Making More Dollars $$$

2010-08-17T01:27:00.000-07:00

Small business ideas...

For most potential entrepreneurs, the hardest part in deciding to start a business is simply coming up with small business ideas.

Maybe a friend has succeeded in her own business. Perhaps small business ownership runs in your family. Or is it the fact that you’re just bored with the daily grind?

Why haven’t you pulled the trigger? What’s holding you back?

Based on our research, the three primary reasons that people who want to start a business but haven’t are:

Fear of Failure – The fear of not succeeding simply paralyzes the potential entrepreneur. A lack of confidence “freezes” any chance of getting started.

Lack of Capital – Not having enough money to fund a startup or sustain one’s family during the beginning phases of the business are concerns that keep many of us locked behind our desk in a nine-to-five grind.

Limited Ideas – Believe it or not, many potential business owners never get started because they have trouble coming up with small business ideas. They lack that special creative spark that ignites the business flame.

While all three of the above startup concerns are valid (and need to all be addressed), the purpose of this website is to help you with the last point – coming up with profitable small business ideas.

You see, once you find the right business idea, the rest of your fears – the obstacles standing in your way – become much easier to conquer.

Work at Home Business - How to Start Successful

2009-04-10T11:46:00.000-07:00

So many people have jumped on the bandwagon and joined a home based business. Although many have made a wise decision, sometimes people can get overlooked when there's a crowd of people everywhere you turn. Some people need special attention especially when learning new things. In this article we want to talk about two things you must do after you start your work at home business

Stay Consistent

Not all home based businesses have a mentors program available to help you when you are in need. So at this point, you may be tempted to give in. This is the time to stay consistent doing the things you already know how to do. In other words, if you only know how to write an article, continue writing articles until you learn something new.

The beautiful thing about networking is the amount of people you get to meet. As you stay consistent writing articles, if that's the only thing you do, you will soon meet somebody who knows somebody and on and on. If you are in need of a mentor, somebody will point you in the direction of a mentor. You can find anything you want in the network marketing arena when you stay engaged.

Soon you will realize the amount of people visiting your website or emailing you. You may realize that article marketing is what you were looking for and didn't realize it. But because you stayed consistent with the only thing you knew how to do, a whole new world opened up right before your eyes.

Remain Focused

This is probably the worst time killers there is. When you start a work at home business there will be many distractions that can easily keep you from prospering. This is why you need to stay focused each day. Your telephone will continue to ring through out the day, you will be tempted to open emails each time they come in, and etc. Unless you are anticipating an emergency or something of that nature, maybe it would be best to silence the telephone as well as your emails and remain focused on everything you do.

So many people claim that they spend two to eight hours working their home based business, but when you subtract wasted hours, many will be surprised that only a good hour or two benefit their business. This is why we need to remain focused and watch out for the time killers. Unfortunately, sometime listening to family members are time killers. If you have a family member or friend who always speak negatively toward your home business, watch out! Because as soon as you run into a road block those voices will start to ring inside your ears. Remain focused each step of the way and you will see that those same people will be the first to say to you, "I always knew that you could do it!"

There will be a few obstacles to climb when you start your work at home business, but staying consistent and focused will give you the strength to overcome each one of them. Whatever time you dedicate toward your home based business, make it count and you will soon see the fruit of your labor.

How To Make 10,000 Or More In A Month

2009-03-16T15:29:00.000-07:00

Sitting in a 9-5 job now-a-days is suicide. With the talent and skills you have gained over the years on the job, it's time to use that to your advantage. Think about it, your skills have helped your employer in more ways than one. If your employer was not benefiting from your talent, they would not have kept you there all this time. You can use or hone that talent to make much more that what they are currently earning. If you believe that is all you can get and that is all you are good for, well, I guess you are right.

However, if you believe you can become rich with the talent you have, now we can move forward.

You have spent 5 years on a job, for example, as a recruiter. You are earning a mere 70-80K per year. Not bad some would say. 70K can go pretty far. Maybe you are right. But, If you can be your own boss with the same type of client how much more you do suspect you could make. How much do you actually think the company you are Working for is taking in while just paying you 70K. Perhaps all you need is one faithful client and your Salary(for your own recruiting company) would be triple that of what you made for your employer.
Now that you are your own boss, you have one faithful client, you are in business. That is all you need to start to be on your way of making millions. Remember in Jerry Mcguire, Tom Cruise said he will use his one client and go straight to the top. One client is all you need to start the engine. Rather than sitting in a company for 5 - 10 years only to be given a pink slip and thank you for your services, why not start your own business today. You are an expert in your field based on your years of experience and you need to use that to triple your income, running your own business.

Why Working From Home is a Good Idea Today?

2009-03-13T15:57:00.000-07:00

There are thousands, if not millions of people, who dream of ending the daily commute to the office and yearn to be able to work from home. Of course, there are companies who allow their employees to telecommute, but the ideal that many aspire is to start their own home based business and are looking for business opportunities that enable them to make money online.

After all, when you’re ready to start a home business, you need to be sure that you’re choosing the best home business for you.What does it take to choose the best home business for your personality? How can you be sure that the home business ideas that you’ve had will prove to be profitable?

Part of my blueprint will included my marketing and advertising expenses, other financial and budgeting expenses per month, my growth objectives and potentials, and of course ladies and gentlemen how I will achieve this.

Although there are home businesses that have been launched with next to nothing, you’ll find that there are certain expenses that you will have to shell out money for. These include equipment, registrations, advertising, even construction.

How much are people willing to pay me for this product or service? Can I make a sufficient income from that? Is this a product that is requested Worldwide?

Purchase the essentials for your home business. Its impossible to do any job well without the proper tools.

As a registered member of the relevant link exchange site you can easily check from the websites control panel who your relevant partners are, their page rank and if they fall into the keyword phrases category you have selected.

I strongly believe you have to have a business plan. I have been taught by some excellent directors to make those plans and goals for two to five years down the road. I work from a 90 day blueprint at a time and reevaluate it every 90 days.

What you do need to do, however, is include any depreciation deduction you took in prior years as a taxable capital gain. You still benefit, because your capital gain rate is most likely lower than your ordinary income tax rate.

The most important ingredient to succeeding when you start a home business is you! Have you the self motivation you will need to be able to push yourself especially when opportunities have not worked out.

21 Entrepreneurship Websites Worth Checking Out

2009-03-11T09:32:00.000-07:00

The number of websites dedicated to helping entrepreneurs is incredible: there are always new sites, to the point that it can be hard to keep track of them. However, I have a few favorites. There are some tools I absolutely rely on for everything from marketing to billing, some blogs I read constantly and a few resource sites that I consult for all sorts of small business issues.

If you are an entrepreneur of any kind, it doesn’t particularly matter where you are in the process. Whether you’re just starting out freelancing in your spare time or you have a thriving business and you’re looking to expand, there are always new resources that can help you along in the entrepreneurial process. These sites are a great starting point: they’re all good resources and you may not have explored all of them.

Blogs

Startup Nation: Startup Nation offers entrepreneurial advice from a whole slew of people who have been there and done that — and have the business to prove it. The site has advice on just about every aspect of creating and running a startup.
IttyBiz: This site is an especially valuable resource if you’re looking to start an online business, but it’s got tons of great information on marketing in general.
Lateral Action: For creative types, like graphic designers, writers and such, there are some special challenges that come with running your own business. Laterlal Action offers up advice specially targeted to those fields.
Freelance Switch: FreelanceSwitch has all things freelance — business advice, ideas for staying productive and far more. Even though the title says ‘freelance,’ there’s plenty of good information for anyone running their own business.
Escape from Cubicle Nation: Leaving a cubicle in favor of starting your own business isn’t easy, but this blog helps support such escapees.
Young Entrepreneur: Young Entrepreneur focuses on the challenges that younger entrepreneurs face when they start business. It’s also got some great profiles of young entrepreneurs.
Small Business Labs: It isn’t easy to predict the trends that will affect small business, but Small Business Labs goes the extra mile to help entrepreneurs figure out what’s coming next.

Web Applications

Basecamp: There’s a reason that Basecamp and 37signals other tools are so popular — they work better than a lot of the other options. Basecamp is the company’s project management tool. 37signals also offer Highrise (CRM) and a few other great tools.
Blinksale: There are quite a few online options for invoicing. Blinksale is one of the most recommended options, in part because it works well with other tools like PayPal and Basecamp.
Skype: Skype is a popular choice for making phone calls online, but it has a lot of bells and whistles (like video conferencing) that make it a far more useful tool for a small business than you might expect.
LinkedIn: LinkedIn has come in handy for me many times. It’s an easy way to find contacts for a wide variety of purposes, as well as get answers and advice on all sorts of business topics.
Zoho: For a full suite of business tools, including CRM, invoicing, project management and databases, check out Zoho. All of the tools have at least some level of free use, perfect for an entrepreneur bootstrapping a business.
RocketLawyer: If you aren’t sure where to start with the legalities of running your own business, RocketLawyer provides free forms as well as help with all sorts of legal documents.
Google Docs: At least when you’re starting out, Google can be the easiest way to share documents, manage your business’ calendar and far more. It may not be a long term solution, but it can help you get started without spending a ton of money.

