By: Adriana Copaceanu
The gifting market is a $253 billion market, meaning that almost 1% of the money spent on retail is to buy a gift. This is great news for the gift professionals everywhere. With several major gifting holidays, and many other gifting occasions throughout the year, opportunity is knocking at your door.
But how do you get started?
Here are some basics needed to start a gift basket business:
First, you need to do your research:
-who is your competition?
-who is your target market?
-who are your potential customers?
Write a business plan: this will help you put your goals and ideas into a clear format, and serve as a place to go back and check how you are doing.
Write a marketing plan:
-how are you going to attract your potential customers?
-will you profit from corporate clients, foot traffic, or a combination of ways?
Once you’ve done the above, choose a business name, get your business llicense and Tax ID.
Take time when you choose your business name: when you first start, you may want to have your name included in your business name, or even a "cute" name, but later on, as you get corporate customers, you'll realize that your name has a great impact on how your customers perceive you. If your market is "new moms", by all means use some name they can relate to, but if you plan on getting corporate clients, give it a professional name.
Next step would be to get insurance for your business: yes, it's costly. But not having one could be devastating to your company's financial future, or, if you are set up as a Sole Proprietor, your family's financial future. Business insurance is very important, and one of the costs of doing business.
You are now ready to order your inventory, and start your first prototypes.
Next, get a business phone line. And it's important that only you or one of your trained staff answer the phone. Many of us start in our homes, to be home with our kids, and that is wonderful. But if your kids are screaming in the background, don't pick up the phone: while another mom could understand your predicament, the busy assistant of a large company will probably not want to put up with that.
Once you are all set for business, you'll want to get a website, so that your clients can order on line if they choose to do so. In the last few years web design costs came down a lot, so it's not as expensive as in the past.
These are just the first few steps to get you started. Have fun and never stop learning.
Article by:
Adriana Copaceanu is an experienced gift professional who loves helping others. For tips on taking your gift basket business to the next level, visit Gift Professional Resource Center and www.giftbiz101.com.
Saturday
Start Your Home Business And Make Money Right Away - Without Any Talent, Experience Or Skills
By Michael Senoff
For whatever reason, people hesitate starting a home business and making money at home because they don't think they're "qualified." They think they need more education. They think they are missing something and not sure if they are "ready."
But the thing is, you can make money at home (or anywhere else for that matter) without knowing a thing about business, selling, marketing, or running a company.
How do I know?
Because it happens to people with no skills, talents, money or experience all the time.
In fact, most of the really successful business owners out there are not good at everything their business does. They delegate and outsource. They find people to do the things they can't or aren't good at, and just focus on the one or two things they are good at.
I think the ultimate example of this would be -- and I hate to use this example, but it's apt -- Hugh Hefner, the guy who owns Playboy Magazine.
He creates his magazines and doesn't do any of the writing, selling, photography or anything. He just kind of walks around in a robe with women all day. He's the personality behind the operation. And that's what he does. He leaves everything else to others more capable than himself.
And by surrounding himself with talent, instead of trying to "be" the talent, he built the Play Boy empire.
Now, I'm not saying you have to get into a raunchy magazine business or anything like that. My point here is, you can start your home business whenever you want. If you don't know what you're doing, simply find people to do the stuff you can't or don't want to do and just focus on the one or two things you can do.
These days with the Internet and the many dirt cheap service provider auction sites, you can outsource just about anything you want -- the sales, bookkeeping, marketing, copywriting, all of it.
So if you are wanting to start a home business, don't let fear of not knowing enough about business or lack of real world experience stop you.
Michael Senoff is a sought-after Internet marketer, interviewer and business coach with more than 50,000 students on four continents. He is also an expert on showing people how to create their own high ticket information products from scratch using just your telephone. For a 100% FREE REPORT that reveals how you can take your own ordinary book, e-book or even a concept and turn it into a information product you can sell for up to $3,900 or more go to:
http://hardtofindseminars.com/Audio_Marketing_Service.htm
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Senoff
For whatever reason, people hesitate starting a home business and making money at home because they don't think they're "qualified." They think they need more education. They think they are missing something and not sure if they are "ready."
But the thing is, you can make money at home (or anywhere else for that matter) without knowing a thing about business, selling, marketing, or running a company.
How do I know?
Because it happens to people with no skills, talents, money or experience all the time.
In fact, most of the really successful business owners out there are not good at everything their business does. They delegate and outsource. They find people to do the things they can't or aren't good at, and just focus on the one or two things they are good at.
I think the ultimate example of this would be -- and I hate to use this example, but it's apt -- Hugh Hefner, the guy who owns Playboy Magazine.
He creates his magazines and doesn't do any of the writing, selling, photography or anything. He just kind of walks around in a robe with women all day. He's the personality behind the operation. And that's what he does. He leaves everything else to others more capable than himself.
And by surrounding himself with talent, instead of trying to "be" the talent, he built the Play Boy empire.
Now, I'm not saying you have to get into a raunchy magazine business or anything like that. My point here is, you can start your home business whenever you want. If you don't know what you're doing, simply find people to do the stuff you can't or don't want to do and just focus on the one or two things you can do.
These days with the Internet and the many dirt cheap service provider auction sites, you can outsource just about anything you want -- the sales, bookkeeping, marketing, copywriting, all of it.
So if you are wanting to start a home business, don't let fear of not knowing enough about business or lack of real world experience stop you.
Michael Senoff is a sought-after Internet marketer, interviewer and business coach with more than 50,000 students on four continents. He is also an expert on showing people how to create their own high ticket information products from scratch using just your telephone. For a 100% FREE REPORT that reveals how you can take your own ordinary book, e-book or even a concept and turn it into a information product you can sell for up to $3,900 or more go to:
http://hardtofindseminars.com/Audio_Marketing_Service.htm
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Senoff
Friday
Virtual Retail Boom Creates Unique Shipping Challenges
(NewsUSA) - Who could have predicted that online buying and selling would become the giant international business that it is today?
Everything from electronics, cars, clothing, collectibles, sporting goods, toys, antiques, books -; you name it -; can be found at online auction sites like eBay. According to the online auction giant, eBay is the most popular shopping destination on the Internet.
Why are online auctions all the rage? From collectible toy trains to custom-built furniture, you can find a variety of extraordinary items not found at your local mall.
And for those putting their large, bulky or fragile goods up for bids, selling is easy compared to figuring out how to get the items shipped to their new owners.
Seeking solutions to these and other shipping hassles, many online auctioneers are turning to professional packing, crating and shipping services, such as Pak Mail Centers. They can ship anything, anywhere in the world.
Pak Mail can handle any shipping challenge, according to the company. From items both small and precious, to entire truckloads, your items will arrive at their destinations in one piece and on time.
There is also an extended menu of services, including custom-built, wooden shipping crates for bulky and valuable items. Items that have been successfully shipped include an antique Japanese sword, an elephant skeleton and even artificial limbs.
Pick-up service is available at most locations. Pak Mail can also provide estimated shipping costs, which allows an online seller to know ahead of time how much cost to factor in for shipping when listing an item for auction.
For the do-it-yourself shipper, Pak Mail Centers also carry a large selection of packaging supplies. For more information, call 800-778-6665 or visit www.pakmail.com.
Everything from electronics, cars, clothing, collectibles, sporting goods, toys, antiques, books -; you name it -; can be found at online auction sites like eBay. According to the online auction giant, eBay is the most popular shopping destination on the Internet.
Why are online auctions all the rage? From collectible toy trains to custom-built furniture, you can find a variety of extraordinary items not found at your local mall.
And for those putting their large, bulky or fragile goods up for bids, selling is easy compared to figuring out how to get the items shipped to their new owners.
Seeking solutions to these and other shipping hassles, many online auctioneers are turning to professional packing, crating and shipping services, such as Pak Mail Centers. They can ship anything, anywhere in the world.
Pak Mail can handle any shipping challenge, according to the company. From items both small and precious, to entire truckloads, your items will arrive at their destinations in one piece and on time.
There is also an extended menu of services, including custom-built, wooden shipping crates for bulky and valuable items. Items that have been successfully shipped include an antique Japanese sword, an elephant skeleton and even artificial limbs.
Pick-up service is available at most locations. Pak Mail can also provide estimated shipping costs, which allows an online seller to know ahead of time how much cost to factor in for shipping when listing an item for auction.
For the do-it-yourself shipper, Pak Mail Centers also carry a large selection of packaging supplies. For more information, call 800-778-6665 or visit www.pakmail.com.
Thursday
Dropshipping: A Step Beyond Affiliate Marketing
By Matthew Bredel
As I continue to grow as an affiliate marketer, I strive to learn new and more diverse opportunities to make money online. Remember that the one of the most common suggestions of online entrepreneurs is to create multiple streams of incomes from many different campaign and programs. Further, understanding the multiple types of online money making programs helps you find the “niche” that will ultimately make you the most money.
For some, affiliate marketing may seem a bit intimidating: It is driven a lot by reviews, reports, advertising, promotion and sales. In affiliate marketing, you, the online entrepreneur, are just a middle man: You direct people to your site (or landing page) and it is your job to convince them to buy from another website. If you achieve your goals, you will receive a portion of the sales, lead or click that came from your site. There are a few downfalls to this:
1) You have no control over the selling site.
2) You must rely on their ad-copy as much as your ad-copy to ultimately make the sale
3) You lose sales tracking ability the minute the buyer leaves your site. Tracking sales to ad campaigns is very difficult.
4) You are competing against other affiliate marketers.
5) Relatively speaking, compensation can be low and out of your control.
For example, I currently promote a product that the website founder likes to change the price and the commission of the product very regularly. Some weeks I make close to $30 per sale, other weeks, less than $8 per sale (for the SAME product!). As an affiliate marketer, what I am to do? I either must grin and bear it or drop them as an affiliate.
So what other options are there to help reduce these issues? The closest program to affiliate marketing that reduces or eliminates the affiliate marketing issues is dropshipping. With dropshipping, you are actually selling the product; you are no longer the middle man. This is similar to buying wholesale and marking up the price for each product, but with a little twist! With dropshipping, you only purchase the product AFTER someone purchases the product from you. In addition, the product is never in your hands; it is shipped directly to the end customer.
For example, let’s say you want to sell ipods. First, you would find a dropshipper that sells the product (at a below market value to you). Second, you create a website, an eBay auction, Amazon Shop, etc. When someone makes a purchase, you return to the dropshipping site, place the order for them, include their address information and the sale is completed. Your earning is the price difference between the final customer cost and the wholesale cost + shipping cost + dropshipping fee. Let’s say that your wholesale cost of an ipod is $150 and you sell it for $200. The dropshipper charges you $18 for shipping and $2 for the dropship fee. Your profit on the sales is then $30.
What are the advantages over affiliate marketing?
1) Control of the final landing page and how the product is presented.
2) Less competition
3) Ability to set your own price and earnings
4) Ability to track your sales to completion
5) Less time required (in some cases) creating an avenue to sell the products (through eBay and Amazon, for example)
6) Potential higher earnings per sale (relative to affiliate marketing)
What are the disadvantages over affiliate marketing?
1) You are now required the action of purchasing each product after a sale
2) Setting up payment methods (though companies like Paypal make this pretty easy…they just take a percentage of the sales)
3) Direct contact with the customer
4) Finding the right product at the right price with the right dropshipper can take some time and negotiating.
5) Higher risk of fraud and poor dropshipping companies.
As similar as the two programs are, they are quite different in what they have to offer you. Affiliate marketing usually requires a bit more front-end work, but once the commissions start coming, the maintenance is fairly minimal. As for dropshipping, you can get set-up and going relatively quickly. With superstores like eBay and Amazon, dropshipping requires no custom landing pages and minimal promotion. This, however, requires a little more work throughout the existence of the campaign. The per-sale-action ultimately requires more work in the long run. Both work very well, but it is up to you to choose which one works best…maybe it is both!
Matthew is a 31 year old online entrepreneur and engineer currently living in San Diego, CA.
Visit http://www.TheWebReviewer.com for more money making articles, resources and reviews on today’s hottest online money making ventures.
For more details on Dropshipping programs, visit http://Dropshipping.TheWebReviewer.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Matthew_Bredel
As I continue to grow as an affiliate marketer, I strive to learn new and more diverse opportunities to make money online. Remember that the one of the most common suggestions of online entrepreneurs is to create multiple streams of incomes from many different campaign and programs. Further, understanding the multiple types of online money making programs helps you find the “niche” that will ultimately make you the most money.
For some, affiliate marketing may seem a bit intimidating: It is driven a lot by reviews, reports, advertising, promotion and sales. In affiliate marketing, you, the online entrepreneur, are just a middle man: You direct people to your site (or landing page) and it is your job to convince them to buy from another website. If you achieve your goals, you will receive a portion of the sales, lead or click that came from your site. There are a few downfalls to this:
1) You have no control over the selling site.
2) You must rely on their ad-copy as much as your ad-copy to ultimately make the sale
3) You lose sales tracking ability the minute the buyer leaves your site. Tracking sales to ad campaigns is very difficult.
4) You are competing against other affiliate marketers.
5) Relatively speaking, compensation can be low and out of your control.
For example, I currently promote a product that the website founder likes to change the price and the commission of the product very regularly. Some weeks I make close to $30 per sale, other weeks, less than $8 per sale (for the SAME product!). As an affiliate marketer, what I am to do? I either must grin and bear it or drop them as an affiliate.
So what other options are there to help reduce these issues? The closest program to affiliate marketing that reduces or eliminates the affiliate marketing issues is dropshipping. With dropshipping, you are actually selling the product; you are no longer the middle man. This is similar to buying wholesale and marking up the price for each product, but with a little twist! With dropshipping, you only purchase the product AFTER someone purchases the product from you. In addition, the product is never in your hands; it is shipped directly to the end customer.
For example, let’s say you want to sell ipods. First, you would find a dropshipper that sells the product (at a below market value to you). Second, you create a website, an eBay auction, Amazon Shop, etc. When someone makes a purchase, you return to the dropshipping site, place the order for them, include their address information and the sale is completed. Your earning is the price difference between the final customer cost and the wholesale cost + shipping cost + dropshipping fee. Let’s say that your wholesale cost of an ipod is $150 and you sell it for $200. The dropshipper charges you $18 for shipping and $2 for the dropship fee. Your profit on the sales is then $30.
What are the advantages over affiliate marketing?
1) Control of the final landing page and how the product is presented.
2) Less competition
3) Ability to set your own price and earnings
4) Ability to track your sales to completion
5) Less time required (in some cases) creating an avenue to sell the products (through eBay and Amazon, for example)
6) Potential higher earnings per sale (relative to affiliate marketing)
What are the disadvantages over affiliate marketing?
1) You are now required the action of purchasing each product after a sale
2) Setting up payment methods (though companies like Paypal make this pretty easy…they just take a percentage of the sales)
3) Direct contact with the customer
4) Finding the right product at the right price with the right dropshipper can take some time and negotiating.
5) Higher risk of fraud and poor dropshipping companies.
As similar as the two programs are, they are quite different in what they have to offer you. Affiliate marketing usually requires a bit more front-end work, but once the commissions start coming, the maintenance is fairly minimal. As for dropshipping, you can get set-up and going relatively quickly. With superstores like eBay and Amazon, dropshipping requires no custom landing pages and minimal promotion. This, however, requires a little more work throughout the existence of the campaign. The per-sale-action ultimately requires more work in the long run. Both work very well, but it is up to you to choose which one works best…maybe it is both!
Matthew is a 31 year old online entrepreneur and engineer currently living in San Diego, CA.
Visit http://www.TheWebReviewer.com for more money making articles, resources and reviews on today’s hottest online money making ventures.
For more details on Dropshipping programs, visit http://Dropshipping.TheWebReviewer.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Matthew_Bredel
Wednesday
Top Ten Telecommuting Questions Answered
By: Leslie Truex
Intrigued by the idea of working at home in a job? Millions of people each year surf the Internet to find the perfect work-at-home job only to be overwhelmed by the number of scams and work-at-home schemes. One of the first steps to finding a legitimate work-at-home job is to understand what telecommuting is all about. Below are the answers to the top ten telecommuting questions.
1) What is telecommuting?
Telecommuting describes the situation in which a person works off-site for all or part of the workweek. In essence, he commutes via telephone or other telecommunication equipment such as a modem. He may telecommute from home, from a satellite location or mobile office. He doesn’t do assembly work, email processing, envelope stuffing, or ad placing.
2) How many people telecommute?
The number of telecommuters is difficult to compute. The International Telework Association and Council reports the number of employees who telecommuted at least 1 day per month increased from 23.5 million to 24.1 million in 2004. That number is over 137 million worldwide (Gartner Group). Further, employers offering telecommuting increased 22% in 2004 according to Lori Rosen, CCH workplace analyst in HR Networking: Work-Life Benefits.
