Are there any requirements for membership?

Yes, there are a few that are important to us.

Members must have a home based business that has a current web site (web site links are expected to be kept active during the year, if they are not kept active, their membership can be terminated (see Terms of Use)). You will receive traffic from this site to your home based business so we want to make sure you really are in business and ready to accept customers.

Members must be currently and actively running their home based business (it’s not something they signed up for or quickly threw together last week, or last night, and have yet to figure out the in’s and out’s of). We are looking for professional home based business entrepreneurs who are ready to take their business to the next level and who put their customers first.

Members strive – each month - to do business with at least 1 other member business and to refer at least 3 other members business to someone else. Many of you will far exceed this but it gives a start to those who are not yet used to doing business in this type of community environment. Keep in mind that the more business and referring you do with fellow home based business entrepreneurs, the more people will be checking out your business, referring your business and doing business with you. We don’t want people to feel obligated that they must do business with someone who has done business with them, but if someone does business with you or is a referral maven* for your business, then please seriously check out their websites and/or at least let them give you the details on their business and you can decide whether you are the right customer base for them, and if not, then refer them to others you know who might be. The better informed you are the better referral maven* you can be for them.

Members pay $ 98 annually. This is the most cost effective option, but if you prefer, we also offer a 6 month option of $75 each 6 months as well as a monthly option of $20/mo.

*Note about Referral Mavens:

For more information about referral mavens and how they can help you in your business, you'll want to read the book The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make A Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell.  Here's an article I found written by a Stanford alumni that sums up why Mavens and Connectors are so important in our society (and in our businesses!).  Mavens are trusted by those who know them. Connectors can then transfer the advice of a maven across social boundaries that a maven might not be able to breach. - Stanford Alum Brad Hunter. Tipping Points in Social Networks.

Note about Vacations and Business Pauses:

If you need to back burner your business for any reason, update your profile page and let us know so that our members do not keep sending  you business referrals. If you request, we can pause or remove your profile as well, which we would prefer to do if you are not actively seeking clients.  Needing to back burner a home business does happen from time to time and this can be especially a problem with free web sites that promote businesses, these tend to collect a lot of defunct businesses after awhile, that's why we strive to be different with ours and keep it thriving with actively engaging home based business entrepreneurs.

Are you limited to women or parents only?

No, we are for everyone! We know there are sites out there that cater to women only and to parents only and they are great sites, but we want to include everyone ~ as long as you have a legitimate (no scams) business with a web page and you work your business from home, you are welcome to become a member. If you are just starting and not yet ready to do business, then please wait to create your membership until you are  ready because you'll generate traffic and prospective customers right away and we want you to be ready and open for business when you do.

How can I increase the visibility of my business on this site?

We have 6 top ways listed below.

(1) Be a referral maven for as many member business as you can. Each time you refer someone's business, send them an email and let them know. They will then be curious about your business and want to return the favor by either doing business with you, or referring you to others they think you are a good fit for as well.

When site visitors check out your business profile,  your HITS counter for the month will increase (remember, we clear out this counter at the start of a new month, so everyone starts with a clean slate and has the same chance of attracting new eyes on their business profile for the month). We have a member list (Popular Profiles) that shows the member businesses with the highest HITS counter for the month. People are naturally curious about who's popular and that will attract even more eyes on your profile. This will increase your business tremendously with no extra effort on your part, because new people can read all about you, your business and your passion!

(2) Do business with as many member business as you can. When you do business with others, leave them a comment in their Profile Book section about your experience. Your "tribe" will be interested to know whom you personally have done business with and they'll be attracted to those same businesses.

Many of you constantly get asked who you recommend for this service or that service. ReferMyHomeBiz.com is now the perfect place for you to be able to let others know which home based entrepreneurs you do business with. Set up a Connection with businesses you've done business with, this information is publically available on our system so this will provide an easy list for your tribe to check out. For more information on Connections see (Member FAQ).

(3) Share ReferMyHomeBiz.com with other home based business entrepreneurs you know about in your local community or that you've met on-line (Refer-A-Friend). Have them check out your profile so they can see what we are all about, and with that exposure your HITS counter will be increased. When they become members, make sure you leave a comment welcoming them on their Profile Book.

(4) Leave comments about why you have enjoyed doing business with other members in their Profile Book comment section. As site visitors and other members review these comments, they'll see yours and perhaps want to know more about your business, so they'll click on your profile for more information. Be sure you are logged in as a member when you leave these comments so your profile will be automatically included with your comments instead of them being 'guest' comments.

(5) By offering exceptional products and services and taking care of your customers, you'll generate a great buzz and word-of-mouth referrals.  Members and guests will be able to leave you comments in your Profile Book about their experience with you. When people are checking you out to see whether or not they want to do business with you, having been referred by a number of other members can really help. This is the goldmine you are looking for as it gives you instant credibility!

