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.

Presently home-based businesses are growing by leaps and bounds. More people than ever want to work at home at home-based business. There are many reasons for this turn from the traditional 9-to-5 work at a company to a work at any home-based business. Rising gas costs are probably the number one reason people would like to work at home. Not having to deal with the office politics and the supervisor or boss is probably the second reason people want to work at home and probably the third reason is people are losing their jobs and an alarming rate and therefore forced to find something else and why not work at a home-based business where you can make money, save gas, and spend more time with your family.

Home-based business can be a number of things it doesn’t always mean to sell something, however, selling something is usually where people began their home-based business careers. From selling makeup, to the very popular “green products” which help to clean your home and are good for the environment to selling software that can help you boost your new home-based business all of these things are good places to begin and will make you money in your new home-based business.

There are also home-based businesses that help people, they help people begin in the home-based business world. These home-based businesses help people start their own home-based business by showing them what they should do, how they should do it and what not to do. Most of the home-based businesses that help people, but are selling a service, have already been through all the ups and downs of owning a home-based business and will show the new people what to beware of them starting their own home-based business.

In the beginning, working at a home-based business can be tough, especially if you don’t know anyone to sell your items to and that is where networking comes in. Networking with other home-based business workers is a great opportunity to form friendships, get help with information you need and form alliances in which you might be able to trade websites which is called affiliate marketing so that you both can make a profit off of each other’s products or services. Having a mentor or coach is also a good idea when you first begin your home-based business and there are a lot of mentors or life coaches that are willing to help when you first start out. Because they have been there and know that it can be difficult when you’re starting out alone.

Just remember, if you pick a home-based business that you offer a product or service that people want you will do fine. Do a little research before beginning your home-based business, search the top selling items through a Google or Yahoo search and see what the top-selling items or services are at this time. Most of them have to do with weight loss or helping people make money through the sale of software that you can purchase the rights to and then sell on your own website.

If you are seriously looking at starting a home based business, it can be somewhat overwhelming trying to sort through the maze of information on the internet. The following 7 keys will enable you to make an informed decision in selecting the right home based business for you:1. Management
2. Company Stability
3. Leadership
4. Marketing and Training System
5. Products and Services
6. Compensation Plan
7. Your Passion for the Business1) ManagementBefore you join a home based business, you should determine the strength of the management team. You need to assess how experienced are the founders of the company by considering the following:* Does the professional and life experience of the founders provide a strong foundation for the future success and growth of the company?
* What is the founders’ vision for the future of the company?
* Are they supported by a dynamic executive team?
* Does the management team have experience in internet marketing and extensive and relevant experience in the products and services being offered?2) Company StabilityThe company history is a great indicator of its financial viability and stability. You should determine how long the company has been in existence, and how rapidly it is growing. You should also consider such factors as whether the company is international; and whether it is sustainable and debt-free.3) LeadershipDynamic and supportive leadership is critical in selecting the right home based business. You need to determine whether the founders, top leaders and your sponsor are genuinely committed to your personal and financial success.Dynamic leadership will foster a strong and cohesive team spirit and camaraderie within the community; this will facilitate the growth of your individual team members and ultimately the strength of your team. Overall, the commitment of seasoned leaders should extend beyond their respective teams to the whole community.4) Marketing and Training SystemThe leadership and management team should be supported by a powerful marketing system in addition to strong interactive training programs. While you don’t need some-one to continuously hold your hand, you need systems in place that will dramatically reduce your learning curve. The systems should be simple and duplicable so that your individual team members can be very successful regardless of their experience and skill set.5. Products and ServicesProducts and services is an important key to joining the right home based business. The demand for and marketability of products and services is critical to the success of all companies. The strength of the product and services will determine their marketability. You need to consider the following:* Can their products and services stand alone?
* How powerful is their product line? If required, are there complimentary services available?
* Would they attract a significant share of the market even if they were offered by a traditional company instead of an internet based company?
* How innovative are the products and services? Are they unique or revolutionary? Are they timeless? How much competition do they have?
* Do you strongly feel that they are ‘must have’ products and services?
* How widespread is their market? Is the market restricted to the country of origin? Are they of universal appeal? Are there numerous and diversified target markets to support them.6. Compensation PlanThe quality of the compensation plan is one of the factors you should consider in joining the right home based business. A strong compensation plan should provide a great incentive for you to excel. You need to consider the following factors:* Are there several streams of income?
* Do you make money from your first sale? If not, how soon can you make commission?
* Is there opportunity to make residual income?
* Is there opportunity to earn commissions from complimentary services or products?7. Passion for the BusinessMost of your decisions are probably based on facts while some are intuitive. As you assess whether you should join a home based business, you might be intuitively drawn to a company. You might resonate with your sponsor or other leaders in the business; you might be inspired by the strong team spirit; or you might be a passionate user of the products and services. Whatever the reason, the passion you feel may be the catalyst to your success in the business.As you can see, these 7 keys provide your personal checklist which is critical for you to make an informed decision to join the right home based business. As you turn these keys, you will open your door to financial freedom and the opportunity to enjoy a lifestyle beyond your wildest dreams.