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 Elements of Corporations

by Richard Chapo

Corporations are the oldest formal business entities we have. Still, many people are confused by the practical things one must have for a corporation.

A corporation is a stand alone business entity. It embodies a legal fiction, to wit, it acts as a “person” separate from its owners, known as shareholders. This fiction requires the corporation to act as its own entity by filing taxes, agreeing to contracts and so on. If a corporation is sued, its shareholders cannot be named in the suit unless they are involved in the alleged offending acts. For instance, Microsoft is a huge corporation. If I buy stock in it, I will not be a defendant in any lawsuit filed against the company.

While forming a corporation is obviously a smart move for many businesses, there are some formalities to running it. Paying a couple of hundred bucks online does not cut the bill if you don’t follow through with corporate formalities. Let’s take a look at some of the nuts and bolts.

1. Issuing Shares – For the corporation to be valid, it must be owned by someone. These owners are shareholders. The shareholders exchange money, services or property for their shares in the entity.

2. Bylaws – Bylaws are simple the rules under which the entity will run. The control the administration of the corporation and its business activities. Common issues covered in the rules concern things such as how board meetings can be called, restrictions on the sale of shares and so on. Most corporate books come with form bylaws. They are not worth the paper they are written on. Make sure to implement original and accurate bylaws.

3. Minutes – Minutes are a confusing area for most people. The minutes are simply the written account of what happens at board meetings. The minutes should be taken down by the Secretary Officer. They should then be written out and approved by the Chairman. During the next board meeting, they should be read to the board and approved before being entered into the corporate books.

4. Board of Directors – The Board of Directors is the oversight committee for the corporation. They make decisions on the overall course of action for the entity, but do not handle day to day decisions. The board members are elected by shareholders at an annual meeting. The method of election and number of directors is dependent on what is written out in the bylaws.

5. Articles – The Articles of Incorporation are the documents filed with the Secretary of State to establish the entity. The exact language varies from state to state, but they generally set out the name of the entity, the business purpose and other things required by the state.

6. Agent for Service of Process – Included in the Articles of Incorporation, the Agent for Service of Process is the person that accepts bad news for the business. If a lawsuit is filed, the suing party serves it on the agent. This does not make the agent a defendant. They are merely the human representative of the corporation.

The above represent the general elements of a corporation. Corporations can be designed in a variety of ways, so there are other elements that can arise given particular situations. Regardless, the above represent the nuts and bolts of the entity.

Richard A. Chapo is with SanDiegoBusinessLawFirm.com - providing California incorporation services. Richard Chapo may be contacted at http://www.sandiegobusinesslawfirm.com  


12 Steps to Creating a Business Online

by Jim Edwards

(c) Jim Edwards - All Rights reserved http://www.thenetreporter.com =====================================

"E-commerce"

(8/12/05) A word pervading our society, making headlines around the world, and causing the stock market to rise and fall with startling ease.

It seems every business news story centers on some technology company’s "DOT-com" or "DOT-bomb"!

With all the positive and negative hoopla, business owners of any size company can throw up their hands and feel the "E" world has left them behind.

Every business owner, salesperson, or professional asked one of two questions in the past year, either "Am I using e- commerce correctly?" or "How do I effectively get involved in e-commerce?"

You can buy hundreds of books and pay thousands in consulting fees to analyze and debate the answer to the first question.

To answer to the second question just follow these 12 steps.

Step 1 - Buy a domain name (your own DOT-com). Go to www.NetworkSolutions.com and research names. Can a customer easily spell and remember it?

Step 2 - Write down your online goals and prepare a time and money budget.

How soon do you want your e-commerce site up and running?

How much will you spend?

How many hours will you devote to the site and when?

Step 3 - Surf the web to find other sites you like and dislike. Learn from others’ successes and mistakes by taking the best of what their sites offer and adapting it for your own use.

Step 4 - Design your site on paper. Define elements, look, feel, colors etc.

Step 5 - Hire a professional to set up the graphics and navigation, but with the intention of you or your staff maintaining the site’s day to day operations, communication and updates.

Step 6 - Invest in a digital camera and web publishing software such as Microsoft Front Page or Adobe Acrobat to keep up with the site’s maintenance.

Step 7 - Maintain, change, and update your site at least once a month. (The one exception to this rule are those one- page, sales letter websites. Once you have one of those that performs well and makes sales, don't change it!!)

Step 8 - Promote your site at every opportunity. Tell people about it. Put your web address on your business cards and in all your ads. Some companies even advertise their web address when they put you on hold on the telephone.

Step 9 - Give people a self-serving reason to visit your site. Coupon savings, discounts, special incentives, free information, and free newsletters represent excellent enticements for attracting visitors to your site.

Step 10 - Concentrate on obtaining an email address from every customer and potential customer.

Obtain permission to send periodic, value-added malings to your database.

Use a list server to organize and maintain your mailing list.

Step 11 - Always look for and use the simplest solution or option.

Whether adding a shopping cart, database or other option to your e-commerce operation, seek out and use the simplest answer for your needs.

Step 12 - Become educated and stay current in the world of e-commerce.

Learn the marketing and sales techniques of the online world.

About the Author:

Jim Edwards is a syndicated newspaper columnist and the co-author of an amazing new ebook that will teach you how to use fr^e articles to quickly drive thousands of targeted visitors to your website or affiliate links...

Simple "Traffic Machine" brings Thousands of NEW visitors to your website for weeks, even months... without spending a dime on advertising! ==> http://www.turnwordsintotraffic.com

Author and co-author of several highly successful ebooks, including "How to Write and Publish your own eBook... in as littl as 7 Days" http://www.7dayebook.com.

Writes a syndicated offline Newspaper Column - http://www.thenetreporter.com - focusing on ebooks, tips, tricks, expert interviews, & more!

Jim Edwards may be contacted at http://www.thenetreporter.com or jimedwardsarticles@yahoo.com
 


A Neglected Challenge of Business

by Arlene Evans

(9/29/05) “Innumerable Web sites and charts and graphs used in business are just mush to me,” said Jim Doane. Font colors and background colors make the reading impossible for Doane. He is one of the two in one hundred males (and rare females) who is severely affected by color vision deficiency (CVD) or colorblindness. He, like most people so affected, does see blue and yellow, so he is not “blind” to color.

