Copyright 2006 Linden Huckle
Everybody wants the perfect business, most Internet Marketers will tell you that they have the perfect business.
My father in-law could sell ice to the Eskimos! But I couldn’t.
It’s not the business opportunity but the person or people involved that makes the perfect business.
You must have a business that you’re passionate and knowledgeable about, it doesn’t matter if you’re selling trips to the moon or pieces of rock from the moon, you MUST be passionate about it. You can gain Knowledge about your company, product or services by watching, listening and reading as much as you can.
We live in a ‘I want it now’ society, all the way from food to success.
Unlike food, you cannot have success NOW, you must have a plan, a dream, you must set goals and then, work, work, work and work, until your dream is a reality.
It’s there. You have just got to go out and get it!
It takes time, but it’s worth it in the end.
Are you prepared to take action, or are you one of those people who talk about it, simply giving yourself reasons why you can’t do it.
There is so much information online, a whole new world of information. Information that changes peoples lives every minute of every day.
Here’s an example of the power that is, the Internet.
Lets say someone has been interested in Fly Fishing all their life, they Google a few searches on Fly Fishing, the next thing they know they’re on a Shark Fishing site which they know absolutely nothing about, hmmm….. Seems interesting, within a few hours they have a new interest and have booked a Shark Fishing holiday, within a month they are buying their very own Shark Fishing boat, within a year they’re buying a property on the coast so they can go Shark Fishing more often.
Now that’s the power of the Internet, it can change lives in minutes.
You’re all saying, ‘What has this got to do with the perfect business’ Everything!
You could be the one who is passionate about Shark Fishing and you could be the owner of the Shark Fishing web site, you also sell them the Shark Fishing holiday and their very first Shark Fishing boat. If you’re really clever you could be on a commission for the house purchase!
Now that’s what I call a perfect business.
Keep dreaming And Never Quit
The Perfect Business
5 Lessons Your Kids Will Learn By Starting A Business
Kids need to be kids and enjoy their time as children. But, at the same time, as they get older, they also need to learn to make money and function in our society as responsible adults.
Oftentimes, they get a job at a Burger Joint, where they learn how to listen to a boss, and how to work with others, but then they may also have to give up some extracurricular activities, study time and time with family. Not terrible things, but enough of a challenge that many families are helping their kids start their own businesses.
Why? Let’s compare the lessons your kid is learning working at a burger joint verses starting a business.
1. Responsibility.
Burger Joint: Yes, it teaches responsibility. You need to show up for work and do a good job or your boss and co-workers will get mad at you.
Entrepreneur: Teaches you responsibility as well. You need to work hard or you won’t get paid.
2. The Value of a Dollar
Burger Joint: You learn that time is money.
Entrepreneur: You learn that creativity, ownership of responsibility and hard work is money.
3. How to Market Yourself
Burger Joint: Teaches you how to fill out an application and go on an interview to market yourself. You do this once and then you’re done.
Entrepreneur: You have to market yourself and your business on an ongoing basis if you want to make any money.
4. Customer Service
Burger Joint: Service with a smile or your boss may reprimand you.
Entrepreneur: Service with a smile or you don’t get repeat business and your income drops.
5. Banking Skills
Burger Joint: You learn how to collect a paycheck and how to deposit it into the bank.
Entrepreneur: You learn how to budget for advertising costs, taxes, and expenses and weigh them against your profits. You learn to deposit your income into the bank and write checks to cover expenses. You learn how business works.
As you can see, both options have benefits. As for which option you’ll choose? That’s up to you and your child.
The Biggest Mistakes That People Make When Starting A Home Business...
When you're starting a home business, it's all too easy to make mistakes -- after all, you've never done this before. Fortunately for you, though, you can learn from others' errors, by making sure you don't do any of these things.
Thinking Skills You Don't Have Aren't Important.
So you have no idea how to keep records and accounts, or you don't know how to maintain a mailing list. You need to learn these things! Too many home business owners just do the things that they know how to do, and assume that they can probably get by without everything else.
