A Few Tips For Choosing A Home Business Opportunity, Part 1

When you finally make that decision to choose a home business opportunity, you need to realize that you’re making a choice to dedicate your time, effort, and money to get yourself started in a home business. No matter what home business you decide to get started on, you’re going to have to be patient and attentive to the needs of the business.

First of all, you’re not going to get rich quick. Second, if you want this home business opportunity of yours to have any kind of longevity, it’s going to need some serious care and nurturing. That’s how you start making money: build first, then once you’ve established yourself, your investment will start to pay off.

Keeping that in mind, you’ll need to choose a home business opportunity that will work best for you and your personality. The problem is, there are so many opportunities out there, it can be difficult and frustrating to know where to start. To help you navigate the waters of opportunity, here are a few tips to keep in mind when trying to decide which home business opportunity is right for you.

The Golden Rule: What is Your Start-Up Investment?

What is the cost to you to start the home based business opportunities you’re looking into? Most people don’t want to shell out thousands of dollars to get their business going, but in some cases it might be necessary. You need to determine how much you can afford to invest in start-up costs, and whether this amount will impact your finances long-term. If you don’t expect to get the money back within the first few months, and that $2000 you’re sitting on was going to help pay your electric bill, be smart – look for something more in your personal price range. There are home based businesses that only cost a few hundred dollars to start with, so you might want to consider that instead.

If you can’t start the business, you can’t run the business, so make sure you use the Golden Rule and follow it! After you’ve considered this and ruled out what businesses are simply too pricey for you to be able to afford, you can move ahead with these other tips.

Domain Name Registration - Choosing Your Business Name

Getting a good domain name is important to the success of your online business. So before you take this big step and register your business name, let’s make sure you have all your ducks in a row. Here is what you should have done already:

- You have chosen one specific niche/topic for your business.

- You know the keywords you will be using in your business.

- You know some of the main products that you will offer.

- You have some ideas for possible names for your business.

Be sure you take your time when brainstorming a name for your business. Talk to people about your business name. Tell them you are starting an online business, and ask them for their suggestions. You will be surprised at the good feedback they will give you.

After you have some good ideas for your business name, you can search the register of existing online domain names to make sure your name isn’t already taken. Then you’ll register your new web business name! But before you do that, here are some things to take into consideration.

Choosing Your Domain Name

Your domain name, of course, is the name of your online business. It may be slightly different from your actual business name. But the main difference should simply be that your domain name will end in .com (dot com). Do not waste your time with any other kind of extension. Not .net, not .biz, not .org – USE DOT COM ONLY!

The .com extension is the mark of a serious business. You’re in business to make money. And you must make decisions based on profitability. So who do you think your customers will trust and buy products from: Someone who is serious about their business, or a newbie who doesn’t know the first thing about doing business on the net?

Your domain name (or business name, same thing) must exude confidence, reliability, strength, and trustworthiness. Establishing credibility should be one of your first priorities when choosing your name. Remember, first impressions are lasting impressions.

Choose words that are straight forward and easy to understand. Words that represent the kind of business you’re in. Your name should be memorable, easy to spell, and easy to remember.

Short domain names are better than long domain names.

Do not use numbers in your domain name. For example: If my domain name is www.sevenwonderlust.com, somebody might think, "Does that mean www.7wonderlust.com?" Or take the domain name www.7to1odds.com. Does that mean seven2oneodds? Or 721odds.com? The same goes for percent (%) and plus (+) and any other characters that might be easily confused.

Be careful about being too clever or using gimmicks in your name. Remember, you want your business name to establish trust and credibility—especially on the net!

Your best choice for your domain name would include one or two of your keywords. Use broad keywords that cover a lot of territory so you can expand your business into new directions that you may not be aware of right now.

You should check the popularity of the keywords you’re considering before making any final choices. Use WordTracker or the Overture Keyword Tool to find out how many searches have been done on each keyword. Hint: Use the keywords with the most searches.

Finally, make your domain name easily readable. Choose words that can be read and remembered easily. For example, which is better: www.bigwillysite.com OR www.BigWillySite.com ?

If your business name is already taken, you might want to use dashes between the words. I don’t recommend this especially, but more and more people are doing it now because there are less choices as more domain names are being registered than ever before. I recommend you keep brainstorming and add a new word, different word, or additional word to your domain name instead of using dashes.

Registering Your Domain With Your Host

I prefer and I recommend you choose your host first, and then register your domain name with your host. There are good reasons for this. First, it’s nice to keep all your information in one place, because it’s easy to forget URLs, dates of expiration, and passwords, among other things.

Second, why fill out a form more than once? If you register your domain name with one company and then host your site with a different company, you will end up typing the same information into the forms that you will be required to fill out where your site will be hosted.

Your domain name is your customer's first contact with your business. You must choose your name wisely. Take your time, know your keywords, use a .com extension, build your credibility with your business name, and try to be memorable.

Why Price Point Is Crucial When Choosing A Home Business.

How important is the initial start-up cost (price point) of an online or home based business opportunity? This is a very delicate subject that is often not credited with enough significance. Hitting the right “sweet spot” with start-up costs can literally make or break your success in the online entrepreneurial world.

Call it what you want – ”price point”, “start-up cost”, “price threshold” (the initial fee to get registered and started in an online opportunity), but it is crucial that this amount is not priced too low, or too high.

TOO High Priced Business Opportunities

The problem with high ticket business opportunities are twofold: 1) your field of prospects is radically reduced, and; 2) most newcomers underestimate the additional costs of getting a business started. Most people who join high ticket business opportunities ($2,000 to $10,000) are not told about the high cost of making each sale (the average cost of acquiring a new customer). Advertising is your most significant ongoing investment. Online beginners hear that an opportunity is… $3,500 (for example) and forget that this amount will only get them started. What about advertising? What about ongoing maintenance fees? (turn-key websites, accounting and training services, etc.) For an opportunity with a flat start-up cost of $3,500, your average cost per sale can range from $1,000 to $4,000. Why you ask? Because, as mentioned above, businesses with higher price points narrow your field of prospects dramatically, so you must advertise more to adjust for the waste, or pay significantly higher rates for upper income prospects. You would be shooting yourself in the foot if you didn’t expect to invest a minimum of $1,500 to $4,000 per sale to advertise it right. So you really need $5,000 to $7,500 to start this business correctly. On top of that, if this business is a 2/up system (where you owe your sponsor your first two sales), you’ll need another $6,000 to $8,000 for these training sales. That’s a total of about $12,000 to $15,000 to get you started right. A brilliant man once said that before you start anything, “count the costs”.

Bottom line, “High Ticket Home Business Opportunities” can be great if you have a lot of money. Again, the problem is that most people do not plan well enough in advance. In fact, they usually don’t know what they don’t know to even ask the right questions.

Here’s something else to consider – when you sell a program that exceeds $1,000 for sign-up fees, you’ll need to be good on the phone (or be a fast learner) since most people will not invest much over $1,000 without talking with someone.