Resource Sites

SBA: The U.S. Small Business Administration is a treasure trove of information for entrepreneurs. In general, the SBA’s focus is helping entrepreneurs create long-lived small businesses, but there are also some great resources for folks further along in the process. If you aren’t in the U.S., there’s still some valuable information on the site — and you may find a similar agency where you’re living.
SCORE: If you find yourself in need of mentoring from an entrepreneur who’s already been through it all, SCORE can help you find a mentor. The organization is an amazing source of free business advice.
Freelancers Union: The Freelancers Union offers a long list of resources for freelancers — and the Union’s definition includes a pretty wide variety of entrepreneurs as freelancers. Among the information you can find on this site is health insurance options that don’t require quite the expense of other non-employer options.
Entrepreneur: For a huge collection of information on starting and running your own business, start with Entrepreneur. The company behind the site also runs Women Entrepreneur — a good resource for women looking at entrepreneurship.
BusinessWeek Small Business: Business Week has been a solid source of business information for years. The magazine’s small business site is an equally solid resource.
About.com Entrepreneurs: About.com offers a regularly updated resource on entrepreneurship. It’s got links to all sorts of other resources, both on About.com and elsewhere on the internet.
Entrepreneurship.org: The Entrepreneurship.org site is run by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation to provide global resources for entrepreneurs.

These sites are only a starting point, of course. They’re the resources I use myself — and I know there are thousands out there I haven’t seen yet. If you’ve got any resources that you’d like to recommend to entrepreneurs, I’d appreciate it if you would share your links in the comments.

Startups in a Downturn

2009-03-08T12:16:00.000-07:00

It’s about the idea that great companies can be built during bad times–an idea I’ve been talking about a lot lately on my book tour. It seems to have struck a bit of a nerve. It was the most emailed story on the site and the third most read story. This historical oddity occurred to me during the research for my book when I realized that American Research and Development invested $70,000 in the 1957 recession in Digital Equipment Corp., which turned out to be its best investment ever.

Here’s the top of the story:
Startups in a Downturn
Entrepreneurs who helped build their startups into tech stalwarts—companies like Cisco, Oracle, and Google—share lessons on how to thrive during tough times

December 1987 was no time to be raising money for a startup. Computer engineer Len Bosack was trying to attract funding for a young enterprise called Cisco Systems (CSCO). But the stock market had just crashed and the Dow Jones industrial average had plummeted 40% since October. Gun-shy venture capitalists either didn’t get the newfangled technology or deemed it too risky.

Making matters worse, Bosack was running low on the savings he had used to bootstrap the business, and competition was gaining steam. It wasn’t until this 75th meeting that he found a receptive audience. The willing financier was Donald Valentine of Sequoia Capital, a venture capital firm in Silicon Valley. On Dec. 14, two months after Black Monday, Sequoia invested $2.5 million in Cisco. “Valentine’s reasoning was pretty simple,” recalls Bosack, now CEO of telecom gear-maker XKL. “It doesn’t matter what they are. They are selling stuff in a bad market. With a little bit of capital and more experienced help they should be able to do better.”

Better is just what Cisco did. By the time of its initial share sale three years later, in February 1990—during a recession—the maker of telecom networking equipment was worth $224 million. Within a decade, Cisco Systems had become one of the world’s most valuable companies.

GREATNESS CAN EMERGE FROM A SLUMP
Today, some of America’s sharpest financiers and entrepreneurs say Cisco’s story holds a profound lesson easily forgotten amid financial turmoil: Great companies can be built during tough times. “For us, Cisco is always the company we think of when we think about bad times,” says Michael Moritz, a general partner with Sequoia Capital who was a young associate when the firm made its investment.

Cisco is just one example. In the history of technology, many other great companies either were founded during downturns or forged business models during bad times. In 1939, at the tail end of the Great Depression, two engineers started Hewlett-Packard (HPQ) in a garage in northern California. During the recession of 1957, Digital Equipment, the first computer company to challenge IBM (IBM), set up shop in a Civil War-era wool mill, sparking a high-tech boom in Massachusetts. “It makes sense to do research and development counter-cyclically,” says Tom Nicholas, associate professor in the Entrepreneurial Management Group of Harvard Business School. “Recessions can be really useful strategic opportunities.”

Excellent Business Opportunity !

2009-03-07T13:50:00.000-08:00

I recently found a real gem recently that I thought my readers should check out. It’s called the Website Startup Guide. It’s the only guide that I’ve found for information on how to start my own online business that wasn’t full of fluff and trickery.

Their honesty is what won me over from the start. They gave me step by step instruction on how to build a legitimate online business with very little investment, and with multiple revenue streams. They give you the exact same methods they’ve used to build profitable retail, online dating, and affiliate websites plus they teach you how to build revenue generating blogs and adsense sites. This is definitely an entrepreneurs dream come true. Another highlight is the homepage WebPalPro they’ve built for easy access to every day webmaster tools, affiliate marketing, and software. Along with access to your personal email, payment accounts, SEO tools, social websites and more. Before I found the Website Startup Guide I couldn’t believe the number of websites that gave me the feeling that I was going to be scammed if I tried their product or service. It is truly unbelievable how many companies out there will make outrageous claims just to make a quick buck and prey on the uninformed. I understand that there are many people losing their jobs right now and are finding it extremely difficult to find another in today’s economy. I definitely would recommend the Website Startup Guide to anyone wanting to make a career change and start their own internet business, or multiple businesses. I also liked the fact that they backed up their claims with a 60 day money back guarantee. If you don’t make money using their step by step guide they will give you your money back no questions asked. I’ll reiterate again that I have yet to find anyone else that has even come close to the depth, clarity, instruction, and real life step by step money making opportunities for building a legitimate online business. I’ve been so impressed that I’ve already told all my closest friends and family who have expressed an interest in making money online, and I felt like my readers would also want to know about the Website Startup Guide and make their own informed decision in regards to taking their claims seriously. I look forward to reviewing many more products and issues for my readers in the future and hope you will join me again soon.

5 Ways to Earn More Than the Average Freelancer

2009-03-05T12:11:00.000-08:00

Most freelancers earn a pretty good income, nothing enormous, but still pretty good.

And when you think about the freedom and independence of freelancing, the money is easily worth it.

But what if it were possible to increase that income, and make a lot more than pretty good?

Well, it isn’t easy to do, but it definitely is possible. For those of you who are willing to try, here are 5 ideas to get you started earning more:

1. Go Premium

In every field there is a group that charges way more than everyone else. Typically, freelancers in this group makes at least twice the average salary. Sometimes it’s much more than that.

Not everyone has the skill level to go premium, but a lot of freelancers do. What holds most people back is fear or insecurity. Sometimes you just have to push past your limits and take the jump — start charging more. If you do everything well, you might find yourself making a taking home a much bigger paycheck than before.

2. Expand your business

Expanding isn’t always a priority for freelancers, but it can be a good way to shatter all limits on your salary. If you have the drive and the desire, this might be the option for you.

Growing into a bigger business, either through outsourcing or bringing on employees, typically takes a lot of time and effort — but the end result is easily worth it. Most larger business owners earn many times more than the average freelance income.

3. Sell an informational product

Some people have given info products a bad name by using questionable sales tactics and crappy content — but in reality a good informational product can be incredibly valuable and profitable. Many of the better info products have earned so much as to entirely eclipse the freelancers initial income.

If you have advanced knowledge of an in-demand subject area, and the ability to communicate that knowledge, an informational product could be the perfect way to increase your earnings.

4. Sell a physical product

Physical products are often underrated on the internet, but as with info products, the reality is that a good physical product can be incredibly valuable. All it takes is a good idea, a plan to print, manufacture, or create the product, and a lot of effort to get the whole thing off the ground.

If you can handle the difficulties and overhead required for this endeavor, you may find yourself heavily rewarded at by the end of the process.

5. Create passive income

Passive income is the darling of the online world, and with good reason. If you can find a way to generate a stream of income that requires little or no effort on your part, you may just be able to quit freelancing and retire to a sandy beach.

Of course, creating a passive income stream is much more difficult than most people let on — and most types of passive income typically require much more work than you might imagine. However, success could mean an additional source of income that still leaves you free to pursue your freelancing or other careers with a passion.

Where do you stand?

These are just 5 out of an infinite amount of ways you can earn more as a freelancer. Have you come up with something that’s worked wonderfully for you? Do you have any other ideas to add into the mix?

Have you been freelancing for a while?

2009-03-05T12:07:00.000-08:00

One the hardest decisions that a freelancer will ever have to make is that of deciding what to charge for their services.If you get this decision wrong, you could be paying for it for a long time. The wrong rate could ultimately even cause your freelancing business to fail.

There are many different opinions about what a freelancer should charge. No one rate fits every situation or every freelancing specialty. There are, however, certain general principles that every freelancer can use to determine what they should charge.

In general, setting your freelance rate should be based on three factors:

What you need
What your competition charges
What the market will bear

What You Need

Your freelancing rates need to be adequate to meet your needs.

Not only do your needs include your personal living expenses (what would be called a “wage” at a traditional job), your needs should also include your overhead and any project-related business expenses that you incur.

If you are in business for the long haul, then your rates need to be adequate to cover overhead costs. (Many freelancers forget about overhead when they are starting out.) Overhead costs include:

Marketing your services
Accounting and collections
Office equipment
Software expense
Record keeping
Professional education
Health insurance costs
Down time and sick time

What Your Competition Charges

The price that your competition is charging to provide a similar product or service is another key factor in determining your freelancing rate.