Web developer Ed Nolan keeps people like Doane in mind. He has an unusual occupation, especially for someone with CVD. Nolan is one of the 1:12 males affected (1:200 females are affected) by CVD. Although not as severely affected as Doane, Nolan can tell red from green; however, he remembers coloring a picture of a boy green when he was in elementary school. “It looked tan to me,” he said. As a Web developer, Nolan works with colors every day, which he does numerically. “What might look the same or very similar to me may be worlds apart numerically,” he said.

An engineer, Doane said his secretary marks colorful charts and grafts with the name of the color. “Then I know what people are talking about before I went to a meeting,” he said.

Doane said he had a map in front of him, “I’m working on a project to integrate the water projects of two towns and the whole darn thing is color coded. I had to have somebody go thru it and mark all the lines with their color names. What I found, though, is that even people with good color vision have trouble sometimes because the people making the lines don’t do a very good job with contrast.”

Doane is a volunteer on the board of the joint water commission in his county. He said, “They’ve been very good about accommodating me -- not only are the lines in color, they also have symbolic representation like an X or an O. So when they make a presentation to me, I can figure out what they mean. I know it’s been a struggle for them, because what I see is absolutely incomprehensible to them, but they’ve been very good to me. They do know what I can see now.” When he first started working, Doane says people dressed conservatively. “My wife embroidered everything with dots,” he said. “So items with one dot went together and items with two dots went together. And everything with three dots went together. In the years we’ve been married, she went from that to buying me clothes she thought were outlandish and I thought were pretty dull. Now I buy clothes myself from one particular salesperson.”

Deliberately playing tricks on him because of his color vision is something else Jim has had to contend with. He said co-workers have created colorful graphs, then laughed at his discomfort when he couldn‘t absorb information. He wished they’d find another form of amusement.

“My colorblindness didn’t bother me much on the job until the mid ’80s when people started getting color copiers. Then they felt obligated to use all 256,000 colors,” he said. That isn’t the only modern convenience that bothers him. “Some power point presentations have a laser pointer, which I can’t see.”

If you have any questions about what a person with colorblindness can or cannot see, remember there are many degrees of CVD. Asking would be the best course of action, whether or not you know someone like Doane or Nolan is in your audience.

A former school nurse, Arlene Evans became interested in CVD when she realized how common it is and the challenges people face because of the condition. When she could find no literature for children or teens regarding this disorder, she wrote Seeing Color: It’s My Rainbow, Too for children and Color is in the eye of the Beholder for teens and adults. Her website is: www.CVDbooks.com.

Arlene Evans may be contacted at http://www.CVDbooks.com or info@CVDbooks.com
 


A Simple Plan for Starting a Business of Real Estate Investing

by Steve Majors - The Lazy Investor

(1/2/06) Starting a business of real estate investing - whether you work out of an office or a 'home based business' you run out of a corner of your bedroom, you can drastically change your life, and your income in as little as 10 hours per week - all through a very simple plan of real estate investing.

It is possible to become successful in real estate investing in a short time and, even when starting a business of real estate investing, you can find the time without crimping your current lifestyle!

Starting a business of real estate investing with a simple plan.

1. Groundwork of your simple plan is crucial when starting a business of real estate investing.

I know, it is easy to say - and the truth is, it is easy to do! Most people get stopped when starting a business of real estate investing because they simply FAIL to plan. That's right, it isn't because their plan didn't work, it was because they did not implement even a very simple plan!

To be successful in real estate investing, first find someone else that is successful in real estate investing, watch them, interview them, find out everything you can about what they did when starting a business - and write up a simple plan of what they have done to be successful in their real estate investing - something that you can follow each day.

In order to have what they have, you need to do what they do, so find out what percentage of their day is spent on the telephone, for instance.

Find out how much of that time is spent on making calls, receiving calls and the type of calls they are (Customer Service, making deals, etc.)

That gives you a good idea of what your total time should look like, when you are starting a business of real estate investing of your own.

2. The next step in developing your simple plan as you are starting a business of real estate investing is to divide your total time (10 hours per week is a great start) just like your successful mentor does.

Even if they put in a hundred hours per week, they still divide their time, just like you will, once you begin working your simple plan.

The 'secret to success' isn't in the hours - it is how you spend them!

Follow the simple plan outlined here to make the most of your hours and get the most out of everything as you are starting a business of real estate investing with a plan of success.

If your mentor spends 1/10th of their time making outgoing phone calls to find new business, then you need to spend 1/10th of the time you dedicate to your real estate investing business doing the same thing, a pretty simple plan, huh?

3. Set your Goals.

A clear destination is something you always do when starting out on vacation, isn't it?

Then have the same thing in mind when you are starting a business of real estate investing.

Every successful person says to have a goal in mind so you know where you are going, and our simple plan gives you the steps to get there!

A goal is crucial in anything, and certainly when starting a business of real estate investing.

Without a destination (a specific income amount, a personal item like a car or boat, or simply an amount set aside in savings), how will you know if you ever arrived?

4. Track your progress.

You have your goal in mind, and a simple plan to begin. It is time to get into your 10 hours per week program and 'backtrack' to create a clear and simple plan to follow.

Take your goal (a clear date of completion and 'destination'), divide it out and chart the required progress each day, week, month and/or year to quickly know what is required to reach your destination.

Follow your progress each day to know quickly if you are sticking to your original goal destination, or if you are ahead or behind schedule.

As you are starting a business of real estate investing, you will likely come across some detours, that's OK (and where many people get lost... Do not!)

When driving, if you find a road that is blocked or a path that seems impassible, you simply find another way around, right?

The same is true when starting a business of real estate investing, just find another way.

Include in your simple plan a few hours here/there just for such 'emergencies'.

If you have no emergencies, do something else that will get you closer to your destination, or just relax and enjoy where you are.

5. Spend time ON your business, not only IN your business.

In your simple plan for starting a business of real estate investing, you must set aside part of your working time to plan, set goals, promote and advertise your business, not simply work along in your business, doing the things you do.

In today's world, when starting a business of real estate investing, you will most likely have a website. You need to spend a certain portion of your time (even 10 hours per week total) on getting more visitors to that website. The more people that see what you have to offer, the quicker your business will grow.

You could spend time driving from house to house, telling everyone about your website (not a very simple plan for your time!), or you can maximize your time by writing articles about your business and post them online where many people will see them (many online services promote articles).

This is often overlooked by people as they are starting a business of real estate investing, and one of the reasons they fail to make their simple plan.

As your business grows over time, you will do less of this (but never stop!) and begin to work your simple plan toward the 'IN your business' phase.