TOO Low Priced Business Opportunities

The problem with business opportunities that cost $10 to $100 is that they’re just so difficult to turn into serious money. Let’s compare $10 to $100 price points. If you stand to earn $10 to $100 per sale, you will invest the same amount of time, energy (and usually advertising costs) to make 1/10 to 1/100 the amount of money. You’ll have to make ten to one hundred TIMES the number of sales to make the same amount of money.

Most people don’t realize that the cost of making a $15 sale is almost as high as making a $500 sale. Especially when you consider one of your best sources of advertising…Google. The average cost per click for the “Business Opportunity” related category cost about $0.75 to $1.50. You would have to sell one in 10 people who come to your site…just to break even (with no net profit). There are free advertising vehicles of course, but these require massive amounts of time and oversight, which ultimately limit you quite a bit.

So what’s the best price point you might ask? In my opinion, it’s somewhere between $300 to $1,000.

The article is brought to you by Peter Grundner at P&T Enterprises

7 Rules To Live By When Choosing An Affiliate Program Or Work at Home Business

So you've decided to become financially independent! You've chosen to work at home. Congratulations! I'm sure this is a decision that can turn your life around and lead you to financial freedom.

But that is going to happen only if you're careful enough to let it happen! There are a few things you should really look out for when deciding to work at home.

When you set out to give the work at home business thing a try, you'll find out that this was just the easy part! The hard part is to discover which one is right for you.

With all these so called "opportunities" that flood the internet, you should be very careful in choosing a work at home business. To help you, I have put together a few simple rules :


Rule #1 : Try to avoid "get rich quick deals"

Now that's a golden rule! Usually, when something sounds too good to be true then it probably is!

Oh, I know these sound appealing and of course you would like to get paid for doing nothing (so would the rest of us!). But don't you think that if these people had the magic solution to making big money they would use it instead of trying to sell it to you for whatever price?

It's sad to know that so many people end up feeling frustrated when they realize that they have wasted their time and hard earned money. There are no magic tricks! Commitment and hard work instead, can make you rich.


Rule #2 : Find a program that you really like and can work with

Another rule that's essential! Say that you come across a program that requires you to sell life insurance. You hate insurance people, you think they're full of hype.

So what, the compensation plan looks great! What would you do? Would you join the program? Could you picture yourself selling life insurance even if you hate the very idea?
The answer is that you're never going to make any money doing something you don't like!

The point I am trying to make here is, that you should go on and find out everything there is to know about the program you are interested in. Just spend some time doing an essential reading through the available material (company website, related articles etc).

Try to get an overview of how the system works and if you need more information or if you get confused , go ahead and ask the person who referred you to the program for help. Doing your homework always pays off.


Rule #3 : Make sure you know exactly what you're getting for your money

There are just too many companies out there that present you with sales letters as long as a book but not even a hint as to what you are actually getting in return!

If the product they're selling is that good and is going to make you so much money, why hide it? Why only mention it in the last few paragraphs?

Ok, I know, it's the way sales are closed. Still, you would like to know exactly what you're buying. It could save you a lot of grief!


Rule #4 : Perform a background check on the company

The longer it has been around, the better. This way you know that you're dealing with an established company that will not go bankrupt 4 months after you join!

It has been known for people to lose their online businesses and commissions owed to them for this very reason. Choosing a quality company is essential but can prove critical to the survival of your work at home business.


Rule #5 : Make sure you're going to get all the help that you need

It's just typical for someone to join a program, pay his membership fee or buy a product and then be left in the dark, not sure what on earth to do next!

Again, I'm repeating myself here but this is important, try to get an overview of how the system works, who your upline people are and how they can help you.

If you need more information or if you get confused, go ahead and ask the person who referred you to the program for help. In this way not only will you get an idea of how the program is structured but you would also be testing your referrer to see if he/she will respond promptly to your need for help.
But first, you have to have an idea of how the program works.


Rule #6 : Check out the compensation plan

Ok, so you've joined a program which ,hopefully, is going to make you rich. Do you know how this is going to happen?

It's not necessary that you know every detail about the compensation plan from the first day that you join. But still, wouldn't you like to know if you're getting 5% or 60% commission on an average sale?
After all, it takes the same amount of effort to generate a sale. Wouldn't you like to be paid more?


Rule #7 : Do not spend much at the beginning

A legitimate work at home business should be able to operate at a minimum/low cost. You should not have to invest a lot of money in any home business. At least not in the beginning.

When you do decide to invest some money into your own home business, this should be your own decision, not someone else's and must arise from your understanding that a business is what you make it.


There are more rules that I can add to these and make a really long list but this is not my goal. My goal is to provide a clear path, a few steps that should be easy to follow through the minefield of schemes and "get-rich-quick" deals to a company you can really trust.

Using your own common sense is as important as having these rules in mind when looking for an opportunity or a work at home business.

Your decision to join a program should be the result of considering facts and should not in any case come from mere curiosity. Keep in mind that there are very few true work at home opportunities out there and you have to find the one that's perfect for you!

Choosing a Mind-jarring Name for Your Business

Choosing a Mind-jarring Name for Your Business...

One of the most important things your new business needs is a name. Your business' name will often be the very first thing your customers see, and the very first impression you make on any potential customers.

Endeavor to select a name that says something about you and your business that people in your target market will remember easily. If the name conjures up an easily recalled mental image, so much the better! This can be especially true on the World Wide Web where competition is fierce, and you really can't bank on anyone bookmarking your site or adding it to her or his favorite's list.

In the everyday brick and mortar world, a good basic idea is to simply use your last name followed by what you do. For example, Smith's Lawnmower Sales and Repair or Jones' Heating and Air are suitable. They are also easy to remember. You might also consider expanding the name by adding the town where your business is located. For example, you could use Smith's St. Louis Lawnmower Sales and Repair.

Another avenue of thought might be to leave out your personal name entirely, and simply become Tulsa Heating and Air. This makes you sound like the first choice locally, and will make it easy for you to target your potential local customers. However, if you're in a business with lots of competition, be sure to check with the proper authorities in your city, county or state to make sure the name is not already registered to someone else's business.

If you are planning an internet business, or preparing to put an existing business online, you should consider placing the actual name of your product or service in the URL (web address) even if that is different from your usual business name. For example, if you are selling cookies, you would want your URL to be something like www.cookies.com. If that name is already in use, consider www.fabulouscookies.com or anything else appropriate for your product. This is extremely important because many internet search engines will assign added value or weight when ranking your web site for anyone looking for your particular product or service!

If you are going to be a business-to-business service provider or vendor, you might want to consider a more corporate sounding name. Think of a word to describe your business, and then add the word "Consulting." I know, people are tired of consultants, but it will nevertheless work better with business-to-business customers and vendors.

If you're pursuing an even trendier market, you might consider choosing a less formal name. For example, you might want to name your business after an animal, and incorporate that animal into your logo. If you don't have a large marketing budget, a logo is an excellent way to get started branding your business. Be sure to have your logo professionally designed. It's going to become your public face! Branding can be incredibly important for your future success. For example, look at Government Employees Insurance Company - GEICO. GEICO utilizes that cute sounding gecko for virtually all its commercials now. What do you remember when you think of car insurance? Well, you might also think of Allstate. Are you in good hands? Yes, a catchy, attention-grabbing phrase is also an excellent way to identify your business to the public!