There are number of resources that you can use to discover what your competition charges, including:

Freelancing income surveys. Many professional societies conduct periodic income surveys. Such surveys often include freelancers. Try to find the most recent survey that pertains to your specialty.
A comparison with what in-house professionals earn. Personnel and recruitment offices frequently update in-house salaries. You may be able to get this information from a human resources professional or from a publication targeted to human resource professionals.
Competitor websites. Many freelancers publish their rates on their website. If you use this method to find out what your competitors charge, then be sure to check on more than one competitor’s website.

A good rule of thumb when setting your rate according to the competition is to stay towards the middle. You probably do not want to charge the highest price for your services, but you should not charge the very lowest price either.

What The Market Will Bear

Freelancing is particularly sensitive to the market principle of supply and demand. If many freelancers are offering the same service and there is not much demand for it, then rates tend to drop. Conversely, if there is a lot of demand for a particular service and very few freelancers who offer that service, then rates tend to rise.

As a freelancer, you may find that you have to periodically re-evaluate and re-adjust your rates to meet the current market situation. Over time, you may even notice certain trends in your field. You may wish to adjust your business model to take advantage of those trends.

If you do find yourself freelancing in a specialty where the freelancer supply outpaces the demand for services, then you may want to consider adjusting the specific services that you offer. Ask yourself if there is there a slightly different, but related, service that you could offer that most other freelancers do not currently offer.

Share Your Pricing Strategies

Have you been freelancing for a while? If you have, share some of your experience with choosing your freelance rates.

What method did you use to determine your prices?

What rate-related pressures have you felt?

How often do you adjust your rates?

Owning your home business means creating a better life..!!

2009-03-03T13:48:00.000-08:00

Has some home business idea not come to you so far? Read the article and you would know about some home business idea that can work for you!

Do you often feel like you're struggling each month? You can put an end to the struggle if you give some thought to starting your own home business.

Operating a home-based business can give you the best of both worlds. You enjoy the satisfaction of being your own boss and work on your own terms and conditions.

You also enjoy the benefits of being able to work flexible time schedules, you don't have to commute besides you also save money on taxes. Ideally you can run a successful business out of your home and have the flexibility to be there for your family, spending more time with your children or arranging your work schedule around your family's needs.

You may say that you already have some unique home based business ideas but don't how to go about it! In that case you can do some research and do some ground work. You can visit some sites on the internet that are related to your own home business idea and get some novel ideas to incorporate it into your own home business idea.

The first step towards starting a home business would be to first take a strategic look at your talents and skills and to egg upon the idea for the best home based business opportunity.

You may have different talents but until they have not been put them to use they cannot he called as your skills. So remember that your home business also offers you hone your skills.

For example if you think that you have knack for planning and also good at preparing good and nourishing food starting a home based catering business may be just right for you. The catering business is the business the demand for which is ever increasing.

And the best advantage about this home based business is that the turnover can be very fast, the referrals can be generated very fast and it has potential to grow very fast.
But you always have the option open to the degree that you want to expand.

As I have already said the success of your home business depends upon your own skills and ideas. If you have potential from your small home business you can enter into event management from organizing small birthday parties to big corporate parties. There is no end you can get success it all depends how you project your business idea to others. How do you market your home business? How you are able to put your own ideas to the advantage of your home business.

Like if you are into a catering business you can find time to visit a party and interact with visitors to give comments on your food and service and even ask for their contact numbers or emails.

This is just a very simple home business idea, there can be several others, but here my idea is only to get you started and motivated. And if that happens, it means home business idea after all has worked.

So get started and put you're your own home business idea to work.

Making Money In the Middle of Recession: Is it Possible?

2009-03-02T13:22:00.000-08:00

Everything just seems to be getting worse with the business economy of the United States. Lately, its currency is not doing very well with the Euro, and so are its exports and imports. Despite these economic instabilities that every businessman has probably hardly experienced in the entire history of the US, there are still many efforts to revive the economy at the soonest, most productive approach possible.

Again, there are many ways. If we are to sum them up, it is all about improving internet marketing strategies for the part of the online businesses that are benefiting from the convenience of the internet services worldwide. Speaking of worldwide scope, another reason not to worry about business extinction is the fact that online business companies are providing products and services not only in the United States but to all parts of the world. The demand for quality goods will always remain high if the customers are satisfied with the output of your business, which only means that you will never lose these loyal buyers if you know how to take care of them right from the start.

The secret to maintaining good business standing lies in the power of one company to remain competitive despite any economic deviations in the market. When we talk about staying competitive, we refer to the ability of the company to make certain adjustments regarding the quantity, price and expenses of a certain product or service that it sells in the market. To be more sensitive with the random fluctuations of the supply-demand curve is to be smart and wise on how you can pose competitive prices in the market without putting your profits in an almost break-even situation. Every business investor must carefully learn this art, because internet marketing can actually require these skills in the long run.

Success - Do You Really Want It? (Or Are You Just Kidding Yourself?)

2009-02-28T12:33:00.001-08:00

"Do you really want success, or are you just kidding yourself?"

This is the bold question that faced me when I recently reviewed a popular success product*.

It's a good question. Why is it we always want success and good things to come easily? Why do we think there is some magic formula or pill that will allow us to skip the 'hard work and focus' stage and go right into the 'wildly successful' stage - to enjoy the fruits of our labor without the labor?

There is no 'magic' pill or formula, and I have come to see that there are certain ways of acting, thinking and just being that cause a person to be successful.

The good news is, you don't have to be 'born with it'. There's actually no such thing! If there was, then anyone born into money and opportunity would be successful, and we all know of wealthy kids who are anything but happy and successful.

So, what does it take? Along with the following tips I can offer, the next step would be to check out the product (see resource box below) and decide for yourself.

Mindset: Can you say unequivocally that you have the mindset for success? If you can, then you are well on your way. If you are wondering what this means, it's about qualities like perseverance, persistence, open-mindedness, opportunity-seeking, fair and ethical behavior, ambition and drive, focusd and dedication.
Action-Orientation: People who succeed know what they want. They make firm decisions based on intelligent research and knowing their own limits and capacities. Then they ACT - consistently and with drive and passion. Until the job is done. Period.
Learning: Despite all that has been said above, people on track for success are life-long learners. They realize they can't possibly know everything there is to know. They are constantly looking for ways to refine their way of doing things, and rather than resenting someone who has what they have yet to acquire, they choose to learn. They look at someone else's accomplishment as encouragement in what they can do themselves, and they look to see what they can gain from studying the success of others.

To learn more and accelerate your success in whatever areas you have chosen, be sure and take advantage of the resources and tools mentioned in the resource box, and remember, a wise man once said 'good luck' is when preparedness meets opportunity!

Three Home Based Business Ideas for Work at Home

2009-02-27T12:45:00.000-08:00

Finding a way to create extra income from home can be confusing and overwhelming. There are dozens of work-at-home web sites with thousands of different money making ideas. Sorting through them all, you may soon decide that many work-at-home schemes are just that — a scheme. Most of the truly legitimate home based business ideas will fall into one of three categories: Direct Sales, Network Marketing/MLM and Service businesses.

Are you a good organizer? Charge clients for closet organization services. Are you a musician? You could teach private lessons on a part-time basis from your home. Other ideas would be baby sitting services, dog sitting, bookkeeping, housekeeping and landscaping. Word of mouth advertising will keep satisfied clients coming your way. The cost to start up may be less than fifty dollars.

If you choose to enter into a direct sales opportunity, be aware that many of these companies are those that encourage home parties for presenting the products to groups of interested people. Examples of direct sales parties that you may have have heard about or participated in would be costume jewelry, sterling silver jewelry, kitchen gadgets, travel discounts and pet supplies. Start-up costs for most direct sales companies will be less than $300. A small segment of direct sales, sometimes referred to as ‘top tier’, will have higher price points of entry. (Examples would be Liberty League, Wealthmasters and Global Resorts.)

Network marketing companies enroll independent associates, sometimes referred to as distributors or consultants, to market their products and services, in exchange for commissions. In addition, residual income can be earned off the sales volume in a down line sales organization. Learn how to use the internet to leverage your prospecting efforts and it is possible to build an organization of thousands. Typically, you will receive 4-8% of the monthly sales volume, plus most compensation plans reward associates for bringing new people into the business. Internet-based network marketing makes a large organization more attainable than in years past. With proper training, and execution of the techniques, internet marketing can replace the ‘friends and family’ approach.

Network marketing business opportunities are available in many different flavors: nutrition/supplements, beauty/skin care, electricity providers, travel, pet food and related products, financial services and debt reduction plans, health insurance discounts — there is even a healthy chocolate MLM company! The majority of the businesses do not require that you maintain an inventory; remember, though, that the income is based on sales and sales volume. Most will require that you maintain a monthly purchase amount of your own, in order to remain qualified for commissions. This monthly amount varies by company, but usually ranges between $50 and $150. Start up costs for most MLMs are less than $100.

How Good Is Your Big Business Idea?

2009-02-26T15:25:00.000-08:00

Q: I want to start my own business. I have tons of business ideas that all sound great to me, but my husband is not so sure. He says that we need to figure out a way to test my ideas to pick the one that has the best chance of succeeding. I’m ready to just pick one and go for it. What is the best way to determine if a business idea really is as good as it sounds?
– Hannah H.

A: Heather, I know you probably don’t want to hear this, but your husband is right (first time for everything, huh): before you just pick a business idea and go for it you should test the feasibility of your ideas to make sure they really are as good as you think they are.