(6) If you’d like to share with us an article that is posted to your blog about how ReferMyHomeBiz.com has helped you with your business, you’ll get additional coverage on our Highlighted Profiles Page (coming soon) with a link to your blog article. This will be free exposure so blog away and we’ll be happy to link to it. This option may not be part of our beta release, but we'll be working towards having it available to members as quickly as possible.

And don’t forget, as someone searches for a business in their local area, they'll naturally be curious to find out more about the amazing entrepreneurs in their neck of the woods, which will give you good local exposure as well with no extra effort on your part.

How can Refer My Home Biz help my business?

Our site is an advertising and social networking site that allows home based business entrepreneurs an opportunity to promote their businesses on-line, do business with other home based business entrepreneurs and benefit from the referrals provided by those who review their profiles.

If you make the effort to do business with them, they will make the effort to do business with you and at the very least, refer others to you. We encourage all members to do business with at least 1 other member during the month and refer at least 3 other members during the month.

We also have lots of great articles in our article library, videos in our video library and blog articles that can help you in almost every aspect of your business. If you need to know something, or need a little bit of encouragement then you can find it in our blog! We are constantly scouring the web for great articles, top businesses and information to bring to you that will help your business. If you need to talk to people who have “been there, done that” then ask those questions to the members in our forum.

Let’s not forget, if you are looking for partners for your business, then every day there are people looking for a partner to join, a dynamic team to join or just to pick the brain of someone who is doing what they want to do. You’ll make connections, friendships and increase your support network as you build your business.

I don't have a website or even a company name. Can I still be listed?

We are excited that you are working on your home based business idea, but to be listed here you do need a business name and a web site. Once you are farther along in your business plan, then please do come back and become a member, we'll be excited to have you and share your new business with our members.

Meanwhile, as you are building your business reach out to our members for anything you might need in your life in general or for your new business. Website design, Banners/Buttons, Graphics, Business Cards, Photography, Website copy review, catering for a party, whatever! The more contacts you make the better. Then when you launch your business, include all of them on your launch list  and leave a comment on their Profile Book indicating that you did business with them and that they helped you launch your business. Create a Connection with them on our system and let people know you did business with them.  They’ll be thrilled you are now a fellow member and they’ll then be able to refer you to others. For more information on Connections see (Member FAQ).

I have a brick and mortar business, not a home based business - can I be a member?

We do not currently have an option for you, but we have something in the works that will be part of Phase II of our web site.  Our focus will never change from catering exclusively to home based business entrepreneurs, however we anticipate having a place to link to on-line directories that cater to brick and mortar business in your local area. Since we encourage people to do as much business locally as they can, this dove-tales into our overall business plan. Building a strong and vibrant local community helps everyone!

I have two (or more) businesses, can I list them both?

Yes you may, but you'll need to create two (or more) membership profiles and they'll each cost $98/yr.

Each businesses will need to have unique email addresses. If this means you need to change the email address of your current member profile you can do that. Simply log into your account and modify your email address.

I tried to send an email to a Member but it said that I needed to log in....I'm only a guest ? How can I send them email ?

The Send Mail option you see on a Members profile is for Member to Member emails, but we do have a public option available as well. When you are on a Profile Page, there are some tabs at the bottom and one of them says Public Mail. This is where you can send them an email message directly.

My budget is really tight; can I get a less expensive membership?

Certainly. If you review our Payment Plan page you'll see we offer a 6 month membership option as well as a monthly option.

We know how it is when you are starting (and funding for yourself) a new home based business and you are watching every dollar and need to maximize its value. We've all been there. To some people our membership fee of $98 /yr seems small and to others is a huge expense. So feel free to choose either the 6 month option or the monthly option until your cash flow improves a bit.

Also, we do offer some special promotions from time to time so please go to the contact page and contact us asking about any current promotional offers. We'll pass on the promotional code to you to help you get your business listed because we truly want to help you succeed and we know that having your home based business membership profile appear on this site can be a huge part in your future success and we want to be a part of that. We do ask that you follow the honor system and only ask for those special promo codes if you truly cannot afford the membership fee.

In return, we do expect that you’ll be a very active member on our site and participate as much as you possibly can with referrals to fellow members and to always look to your fellow members first when you are in need of an item or a service.

Our Founding Premise

We encourage our members to do business with at least one other member each month and refer at least 3 others. Many of you will far exceed this but it gives a start to those who are not yet used to doing business in this type of community environment.