You can also employ a very short name or acronym. Take two or three words that describe your business, and shorten them to create one new word or acronym. So you end up with IHOP (International House of Pancakes) or IBM (International Business Machines) or P&G (Procter & Gamble)... This is a terrific way to express what your business does without anyone having a hard time remembering your business' name. Even better, it makes for a great, easy to remember, and easy to type URL (web address).

Inevitably, for some businesses finding a good fit will be nearly impossible. In that event, you'll just have to play with combinations of words until you come up with a name that sounds right and fits your business. If you do it well enough, it will be completely unique to your business. In fact, that's not such a bad idea!

Another thing you might try is going to one or two of the web sites which show you the current key word phrases that are being searched for in your product line or field. You could also google some appropriate key words, and check the results pages for ideas.

Caveat - whatever name you select, invent, or decide on should be 1) easy to remember 2) easy to pronounce, 3) easy to type and 3) easy to spell. Also, as mentioned earlier, insure that no one else has a prior claim on your new name. Do that before you do any advertising or logo design work. You certainly don't want to design and build a web site around someone else's name!

It is a good idea to bounce your planned name off a few other people to make sure it really is suitable. One good way to do this is to post a note in appropriate internet newsgroups, or in a business oriented online forum.

Finally, after you have made a choice, sleep on it for a few days to make absolutely sure it is the right choice. Sometimes a couple days make a big difference in your thinking and in your perception.


This article was prepared by Walter Boyd, CEO of http://ComputerExpertiseLtd.biz, an incorporated online home business serving internet entrepreneurs since July 1995. Anyone may copy and reprint this article as long as this resource box is included, and no changes are made to the content.

Choosing the right Web Hosting for your Ecommerce oriented business

People get intimidated when they think about web hosting, but with a little time and effort, you can have a nice website to share with the world wide web. Before you start shelling out money for a domain and web space, you need to decide what you need a website for and how detailed you plan on making it.

For most users, there are plenty of free resources for personal sites. When shopping for web hosting, it is important to consider your primary use of a website. Will it be for business or personal use? How many visitors do you anticipate having each month? Each web hosting company provides a variety of packages, each of which has a bandwidth limit. This is the number of visitors that can access your website on a monthly basis and the price of your web hosting will be largely determined by this and other factors.

Many companies offer free web hosting services in exchange for them placing banner advertisements on the website owner's page. The majority of free web hosting services, however, are designed for personal or small business use. The reason is because they offer a small amount of megabyte availability for website storage and do not provide a URL that is easy to remember.

In the present online climate, many business Websites are being used as online shops and online service providing resources, where the customer or the client would feel equally comfortable browsing in an actual office or shop as surfing the related business Website.

These Web sites can also take advantage of "shopping cart" functions for online shopping, which means one can shop virtually on the net, satisfying their need by selecting and purchasing the products they want to buy. Traditionally, web hosting refers to the service that keeps a Web site's content online at a specified URL, making the content available to Web surfers. However, now many of these ecommerce applications can be bundled at a low cost in discount ecommerce web hosting packages from hosting providers.

The very role of ecommerce in our life and its influence is nearly beyond measure, and thus, it is imperative that a business keep an online presence. eCommerce is essential for the growth of an online business, especially moving forward. e-Commerce web hosting packages are a valuable in that they can create and increase revenue and profitability for an online business. e-Commerce even reduces overhead costs and can play a major role in revolutionizing your customer service. And if the eCommerce web hosting can be found at a discounted price, then there is no question about the value of these services.

However, there are certain things that have to be fulfilled if one wants to receive the full potential value of eCommerce web hosting. They are: registration, web hosting, web designing, web promotion through creating links, database solutions and marketing, software development and other add-ons including privacy policies. Web hosting packages with e-Commerce solutions at a discount rate can provide the most secure ways for your customers and you to begin trading online, where the business would demand less face time from your end. After all, eCommerce or the flourish of commercial activities through the electronic medium holds the very future of the commercial world.

Choosing an E-Commerce Solution for your Business

Copyright © Michael Hehn, Online-Profit-4-You

You know what kind of online business you want to start. Now you need to know more about choosing an E-Commerce solution for your business. Here are some things to look for if you want an all-in-one provider.

Look for a site that offers a wide range of templates. Though you can usually customize templates, you need to start with a variety to choose from.

When choosing an E-Commerce solution for your business, look for one that has a good wizard that walks you through everything. Ease of use is important so you can get your site up fast and professionally and make later changes easily.

Look at the possibilities for importing and exporting data. If you already have a database and choose a vendor that does not allow you to import it, you will have to retype everything. Export capabilities save you that same hassle should you ever choose a new vendor.

When choosing an e-commerce solution for your business, look for hosts who offer a variety of marketing options, payment options for your customers, and automated shipping options. If the client can't pay the way he wants, he won't buy. If shipping doesn't happen quickly, he may not be a repeat client.

Look for a site that allows you to analyze traffic flow. In order for your business to grow, you need to see what kinds of marketing are working for it.

This is just a start of what to look for when choosing an e-commerce solution for your business. You also need to look at such things as cost and customer service. Choosing the right hosted solution can take some time, but getting it right the first time is important. Take the time to choose a provider who will help your business grow.

Choosing A Home Based Business That's Right For You

If you want to be financially stable and unburden yourself from all those expenses, then you need to work hard for it. However, there are times when your take home salary from your company is just not enough to cover all your needs in your daily life. This is why you have to find another way to make money.

With today's economy, more and more people are now finding different ways to make that extra cash they need in order to live a more comfortable life. With enough money, you will be able to make your dreams a reality. So, how will you be able to do this if you spend most of your day in an office at the company you work for?

One of the best ways to do this is by starting your own home-based business. Thanks to the advancement of technology and thanks to the internet, you will now be able to compete with the big companies and have your slice of the big pie.

Today, there are a lot of home based business ideas that you can consider. However, because of the wide variety of choices itself, you may find it hard to choose what kind of home-based business you should start.

Firstly, your home based business should be the one that will suit you best. This means that it should be somewhere in your field and somewhere that you are knowledgeable about in order to make it work. Here's how you can choose the best kind of home based business for you.

If you are into computers and you have vast knowledge about programming or about web design, then you may want to offer your services over the internet. By providing website samples, and by writing articles about web design and submitting it on article publishing website, you will be able to advertise your services over the internet.

If you like crafting or you like to manufacture your own products (wood crafts, clothing, and jewelries) then you can do so and sell it over the internet. There are auction websites available on the internet where you can post pictures of your work and sell it. Who knows, maybe in the future you may get your own customers and get large amounts of orders?

If you like to write articles about a particular subject, then you can sell e-books or work for a company that requires web content article marketing. This is one of the biggest things in the internet and there are a lot of job opportunities that you will be able to apply for.

