One of the keys to succeeding in information product creation is to break the process up into discrete steps. This frequently isn’t an instinctive reaction for the typical information marketer. Especially on the internet where small sized learning products are the norm.

However, it is extremely important to your ultimate success. In fact, I would go so far as to say that if you don’t do this you probably won’t succeed… even when you are starting out let alone as you move forward.

Your product creation system should do this for you if only to help you to understand the overall task.

But why?

In this article, I’m going to ignore chunking and focus on the practical aspects. That’s not to say that chunking isn’t important. It is. It’s important to understanding and to learning the process. But while you can use the same chunks as you move forward, long term your focus needs to be on the operation of the system not the understanding of it. Unless of course you are constantly training new people!

So why is chunking important to long term use of the product creation process? (Yes, I know systems design uses a different term for this process but I’m not teaching you systems design. So I’m going to use the word learning content designers use.)

The first reason that having individual discrete tasks is important is one of schedule estimation. Frequently it is very difficult to estimate how long the total task of creating a product will take. After all, the size and type of the products matters as does the number of products in your product funnel. And those are just the most obvious elements. However, estimating a discrete task is often much easier. The total can then be estimated as the total of the discrete tasks.

Secondly, scheduling a large task can be problematic. However, by segmenting the task into a number of discrete tasks, you gain a much greater flexibility in scheduling. Not only that but as your business begins to add people you are able to schedule multiple people to the product creation.

Finally, segmenting a large task into smaller discrete tasks allows you to have much better control over the product creation. This affects two different areas — status and quality.

By segmenting your process into discrete tasks you are able to schedule and record the progress at much more detailed level. As a result you are more in control of the status of the product creation. You know what everyone is doing. When they should complete it. And how much it should cost. You also know exactly what has been done.

You also improve your overall quality. Instead of waiting until everything is done you can check quality as you go. This allows you to immediate react to low quality products without absorbing their costs. This means that you have less rework and your rework costs less. And if the product is not going to meet its quality requirement you will know about it in time to stop the development, change the requirement or fix the product.

Stay at home jobs and home based businesses have never had as much appeal as they have today. Chucking the nine-to-five grind to stay at home is a dream that appeals to most of us. Really, you think, what’s not to like about not having to dress up, fight traffic, and endure bosses who lean over your shoulder every minute of the day?It’s easy to think a stay at home job or a home based business would be a dream come true, and for many people it is. Realistically, though, a stay at home job is just like any other job–you have to actually to work. And statistics show that people who have stay at home jobs and home based businesses generally work more hours per day than their counterparts who work in conventional businesses.One problem that many people who work at stay at home jobs or who have home based businesses run into is what’s often referred to as “feast or famine syndrome.” They find their workflow is either too low or too high; in other words, they either have a lot to do or nothing. This makes it hard for people to budget their time and their money, and is especially hard for people just beginning stay at home jobs or home based businesses. It takes time to develop a steady base of clients for stay at home businesses, and even then there will be many times where everyone wants your product and/or service at the same time. This can be very stressful when there’s only one person, you, to do everything. So if you’re planning on starting a stay at home job or home based business, it’s good to have a plan in place to help you deal with what can often be a roller coaster workload.The feast or famine syndrome of a stay at home job or business leads to another difficulty. When you’re feasting, you’re making money–when you not feasting, you aren’t. It’s hard. One week you’re raking in the money, and the next week you’re barely squeaking by. This is where a stay at home job or home based business can, again, be more stressful than a conventional job where you’re paid on schedule and know exactly how much you’ll be bringing in every month. To deal with this, first of all, you need to have some money in the bank before leaving your regular job for a stay at home job or to start a home based business–or to focus on that stay at home job or home based business that you’ve been working at part-time. Experts recommend that you have enough money saved to cover six months of expenses before leaving your job for any reason. This is especially important for people who want to stay at home and work or to start a home based business because it can greatly reduce the stress that comes with feast or famine syndrome and give you some much needed breathing room.Too, people who have a stay at home job or home based business often run into payment problems. You’ve done your work or provided your service and product, but you don’t get paid. Collection can be a nightmare when this happens. And what many people don’t know when they become stay at home workers or owners of home based businesses is that people who hire you may classify you as an independent contractor and pay you as far out as 90 days. To make sure you don’t run into payment issues, always get everything in writing. It’s hard to wait 90 days to get paid, but it’s even harder not to get paid at all and perhaps have to turn to a collection agency in order to get your money. Because many stay at home jobs and home based businesses are Internet-based, you need to take special precautions to know you’re dealing with reputable businesses with a good track record of payment. So do your homework and get all payment terms in writing before providing any stay at home work or home based business product or service. The headaches and stress this will save you is immeasurable–and ensures you’re more likely to believe that your stay at home job or home based business really is your dream come true.Charles Fuchs

http://www.charlesfuchs.com/

http://charlesfuchs.blogspot.com/I grant permission to publish this article, electronically or in print, as long as the bylines are included, with a live link, and the article is not changed in any way.

The masses of marketers in a top home based business are completely doing it wrong. Everybody on the internet is yelling how successful they are with their online home based business. Is is easy to know who is true and who is a lie? Can you really trust the income claims and money videos? A small percentage are truthful.A question that newbies to online marketing ask is how to be unique in this business. It really to a long time for this me to comprehend this. June 2008 I was were you are now. As a newbie I was overly anxious, lost, and distressed.All that changed for me when I came across a special select group of entrepreneurs that taught me the right way to market a top home based business. Since then I’ve developed this checklist to keep me on the right track. If you want to know the best way to market a top home based business then do what I learned because it absolutely works.1. Stay committed to building your business UNTIL…
There are too many distractions on the net. Every email, every web page you go to is offering THE NEXT BEST THING. You can never be successful chasing two rabbits so stay committed with where you are UNTIL (In other words don’t give up, don’t even have a time frame that you will give yourself.) Commit yourself to win despite the trials.2. Market Dreams To People
Contrary to popular belief money is not what gets most people in this industry. Living life on their terms is what’s really driving people. They want to: stay in bed with their spouse during the weekdays, be at all their kids games, fly across the country to see their parents because they can, be at home at night with the family instead of at work, and to be able to tell their kids/spouse yes you can get that money is not an issue. Those instances and more are pushing people to get out of a job and live a life by design. Make sure you use emotional lifestyle changing statements when marketing.3. Teach Internet Marketing Skills To People
I can’t tell you how many internet home based businesses completely get this wrong. I and other top marketers understand that if you can empower someone with skill set of marketing online, then they can write their own check. PERIOD. Be smart and learn from the ones that are getting results. In this constantly changing environment not all companies are on top of what’s new. Heck most don’t even have access to all the top internet marketing trainers.4. Be The 3% Leader Others Deserve
I can’t stress enough this formula Be Do Have. First BE the 3% leader others deserve, then DO what 3% leaders do, then you will HAVE what 3% leaders have. Great top home based business owners understand that if they master being a leader then the rest will follow. Give people what they deserve which is your best.