers three indispensable lessons:

It’s not the selling that’s People Buy You the hard part. “People will want to do “It’s the prospecting and business with you if they lead generation that many can positively answer five entrepreneurs struggle with questions,” says Blount. “Those because it requires them to get questions are: ‘Do I like you?’ out of their comfort zones,” ‘Do you listen to me?’ ‘Do you reveals Jeb. “People need to make me feel important?’ ‘Can understand that if you don’t go you solve my problem?’ ‘Do I out and interrupt somebody’s trust and believe you?’” Use every communications day, you are going to have channel out there. skinny kids.” “That includes the telephone, email, text messages, and social media. If you are an entrepreneur working in the B2B space or the high-end B2C space, the telephone will always be your number one tool,” he said. “Sales is all about transferring emotions. When your confidence and enthusiasm carries through your voice, people are more likely to talk to you.”

Home Work “When I’m at home, I’m “My wife is in the business with According to Blount, starting focused. There is no commute me. It’s a good relationship to a business from home was time to contend with, and I have because I love working also the only option that made don’t have to quit work to eat with her and we get to spend financial sense. “Going out dinner with my family. I’ll shift time together. The problem and investing in an office was to the couch and do my web is that when you are an expensive, and as you know, work and social media stuff entrepreneur and you work there is all this software and while we are watching TV. with your wife in your business, tools that we didn’t have a few Then I’ll go to bed and start it tends to dominate your decades ago that makes it so over again in the morning. conversations.” easy to run a full-size office There is no break. When I get without any staff on site.” up in the morning, I’m ready Carrie has issues with the At one point, all of Jeb’s to go.” home/work balance. “My wife employees worked from home. would say that working from “Today we have an office. Most “I am able to get more done home is not so ideal because of our employees are parents from home than the office she is distracted by the laundry so they still work from home because there are fewer and dishes that need to be when they need to be with distractions and I can stay done. I, however, never find their kids.” relentlessly focused on what’s those things to be an issue for in front of me,” he said. me, much to her chagrin.”

THE modern ENTREPRENEUR secrets to building a thriving business from home 11 Quotes from survey respondents

5 Common Mistakes Made When Working From Home

Working too much/ Losing focus/getting Managing time poorly: Becoming a hermit: neglecting personal life: easily distracted:

“Initially working “In the beginning I “My first big “Lots of social from home meant had the TV on while mistake was isolation.” that when I was working.” thinking I could home, I was work the same “I lost touch with working. Eventually hours that I did in some people I really I was able to find a the working world. “Getting easily enjoyed working balance, but only WRONG. You distracted and with.” after it caused have to work out a jumping to projects relationship issues.” NEW schedule to at home -- for succeed.” instance, getting “Winters make one more load of it tough to stay “Being here at laundry in.” motivated when home with my son “Not getting an you’re in the house growing up but earlier shift from all day and night.” not really being the start and “Taking naps and present.” working really late other distractions.” as a result.”

“Not making time for myself.” “Not having a schedule that Becoming included everything disorganized: I need to do at work “Not exercising as and in my personal much.” life.” “Missed a deadline on a project because I forgot what day of the week it was.”

THE modern ENTREPRENEUR secrets to building a thriving business from home 12 Picture Imperfect

THE modern ENTREPRENEUR secrets to building a thriving business from home 13 Lindsey Natzic-Villatoro Photographer, Love Song Events and Photography

Lindsey Natzic-Villatoro launched a photography business that has become an internet sensation with a borrowed $200 camera

Like most working mothers, editing photos. Referrals from develop a celebrity clientele. Lindsey Natzic-Villatoro happy customers soon brought “I don’t shoot the celebrity wanted to spend more time clients to her home for shoots. specifically,” she said. “I with her children. In 2011, she photograph their families. was in a custody battle with Natzic-Villatoro remembers They let me into their circle her ex-husband while working being so broke, she couldn’t and trust me with their babies. in constituent services for a afford a computer, renting That kind of business is earned San Diego County supervisor a 12-inch laptop for $25 per strictly off of referrals.” Today, and spending her weekends as month. “I didn’t even have many of her clients are celebs a wedding designer. Trying to Photoshop so I used free online including Victoria Secret’s make ends meet to take care editing software. When I first models, Ultimate Fighting of daughters Jaidyn, then 8, started, my clients would have Championship fighters and and Brooklynn, 4, she recalls, to hold their own backdrops other professional athletes.