The difficulty in determining the number of telecommuters is partly due to the ambiguity in defining the status of some workers. For example, many people who work at home are “hired” by a company but are contract workers not employees. Are they counted as telecommuters? How about freelancers who are also "hired" or contracted by companies to perform specific tasks? Whether or not these groups of people are counted in the over all population of telecommuters can significantly affect the resulting number of telecommuters. However, experts agree that the numbers of people who are working at home for a company are increasing steadily each year as the concept of telecommuting grows in acceptance.
3) What companies allow telecommuting?
Telecommuting can be found in companies and organization (including government agencies) of all sizes. AT&T is a pioneer in the telecommuting phenomena. Other organizations include Aetna, Gale Research, Journal Graphics, the Federal Government, many state governments, and even small privately owned companies. In essence, its everywhere.
4) What jobs are best suited for telecommuting?
While telecommuting jobs have expanded to include a large spectrum of job types, the jobs best suited to telecommuting are those in the technical field especially in computer programming and writing. However, telecommuting jobs can also be found in research, customer service, accounting, journalism, transcription, marketing and PR, sales, law, social work, nursing, and many other areas.
4) Do telecommuter’s get salaries and benefits?
Salaries and benefits are part of many telecommuting programs. They can be found mostly in situations in which an employee has made arrangements with his employer to work at home, and in highly skilled or professional jobs. Many of the telecommuting jobs found on the Internet are freelance or contract-based work in which the employee is paid on the amount of work completed. However, contract work doesn’t necessarily mean sales nor does it mean inconsistent income. There are many contract jobs that are steady in terms of work and compensation.
5) Do you have to pay for telecommuting jobs?
NO! Legitimate employers never charge to hire you. NEVER! Any place that tells you otherwise is selling you something. Telecommuting jobs are like any other job. You are hired because you have shown you have the skills and experience for the job. You wouldn’t pay your current boss for paper clips or to add you to payroll! The only time money may be involved in a work-at-home job is for equipment (not all companies supply the equipment – but you should be careful of any company that tries to sell you it’s equipment) or if you use a fee-based job database to locate work. Further, any job announcement that suggests you can sign-up to work isn’t a real job. There is always an application process.
6) Where can telecommuting jobs be found?
There are two ways to get a telecommuting job. The first is to consider your current job. Are there tasks at your current job that you could do at home? If so, create a Work-At-Home Proposal outlining your work-at-home plan and how it will benefit your company. The second way is to do a work-at-home job search. The best places to find these jobs are on career oriented websites. Many of the fee-based telecommuting job databases are very good and cut down search time significantly. But always do research before forking out money to a telecommuting service.
7) Do I need special skills?
Special skills, particularly in computer programming, will make it faster and easier to find a work-at-home job. But there are work-at-home jobs in many fields that don’t require any special degrees or skills. Basic skills you should have include writing, organizing, Internet use, research, and problem solving.
8) Do I need special equipment?
Maybe. Many telecommuting employees do not provide equipment or materials. A company is most likely to provide needed equipment if you are a full-time employee moving from an onsite position to a telecommuting one. In other cases, companies may reimburse the cost of some expenses such as materials and travel. In many cases, companies don’t supply or reimburse for anything. In this case, your expenses may be tax deductible, which is like getting reimbursed.
At the very least, you should have a fast computer with programs needed to do the job, a high-speed Internet connection, and possibly a second phone line and fax.
9) Is telecommuting suited to parents?
Telecommuting offers many benefits to parents but that doesn’t mean telecommuters can get by without childcare. Many companies require a written telecommuting agreement with childcare arrangements specified. Working at home with children can be difficult, as children need much attention and care. Even when they are engaged in an activity, they can be a distraction. If you plan to work at home, it would be wise to research different child care options such as pre-schools, co-ops, and play groups that could give you some uninterrupted time to work.
10) Does telecommuting work for everyone?
No. While telecommuting offers many benefits such as flexibility and no commute time, it does have its disadvantages. Working at home requires much self-discipline to avoid distractions such as the dishes and television. It can create resentment at the office especially if the office staff is unable to contact the telecommuter or ends up picking up extra work not being finished by the telecommuter. One of the biggest complaints by telecommuters is the isolation experienced by working at home. Telecommuters are left out of the formal and informal office social systems unless they make an effort to keep in touch with the office.
Telecommuting continues to grow as more and more businesses see the cost effectiveness of allowing people to do work from home. But to find telecommuting work requires the same amount of diligent effort and professionalism as needed in a traditional job search. Your best bet for finding legitimate telecommuting jobs is to understand telecommuting and the companies that use telecommuters.
Article by:
Leslie Truex is a stay and work-at-home mom and author of “Jobs At Home: A Complete Guide to Finding and Creating a Work-At-Home Job” which provides detailed telecommuting information and hundreds of job resources. Learn more and get her FREE 5 day Jobs At Home email course at www.jobsathomesuccess.com
Intrigued by the idea of working at home in a job? Millions of people each year surf the Internet to find the perfect work-at-home job only to be overwhelmed by the number of scams and work-at-home schemes. One of the first steps to finding a legitimate work-at-home job is to understand what telecommuting is all about. Below are the answers to the top ten telecommuting questions.
1) What is telecommuting?
Telecommuting describes the situation in which a person works off-site for all or part of the workweek. In essence, he commutes via telephone or other telecommunication equipment such as a modem. He may telecommute from home, from a satellite location or mobile office. He doesn’t do assembly work, email processing, envelope stuffing, or ad placing.
2) How many people telecommute?
The number of telecommuters is difficult to compute. The International Telework Association and Council reports the number of employees who telecommuted at least 1 day per month increased from 23.5 million to 24.1 million in 2004. That number is over 137 million worldwide (Gartner Group). Further, employers offering telecommuting increased 22% in 2004 according to Lori Rosen, CCH workplace analyst in HR Networking: Work-Life Benefits.
The difficulty in determining the number of telecommuters is partly due to the ambiguity in defining the status of some workers. For example, many people who work at home are “hired” by a company but are contract workers not employees. Are they counted as telecommuters? How about freelancers who are also "hired" or contracted by companies to perform specific tasks? Whether or not these groups of people are counted in the over all population of telecommuters can significantly affect the resulting number of telecommuters. However, experts agree that the numbers of people who are working at home for a company are increasing steadily each year as the concept of telecommuting grows in acceptance.
3) What companies allow telecommuting?
Telecommuting can be found in companies and organization (including government agencies) of all sizes. AT&T is a pioneer in the telecommuting phenomena. Other organizations include Aetna, Gale Research, Journal Graphics, the Federal Government, many state governments, and even small privately owned companies. In essence, its everywhere.
4) What jobs are best suited for telecommuting?
While telecommuting jobs have expanded to include a large spectrum of job types, the jobs best suited to telecommuting are those in the technical field especially in computer programming and writing. However, telecommuting jobs can also be found in research, customer service, accounting, journalism, transcription, marketing and PR, sales, law, social work, nursing, and many other areas.
4) Do telecommuter’s get salaries and benefits?
Salaries and benefits are part of many telecommuting programs. They can be found mostly in situations in which an employee has made arrangements with his employer to work at home, and in highly skilled or professional jobs. Many of the telecommuting jobs found on the Internet are freelance or contract-based work in which the employee is paid on the amount of work completed. However, contract work doesn’t necessarily mean sales nor does it mean inconsistent income. There are many contract jobs that are steady in terms of work and compensation.
5) Do you have to pay for telecommuting jobs?
NO! Legitimate employers never charge to hire you. NEVER! Any place that tells you otherwise is selling you something. Telecommuting jobs are like any other job. You are hired because you have shown you have the skills and experience for the job. You wouldn’t pay your current boss for paper clips or to add you to payroll! The only time money may be involved in a work-at-home job is for equipment (not all companies supply the equipment – but you should be careful of any company that tries to sell you it’s equipment) or if you use a fee-based job database to locate work. Further, any job announcement that suggests you can sign-up to work isn’t a real job. There is always an application process.
6) Where can telecommuting jobs be found?
There are two ways to get a telecommuting job. The first is to consider your current job. Are there tasks at your current job that you could do at home? If so, create a Work-At-Home Proposal outlining your work-at-home plan and how it will benefit your company. The second way is to do a work-at-home job search. The best places to find these jobs are on career oriented websites. Many of the fee-based telecommuting job databases are very good and cut down search time significantly. But always do research before forking out money to a telecommuting service.
7) Do I need special skills?
Special skills, particularly in computer programming, will make it faster and easier to find a work-at-home job. But there are work-at-home jobs in many fields that don’t require any special degrees or skills. Basic skills you should have include writing, organizing, Internet use, research, and problem solving.
8) Do I need special equipment?
Maybe. Many telecommuting employees do not provide equipment or materials. A company is most likely to provide needed equipment if you are a full-time employee moving from an onsite position to a telecommuting one. In other cases, companies may reimburse the cost of some expenses such as materials and travel. In many cases, companies don’t supply or reimburse for anything. In this case, your expenses may be tax deductible, which is like getting reimbursed.
At the very least, you should have a fast computer with programs needed to do the job, a high-speed Internet connection, and possibly a second phone line and fax.
9) Is telecommuting suited to parents?
Telecommuting offers many benefits to parents but that doesn’t mean telecommuters can get by without childcare. Many companies require a written telecommuting agreement with childcare arrangements specified. Working at home with children can be difficult, as children need much attention and care. Even when they are engaged in an activity, they can be a distraction. If you plan to work at home, it would be wise to research different child care options such as pre-schools, co-ops, and play groups that could give you some uninterrupted time to work.
10) Does telecommuting work for everyone?
No. While telecommuting offers many benefits such as flexibility and no commute time, it does have its disadvantages. Working at home requires much self-discipline to avoid distractions such as the dishes and television. It can create resentment at the office especially if the office staff is unable to contact the telecommuter or ends up picking up extra work not being finished by the telecommuter. One of the biggest complaints by telecommuters is the isolation experienced by working at home. Telecommuters are left out of the formal and informal office social systems unless they make an effort to keep in touch with the office.
Telecommuting continues to grow as more and more businesses see the cost effectiveness of allowing people to do work from home. But to find telecommuting work requires the same amount of diligent effort and professionalism as needed in a traditional job search. Your best bet for finding legitimate telecommuting jobs is to understand telecommuting and the companies that use telecommuters.
Article by:
Leslie Truex is a stay and work-at-home mom and author of “Jobs At Home: A Complete Guide to Finding and Creating a Work-At-Home Job” which provides detailed telecommuting information and hundreds of job resources. Learn more and get her FREE 5 day Jobs At Home email course at www.jobsathomesuccess.com
Tuesday
How to Start Making Money Online in Minutes Without a Website
By: Angie Fleszar
With the addition of affiliate programs, making money online has never been easier. Affiliate programs are easy because they allow people with no computer experience, and no business experience, to jump online and start making money almost instantly on the Internet.
An affiliate program is something many Web sites use to attract new visitors. Companies allow you to sign up as their affiliate and promote their product for them. Should you help them sell anything, they pay you a commission for your sales. They track their sales typically by using a cookie they set on the Web visitor's browser when they first arrive at the Web site. As an affiliate, if you send a customer to the main site, even if they return at a later date and purchase, as long as they still have the cookie on their computer, the sale is tracked to you. That's right, you can make money online without having to process any orders, employ anyone, deal with customer service issues, or any other time consuming tasks.
If you're familiar with affiliate programs then you probably already know that the whole key to making high commissions is through getting quality traffic, and a lot of it, through your affiliate link. How you go about this is going to be different for whatever product you're promoting. I strongly believe one of the most lucrative ways is through pay-per-click advertising. The nice part about PPC advertising is that you can carefully pick your keywords for pennies and promote only programs that can pay you in dollars. The best way to turn a profit with affiliate programs usually requires some type of budget to buy advertising. You cannot be afraid to spend money to make money.
There are a couple of other ways to make money promoting affiliate programs that cost nothing. You can create a free blog at Blogger and write about subjects that relate to the products you're promoting. You can also write informative articles and submit them to places which will index them and include your affiliate link. And another popular and free way is to hang out in forums that relate to your target demographic and post to highly active threads. If you answer people's questions honestly and provide a value to the forum, people will not only read what you post, they will click on your signature and see the Website you're affiliated with. These are a great free ways to get traffic to your affiliate link. They take a little more time and patience than writing a two line PPC ad, but are completely 100% free.
Some affiliate networks and Web sites require you to already have a Web site to join. If you're just starting out and don't have a Web site you can use to promote your affiliate link, start with signing up with places, such as, Clickbank. If you promote products for a company like Clickbank, not only do you not need a Web site to join, but you can market thousands of products they sell and only sign up once. This means you can have an affiliate link for any of the products they have, open an account with a PPC search engine (e.g. Google) and be in business in only a matter of minutes. Most people new to online marketing have no idea how quickly they can sign up as an affiliate, open a PPC advertising account, and immediately start getting traffic through their affiliate link.
If you pick a network like Clickbank they'll provide you with details regarding which products sell better than others. This is where many people make the mistake of signing up for one of the top ten affiliate programs and try to go out and market it. There's a reason why a product is the highest selling product at the time, it's because everyone is already promoting it. When there is a massive amount of competition, it means that you'll sell less product and make less money per sale. I've found that the most lucrative programs to promote are the ones that are several pages deep into Clickbank's catalog. The less competition, the easier and quicker you'll start to see sales. Clickbank is only one out of hundreds of affiliate networks. You can search almost any store you can think of along with the word "affiliate" and chances are they have some kind of affiliate program. Also, run a search for affiliate programs and affiliate networks and you'll stumble onto a ton of companies that want you to promote their site.
Your opportunity to start making money on the Internet immediately has never been easier. Affiliate programs allow entrepreneurs to share in the profits of large corporations and other web based businesses with little effort. With the large amount of affiliate programs available today, and the rapid growth of the Internet, there has never been a better time to get involved in online marketing.
Angie Fleszar is a partner at The Real Straightshooter, INC. at www.therealstraightshooter.com . Angie has helped many pursue their goals of running an online business and still remains one of the industries most highly paid super affiliates.
With the addition of affiliate programs, making money online has never been easier. Affiliate programs are easy because they allow people with no computer experience, and no business experience, to jump online and start making money almost instantly on the Internet.
An affiliate program is something many Web sites use to attract new visitors. Companies allow you to sign up as their affiliate and promote their product for them. Should you help them sell anything, they pay you a commission for your sales. They track their sales typically by using a cookie they set on the Web visitor's browser when they first arrive at the Web site. As an affiliate, if you send a customer to the main site, even if they return at a later date and purchase, as long as they still have the cookie on their computer, the sale is tracked to you. That's right, you can make money online without having to process any orders, employ anyone, deal with customer service issues, or any other time consuming tasks.
If you're familiar with affiliate programs then you probably already know that the whole key to making high commissions is through getting quality traffic, and a lot of it, through your affiliate link. How you go about this is going to be different for whatever product you're promoting. I strongly believe one of the most lucrative ways is through pay-per-click advertising. The nice part about PPC advertising is that you can carefully pick your keywords for pennies and promote only programs that can pay you in dollars. The best way to turn a profit with affiliate programs usually requires some type of budget to buy advertising. You cannot be afraid to spend money to make money.
There are a couple of other ways to make money promoting affiliate programs that cost nothing. You can create a free blog at Blogger and write about subjects that relate to the products you're promoting. You can also write informative articles and submit them to places which will index them and include your affiliate link. And another popular and free way is to hang out in forums that relate to your target demographic and post to highly active threads. If you answer people's questions honestly and provide a value to the forum, people will not only read what you post, they will click on your signature and see the Website you're affiliated with. These are a great free ways to get traffic to your affiliate link. They take a little more time and patience than writing a two line PPC ad, but are completely 100% free.
Some affiliate networks and Web sites require you to already have a Web site to join. If you're just starting out and don't have a Web site you can use to promote your affiliate link, start with signing up with places, such as, Clickbank. If you promote products for a company like Clickbank, not only do you not need a Web site to join, but you can market thousands of products they sell and only sign up once. This means you can have an affiliate link for any of the products they have, open an account with a PPC search engine (e.g. Google) and be in business in only a matter of minutes. Most people new to online marketing have no idea how quickly they can sign up as an affiliate, open a PPC advertising account, and immediately start getting traffic through their affiliate link.