You need to realise that when you're running a home business, you're going to need to do as much as you can for yourself, especially when you're starting out. This means that you can't get by if your business skills are lacking. I always say that everyone who is thinking of starting a business should take an inexpensive and quick local business course, and I stand by it -- even if you think you'll be fine, it can't hurt, can it?
Not Managing Your Time.
When you're used to working nine to five, an easy trap to fall into is not managing your time effectively. Your home is full of distractions, and there won't be anyone there to tell you to get on with it. If you're prone to daydreaming or procrastinating then this can be disastrous -- whole days can go by with only tiny amounts of work getting done.
You need to be sure that you have a schedule, and you stick to it. Draw a clear line between work and non-work time, and don't cross the line in either direction. Apart from that, the word to remember is 'prioritise': appreciate that you won't always be able to do everything, but make sure you get at least the important things done.
Making Clients Think You're a Joke.
There are many home businesses where clients might need to visit your home -- but make sure it's fit for visiting! You can't lead them into a messy office, or be holding your dog back from barking at them when you first meet. Remember that professionalism is important, and it's too easy to end up looking silly if you don't plan how you're going to make a good impression when you invite people to your home.
If you can't afford a 'business annex' to your house, then consider hiring someone to look after your dog or children for a few hours while you have a business meeting there. It might also be worth paying a cleaner to give the place a quick once-over, if you haven't had time to clean up for a while.
Not Specialising.
Too many home businesses, when asked who their target market is, say 'well everyone, silly'. Your target market is never everyone -- if it is, you will fail. You can't just choose an industry and advertise your new-found profession to everyone, in the hope that someone will work out that the fact you're an electrician means maybe they should ask you about re-wiring their house.
The key to success is this: think about what you can do, and then market that to people who will want it. Advertise in places where these people are. If your business has no target market, then you have no business, period.
Making Start-Up Costs Too High.
Finally, too many people overestimate how much money it's going to take to start a home business. Do you really all brand-new equipment? If you're spending thousands of dollars before you've made any sales at all, you're setting yourself up for a disappointment.
Start your business on a shoestring, work hard, and expand gradually -- otherwise you're setting yourself up for a big fall. However much you might think you ought to do things 'properly', you need to make sure that you're minimising costs and maximising profit every step of the way, otherwise you're failing yourself as a home business owner. It's when you start to get some bigger clients and better cashflow that you can start paying a little extra to make your business life more comfortable.
Restaurant Business: Best Payment Method
Charge: A Promise to Be Redeemed
Plastic money or the credit card is now growing as the most popular form of monetary exchange. It is convenient and easy to use. It is easy to carry and has a lot of spending power in a small package. Consumers love using it because of the extra perks that come with it, such as airline miles and bonus gifts. On the recipient’s end, money collection is certain, since the responsibility of payment belongs to the credit card company, who carries the burden of chasing delinquent customers as well. The payments may also be directly credited to the recipient’s bank account, making the sale secure.
Convenient as it may be, credit cards aren't devoid of disadvantages. Credit card companies usually charge significant percentages of sales and could diminish your earnings. Money can also take time to collect and there is more paperwork needed to claim money. Credit card fraud is very possible and can victimize both customers and restaurant owners.
Perhaps the best alternative of all is the debit card. The debit card represents everything good about cash with none of the headaches of checks. A debit card purchase is like having instant cash. A debit card looks like a credit card but functions like a check or cash. When a customer presents a debit card, the merchant swipes the card just like a credit card. The checking account of the presenter is queried to determine if there are sufficient funds in the account to cover the purchase and the amount is immediately deducted and transferred to the merchants account. This is definitely the next best thing to cash!
The Final Verdict
In choosing which mode of payment is best for one’s restaurant the final choice boils down to the customer. Restaurateurs should keep in mind what mode is best for customers to pay – what is most convenient to them with regards to their profile. It might not be advisable for a place that caters to children and teens to accept only credit cards since most kids don't have cards yet. It might not be advisable to refuse checks or credit cards for fine dining that caters to executives, as prices would be high and bring lots of cash that could be very inconvenient and secure. Of course it is good to have all modes available.
With careful study of the benefits of each mode of payment alongside the market profile, an aspiring restaurateur may be able to choose the best payment option for their restaurant. Hopefully money will rake in by the bundles, whether in cash, check, or charge. Get up to $200,000 to "move" your existing business. US Government Grants for USA Citizens. Claim your FREE $79 Gov Grant book!