Lindsey is best known for When I first started, my clients documenting and highlighting the stories of people going would have to hold their own through some of the most backdrops for their shoots.” horrific and bravest times of their lives, such as her friend Christi, who was pregnant “By the time I got home, the for their shoots,” she says, “and when her husband German only thing I could do was to I would take pictures with this was diagnosed with terminal scramble for dinner and put awful camera.” cancer. “It was like her entire them straight to bed.” world fell apart,” she said. As business picked up, she was “They didn’t want to take The answer to her prayers able to upgrade her equipment maternity pictures, family came unexpectedly when she and buy a camera. “I remember pictures or delivery photos. was suddenly laid off. She saying how expensive it was remembers the uncertainty at $1,300,” she laughed. and the fear. “I had an “Three years later, the camera unemployment check but equipment I have now now had to make real money. costs between $15,000 and I couldn’t be in a custody $20,000.” And the improved case and not have a job.” results? “The difference is night Luckily, a friend who disliked and day,” she admits. her wedding photos asked Lindsey to re-edit the shots. While purchasing lighting She felt like she could take equipment, Lindsey met a better pictures, and decided to very talented photographer pursue photography full-time. who worked with celebrities. Lindsey borrowed a $200 SLR Impressed with Lindsey’s camera from her uncle and talents, he took her under started shooting events and his wing and helped her

THE modern ENTREPRENEUR secrets to building a thriving business from home 14 Lindsey Natzic-Villatoro

They basically wanted to woman could enjoy an Even so, Natzic-Villatoro forget about the moment like $86,000 wedding to her fiancé admits there are pros and cons it never happened.” Instead, Jonathan free of charge. The to the work-at-home lifestyle. Natzic-Villatoro convinced couple and her six-year-old son Unlike our other subjects, she the couple that, through Braiden got to enjoy a special aspires to move her work out photography, they could later day, even though everyone of her home one day. “Having show their unborn son how knew she wouldn’t make it to a studio close, like on my much his father fought to be their first anniversary. She died property but not in my home, there for him. “I wanted to flip in July of 2015, but you can would be a dream!” the negative into a positive,” meet her here. she said. Summers are particularly These special projects, called rough, when her children Natzic-Villatoro photographed Forever LOVED sessions, are home full-time. “Clients, the family for a little over a helped grow her photography including newborns and their year. She was with them for business. As people emailed families, as well as people almost everything -- she even and shared the Forever LOVED who are very ill, are always in went with them to the hospital sessions, they went viral. my house, so it needs to be for radiation treatments. She Today, her business has more clean all the time,” she said, talked to the doctors. She than a quarter of a million explaining that maintaining felt like she was advocating Facebook page likes and a spotless veneer 24/7 can for the family through the one of her projects has been be daunting. On the other photographic record she was viewed over 91 million times hand, “I don’t have to get creating. She says, “I try my on YouTube. dressed up and can work any very best to show my clients hours of the day and around

“I try my very best to show my clients ‘real life,’ because you and I both know that everything isn’t always perfect, so why fake it and act as if tragedy doesn’t exist?”

‘real life,’ because you and I Says Lindsey, “At Love Song, my kids’ schedules,” she both know that everything isn’t we don’t just photograph said. “That makes it easier to always perfect, so why fake it clients, we share their stories, meet deadlines. And when and act as if tragedy whether it be photographing the kids are sick, I can still doesn’t exist?” a still birth, featuring an be productive.” Her kids amazing journey, or capturing (pictured below with Lindsey Lindsey also documented someone’s final moments here and husband Otto) come to Ashley Bridges, a 25-year-old on earth.” work with her on many days. California mom who made the “People think that I have a full- ultimate sacrifice, postponing Balancing Work and Life When on staff,” she said. “My staff is her cancer treatment so it Working At Home my daughters, including my wouldn’t hurt her unborn Not only did Lindsey prevail youngest, who runs around baby. “Her story shows you in her custody battle, but also and gets people to smile. the depth of a mother’s love, she fell in love, remarried, Together, we make a pretty the things we are willing to do and had a third daughter, good team.” for our children to give them Nicolette, now two years old. life.” Ashley waited to deliver Today, she is content that her daughter Paisley before she’s finally built a life that undergoing chemotherapy, allows her to make a unique but by then, it was too late. impact on people’s lives while As the cancer spread, Lindsey making herself physically and not only photographed her, emotionally available for but also reached out to her her family. vendors so the courageous

THE modern ENTREPRENEUR secrets to building a thriving business from home 15 The 10 Biggest Benefits of Working At Home

At-home entrepreneurs know how to take advantage of the time- and cost-savings associated with working from home to boost productivity, decrease overhead expenses, and increase the amount of time available to spend with family. Here’s what the MoneyTips survey respondents ranked as what they saw as the biggest benefits of working at home:

Exclusive survey results

Top 10 Things Successful Entrepreneurs Love Best About Working From Home *Multiple responses OK

36% 25% 21% 21%

Flexible work Spend more time No commute Not having a boss schedule with family breathing down your neck

10% 10% 8% 6%

More No dress code An improved Comfortable work opportunities to work/life balance environment save money

Entrepreneurs feel both their 5% 5% professional and personal lives are improved by working from home.