Before you start your own home based business, you first need to think about certain things in order to know if starting a home based business is for you. The first factor is time. You need enough time to effectively manage your business. If you can't spare a few hours a day for your home based business, then home based business is not for you. Just like any other kinds of business, you need to be able to take care of it in order for you to make it run smoothly.

These are some of the things you need to know about starting a home based business. As you can see, your hobbies or your interest can now provide you with the cash you need. All you need to do is a computer with an active internet connection and you are ready to go.

Choosing A Business Opportunity - Starting Your Own Business

Millions of people are desparate to escape the 9 to 5 grind. One popular alternative is to look for a business opportunity that turns you from an employee into a self-employed entrepreneur running your own business.

There are many good reasons why this can be a wise move. Being your own boss means you can set your own hours. This can be very important if you have small children, or simply want to spend more time at home. Working from home can also save valuable time, if the alternative is spending two or three hours every day commuting back and forth to your work place. And of course, working for yourself also gives you the opportunity to make a whole lot more money.

In other words, being your own boss gives you that valuable commodity called freedom. It sets you free from the limitations of being someone else's paid employee, and in return makes you responsible for your own future. As a self-employed entrepreneur you are free to set your own hours, establish your own work habits, choose what work you will do or will not do, create your own products, drum up your own customers, and do what you have to do to make those customers happy.

And perhaps most importantly, when you are self-employed you are free to set your own prices and make as much or as little income as you are able. You will not have to answer to anyone other than yourself, your suppliers, and of course, the ever-present taxman, after you become successful.

**How to get started -- Two Alternatives**

There are two obvious ways you can go about starting your own business. The first way is to quit your day job and launch full bore into your new business. We'll call this the "All or Nothing Approach". The second way is to continue on with your current employment and develop a business on the side, in your spare time. We'll call this the "Spare Time Approach".

Depending on your point of view, taking the All or Nothing Approach can be either an act of bravery or just plain recklessness. Unless you are independently wealthy, planning and timing are very important with this approach. That's because once you leave your previous employment your source of income will be gone and you will have a limited amount of time to make your business work. It is "sink or swim". And you can sink pretty quickly without a source of income.

So that means you should plan the changeover to self-employment very carefully. Every situation will be different. An acquantance of mine was able to step from his quasi-government job into a private consulting business because he spent the last few months of his employment developing leads and contacts within his industry. When he went on his own he had customers waiting in the wings and was able to more than double his income in his very first year.

But most of us are not so lucky. We do not have the quality leads or the specialized skills. Nor do most of us have the opportunity to use our present employment to build a launching pad of potential customers before we take off into the wild blue yonder of self-employment. Most of us are starting from scratch with a few vague ideas, a questionable set of yet-to-be-defined skills, and severly limited income. So our venture into self-employment had better take off within a few months or we're likely to crash and burn.

That is why the Spare Time Approach is best for most new self-employed entrepreneurs. The Spare Time Approach lets you test your ideas, develop your skills, and build your business slowly. If you are unsure about the products or services you intend to sell, the Spare Time Approach lets you try out different product lines and see how well they fit in with your overall objectives. Often new entrepreneurs find that their first ideas are not realistic, or there is no market for the services they want to provide. Or they find they cannot charge enough to make any money providing the products or services they have chosen.

**Choose your product carefully**

Like all new entrepreneurs, whether you take the "all or nothing approach" or the "spare time approach" you should be very tight-fisted with your limited resources. That means do not invest any serious money in a product or business idea until you have checked it out thoroughly. The best way to "check it out" is to:

- Talk to people who are already selling the product or service.

- Establish the credibility of the person or company providing the product or service.

- Make sure the company provides on-going support for their product(s).

- Make sure there are no hidden or unexpected costs (such as franchise fees) that will eat away your profits.

This applies whether you are looking at an online product such as an MLM or affiliate scheme, or a more traditional product or service aimed only at local customers.

For example, an associate of mine produces Business Card Displays. The idea behind this product is that it provides new entrepreneurs the opportunity to set up an advertising service for local businesses. With this product, the entrepreneur creates a network of displays placed in high traffic retail outlets like grocery stores, hair salons, and bowling alleys. Then local advertisers can place their business cards in one of the compartments in the displays across the network. If someone browsing one of the displays sees a service they are interested in, they just take a card for future reference.

Sure, it's not everybody's cup of tea. But for someone willing to put in a few months of hard work at the beginning, it is a pretty easy way to create a business that will return a handsome income for years to come.

And this manufacturer stands behind his product. He can show you examples of successful advertising networks where his displays are used. He will also provide testimonials and contact information from real people whom you can ask how well the product is working for them. And to top it off, he uses the product himself in a network of over 40 displays, and can provide hands-on information about how it actually works in a real-life situations.

This is pretty rare in the world of "business opportunities". Many are run by "take the money and run" types who make wildly exaggerated claims about how successful you can be. But in many cases they have never actually made the idea work for themselves.

As any successful entrepreneur will tell you, your choice of products is crucial to your success or failure. Many products are simply bogus ideas with no hope of working. And many others are designed to produce maximum profits for their creators, and minimum profits for people like you and me who sell them. So no matter how hard you work, or how committed you are to being successful, if you choose the wrong product you will be operating with a millstone around your neck.

Choosing The Right Home Based Business - Then Working It For Profits

Have you thought about owning your own business from home? The benefits can be remarkable. You can earn an excellent full-time or part-time income, often just working a few hours per week.

In no time, you will be saying goodbye to the J.O.B, the boss, the commute, and earning less than you're worth. Even though this sounds good (and it IS good), profiting in your business from home is not a given.

Home based businesses have a very high failure rate. Most people get an idea for a business, then start out with little more than a hope and a prayer. Granted, a few do succeed, slowly finding their way by trial and error. But the School of Hard Knocks can be expensive and time consuming, with 97% of those who try giving up in frustration.

That's why I always urge people to base their home business around a well thought out direct sales opportunity. Direct sales provides for high commissions -- much higher than MLM -- and greater stability. I've found, and industry statistics bear this out, direct sales is probably the easiest way to earn a good income from home in a truly serious business of your own.

Follow these tips to greatly increase your chances of success:

1. Insist the opportunity you chose has a proven marketing system that is easy for you to duplicate. Don't try to reinvent the wheel. Get a good plan, then work the plan consistently for a year to 18 months to achieve consistent profits.

2. Build your success on the success of others. Big profits always come from teamwork. When you can help others earn while profiting from their hard work, you've got the key to rapidly accruing profits.

3. Make sure the products and company are something you'll be proud to put your name on. Representing a great product isn't hard at all. You'll be happy to tell your friends, family, and prospects -- and they'll be delighted to hear what you have to say.

4. The business you chose should be built on integrity. Far too many businesses online are based on ripping people off. While that can earn you some money in the beginning, shaky deals always fall apart fast. Stay away!

5. Your home-based business should improve your life, let you work fewer hours, and give you more flexibility to be there for family and pursue your interests. Knowing your business is making your life better will keep you going through the tough times and spur you on to greater heights.