6. Give excellent Customer Service.

It never pays to make your customers angry. An upset customer will kill more business than you can imagine. Find a way to work with them, or simply give them their money back.

Losing customers is something you cannot afford when you are starting a business of real estate investing!

Many people simply don't make the time to provide quality service to their customers. Do not let that happen to you!

A little up front planning and goal setting, then follow-through each week, then simply repeat the process.

You will change your business from flat to cash in a short amount of time!

Follow the steps above and it can be done in as much or as little time as you have.

When starting a business of real estate investing, if you follow the simple plan I have outlined here, you are already a success!

Steve Majors - The Lazy Investor Profit from business articles, real estate investing information and news from one of the most creative investors on the planet ~FREE MEMBERSHIP & real estate training course~ Real Estate Investing

Steve Majors - To-the-point training and coaching for business and wealth creation through creative Real Estate investing. Known as "The Lazy Investor", with courses and training sessions to slingshot your success. http://SteveMajors.com

Steve Majors - The Lazy Investor may be contacted at http://TheLazyInvestor.com  


A Systems Approach To Home Business Success And Immediate Extra Income

by Phil Covington

(11/30/05) If you were to compose a "Top 5" list of things to do, and not to do, in order to build a successful work from home business and income, it might look something like this:

1. Make sure that you have (or acquire) an attitude for success. 2. Take an inventory of where you've been, where you are, what you have, where you are going, and, more importantly, where you want to go.

3. Do your homework. Become educated (about the topics and/or industries you are considering getting involved in). Do your research and due diligence.

4. Avoid wasting or losing your money or your time on unwise "investments." Item #3 should help you in this regard. However, two easy guidelines are to make sure that any investment you make is proportionate to the industry, products and/or services, and type of business you want to get involved with. ??For instance, if you are looking at McDonald's restaurant franchises, then an investment of $1 million or more might be justified and reasonable. However, if you are looking at the more typical smaller scale type of home business, especially MLM, then rarely should you have to spend more than a few hundred to a few thousand (at most) dollars to successfully launch your new home based business. ??And, unless you have "deep pockets" and really know what you're doing, always grow your business out of profit. In other words, invest a reasonable amount necessary for a successful start, make some money, and then invest back into your business to make more money. That way you won't get hurt financially [ at least not to any significant degree ], mortgage your home, or lose your life savings or 401(k), etc.

5. Engage in a "Systems" approach to starting and building your business that makes it a step-by-step, "cookie cutter" process that offers a reasonable chance of success if you follow the system. Make sure that the system is predictable, and, ideally, that you have a reasonable chance of earning back your initial investment and becoming profitable within no more than 30 to 90 days, with 30 to 60 days being even better.

Look around and you will find that some of the most successful people and concepts in history are those who implemented systems that can be duplicated.

I'm not referring here to the famous word, "duplication," that is often tossed around among people involved in network marketing. When used in that context it is erroneous because you cannot "duplicate" people! Even if you are a wonderful example of leadership and are constantly growing your business that doesn't mean that you can expect the next person to duplicate your performance, because he or she is not you!

So, the kind of duplication that you want to be able to bring to your business and your organization is the duplication and dissemination of systems, methods, and processes.

Think about it, when Henry Ford successfully mass produced the automobile he didn't duplicate himself, but rather he developed an assembly line method that allowed workers (properly trained in that system) to duplicate the same results in building new automobiles in massive numbers.

When Ray Kroc made McDonald's into the most successful franchise in history he didn't do it by duplicating himself, but by developing a system recognized the World over as model of efficiency, duplication, and consistency, that allows you to walk into any McDonald's restaurant anywhere and receive the same level of food and service, and clean bathrooms, as will be found in any other. Every single employee is a uniquely different person, so McDonald's is certainly no expert at duplicating people, but they are among the very best at duplicating systems.

When Bill Gates conquered the World of the desktop computer he didn't do it by duplicating himself, which would be a pretty tough act to follow since as the richest man in the World there is only one of him anyway. Here again, Bill Gates developed a series of successful systems that could in turn be duplicated by Microsoft's thousands of employees.

Are you starting to get the idea, and the difference, between trying to duplicate people (which is impossible, unless you manage to pull off an amazing human cloning experiment), and duplicating systems, which is very doable?

It is a well known fact that well established, brand name franchises have a much higher success rate than someone trying to start a business on their own. When, for instance, is the last time you saw a McDonald's restaurant go out of business?

Most network marketing (MLM) companies also claim to have systems that will help assure your success, yet it is well known that over 90 percent of the people who enter the industry fail. That's because most MLM programs try to duplicate people, and, as explained above, that simply doesn't work.

So, if you want to be among the 10 percent or fewer of network marketers who succeed you need to seek out and obtain the very best education and training that you can find that will show you how to utilize systems that will truly lead to successful results, consistently, the majority of the time.

If you are still looking for the "perfect" opportunity then you will want to look for one that is systems based, meaning that you, or anyone entering that business, can reasonably predict what kinds of results you might expect to achieve.

Ask yourself before getting involved, how much of your success depends upon you, and how much depends upon the system? The more systems there are in place that are designed to help people achieve consistent results, income, and profits, the more likely you are to succeed instead of becoming another victim among the 90 percent or more who fail.

You can find examples of the above kinds of programs on this Website. If you were to compose a "Top 5" list of things to do, and not to do, in order to build a successful work from home business and income, it might look something like this:

www.abcincome.com

GRPMAX, L.L.C. was founded by CEO Phil Covington in 1979 and is the parent company of ABCIncome.Com. GRPMAX specializes in developing Uniquely Innovative Technologies & Solutions™ and has worked with clients ranging from small business, to government, to the Fortune 500. Specifically, GRPMAX creates solutions that automate processes that previously required human staffing and interaction. Mr. Covington's interest in the home business field started in the 1980s and developed out of relationships with some of the industry's most talented and highest earning individuals, during which time he has actively pursued the creation of the ultimate home business passive income solution.

Phil Covington may be contacted at or ArticleSyndication@grpmax.com


BE FOCUSED TO RUN A SUCCESSFUL HOME BUSINESS

by philip walusimbi

(1/11/06) I have been fortunate to be associated with people who have made more than one million dollars in a year in home businesses. I have used what I have learned to have great success also. Here are my tips

In my experience with home businesses I have been fortunate to be around a lot of successful people who could really assist me with my own success. The reason I jumped out of the work-a-day world to the home based business is because I knew if I found someone who really made the money they claim is possible, then I knew I could do it.