Every business idea, no matter how good it sounds while bouncing around inside your head, should be put to the test before you invest time and money into its execution. Success lies not in what you think of your idea, but what the buying public will think. Many entrepreneurs
find out too late that the public’s opinion of their idea differs greatly from their own. Wasted time and money aside, the last thing you want to do is hear “I told you so!” from your husband, so take a deep breath, slow down, and let’s look at the ways you can test the feasibility of your idea.

There are many ways to test an idea’s feasibility, though some ways are not nearly as effective or accurate than others. Most people start out by asking everyone they know what they think of their big idea. This is a good way to start the wheels turning because you may get feedback that you have not considered before, but be warned: this is NOT the best way to test the true feasibility of an idea. Never start a business simply based on what your friends and family think.

There are two things that will happen here. First, your mother will tell you what you want to hear and your best friends will be equally kind. No one who really cares for you will want to rain on your parade no matter how insane your parade might be, so take the wisdom you gain here with a hug and a grain of salt.

On the flip side, your coworkers and casual acquaintances will probably tell you the opposite of what they really think. If they think your idea stinks they’ll tell you it’s great and if they think your idea is great they’ll tell you it stinks. Please don’t preach to me about human kindness. Human kindness is often bested by human nature and we humans, by nature, are an envious lot. We hate to see anyone doing better than we are doing and we hate to see anyone who has the potential to leave us behind. Go watch the movie “Envy” and consider this: why would someone who is broke or stuck in dead-end job with no other prospects want to see you succeed? They wouldn’t. End of story.

Instead of conferring with friends and family you should run your idea past a number of neutral third parties who are knowledgeable about business and will give you an honest opinion. Contact the local Small Business Administration (SBA) or The Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE) offices and ask to speak with someone knowledgeable who has time to listen to your idea (don’t run it past the receptionist). Or speak with the small business liaison at the Chamber of Commerce. Or seek out a successful entrepreneur who is willing to listen and give you an honest opinion about your idea. Just remember, opinions are like belly buttons: everybody has one and they are all different.

A more accurate way to judge the feasibility of an idea is to create a SWOT analysis. SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. A SWOT analysis will not only help you gauge the feasibility of your idea, but also help you build on your idea’s strengths, identify and correct the weaknesses, and spot ways to take advantage of potential opportunities while avoiding potential threats.

Here’s how to perform a simple SWOT Analysis. On a piece of paper draw a vertical line down the center of the page. Then draw a horizontal line through the center of the vertical line. The paper is now divided into four quadrants. Label the upper left quadrant “Strengths.” Label the upper right quadrant “Weaknesses.” Label the lower left quadrant “Opportunities” and the lower right quadrant “Threats.”

Now fill in each quadrant based on what you see as the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of your business idea. You should repeat this process for every idea you have and each quadrant should have something written in. If you can think of no strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats for a particular idea, that means that you do not have enough information to complete the SWOT analysis, which means you also do not have enough information to effectively execute that idea.

Strengths are those things that make your idea a strong one. Strengths can be personal or product-oriented and may include: prior business experience and success; sufficient funding to start the business; having a customer in hand; having a unique product or service to offer; having an established market; etc.

Next list all of the weaknesses of your idea. It is important that you are honest with yourself and list as many weaknesses as you can. Don’t pretend that your idea doesn’t have any weaknesses because every idea does. You will hurt no one but yourself if you pretend that your idea is bulletproof. Weaknesses might include: lack of capital to start the business; lack of business or management experience; a crowded market place; large competitors; etc.

Opportunities are those things that you can tap into that might fast track your business idea. We’ve talked about opportunities before and how smart entrepreneurs seek out new opportunities rather than waiting for opportunities to come to them. Opportunities might include: a potential partnership with someone who sells products in the same market; a prime storefront location that is coming available; a competitor going out of business, leaving a hole in the market that may be right for you; etc.

Threats are those things that threaten the success of your business idea. Threats might include: uncertain marketplace conditions; strong competitors in the market with lower prices; possible laws or taxes that may impact your idea; etc. Like weaknesses, it is vital that you are honest when it comes to identifying threats.

Once you have filled in all four quadrants, you should have enough information to begin testing the feasibility of your idea. Do the strengths of your idea outweigh the weaknesses or do the weaknesses outweigh the strengths? Are the opportunities available to you ample or nonexistent? Are the threats many or few?

With this information in hand, you can move on to the most accurate method of testing your idea and that is the creation of a detailed feasibility plan, which we will discuss next time.

Here’s to your success!

How do I communicate with my virtual assistant?

2009-02-26T15:03:00.000-08:00

A very valid question but also a very easy one to answer. First, you must remember that your professional virtual assistant is a human being, just like you, and just like someone who may sit in the office right next to you. She has feelings, morals, standards, kids, pets, and a life - just like you.

While I can’t speak for other virtual staffing agencies, at Team Double-ClickSM, we go to great pains to be sure our clients can communicate directly and openly with their virtual assistants. This ability is vitally important to any business relationship and especially that of a businessperson and his or her assistant. Without that communication, there is no exchange of ideas and tasks.
We do monitor communication between our virtual staff and our clients, but this is simply the mechanics of our business model in motion. We monitor these communications to first be sure the communications are there and second so that we can step in if we spot a problem or see something that can be done more efficiently. However, we encourage our clients to get to know their virtual assistants on a personal level as well. As with any relationship, the better you know one another, the better you’ll be able to anticipate one another’s moves, needs, and pet peeves. Now that the “why” is out of the way, we can talk about the “how”.

Of course, there are several options for communicating tasks, assignments, and other matters to your virtual assistant:

E-Mail is a very effective mode of communication when working virtually. It allows you to quickly attach a file and send it to your virtual assistant so that she may make changes, print a letter and mail it, or keep it as a reference. Be sure to talk to our Client Services Rep Denise Schrock or your virtual administrative assistant if you need help attaching and sending files.

Using the telephone to communicate with your virtual assistant, while obvious is quite underutilized and so simple to do. Tired of looking up your virtual assistant’s phone number each time? Simply program her phone number into your office phones and cell phone’s speed dial. One-touch dialing your virtual administrative assistant is a snap and no harder than buzzing a bricks-and-mortar assistant in the next room

Instant messenger is another example of a wonderful technology, which is underutilized when it comes to communicating with virtual assistants. There are several excellent instant messaging programs and they’re so easy to use.

With an instant messaging program you can, with just a couple clicks of the mouse, type messages back and forth with colleagues and your virtual assistant - all in real time. You type, she types, and before you know it, the questions you and she had are all answered and you can move on.

Caution - time wasting opportunity: It’s easy to get hooked into “chatting” with someone on IM, which can soak up a lot of time. IM should be used for quick questions and quick answers, and then back to your tasks. IM was not meant to take the place of the telephone for giving lengthy instructions or holding very involved e-versations.

Snail mail, while very retro, it is sometimes necessary. With so many technologies at our fingertips these days, there’s very little use for snail mail except for the most formal of business communications, marketing mailings, or sending supplies to your virtual assistant.

Faxing your virtual assistant is also a popular means of communicating tasks and lists to your professional virtual assistant. However, if the items you’re intending to send via fax are in electronic (editable) format already - it’s best to send it as a file attachment. That way your virtual assistant doesn’t need to retype everything and spend unnecessary client dollars. Check out eFax at efax for the latest in electronic faxing - there’s almost no need for a land line fax anymore.
VOIM (voice over instant messenger) is my new favorite communications toy. What VOIM allows you to do is simply pull up your instant messaging program, click your virtual assistant’s name, click the call button, and voila, it rings through the computer to her. Once the connection is established (which only takes a second or two) you can talk with your virtual assistant through the computer - no phone line involved). You can then quickly delegate tasks, give instructions, or ask questions without stopping to look up her phone number, and without typing out a lengthy email. At Team Double-ClickSM, we’ve begun implementing the Yahoo! VOIM program and with wonderful results. If you’d like to give it a try, go to messenger.yahoo and download the software - it’s ridiculously easy to use and best of all, it’s free!

Just keep in mind that VOIM will only work with other people who download the newest version of the Yahoo! software and have a microphone and speakers on their computer.

There are many great ways to communicate needs, likes, dislikes, tasks, and training to your virtual assistant. It’s all a matter of personal preference and what you’re most comfortable using. Professional virtual assistants are flexible and will be happy to use whatever mode of communication you prefer. As technology advances even further, well, who knows how we’ll be communicating next year or even next month!

Start-Ups Rely On Bootstrapping

2009-02-26T14:45:00.000-08:00

New cleaning businesses tend to have few financial resources, so many rely on a technique called bootstrapping — learning to do more with less. This article has 12 techniques that have helped cleaning businesses grow and and become successful.

New cleaning businesses tend to have few financial resources. Before you sign your first client you need capital for supplies, equipment, basic start-up expenses, and perhaps even payroll. Where do start-up companies get the financing they need to set up shop? Some businesses use savings, some borrow from friends or relatives, and some get a bank loan. But many small start-ups rely on a technique called bootstrapping.

Bootstrapping means pinching pennies, cutting corners, and learning to do more with less. Using bootstrapping techniques also means carefully watching where your cash is coming from and where it is going to. Does this technique work for growing your business? You bet! Ernest & Julio Gallo, Domino’s Pizza, Hallmark Cards and Black & Decker are examples of businesses that started with $1000 or less and used the art of bootstrapping to grow and become successful.