Managing Your Business Wisely
If you are a writer, especially one who charges for your services, having a business plan in place is essential. Never mind that a business plan can help you run your business more effectively, but a plan should be one that passes IRS scrutiny as well as meets all state and local government requirements.
Sometimes it is nearly impossible to figure out what steps you should take in order to even meet the myriad requirements. You are an excellent writer; that doesn't mean you are an expert at business administration!
My local technical/community college is offering on Tuesday nights this year to help business owners. Some of the topics they are offering include:
I plan on taking several courses this year as I want to make certain my business passes muster. Naturally, I want to concentrate on the writing aspect of the business, but the remaining "stuff" is necessary too. Check with your local continuing education office for a list of upcoming seminars. Many courses are free or require a nominal fee. In any case, you have nothing to lose, but a business to gain!
Staying Sane in a Home Business
An Overload Rescue Plan
Well, you finally did it, you've escaped the traditional, away from home work force and are now self-employed. You started your very own home based business. There you sit, in your nice new office, whether it's in the corner of the sitting room or in a converted bedroom, surrounded by your equally brand new toys, your computer, desk and some strategically placed shelves.
Your new multi-function center will print stuff, fax stuff and copy stuff. (It won't hang out the washing, but hey, you can't have everything.) You've even got work coming-in and the immediate worry about making a living has vanished. Hooray! Youreally can work from home!
At first, working from home is pure bliss. Then you get a week when everybody and their dog seems to want your services. After putting in a few late nights, you meet all the deadlines and think; phew, I'm glad that's over! You decide to relax and give yourself a day off. After all, you worked all through the weekend and earned it, right?
Unfortunately, the following week you find yourself off to a bad start trying to make-up for your day off. Before you know it, you find that you're dropping further and further behind. You reflect gloomily that when you were working for someone else, at least at the end of the day you were finished, what didn't get done didn't get done!
Well, it's time to take heart and set a few simple strategies in place that will keep you in control of your time, and your sanity. Consider the following:
1. Do NOT Accept Any New Work This Week.
Take a good look at what you have on your plate now, and carefully plan the week ahead. Your aim is to regain control. Tell new clients that you are fully booked, but you can put them on a priority list to be phoned next week. This will not only allow you to catch up, but make your services appear highly in demand.
2. Build In Time For Leisure and Rest.
Not only for this week, but EVERY week. A half hour walk; a twenty-minute break in the sun with a cup of coffee; a quick swim or a movie outing with friends, all these activities can recharge your batteries. You will find that you can achieve far more when you are rested and alert. How many times have you sat at the computer staring at the screen, achieving very little, because you're over-tired?
3. Tackle Urgent Tasks First.
If you're behind, your first step must be to contact all clients and arrange firm new deadlines. Make sure you base these new deadlines on what you can achieve, not what you hope you can achieve. If any existing client needs your services or products urgently, bump them up the queue.
4. Prioritize Remaining Tasks.
Scrap anything that is not essential, and delegate what you can. Consider involving family, business associates or friends to handle some tasks. Do not hand over tasks that must be carried out only by you as the principal of the business. Your reputation is important.
5. Set Achievable Daily Goals.
If you finish a task ahead of schedule, begin the next, but adhere to a definite cut-off time each day. What you are doing this week is establishing a system that will continue to work for you.
Getting out of trouble when your business is in overload is just like getting out of debt. Your business rating is similar to your credit rating, nothing can be gained by denying that a problem exists. Nothing can be gained by slipping deeper into the mire. Call a halt; contact the main players; set workable strategies in place and you can quickly regroup. Before you know it, your home business dream will be on track once more.
Poker Affiliate Program Success: Business Building Tips For Affiliates
Becoming a poker site affiliate does not mean that you have to become a full time advertising executive. Affiliate schemes are a way of spreading a message of making sure that service providers make sure that their site is getting maximum coverage. When a website incorporates affiliate programs and advertising it does not mean that they have to fill a quota or work specific hours. The affiliate system makes it possible for poker sites to reach huge audiences without having to pay for the privilege. Only when a potential customer follows a link from an affiliate site does the parent site have to outlay any money. Similarly the affiliate does not have to pay for the advertising, so in essence both sides gain from risk free advertising and revenue.