If you pick a network like Clickbank they'll provide you with details regarding which products sell better than others. This is where many people make the mistake of signing up for one of the top ten affiliate programs and try to go out and market it. There's a reason why a product is the highest selling product at the time, it's because everyone is already promoting it. When there is a massive amount of competition, it means that you'll sell less product and make less money per sale. I've found that the most lucrative programs to promote are the ones that are several pages deep into Clickbank's catalog. The less competition, the easier and quicker you'll start to see sales. Clickbank is only one out of hundreds of affiliate networks. You can search almost any store you can think of along with the word "affiliate" and chances are they have some kind of affiliate program. Also, run a search for affiliate programs and affiliate networks and you'll stumble onto a ton of companies that want you to promote their site.
Your opportunity to start making money on the Internet immediately has never been easier. Affiliate programs allow entrepreneurs to share in the profits of large corporations and other web based businesses with little effort. With the large amount of affiliate programs available today, and the rapid growth of the Internet, there has never been a better time to get involved in online marketing.
Angie Fleszar is a partner at The Real Straightshooter, INC. at www.therealstraightshooter.com . Angie has helped many pursue their goals of running an online business and still remains one of the industries most highly paid super affiliates.
Monday
Work at Home Moms and Stress
By: Nicole Dean
How stressed are you really? Take this quiz to find out. Mark as many of the items below that you identify with.
_ Calgon! Take me away!
What would you give for a vacation right now? If you named a body part, then you’re feeling too stressed.
_ I’ve fallen and I can’t get up.
Is this how you feel in the morning when the alarm goes off?
_ Plop, Plop, Fizz, Fizz…oh what a relief it is.
Are you experiencing stomach aches, headaches, or other physical signs of stress?
_ Take my kids, please!
Are you enjoying your children, or are you ready to sell them on eBay?
_ To the Moon, Alice!
Is your love life giving you warm fuzzies or cold pricklies?
_ I can’t believe I ate the whole thing!
Are you overeating to try to feel better about yourself?
How’d you score?
1-2 – Not too bad. You’re feeling kind of overwhelmed, but it looks like you’re handling things fairly well. Take some extra time for yourself during the holidays to stay in balance.
3-4 – You’re walking a fine line right now. Add another stressor to your life and you risk heading toward big time stress. It’s time to tackle it now.
5 – 6 – Uhhh…. You’d better keep reading.
Stress Reeks Havoc
Even low levels of stress can exacerbate or possibly cause these physical illnesses: Heart Disease, Stroke, Susceptibility to Infections, Gastrointestinal Problems, Diabetes, Muscular and Joint Pain, Headaches and Migraines
As well as these psychological conditions: Memory and Concentration Difficulties, Sleep Disturbances and Depression
And, yes, some days I feel like I’m suffering from all of those! That’s when my body is trying to tell me, “Nicole – you’re way out of balance!”
So, if you’re just not feeling as well as you should, then really reassess your stress levels and visualize what that stress is doing to your health.
Spending Time on Yourself is NOT Selfish. Working Yourself Sick Is.
I know, I know. You’ve heard it 100 times before and you’ll hear it another 100 times. You know why? Because it’s true. You need to have balance in your life. And, believe me, I battle this on this a daily basis, so I know it’s hard to find balance when you are driven to succeed at being a WAHM. But, even when your ‘to do’ list seems insurmountable, you still need to take care of your health (both physical and emotional).
But, you know what? You can do it. Start by choosing a hobby. Scrapbooking, guitar playing, belly dancing, reading, pampering, wood working, gardening, poker. Just find something outside your work that makes you happy.
Yadda yadda. I can hear you brushing me off. Hang on a second and keep reading….
Think of the example you are setting for your children. If you have little interests outside of being a WAHM and are feeling stressed and unhappy, your children will follow in your footsteps.
Strive to treat yourself as you’d hope your children would treat themselves. You’re teaching them every day how to grow up to be happy adults, but the words will mean nothing if the example isn’t there. Try to have a night out with your sweetie or with some girlfriends every few weeks. They deserve a happy Mommy.
Meds: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Doctor-prescribed medication and self-medication are two methods of stress management.
Neither of these options is good or bad. Just like everything in life – take it in moderation. If you enjoy an glass of wine after a long stressful day, then enjoy it guilt free. (cheers!)
If your doctor prescribes a medication that you need to get through a difficult time, then by all means you do what is best for you.
Or, if you enjoy herbal remedies, teas and aromatherapy for relaxation, then go for it!
However, one of the common effects of stress is over-medicating or self-medicating. So, if you find yourself relying heavily on alcohol or medication (either doctor prescribed or self-prescribed) or you begin taking illegal drugs, then talk to your doctor about it as soon as possible. You deserve to enjoy your life – not miss out on it.
Sometimes we have to be Sneaky
Sometimes the best thing for your business is to get away from it for a bit. Seriously, I have my best inspiration when I’m NOT at my computer – which is a little scary since my businesses are online.
Treat yourself to 15 minutes to yourself – even if you have to tell your husband you’re having ‘bathroom issues’ in order to get undisturbed time. (shhhh… I’ve done this.) I wonder how surprised my husband would be to find me sitting on the floor of the bathroom wrapped in a blanket, reading a book? I know, it’s too much information, but I’m trying to show just how important it is to have that time to yourself. I’m not promoting deception in marriage, but if you have to stretch your time in the bathroom, don’t feel guilty about enjoying the freedom.
So, make an effort today to start stealing moments of happiness. Life is not a dress rehearsal, enjoy every second that you can!
Article by:
Nicole Dean is the mostly-sane Mom behind www.ShowMomTheMoney.com. Are you a Work at Home Mom looking for ways to get more traffic? Take the Web Traffic School tutorial - Free! www.WebTrafficBasics.com
How stressed are you really? Take this quiz to find out. Mark as many of the items below that you identify with.
_ Calgon! Take me away!
What would you give for a vacation right now? If you named a body part, then you’re feeling too stressed.
_ I’ve fallen and I can’t get up.
Is this how you feel in the morning when the alarm goes off?
_ Plop, Plop, Fizz, Fizz…oh what a relief it is.
Are you experiencing stomach aches, headaches, or other physical signs of stress?
_ Take my kids, please!
Are you enjoying your children, or are you ready to sell them on eBay?
_ To the Moon, Alice!
Is your love life giving you warm fuzzies or cold pricklies?
_ I can’t believe I ate the whole thing!
Are you overeating to try to feel better about yourself?
How’d you score?
1-2 – Not too bad. You’re feeling kind of overwhelmed, but it looks like you’re handling things fairly well. Take some extra time for yourself during the holidays to stay in balance.
3-4 – You’re walking a fine line right now. Add another stressor to your life and you risk heading toward big time stress. It’s time to tackle it now.
5 – 6 – Uhhh…. You’d better keep reading.
Stress Reeks Havoc
Even low levels of stress can exacerbate or possibly cause these physical illnesses: Heart Disease, Stroke, Susceptibility to Infections, Gastrointestinal Problems, Diabetes, Muscular and Joint Pain, Headaches and Migraines
As well as these psychological conditions: Memory and Concentration Difficulties, Sleep Disturbances and Depression
And, yes, some days I feel like I’m suffering from all of those! That’s when my body is trying to tell me, “Nicole – you’re way out of balance!”
So, if you’re just not feeling as well as you should, then really reassess your stress levels and visualize what that stress is doing to your health.
Spending Time on Yourself is NOT Selfish. Working Yourself Sick Is.
I know, I know. You’ve heard it 100 times before and you’ll hear it another 100 times. You know why? Because it’s true. You need to have balance in your life. And, believe me, I battle this on this a daily basis, so I know it’s hard to find balance when you are driven to succeed at being a WAHM. But, even when your ‘to do’ list seems insurmountable, you still need to take care of your health (both physical and emotional).
But, you know what? You can do it. Start by choosing a hobby. Scrapbooking, guitar playing, belly dancing, reading, pampering, wood working, gardening, poker. Just find something outside your work that makes you happy.
Yadda yadda. I can hear you brushing me off. Hang on a second and keep reading….
Think of the example you are setting for your children. If you have little interests outside of being a WAHM and are feeling stressed and unhappy, your children will follow in your footsteps.
Strive to treat yourself as you’d hope your children would treat themselves. You’re teaching them every day how to grow up to be happy adults, but the words will mean nothing if the example isn’t there. Try to have a night out with your sweetie or with some girlfriends every few weeks. They deserve a happy Mommy.
Meds: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Doctor-prescribed medication and self-medication are two methods of stress management.
Neither of these options is good or bad. Just like everything in life – take it in moderation. If you enjoy an glass of wine after a long stressful day, then enjoy it guilt free. (cheers!)
If your doctor prescribes a medication that you need to get through a difficult time, then by all means you do what is best for you.
Or, if you enjoy herbal remedies, teas and aromatherapy for relaxation, then go for it!
However, one of the common effects of stress is over-medicating or self-medicating. So, if you find yourself relying heavily on alcohol or medication (either doctor prescribed or self-prescribed) or you begin taking illegal drugs, then talk to your doctor about it as soon as possible. You deserve to enjoy your life – not miss out on it.
Sometimes we have to be Sneaky
Sometimes the best thing for your business is to get away from it for a bit. Seriously, I have my best inspiration when I’m NOT at my computer – which is a little scary since my businesses are online.
Treat yourself to 15 minutes to yourself – even if you have to tell your husband you’re having ‘bathroom issues’ in order to get undisturbed time. (shhhh… I’ve done this.) I wonder how surprised my husband would be to find me sitting on the floor of the bathroom wrapped in a blanket, reading a book? I know, it’s too much information, but I’m trying to show just how important it is to have that time to yourself. I’m not promoting deception in marriage, but if you have to stretch your time in the bathroom, don’t feel guilty about enjoying the freedom.
So, make an effort today to start stealing moments of happiness. Life is not a dress rehearsal, enjoy every second that you can!
Article by:
Nicole Dean is the mostly-sane Mom behind www.ShowMomTheMoney.com. Are you a Work at Home Mom looking for ways to get more traffic? Take the Web Traffic School tutorial - Free! www.WebTrafficBasics.com
Friday
Generating Income From the Web is As Easy As 1-2-3
By Chris Robertson
Surf the Internet for a half hour, and you'll run across dozens of websites that are clearly generating income from the Web. If you're seeking ways to generate an income from home and are looking to generate Internet income, there are thousands of opportunities from which to choose. The trick, of course, is to find a way to launch a legitimate online home business that will allow you to reap the financial rewards you desire. That process can seem daunting, especially if you've never owned your own business or aren't particularly tech-savvy.
Generating income from the Web is easier than you might think. When considering starting your own legitimate online home business, consider the following:
Find a business you believe in: If you believe in your product or service, you're more likely to spend the time necessary to develop your business. Successfully generating income from the Web isn't difficult, but it does require some of your time. When you find something you believe in, the ability to generate Internet income becomes that much easier - both because you'll invest your time and because you'll be excited to market your product or service to others.
Find a support system: Don't waste your time re-inventing the wheel. Start by finding a website that allows you to browse through proven, legitimate home business opportunities. Once you find an opportunity that's a good match with your interests, make sure they have a comprehensive training program and a full support structure in place to help you every step of the way.
Get technical support: There are any number of ways to generate an income from home without having to have specialized technical knowledge. Find an enterprise that offers to set up your moneymaking website for free, and that is available should you have any technical questions or concerns.
Read, read, read: Scour the Web for the site that provides the best home business opportunities, and read everything you can about generating income from the Web. The best sites will have numerous articles, helpful tips, and general guidance. They should also have a free newsletter to which you can subscribe that is filled with Internet home business tips and website marketing secrets.
Have a plan: In order to get to your destination, you have to have a roadmap. Understanding why you're generating income from the Web will help you stay the course so you'll see the fruits of your efforts. Take some time to outline your goals and the steps you will take to reach them. Use techniques like visualization to imagine yourself wealthy, or create a bulletin board with pictures of what your online home business will allow you and your family to have. Surround yourself with inspirational quotes and motivational objects while you are generating income from the Web, and you'll surely be successful.
Chris Robertson is an author of Majon International, one of the worlds MOST popular internet marketing companies on the web. Learn more about Generating Income From the Web or Majon's Business and Entrepreneurs directory.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chris_Robertson
Surf the Internet for a half hour, and you'll run across dozens of websites that are clearly generating income from the Web. If you're seeking ways to generate an income from home and are looking to generate Internet income, there are thousands of opportunities from which to choose. The trick, of course, is to find a way to launch a legitimate online home business that will allow you to reap the financial rewards you desire. That process can seem daunting, especially if you've never owned your own business or aren't particularly tech-savvy.
Generating income from the Web is easier than you might think. When considering starting your own legitimate online home business, consider the following:
Find a business you believe in: If you believe in your product or service, you're more likely to spend the time necessary to develop your business. Successfully generating income from the Web isn't difficult, but it does require some of your time. When you find something you believe in, the ability to generate Internet income becomes that much easier - both because you'll invest your time and because you'll be excited to market your product or service to others.
Find a support system: Don't waste your time re-inventing the wheel. Start by finding a website that allows you to browse through proven, legitimate home business opportunities. Once you find an opportunity that's a good match with your interests, make sure they have a comprehensive training program and a full support structure in place to help you every step of the way.
Get technical support: There are any number of ways to generate an income from home without having to have specialized technical knowledge. Find an enterprise that offers to set up your moneymaking website for free, and that is available should you have any technical questions or concerns.
Read, read, read: Scour the Web for the site that provides the best home business opportunities, and read everything you can about generating income from the Web. The best sites will have numerous articles, helpful tips, and general guidance. They should also have a free newsletter to which you can subscribe that is filled with Internet home business tips and website marketing secrets.
Have a plan: In order to get to your destination, you have to have a roadmap. Understanding why you're generating income from the Web will help you stay the course so you'll see the fruits of your efforts. Take some time to outline your goals and the steps you will take to reach them. Use techniques like visualization to imagine yourself wealthy, or create a bulletin board with pictures of what your online home business will allow you and your family to have. Surround yourself with inspirational quotes and motivational objects while you are generating income from the Web, and you'll surely be successful.
Chris Robertson is an author of Majon International, one of the worlds MOST popular internet marketing companies on the web. Learn more about Generating Income From the Web or Majon's Business and Entrepreneurs directory.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chris_Robertson
Thursday
Newsletters Can Help Your Small Business Keep Customers
By: Kelly Biedny
One key to keeping clients coming back for more is to make sure that they don't forget about your small business and the services it provides. This doesn't mean barraging customers with junk mail or spam, but by balancing your marketing efforts to provide value. One great way to do this is with newsletters.
Newsletters can be electronic or paper or a combination of both.
Print Newsletters
For established customers, a quarterly or monthly newsletter is a great way to keep you business fresh in their minds while providing valuable information related to your area of expertise. For example, my investment advisor sends out a quarterly, four-page traditional type newsletter filled with great tips that are relevant to the time of year. I love getting it because the information is great; and for him, well he's my go to guy when it comes to financial questions. His newsletter is not only establishing him as an expert, but also helping to build the relationship with me, his client.
The newsletter can be as large or as small as you want, the important thing is to provide valuable, relevant information that your customers will want to receive. You can write the pieces yourself, or there are several resources online for free reprint articles on tons of subjects. You can also hire someone to write the pieces for you – it's more affordable than you may realize and unlike reprint pieces, these will be attributed to you (no references to other businesses with the same expertise).
Electronic Newsletters
An electronic newsletter is similar to a traditional one in content, however, there are considerations. CAN-Spam laws need to be taken into consideration when sending the newsletter as do delivery options. There are many services available that will help to make sure your newsletter is compliant with anti-spam laws as well as manage your list and delivery options and I strongly recommend using one.
I don't recommend sending more than once a month unless you have valuable information your customers will want to know. Also remember, people get LOTS of email, so over-sending is one way to ensure your e-mails will end up in the trash or your subscribers will UN-subscribe.
Which is Better: Print or Electronic?
The answer to this question is dependent on your market. In some cases a combination of the two can work affectively as well. You will have to determine what your customer demographics are and which option would be most effective for your small business.
My mantra is "Communication, communication, communication," and newsletters are just one more way to get your message to your customers. By sharing your valuable knowledge with your customers you are reinforcing the value of your small business and supporting the relationship you have with your customers. I encourage you to take the first step and start thinking about ways a newsletter can work for your small business.
Article by:
For resources on newsletters, visit www.kleobell.com/library/newsletters_customer_retention.cfm at Kleobell Creative Business Solutions. Kelly Biedny, owner of Kleobell. Her areas of expertise include image development, communication/marketing, web development and project management. For more valuable information on helping your small business become THE source of products or services for your customers, check out Kleobell's Resource Library - www.kleobell.com/library/.