Earning money from home using a duplicable marketing system and applying it to big profit products that benefit everyone is a remarkable experience. You'll find direct sales is your path to home-based success.

Choosing A Business Gift

The business gift that you choose says a lot about you. It provides for your partners a look into the appreciation that you actually have for them. While you may not think much about it, thinking that a gift is a gift, they do. So, choosing the right business gift is quite important. The question is, how can you do this?

To choose the business gift that will work, follow these guidelines:

• Purchase based on value and meaning rather than price. If you should shop with a $200 dollar fruit basket, they won’t appreciate it as much as $50 tickets to their favorite basketball teams next game.

• Purchase a gift that you know they will love. Find out something about them. Do they love the opera? Perhaps you noticed that they love a certain restaurant. Find out just what it is that they enjoy. Taking this small bit of time will ensure that your business gift is well valued.

• Don't make a big deal about it. Don't present your gift in front of an office full of people to outdo others. If you think that the boss doesn't notice you showing off, he does. Not to mention that this can cause competition and then you'll be spending a whole lot more. Just be polite about presenting your business gift.

• Include a personal message. Thank them, tell them you appreciate them. Provide them with a thought of friendship or pride that you may think means something to them. No, don't try to win them over here. Be honest about it.

If you are purchasing a business gift for a client, make sure to include that note of personal thanks. Don't just have the secretary stick your card in the envelope. Take a few minutes of your time and make sure that whoever you are sending your business gift to, will really appreciate your thoughtfulness.

Choosing the Best Type of Lease for Your Business

When it comes to leasing equipment, understanding what it can do for your business is only part of the equation. Understanding and choosing the best lease for your business is another matter altogether. The market is primed for the use of equipment leasing to expand, grow and hone a businesses assets, but at the same time there is little material out there to help a business judge what’s a good lease and what isn’t.

What You See Is What You Get

There is an old truism that says you get what you pay for. When it comes to equipment leasing, you want a lease that clearly defines your responsibilities versus the lessor’s responsibilities. You really want it to be what you see is what you get. So how do you go about choosing the best type of lease for your business?

Shop the options is the best way to get started. If you know what type of equipment you need, then comparison-shop the options with different companies. Some key figures to make sure are included in any lease option are:

• Cost Per Month
• Maintenance Contract
• Cost of Maintenance Contract
• Training Available
• Customer Service
• Availability for Software and Hardware Support
• Obsolescence Upgrades
• Term of Contract
• Renewal Terms

When it comes to long-term leases, it’s better to set the terms from the outset to deliver the best possible results to the company overhead. When it comes to maintenance, many leasing companies package that as a separate component. If a piece of equipment fails altogether, it’s likely the leasing company will replace it. But what if the piece of equipment goes down? Will there be a 2-hour, 4-hour or 24-hour response time to getting a service technician on-site and the equipment back into operation?

This information is critical because when a piece of equipment is operable, it’s just a piece of junk taking up room and preventing the business from operating normally. Upgraded maintenance contracts will have to be negotiated. But there’s also the concern about what happens when a newer, better model of equipment becomes available? Does the lease terms support an upgrade to this model of equipment or will it require waiting until the contract is up for renewal?

Beware Hidden Costs

By getting the information up front, a business can avoid hidden expenses. They can plan budgetary requirements and potentially for long-term leases, bring up training requirements for their staff. This is another concern that some companies don’t consider when negotiating a lease. Will the operator of the equipment receive training from the leasing corporation? Do they have representatives that understand the operation of the equipment and provide certified instruction? If not, how is that handled?

While this will not be a concern for every piece of equipment leased, for those businesses that require certified training it’s good to know if it will be available. Also in the case of leasing computer equipment, how is software licensing handled? Is packaged into the hardware lease or do those licenses need to be obtained separately?

Finally, understanding the renewal terms can help circumvent a rise in cost for renewing an equipment lease. Some contracts will allow locking a price for a period of five years. The lease may only last two years, but at the renewal point the cost is locked in for that particular piece of equipment. When it comes to a long-term budgetary forecast, every piece of information can help.

Clearly defining what an individual contract delivers from a leasing company can provide a business with the opportunity to comparison shop. By comparing the different options, price levels and services from one leasing company to the next, a business will be choosing the best equipment lease for their business.

Choosing The Best Home Business Opportunity

Choosing a home business opportunity is similar to finding a new job except that you will be the boss and sole investor in the company. Because there are many opportunities online and off, you need to consider a few factors before investing any time or money. The best way to choose a home business opportunity is to decide what you are passionate about and the type of business you can see yourself in many years from now. Because starting a business can be stressful, time consuming, and less than profitable in the beginning, you need to be cautious about which business you go into so you can become as successful as possible.

For many people, concentrating on a particular skill is how they find a business opportunity. If you are a natural born salesperson, you understand computers, or you have creative talents that others will want to use, then you may already have a direction. If not, then you should consider past job experiences, hobbies, and other interests that could turn a profit. You may even be able to combine a few skills in order to offer customers more than they expected. Creating a list of possible businesses can help narrow down your choices and help you find the right one.

Research is another way to help sort out which business you should go into. Once you've created your list, you should see which businesses are in demand the most. This can be done through Internet research, community research, or by asking friends and family what they think. Many businesses are born out of the desire to create something new, but unless you have the business sense and financial means needed to introduce a new product or service, you may want to choose a business opportunity that people are more familiar with. Selling items online, for example, has become a popular business opportunity and one that has plenty of room for different products.

Keep in mind that once you select the type of business, you will need to devise a plan to help you pay for start-up costs, materials, and other items you may need. Also, you should have enough saved you can live off of until you start making a profit. This is very important. When you need to pay bills and other costs of living, your stress levels may be increased. This can turn your attentions elsewhere and keep you from putting your energy into your business. By focusing on your business goals, you will be able to forge a successful business, but it may take some time.

Starting any home business is a risk, but when you plan accordingly, you will be much more successful. Creating a business plan, choosing a business that suits your needs, and learning more about your competition are all ways for you to increase sales and exposure. Once you build a customer base, you will see a steady stream of sales and the stress will begin to wear off. Over time, your business will grow and you will begin to enjoy even more of the benefits.

Choosing A Home Business

With so many options and the world as your oyster, it can be difficult choosing a home business and deciding which one is right for you. Every day, many people embark on new business ventures in the hopes that they will find success. The key to choosing a home business that works is to choose something that you love.

There are a number of ways to get ideas when choosing a home business. Take a moment to sit down and make a list of your favorite things. Perhaps you love to create in the kitchen and would enjoy operating your own restaurant. On the other hand, maybe you have a knack for style and possess the creativity that would be ideal for interior design. When choosing a home business, try to make it something that you will enjoy doing every day. If it’s a hobby that you love, perhaps you would enjoy a business surrounding the idea. If you collect stamps, coins, autographs or other collectibles, perhaps a specialty store would be a wonderful way to spend your days.

If you are still unsure about choosing a home business, browse through some entrepreneur magazines or websites and see if any ideas reach out to you. Quite often, the least obvious things are those that we would enjoy doing the most. If you are a stay at home mom, then you obviously love children. Perhaps babysitting would be a fun way to earn some extra money. Start slow in the beginning and work your way up to an actual business if you enjoy the work.