I was able to meet people personally within the first couple weeks of my getting started who were earning six figures every month consistently. I was also fortunate that they didn’t want to keep it a big mystery as to how that was done. He shared with me what the keys to his success were.

I believe that by giving back here in this article and giving you those keys that I will be edifying the whole home based business industry. I also believe that by helping others, I in turn will be helped. Actually, before I start with the tools I wanted to reiterate what I said in one of my previous articles. Why are you doing your home business? Take a second as if I’m right here, just me and you….is that it? You just want more money? What for? Don’t just say you want to travel. Go looking around on the web and pick some places and price them out. Then you will have an idea how much money you need and have a clear target. Ok, on to the tools.

The first thing that all the successful people I’ve known have in common is that they are students of personal development. Have you ever met some really high up people? They have a certain spark or quality. You just want to get on board whatever it is they are doing. All the ones I’ve known spend about 30 minutes daily in any or all of the following: reading classic books on growing your mind, spiritual devotion, journaling, or listening to audio books. You can’t have what those people have while be-ing the person you are (I’m assuming you have your sights set higher than where you currently are).

You must be-come something different than you are today. I used to think that if I only had a multi-six figure income, then I’d do all those things those people do and I’d be somebody! Have-do-be. The people I met in my journey told me I had it backwards. You must be the person you want to be and do the things they do, then you can have what they have. Be-do-have.

What that means in concrete terms is that in your mind you must have already accomplished the goal of the big income. You must act like that person when you are meeting new people, going to whatever kind of presentation your business does, or calling people on the phone. You must make the decisions those people make. Do you spend some money on marketing your business or buy a TV? Do you listen to your brother-in-law who says it’s not a real business?

To assist you in being somebody different we have the second tool: daily meditation and visualization. You must picture over and over in your mind that day or time when you have accomplished your goal. Allow yourself to drink in the smell and feel of that new BMW. Picture the realtor handing you the keys to your dream home.

You will get what you focus on. Your subconscious mind will try and deliver whatever it is you think about all day. The alternative would be that your brain would be in sort of a conflict and you’d think you were going crazy.

The third tool isn’t really a tool, but it is an integral part of the picture. Income producing activity everyday. If your business involves getting on the phone, then you must do it. Money will not fall out of the sky. If your business involves going to people’s houses, then you must do it. You are not going to make money surfing eBay, rearranging your desk, or chatting with people already in your business.

The fourth tool is masterminding with other leaders. Unless you are incredibly rare, you have to be in the environment of people who are where you want to be. I’ve heard it so many times: take the incomes of the five closest friends you have and average them – your income will be pretty close to that!

One hundred years ago, Edison, Firestone, Carnegie and people like that used to get together each year to just be together. Who are the board of directors for your business? Does that scare you? It should! Seek out successful people no matter what walk of like they are from, whether or not they even have money (i.e. clergy, prominent volunteers, people who overcame disabilities, etc).

The fifth tool is to cultivate the expectation of leadership. Be the leader! People will not follow you if you’re waiting around for something to happen. If you are the proactive one who has the goals and the vision, people will follow you. You will be irresistibly attractive to them on the phone or in a meeting. As you meet people and you are looking to build your business, you must BE the leader they are looking for!

If you are consistent and persistent in all of these you will be unstoppable! Go get them.

Best of luck

Philip walusimbi

Philip Walusimbi is the President of Integrated Systems and Services and a Founder Member of Shared Values; a Leading Internet Marketing Company. He offers a free newsletter on how to create wealth on the internet at www.freewebs.com/pwalas His contacts: pwalas@yahoo.com sharedvalues@yahoogroups.com Skype:pwalas3000 Visit: www.tagworld.com/pwalas

Philip Walusimbi is the President of Integrated Systems and Services and a Founder Member of Shared Values; a Leading Internet Marketing Company. He offers a free newsletter on how to create wealth on the internet at website: www.freewebs.com/pwalas email:pwalas@yahoo.com Skype:pwalas3000 viewed at :www.tagworld.com/pwalas

philip walusimbi may be contacted at www.freewebs.com/pwalas or pwalas@yahoo.com


Become a Certified Success in the World of Business and Finance

by Seacrhforclasses .com

By Zach Chouteau

(9/8/05) There’s no denying that today’s business and finance sectors have become more competitive than ever. It has become critical for professionals to not only have the necessary skills to succeed, but the certification employers are looking for.

This challenging environment has always posed a potential problem for the busy professional trying to take a step up in the business world, or transition into another career in the sector. A full-time return to school to enhance their knowledge and credentials means leaving their current position behind -- and investing substantial time and money pursuing an additional degree.

For these individuals, Kaplan University’s online Business and Finance Sector programs may be the ultimate solution to reaching their goals. With deep roots in higher education that date back to 1937, and a flexible schedule that lets you study anytime, anyplace, Kaplan University’s certificates in Financial Planning, Risk Management, Project Management and Executive Coaching can be completed in as little as 12 months – without interfering with your job or disrupting your life.

“The fields of financial planning, project management, risk management, and executive coaching are experiencing exponential growth, providing a wealth of opportunities in the evolving business world,” said Kristina Belanger, Dean, Kaplan University’s School of Continuing and Professional Studies. “These rewarding occupations are leading choices for individuals seeking professional growth and diversity, and Kaplan University’s online, self-paced programs provide busy professionals with a flexible learning environment to gain competitive skills for more rapid career advancement.”

Financial planning, for starters, has been repeatedly described as among the most prestigious of modern professions – supported by statistics from the U.S. Department of Labor forecasting job increases of more than 34 percent by 2012. The same reliable source states an average annual salary of $79,990 for personal financial advisors in 2003. Not only that, but proven expertise in the field can allow you the option of either working for yourself or a world of high-end firms throughout the country.

To win the trust of potential employers or prospective clients in the business world, however, you’ll need applicable skills and proper certification. That’s where Kaplan University’s Certificate in Financial Planning comes in. The course teaches you all you need to know about analyzing a client’s financial situation – strengths, weaknesses, and how to best achieve their financial goals. From savvy tax management to smart investing to retirement planning, you’ll be steeped in all the crucial information necessary to be a certified financial planner.

Project management is another area where Kaplan University can help open doors to a variety of new career opportunities. Learning how to increase a company’s chances for maximum profits by optimizing time, money, and personnel, is a skill respected by organizations everywhere. From business to information technology to real estate and more, project managers may earn from $60,000 to $100,000 annually on average, with senior project managers holding yearly salaries ranging from $70,000 to $150,000.