One key to keeping clients coming back for more is to make sure that they don't forget about your small business and the services it provides. This doesn't mean barraging customers with junk mail or spam, but by balancing your marketing efforts to provide value. One great way to do this is with newsletters.
Newsletters can be electronic or paper or a combination of both.
Print Newsletters
For established customers, a quarterly or monthly newsletter is a great way to keep you business fresh in their minds while providing valuable information related to your area of expertise. For example, my investment advisor sends out a quarterly, four-page traditional type newsletter filled with great tips that are relevant to the time of year. I love getting it because the information is great; and for him, well he's my go to guy when it comes to financial questions. His newsletter is not only establishing him as an expert, but also helping to build the relationship with me, his client.
The newsletter can be as large or as small as you want, the important thing is to provide valuable, relevant information that your customers will want to receive. You can write the pieces yourself, or there are several resources online for free reprint articles on tons of subjects. You can also hire someone to write the pieces for you – it's more affordable than you may realize and unlike reprint pieces, these will be attributed to you (no references to other businesses with the same expertise).
Electronic Newsletters
An electronic newsletter is similar to a traditional one in content, however, there are considerations. CAN-Spam laws need to be taken into consideration when sending the newsletter as do delivery options. There are many services available that will help to make sure your newsletter is compliant with anti-spam laws as well as manage your list and delivery options and I strongly recommend using one.
I don't recommend sending more than once a month unless you have valuable information your customers will want to know. Also remember, people get LOTS of email, so over-sending is one way to ensure your e-mails will end up in the trash or your subscribers will UN-subscribe.
Which is Better: Print or Electronic?
The answer to this question is dependent on your market. In some cases a combination of the two can work affectively as well. You will have to determine what your customer demographics are and which option would be most effective for your small business.
My mantra is "Communication, communication, communication," and newsletters are just one more way to get your message to your customers. By sharing your valuable knowledge with your customers you are reinforcing the value of your small business and supporting the relationship you have with your customers. I encourage you to take the first step and start thinking about ways a newsletter can work for your small business.
Article by:
For resources on newsletters, visit www.kleobell.com/library/newsletters_customer_retention.cfm at Kleobell Creative Business Solutions. Kelly Biedny, owner of Kleobell. Her areas of expertise include image development, communication/marketing, web development and project management. For more valuable information on helping your small business become THE source of products or services for your customers, check out Kleobell's Resource Library - www.kleobell.com/library/.
Tuesday
Starting a Collection Agency or Your own business, What you need to know
By: Michelle Dunn
You should also be ready to spend a lot of time getting people interested in your business. If you have worked in the industry for other people, new clients will know you have experience and be more comfortable placing accounts with you. If you don’t have any experience, you need to build credibility so potential clients will know you can do the job and do it well. One way to learn more about the industry for free is to join www.credit-and-collections.com which is my free list and website for business people in the credit & collection field. I created this list to share ideas, information, and offer an opportunity to Network. This list is for small and large business owners, entrepreneurs and anyone in the credit & collections field. The website offers a free e-book with letters, forms and information on starting your own agency or business. There are many people on the list who have been in the collection industry for over 35 years and some who are trying to start an agency. There are credit managers, business owners and entrepreneurs. You can ask a question and get many answers which are invaluable information. When I started my collection agency in 1998, I could not find the answers to my questions, which is why I created this list and the website. It has been around now for almost 10 years and we have over 750 members. I learn something from this group every day.
What is a Collection Agency? A collection agency is a service business. Bill collectors act as agents for clients who could not get paid for products or services that they provided their customers. A business places past due accounts with an agency, and the agency tries to collect for them. The agency collects what is due on the bill and keeps a commission on what they collected, and then sends the clients the rest of the money. Some agencies charge a flat monthly fee and offer different stages or types of collection efforts. You will want to search the internet for agencies and request their information so you can see what they charge, what services they offer and how they present themselves.
Agencies can collect for hospitals, physicians, lawyers, retailers, service providers, credit card debt, loans and many other types of businesses. Any business that extends credit or accepts checks may have a need for a collection agency. Collection agencies normally provide asset searches, skip tracing, credit reporting, debt collection services, demand letters, public record searches and various other services which might include a letter service or accounts receivable outsourcing. What you decide to provide is entirely up to you. Some agencies only offer one service, while others have a huge list of services they provide.
You will have to write a business plan. If you are going to borrow money to start your agency or start any business, you will need a business plan to show the bank. Usually a business plan is made up of:
An Executive Summary
A Business description
Marketing Strategies
Competitive analysis
Operations and management plans
Financial statements.
I have an example of a Business Plan and a Marketing Plan in my book, How to make money collecting money, Starting a Collection Agency. These can be customized to fit your particular business. You should also include a cover or folder for your business plan. Include a title page and a table of contents. This will be very professional and impress any bank you may present it to. You should LOVE collection work. You either love it or hate it! If you love it, you will be passionate about making your business work. You will need to have communication and investigative skills. As in any business, you will need to be organized, have empathy, persistence, customer service skills and master the art of negotiation.
Your will want to have your marketing plan in place before approaching a bank for a loan. This way you can include your marketing strategies in your business plan. A marketing plan normally consists of:
A description of your target market
Description of competitors
Description of your services
Your marketing budget
Pricing strategy
You will need to market your agency or business to obtain clients. You first need to know who your potential clients are and who you want as customers.
You can look in your local yellow pages and newspapers. Any business that extends credit may need the service of a collection agency. This could include banks, oil companies, contractors, florists, printing companies and more. If you want to collect on bad checks you can also target any business that accepts checks as a form of payment.
You then need to decide what methods you want to use to market your business. Do you want to use direct mail, ads in local papers or magazines, a website? What is your budget? Once you know your budget, you will know what you can afford and then you have to decide what will give you the biggest return for your money. To do this you need to research your potential clients, ask them if they use an agency now, and ask them how they heard about that agency and if they are happy with the service. Ask them, if there was one thing they could change what would it be? Then you can offer that as part of your service. Remember when marketing any business, you must follow up. If you don’t follow up, the potential client may think you are not really interested, or that if you aren’t persistent with them, you may not be with debtors.
It is a good idea for anyone who is thinking about starting their own business, whether it is a debt collection agency or any other business to join Associations in their field. The best association I joined when I started my agency was The American Collectors Association. You may also want to join your local chamber of commerce or rotary club. There are also many online venues where you can network and learn at little or no cost. You may want to hire a consultant to ask a few key questions before you decide on the type of business you want to start or for tips on working from home with children, and appearing professional or renting office space and hiring employees. When you join Credit & Collections, you can purchase deeply discounted consulting from me on Starting a Collection Agency or Starting a Home Based Business. Maybe there is someone in your local area that has a business similar to the one you would like to open that would consider being a mentor. Remember, research, networking and patience are very important. I cannot stress this enough. Ask questions and ask for help, if you don’t know. I just love when someone emails me to ask me a question about starting their business or agency. I love it because it is so exciting! I remember when I was starting my agency; I had to create Credit & Collections to have a group of people to ask questions. I didn’t start the group because I knew everything about the industry, I created it to attract all the people I know knew more than I did and I wanted to learn from them. I know how exciting and scared I was to start my agency so I know the excitement and dread the people who email me are feeling. I know they can do it, because I did and I am happy to help anyone succeed. I am proud of all I have done and want more people to feel empowered and successful.
Starting any business is exciting and frightening. You can do it. Remember to be diligent, do your research, work smart, ask questions and you will be successful.
Article by:
Michelle Dunn has over 17 years experience in Credit and Debt collection. She is the founder and president of Never Dunn Publishing, LLC, is a writer, publisher, consultant and the Editorial Advisor for Eli Financial Debt Collection Compliance Alert Newsletter. Michelle started M.A.D. Collection Agency in January 1998 and ran it successfully until she sold it in December 2004 to write and consult full time.
She owns and runs www.Credit-and-Collections.com
You should also be ready to spend a lot of time getting people interested in your business. If you have worked in the industry for other people, new clients will know you have experience and be more comfortable placing accounts with you. If you don’t have any experience, you need to build credibility so potential clients will know you can do the job and do it well. One way to learn more about the industry for free is to join www.credit-and-collections.com which is my free list and website for business people in the credit & collection field. I created this list to share ideas, information, and offer an opportunity to Network. This list is for small and large business owners, entrepreneurs and anyone in the credit & collections field. The website offers a free e-book with letters, forms and information on starting your own agency or business. There are many people on the list who have been in the collection industry for over 35 years and some who are trying to start an agency. There are credit managers, business owners and entrepreneurs. You can ask a question and get many answers which are invaluable information. When I started my collection agency in 1998, I could not find the answers to my questions, which is why I created this list and the website. It has been around now for almost 10 years and we have over 750 members. I learn something from this group every day.
What is a Collection Agency? A collection agency is a service business. Bill collectors act as agents for clients who could not get paid for products or services that they provided their customers. A business places past due accounts with an agency, and the agency tries to collect for them. The agency collects what is due on the bill and keeps a commission on what they collected, and then sends the clients the rest of the money. Some agencies charge a flat monthly fee and offer different stages or types of collection efforts. You will want to search the internet for agencies and request their information so you can see what they charge, what services they offer and how they present themselves.
Agencies can collect for hospitals, physicians, lawyers, retailers, service providers, credit card debt, loans and many other types of businesses. Any business that extends credit or accepts checks may have a need for a collection agency. Collection agencies normally provide asset searches, skip tracing, credit reporting, debt collection services, demand letters, public record searches and various other services which might include a letter service or accounts receivable outsourcing. What you decide to provide is entirely up to you. Some agencies only offer one service, while others have a huge list of services they provide.
You will have to write a business plan. If you are going to borrow money to start your agency or start any business, you will need a business plan to show the bank. Usually a business plan is made up of:
An Executive Summary
A Business description
Marketing Strategies
Competitive analysis
Operations and management plans
Financial statements.
I have an example of a Business Plan and a Marketing Plan in my book, How to make money collecting money, Starting a Collection Agency. These can be customized to fit your particular business. You should also include a cover or folder for your business plan. Include a title page and a table of contents. This will be very professional and impress any bank you may present it to. You should LOVE collection work. You either love it or hate it! If you love it, you will be passionate about making your business work. You will need to have communication and investigative skills. As in any business, you will need to be organized, have empathy, persistence, customer service skills and master the art of negotiation.
Your will want to have your marketing plan in place before approaching a bank for a loan. This way you can include your marketing strategies in your business plan. A marketing plan normally consists of:
A description of your target market
Description of competitors
Description of your services
Your marketing budget
Pricing strategy
You will need to market your agency or business to obtain clients. You first need to know who your potential clients are and who you want as customers.
You can look in your local yellow pages and newspapers. Any business that extends credit may need the service of a collection agency. This could include banks, oil companies, contractors, florists, printing companies and more. If you want to collect on bad checks you can also target any business that accepts checks as a form of payment.
You then need to decide what methods you want to use to market your business. Do you want to use direct mail, ads in local papers or magazines, a website? What is your budget? Once you know your budget, you will know what you can afford and then you have to decide what will give you the biggest return for your money. To do this you need to research your potential clients, ask them if they use an agency now, and ask them how they heard about that agency and if they are happy with the service. Ask them, if there was one thing they could change what would it be? Then you can offer that as part of your service. Remember when marketing any business, you must follow up. If you don’t follow up, the potential client may think you are not really interested, or that if you aren’t persistent with them, you may not be with debtors.
It is a good idea for anyone who is thinking about starting their own business, whether it is a debt collection agency or any other business to join Associations in their field. The best association I joined when I started my agency was The American Collectors Association. You may also want to join your local chamber of commerce or rotary club. There are also many online venues where you can network and learn at little or no cost. You may want to hire a consultant to ask a few key questions before you decide on the type of business you want to start or for tips on working from home with children, and appearing professional or renting office space and hiring employees. When you join Credit & Collections, you can purchase deeply discounted consulting from me on Starting a Collection Agency or Starting a Home Based Business. Maybe there is someone in your local area that has a business similar to the one you would like to open that would consider being a mentor. Remember, research, networking and patience are very important. I cannot stress this enough. Ask questions and ask for help, if you don’t know. I just love when someone emails me to ask me a question about starting their business or agency. I love it because it is so exciting! I remember when I was starting my agency; I had to create Credit & Collections to have a group of people to ask questions. I didn’t start the group because I knew everything about the industry, I created it to attract all the people I know knew more than I did and I wanted to learn from them. I know how exciting and scared I was to start my agency so I know the excitement and dread the people who email me are feeling. I know they can do it, because I did and I am happy to help anyone succeed. I am proud of all I have done and want more people to feel empowered and successful.
Starting any business is exciting and frightening. You can do it. Remember to be diligent, do your research, work smart, ask questions and you will be successful.
Article by:
Michelle Dunn has over 17 years experience in Credit and Debt collection. She is the founder and president of Never Dunn Publishing, LLC, is a writer, publisher, consultant and the Editorial Advisor for Eli Financial Debt Collection Compliance Alert Newsletter. Michelle started M.A.D. Collection Agency in January 1998 and ran it successfully until she sold it in December 2004 to write and consult full time.
She owns and runs www.Credit-and-Collections.com
Monday
Starting a Home Based Business
By: Chaele McMillan
I started working from home 8 years ago. I remember people acting like I did not have a real job. Now we are living in the year 2006 and the attitudes of owning and running a business from home has changed! I believe more and more moms and dads are finding that working at home is a wonderful opportunity and can be very successful. Are you thinking about working from home? Here are a few tips that might help you decide is this the best option for you.
HOME BUSINESS - 1 YR
Article by:
Michaele McMillan who is a work at home mom. She has committed and recommitted herself working from home and being there for her family. She is happily married and has three children. You can visit her site at www.momstateuniversity.com
I started working from home 8 years ago. I remember people acting like I did not have a real job. Now we are living in the year 2006 and the attitudes of owning and running a business from home has changed! I believe more and more moms and dads are finding that working at home is a wonderful opportunity and can be very successful. Are you thinking about working from home? Here are a few tips that might help you decide is this the best option for you.
HOME BUSINESS - 1 YR
1) Can you afford it? If you are looking at a company that is advertising that you will make 10,000 in 3 days... keep looking. There are wonderful companies out there but there are scams also. Make sure you are picking a decision that you can still provide for your family. If electricity is getting cut off or you can’t afford to feed the kids it is time to look for outside employment. If you want to make a dream come true working from home you can start part time. This will help you realize the time and money you have to sacrifice.
2) Make a schedule and goals. Stick to it. You need to have a plan. Working from home can take long hours. Make a schedule for work and play! Family time is an essence is a successful business.
3) Get a HUGE support group. Work with your up line if the company offers one. If you are starting a business from scratch depend on your friends and family for support. You will need it. Also network. There are wonderful support groups online. I recommend Orkut, Yahoo Groups, Ryze. If you join Ryze I recommend The Perfect Image and Show Mom The Money Networks.
You will be faced with challenges and it will be nice to get the support from other WAHPS.
I wish you the best in your home based business. You will be blessed with many blessings. Make sure you dedicate yourself for long term and don’t give up when you are having a bad day!
Article by:
Michaele McMillan who is a work at home mom. She has committed and recommitted herself working from home and being there for her family. She is happily married and has three children. You can visit her site at www.momstateuniversity.com
Saturday
Tax Traps To Avoid When Incorporating a Business
By Stephen Nelson
As a general rule, you can incorporate your business with no tax cost as long as you contribute all of your business’s assets and liabilities to a corporation you control.
A sole proprietor who incorporates his or her business, therefore, should be able to incorporate tax-free. So should a partnership. And a limited liability company that makes an election to be treated as a C corporation or as an S corporation should also be able to make these “incorporation” elections tax-free.
But all rules, including general rules, can be broken. And when it comes to incorporating your business, three big tax traps await unwary business owners, managers and entrepreneurs.
Incorporation Tax Trap #1: Goofy Liabilities
If a shareholder transfers liabilities to a newly minted corporation and there’s no business purpose to support all of the transfers or if the liabilities are transferred to avoid taxes, then all the transferred liabilities are treated as boot. And that can be a disaster because the boot can be taxed.
In general, liabilities incurred in the normal course of a business’s activities should easily pass the “business purpose” and “no tax avoidance” tests. But if you transfer personal liabilities to a corporation (like a personal credit card balance), you’re in trouble. Similarly, if you transfer business liabilities that were really used to fund personal expenditures (like a business credit line drawn down to pay for a daughter’s college tuition), again, you’re in trouble.
Incorporation Tax Trap #2: Excess Liabilities
If a shareholder contributes both assets and liabilities to the new corporation and the liabilities exceed the shareholder’s adjusted basis in the property—even if all the liabilities are legitimate business debts--the shareholder recognizes gain on the excess of the liabilities over the adjusted basis. And this is another easy trap to fall into.