Fewer Higher distractions or productivity interruptions

THE modern ENTREPRENEUR secrets to building a thriving business from home 16 Singing the Virtues of Working from Home

Photo by Gabe Ginsberg (Jeff Timmons of 98 degrees) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

THE modern ENTREPRENEUR secrets to building a thriving business from home 17 Jeff Timmons, 98 Degrees Music Inc., Time Media Group, Jeff Timmons Music, iamMEDIA

Jeff Timmons of 98 Degrees is a home-based pop star, TV producer, and father of five

Jeff Timmons, 42, started from begging people to buy his career in the 1990s as a our record to not being able founding member and vocalist to get out of the tour bus and in the multi-platinum, Grammy- into our hotel,” Timmons said. nominated American pop band The band has sold over 10 98 Degrees. Since then, he’s million records worldwide and launched his solo career as a achieved eight top 40 singles vocalist, music and docu-series in the U.S. producer, and entrepreneur lives. The brief run inspired – all while working from In 2004, after he had finished him to produce and sell home. “I can go to my kids’ touring with 98 Degrees and his nationally acclaimed E! games, I can coach games, started his family, Timmons put Network docu-series, Men of and then go home and work out a small solo venture called the Strip, a show he’s now in the studio from twelve at Whisper That Way. “It wasn’t prepping for an extensive night until five in the morning nearly as successful as the 98 overseas tour. Although while everyone’s asleep,” says Degrees franchise for a couple Timmons (pictured above Timmons. “There really is a of reasons,” he explains. “The with Winnie Sun) will make way to do it all.” main one was that I chose to occasional appearances, he write and produce everything won’t go on the entire tour Career Highlights myself, out of my house, because he would just be too The first white vocal group instead of working with major long away from home. to ever sign with Motown producers in recording studios Records, 98 Degrees peaked all over the country. I also New Technology at number 12 on the Billboard signed with an independent When 98 Degrees first started, 100 with their hit single, label instead of a major, all recordings were on reel- Invisible Man. “Motown had because I made it clear that I to-reel tape. “To edit a take, this brilliant idea at the time. didn’t want to travel and push you’d have to cut the tape, They wanted everyone to think the album with promotional ship the tape, and punch stuff we were a black group, as tours and so on. The album did in. Nowadays it’s all done opposed to a bunch of white yield a top 20 single, though.” electronically,” he said. Now boys from Ohio,” Timmons Jeff can record and produce laughed. “Motown didn’t put In 2011, Jeff revived music for himself or for Men of our pictures on anything and his career by joining the Strip from home and send we didn’t have a video on MTV. the Chippendales male stripper the rough cut to collaborators We had this huge song on the revue as emcee and singer worldwide through DropBox or radio but no one knew what at Rio in Las Vegas where he another file-sharing tool. we looked like. We literally were the invisible man.”

When Motown switched the “I can go to my kids’ games, I can coach group’s marketing strategy games, and then go home and work in and released videos that aired on MTV, the band took off. the studio from twelve at night until five “Within six months, we went in the morning while everyone’s asleep.”

THE modern ENTREPRENEUR secrets to building a thriving business from home 18 jeff timmons

“Of course, there’s the certain Instagram, and he’s built a Timmons’ children (pictured polish that a major studio with community with a combined below with Jeff and wife all the outboard gear and bells social footprint of 240,000 Amanda) help keep him up-to- and whistles offers, but the people and over 40,000 date with social media trends majority of the stuff you can Facebook likes. “You have and help him identify which get done in your house for a to let them know they’re social media sites to use. “I’m fraction of the cost.” Even appreciated in a big way, and using them as a research and meetings! When Timmons and they know when you’re faking development team on what his business partner pitched it just to keep them as fans,” social media I should keep up and sold Men of the Strip to the he said. Jeff keeps it real by with,” he laughed. “They tell me E! Network in 2012, he joined running all his own social media what’s cool and what’s not.” the conversations primarily via accounts. “My fans are not shy WebEx and on Skype. “I didn’t to say something like, ‘Wow, But sometimes, hanging with need to be in L.A. and New why did you wear that red Dad isn’t cool. He admits, “I’m York for all those meetings,” shirt today? You look like a fat home so much, sometimes the he said. tomato,’ and then I’ll be like, kids will joke that I really should ‘Alright, no more tomato shirt. attend more business meetings Besides working better via new It didn’t work.’” in person!” technology, he is also working on new technology: a platform Timmons said he typically that sells ad space on tablet spends 20-30 hours per week screens in retail locations like on social media: “Does it run gas pumps. my life? No. Is it an important tool for connecting with fans? Using Social Media to Connect Absolutely. I mean they make With Fans my career. They made me sell As an entertainer and an enough records, and have entrepreneur, Timmons enough tours, so I can sit home believes it’s important to stay and watch my kids grow up connected with his fan base every day.” via Twitter, Facebook and