As a Project Manager you’ll be respected in your industry as someone capable of leading important initiatives as you advance your career. You’ll be the one CEOs and company presidents turn to as a leader for their organization’s most critical undertakings. Perhaps best of all is the universal applicability of the knowledge and skills that Kaplan University can provide with this program – which can be put to use for the rest of your working life, regardless of the direction your career may take.

If you hold at least an associate’s degree, and have an interest or background in such fields as business, human resources, accounting or finance, Kaplan University’s Certificate in Risk Management can help you earn from $66,000 to $110,000 annually. Risk control, loss prevention, and adhering to today’s stricter compliancy laws have made risk management an essential aspect of doing business in today’s corporate world. A Certificate in Risk Management from Kaplan University will give employers the confidence that you know your stuff inside and out.

Risk managers recognize and review an organization’s loss exposures including property, liability, personnel, and net income in order to promote growth through profit, continuous operation, and stable earnings. Kaplan University will teach you all this, plus other critical skills such as enterprise risk management (ERM) and creating risk management programs. You can then apply your knowledge and skills toward pursuing a top position with a number of companies, or entering the field as an independent consultant. Like Kaplan University’s other certificates, this program can be completed in as little as 12 months, learning at your own convenience.

Executive coaching is now a major growth industry. More and more businesses are employing executive coaches to instill leadership development among managers and executives to bolster an environment of ongoing organizational change. Executive coaches thoughtfully listen -- and ask the right questions -- to assess an individual’s attributes, needs, and coachability. Kaplan University’s Executive Coaching Certificate offers the necessary skills for observing, recognizing, and intervening for full business effectiveness. It can teach you to teach leaders to better comprehend organizational dynamics and to climb up the corporate ladder.

In a recent summary poll of executive coaches, 65 percent of respondents reported yearly compensation of $85,000 or more. Opportunities exist in a number of business environments, including corporations, non-profits, government offices, and independent consulting.

Whether you study financial planning, project management, risk management, or executive coaching, you’ll have the chance to expand your employment and career opportunities. Through developing your professional acumen and abilities you will be able to explore new job prospects with virtually any professional industry where business skills are valued. Should you choose to go into the market on your own, you’ll hold the certification and skills needed to win over prospective clients.

Perhaps best of all, Kaplan University online programs allow you the flexibility and convenience to quickly improve your skills and resume without compromising your current daily life. For the working professional striving to reach their career goals, this might be an ideal option.

For more information about Kaplan University, visit http://kaplan.searchforclasses.com or http://www.searchforclasses.com/ To read more articles and to learn more about online education visit http://www.searchforclasses.com/newsletter/ or http://searchforclasses.blogspot.com/

For more information about Kaplan University, visit http://kaplan.searchforclasses.com or http://www.searchforclasses.com/ To read more of his articles and to learn more about online education visit http://www.searchforclasses.com/newsletter/ or http://searchforclasses.blogspot.com/

http://www.searchforclasses.com Check there for information, tips and articles about online education. Read our Education News blog at http://sfcednews.blogspot.com/

Seacrhforclasses .com may be contacted at http://www.searchforclasses.com


Online Networking for Better Business

by Frauke Nonnenmacher

(6/8/05) Last month I mentioned that trust is a vital part in getting business. One of the best ways of building trust is by doing some regular networking. There are many ways of networking, from big networking clubs like BRE or BNI to small, informal groups. But today I want to talk about an alternative to these – online networking.

The advantages of online networking are that you can reach a vastly larger group than you possibly can during face-to-face meetings. You’re not tied to fixed meeting times or have to worry about mandatory attendance. And businesses on a budget will be happy to hear that online networking is generally much more affordable than joining a networking club.

On the downside you’re not networking in a group that excludes your competitors – in fact you may face quite stiff competition, depending on what line of business you’re in. No fixed meetings also means that it’s easy to let things slip, so it’s up to you to make sure that things keep rolling along smoothly.

Having said that I don’t think there’s any reason not to give online networking a try. Unless you’re swamped with work, of course, or you don’t own a computer with Internet access. (In which case, how did you get hold of this article in the first place?)

Online Networking for Success

Here are a few hint and tips to maximize your success with online networking. The same can be used for face-to-face networking, of course.

1) Don’t go around asking for business. Trust me, you don’t want to come across as an annoying salesperson. Instead see if there’s anything you can do to help others. A good online networking club will have forums where you can give help and advice to others – take advantage of this. It’s a great trust builder, and it provides you with professional visibility. Useful advice does stick in peoples’ minds – and so will your name.

2) Do use your signature to your advantage. Create a short signature to use at the end of all your correspondence in the club. It can be the same as your email signature, or something tailored specifically to the networking club. My only recommendation would be to stick to a plain text signature, rather than HTML. Make sure your signature contains the URL of your web site, and a good tag line (mine’s “The right words to improve your business”, for example.) Including the URL will improve your search engine rankings, as most networking clubs are picked up by search engines, and including your tag line will make people remember you.

3) Recommend people you’ve done business with. Networking is just as much about getting business for others as getting it for yourself, so if you can recommend somebody you’ve done business with in the past, do it whenever possible. You’ll find that people will return the favour.

So, after these helpful hints, here are a few online networking clubs to get you started. I’ve selected three very different ones to give you an idea on what’s out there, and what’s suitable for you. All these offer some sort of free membership, as far as I know – but please do check yourselves – you know how fast things change on the Internet…

Ecademy (www.ecademy.com) – This is the online networking club I’m most involved in. It’s semi-formal, with public forums, private messaging, a marketplace, blogs and useful articles. You’ll have to pay to get the most out of it, but in my opinion it’s well worth the investment.

Ryze (www.ryze.com) – Ryze is a very informal and chatty network, possibly best suited for small companies operating a retail business from home. Forums, guestbooks and private messaging are available, and it’s very easy to meet new people.

LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com) – LinkedIn is a very formal networking club. Unless a member has specified that they’re open for direct contact, it’s only possible to contact other members via recommendations from people you already know. It takes time and effort to build a network here, but the ones you do build seem to have an extraordinary level of trust.