For example, if your only business asset is a truck you bought and completely wrote off, its basis is zero. If you financed the truck with a $15,000 bank loan and none of the loan has yet been paid off, the liabilities exceed the adjusted basis of the truck by $15,000. In this case, incorporating triggers a $15,000 gain. Ouch.
Incorporation Tax Trap #3: Lack of Control
One other thing. You need to be in control of the business after you incorporate.
Often, control should not be a problem. If a sole proprietor incorporates her business, becoming a one-woman corporation, she’s obviously still in control.
If a three-man partnership incorporates and after the incorporation, the business still has only the same three owners, the old partners still control the new business. So, again, no problem.
In situations where an incorporation means new owners are brought into the business, you need to measure whether the old owners own 80% of all the corporate stock in the new entity. If they do, no problem. If they don’t, big problem: The incorporation is treated as if the old owners sold the old business’s assets to the new corporation for the fair market value of the stock received. If the adjusted basis of those assets is less than the fair market value of the stock, the incorporators will pay income taxes on the difference.
Closing Caveats
Two closing caveats: Incorporating a partnership and particularly a limited liability company that’s been treated as a partnership can create some tax complexities that are way, way beyond this short article.
Also, the rules for incorporating a business in a tax-free manner are complicated if you’ll later move pieces of the business outside the US. For these reasons, if your incorporation plans involve a partnership or foreign operations, consult with a knowledgeable tax practitioner.
LLC formation expert & CPA Stephen L. Nelson is the author of both Quicken for Dummies and QuickBooks for Dummies and an adjunct tax professor for Golden Gate University’s graduate tax school. Contact him at http://www.llcsexplained.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Stephen_Nelson
As a general rule, you can incorporate your business with no tax cost as long as you contribute all of your business’s assets and liabilities to a corporation you control.
A sole proprietor who incorporates his or her business, therefore, should be able to incorporate tax-free. So should a partnership. And a limited liability company that makes an election to be treated as a C corporation or as an S corporation should also be able to make these “incorporation” elections tax-free.
But all rules, including general rules, can be broken. And when it comes to incorporating your business, three big tax traps await unwary business owners, managers and entrepreneurs.
Incorporation Tax Trap #1: Goofy Liabilities
If a shareholder transfers liabilities to a newly minted corporation and there’s no business purpose to support all of the transfers or if the liabilities are transferred to avoid taxes, then all the transferred liabilities are treated as boot. And that can be a disaster because the boot can be taxed.
In general, liabilities incurred in the normal course of a business’s activities should easily pass the “business purpose” and “no tax avoidance” tests. But if you transfer personal liabilities to a corporation (like a personal credit card balance), you’re in trouble. Similarly, if you transfer business liabilities that were really used to fund personal expenditures (like a business credit line drawn down to pay for a daughter’s college tuition), again, you’re in trouble.
Incorporation Tax Trap #2: Excess Liabilities
If a shareholder contributes both assets and liabilities to the new corporation and the liabilities exceed the shareholder’s adjusted basis in the property—even if all the liabilities are legitimate business debts--the shareholder recognizes gain on the excess of the liabilities over the adjusted basis. And this is another easy trap to fall into.
For example, if your only business asset is a truck you bought and completely wrote off, its basis is zero. If you financed the truck with a $15,000 bank loan and none of the loan has yet been paid off, the liabilities exceed the adjusted basis of the truck by $15,000. In this case, incorporating triggers a $15,000 gain. Ouch.
Incorporation Tax Trap #3: Lack of Control
One other thing. You need to be in control of the business after you incorporate.
Often, control should not be a problem. If a sole proprietor incorporates her business, becoming a one-woman corporation, she’s obviously still in control.
If a three-man partnership incorporates and after the incorporation, the business still has only the same three owners, the old partners still control the new business. So, again, no problem.
In situations where an incorporation means new owners are brought into the business, you need to measure whether the old owners own 80% of all the corporate stock in the new entity. If they do, no problem. If they don’t, big problem: The incorporation is treated as if the old owners sold the old business’s assets to the new corporation for the fair market value of the stock received. If the adjusted basis of those assets is less than the fair market value of the stock, the incorporators will pay income taxes on the difference.
Closing Caveats
Two closing caveats: Incorporating a partnership and particularly a limited liability company that’s been treated as a partnership can create some tax complexities that are way, way beyond this short article.
Also, the rules for incorporating a business in a tax-free manner are complicated if you’ll later move pieces of the business outside the US. For these reasons, if your incorporation plans involve a partnership or foreign operations, consult with a knowledgeable tax practitioner.
LLC formation expert & CPA Stephen L. Nelson is the author of both Quicken for Dummies and QuickBooks for Dummies and an adjunct tax professor for Golden Gate University’s graduate tax school. Contact him at http://www.llcsexplained.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Stephen_Nelson
Friday
Work At Home: Accomplish Your Goals In Five Easy Steps
By: Constance Weygandt
It is key for anyone who works from the home to have a plan and write it down. You can do this in a daily planner or even in a notebook. If you are a visual person make a chart of your goals. Here are five important steps to help you attain your goals.
1. Visualization – Picture yourself five years from now. Where is your business? Do you have employees? Do you want employees? How much money are you making? How many hours a day do you spend on your business? What percentage of your time is leisure time, etc…?
HOME BUSINESS - 1 YR
It is key for anyone who works from the home to have a plan and write it down. You can do this in a daily planner or even in a notebook. If you are a visual person make a chart of your goals. Here are five important steps to help you attain your goals.
1. Visualization – Picture yourself five years from now. Where is your business? Do you have employees? Do you want employees? How much money are you making? How many hours a day do you spend on your business? What percentage of your time is leisure time, etc…?
HOME BUSINESS - 1 YR
2. The Five Year Plan – Be there in that place in your mind, five years from now. Employ as many senses as possible in you vision. After you see your five year plan, in detail, go to your journal or planner and write it down. If you are charting your plan, make a large circle in the center of your chart and put the details of your five year plan in the center of the circle.
3. Your One Year Plan – Ask yourself what you will need to accomplish this year in order to be where you see yourself in five years. For instance, if you want to be making $250,000 in five years, what is the minimum you will have to make this year? How much money will you need to spend on your business to make that happen?
4. Your Monthly Plan – This step is where people often fall down. They have their five year plan and their one year plan and are even good at making lists but don’t chart or write a monthly plan. A monthly plan keeps you on track. What steps do you need to take, this month, to meet your annual goals. If necessary, look at your yearly plan and divide those actions into twelve manageable goals.
5. Make Lists – Make a daily list of actions needed to be taken, in order of importance, and check them off in the same order. Focus all of your attention on one action at a time. When that is completed move to the next item on your list. On a weekly basis, refer back to your monthly plan and see how far you’ve come to attaining those goals. Plan your new lists accordingly.
If you take at least twenty minutes on this exercise, you will be successful. In writing down your goals, you send a message to your brain for these goals to become a reality. The mind-body connection is one of the most powerful tools you have for the success of your business.
Article by:
Constance Weygandt is an author, speaker, balance mentor and successful entrepreneur. For more helpful information on working at home or for information on the perfect home based business, visit her at www.newworkathomejobs.com
Thursday
The Entrepreneurial Edge
By: Kristie Tamsevicius
Some would say that big business has it made; I on the other hand believe that there will always be a special place for the little business guy. Entrepreneurs have an edge over their bigger competitors. So while the Amazon’s of the world are struggling to break even from their multi billion-dollar overheads, the smaller Dot coms are already realizing profits. What advantages do the “little” guys have in the marketplace? Below is how to “think like a startup” and realize greater success.
HOW TO KEEP THE ENTREPRENEURIAL EDGE
1) STAY IN TOUCH WITH YOUR CUSTOMERS
Ever heard of the 80/20 rule? The old adage says that 80% of your business will come from 20% of your customers. In business, the customer is king. It’s far easier to sell to an existing customer than to find a new one. So, once you get a customer, you need to service the heck out of them.
So how do you make your customers feel like they are number one? By letting them know that they are top priority. This means answering your own phone, replying quickly to email requests. It means staying in regular communication with your customers. Keep up a good rapport. Send an occasional email asking them what’s new. Mail birthday cards or a customer anniversary card. Gestures like these can build close, long lasting customer relations and goes a long way to building customer loyalty.
In addition to building stronger customer relationships, keeping in touch with your customer base can enable dot coms to offer one to one marketing. By identifying your customers needs and buying habits, you can personalize product packages and service offerings to meet your customer’s individual needs.
2) LISTEN TO THE BEAT OF THE STREET
If small business owners want to keep their head above water, they need to closely monitor their environments. By “listening” to the pulse, you can think proactively rather than reactively. This means spotting things when they are coming so you can act quickly and take advantage.
Web stats - Do you look at your web stats regularly? Or are you guilty of being too “busy” to make time? Unless you regularly look at your web traffic reports, they probably will read like a foreign language to you. By looking at your web reports regularly, you’ll be able to spot trends. What pages are your visitors going to? What is the hits-to-sales ratio? What can you do to improve that number?
Feedback - Another way to “listen to the beat” is to get feedback from your customers. Try to be on a first name basis with your customers. Ask them how they are doing and if there is anything you could assist them with. The answers you’ll receive will be worth their weight in gold.
Industry news - Keep up with the industry by reading everything you can get your hands on. When you work in “living room central” it’s easy to let yourself be isolated from the world. You can’t rely on your favorite soap operas to keep you informed about the current trends in business. So put down your munchies and flavored coffee and make a concerted effort to stay “in the know” by subscribing to print magazines and online newsletters
3) FLEXIBILITY
When I think about flexibility, the childhood rhyme “Jack be nimble, Jack be quick, Jack jump over the candlestick” comes to mind. In order to keep from being burned, small businesses need to be nimble and quick. This means having the flexibility to act quickly in response to changes in the marketplace. Like a surfer riding a wave, you have to be in just the right place at the right time to ride the crest of the wave and get the best ride. Likewise, if small businesses monitor closely what’s going on in the marketplace, they can act quickly to take advantage of current events and trends in the marketplace.
They say what gets measured, gets managed. Keep a close eye on your monthly financials. Listen to your customers. Measure the effectiveness of your advertising. Then when you see a difference ask yourself, “was that good or bad” and ACT!
4) TAP INTO THE FIRE AND LET IT FUEL YOU
Simply said, small business owners want it more. Because of this, they will try harder and go the extra mile. That’s why big companies like Wal-Mart and Saturn have made their employees part owners in the company. They have seen that people will work harder for themselves than for anyone else.
The best secret to success as an entrepreneur is to find something you are passionate about and create a business around that. When you do something you love you’ll never “work” a day in your life. Entrepreneurs have that fire in their belly. Find a way to tap into that internal fire and let it fuel you to success.
5) VALUE
While big companies will often be able to offer the lower prices, small businesses will always be able to pile on the value. By offering better service, adding bonuses, giving and discounts on related products, the entrepreneurs can add more bang for the buck.
6) CREATIVE SPARK
What’s great about the entrepreneurs is that they aren’t afraid to try something new. When I think of “creative spark”, I think of my son, when he was three years old, eyeing a package of cookies up on top of the refrigerator. He doesn’t know that it is up really high and that climbing up there is dangerous. He only sees the cookies and starts stacking chairs and climbing until I find him sitting on top of the fridge with a big smile and a mushy cookie face. Similarly, entrepreneurs don’t “know” if something will work or not and fearlessly forge forward with their eyes on the prize. This innovation helps them to tap into new products, techniques, and processes.
SUMMARY
They say, when the going gets tough, the tough gets going. When the market starts putting the heat on your business, ask yourself, are you staying “sharp”? Do you still have the entrepreneurial edge? By thinking like a start up, you will find that you will have the staying power to compete with the big boys on the block. And you’ll find that kind of hard-earned success is “oh” so sweet!
Article by: Kristie Tamsevicius, is the author of "I Love My Life: A Mom's Guide to Working from Home"! Thousands of aspiring entrepreneurs have used her step-by-step home business system to earn money working from home.
Get a free ecourse Home Business Success Secrets at www.Webmomz.com
Some would say that big business has it made; I on the other hand believe that there will always be a special place for the little business guy. Entrepreneurs have an edge over their bigger competitors. So while the Amazon’s of the world are struggling to break even from their multi billion-dollar overheads, the smaller Dot coms are already realizing profits. What advantages do the “little” guys have in the marketplace? Below is how to “think like a startup” and realize greater success.
HOW TO KEEP THE ENTREPRENEURIAL EDGE
1) STAY IN TOUCH WITH YOUR CUSTOMERS
Ever heard of the 80/20 rule? The old adage says that 80% of your business will come from 20% of your customers. In business, the customer is king. It’s far easier to sell to an existing customer than to find a new one. So, once you get a customer, you need to service the heck out of them.
So how do you make your customers feel like they are number one? By letting them know that they are top priority. This means answering your own phone, replying quickly to email requests. It means staying in regular communication with your customers. Keep up a good rapport. Send an occasional email asking them what’s new. Mail birthday cards or a customer anniversary card. Gestures like these can build close, long lasting customer relations and goes a long way to building customer loyalty.
In addition to building stronger customer relationships, keeping in touch with your customer base can enable dot coms to offer one to one marketing. By identifying your customers needs and buying habits, you can personalize product packages and service offerings to meet your customer’s individual needs.
2) LISTEN TO THE BEAT OF THE STREET
If small business owners want to keep their head above water, they need to closely monitor their environments. By “listening” to the pulse, you can think proactively rather than reactively. This means spotting things when they are coming so you can act quickly and take advantage.
Web stats - Do you look at your web stats regularly? Or are you guilty of being too “busy” to make time? Unless you regularly look at your web traffic reports, they probably will read like a foreign language to you. By looking at your web reports regularly, you’ll be able to spot trends. What pages are your visitors going to? What is the hits-to-sales ratio? What can you do to improve that number?
Feedback - Another way to “listen to the beat” is to get feedback from your customers. Try to be on a first name basis with your customers. Ask them how they are doing and if there is anything you could assist them with. The answers you’ll receive will be worth their weight in gold.
Industry news - Keep up with the industry by reading everything you can get your hands on. When you work in “living room central” it’s easy to let yourself be isolated from the world. You can’t rely on your favorite soap operas to keep you informed about the current trends in business. So put down your munchies and flavored coffee and make a concerted effort to stay “in the know” by subscribing to print magazines and online newsletters
3) FLEXIBILITY
When I think about flexibility, the childhood rhyme “Jack be nimble, Jack be quick, Jack jump over the candlestick” comes to mind. In order to keep from being burned, small businesses need to be nimble and quick. This means having the flexibility to act quickly in response to changes in the marketplace. Like a surfer riding a wave, you have to be in just the right place at the right time to ride the crest of the wave and get the best ride. Likewise, if small businesses monitor closely what’s going on in the marketplace, they can act quickly to take advantage of current events and trends in the marketplace.
They say what gets measured, gets managed. Keep a close eye on your monthly financials. Listen to your customers. Measure the effectiveness of your advertising. Then when you see a difference ask yourself, “was that good or bad” and ACT!
4) TAP INTO THE FIRE AND LET IT FUEL YOU
Simply said, small business owners want it more. Because of this, they will try harder and go the extra mile. That’s why big companies like Wal-Mart and Saturn have made their employees part owners in the company. They have seen that people will work harder for themselves than for anyone else.
The best secret to success as an entrepreneur is to find something you are passionate about and create a business around that. When you do something you love you’ll never “work” a day in your life. Entrepreneurs have that fire in their belly. Find a way to tap into that internal fire and let it fuel you to success.
5) VALUE
While big companies will often be able to offer the lower prices, small businesses will always be able to pile on the value. By offering better service, adding bonuses, giving and discounts on related products, the entrepreneurs can add more bang for the buck.
6) CREATIVE SPARK
What’s great about the entrepreneurs is that they aren’t afraid to try something new. When I think of “creative spark”, I think of my son, when he was three years old, eyeing a package of cookies up on top of the refrigerator. He doesn’t know that it is up really high and that climbing up there is dangerous. He only sees the cookies and starts stacking chairs and climbing until I find him sitting on top of the fridge with a big smile and a mushy cookie face. Similarly, entrepreneurs don’t “know” if something will work or not and fearlessly forge forward with their eyes on the prize. This innovation helps them to tap into new products, techniques, and processes.
SUMMARY
They say, when the going gets tough, the tough gets going. When the market starts putting the heat on your business, ask yourself, are you staying “sharp”? Do you still have the entrepreneurial edge? By thinking like a start up, you will find that you will have the staying power to compete with the big boys on the block. And you’ll find that kind of hard-earned success is “oh” so sweet!