We also encourage our members to continue to attend their local networking opportunities because meeting other home based entrepreneurs face-to-face is a necessary part of getting out of the house and mingling and doing business with others in our "community". Share with them our website because late at night when you are on the computer and looking for something you want to purchase, it sure is nice to have your networking meeting contacts on-line (all in one location) so you can easily find them and shop as needed! I cannot tell you how many times I've wanted to refer a fellow home based business entrepreneur and could not find their business card. This way, we can keep that information in one handy place and make doing business with them and referring them to others simple and easy.

We are a community and the more we shop together and support each other with referrals the better we’ll all do financially in our businesses.

What are the costs for membership?

Our membership fee is $98 per year. For more information see Why does it cost for a membership? Why isn’t your site free?

What can I do to increase traffic to my membership profile?

First and foremost, have a really attractive image/logo attached to your profile. That is what will draw in others from the start. Avoid using personal photos if they are not representative of your business. Logos are a great idea as they'll often be cleaver, will include the name of your business and/or they'll be colorful and interesting. You can also use advertising buttons (125 x 125 is a common size that works well). Grabbing someone's interest as they quickly peruse the member listing is crucial.

Secondly, you’ll want to be passionate in your profile by telling everyone why you chose your home based business, and/or what your life was like before and how it's different now, etc. Tell a great story and the reader will want to know more about you. I know I've been so drawn in by people's profiles, and I knew I was not their target audience, but because they were so passionate and told me why, I clicked on their web page and then referred them to whomever I could to help them out. People naturally want to help those who show passion and commitment.

Third, do business with other members and refer them and they will naturally want to read your profile and visit your web site and they will return the favor (many times in spades). You can do $10 in business with someone that will generate for you $100 in return referrals, so do on to others as you would have them to on to you and you'll reap the rewards.

Fourth, because we do not accept larger advertising fees (meaning you won't see any banner ads or google ads on our site), promote our web site to as many networking friends, family and business people that you know. Our membership fees are the only way we generate an income for our site maintenance and its promotion. Because each membership fee is so low, we depend upon the volume of our memberships to help us maintain an awesome site.

And last but not least, use our membership listings to purchase whatever you need to help your business, your home, your health, and/or your lifestyle. Set a good example, others will see how often you do business with and refer members and they will naturally do the same and we really will be the catalyst to helping each other have a very successful and profitable home based business.

What happens once my membership year is up?

There is no obligation to continue with us once your six months or year membership term is up; however, we hope that you will be satisfied with the business you have received by becoming a member with ReferMyHomeBiz.com and you will allow your membership to automatically renew.

If you do want to continue, we'll send you (via email) a renewal notice which will allow you to renew at the same price you paid originally (year after year). That means that if we ever have a price increase, your membership will remain the same as it was originally. This is our way of thanking our loyal members and early adopters.

If you do not complete the renewal process, we'll remove your profile from our site. We want to make sure that if someone started a business and then let it go by the wayside that their membership terminates after a year so people do not continue to try to reach out to them to do business with them if they are no longer actively pursuing the business. This does happen from time to time and with free web sites that promote businesses, these tend to collect a lot of defunct businesses after awhile, that's why we strive to be different with ours and keep it thriving with actively engaging home based business entrepreneurs.

What if I think one of the businesses here is a scam?

If you think one of the members on our website is not a legitimate business then please send us an email right away (Contact Us) and let us know. Or if you are a member you can log into your account, go to that profile and you'll see a Moderation button at the top, click  Report User and we'll be notified. We will review the site and make a determination. If we think that the web site is not legitimate, then we'll remove the member and they'll forfeit the membership fee. We only want legitimate home based business professionals on our site and that is clearly stated in our terms and conditions.

Also, members can leave comments for other members on their profile pages. We expect that most of these will be positive, but if there is someone you are not having a good business experience with then let them (as well as others) know about it. If they get enough of these comments, they can choose to cancel their membership or improve their business.

What if I'm looking for a home based business, can you help?

Yes, we certainly can help you with that!

While you review our members and their profiles you'll see many business options that you might want to do yourself. You can get ideas, inspiration and/or practical information by reaching out to our members and asking questions. If you have a dream or a vision inside of you and you see others accomplishing their dreams then this may be all the inspiration you need to step out and share your dream, gifts and ideas with the world. We are all waiting for what you have to offer!

There are other members you'll see that are looking for business partners. They are working with businesses which are already set up, have everything in place to help you be successful and are looking for go-getter business partners to teach, train and work closely with. They'll give you all the tools, information and training to get you started in business for yourself. Obviously there will be a cost involved in starting any business, but these can be very low cost options for you that are worthwhile to pursue and very lucrative. It's free to find out more about them, so listen to their presentations, ask a lot of questions, try the products out for yourself (most places offer free money back guarantees) and it boils down to the fact that if you enjoy the product or service, then others will too and there you have it, your own home based business!