Exclusive survey results

Social Media Marketing Successful entrepreneurs and freelancers who work from home understand the power of word-of- mouth marketing. In fact, 38% dedicate over one hour a day to participating on social sites, forums and groups.

38% dedicate over one hour a day How much time per to participating on social sites, day do you spend forums and groups. online for social related activities? (e.g., on social media sites, forums, groups, 9% etc.) 4% 58% 25% 3% 1%

Never <1 Hours 1-2 Hours 2-3 Hours 3-4 Hours 4+ Hours

THE modern ENTREPRENEUR secrets to building a thriving business from home 19 71 years old and nearly One-Million Followers

THE modern ENTREPRENEUR secrets to building a thriving business from home 20 Dr. Joyce Knudsen, Ph.d., The ImageMaker, Inc. Communication Group

DR. Joyce Knudsen sleeps with her iPad to stay connected to her near-million-strong social network

Afflicted with a vision The 71-year-old mother-of-two Knudsen, a member of impediment as a child that launched her first business, the Association of Image prohibits her from driving, The ImageMaker, Inc.®, Consultants International, helps Dr. Joyce Knudsen, Ph.D., Communication Group, from people to understand better defied the limitations put upon her home office in 1985. Her the image they project – be it her and built a business by work helps people finesse appearance, communication helping others do the same. what Knudsen calls their “outer skills, or behavioral style – and The entrepreneur, image personas,” based on the inner coach them to improve upon it. consultant, author and social perceptions they have about She also helps clients address media dynamo began using themselves. After earning a the self-esteem issues that social media in 2009, when Ph.D. in Human Services, Joyce hold them back. “People don’t she was 64. Knudsen runs her has authored ten books on follow their passions simply because they suffer from low self-esteem, and it makes them miserable.” she explained. “People don’t follow their passions “Instead of concentrating simply because they suffer from on what they didn’t do, they choose to focus on what low self-esteem, and it makes them others are doing wrong.” miserable.” “I think of failure, according to other people’s standards, as business from home and sleeps personal development, two a starting point for my path with her iPad to keep up with of which were Amazon best toward even bigger success,” her international clientele and sellers. she said, and she coaches her social network, which is rapidly clients to do the same. closing in on one million While many of her people. contemporaries are retired, the dynamo still works, “way more than 50 hours per week — more like 90!” With the help of three computers and three mobile devices, she counsels clients and collaborates with colleagues day and night, on the phone and via Skype. “I feel that every day it’s my job to make a difference in at least one person’s life,” she explained. “And if I don’t do that by the time I’m falling asleep on my keyboard, I reach out on social media. I love the interaction.”

THE modern ENTREPRENEUR secrets to building a thriving business from home 21 Dr. Joyce Knudsen

Knudsen spends two to three hours a day on social media. Here’s her personal playbook for building a massive word-of-mouth network:

Do NOT use social media to sell. “People do not realize what to do with social sites,” she said. “They think it’s for advertising, or for asking somebody to pray for them, or to put their family business out there. That is not what it’s for. Social media sites are for being social.”

Be your genuine self. “I write on my website that I’m all about sharing and caring, and I really am that person, that mother, that wife, that friend you met in elementary school.”

Find people with similar interests and reach out to them. Knudsen participates in #FF (Follow Friday) on Twitter, and she searches for people who share her interests. Once she identifies them, she looks for the people she identifies as “givers.” “If someone is following three people and 10,000 are following them, you don’t necessarily want to follow that person,” she said. “They’re not going to follow you back.”

Build relationships. Simply, Knudsen responds to everyone who asks her questions via social media. “You wouldn’t believe how many questions I get at all hours of the day and night,” she said. “I’ve had people ask me if I can help them with their life. They may have been feeling down, or they don’t know how to make their attitude change, and they’ll ask me, can you give me some tips on how to handle this particular situation?”

Knudsen helped one client achieve her dream of becoming the President of the American Veterinarian Association. She helped another six-month coma survivor regain confidence after her traumatic accident, and she now owns her own business.