Article by: Kristie Tamsevicius, is the author of "I Love My Life: A Mom's Guide to Working from Home"! Thousands of aspiring entrepreneurs have used her step-by-step home business system to earn money working from home.
Get a free ecourse Home Business Success Secrets at www.Webmomz.com
Wednesday
Start Your Own Business From Home - But Make it a GOOD One
By David Carter
There are more people starting, or thinking of starting their own businesses from home, than ever before and there are good reasons for that. Firstly: economic. If you can set aside a spare room in the house, or even an outhouse for your enterprise, you will save considerably, as opposed to renting fresh premises away from the home. Secondly, there is the security issue. You are far less likely to have stock or equipment robbed or vandalised at home, than you might elsewhere.
And anyone who has sat in traffic jams going nowhere day after day, or fought their way through increasingly congested motorways, might think that making their way from the kitchen to the spare room, to start work, must be akin to paradise. No travelling, no time lost, no fare bills, not even the need to get togged up in a suit if you don't want to. And you have the freedom to work the hours that suit you, rather than for an ever-demanding boss elsewhere.
But if you are going to start your own business from home, make sure it is a GOOD one, a PROPER business. Just because you are operating from home, you must not lack professionalism, nor is it an opportunity to waste time and money experimenting on hopeless ideas. You would have to have the brain of a clockwork rat to imagine that some of the so-called business opportunities doing the rounds right now will enable you to establish a decent business. A business that will provide you with a good income, a business that must support you and your family. Build yourself a PROPER business from the ground up.
The Internet is crammed to the gunwales with folks trying to sell business opportunities of every crazy type. You have to ask yourself this, if these ideas are all so wonderful, why are the sellers not carrying them out themselves, rather than trying to sell a manual for 49.95, or whatever the figure might be. The answer of course is because those same sellers are making more money selling the book, rather than putting the idea into practice. Either that, or worse still, the proposition simply doesn't work anyway. It happens.
I was invited to join a business venture not so long ago, and part of their blurb read: 1.6 million people already involved, and rising fast! Seeing as all those 1.6 million souls had the same rights to sell the same products as I had, what did that say? Saturation point was not far away, that's what. Who wants to try selling the same things to an ever-diminishing customer base against an army of competitors trying to do exactly the same thing? Not me thanks. Get yourself a PROPER business. And that means being imaginative. You must be different from the competition. You must have an angle, or an idea that not everyone else has. Think about it. You need a USP. A Unique Selling Point. That way you will increase your chances of success enormously. If you can't offer something different, however slight the difference might be, the chances are, you will fail.
99% of all businesses are about selling, either goods or services. It matters not whether you are a tattooist, a masseur, running a magazine, a stamp dealer, or deal in priceless precious stones, you must find customers, and you must SELL. So don't start out by saying in a slightly wimpish voice, I am not very good at selling. Running a business is about selling, so get used to the idea. If you don't want to sell, go and become a traffic warden, or a lollypop person, and that's no disrespect to the lollypop people.
Do you think Sir Richard Branson or Sir Alan Sugar started their businesses by saying: I am not very good at selling. Of course they didn't, more likely their philosophy was: Let's get out there and knock 'em dead! That is unquestionably the right attitude, and the attitude that you must adopt too if you truly desire to be successful.
What is the point of starting a business anyway? From home or anywhere else. The answer is: to make money. Without money, cash that comes through real SALES, that word again, your business will wither and die. If you are thinking of starting a business, be serious about it. Tell yourself, it IS going to be successful, and you will do whatever it takes to achieve that. After all, who wants a business that will lose money, become a drain on your resources, or become a worry, or a burden? No one that's for sure, so make sure your business is a PROPER business, with real customers, and genuine sales, with money coming in the front door, and profits being made. Profit is not a dirty word. It is a beautiful word.
Half the fun of running your own business is developing it, and spending some of your newfound wealth on new equipment, premises, stock, vehicles, and whatever else you need to make your business grow. But that will only happen, if your enterprise is built on sound foundations, and with a little clear thought. Deep down you will know what is going to produce a long-term venture, and what is not. Think success, and you are half way there. It takes effort, of course it does, but you will get there, you really will.
David Carter's new website offers a very useful free Ebay misspelling tool, it carries the latest articles regarding online auctions and home business, rotating articles that are updated frequently throughout the day, it is crammed with home business ideas and information, and is a useful tool in itself for anyone trading, or thinking of trading from home. Catch it at http://www.trackerbiz.com You can contact David on any matter at supalife@aol.com.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=David_Carter
There are more people starting, or thinking of starting their own businesses from home, than ever before and there are good reasons for that. Firstly: economic. If you can set aside a spare room in the house, or even an outhouse for your enterprise, you will save considerably, as opposed to renting fresh premises away from the home. Secondly, there is the security issue. You are far less likely to have stock or equipment robbed or vandalised at home, than you might elsewhere.
And anyone who has sat in traffic jams going nowhere day after day, or fought their way through increasingly congested motorways, might think that making their way from the kitchen to the spare room, to start work, must be akin to paradise. No travelling, no time lost, no fare bills, not even the need to get togged up in a suit if you don't want to. And you have the freedom to work the hours that suit you, rather than for an ever-demanding boss elsewhere.
But if you are going to start your own business from home, make sure it is a GOOD one, a PROPER business. Just because you are operating from home, you must not lack professionalism, nor is it an opportunity to waste time and money experimenting on hopeless ideas. You would have to have the brain of a clockwork rat to imagine that some of the so-called business opportunities doing the rounds right now will enable you to establish a decent business. A business that will provide you with a good income, a business that must support you and your family. Build yourself a PROPER business from the ground up.
The Internet is crammed to the gunwales with folks trying to sell business opportunities of every crazy type. You have to ask yourself this, if these ideas are all so wonderful, why are the sellers not carrying them out themselves, rather than trying to sell a manual for 49.95, or whatever the figure might be. The answer of course is because those same sellers are making more money selling the book, rather than putting the idea into practice. Either that, or worse still, the proposition simply doesn't work anyway. It happens.
I was invited to join a business venture not so long ago, and part of their blurb read: 1.6 million people already involved, and rising fast! Seeing as all those 1.6 million souls had the same rights to sell the same products as I had, what did that say? Saturation point was not far away, that's what. Who wants to try selling the same things to an ever-diminishing customer base against an army of competitors trying to do exactly the same thing? Not me thanks. Get yourself a PROPER business. And that means being imaginative. You must be different from the competition. You must have an angle, or an idea that not everyone else has. Think about it. You need a USP. A Unique Selling Point. That way you will increase your chances of success enormously. If you can't offer something different, however slight the difference might be, the chances are, you will fail.
99% of all businesses are about selling, either goods or services. It matters not whether you are a tattooist, a masseur, running a magazine, a stamp dealer, or deal in priceless precious stones, you must find customers, and you must SELL. So don't start out by saying in a slightly wimpish voice, I am not very good at selling. Running a business is about selling, so get used to the idea. If you don't want to sell, go and become a traffic warden, or a lollypop person, and that's no disrespect to the lollypop people.
Do you think Sir Richard Branson or Sir Alan Sugar started their businesses by saying: I am not very good at selling. Of course they didn't, more likely their philosophy was: Let's get out there and knock 'em dead! That is unquestionably the right attitude, and the attitude that you must adopt too if you truly desire to be successful.
What is the point of starting a business anyway? From home or anywhere else. The answer is: to make money. Without money, cash that comes through real SALES, that word again, your business will wither and die. If you are thinking of starting a business, be serious about it. Tell yourself, it IS going to be successful, and you will do whatever it takes to achieve that. After all, who wants a business that will lose money, become a drain on your resources, or become a worry, or a burden? No one that's for sure, so make sure your business is a PROPER business, with real customers, and genuine sales, with money coming in the front door, and profits being made. Profit is not a dirty word. It is a beautiful word.
Half the fun of running your own business is developing it, and spending some of your newfound wealth on new equipment, premises, stock, vehicles, and whatever else you need to make your business grow. But that will only happen, if your enterprise is built on sound foundations, and with a little clear thought. Deep down you will know what is going to produce a long-term venture, and what is not. Think success, and you are half way there. It takes effort, of course it does, but you will get there, you really will.
David Carter's new website offers a very useful free Ebay misspelling tool, it carries the latest articles regarding online auctions and home business, rotating articles that are updated frequently throughout the day, it is crammed with home business ideas and information, and is a useful tool in itself for anyone trading, or thinking of trading from home. Catch it at http://www.trackerbiz.com You can contact David on any matter at supalife@aol.com.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=David_Carter
Tuesday
Answers to Your E-Commerce Problems!!
By: dcary
Businesses need efficient technology and strong marketing in order for e-commerce to be successful. The goal is to increase your business by making it easier for customers to shop, and if your website’s lack of technology and marketing make it difficult for them, they may as well drive to the mall.
Before we look at e-commerce solutions, we need to first figure out some of the problems with e-commerce. There are many complaints from customers when it comes to purchasing items online. A few include a disorganized site that is difficult and confusing to navigate; lack of information on the website including failure to tell customers about special deals or prices; the inability to pay with the customer’s native currency or the inability for the customer to even understand the language in which the website is written; and frustrating and confusing shopping carts and check out procedures.
Well then, what are some e-commerce solutions? Having a professional looking website will attract customers and make them feel confident in buying from you. You want your website to be organized and easy to navigate, and if you have an informational website that is search engine friendly; shows promotional deals; encourages up selling in a friendly way (such as showing related items or showing items that customers purchased who also purchased the item you are purchasing); is accessible in the most languages and accepts different types of currency; has a user friendly shopping cart and single page checkout, then you won’t need many e-commerce solutions!
Remember, when your business is e-commerce, you want to take all possible steps to make sure you and your product are presented professionally, friendly, and easily accessible.
Article by:
Dianna Lives in Australia Works from Home in Internet Marketing Does not have to Commute!!! Nor Listen to her BOSS!!! My Blog: diannacary.blogspot.com My Domain: www.diannacary.com
Businesses need efficient technology and strong marketing in order for e-commerce to be successful. The goal is to increase your business by making it easier for customers to shop, and if your website’s lack of technology and marketing make it difficult for them, they may as well drive to the mall.
Before we look at e-commerce solutions, we need to first figure out some of the problems with e-commerce. There are many complaints from customers when it comes to purchasing items online. A few include a disorganized site that is difficult and confusing to navigate; lack of information on the website including failure to tell customers about special deals or prices; the inability to pay with the customer’s native currency or the inability for the customer to even understand the language in which the website is written; and frustrating and confusing shopping carts and check out procedures.
Well then, what are some e-commerce solutions? Having a professional looking website will attract customers and make them feel confident in buying from you. You want your website to be organized and easy to navigate, and if you have an informational website that is search engine friendly; shows promotional deals; encourages up selling in a friendly way (such as showing related items or showing items that customers purchased who also purchased the item you are purchasing); is accessible in the most languages and accepts different types of currency; has a user friendly shopping cart and single page checkout, then you won’t need many e-commerce solutions!
Remember, when your business is e-commerce, you want to take all possible steps to make sure you and your product are presented professionally, friendly, and easily accessible.
Article by:
Dianna Lives in Australia Works from Home in Internet Marketing Does not have to Commute!!! Nor Listen to her BOSS!!! My Blog: diannacary.blogspot.com My Domain: www.diannacary.com
Monday
Signs your Work at Home Opportunity Might be a Scam
By: Doll5272
Signs it is not a legitimate business:
1-Emails asking for envelope stuffers or Typing
In all the emails I have received and investigated they either want to you PAY for the information to get started, or they pay is simply a joke. Hey I would love to make hundreds of dollars stuffing envelopes who wouldn't but Mom's beware these are not legitimate businesses.
2-Advertisements with Mispelled text:-
This should be an obvious sign this is PROBABLY not a legitimate business. Most businesses would make sure their ads and pamplets were proofread and very professional looking.
3--Not a good job description:-
If you come across an ad with NO Description or a very vague description OR a description of someone offering you HUNDREDS of DOLLARS with little no EXPERIENCE my advice RUN! Because the truth is it will probably cost you get the information to look into the company and you will NEVER get your money back by working for them.
4--Contact Information:-
If you come across a website where there is NO Contact information or only an email address be skeptical most businesses that are legitimate will offer customer support including phone numbers or ways to reach them.
5--Lastly if it sounds too good to be true it probably is:-
I know it is hard as WAHM to find a legitimate business as you want so much to earn your own income to help your family out! Just put your anteneas on and be weary of anything asking you for money to sign up UNLESS you are getting a legitimate kit and talk to other employees of the company.Do you research so you not two months down the road broke and feeling disappointed in yourself!
Article by:
Angela Wenke is the owner of Marketplace Craft Fair at www.marketplacesquare.org/index.php/ and WAHM Break Cafe a Mom's retreat and hideout at www.marketplacesquare.org/index.php/
Signs it is not a legitimate business:
1-Emails asking for envelope stuffers or Typing
In all the emails I have received and investigated they either want to you PAY for the information to get started, or they pay is simply a joke. Hey I would love to make hundreds of dollars stuffing envelopes who wouldn't but Mom's beware these are not legitimate businesses.
2-Advertisements with Mispelled text:-
This should be an obvious sign this is PROBABLY not a legitimate business. Most businesses would make sure their ads and pamplets were proofread and very professional looking.
3--Not a good job description:-
If you come across an ad with NO Description or a very vague description OR a description of someone offering you HUNDREDS of DOLLARS with little no EXPERIENCE my advice RUN! Because the truth is it will probably cost you get the information to look into the company and you will NEVER get your money back by working for them.
4--Contact Information:-
If you come across a website where there is NO Contact information or only an email address be skeptical most businesses that are legitimate will offer customer support including phone numbers or ways to reach them.
5--Lastly if it sounds too good to be true it probably is:-
I know it is hard as WAHM to find a legitimate business as you want so much to earn your own income to help your family out! Just put your anteneas on and be weary of anything asking you for money to sign up UNLESS you are getting a legitimate kit and talk to other employees of the company.Do you research so you not two months down the road broke and feeling disappointed in yourself!
Article by:
Angela Wenke is the owner of Marketplace Craft Fair at www.marketplacesquare.org/index.php/ and WAHM Break Cafe a Mom's retreat and hideout at www.marketplacesquare.org/index.php/
Friday
Effective Marketing of Your Home Based Business
By: Tammy DePew Smith
I have worked from home since 1999. In that time I have met many wonderful people who have a dream of being home with their family while achieving success with a home business. One of the key elements in the success of a home business is the right marketing/promotion of that business.
There are two avenues of promotion for your business – offline and online. Online promotion can be more cost effective, and less time consuming, than offline advertising. They both can be very effective means of promoting your business, you just need to find the way that works best for you.
Here are a few marketing tricks and tips that I have learned over the past 6 years.
Offline Marketing:
• Invest in a vinyl sign for your vehicle. Why not take advantage of all of those trips to the grocery store, or your children’s school? Let your vehicle become a walking, uh, driving billboard for your business.
• Purchase business cards. There are many affordable online business card sites. Leave your cards everywhere you go. Make a goal to hand out at least 10 cards every day.
• Create bright, colorful flyers, take an afternoon and post your flyers all over town on community bulletin boards. Along the way, stop in to local businesses, briefly explain your business and leave a flyer and business card.
• Join your local Chamber of Commerce and attend network meetings. This can be great exposure for your business.
Online Marketing:
• Build a user friendly Web site, research which keywords would be best for your site by doing a search on Wordtracker.com Worktracker.com helps you find the keywords most relevant to your type of business and the words most likely to be used in a search engine inquiry.
• Advertise your site every chance you get. There are many free sites where you can place free classified ads. Or, you might choose to invest some money into advertising and purchase banner or text ads on other well-known sites. It’s best to do a little research before purchasing ads, however, as you want to make sure to advertise on sites that receive a lot of traffic.
• Network, network, network. Join every group you can find time for at Yahoo Groups and on Ryze. I have made some lucrative joint ventures with individuals I have met on Ryze. These are also excellent sources of free advertising, just be sure and observe each network and groups ad posting policy.
A successful home based business is within your reach. It just requires patience, and the willingness to learn all you can about marketing and promotion of your business.
Article by:
Tammy DePew Smith is the designer and owner of www.wahpromotion.com, a marketing resource site dedicated to promoting small businesses. Resources include marketing articles, marketing tips, a bi-monthly marketing newsletter, and weekly marketing chats.
I have worked from home since 1999. In that time I have met many wonderful people who have a dream of being home with their family while achieving success with a home business. One of the key elements in the success of a home business is the right marketing/promotion of that business.