So there you have it – online networking in a box, ready and waiting for you to try. Oh, and if you’re checking our Ecademy – give me a shout while you’re there and let me know how you find this online networking lark…

Need online copy that gets results? Frauke Nonnenmacher is a copywriter who specialises in clear, informative and persuasive web copy. For more information, please visit her web site at http://www.creativecats.com

Frauke Nonnenmacher may be contacted at http://www.creativecats.com or frauke@creativecats.com


Relationship Networking

by Sharon Housley

(9/13/04) What is Relationship Networking? Relationship networking is simply the art of meeting people and benefiting from those relationships. Often the benefit of these relationship is to obtain information and leads to further grow your business. Any successful relationship, whether a personal or a business relationship, is unique to every pair of individuals, and it evolves over time. Effective relationship networking is all about building those relationships and maintaining long lasting connections with other professionals.

The Internet is an excellent vehicle for networking. Relationships can develop in newsgroups, forums, and via email. Though nothing really beats good old-fashioned face-to-face networking to start the process of building a relationship and trust, which is why industry conferences can be so important.

Not all contacts will be useful or worth pursuing. There will be leads that don't provide much information. Use your judgment on whether the information and relationship is worth spending more time on.

Relationship networking opens new doors, often it's "who you know, not necessarily what you know".

Tip to Build Network Relationships: 1. Provide genuine assistance to others. 2. Be open-minded. 3. Remember personal details. 4. Respect cultural differences. 5. Research people and companies. Know their goals and interests. 6. Reciprocate. 7. Introductions.

Where to Network: So many people wear multiple hats; everyone and anyone could possibly be a networking opportunity. However, just like targeted search engine traffic, the more targeted the networking the higher the chance of success. 'Targeted' networking offers the most potential.

1. Trade associations or industry specific organization. 2. Trade shows. 3. Friends. 4. Schools. 5. Focused newsgroups and topic specific forums. 6. Customers. 7. Suppliers. 8. User groups.

Constantly refine and grow your network of relationships, as they are valuable and need cultivating. If you are perceived as someone who is only trying to get something your network will likely not increase. Networking is about building relationships and mutual interaction benefiting both parties. Share information and help others grow their businesses.

In many ways relationship networking and partnering overlap, and on some occasion's relationship networking will lead to synergistic partnering.

Partnering Partnering is an attractive flexible way for companies to develop new markets and additional revenue. Working together, partners can combine strengths in critical areas. Often a larger well-known vendor provides small vendors with credibility, while the smaller vendor contributes specific industry knowledge unknown to the larger vendor. Synergistic relationships come in all shapes and sizes, but the best relationships and partnerships are the ones that benefit everyone. Partnering is a good way of tapping into related customer bases. Often the partners complement each other in such a way that they can provide a combined solution that neither partner could deliver alone.

Expectations In order for a relationship to work you must have a clear understanding of both your companies and product(s) strengths and weaknesses. By being aware of any deficiencies, you will find partners with strengths in the areas of your weaknesses.

1. Know what you have to offer. 2. Know what you are looking for. 3. Don't waste yours and your potential partner's time.

Different relationships/partnering that works: 1. Product bundling. 2. Newsletter exchanges. 3. Integrations. 4. Link exchanges. 5. Technology or knowledge exchange. 6. Revenue share. 7. Ad exchange.

Win/Win Only when each partner is successful can the partnership itself claim success. Partnerships are genuinely a win-win. Developers, who master the art of strategic partnering and relationship networking, will obtain long-term profitability and success.

Final Tips 1.) Qualify sources. 2.) Adage - you are who you hang with. 3.) Not every relationship is a good one. 4.) Evaluate potential partners. 5.) Make it personal by taking the time to say thank you. 6.) Results are not always immediate. 7.) Carry business cards everywhere you go.

Being proactive and following up, you can have a network of contacts that you will be able to access quickly when you need them. Whether by more traditional means, such as in person or over the Internet, personal networks are essential for furthering your business. Relationship networking is give and take, be sure to help others in your quest for help.

About the Author - Sharon Housley manages marketing for NotePage, Inc. http://www.notepage.net a company specializing in alphanumeric paging, SMS and wireless messaging software solutions. Other sites by Sharon can be found at http://www.softwaremarketingresource.com , and http://www.small-business-software.net

Sharon Housley manages marketing for NotePage, Inc. http://www.notepage.net and FeedForAll http://www.feedforall.com . Sharon also manages the Software Marketing Resource at http://www.softwaremarketingresource.com

Sharon Housley may be contacted at http://www.notepage.net or sharon@notepage.com


Are You at Risk of Missing a Networking Opportunity?

by Alan Fairweather

(2/4/06) I have a confession to make. The other day I was stocking up on necessities at my local supermarket when I came face to face with Duggie, who I haven't seen for years. We went through all the - "How are you, what have you been up to, what're you doing now" kind of stuff.

Duggie then says - "Alan, can I have one or two of your business cards in case I need to get in touch and to pass to other people."

Now, I'm always nagging other people about never leaving home without business cards. Don't even take out the garbage without a business card in your pocket. And guess what - I had no business cards to give to Duggie.

He then tells me that he was at a Dinner the previous evening and he met several new contacts - however, he'd also forgotten his business cards. Duggie has his own business and he's always looking for new clients.

So let me say it again (and I'm also talking to myself) - never, never, never leave home without business cards. Don't even dig the garden, wash the car or visit the supermarket without business cards.

There's always a chance that you'll meet someone who says - "And what do you do?" or "It's ages since I've seen you, what sort of business are you in now?"

Be aware - new customers and clients are the lifeblood of any business so make sure you never miss an opportunity to make a new contact.

Alan Fairweather - The Motivation Doctor - is a professional speaker, author and business development expert. He is the author of four ebooks in the "How to get More Sales" series. Lots of practical actions you can take to build your business and motivate your team.- To receive your free newsletter and free ebooks, visit: http://www.howtogetmoresales.com

Alan Fairweather may be contacted at http://www.howtogetmoresales.com or alan@howtogetmoresales.com


Internet Based Business Models - Part 1

by Murray Hughes

Getting Started At Home in Your Very Own Business

Internet Based Business Models - Part 1

I'm going to congratulate you again.

By reading this you are already displaying the #1 most vital ingredient to enjoying success.. persistence. Keep it up!

This time I want to talk more about the choices you have available to you as a person wanting to get started in your very own business.

There are so many ways to do it I couldn't possibly cover them all here. But since my expertise is in using the Internet to build a business, that's what I'll teach you.

We will just skim over the different ways for now, but don't worry because we'll re-visit them later for a closer inspection.