Give and good things will happen. Knudsen’s entire mission is built around helping people. So much so, that her Twitter handle even reads in part, Let me #PayItForward for you. “There are so many experts out there,” she said. “But really, they just want to know what you can do for them. Instead, when you do something for other people, they in turn tend to do all kinds of things back for you, even though that’s not the reason you did it.”

Joyce now has a staggering 925,000 Twitter followers, but isn’t done growing her social network yet. Joyce seems perfect as a subject of her eleventh book, Refusing to Quit: Women over Sixty.”

THE modern ENTREPRENEUR secrets to building a thriving business from home 22 Exclusive survey results

What We Can All Learn From More Successful Entrepreneurs and Freelancers Who Work From Home This spring, MoneyTips surveyed 160 successful freelancers and entrepreneurs to find out the advantages of the work-at-home lifestyle, demystify the most common financial challenges and missteps, and explore how people incorporate time- and cost-savings associated with working from home into their business and personal finance strategies.

The results are striking:

97% Percent LOVE Increased A Positive Outlook Their Money or Like Working from Productivity. for the Future. Management Home. 75% reported being From a personal Practices Suggest They enjoy their more productive finance perspective, They’re Headed in the lifestyle so much that when working from 85% are confident Right Direction. more than half (54%) home than in an they will be able to 97% live within would turn down an office, despite 75% grow their income or below their offer of free office reportedly doing enough to enjoy the means, 65% invest a space just one mile housework, 61% lifestyle they want in percentage of their from home! watching TV, and the future, and 78% income every single 34% caring for their are confident they month or as much as children or elders at will live comfortably they can, and 88% least some of the time in retirement. (This report they are on while working compares to just track with at least from home. 32% of middle class some of their Americans who feel financial goals. confident they can afford a comfortable retirement, according 61% of successful entrepreneurs admit to to a separate watching TV while working from home! MoneyTips survey.)

However, despite keeping a tight rein on their finances,69% of successful freelancers and business owners have financial concerns that keep them up at night.

One thing that’s evident from MoneyTips’ survey responses and talking with successful entrepreneurs is this: there is no such thing as a typical profile. Success can be found within almost any industry, at any phase in a career. Contrary to popular belief, millennials don’t make up the majority of entrepreneurs who work from home. In fact, there are plenty of successful Boomer business owners, and a college education is not required.

THE modern ENTREPRENEUR secrets to building a thriving business from home 23 Exclusive survey results

MoneyTips’ Panel of 160 Successful Entrepreneurs and Business Owners Who Work At Home

Age Gender

1% 34% 33% 14% 10% 8% Male 56%

44%

Female

Younger 21-30 31-40 41-50 51-60 60+ than 20

Top 5 Professions

1 2 3 4 5

Web Designer/ Artist/Writer Blogger/Vlogger/ Consulting Online Design Services Performer Editor Services Reseller

Education

2% 4% 12% 18% 21% 43%

Ph.D.Other MBA or Masters High School Associates Degree Bachelors Degree Diploma or GED

THE modern ENTREPRENEUR secrets to building a thriving business from home 24 Exclusive survey results

Years worked from home

11% 23% 41% 15% 6% 3%

Less than 1 1-2 Years 2-5 Years 6-10 Years 11-20 Years 21 Years+ year

Even how one manages their daily workflow varies from person to person. Some take care of their families while they’re home while others have the benefit of a quiet house. What they all seem to have in common, though, is a strong work ethic and willingness to do whatever it takes to get the job done. Even though it can be easier and cheaper than ever before to launch a business from home, success isn’t a given, and people will likely make mistakes along the way. With few mentors in the work-at-home entrepreneurial space, it’s my hope that you gained a lot of knowledge by hearing the stories of the successful entrepreneurs profiled in this book, as well as the responses from the business owners profiled by MoneyTips.

The survey respondents agree that the work-at-home quality of life is so much better. Whether you’re thinking of taking the leap, or looking for ways to grow your own business, we hope this is a useful guide.

Thank you to our interviewees:

Adryenn Ashley, Founder, Crowded Reality, Inc. | @adryenn

Jeb Blount, CEO, Sales Gravy, Inc. | @SalesGravy

Lindsey Natzic-Villatoro, Photographer, Love Song Events and Photography | @teamlovesong

Jeff Timmons, 98 Degrees Music Inc., Time Media Group, Jeff Timmons Music, iamMEDIA | @JeffTimmons

Dr. Joyce Knudsen, Ph.D., Founder/President, The ImageMaker, Inc. | @drjoyce_knudsen

THE modern ENTREPRENEUR secrets to building a thriving business from home 25 www.moneytips.com