As an affiliate it is your job to encourage visitors to follow your links to the poker sites. But the way in which this is done is completely at the discretion of the site owner. The best way is to create a site that encourages visitors to play poker, to use enticing language in order to make it an attractive proposition. If you create a site dedicated to the game of poker or even an aspect of it, you are far more likely to ensnare some people. As soon as they follow your link to the poker site, sign up and begin playing the job of the affiliate is done and all they have to do is wait for the money to pour in.
But building and maintaining a site dedicated to poker or anything for that matter can be a time consuming business. If the task of creating a well-presented site is beyond your personal means you may choose to simply add links to a personal site. This way you are far less likely to attract the sort of clientele that are likely to want to join a poker room, but you could get lucky. Luck is what affiliate programs are all about, even the best sites rely on a bit of luck to get people to join through them. Your chances are significantly increased however if you do choose to take the time to create something that will ultimately attract a huge number of visitors each and every day.
However you plan your attack you must always consider restrictions. Such as time, capability and cost. There is no point in over exerting yourself or spending more than you can afford in the vain hope of getting some custom. For people 100% committed to making affiliations work, dedicating time and effort can reap huge rewards. But for those who want a casual regular income no matter how small from very little effort, the opportunities are there. Make your website work for you by adding advertising and becoming an affiliate. The rewards are there to be won by those who dedicate time and effort to the goal, but it can also work for casual webmasters too.
Why Your Business Cannot Afford Not to Advertise on Craigslist
Craigslist is not always the best advertising option but there are certain situations in which a business cannot afford not to advertise on Craigslist. For the purposes of this article we will examine two common scenarios where a business owner should definitely consider advertising on Craigslist because failure to do so can be detrimental to his business. These examples include small startup companies without a large advertising budget and existing companies whose direct competitors are advertising extensively on Craigslist.
Small Startup Companies Benefit from Advertising on Craigslist
Small startup companies often have a great deal of work ahead of them to begin competing with existing companies who are already thriving. These companies may already have established client bases and may have substantial funding budges for the purpose of obtaining new customers. Customer loyalty can be difficult to break and new companies either have to offer significantly better quality products or services, comparable products or services at reduced prices or a slick marketing campaign with consumer appeal.
However, smaller companies rarely have the advertising budget necessary to orchestrate an elaborate advertising campaign. This is when Craigslist becomes a necessity. Smaller companies can focus their energy on creating outstanding advertising copy without spending exorbitant amounts of money to run these advertisements in other forms of media such as newspapers, magazines, television or radio.
It is important to not that while free advertising is appealing, the advertising should be just as sophisticated as it would in markets where the business owners would be required to pay a fee to run the advertisement. This will help the business to maintain a professional image and will entice potential customer to try their products or services.
Don’t Let the Competition Corner the Market
Another scenario where a business cannot afford not to advertise on Craigslist is when direct competitors are making use of the advertising opportunities on Craigslist. This is important because businesses who do not advertise in the same locations as their competitors are essentially conceding potential customers who peruse those locations to the competitors.
Imagine you own a dog walking business in Portland, Oregon. If there are a large number of members of that community using the local Craigslist website to find dog walkers, you will likely miss out on these business opportunities because these individuals will likely select one of the individuals advertising on Craigslist for their dog walking needs. If you were to place a well written advertisement in an appropriate section of Craigslist you may find you are able to gain a market share of the available business.
There is, however, one caveat to placing advertisements wherever your competitors are advertising. This practice is not considered worthwhile when the market is already saturated with competition. Consider the above example of a dog walker in Portland. If there are a small number of competitors competing for business on Craigslist it is worthwhile to place your own advertisement here. However, if literally hundreds of dog walkers are flooding the website with their advertisement it is not worthwhile to post an advertisement because your advertisement will likely be lost in the shuffle. It is much more worthwhile to advertise in other locations. Checking Craigslist periodically may still be a good idea because those advertising on Craigslist are likely to not see great gain from this advertising and may resort to other options. When you notice a decline in competitor advertisements, it is a great opportunity to add your advertisement.