Let's have a look at the different ways to do it:

Turn-Key Business - this type of business is great if you are a complete novice and just starting out. They are called 'turn-key' because everything is set up ready for you to start immediately, that is, you just turn the key.

Usually, turn-key businesses are in the network marketing industry. That's a dirty word to some but an effective way to make massive dollars if you are prepared to do it. Some of my income comes from this type of business.

Affiliate Programs - a simple arrangement where you direct customers to a merchant and receive a commission on everything the customer buys. It can be anything from tropical holidays to pen sets to downloadable ebooks.

Many online merchants have an affiliate program in place, which you can easily sign up for. Then you send people to the web address the affiliate program gives you. I make a lot of my dollars from affiliate programs.

Drop Shipping - this time you are the merchant. But before you say 'not for me' listen to this. You don't have to see the product, touch the product or even purchase the product that you sell.

This is how it works. You find a product that is available from a wholesaler that you could sell for a profit (I'll show you where to find them later). You set yourself up as a merchant with a website (easier than it sounds, I'll also tell you more about this in a later issue). Then you get visitors to your site, through advertising or search engines like 'Google'.

Every time someone buys, you send the order to the wholesaler, they will send the product to the customer and send you a bill. You pay the bill from the customer's money and the left-over is your profit.

Sounds tedious but there are ways to automate the process to run without you doing much at all. I've never tried drop shipping but done a lot of reading and no some people making over 7 figures with this method (yes, 7 figures!).

OK, these are a few models for you to think about, but that's not all by a long shot. I'm spreading them out over a couple of issues so you have the chance to do a little extra research and think them over.

Until next time, remember persistence pays off - BIG TIME. Your Friend Murray Hughes 007 Work From Home

http://www.007workfromhome.com/internet-based-business-models-1.htm

Murray Hughes is a full-time Internet marketer developing products for niche markets. Murray generously shares his marketing knowledge at 007WorkFromHome.com for anyone to learn about Internet marketing absolutely FREE! http://www.007WorkFromHome.com

Murray Hughes may be contacted at http://www.007WorkFromHome.com


A Short list of Points before Starting a Home Based Small Business

by Alice Nero

Home based Small Business - An Alternative Career

Starting a home based small business is like living an American dream where money making and living a desired lifestyle is the best of anything.

A small home business does not mean something totally new. We have been doing this job since childhood. Our small jobs included babysitting, delivering newspaper, tutoring, etc. But once we become adults, our aspirations change, dreams change, demands multiply, hence, we have to strategically plan a right kind of home based small business.

We have all been brought up with great corporate dreams. That way we are conditioned and educated - to live a life with corporate benefit packages. Recently, there has been a shift from corporate dreams to having one's own, may be a small business. Because, freedom of work is as important as the monetary benefits.

Today, we prefer to a proprietor being self-employed. Late hours, official compulsions and job dissatisfactions leads many of us to something on our own. Besides personal difficulties, as adults we have to oblige our family also. We need to be with our spouse, kids, other members of our family, and friends.

Home business industry is booming fast at the rate of 17% annual growth. But, it is not free from scams as majority of home based small businesses run via internet. It is prone to be abused. Recently, safety and security of the online home based businesses are strengthened by various affiliate programs and laws.

Things to Consider before Starting a Small Home Based Business

o Type of Business: Thousand are the ways of life. Which one would you choose? Really difficult. Jot down your likes, dislikes, experience and assets. Rough plan the possible number of small businesses. o Time Factor: Your own home business definitely provides your flexible timings which is not possible in working in a corporate office. Still you are in the difficulty in choosing one from full-time and part time home businesses. You can schedule your work hours after considering all your household activities and business requirements. o The Budget: Well, you are going to start a small home based business. But, how small, or for that matter how big is your small business? Nature of your home business and the amount of capital you have, determine your future course. As per your standing, you will plan startup costs, obtain loan or invite a partner. o Research: Reading this piece of literature shows that you are interested in home businesses, and you have some idea regarding the your kind of business. But the first to investigate and research different home based businesses. You can definitely search internet for that purpose. o The Plan: Planning is the final sketch. It might consist of the course of actions, description of the service/product, and the volume of business as per your qualification and capabilities. o Putting into Action: After you have completed your plan. Activating the plan and its success is dependent on foundation of plan. In case you might not act properly, solid plan will save you from potential losses and/or setbacks.

The author Alice Nero is a home business owner since 20 years and now offers home based business ideas.

Alice Nero is an expert author on Home based business

Alice Nero may be contacted at


Business Plan Basics

by Matt Bacak

A business plan serves as your personal playbook for your own business. This written document serves to identify your goals and lay out your method of attack for achieving each one. Writing a business plan is essential to the success of any size of business, from major corporation to budding entrepreneurship. Many successful businessmen and women can relate first hand to the importance and necessity of developing and writing this essential document. Regardless of your level of expertise in the realm of business, do not be tempted to skip this important step in the development process. You would not think of beginning a road trip without a map, so why leap into a business without a proper plan?

The old adage states: "Individuals who fly by the seat of their pants often end up with ripped pants." That saying could not be more applicable that in the entrepreneurial world. Regardless if you are striving to develop a multi million dollar corporation or a modest home based business to provide an extra source of income, you will find writing a business plan will aid you tremendously in addressing and accomplishing your goals. When it comes to the basics of this plan, start from the beginning. Consider writing the history of your fledgling business and be sure to include the reason why you felt compelled to enter the world of entrepreneurship. Usually, individuals leave their present jobs to work for themselves due to office politics, dislike of employers or coworkers, or unfair office standards. Whatever prompted you to start your own business should be included in your plan.

A major part of any business plan is the statement of purpose. Why did you form this company? What products or services do you offer to clients and why should they be interested in them? These questions are quite important when laying the footwork for your fledgling operation. If you find yourself unable to answer these questions, consider doing research into your goal and the potential clients in your area. Look to other businesses offering similar goods or services in your area. You may not have the advertising resources or long standing reputation to compete with these companies, so consider choosing an alternative route that will lead you to the same goal.

Money is a huge part of your business plan. Finding what source of finances that will provide funds for starting costs and pay other necessary bills is essential to the success of your business. Use this opportunity to carefully examine your usable funds and determine who will provide the money for start up costs. Usually, the topic of finance is uncomfortable, but take the time to clearly address any issues with logical, rational thinking. If you need to speak with banking representatives to apply for financial loans, take the time to do so before you write your plan. Upon writing your business plan, you should be able to account for every penny of money that has been spent or is planning to be spent on business related purchases.