In bootstrapping you not only focus on how revenues come into the business, but where you are going to spend the money that comes in and if there are other ways to obtain those resources.

The following are techniques that have helped businesses grow and expand.

1) Focus on the right customers. Some customers like to hold onto invoices as long as possible. Finding customers who pay immediately helps keep cash flowing into your cleaning business. Maintaining a good customer relationship will also help to get your customers paying as soon as they get their invoice.

2) Be frugal, but not cheap! Distinguish between costs that are necessary and ones you can avoid. Do you need to rent space for your cleaning business or can you begin by running the business out of your home or garage? Can you get by with used equipment? Do you need a cell phone with streaming video or just a basic model to make sure you do not miss any calls? On the same token, don’t be shortsighted (and cheap) with suppliers. Develop a good relationship with your suppliers and they will be happy to let you know when there are specials and if a lower priced item works as well as a more expensive one.

3) Create a high profile for your cleaning business. By taking on larger cleaning accounts your business projects an image of competency and that it has the skills and resources to handle the job.

4) Keep your salary as low as possible. The less cash that go out of your business the better. Cut back on your personal expenses while the business grows. Avoid buying that new car and that holiday cruise until your cleaning business has a good cash flow.

5) Get your customers talking about you. Word of mouth is the best advertising around and it doesn’t cost you anything. Ask your customers for referrals and tell them to mention your name if they know of anyone who is looking for cleaning services.

6) Keep good records and track every dollar. It is difficult to know if there are expenses that you can cut if you don’t know where your money is going or where your money is coming from. Keep more income by not giving preferential treatment or discounts to special customers.

7) There is power in becoming a partner. Find another business owner to share equipment, office space or even employees.

8) Trade for services. Are there individuals or businesses who would be willing to have you clean their offices for part or all of their payment? Large businesses and corporations may not have the flexibility to “swap” services, but your lawyer, graphic designer, accountant or other consultant may be happy to exchange services.

9) If you need employees, hire part-time or temporary help. Rather than having a full-time bookkeeper or marketing person think of hiring a virtual assistant that you can pay for just a few hours a month. Another benefit to a virtual assistant is that she will have her own equipment and be responsible for her own employment taxes.

10) If you are buying or leasing space and equipment agree to only short-term leases. This helps you control costs and keep your cash flow flexible.

11) How much inventory do you need to have on hand? Don’t tie up money in supplies and equipment that will just be sitting on a shelf.

12) If necessary, work nights and weekends while your business is growing. Many entrepreneurs will keep their full-time job and a part-time job until their own business is financially stable.

Using bootstrapping techniques mean that you are looking at more than just where your money is coming from. Earning a dollar in revenue may lead to only 20 cents in profit. But if you save a dollar in cost savings, that goes 100 percent to your bottom line. Being frugal at the start of your business can pay big dividends in the long run. Bootstrapping can be your best friend when it comes to the cash flow of your cleaning the business!

Empower Yourself As A Resourceful Entrepreneur

2009-02-26T14:09:00.000-08:00

Sometimes we hesitate to move forward with our business because we're afraid that we just don't have enough experience or skills to implement our ideas.

Have you ever found yourself thinking I don't have enough experience to...

* Launch a website
* Send out a press release
* Set-up a joint-venture partnership
* Speak at a networking meeting

We all have doubts about our lack of experience running a business or expanding in some way. And while experience is important resourcefulness has a BIGGER impact on your long-term success. If you know WHAT needs to be done, you can get help on HOW to get it done.

Let me share how I discovered this to be true...

My career began doing product development and merchandising for the Gap, Banana Republic and J. Crew. About 13 years ago, while in-between jobs, an old boss and mentor asked me to take on a project that was completely outside the scope of my expertise.
He wanted me to open and run high profile stores around the country. It meant negotiating real estate deals, signing leases, overseeing the design of the space from fitting rooms to bathroom locations, to which computer systems we'd use, to actually purchasing the product. The scope was huge, overly awesome, nothing that I'd ever done before and crazily enough I was the only person he wanted for the job.

Why I wondered? What did he see in me that he had such trust I could do this?

For a month or so I felt like a deer in the headlights as I kept encountering new things that I was responsible for that I knew nothing about. I had notebooks upon notebooks with questions that I needed to get answered about all the parts of running these stores. Then, about two months into my job, a light bulb went off for me.

Knowing the "WHAT" is More Important Than the "HOW"

I understood why he chose me. I clearly saw what my gift was and why I was the right one for this job. I am very strong at knowing and figuring out WHAT needs to get done. I may not know HOW it's going to happen and how to do it (and in this case I clearly didn't) but I am resourceful and can connect with others who do have the expertise I may be lacking to get the job done.

This skill has served me well as an entrepreneur. Because there's nothing that truly prepares you-or gives you all the experience you need -to be an entrepreneur. You have to be willing to jump into unchartered waters, and trust that other experts can fill in your gaps. Especially as women, it takes a village and we should relish the fact that we can reach out for support.

Get a Support Network Behind You

As an entrepreneur it's so important to have a network of people you can turn to when you have questions. By getting other people involved in our business success, we'll not only get answers to our questions, we'll be inspired by their ideas.

You truly empower yourself when you involve people that will both cheer you on and provide valuable knowledge - people who can show you the "how".

What if you don't feel like you have enough people in your life that can give you the support you need? This is a big issue for mom entrepreneurs because we're home alone and it's difficult to find the business support we're looking for. I believe there's no need to go it alone, mom entrepreneurs are very generous in their support. Here's an example of example of this kind of generous support I see quite often.

Open Up and Share

I recently had a someone in my community approach me on the side and said, "Kim, I'm really struggling. I have a full-time business and a direct sales business that is just not where I want it to be. Times are tough economically, and it's just not working as I want it to be."

In this process, the woman opened herself up in a very vulnerable way to me. Because I understood her situation, I was able to connect her with some women I thought could support her. One of these women got her to think about something professionally she hadn't even considered.

This new idea allowed me to say, "Aha. I can make another connection for you." Together we were creating a spider web of connections for her. It was such a glorious experience to watch and to realize she had tapped into a handful of other people who could provide great support for her. That was thrilling.

This story really emphasizes the importance of opening up to others to find the right answers to your questions. You might feel vulnerable admitting that you don't know the answer but what better way is there to get support?

For myself, by asking good questions and finding the right people to support me and help me find the answers, I've been able to move my business forward. Don't underestimate your ability to get your business moving forward. With the right support, you can be empowered to be truly successful on your own terms.

3 Perfect Home Based Business

2009-02-26T14:07:00.000-08:00

Are you looking for a Business you can Work at Home? Did you know that a Work at Home Business is the dream of millions of Americans, and millions more world wide? It is estimated that by 2010, over 68% of us will have some kind of Home Business to help supplement our income. Plus, numerous surveys show that a Business of your own is still the #1 way for the average person to achieve financial freedom and independence here are three perfect solutions:

1.Visit Free Affiliate Websites

Affiliate Marketers Benefits:

Make $40 each time a person you refer gets their own MONEY MAKING WEBSITE. Conversion rates are PHENOMENAL. See your stats LIVE 24/7 a day (and even on your Window's desktop). For example, if you refer 10 signups a day, you would make $400 a day or $12,000 a month. PLUS, you get a $5 bonus every time a person you refer refers another sign up. You can CUSTOMIZE the Money Making Website people get to feature different products so that you can differentiate yourself from other affiliates (and make more money)!

Website Owner Benefits:

Earn the SAME Commissions as above with some BIG BENEFITS: Since you have a website selling a product or service, you can feature YOUR WEBSITE in the Money Making Websites everyone you send gets. All you do is put up your unique link on your website. That means that EVERYONE you refer will make money selling YOUR PRODUCTS. They train, coach, and answer questions for the affiliates you refer. You can sit back, relax, and count your commissions. There tests show that this can increase YOUR website PROFITS up to 500%!

2.Visit The Automated Cash Formula

With this product, you get a step-by-step guide to duplicate what Dale did and start making money quickly and easily.These affiliate marketing methods, such as joint venturing with other websites is covered in the Wealth Prescription (Net Wealth Dr.), but Dave goes into more details specifically with this method.This works, and I make money every day using his methods.I only tried one project and I received a check for $688.53 eight days later! And this is all profit as it didn't cost me anything to do.I think the chapter on page 30 is a must read, and I'm certainly recommending this product to all my best customers.This really works! After taking a look at your course I decided to put it to the test.What would it mean to you to be able to go from nothing to having tons of extra cash each month just pouring into your bank account?You could pay off your debts, eventually buy that dream home or sports car, go on exotic holidays at the drop of a hat. Yes, this could mean so much more than just money - it could be you and your families ticket to freedom.

3.Visit The Wealth Prescription

This website was found in my testing to provide the best methods to make money online with affiliate marketing and other methods. The level of one-on-one coaching that we found was far superior to any other website that we tested. The videos and e book offered new methods that we had never seen taught before, and better yet, that worked very quickly for me! When you join the Net Wealth Dr. Membership program, make sure to take advantage of the free one-on-one coaching that you get. This made the difference for us because we had questions and the coaches helped clear them up for us and had us making money in no time at all.

Building Your Business

2009-02-26T08:28:00.000-08:00

The high road to becoming a self-made millionaire in America is starting and building your own business. But this is not as easy as it sounds.