When choosing a home business, select something with as little stress as possible. If your new home business proves to be stressful, it will make you unhappy. The same is true with any job involving any increased amount of stress. One way to avoid stress is to decide how much time you can devote to the business before actually choosing a home business. One type of career may require very little time while others may require attention throughout the entire day and into the evening hours.

Choosing a home business can be one of the most exciting opportunities that an individual can pursue. The rewards of operating a successful business are far more than financial and the emotional rewards are priceless. The thought of being your own boss, setting the rules and showing up at work in your bathrobe and slippers has a certain appeal that no other career could even come close to offering.

Choosing What Products To Sell In Your Home Business

You are thinking about starting an online business. The idea of working from home is very appealing to you. You want to do it but you don't know what products to sell. Everyone who sells on the internet has approached this dilemma. So, how do you decide?

1) Brainstorm

The first step to choosing the right product is to sit down with pen and paper. Make sure that there are no distractions so that you can concentrate. Make two columns on your paper with these headings:

a) Enjoy

b) Passionate About

Put pen to paper and let your ideas flow. Try to list at least ten possibilities under each heading.

When your are done, look at your choices. Narrow your list down to three in each column. Now you are ready to see if these ideas might sell on the internet.

2) Niche Market

What is a "niche" in internet jargon? A "niche" is an item INSIDE a larger product arena. This is where many successful internet entrepreneurs have found their fortune.

Let's consider PDAs. There are thousands of websites selling PDAs. A good "niche" product inside the PDA market could be the jackets that protect a PDA. How about computer headphones? Again, thousands of websites are selling this item. Why not focus on the audio splitter. This is the device that connects to the back of a computer for using two headphones at one time.

Take a look at your list. Can you see any "niches"? If you can, you have found the product that you can sell inside your internet home business. The idea behind this concept is to have a laser focal point on a target audience.

The arrival of the internet has produced a world wide market for an assortment of products. Niche marketing can be very successful if you put in the time and effort to market your items correctly. There is a learning curve that you will have to conquer but if you are committed to success you can do it. Who knows? Your "niche" might be the next internet fad.

3) Selling What You Like Or What You Are Passionate About

Having a difficult time finding a niche inside your list? Sell a product that you like or that you are passionate about.

Re-vist your list. Take a look at your choices under "enjoy" and "passionate about". Pick one that you think will sell on the internet. Do you BELIEVE that you can make money from this item (or service) in your home business? Do you think people will BENEFIT from this product (or service)?

Answer these questions: How well do you know the product (or service)? Can this product (or service) improve people's lives?

Your knowledge and your passion could bring you the prosperity that you are looking for. When you are ready to develop your marketing campaign, the main focus of your strategy should be to communicate your expertise and your fervor to your customers. If you can show your clients that your product (or service) can improve their lives, they will want to buy it.

4) Become An Expert

You have chosen your product, now what do you do? Become an authority! Make a commitment to be someone that your customers can trust. Make sure that you spend the time to know and understand every facet of what you are selling. The success of your work at home internet business depends upon it. More importantly, your clients depend upon you.

When you enter the marketing phase of your endeavor, purpose to give your customers reliable and accurate facts that they can trust.

As you refine your expertise, your understanding of your product is expanding as well. Communicate this to your customers. In time, you will know the information that your buyers want. As you satisfy this need, you are now building a relationship with your clients. If you are someone they can trust, you are someone that they will continue to do business with.

Brainstorm. Choose a product. Believe in your product. Communicate your conviction. Become an expert. Follow this formula and you will increase your chances for success in your work at home adventure.

"Before everything else, getting ready is the secret to success."

CHOOSING A HOME BASED BUSINESS *

Beware of the Fluff. They seem like great companies, they have a good sales pitch and their compensation plan looks good too. They have big corporate offices and have been around for years. Isn’t that good? Any company out there that sells products like lotions, potions, pills, miracle juices or miracle gas saving products usually doesn’t work for the average person for many reasons.

Those companies usually make most of their money from you, the distributor, not from selling the products. They have you on auto ship, so you are their income.

They only pay about 2% to 15% so many levels deep. They will tell you that when you fill the matrix, you won’t have to do anything and you’ll be making 20 to 40k a month. The truth is, there are so many loop holes to their compensation plans that no body ever reaches those levels. You either will have too many people on your left, but not enough on your right side to make the higher level payouts. They tell you that you need more personal volume and your group volume is fine or vice versa, or my favorite, you had fallout this month, so you no longer qualify for that car bonus we promised you.

They make you hold home parties to push your crap on your friends. Listen to me…..If I wanted weight loss, I’d go to GNC. If I wanted Lotions, I’d go to CVS, Save on, Nordstrom or Bullocks. If I wanted to put additives in my gas tank, I’d go to Kragen, Chief or Pep Boys and buy a product from STP or Penzoil. You get what I mean….?

They are a copy cat company of the original company. How many companies out there are selling a juice that is based from the Acai Berry, Goji berry or the Mangosteen fruit? How many of those promise to cure cancer? What a joke? Is our society that ignorant that if something actually cured cancer, wouldn’t we want to check it out? How many travel companies are there now? How many fuel additives are there now? How many of those have been shut down? How many make up, skin lotions and vitamin companies are there out there?

It just seems like there is so many junk companies on the internet, how do you what is good and what is not? Some of these companies above actually have a good product, but I would never go in business with them.

So, how do I choose a business that I can profit from and that I can be proud to represent?

When I evaluate a company, I look for these key points. Keep in mind, when I join a company, my #1 goal is to make money and to do it legitimately. I do not want to hurt anyone or rip anyone off. This is what I’ve learned and these guidelines will help you determine what company is right for you.

If you are not making at least 75% of the upfront commission when you make a sale, forget it. This means that you are doing all the work and the company and/or the person above you is making all the money.

If you have to have 1000, 10,000 or 20,000 people in your organization before you make any real money. DO NOT Join. Most people will NEVER get there.

If they teach you to hold home parties and invite all your friends. Run away fast.

If they have a sales pitch 2-3 times a day and only 2-3 training classes per week. This means that the company is more interested in selling you than training you.

If you can’t break even or get into profit with 3 sales, forget it.

If you can’t speak with the owners or the corporate office via phone or webinar, Forget it. I like to know who I am doing business with before I will do business with them.

If it is a start up or in pre launch, forget it. The chances of these companies becoming the next Amway is about as good as winning the lottery. At least with the lottery, you have a chance to win once or twice a week. You might as well go to Vegas and blow your money on a good time. At least you’ll have some great memories, see a great show and have a great meal.

These are not all the rules for success on the internet, but this is a great guideline to follow when evaluating an internet company.