The Places Any Home Based Business Opportunity Seeker Must Go
A home based business opportunity seeker is likely to become quickly overwhelmed when searching for an opportunity online. It is only natural for a person to start looking for a home based business opportunity online since the internet is such a great marketplace. It can really help, though, for a home based business opportunity seeker to be prepared before they start their search.
There are a wide range of websites that are tailored to people working from home or seeking a home based business opportunity. These websites can provide great leads, lots of information and most even have message boards where people who work at home or who are wanting to work at home can chat and help each other out.
One thing a home based business opportunity seeker needs to know about these types of websites is that going to them and simply asking for help instead of exploring the information available s a quick way to end up being shunned. These people that frequent these websites are tired of having people come in and expect to get all the answers without doing any work themselves.
Most of the people that frequent these websites have been around for quite some time, which makes them great sources of information. However, it also means that it is likely when they got started working at home that there weren’t resources like this and they had to work to get there they are. That is part of the reason why they resent people expecting a hand out. Another reason is they get bombarded with the same questions over and over.
Most of these types of websites have clearly written guides or files that will explain everything a person needs to know. So, the bottom line is before jumping into one of these websites and asking for help, look around and try to find the information yourself.
Work at home type websites can be one of the greatest tools for the home based business opportunity seeker. They can network and learn a lot at these websites. They can find the opportunity that they’ve always dreamed of and become rather successful. However, they have to respect the rules and even the unwritten code of conduct. The home based business world is one of doing for yourself and being independent. It is not about people holding your hand and guiding you every step of the way.
A home based business opportunity seeker should defiantly start with these work at home type websites. They have some of the best and most respected information available online. They make finding what you need simple. When a person needs help they can call upon the community and they will gladly help out, but asking for help should not be the first thing a person does if they want to get stared on the right foot. These types of websites often become like the office environment for a person who works at home and can be a great place to make lasting friendships and build up your business.
The Level Of Entertainment In Show Business
The main reason people feel as if there is nothing on the tube is the fact that we as humans have a short attention span. This translates to people switching from a channel once they become bored or disinterested. As they flip and they see nothing that really entice them they continue till they end up on the original channel in which they decided was boring the first place. The only people who think they have too many channels, are the ones who are engaged and have an attention span that keeps them glued to one channel.
With the growth of niche television channels, this eventually led to the growth of sub channels dedicated to things such as trout fishing and video games. This eventually led to there being a glut of channels in which only a few people were interested. For regular television watchers, this would add to the bane of them not having anything to watch because in their incessant flipping they end up in a patch of channels in which they have no interest in.
Have a large amount of channels is a good thing to some people but in reality less is better. If you only had a couple of channels, like people without cable or satellite television then you would be forced to watch whatever came on the TV. You would become adjusted to what channels show what show and create a viewing habit based off that. You would basically create your own TV viewing schedule and you would not stray from the fact that there is nothing to watch on television.
Downloading television programs is basically the same as downloading other kinds of files. You first need to find a website that contains links to TV shows online, and then you have to make sure that you have some kind of file-sharing client that will allow you to access the files (often called "torrents" after the name of one of the most popular clients out there). Television program files contain both audio and video components, so they are much larger than music files. As a result, it can often take several hours to download a single file.
There are a couple of different ways you can watch the files you've downloaded. First, the most common way to watch TV shows online is to simply view the downloaded file in a media player. You probably already have a media player on your computer; if you don't, there are several different ones that are available for free. You just have to run a search and choose the one that you think will suit you the best. You'll also have to download the appropriate codecs so that you can both see the video and hear the audio of the television program files. Again, a few minutes spent with your favorite search engine can point you in the right direction as far as codecs go.
If you're a bit more comfortable around your computer and know what you're doing, there's another way to watch TV shows online. You can actually burn the MPEG file to a CD-ROM (thus creating a VCD), which you can then watch on your regular DVD player. You should be aware that this extra step takes much longer and that not all DVD players are capable of handling VCDs. But the end result is definitely worth it, so give VCDs a shot.