Most businesses started by inexperienced people fail.

Probably the primary reason why people don't start businesses is because they're afraid that they're going to lose their money and for good reason.

99 percent of businesses started by people lacking business experience fail within the first two or three years.

Why Businesses Fail

And why is that?

It's because they don't know how. They haven't the slightest idea how to make a business successful.

They may have an idea for a product or service, but they don't know all the things that they need to know to run a successful business.

Why Businesses Succeed

However, surprisingly enough, 80 percent of businesses started by experienced businesspeople succeed.

Now why should this be so?

The reason is because experienced businesspeople know what to do.

They know how to purchase their products and their services.
They know how to negotiate with their suppliers.
They know how to raise money.
They know how to negotiate leases.
They know how to sell and to market.
They know how to manage their finances.

In other words, experience is the key.

In order to start your own business and succeed, you have to learn how.

Control Your Costs

The second reason that businesses fail, 46 percent, is because of poor cost control.

They may be selling enough on the front end, but they're losing so much on the back end that they go broke anyway.

Sales and marketing, financing and cost control, both require experience.

And if you're serious about becoming financially independent, you have to learn how to do both of these.

Put Luck On Your Side

You must learn the skills you need to be successful.

Business success is not a matter of luck. Business success is a matter of application.

It's a matter of ability. It's a matter of experience and skill and intelligence, and wonderfully enough, you can learn what you need to know to be successful.

And you can start by learning through on-the-job training, which is called OJT.

Most successful businesspeople become successful because they get all their training by working for someone else.

Action Exercises

Here are two things you can do immediately to make sure that your business succeeds greatly:

First, take the time to get the knowledge and experience you need in business by working for someone else where you can learn a lot in a short period of time.

Go to work in an area in which you are interested and learn everything you possibly can.

Second, read and study in business, especially entrepreneurial business, all the time.

Read one or two business books per week and read every business magazine that is published on your subject. Never stop learning and growing.

Are you looking for Virtaul Assistance?

2009-02-26T08:05:00.000-08:00

Today’s topic of conversation might not resonate with everyone but it will become more and more relevant to you as your online business grows and develops. At some point you will have to consider getting help or risk being stuck overloaded with work and just UNHAPPY about your work as you were when you decided to start it in order to get away from your 9 to 5 J.O.B

Yeah, I use the 3 letter word and I apologize but the truth is - most of us start with online business to get away from that nasty word and in process of development manage to overload ourselves to the point where we forget why we started!

Today’s guest - Amy Holding will give us the details you need in order to successful simplify your life - How And Why Consider Virtual Assistant!

Questions below supplied by me while all the answers provided by Amy.

1. What exactly is Virtual Assistant?

This is a great question as the exact definition of a VA continues to be a hotly debated topic among many within the industry. In my opinion, it is normal for the term virtual assistant to mean different things to different people. The functions and tasks that a Virtual Assistant perform is very much dependent upon their professional niche as well as the industry and needs of the underlying client they choose to join in partnership with.

Traditionally a Virtual Assistant’s focus was mainly on general administrative services. But this has and continues to change as entrepreneurs and small business owners rely more and more heavily on the visibility of their internet presence.. Virtual Assistants have expanded their expertise to provide assistance with internet marketing, copywriting, teleseminars and on-line video services ( just to name a few) so that they can provide a more complete package to their clients. But with this expansion in expertise, the lines get blurry for some. As an example, a VA with expertise in copywriting does not mean they are a copywriter, it means they are an expert in assisting with copywriting functions.

2. How would someone go about locating a VA that qualifies?

There are several VA associations that contain directories of their members and corresponding qualifications. The two that come to my mind as excellent starting points are the International Virtual Assistants Association (IVAA - http://www.ivaa.org/) and the VA Networking Forum (http://www.mediamage.com/va/). Both have search directories as well as the option to submit an RFP.

Another good method for finding a qualified VA is through social networks liked Linked-In, Twitter, Facebook and Ning. In my opinion, Linked-In provides a great platform for looking through a prospective VA’s work history, references, testimonials etc.

3. Why should I choose more expensive, US based VA over offers from Asia?

This is a tough question to answer as finding success with a VA is just as much about the partnership as it is the VA’s skill set. I don’t believe the country of origin has much to do with it at all, but rather the dynamics between you and the VA. I can tell you that in my experience, most US based VAs are solopreneurs and/or small business owners just like the clients they serve. They not only can be relied on as task-doers, but also as a faithful partner, sounding board and extension of your business. Being business owners themselves they understand that your success and gains ultimately result in their own success and gains.

4. Can you name some of the more instant benefits for Online Business from VA

The most instant benefit you will receive is time. Regardless of what you enlist the support of a VA for (i.e. internet marketing, analytic’s, general administration, project management etc. ) the immediate gain will always be the time you have to focus on your core business.

5. Any points you think will be beneficial to the readers of my blog in regards to the VA?

When looking for a VA, remember that you are developing a partnership. And the success of the partnership is not only dependent upon the VA’s skill set and expertise, but also on how well the two of you can work together at getting business initiatives into action and then completed. When entering into a new relationship with a VA give them sight of your big picture goals and be open to two-way straight-talk.

6. And last but not least - can you describe what do you personally offer and how we can find out more about you?

More Good Advice on Being Self-Employed

2009-02-24T13:51:00.000-08:00

We’ve been saying for some time that many, if not most, of the 2.6 million who lost their jobs in the United States last year are never going to go back to full-time employment (meaning they’d be working for someone else).

We know scores of people who either already have, or will soon, attempt to start up their own business, or at least to find a gig as a “free agent” (to borrow Dan Pink’s term).

However, it’s clearly easier to talk about becoming self-employed than it is to generate a living that way. There are lots of guidebooks and blogs out there you can turn to - I’ll catalog some of them shortly.

But in the meantime, there was a good if short piece in last Sunday’s New York Times: “Smoothing the Way to Self-Employment.” It’s basically a homespun set of ideas and advice from some who have gone before.

But don’t be naive about it either. As the article points out, the vast majority of people who set out to be their own boss don’t make it:

Fewer than half of all start-ups survive five years, and only 25 percent last 10 years, according to Ari Ginsberg, professor of management and organizations at the Stern School of Business at New York University. Moreover, a failed stint in self-employment is not exactly a plus for a résumé.

So if you’re thinking about hanging out your own shingle, good luck. But don’t depend on luck - be thoughtful, take it very seriously, and treat your startup venture just as seriously as you would a job someone else is paying you to do.

Distraction Hurt The Home Business

2009-02-24T07:41:00.000-08:00

Many adopt the idea of working at home because they like the idea of being with their children and their families. This can often be a problem.

If you do not take steps in the very beginning, you are going to be in big trouble later on. You must immediately set boundaries. You must ensure that business matters remain separate from family matters.

Remember that family and friends do not look at your new work at home venture like you do. Consider holding a family meeting so that you can discuss this right away.

Explain to them that even though you are home they still have to act as if you aren’t. In other words, they can’t call non stop with a passing thought and they can’t expect you to watch their kids while they run errands because you are home, and they can’t stop by uninvited.

Explain that you have a schedule to keep and this is how you get paid. You must make them understand that this is a business and must be managed as one.

You will have to put forth a lot of effort and time, especially in the developing stages. This could eliminate you from some family and social events for a while.

You must have an area of your home that is just for you to work in. This is your work space, not for the children to color in or to do their homework.

Explain that you have all of your work related materials and everything and it needs to stay organized. Even keep separate bank accounts, because if you merge bank accounts family with business bank accounts, you’ll be asking for a lot of problems at tax time.

Try as best as possible to maintain all hours worked and try to keep a schedule organized. You need a lot of breaks during the day to stretch.

It can be very difficult for children to understand that mommy or daddy is at home but can’t be bothered, especially for the younger ones. They can be quite distracting which can lead to you becoming aggravated.

You may need to hire a baby sitter for a few hours here and there. Even spouses and older children may find it difficult to adapt. Especially if you have only one computer, you will probably hear a million times, asking how long until you get off computer.

Multiple Streams Of Income

2009-02-24T07:35:00.000-08:00

Many home-based business owners have a single service or product they provide. They may sell e-books or crafts or speech-writing services. Specializing in one area is good for many reasons. For one, it makes marketing easier and helps that business build a solid reputation in one area.

Although specialization has its benefits, businesses who derive all of their profit from a single area are overall more susceptible to economic fluctuations and less profitable long term.

Everyone has a passion or a hobby. You know more than the average person about your area of interest. It really is of little consequence what your passion or hobby might be (up to a point). If you are interested in fishing, boating, skiing, sports, home improvement, flowers, gardens, decorating, cars, juggling balls, saving money, travel destinations or whatever. You can turn your passions into multiple streams of income

As these examples show, multiple streams of income can be derived in a number of ways if you think creatively. The key is to look for ways that complement your existing business.

There is an old saying that “don’t put all your eggs in one basket” which is very useful for the home based business people. So follow the rules strictly when you are creating multiple streams of income.

Broadly speaking multiple income streams fall in to two categories active and passive. Whilst passive income streams are on the face of it the most attractive you should be aware that many of those you see advertised online are what they seem -too good to be true. You’d do well to be suspicious of any scheme that requires money upfront -not all of them are scams but many are. Do as much research as you can and never spend more than you can afford to lose unless you’re certain of success.