If you find a home based business that you want to do, you'll need to put forth the effort, but if you do, then you'll look back upon this decision as one of the turning points in your life that has set you on an amazing path and very lucrative journey to the life to your dreams! The only ones you need to avoid are the proverbial too good to be true ones (hopefully not on our site, but you might see them lots of other places) where someone promises you lots of money for no effort on your part, and if you cannot actually see, touch and feel the products involved or easily understand the service offered, then it's vaporware (scam) and you need to avoid that business.

Also visit our blog, article library and video library for lots of great information and ideas. 

What if my business is outside of the United States?

We'd love to be international! Our payments are set up through Paypal and all monies will be converted to US dollars.

What type of members do you have for me to do business with?

Almost anything you are in the market for these days can be purchased from a home based business entrepreneur. That can range from clothing, jewelry, make-up, baby items, food (ie: chef services, catering, yummy treats, etc), candles, home organizing, virtual assistants, web designers, graphic designers, business coaches, freelance writers, electricity, gifts, pet sitters, photographers, wedding planners, kitchen products,  wellness coaches, blog writers, holistic practitioners, personal trainers, party planners, artists, social media coaches, copywriters, environmentally safe home bath and beauty products - everything you can think of and more!

You'll find that if you browse through our site you'll see so many clever ideas that you'll be amazed at the sheer creativity, products, business acumen and drive for excellence from these home based professionals. Things have changed in the home based business environment and people are excited to spend their dollars doing business with a like-minded professional instead of a nameless, faceless corporation. This allows us all to create the life of our dreams instead of living paycheck to paycheck at our jobs working for someone else’s dream. It’s our turn now to dream the dream and make our financial dream futures come true! And we can do it without a lot of money by relying on each other to help build our businesses and to spread the word. Together we are stronger than we’ll ever be apart!

What’s in it for me if I’m an early adopter?

Members who sign up for the reduced startup price (during our pre-launch and beta launch) will be guaranteed that same rate year after year through our automatic renewal system. So it’s important to be one of our early adopters and then you’ll have purchased a lifetime membership at a reduced price.

What’s in it for me if I sign up as a member?

Members can advertise their business and generate a revenue stream by signing up as members and uploading their mini-profile and link to their web site. The exposure of being listed should start generating site visitors to your web page which could turn into business and/or referrals to others. We all know how important word-of-mouth referrals are, so this is a great way to get great exposure and generate buzz.

This is a website that is dedicated to helping those who help others. So if you are doing business with a lot of fellow members and referring them to others, they’ll do the same for you. A word of mouth referral is so much better than anything else that this kind of targeted referring is priceless, and certainly worth a whole lot more than $98.

For more information on our Member Benefits  (see Member Benefits)

Will I get newsletter exposure also to people who do not visit the site often, but have signed up for the monthly emails?

Yes, the overall most Popular profiles for the month will be featured.

As our newsletters go out, site visitors and members will be interested to see who the most Popular Profiles are for the month. On the website, they can check to see who is most Popular locally as well.  So even if you are not the most Popular nationally you very well could be locally and that’ll certainly help the buzz about your business.

You can then highlight that in your blog articles and point more people to your membership profile page and perhaps the following month you’ll make it into the top spot nationally!

Why does it cost for a membership? Why isn’t your site free?

The main reason we are not free is that we do not accept any outside advertising on our website. With any website, there must be a revenue stream to be able to pay for the site, grow it and keep it running. With ReferMyHomeBiz.com we’ve decided to not accept outside advertising and instead keep the website totally focused on helping you grow your home based business. We want the focus to be on your home based business, not on paid outside advertising.

We’ve kept the membership fee very low and provide a yearly option because we don’t want you worried about any monthly expenses; you’ve got enough to worry about with your business. But this isn’t a site that you sign up with once and not come back to, you’re participation is required to keep the costs low! We are partnering with you to do business with and give referrals to fellow members. That helps everyone grow their business.

We know how expensive advertising can be on many websites. And having your advertising scattered does not always generate the business you were hoping for. We know that many of you do not have that kind of budget, but you are passionate about your business and your customers so with ReferMyHomeBiz.com you’ll receive permanent advertising/networking (for 1 year) for your home based business for a very low cost of $98.

So let’s partner up ~ let’s both work together to advertise ReferMyHomeBiz.com. As you spread the word about our website, we’ll be able to attract even more members and we’ll be able to have a larger budget to advertise our site (we’ll pay for the higher rates so you don’t have to). You simply concentrate on doing as much business with and giving as many referrals as you can to fellow members and that will help us all out.

Plus, once you have signed up as member, you’ll never pay more. Next year when it’s time to renew your membership, you’ll renew at the original price you paid (we are not planning on having a price increase, but as our website grows we may need to, but this helps our early adopters have a low cost advertising/networking solution that really works for them).