2 Business's You Can Start From Home For Less Than $100

While working from home is the quintessential American dream, financing the entrepreneurial spirit has the potential to quickly turn into the prototypical nightmare. After all, there is equipment to be purchased, licenses or permits to be applied for, and probably also a fair amount of advertising that needs to be bought and paid for. Some entrepreneurs have resorted to desperate acts of financial gymnastics, but more often than not these are too dangerous to contemplate. Yet even in light of this bleak picture, did you know that there are two home based businesses you can start with less than $75?

For example, if you have a talent with needle and thread, if fabrics are your world, and if your eye for colors, patterns and material rarely steers you wrong, then becoming a seamstress and freelance fashion designer may be right up your alley! The odds are good that you already own a sewing machine or – if you still stitch by hand – a well equipped sewing kit. Take $75 and put together a professional looking portfolio of your work and print up some business cards. Include in the portfolio pictures of your niece’s first communion dress you made, your daughter’s holiday outfit, the dolls’ clothes you might have put together and anything else that you have crafted as a gift or simply in your spare time. Shop around this portfolio to bridal shops, dry cleaners, and other places where clothing alterations may be needed. Start a website and advertise handmade dolls’ clothing or whatever other garments you want to make. As the profits begin coming in, gradually upgrade your equipment.

If you cannot tell a sewing needle from a knitting needle, do not fret. If you know you way around the kitchen, you may have a promising career as a caterer ahead of you. Begin by catering small events for your friends or family. As you gain exposure for your business, do not plan on making a lot of money right off the bat, but instead focus on having the cost of the food paid for and perhaps make a little extra to put toward advertising. Prepare beautiful spreads that stand out, take copious pictures, ask your friends for some quotes of praise, and put together a professional portfolio. Print up business cards and spend $75 to advertise in local advertising directories. Start out small but try for the slightly larger events, such as wedding receptions, the church picnic, or your spouse’s company party. The trick to this business is the gradual development of a clientèle and the word of mouth advertising that will cause your business to grow by leaps and bounds.

Even as starting your own home based business may seem complicated and might even appear to be out of reach, remember that by deliberately graduated growth you will have the chance to make it big in workable steps – none of which will require funds you do not possess!

I am a stay at home mom of 2 small boys and I know how hard it can be to juggle everything. Check out the site listed below for more ideas on how to have an automated money making machine that is legitimate and affordable.

Adware: Are Your Business's Computers Secure?

Adware, software dedicated to displaying advertising, can really slow down any business that depends on computers. Adware promoters use some cunning tricks to get you to install their software on your machine. Here's what to look out for.

Adware is, by definition, something reasonable people don't want on their computers. That's why adware can't just come out and ask people to install it. Often, the computer owner is completely unaware of it being installed. But not always.

When adware doesn't want to sneak in through an open window, it will try to trick you into letting it in through the front door. Don't think you could be tricked? Don't be so sure until you've checked out these most common ways people have been tricked into allowing malware to be installed on their machines.


Adware Installation Trick 1: Piggybacking

How it works: malware may come bundled with a legitimate piece of software the user actually wants, such as a game or emoticon. The malware is merely labeled "companion software," without any indication of what it will do.

How to fight it: the fact that adware so often comes bundled with "entertainment" software, most notably the file-swapping program Kazaa, is a very good reason to separate business from personal when it comes to computing. But adware can sometimes comes bundled with non-entertainment software, such as search tools or cracks of legitimate business software. Be very suspicious of any software that comes bundled with other software. Don't installed software that comes bundled with other software unless you know everything that the bundled software does. After all, if the bundled program has anything to do with the program you actually want, why couldn't the software developer just get both programs' functionalities into a single piece of software? Software developers are now very sensitive to malware concerns and will provide a lengthy explanation of just why the bundled software is necessary, in the cases when they actually do need to use bundled software.


Adware Installation Trick 2: Bait and Switch

How it works: since people are getting more and more suspicious of bundled software, the program's developers may simply label it as valuable software, for instance, a browser plugin that supposedly accelerates web browsing (but in reality only shows ads).

How to fight it: again, a suspicious mind is useful in avoiding malware. Ask yourself some questions:

* What will this software actually do? Adware and adware-bundled software often come with very fuzzy claims attached. Sure, it says it will improve your browsing experience, but how? Often, this improved browsing experience just means a browsing experience with more advertising.

* If the software is so great, why is it being given away free? Most commonly, software is only given out free in two cases: if it's OpenSource (designed by a community of developers and not proprietary–OpenSource software is always clearly labeled as such); or simply a come-on for a fuller-featured version of the software. If neither case is true, there's a real chance the software is financed by adware.


Adware Installation Trick 3: Outright Lying

How it works: adware may even be labeled as something else entirely, such as a well-known piece of software or a crucial component of the computer operating system.

How to fight it: this is the trickiest adware of all, and requires extreme caution. You don't want to start deleting any of your program files, much less your system registry entries, unless you're absolutely sure it's malware. Plenty of overzealous parasite hunters have shot their own machines to bits this way. This is one case where you want to be using an anti-spyware program, and preferably a second anti-spyware program to provide a second opinion.


Getting Rid of Adware

Adware is so tricky that trying to uninstall it by yourself could be like a trip into the Matrix. Luckily, there are good anti-spyware programs that tackle adware as well–after all many adware programs are also spyware since they monitor your internet usage.

True, it may feel like adding insult to injury to have to install more software to get rid of software you never meant to install in the first place. But keeping your computer free of adware is just one new cost of doing business.