Catch a variety of clients. No matter what you offer, a part of your target market is not going to be interested in hiring you. Why? Because they’d rather do it themselves. Or maybe they don’t have the money to hire you. Or maybe they do the same thing you do and would rather learn from you to better their own skills. By offering a product or a class or a group option, you’re widening your net. Not only are you able to help more people, but you’ll also be making more money doing it.

Law of Attraction: How Women Get the Lives They Want

2009-02-23T09:24:00.000-08:00

Is your life exactly how you want it to be? Most of us find there’s something we want more out of life. It might be your relationship, perhaps it’s your job or maybe it is your finances or your health. Millions of women from around the world use the law of attraction successfully to get the lives they want. Here’s how you can do it too.
The Law of Attraction - Rules to Live By
What is the Law of Attraction? In simplest terms, it is using positive focus to attract positive things into your life. If you want to attract more money into your life then turn your thoughts to money. It seems too good to be true but it is not a gimmick. On the other hand, if you focus on the negatives in your life, negative situations are all you will attract. No one wants that.
Focus on the Positive
For the law of attraction to begin to work, define your focus. You may want something that you don’t currently have, but the idea is to frame it in a positive light. For instance, if you have a mountain of credit card debt, don’t concentrate on the amount of debt or how long it will take you to get rid of it. Turn those thoughts to how you will feel as a financially free person who is creating wealth instead of debt.
Are you lying to yourself? Absolutely not! You’re simply focusing on being grateful for what you do have and letting yourself feel the emotions associated with gratitude. Imagine how you’d feel if you already had your deepest desire. If it’s your ideal job, financial freedom, a great body, whatever you’re really longing for you can attract by feeling gratitude for what you have and by allowing yourself to feel as if you already have what you want.
Let Go of some Things
Sometimes when too much emphasis is placed on a desire it becomes a need. For example, “I need to pay off this debt.” You may put a positive spin on it and say in your mind, “I need to be financially free,” however the need is still there. Need carries with it too much attachment. The Law of Attraction works when you can live your life as if you already have everything you want and let go of the ‘need’ for more. You can desire more and know that you’re going to get it; however ‘needing’ more just puts the brakes on the power of attraction. It’s a conscious roadblock you put up between you and getting what you truly desire.
First Steps
Here is the exciting part. What kinds of things do you want to attract into your life? Start with a list of the current things you are grateful for. Take it one step further. Instead of making resolutions like “I want to be debt free,” say “I have $500,000 in the bank for retirement.” Now your desire is an affirmation. How does it feel to have that much in the bank for your future? Remember that feeling and now have faith that you can attract what you want to you.
The Law of Attraction is a very powerful tool in helping you to attract and achieve the life you want.

Home Business Dreams Can Come True

2009-02-23T09:05:00.000-08:00

If you want to earn cash online it is very likely that you have looked for legitimate ways to accomplish this and the results may have not been desirable. Many people are voicing a want and a need to work from home.
Gas prices are off the hook and for those who have little ones at home, there is the cost of child care. These costs are eliminated when you work at your own home office.
This is the era of people who feel they can do a job and be compensated for it while staying home. Just remember that when you are doing your research not to let a few bad apples ruin the whole bunch.
There are many people who earn very good money every day. Making this money will allow you to enjoy life in many ways. You will be able to live comfortably, go on vacation, and even perhaps save. The thing is to find something you enjoy, you’re good at, and that pays well enough. Once you realize that then you are golden. In the meantime, do not get frustrated while you are looking for.
Make yourself known online, get around! There will be lots of choices but you should stay away from anyone who claims you will get rich quick or those who ask you for money. There are many very reputable and legitimate businesses that are more than happy to pay you for your time and services. You are going to have to put in some effort and some time at least until you get established if you want to become successful.
Remember that the competition is tough so you must act in a positive manner. Be quick and efficient. You may want to explore a few options but then find your niche and stay there.
There are many choices, Google AdSense, a subsidiary of marketing, and even online casinos can appeal to a good harvest. Look in some forums and online search online opportunities; you will be surprised what you will find.
The possibilities are really endless when it comes to working at home, especially, when the Internet is your greatest tool. Self-employed workers can earn a lot of money doing some writing for other people and payment is made almost immediately after their completion.
Direct sales are great! You can select another product, market and when someone wants to buy you just pass the information along. They dispatch and you make a percentage of profits.

Something You Need To Know About Solihull Businesses

2009-02-21T12:16:00.000-08:00

The town centre consists of a thoughtful blend of indoor and outdoor retailers with its picturesque pedestrianised High Street, Mell Square Shopping Centre and Touchwood are Town Centre Shopping, Mell Square Shopping Centre has an attractive open air environment and most of which are open 7 days a week enviable blend of over 90 stores including major names, it is a specialist independent shops where you can buy exclusive designer labels. Our vision for Touchwood was to create an environment that not only extended the retail, commercial and leisure offer of Solihull but also integrated into the existing fabric of the town centre.

Another Shopping centre Touchwood is committed to providing Solihull with an attractive environment and vibrant range of stores. In recent years, our guest’s experience has been further enhanced with events such as seasonal fashion shows and music festivals in Solihull shopping centers. The regular markets both French goods and Farmers arefeaturing produce to take place in both Solihull Town Centre and in Shirley.

Touchwood comprises three naturally lit arcades with contemporary architecture and luxurious leather sofas. Home to the Midlands’ only John Lewis store there are over 80 stores, a multi-screen cinema complex and a host of bars and restaurants. Touchwood also provides family facilities, web services, a quiet room and chaplaincy service.

An attractive metropolitan borough with its own unique character was established by Solihull. A beautifully landscaped courtyard with easy wheelchair access set around is a wonderful selection of small businesses. Box Trees Farm Arts and Craft Centre, Stratford Road, Hockley Heath are Craft Centers. Not only these Craft centre with equestrian dressage facilities, 18 specialist craft and gift shops, the lakes emporium being the largest with gifts for the home and garden from around the world, play area for children, restaurant/tea rooms selling homemade produce and ice cream.

Meaning ’soily hill’, and at the edge of the beautiful countryside, it is just two miles away from has frequent train and bus services to Birmingham and the rest of the West Midlands. Solihull is a compact town with an accessible and modern shopping centre. Birmingham City Centre is a dynamic city has a fantastic abundance of shops and malls such as The Pallasades, Pavilion Central and The Mailbox. From early days Solihull businesses have been clearing a field of unknown size is known to history buffs.

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Home Business Opportunity

2009-02-21T07:23:00.000-08:00

People as a rule associate home based business residual income with the internet. It is sad though that the internet full of people who try to sell you false dreams. Perhaps the safest and most genuine home business opportunity for you is the one which you start on your own. Think of putting your talents to use and make money from home. You have to be passionate about something.

Of course besides being passionate about what you are doing, there has to be a demand for the product or service. And, many times people will hear having a love for what you are doing will make you money which is just not true. So make sure that what you are doing will be a money maker. Going strictly off of your interest alone is a recipe for failure.

If you are new to online marketing start off small in money terms. Think of it as a “learn while you earn” course. This will keep you focused and your wallet will not get light too fast. There are home based business residual income programs with established online companies to start off with and some as little as ten dollars a month.

You can not achieve success unless you are prepared to pay the price for achieving that success. In order to succeed there is a need to constantly upgrade your skill set and knowledge base with legitimate home based businesses. Luckily the internet can also be used for accessing information and advice on business opportunities. Here are some home business opportunity ideas which could be worth exploring.

Firstly, have you ever thought of becoming a domain name reseller? If you are comfortable with the search engines and like gathering information, this could be a lucrative home business idea. There are many companies which depend on the information from the net. The best part is that you could make good money from these companies if you provide the essential information.

Resume writing is another good legitimate home based businesses idea if your writing skills are good. Not many people have the time, inclination or the right writing skills to write a good CV. The start up costs for a part-time business should be low. Job seekers want to beat other contenders with a brilliant CV. The internet is the single largest reserve for finding information on CV writing and any other type of writing.

The answering service is the third home business opportunity idea which could be a possible option. While you help them save time, you could earn a half decent income from it! You know what I mean. There is hardly anything you need other than a new telephone line. It must be friendly and warm. The internet is giving us free access to enormous amounts of information. Learn to use the benefits of the internet instead of falling for the scams and you can be well on your way to a legitimate home based businesses.

Drivers of Entrepreneurial Success

2009-02-20T09:09:00.000-08:00

When you are thinking about starting a business it’s natural to ask yourself if you have what it takes to succeed. You see other successful business people and think “how did they get to where they are?”. Then you start comparing yourself against them, and your perceptions of what it takes to make it.

What Does it Take to Succeed as an Entrepreneur?

So what are the main factors in order to make it in business, or as an entrepreneur? Maybe you’ve thought that to hit the big time you need one, or all, of the following:

*MBA from an Ivy League School
*A great idea that nobody has thought of before
*Luck
*A “secret” weapon that guarantees success?
*Good looks
*All the above

There must be something right…I mean they are successful people, and if you haven’t even begun it can be pretty easy to assume they have something that you don’t. Keep reading.

The Real Drivers to Entrepreneurial Success

In a recent survey conducted by SurePayroll of small business owners and entrepreneurs, when asked “What are the drivers of entrepreneurial success?” they answered:.