Choosing A Domain Name For My Business

The domain name for your business is your online identity. You should be very careful about choosing a domain name that is memorable, scores quite well with search engine listings, has a trust factor attached to it, and commands a brand value. A domain name is quite important for your business correspondences and emails. A long one can cause problems in communication, especially if the domain name seems complex. Here are some tips in choosing a well-meaning domain name that captures the essence of your brand image or business:

1. Keyword oriented or a unique domain name? If your website is going to have a crucial role to play in your business, then it is important to have an adequately researched keyword incorporated within the brand name. Use the most searched-for term in search engine queries, within your domain name. Prior to launching your online business, you should do some research through website tools to find out which keywords register the most number of traffic during a month. For example, if you want to make a website based on advising people, you will find that the keyword help is normally typed in the search engine query window a lot more frequently than the word aid. If your domain name includes targeted keywords, than you will get higher rankings in the search engines like Google and Yahoo. You should bear in mind that, apart from having the targeted keyword in your domain name, you should also have keywords in other parts of your site as well.

2. Use a company name only if you are famous: That is right. If your company name overwhelms the basic product name, then by all means go for the company name as your domain name. For example, people normally use the term Xerox rather than photocopy and if you are Xerox, then you should go for Xerox as a domain name because of the sheer popularity of the brand name. This is usually not the case, so using a keyword-rich domain name is a better move for most people. To be on the right side of balancing your business well, you should buy a set of two domain names, one that represents your business/brand name, and another that represents keywords or key phrases.

3. Keep your domain name short: The shorter your domain name, the more memorable it is. If your domain name has an every-day lingo, the better it is! More often than not, you may find that a simple two-word domain name is already taken. The alternative in this case, is to put a hyphen (-) to your targeted keyword and then add the other word. SEO experts are of the belief that hyphenating two or more words makes a long domain name more search engine friendly. The flip side is that people do not tend to write words with hyphens naturally, and there is a chance that if someone has recommended your site to a friend, the friend may find himself going to a competitor’s site. So one has to understand and undergo a lot of study while choosing a domain name. After all, it is one prominent thing that can dictate the flow of your business. Also, you should avoid putting numbers like 4 instead of for in your domain name. It will only lead to confusion.

4. Dot.com only: If you intend to have a website for commercial or business reasons, then by all means go for a website which ends in extension .com. The domain name companies will market other options like .org, .us, .net, etc. However, by all means try stick to .com for better mass appeal.

5. Register similar domain names: If you believe that in the future you are going to have a huge amount of people visiting your website through word-of-mouth advertising, then you should consider registering similar domain names that direct to your main URL (e.g. www.datinginformation.com and www.datinginfo.com). There are cyber-squatters who register domain names in the hope that they will be selling them for a profit to someone who really needs that domain name. Before they do this, you should register the domain names if you think that such a possibility can occur.

6. Be patient: You should not choose a domain name in minutes merely just to get it done and over with. A hasty decision may cost you a lot. It is better to invest time in research and arrive at the right kind of domain name. You should also discuss the comprehensibility and usage of the domain name with friends, neighbors and well wishers to find how simple and commonplace it really is.

Choosing The Right Business Mentors - The Key To Longterm Business Success

In recent years we've seen all kinds of upheavals within the business world, online and off. How do we as internet business owners run our business successfully and profitably during such uncertain times?

How do we navigate through the ups and downs of internet business and maintain our profitability when everything is changing so fast?

How do we learn what you need in order to be successful in our internet business, to keep with the rapid changes happening in the business world?

The smartest and quickest way to create business success is to learn from those that have gone before you! People that have real life experience can save you thousands of hours of wasted effort.

That sounds easy, but how do you find a good business mentor? On the internet there are thousands of people offering advice, coaching, education and training on how to start and run a successful home based business.

How do you decide who to listen to? Most of all, how do you tell what is hype and what is real?

By now we have all seen the "get rich quick" mentality offered by high priced internet business gurus who promise large incomes for little or no effort. Many times you are not even told what product you are selling!

Some of these offers can be very tempting especially to a newcomer in the world of internet business. Sadly, most often these high priced and high hype opportunities obscure the truth of what really is required to successfully run a home based business online.

So many people have lost money and worse than this, have lost their hope of ever gaining financial independence, through putting their trust in the wrong business mentors.

The decisions you make about WHO to learn from can dramatically impact the future of your business!

How to Choose the Right Business Mentors

I've had some interesting learning experiences in my search for the right business mentors. By the word "mentor" I mean anyone you choose to learn from ... teachers, coaches, business team leaders, authors, experts, colleagues.

I didn't think a lot about this when I first started my online business, until I discovered some gaps between my own standards of integrity, and that of some people or companies I was working with.

This dissonance created an inner conflict that prevented me from feeling good about what I was doing ... and I noticed I wasn't making much money either!

Ultimately I decided to let go of those business mentors that did not match my own values. Once I became more conscious of how important integrity and values are to me, I made this one of my criteria in searching for business mentors. As my values got onto the "same page" with my business choices, I found my income growing and my business expanding.

In business, and in life, it is crucial to choose carefully those that you follow. The future success of your internet business is at stake!

What Is Most Important to You?

As one of my business mentors says ... "Every cell of your body needs to be on the same page with your business" in order for you to succeed.

Before you go out their seeking the advice of others, take some time to get to know what YOU want. What is most important to you in your business success? Write this down. Next, create a list of the most important qualities and areas of expertise that you want your mentors to have. Be clear about you want, and then it will be much easier to find it!

I have discovered over time that I need business mentors who have exceptional integrity, who empower and inspire me, who facilitate the deepening of my connection with my own sense of truth, who are not afraid to be direct and truthful. I learned all this mostly by NOT finding it! I was being disappointed over and over again, until I learned to be clearer in knowing what I needed and going after it.

Sensing Truth

We are all born with an innate sense of what is true. Have you noticed how children can sense truth even if your words are not saying it? They respond to the non-verbal signals and energies of people, sometimes even more than adults who have learned to shut down their own natural "inner truth meter".

Our culture for the most part does not yet value this innate sense of truth that we're born with. In an environment like the internet where anyone can put up a website, it becomes tremendously important to be able to contact our own sense of inner truth when looking for business mentors.

Thankfully, we can re-activate this "truth center" with the sincere intention to find and reclaim our own heart's inner wisdom. Reclaiming access to our own inner sense of truth has so many benefits in all aspects of our life. In business this can save you many headaches, because you will learn how to avoid getting deceived by hype and false promises.

Finding Business Mentors You Can Trust

Whether you are hiring someone for coaching, attending their workshop or class, purchasing an e-book or service, or joining their network marketing team ... first take some time to learn about the person you want to learn from. Learn about their background, credentials and experience. For example, f you want to learn about how to set up a successful soap making business, you'll want to find someone who has done this who can teach you how to do this.

The more closely you intend to work with someone, the more carefully you'll want to check out that person to make sure there is a good fit. If you're going to be in a long term coaching relationship it is essential that you communicate with your potential business mentor, to ensure that you work well.

In addition, I encourage you also to think about the following questions.

* Do you feel inspired, empowered and uplifted from your prospective mentor's teachings?

* Do you feel more connected with your own inner sense of truth from their teachings?