There are two avenues of promotion for your business – offline and online. Online promotion can be more cost effective, and less time consuming, than offline advertising. They both can be very effective means of promoting your business, you just need to find the way that works best for you.
Here are a few marketing tricks and tips that I have learned over the past 6 years.
Offline Marketing:
• Invest in a vinyl sign for your vehicle. Why not take advantage of all of those trips to the grocery store, or your children’s school? Let your vehicle become a walking, uh, driving billboard for your business.
• Purchase business cards. There are many affordable online business card sites. Leave your cards everywhere you go. Make a goal to hand out at least 10 cards every day.
• Create bright, colorful flyers, take an afternoon and post your flyers all over town on community bulletin boards. Along the way, stop in to local businesses, briefly explain your business and leave a flyer and business card.
• Join your local Chamber of Commerce and attend network meetings. This can be great exposure for your business.
Online Marketing:
• Build a user friendly Web site, research which keywords would be best for your site by doing a search on Wordtracker.com Worktracker.com helps you find the keywords most relevant to your type of business and the words most likely to be used in a search engine inquiry.
• Advertise your site every chance you get. There are many free sites where you can place free classified ads. Or, you might choose to invest some money into advertising and purchase banner or text ads on other well-known sites. It’s best to do a little research before purchasing ads, however, as you want to make sure to advertise on sites that receive a lot of traffic.
• Network, network, network. Join every group you can find time for at Yahoo Groups and on Ryze. I have made some lucrative joint ventures with individuals I have met on Ryze. These are also excellent sources of free advertising, just be sure and observe each network and groups ad posting policy.
A successful home based business is within your reach. It just requires patience, and the willingness to learn all you can about marketing and promotion of your business.
Article by:
Tammy DePew Smith is the designer and owner of www.wahpromotion.com, a marketing resource site dedicated to promoting small businesses. Resources include marketing articles, marketing tips, a bi-monthly marketing newsletter, and weekly marketing chats.
Thursday
3 Reasons Why Internet Millionaires Make Money
By Jennifer Carter
Have you ever wondered “What would I do if I had a million dollars”? Would you be interested in learning from successful millionaires rather than taking your chances by buying a lottery ticket?
There are three success traits that you will find are the secrets behind successful millionaires.
Firstly, if you want to learn from the millionaires themselves, you will find a simple and easy to follow recipe for success. The best way to make a million dollars is to find a successful way to make one dollar – and do it again!
That’s right, most successful millionaires, and especially those who internet millionaires who make money, have done it by finding a successful formula and doing it again and again.
Take Brandon Dupsky, who reputedly earnt over $8 million by selling on eBay in 2005. He found a way to sell items of junk from his basement and applied that formula successfully to expand his business. Simple but clearly effective!
One of the reason's why he is so successful is because he didn't let his lack of knowledge stop him but started educating himself.
Secondly, another common trait amongst successful millionaires and the names of famous entrepreneurs, is that they find someone who believes in them and encourages them that they can succeed. They also are not deterred by apparent failure. For example, Edison tried and failed over 2000 times to find the right filament for his carbonized incandescant lightbulb.
Thirdly, they stopped dreaming, talking and wondering if it was possible and simply got started!
You can find out more on setting up your own successful home based internet business by signing up for a free 7 day course.
This article was submitted by Jennifer Carter, writer of How to become an Internet Millionaire.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jennifer_Carter
Have you ever wondered “What would I do if I had a million dollars”? Would you be interested in learning from successful millionaires rather than taking your chances by buying a lottery ticket?
There are three success traits that you will find are the secrets behind successful millionaires.
Firstly, if you want to learn from the millionaires themselves, you will find a simple and easy to follow recipe for success. The best way to make a million dollars is to find a successful way to make one dollar – and do it again!
That’s right, most successful millionaires, and especially those who internet millionaires who make money, have done it by finding a successful formula and doing it again and again.
Take Brandon Dupsky, who reputedly earnt over $8 million by selling on eBay in 2005. He found a way to sell items of junk from his basement and applied that formula successfully to expand his business. Simple but clearly effective!
One of the reason's why he is so successful is because he didn't let his lack of knowledge stop him but started educating himself.
Secondly, another common trait amongst successful millionaires and the names of famous entrepreneurs, is that they find someone who believes in them and encourages them that they can succeed. They also are not deterred by apparent failure. For example, Edison tried and failed over 2000 times to find the right filament for his carbonized incandescant lightbulb.
Thirdly, they stopped dreaming, talking and wondering if it was possible and simply got started!
You can find out more on setting up your own successful home based internet business by signing up for a free 7 day course.
This article was submitted by Jennifer Carter, writer of How to become an Internet Millionaire.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jennifer_Carter
4 Reasons Why Small Businesses Succeed (or Fail)
By Bob Normand
The American system of business management is admired and emulated around the world. The American system is characteristic of two positive traits in the American psyche: (1) enthusiasm for making things better for the future and (2) openness and willingness to change in order to achieve that end.
No society in the world is more prolific at creating new businesses than the United States capitalistic system. Often, however, as small businesses owners and managers, we are so busy starting new ventures and fighting daily fires that we don’t take the time to learn basic, successful management principles. These principles have been tested and proven by our larger companies over years of trial and error. They are readily available as a resource to the small business owner.
Many entrepreneurs are technical experts in the product or service they offer. The entrepreneur, however, often starts a business without any formal training or experience in the best management practices and principles. By “management” here we mean the business of successfully managing the non-technical side of the business, the “back room” activities. It is the “business of running the business”. As a result of inadequate or inattentive management, many small businesses fail in the early years. They fail not because of a weakness in their product or service concept, but because the business was not properly organized or managed.
Once a small business has emerged from the start-up phase, or grown to a certain level, management techniques must change or the business will inevitably run into trouble. Although situations vary widely, for many small businesses management crises start in the range of $1-3 million in annual sales or 5-15 employees. When management issue becomes critical, the owner or manager of a small business must evolve or change from a manager of things to a manager of people and from a technical expert to a strategic thinker.
Change is never easy, particularly for talented entrepreneurs who have ingrained habits developed over time. But failure to grow as a manager is a major, perhaps the major reason why a business will falter, stagnate or even collapse under its own weight.
But what have successful business owners developed have is missing in troubled businesses?
First of all, owners of successful businesses have developed personal characteristics that they were not necessarily born with and that reflect in their business organization:
• Invariably they have a positive attitude towards their business and life in general.
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” Mark Twain
• They are committed to their effort.
“The only place you’ll find success before work is in the dictionary.”
May B. Smith
• They are patient.
“Entrepreneurs are simply those who understand that there is little difference between obstacle and opportunity and are able to turn both to their advantage." Victor Kiam
• They are persistent.
“Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” Thomas Edison
Secondly, the owners of successful businesses have developed a business blueprint called a Strategic Business Plan that clearly describes their business concept, their mission and their philosophy of business. In this document, they have set personal and corporate goals and set out specific time lines and strategies to achieve them.
Thirdly, successful business owners think of their employees as “associates”, a favorite descriptor used by Sam Walton and a more meaningful idea of a management/employee relationship. Successful owners view their associates as their most valuable asset and resource. Associates are gathered into an Organizational Structure that functions as a well-oiled machine. This structure, including all its policies and procedures, encourages associates to perform to their utmost capabilities and gives them the freedom to achieve, rewarding those who excel in proportion to their contributions and disciplining those who deviate from acceptable behavior. Positions, tasks, duties and responsibilities are defined and communicated routinely and performance is measured regularly. Training, job enrichment programs and incentive compensation plans are designed to encourage each associate to excel.
Fourth and last, the owners of successful businesses have developed Operational Support Systems. These may be financial or non-financial, manual or automated. The objective of these systems is to support and make efficient all the activities of the organization. Well structured, they also relieve management of many day to day routine activities, giving owners more time to be strategic thinkers. The information provided by these tracking systems provide critical information on sales, cash flow and other financial performance data so that senior management can take timely action as change occurs. Red flags appear early, before problems become unmanageable.
IN SUMMARY, THE FOUR KEYS TO SUCCESSFUL SMALL BUSINESS MANAGEMENT ARE: (1) Owners have developed habits and traits that are Positive, Committed, Patient and Persistent. (2) A living Strategic Business Plan is in place. (3) An Organizational Structure has been developed that encourages people to be their best and allows them to do so. (4) Operational Support Systems are used that track performance and relieve senior management of daily detail yet supply them with critical data to manage the business.
Let’s go a littler deeper into what is meant by a Strategic Business Plan.
Successful businesses operate within a planned framework. A Strategic Business Plan is written for a minimum of three years or two years beyond the current budget year. The plan describes the company’s mission, analyzes corporate and marketing strengths, evaluates weaknesses and how they will be overcome. It identifies target markets and pricing strategies and describes strategic alliances that exist or will be pursued. The plan describes positions on any other issues seen as critical to the long term health or viability of the business.
“Failing to Plan is Planning to Fail”
Effie Jones
Now let’s look a little deeper at what we mean by Organizational Structure.
The basic building blocks of organizational structure for a business are:
• An Organizational Chart, Job Descriptions, Task and Duty Lists, a Job Performance Evaluation System, an Employee Handbook, a Policies & Procedures Manual and an Incentive Compensation System.
When all of these organizational components are in place and being utilized routinely, the organization will have structure and purpose. Employees will feel they know where the company is going and what their role is in helping it get there. They will know the boundaries of what is expected as acceptable behavior and they will be aware that outstanding performance will be rewarded.
Now let’s look a little deeper at what we mean by Operating Support Systems.
Usually the most involved system for a small business is the Accounting System. This may be a relatively simple system such as QuickBooks® or Peachtree®. These systems are pre-designed and user-friendly and are particularly good for non-manufacturing businesses that simply buy and resell items. Also, they manage customers, vendors, accounts receivable and accounts payable very well. Finally, they have the capability of generating excellent managerial and financial reports, virtually in a minute or two.
No matter what the type of business, some type of accounting software package is needed that can capture daily transactions in a real-time environment and be easily operated by in-house personnel. In today’s fast paced business world, relying on an accountant to provide periodic statements of company performance several weeks or even months after the fact is not an acceptable strategy.
Other systems small businesses should have in place (typically these are automated Excel®-based systems):
• Cash Management, Annual/Monthly Budget with Variance Report, Labor Burden Tracking System, Job or Product Pricing System, Incentive Plan Distribution System, Break-Even Calculator and a Weekly Sales Reporter.
Even if you have none of these developed, the task is not as daunting as it may seem at first. Plug-in systems are available from a number of sources at modest cost and include backup training and support (one such source can be found at www.isbminc.com).
A business that has these four critical components in place stands a much higher probability of success than businesses that are not so equipped.
© Institute for Small Business Management, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Robert A. Normand is Executive Director of the Institute for Small Business Management (http://www.isbminc.com) and author of "Entreprenewal!, The Six Step Recovery Program for Small Business" (http://www.entreprenewal.com). Mr. Normand has served as principal management consultant for more than 100 businesses ranging from $500,000 to $50,000,000 in annual sales and has owned and operated several small businesses of his own in diverse industries. Mr. Normand’s small business philosophy is premised on the belief that small business management skills can be developed by busy entrepreneurs using readily available information, tools and procedures not found in business schools or formal degree programs. He can be reached by telephone at 941-330-0889 or by mail at 3751 Almeria Avenue, Suite A4, Sarasota, Florida 34239.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bob_Normand
The American system of business management is admired and emulated around the world. The American system is characteristic of two positive traits in the American psyche: (1) enthusiasm for making things better for the future and (2) openness and willingness to change in order to achieve that end.
No society in the world is more prolific at creating new businesses than the United States capitalistic system. Often, however, as small businesses owners and managers, we are so busy starting new ventures and fighting daily fires that we don’t take the time to learn basic, successful management principles. These principles have been tested and proven by our larger companies over years of trial and error. They are readily available as a resource to the small business owner.
Many entrepreneurs are technical experts in the product or service they offer. The entrepreneur, however, often starts a business without any formal training or experience in the best management practices and principles. By “management” here we mean the business of successfully managing the non-technical side of the business, the “back room” activities. It is the “business of running the business”. As a result of inadequate or inattentive management, many small businesses fail in the early years. They fail not because of a weakness in their product or service concept, but because the business was not properly organized or managed.
Once a small business has emerged from the start-up phase, or grown to a certain level, management techniques must change or the business will inevitably run into trouble. Although situations vary widely, for many small businesses management crises start in the range of $1-3 million in annual sales or 5-15 employees. When management issue becomes critical, the owner or manager of a small business must evolve or change from a manager of things to a manager of people and from a technical expert to a strategic thinker.
Change is never easy, particularly for talented entrepreneurs who have ingrained habits developed over time. But failure to grow as a manager is a major, perhaps the major reason why a business will falter, stagnate or even collapse under its own weight.
But what have successful business owners developed have is missing in troubled businesses?
First of all, owners of successful businesses have developed personal characteristics that they were not necessarily born with and that reflect in their business organization:
• Invariably they have a positive attitude towards their business and life in general.
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” Mark Twain
• They are committed to their effort.
“The only place you’ll find success before work is in the dictionary.”
May B. Smith
• They are patient.
“Entrepreneurs are simply those who understand that there is little difference between obstacle and opportunity and are able to turn both to their advantage." Victor Kiam
• They are persistent.
“Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” Thomas Edison
Secondly, the owners of successful businesses have developed a business blueprint called a Strategic Business Plan that clearly describes their business concept, their mission and their philosophy of business. In this document, they have set personal and corporate goals and set out specific time lines and strategies to achieve them.
Thirdly, successful business owners think of their employees as “associates”, a favorite descriptor used by Sam Walton and a more meaningful idea of a management/employee relationship. Successful owners view their associates as their most valuable asset and resource. Associates are gathered into an Organizational Structure that functions as a well-oiled machine. This structure, including all its policies and procedures, encourages associates to perform to their utmost capabilities and gives them the freedom to achieve, rewarding those who excel in proportion to their contributions and disciplining those who deviate from acceptable behavior. Positions, tasks, duties and responsibilities are defined and communicated routinely and performance is measured regularly. Training, job enrichment programs and incentive compensation plans are designed to encourage each associate to excel.
Fourth and last, the owners of successful businesses have developed Operational Support Systems. These may be financial or non-financial, manual or automated. The objective of these systems is to support and make efficient all the activities of the organization. Well structured, they also relieve management of many day to day routine activities, giving owners more time to be strategic thinkers. The information provided by these tracking systems provide critical information on sales, cash flow and other financial performance data so that senior management can take timely action as change occurs. Red flags appear early, before problems become unmanageable.
IN SUMMARY, THE FOUR KEYS TO SUCCESSFUL SMALL BUSINESS MANAGEMENT ARE: (1) Owners have developed habits and traits that are Positive, Committed, Patient and Persistent. (2) A living Strategic Business Plan is in place. (3) An Organizational Structure has been developed that encourages people to be their best and allows them to do so. (4) Operational Support Systems are used that track performance and relieve senior management of daily detail yet supply them with critical data to manage the business.
Let’s go a littler deeper into what is meant by a Strategic Business Plan.
Successful businesses operate within a planned framework. A Strategic Business Plan is written for a minimum of three years or two years beyond the current budget year. The plan describes the company’s mission, analyzes corporate and marketing strengths, evaluates weaknesses and how they will be overcome. It identifies target markets and pricing strategies and describes strategic alliances that exist or will be pursued. The plan describes positions on any other issues seen as critical to the long term health or viability of the business.
“Failing to Plan is Planning to Fail”
Effie Jones
Now let’s look a little deeper at what we mean by Organizational Structure.
The basic building blocks of organizational structure for a business are:
• An Organizational Chart, Job Descriptions, Task and Duty Lists, a Job Performance Evaluation System, an Employee Handbook, a Policies & Procedures Manual and an Incentive Compensation System.
When all of these organizational components are in place and being utilized routinely, the organization will have structure and purpose. Employees will feel they know where the company is going and what their role is in helping it get there. They will know the boundaries of what is expected as acceptable behavior and they will be aware that outstanding performance will be rewarded.
Now let’s look a little deeper at what we mean by Operating Support Systems.
Usually the most involved system for a small business is the Accounting System. This may be a relatively simple system such as QuickBooks® or Peachtree®. These systems are pre-designed and user-friendly and are particularly good for non-manufacturing businesses that simply buy and resell items. Also, they manage customers, vendors, accounts receivable and accounts payable very well. Finally, they have the capability of generating excellent managerial and financial reports, virtually in a minute or two.
No matter what the type of business, some type of accounting software package is needed that can capture daily transactions in a real-time environment and be easily operated by in-house personnel. In today’s fast paced business world, relying on an accountant to provide periodic statements of company performance several weeks or even months after the fact is not an acceptable strategy.
