The book of Proverbs tell us that a liar will not go unpunished but will perish. In business, as in all other areas of our lives, this is extremely important to remember. If I am dishonest with my spouse or friend, chances are they will be angry or disappointed with me, but at some point they will forgive me and, as long as I don’t lie to them over and over again, they will probably forget about it as well. I have been lied to many times over the years, but, for the most part, I don’t remember who told what lie or when or even what the lies were. But I remember the lies told to me by those I had business dealings with. Not only did I not do business with those people anymore, I told all my friends about how exactly they lied or deceived me and encouraged them not to do business with those people. In business, honesty is of utmost importance. Even when being honest may mean disappointing or angering someone, it is better to be honest and lose a customer, perhaps only momentarily, than to lie and lose twenty forever. Honesty should permeate every aspect of your business. With your partners, associates, customers, vendors and employees; your honesty will earn their trust and respect. You will get repeat business as well as referrals.People are very often quick to give you their opinion of you, your product or your service. Being open minded enough to consider the advice or criticism of others will help you improve your skills like nothing else. These are the people you doing business with, when they offer advise or criticism, they are telling you directly what they like or what they want. I use to be a painter. I had some customers who would point out every light spot, every drip, every imperfection of my work they could find. In the beginning I would complain about how picky they were being and groan that I had to fix every little imperfection they found just to get paid. As time went on, my clientele grew and became more impressive and I made more and more money because I was a very good painter. It occurred to me, after a couple of years, that those picky customers had made me the painter that I had become. From then on, I encouraged all my customers to look closely and carefully at all my work so that I could be sure they were happy when they paid me. My attitude totally changed when I became open minded to their constructive critique of my work.Open mindedness is very crucial in another area for a home based business. Change. Things are changing all the time-products, techniques, needs, wants, and desires of customers, marketing practices-you name it. I can’t tell you how many times I have seen people lose business because they were not open minded enough to learn or to try something new. Working from home means that you have to stay aware of and open to all the changes and new concepts, products, tools etc. that affect your business.I find that the key to the success of any home based business is willingness. Without it your business will join the ranks of the thousands of failed businesses whose owners were not willing to get up everyday and take the necessary steps to become successful. Having a home based business does not mean that you get to stay home and somehow, someway, someone will give you money. Quite the opposite is true. The home based business owner is solely responsible for his success, and his success is solely dependent on his willingness to work at his business to the best of his ability every day. The home, based business owner must be willing to give as much time and attention as possible to that business. Whether it’s 2 hours a week, 2 hours a day or a full 40 or more hours per week, sticking to your schedule and following through on your plans to meet your goals is extremely important for your success. Allowing yourself to get side tracked too many times can lead to frustration and giving up.Being willing to listen, to learn new things, to try something that makes you feel uncomfortable at first, will help you grow personally and professionally. Be willing to admit when you are wrong and make it right if you can. Be willing to stay focused and not let the teasing or negativity of others keep you from trying. I have to stay clear of some people sometimes when I am not feeling strong enough to handle the negativity. Be willing to get back up when you fall. Be willing to do the things you don’t want to do, those are probably the very things that will make your business the kind of success you want it to be.I want to end this with a verse from 1 Thessalonians16 that helps me every day. I have it on the wall right next to where I work. It helps tremendously when things aren’t going the way I would like them to.Be joyful always,Pray continuously,Give thanks in all circumstances,For this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.