* Does your prospective business mentor walk their talk? Do they practice what they preach? Do they follow their own advice, use the products they sell, and embody and express the principles they are talking about?

* Does their "energy" match their words? For example if a coach is speaking about the importance of holding a positive attitude towards others, do you experience this positive attitude actually coming from them? OR do their words say one thing, but their energy conveys something else?

In Summary

Before taking the advice of anyone, always ask your intuition and your inner sense of truth. Develop a list of the qualities and expertise you need in your business mentor. Use discernment to navigate through the sea of information on the internet, to find business mentors of integrity and wisdom that can empower you to success. Trust you instincts, avoid hype, and set your intention to create business success!

Choosing the right Wahm Business

When you are considering working from home, there is a set of decisions that must be made. First, you must decide whether or not working at home is right for you. Next, you need to consider what type of work at home job you will be doing. There are many opportunities for Wahms out there, both offline and off. Having a successful Wahm career starts with evaluating your own skills and requirements in a job and then finding the right match.

Sometimes the best place to start with your Wahm career is where your out of the home career ended. Many women find that they can become independent contractors in the field that they previously worked in. You can use your previous work experience as a launching pad for your Wahm career. Some of the ways to use your experience to your advantage are: finding a company that hires people in your field to work from home, using your previous experience to become an “expert” writer in your field or starting a business related to your previous field.

However, some women look at their Wahm careers as a way to break out of their old job. If you’d like to try something completely different, there are plenty of opportunities for entry-level work as an independent contractor. Many of these jobs deal with telephone or online customer service. When you work as a customer service agent from your home, you just need a reliable Internet connection and a working phone. Companies also hire medical transcriptionists, data entry professionals and virtual personal assistants to telecommute.

If you want to start your own business, the opportunities are very vast. You can start with a direct sales company and sell products from an established brand to friends and neighbors. You’ll make commissions through your sales and also off of recruiting other people to sell the products. There are hundreds of direct sales companies that offer everything from aromatherapy products to candles to cooking supplies.

Another option for starting your own business is offering a service in your community. Day care center operators, florists, professional organizers and hairdressers all have the option of working at home, among many other professions. Of course, starting a business in your community normally means that you’ve had some experience in that field. However, there are some small business ideas that can be started without much experience at all.

Many women turn to the Internet for a source of at home income. The World Wide Web offers a plethora of job opportunities. You can offer your services online as a freelance web designer, writer or virtual assistant. You can also start an online store that sells products that you make yourself or have the rights to resell. Many Wahms establish their businesses online by using one of the popular auction sites, like eBay. Still others find a home in internet marketing, by directing web traffic to a website and then recommending certain products and services.

Decide first what type of job you’d like to do and then work from there. If you are truly a people person and need to get out each day, direct sales or a local service business might be right for you. If you are the type of mom who lives online and is comfortable with the Internet, try finding a job or starting your own business on the web. If you like the comfort of having a weekly paycheck, look into telecommuting positions.

Once you’ve decided what category of job you’d like, do some research on what it takes to be successful at that type of business. If you feel like you are drawn to one particular business or company, then sit on your decision for a week and see how it feels. Imagine what your life will be like as you take on the duties of that job. Most importantly, be realistic with yourself about how much time you can devote to your business. Finding the right match isn’t hard when you thoroughly consider your options.

Choosing The Best Business Broker

Buying a business today is an involved and complicated process requiring expertise in many different areas (i.e., legal, accounting, tax, business valuation and due diligence). With thousands of businesses available navigating your way to the right one can be an arduous task.

A Business Broker can be a very effective tool to identify, locate, screen and value each targeted business and thereafter, in obtaining financing, negotiating the purchase, coordinating the due diligence and supervising the preparation of all transaction documents through the closing.

In the event you as the buyer attempt to purchase a business without the aid of a broker, realize that the listing broker represents the seller who pays his or her commission. Since most listing brokers will ordinarily not do anything to jeopardize a sale, you cannot rely on the seller's broker to advise you objectively. Never lose sight of that fact!

For most published listings, the listing broker will "cooperate" and "share" the listing, and the commission, with the broker hired by the buyer. In this case, it will not cost the buyer any fees or commissions to obtain exclusive representation.

Once you decide to hire a business broker, seek out a competent professional. The vast majority are unprofessional and quite dysfunctional when it comes to understanding the transaction, valuing the business and providing customer service and support. Furthermore, most business brokers have never owned or even purchased a business or professionally represented or counseled business owners. In California, one need only become a licensed real estate broker to sell business opportunities.

At a minimum, a qualified business broker can greatly facilitate find the right business, especially if the broker is well acquainted with your purchase criteria. Although there are many business listing services, some brokerage firms have software programs that can consider your purchase criteria, investment amount, owner benefits and other factors and produce a more focused and narrow search (see: http://www.qbsnet.com/buying-a-business.php). This can be extremely important. As you will soon find out, unlike purchasing real estate, evaluating a business is a very time consuming process. Therefore, it is important to apply your resources effectively.

So how do you go about finding a good business broker? Our Quantum Business Solutions Network professionals have listed a few essential ingredients in your search for a competent business broker (for a description of the full range of business broker services offered to California business buyers and sellers, please visit http://www.Qbsnet.com).

Before you sign an Agreement

Broker’s profile

The best brokers are affiliated with accredited Associations relevant to their state and profession. For example, in the state of California, the best business brokers are registered with the California Association of Business Brokers (http://www.cabb.org) and the International Business Brokers Association (http://www.Ibba.org).

Make sure the California business broker is qualified to provide competent representation. The firm or the individual should have their own website which is regularly updated with news, articles and business listings. Excellent contact details, company profile as well as having well qualified professional such as accountants, attorneys, etc.

Expectations

The business broker should clearly attempt to understand your exact purchase criteria, investment objectives, background and experience. This will ensure that the broker is not wasting your time and missing viable business opportunities in the marketplace (a good business brokerage firm will maintain its own network of listings, many of which are not “published” and unavailable to the general public). In addition, a competent business broker will continually narrow the focus of the search based upon your constant feedback. There should be a mechanism in place to accomplish this task. Quantum Business Solution Network employs uniquely designed business buyer software which constantly narrows the search and identification process.

Communication

Take some time before committing to a particular business broker and see how responsive he or she is at the outset. Attempt to inquire about the nature and scope of the services offered. Determine if they respond in a timely and comprehensive manner.

The best business brokers are excellent communicators and always respond in a timely manner (in business purchase and sale transactions time kills deals) and often serve an indispensible element toward ensuring the flow of the transaction toward a smooth closing.

The listing agreement/contract should include:

• length of time they will be representing you (6-12 months is typical)






• the type of the agency relationship offered by the broker (you want the broker to serve as your “exclusive” agent)






• the manner and payment of the broker’s compensation






• the nature and scope of the brokers duties

About the Author

Quantum Business Solutions Network is a full service Southern California business consulting and licensed brokerage firm. Quantum Business Solutions Network is comprised of professionals that combine valuation, financial, marketing, legal, accounting, tax and transactional structuring expertise to initiate, execute and consummate business acquisition and divestiture transactions.

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