1. Person’s drive and ambition 27.2%
2. Person’s passion for a specific business venture 14.9%
3. Hands-on experience in the industry 13.5%
4. Easy access to capital to start a business 13.1%
5. Personal connections 11.5%
6. Family members who are entrepreneurs 10.0%
7. Formal education 9.9%

If you’ve been sitting on that great business idea because you were second guessing whether or not you have what it takes to succeed, this survey should give you reason to rejoice.

I don’t doubt for a second that anyone who reads this blog on a regular basis doesn’t have drive, ambition, and passion.

If you’re thinking about starting a business – those top three should come naturally. And look how important they are in the minds of all those “successful” people that you have been comparing yourself too.

Does that change your outlook at all on what it takes to make it?

Let’s hear from you. Do you think the survey responses reflect the true drivers to entrepreneurial success?

Business Plan Basics

2009-02-20T09:03:00.000-08:00

1. Create a vision.

It’s tempting to roll up your sleeves and plunge right into the details of your business: evaluating products, studying market segments, and sizing up your competition. Yet it’s possible to get so caught up in the process of planning a business that you lose sight of what you’re planning for.

Before you get lost in the details, take a step back. Outline a clear vision and a coherent set of values for your company. Develop a mission statement and use it to define short-term goals and priorities. Once you have a clear road map for your business, you can plan your journey with more confidence.

2. A budget isn’t the same thing as a plan.

You can’t create a solid business plan without a budget and a financial forecast. But a budget should be the product of all the other elements in your plan. If you don’t have a clear picture of your industry, customers, competitors, and market conditions before you develop a budget, your numbers aren’t likely to reflect reality.

3. Don’t ignore your customers.

This may sound obvious, but too many entrepreneurs assume they know exactly what their customers need without bothering to ask. Take the time to learn about your customers and build your business plan around their needs and desires.

4. Don’t shortchange the competition.

If you assume your firm will be the only game in town or if you fail to take existing competitors seriously, you’re asking for trouble. Your competitors can be a great source of information about what works and what doesn’t.

5. Be prepared to take risks.

Creating a business plan isn’t about avoiding risk; it’s about understanding and managing risk. That’s why a good business plan anticipates possible challenges and includes a variety of scenarios for meeting those challenges. There’s a difference between a calculated risk and recklessness, and your plan can help you make that distinction.

6. Get a second (or third) opinion.

The most experienced entrepreneur can still benefit from a different point of view. Even if you’re the only person involved in your business, find someone who can study your plan objectively and point out possible weaknesses you might have missed.

7. Expect the unexpected.

Every business plan needs some wiggle room to allow for unexpected changes. Part of this involves creating budgets and marketing plans with some built-in flexibility; but adapting to change also requires you to accept that you might have to modify or even abandon business practices that worked well in the past.

8. Don’t forget what makes you unique.

A cookie-cutter business plan might help you get started, but it won’t help you succeed. And while it helps to look at your competitors, don’t model your business after them. After all, you’re in business to beat the competition. Learn from your competitors’ strengths, but also learn how to spot their weaknesses and use them to improve your own business plan.

9. What’s the point?

Building a business involves hard work and struggle. But it should also include a clear set of rewards, both for you and your employees. When you set goals in your business plan, include some concrete motivation that goes beyond the satisfaction of a job well done.

10. Don’t skip the plan!

Of course, the biggest mistake of all is failing to create a business plan in the first place. Planning is hard work, and there’s no guarantee it will make your business succeed. But a good plan is still the best way to turn your vision into a realistic, coherent business.

Business Plans That Get The Money

2009-02-20T09:00:00.000-08:00

The development of a business plan is a key component to getting your small business off the ground.

A business plan wears many hats in the world of an entrepreneur.

It helps validate the potential of a business idea, lays the groundwork for the management structure, details a marketing plan and budget, describes the types of customers the business will attract, assesses the competition, and is the single most important document when approaching investors or creditors who may provide your business with financial support.

So, how do you write a business plan that gets the money?

Write the business plan from the investors perspective

In your business plan you should be able to see your business through the investors eyes, and address any concerns of a would be investor. Your business plan should demonstrate you are an expert in your field, and that you have clear goals and a clear mission with your business. Give the investors a reason to lay their hard earned money on your idea, your business, and you.

Have a detailed management plan

Investors invest in management, not just concepts or ideas. Expressing your knowledge, passion, and dedication to your business, as well as the competence of those working around you, will go a long way in establishing the trust necessary to secure investors.

Show the investors you know you customers

Communicate in your business plan an understanding of your target customers. Who are your customers, how you will reach them, how will they reach you, and why do you think your business is fit to serve this market are all questions you will need to answer.

In Closing

If you develop your business plan to address the above you will be well on your way to obtaining outside capital, and having a business plan that will get you the money! This is a good exercise even if you don’t think you will be requesting outside capital…you’re still writing the business plan for an investor -YOU!

Easy Online Home Jobs

2009-02-19T12:24:00.000-08:00

The largest search engine in the world today is Google, and they run one of the most successful affiliate marketing programs known as Google Adsense. You can join their programming and actually get paid every time someone clicks on an ad that you place on your website.
The reason that this is the easiest way to make money online is because you do not actually sell anything and you get paid strictly by the click. You may be thinking okay, what is the catch!There really is no catch other then there is a skill to making money with Google Adsense. It all starts with how you lay the ads out on the page.You'll be pasting JavaScript code into your file and then Google will automatically display various advertisers based on what they feel the content of that particular page is about. The nice thing is that they display the advertisers for you.

The skill comes in how to choose the right sized ads, how to blend them into the page, and these sorts of things. Google does offer training on this and this is not something that is rocket science to do.You will not get rich on a single click but you can over a period of time make a very good income just on Adsense clicks. Of course, like anything on the Internet, how much money you make will be in direct proportion to the amount of traffic that you are able to get to your website.Google is not the only ppc advertising program available to you to make money with. Other very good pay per click companies that offer affiliate programs include Bidvertiser, Searchfeed, 7search, and many others.

To summarize this is an easy way to make money because you're asking very little from your visitor. Many people make anywhere from a little bit of extra money month to full-time incomes just with Google Adsense alone. So it's worth your time to learn a little bit more about it and see if you too can make money online this easy way.

Essential Characteristics When You Work From Home

2009-02-19T12:19:00.000-08:00

here is tremendous growth and excitement occurring right now for people who are looking to become a wealthy marketer and work from home. So why is there such a surge in this industry?

We hear it in the news everyday about corporate layoffs, foreclosures, companies shutting down, rising gas prices, etc. Unfortunately, people are feeling insecure with their jobs more than ever. There are many occupations on thin ice with employees having no idea where the path may lead in the end with such a failing economy. Many are concerned and are now looking to take control of their own lives and especially their futures. This is the motivating force behind the tremendous growth in the work from home industry.

An economist recently predicted that in the next 10 years, the two occupations where millionaires will be created are in the wellness and network marketing/work from home industry. This growth will have many households producing a net worth that will reach well into the seven digits. How will this be achieved? Much of this will be achieved by utilizing the internet and the wealth of opportunities it has to offer. As a result, there are many individuals and families reaping great rewards and benefits from this work from home industry. In addition, it is changing their lives for the better and will never again be concerned with job lay offs, foreclosures, debt and more.

Many are still missing out on this tremendous growth in the work from home industry. This is not due to the lack of effort or desire. It is occurring because many have the mindset that they are only capable of what their minds believe they can accomplish.

There are many and almost uncountable work from home opportunities to choose from utilizing the internet. This includes most MLM businesses that can take a few months and even a few years to sufficiently develop a network that enables a person to make a significant income with what we call in the industry 1-up and 2-up businesses. These require you to pass up your first few sales to your upline sponsor before you are actually qualified to earn a commission. This also doesn’t include the initial start up cost to even join.

The start up costs in the work from home industry can run anywhere from $100 to thousands of dollars. I’ve seen costs as high as $20,000. You also need to be knowledgeable in marketing your business with your work from home opportunity. This knowledge is required in order for you to be successful. Most never acquire this knowledge correctly, are unwilling to learn and eventually give up. Then, in turn blame the industry. In addition, by spending more money on generating leads to get people interested in your business, you compound the problem before you even get started.

When you are choosing a work from home opportunity, there are important characteristics to consider. Keep in mind that it is not if you want to start a work from home opportunity, but which one you should choose. Here are some key characteristics to follow:

1. Offer a service or product that your customers want and can relate to. Believe in the product yourself!

2. Choose a business that has an automated business system in place. These automated systems are designed to provide the initial contact and selling for you. As a result, the automated system will make efficient use of your time.

3. The most important characteristic in choosing your business is having a successful mentor that includes a strong support and training system. Without this, you will be treading water and going nowhere.

Finding a work from home opportunity that includes these essential characteristics is the key to your success. Once you have located one, you will need to develop a business plan that has start up and ongoing costs which will fit into your budget. It’s a business. You need to invest money to make money. You can’t start a work from home opportunity for free. But how much you initially invest is important. Start small and allow for growth.

By having a work from home opportunity that allows you to make income efficiently, it will yield you a quick return on your initial investment. So make sure your work from home business has these essential characteristics in place. Your whole experience will be much more fun and lucrative. In addition, you will acquire knowledge that will serve you well in the future.

Many people, both men and women are earning a significant income while they work from home. It is easy for you to become one of them. Simply apply these characteristics and research the work from home opportunities that are there. Find one that best suits your needs, set your goals and run with it. You’ll like the results.