Other systems small businesses should have in place (typically these are automated Excel®-based systems):
• Cash Management, Annual/Monthly Budget with Variance Report, Labor Burden Tracking System, Job or Product Pricing System, Incentive Plan Distribution System, Break-Even Calculator and a Weekly Sales Reporter.
Even if you have none of these developed, the task is not as daunting as it may seem at first. Plug-in systems are available from a number of sources at modest cost and include backup training and support (one such source can be found at www.isbminc.com).
A business that has these four critical components in place stands a much higher probability of success than businesses that are not so equipped.
© Institute for Small Business Management, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Robert A. Normand is Executive Director of the Institute for Small Business Management (http://www.isbminc.com) and author of "Entreprenewal!, The Six Step Recovery Program for Small Business" (http://www.entreprenewal.com). Mr. Normand has served as principal management consultant for more than 100 businesses ranging from $500,000 to $50,000,000 in annual sales and has owned and operated several small businesses of his own in diverse industries. Mr. Normand’s small business philosophy is premised on the belief that small business management skills can be developed by busy entrepreneurs using readily available information, tools and procedures not found in business schools or formal degree programs. He can be reached by telephone at 941-330-0889 or by mail at 3751 Almeria Avenue, Suite A4, Sarasota, Florida 34239.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bob_Normand
Affiliate Marketing And the Learning Curve
When you put up your first website you have to admit that you are pretty green to the ways of the Internet World. You think that once your website is up, and you have put your links in place, you will be in the money. I, and I am sure many, would love that to be true. Just think how many Super Affiliates we would have. I will give you a small sampling of what to truly expect.
The Begin of the Begin
You will be excited at first, and you will have a sense of pride in your accomplishment. Granted, it is no small feat to getting a website up and online. But this is just the beginning of your Internet Marketing experience.
Once you have your website up, you should be asking yourself -- where do I begin, or, what do I do now? If you are short of cash, which, in most cases people in the beginning are -- you can begin by:
1. Writing articles
2. Optimizing your site for the search engines
3. Putting Adsense on your site
All this takes time and work. But, when you first begin, you do have time to optimize, to write articles, and to put adsense ads on your site. Why? It has been said that for the next six months or nine months, Google, and possibly, the other search engines, may put you in the Sandbox. Some say the Sandbox exists, some says it does not. Whatever it is called, you will see a degree of dormancy in your site.
My own thinking is that there may be a pre-set time of six months before you see a rise in your unique clicks I know I did. I feel that there may be several reasons for this:
1. Its a great way to protect the Internet community against unscrupulous sites I figure that these sites have a lifespan of six months before people give them the boot. It only takes one person to feel the blunt of a scam, before talk in the online forums begins.
2. Websites go up and go down daily. The search engines are looking at saving themselves time and money. If you are still on line after six months or nine months, youre paying your dues, and they may figure you are serious about maintaining a business online.
What Do I Do During That Six or Nine Month Period
First, and foremost since I have supplied you with this information do not get frustrated and throw in the towel. Granted, at first the only clicks you may see is your own, but that will change.
Second, start positioning yourself, so when your dormancy with the search engines ends, you have the quality content, and the quality products to begin to fly. That means, writing articles, getting your name out to the masses, and learning to utilize Adsense.
And when you have spare change, try your hand at advertising on Adwords.
In the beginning your learning curve is just out of the starting gate take this time to read, buy appropriate ebooks, experiment and research. All are important to moving your learning curve to the expert level.
To conclude, a website is just a small part, but an important part, of becoming an Affiliate Marketer. The other important elements, is persistence, hard work, and marketing. And finally, if you still have the passion after the initial exhilaration of becoming an online entrepreneur wanes then youll make it.
About the author:
Vickie J Scanlon has a BBA degree in Administrative Management and Marketing. Visit her site at: http://www.myaffiliateplace.bizfor free tools, quality articles related to affiliate marketing, ebooks, how to info, affiliate opportunities all aimed toward the affiliate marketer and the marketing process.
The Begin of the Begin
You will be excited at first, and you will have a sense of pride in your accomplishment. Granted, it is no small feat to getting a website up and online. But this is just the beginning of your Internet Marketing experience.
Once you have your website up, you should be asking yourself -- where do I begin, or, what do I do now? If you are short of cash, which, in most cases people in the beginning are -- you can begin by:
1. Writing articles
2. Optimizing your site for the search engines
3. Putting Adsense on your site
All this takes time and work. But, when you first begin, you do have time to optimize, to write articles, and to put adsense ads on your site. Why? It has been said that for the next six months or nine months, Google, and possibly, the other search engines, may put you in the Sandbox. Some say the Sandbox exists, some says it does not. Whatever it is called, you will see a degree of dormancy in your site.
My own thinking is that there may be a pre-set time of six months before you see a rise in your unique clicks I know I did. I feel that there may be several reasons for this:
1. Its a great way to protect the Internet community against unscrupulous sites I figure that these sites have a lifespan of six months before people give them the boot. It only takes one person to feel the blunt of a scam, before talk in the online forums begins.
2. Websites go up and go down daily. The search engines are looking at saving themselves time and money. If you are still on line after six months or nine months, youre paying your dues, and they may figure you are serious about maintaining a business online.
What Do I Do During That Six or Nine Month Period
First, and foremost since I have supplied you with this information do not get frustrated and throw in the towel. Granted, at first the only clicks you may see is your own, but that will change.
Second, start positioning yourself, so when your dormancy with the search engines ends, you have the quality content, and the quality products to begin to fly. That means, writing articles, getting your name out to the masses, and learning to utilize Adsense.
And when you have spare change, try your hand at advertising on Adwords.
In the beginning your learning curve is just out of the starting gate take this time to read, buy appropriate ebooks, experiment and research. All are important to moving your learning curve to the expert level.
To conclude, a website is just a small part, but an important part, of becoming an Affiliate Marketer. The other important elements, is persistence, hard work, and marketing. And finally, if you still have the passion after the initial exhilaration of becoming an online entrepreneur wanes then youll make it.
About the author:
Vickie J Scanlon has a BBA degree in Administrative Management and Marketing. Visit her site at: http://www.myaffiliateplace.bizfor free tools, quality articles related to affiliate marketing, ebooks, how to info, affiliate opportunities all aimed toward the affiliate marketer and the marketing process.
An Introduction To Home Business Opportunity
By Kevin Stith
A home business opportunity is a chance to make money in the confines of your own house. There are many people who would like to work but are not comfortable or don’t have the time to be working outside the home. A lot of housewives look for means to occupy their time when they are not working around the house and taking care of the children. There are several ways on how they could earn money and at the same time not neglect their duties at home. Baking and selling baked goods is one good way to start earning from the home. Making gift items can also be a profitable way to be creative around the house. There are books that could give ideas on what businesses could be done at home and one could choose which one will be best for them according to their skills, capability, resources and available time.
If there is a problem about cash, there are ways to have the money to have capital for the business. A good way to start making money for a home business is just by clearing up the house of excess furniture, clothes and other items that are no longer in use and holding a garage sale. You could use the proceeds to start the business you wish to pursue.
There are also business opportunities offered by legitimate companies and websites that would allow you to earn money at home like buying and re-selling products (software, e-books with resale rights and the like). This would allow you to set the price of the product you are going to sell and earn money easier.
Any business requires patience and hard work, whether conducted in or out of your home. It is also important to keep in mind that you have to love what you are doing in order to be productive.
Business Opportunity provides detailed information on Business Opportunity, Internet Business Opportunity, Home Business Opportunity, Small Business Opportunity and more. Business Opportunity is affiliated with Business Valuation Software.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kevin_Stith
A home business opportunity is a chance to make money in the confines of your own house. There are many people who would like to work but are not comfortable or don’t have the time to be working outside the home. A lot of housewives look for means to occupy their time when they are not working around the house and taking care of the children. There are several ways on how they could earn money and at the same time not neglect their duties at home. Baking and selling baked goods is one good way to start earning from the home. Making gift items can also be a profitable way to be creative around the house. There are books that could give ideas on what businesses could be done at home and one could choose which one will be best for them according to their skills, capability, resources and available time.
If there is a problem about cash, there are ways to have the money to have capital for the business. A good way to start making money for a home business is just by clearing up the house of excess furniture, clothes and other items that are no longer in use and holding a garage sale. You could use the proceeds to start the business you wish to pursue.
There are also business opportunities offered by legitimate companies and websites that would allow you to earn money at home like buying and re-selling products (software, e-books with resale rights and the like). This would allow you to set the price of the product you are going to sell and earn money easier.
Any business requires patience and hard work, whether conducted in or out of your home. It is also important to keep in mind that you have to love what you are doing in order to be productive.
Business Opportunity provides detailed information on Business Opportunity, Internet Business Opportunity, Home Business Opportunity, Small Business Opportunity and more. Business Opportunity is affiliated with Business Valuation Software.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kevin_Stith
Blog Internet Advertising: How Bloggers Are Leaving A Fortune On The Table
By Christopher Kyalo
Many bloggers are losing a fortune by ignoring blog Internet advertising and instead concentrating all their efforts on Adsense only.
There is nothing wrong with Adsense or somebody making a huge effort to maximize on their Adsense earnings, the only problem is that any blogger who concentrates all their efforts there is leaving a lot of other blog Internet advertising money on the table.
It is a lot easier than you thought selling blog Internet advertising on your blog, no matter how small your traffic is. And what's more Google Adsense have absolutely no problem with you displaying others ads on your site, as long as they do not look like Google Adsense ads. Especially the text link ads.
Naturally the next question you are asking is why anybody would want to advertise i8n your low traffic site. In other words how on earth you are going to secure blog Internet advertising for your site.
The secret behind successfully selling blog Internet advertising is very simple. You will need to understand the power of niche advertising and niche marketing.
Here's the perfect illustration of what I want to say here. A client selling pianos may be looking for a site with very heavy traffic so as to maximize on their chances of making as many sales as possible from their ad. However the same piano seller will get very excited if a very low traffic blog that focuses on persons looking to buy a piano, got in touch with him. That's the real secret behind blog Internet advertising.
Visit the writer's blog to read the rest of this article and to get more blog business opportunity Ideas. Or hire a low cost writer who will change the destiny of your blog.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Christopher_Kyalo
Many bloggers are losing a fortune by ignoring blog Internet advertising and instead concentrating all their efforts on Adsense only.
There is nothing wrong with Adsense or somebody making a huge effort to maximize on their Adsense earnings, the only problem is that any blogger who concentrates all their efforts there is leaving a lot of other blog Internet advertising money on the table.
It is a lot easier than you thought selling blog Internet advertising on your blog, no matter how small your traffic is. And what's more Google Adsense have absolutely no problem with you displaying others ads on your site, as long as they do not look like Google Adsense ads. Especially the text link ads.
Naturally the next question you are asking is why anybody would want to advertise i8n your low traffic site. In other words how on earth you are going to secure blog Internet advertising for your site.
The secret behind successfully selling blog Internet advertising is very simple. You will need to understand the power of niche advertising and niche marketing.
Here's the perfect illustration of what I want to say here. A client selling pianos may be looking for a site with very heavy traffic so as to maximize on their chances of making as many sales as possible from their ad. However the same piano seller will get very excited if a very low traffic blog that focuses on persons looking to buy a piano, got in touch with him. That's the real secret behind blog Internet advertising.
Visit the writer's blog to read the rest of this article and to get more blog business opportunity Ideas. Or hire a low cost writer who will change the destiny of your blog.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Christopher_Kyalo
Creating Sitemaps For Google, MSN and Yahoo! - The Easy Way
By Philip Nicosia
If you own or maintain a website or intend to own one, wouldn’t it be great if you get frequent visitors who find satisfaction in getting exactly the information they need from your page?
While that satisfaction largely depends on the contents of your website, how you get to be accessed by website users is the
most critical factor of website development. For if your website can’t be reached universally, you defeat the very purpose of the internet: that is, to make information available to any website user from across the world.
How you get to be accessed is actually a matter of presentation style, organization, and most importantly, how fast and extensive search engines get to lead users to your website. Unless your pages are indexed in the search engines they can’t send you the free visitors you are all looking for.
Fortunately, the search engines want your content too and there are a number of ways you can help them, which they encourage you to do - by creating sitemaps of your website. Sitemaps created for the various search engines will enable these search engines’ spiders to crawl faster, more systematically, and more extensively into your website’s pages.
By doing so, you get the maximum exposure you can. Such exposure will boost your pride in having your pages viewed, read, and used by more and more visitors the way you intended them to. On the financial aspect, the more visitors your website gets, the higher your website’s potential advertising value.
Now with the vast expansion of websites on the internet, it has become necessary to create different types of sitemaps, each
having its own complexity in setting up.
HTML Sitemaps
Creating an HTML sitemap linked to and from your home page is something savvy webmasters have been doing for years and
perhaps is the simplest to create. This sitemap is simply a list of pages contained on your site and enables the search engines spiders to easily find your pages, especially the ones that are linked deep in your website that they may have trouble finding otherwise.
TEXT Sitemaps
A text sitemap is simply a list of the URLs of your site in the form of a text file. These can then be submitted to search engines such as Yahoo! to notify them that all the pages exist and by doing so invites
their spider to visit.
XML Sitemaps
Google launched
Google Sitemaps as a way for webmasters to give them information they could use to better crawl their sites. This involves creating an XML Sitemap for which they provided their Google Sitemap Generator. This can
be the most complicated to set up using the tools provided by Google as you need to be running Python on your server. It’s perhaps the most important one too given the current dominance of the search engine.
Setting up all three types of sitemaps may seem a daunting task but luckily there are websites that take the strain out of this and you can create all three within a matter of minutes.
Whichever search engine or for whatever search purpose, sitemaps are clearly the fastest and most efficient way to navigate this digital highway. The best thing about it is, with these easy-to-use sitemap generators, you don’t have to be a computer geek to help keep this internet traffic moving.
Philip Nicosia is the webmaster of XML-Sitemaps.com, a site specialising in
sitemap software that generates XML, HTML
and TXT sitemaps for webmasters.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Philip_Nicosia
If you own or maintain a website or intend to own one, wouldn’t it be great if you get frequent visitors who find satisfaction in getting exactly the information they need from your page?
While that satisfaction largely depends on the contents of your website, how you get to be accessed by website users is the
most critical factor of website development. For if your website can’t be reached universally, you defeat the very purpose of the internet: that is, to make information available to any website user from across the world.
How you get to be accessed is actually a matter of presentation style, organization, and most importantly, how fast and extensive search engines get to lead users to your website. Unless your pages are indexed in the search engines they can’t send you the free visitors you are all looking for.
Fortunately, the search engines want your content too and there are a number of ways you can help them, which they encourage you to do - by creating sitemaps of your website. Sitemaps created for the various search engines will enable these search engines’ spiders to crawl faster, more systematically, and more extensively into your website’s pages.
By doing so, you get the maximum exposure you can. Such exposure will boost your pride in having your pages viewed, read, and used by more and more visitors the way you intended them to. On the financial aspect, the more visitors your website gets, the higher your website’s potential advertising value.
Now with the vast expansion of websites on the internet, it has become necessary to create different types of sitemaps, each
having its own complexity in setting up.
HTML Sitemaps
Creating an HTML sitemap linked to and from your home page is something savvy webmasters have been doing for years and
perhaps is the simplest to create. This sitemap is simply a list of pages contained on your site and enables the search engines spiders to easily find your pages, especially the ones that are linked deep in your website that they may have trouble finding otherwise.
TEXT Sitemaps
A text sitemap is simply a list of the URLs of your site in the form of a text file. These can then be submitted to search engines such as Yahoo! to notify them that all the pages exist and by doing so invites
their spider to visit.
XML Sitemaps
Google launched
Google Sitemaps as a way for webmasters to give them information they could use to better crawl their sites. This involves creating an XML Sitemap for which they provided their Google Sitemap Generator. This can
be the most complicated to set up using the tools provided by Google as you need to be running Python on your server. It’s perhaps the most important one too given the current dominance of the search engine.
Setting up all three types of sitemaps may seem a daunting task but luckily there are websites that take the strain out of this and you can create all three within a matter of minutes.
Whichever search engine or for whatever search purpose, sitemaps are clearly the fastest and most efficient way to navigate this digital highway. The best thing about it is, with these easy-to-use sitemap generators, you don’t have to be a computer geek to help keep this internet traffic moving.
Philip Nicosia is the webmaster of XML-Sitemaps.com, a site specialising in
sitemap software that generates XML, HTML
and TXT sitemaps for webmasters.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Philip_Nicosia
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