Using these business planning basics will allow entrepreneurs of all skill levels to quickly and easily develop the ins and outs of the developing company. Once your business is "born" on paper, it is more likely to succeed in the real world.

Matt Bacak, The Powerful Promoter was entrepreneur Magazines e-Biz radio show host and became a "#1 Best Selling Author" in just a few short hours. He has helped a number of clients target his specialty, opt-in email direct marketing systems. The Powerful Promoter is not only a sought-after lead explosion specialist but has also generated leads for some of the world's top experts and businesses whose reputations would shrivel if their followers ever found out someone else coached them on their lead generation strategies.

Matt Bacak may be contacted at http://powerfulpromoter.com or Matt_Bacak@hotmail.com


GROW YOUR BUSINESS LIKE A GARDEN

by Catherine Skaggs

Just as a gardener prepares his garden beds by tilling, testing the soil, fertilizing, watering and preparing it for his seeds. So must the home business person also prepare his business bed. Do your research on the business you are interested in. Know what they offer, how they pay, what you can expect. However you need to make sure that you do not over fertilize on the endless amount of information. Just know that you, like the gardener will always need to re-test and get more information. Over fertilizing to start with will leave you in confusion and unable to differentiate the best of what you have. Planting seed: Now is when the tomatoes and peppers are started inside. And it is also when you put out information to those that you know personally. This is not really getting the plants in the ground but it is the best way to have a fine harvest. Just like the fact that the tomatoes take so much longer and so need to be started ahead of time so will most of the contacts that you hit at this time. Most of them will want to wait and see how you really do before they jump on board. But as time goes by they will grow. Always remember that even if they do not think much of prospect to start with everyone with time can come around. Realize that the tomato plants produce more fruit in the long run then do some of the fast growers. Now the gardener lines his rows and plots out what seed to put where. He knows that radishes grow fast and so he mixes them into the same row as the slow growing carrots. I am talking of gardeners not farmers that plant whole fields of one crop. Gardeners of any kind plant more then one type of plant. Flower gardeners may plant a rose bed, but they have different varieties of roses. So must the home business have more then one venue. This way you have more then one source to help bring in the income. Choose to start with business that has an auto responder (automatic sprinkler system) with it, this will save you much time for yourself and your family. If you can find one that has advertising included for a time it will save you a small fortune in that area. Defiantly find one that has training if you are new to the game (step by step instructions at this point will save you a lot of money and headaches). Packaged together you can reap more from your investment faster. As your shoots start to grow you will want to put a fence around them to protect them from pests, I have a lot of rabbits and snakes here. For my business this part is not letting people turn me aside from my goal. My business plant may not yet have been what I wanted it to be but I would not let friends and family tell me that since I didn't get rich overnight or in the first week or month that it was doomed a failure. Protect what you have invested your time and money into and it will keep growing and you will have that harvest that you are seeking. If someone tries to tell you that you can get rich really fast without working or putting out any money, look out it may be illegal. Time to do a partial harvest and weed and replant. Lettuce, spinach and radishes have an early harvest. But it is a small harvest because no gardener will plant much of this crop because they do not keep for long, and no one wants to watch their efforts go in the trash can. So you are starting to reap some rewards. Now weed out the dead ends that seem to be in the way and keeping you from your greatest harvest. The gardener will now replant where he has harvested so that he can get more out of the bare area. Sometimes he will replant the same type plant and sometimes something different depending on the research he knows about his garden. You to must replace the dead ends that you have weeded out. Maybe it is just changing from one Nutritional program to one that has a new product and so your chances are better with it. Or maybe you will need to go in a totally new direction, only you can by research know what is best for you at this point. The rewards are now yours. Keep weeding and harvesting, sometimes it takes months to see the full potential of your business garden. You may at times even think that the weeds far outweigh the harvestable plants, but as you keep working you will see that it isn't as bad as you thought. Just believe in yourself and the work that you have put forth and keep growing. I will not try to tell you that it will be easy. Nothing worth having is as easy as someone else makes it seem. All gardens and businesses take time and effort and downright work to see the end harvest. That doesn't mean that you won't reap some really good harvests in the middle but the big harvest takes time to reach. Be patient and make it fun to learn and grow your business you will not regret it. Just as a garden has expenses like the seed, water, a rake, hoe, shovel. So will the business garden. Never fall for something that says it will never cost you anything to grow your business, It is a Lie. Some expenses will be small, some larger. Just remember though that it can be done slow. And you can start with doing some things that are not to expensive. You do not have to be the first ad on Google your first week out. If you have the money for that then by all means do so, but if not take your time and grow your business to that point. Upgrading from free services to the pay services is absolutely great, but don't end up homeless doing it to soon. You can take your time and reap just as great a harvest. Just keep growing forward and you will grow to where everything just flows and is beautiful to you. You want to reached your harvest without having to buy the produce section of the local wal-mart to make it look like you got there. Good Luck and Happy Growing

I am a legally blind mom of 5. I like to garden, fish, camp and spend time on the computer. My grand kids are the joy of having my kids move out. Working on the comp. allows me the time and money to do all the things I like for me and my family.

Catherine Skaggs may be contacted at http://www.hevensentfreedom.com/pips.html or hevensentfreedom@getresponse.com



Home Based Business - Why Starting Part-Time is the Smart way to Success

by Kanaga Siva

With the development of various technologies and with low start up costs it has become much easier today for Entrepreneurs to start a Home Based Business. It is estimated that in USA alone there are over 40 million Home Based Businesses. Home Based Businesses represent 63% of all Small Businesses. Furthermore over 75% of these businesses are operated on a part-time basis.

Some of the reasons generally attributed for starting a Home Based Business are; the fulfillment of a dream, the necessity for an additional income or to have a back up income in the event of losing the present secure job. A reason that is more universal is that most people love to own and run a Home Based Business and would like to experience the thrill and excitement of operating a business from home either full- time or part-time. The majority of those who come under the last category are often under the misconception that it needs very little effort to operate a business from home.

If you have an idea of starting a Home Based Business it is advisable that you should start by running it on a part-time basis while continuing to work on your full-time job. There are several very compelling reasons for adopting this part-time business strategy. I shall enumerate the most important ones below.

1. In spite of your enthusiasm and determination to succeed in your Home Based Business, your attempt could end up in failure for various reasons. In such an event you could always fall back on your full-time job. Talking about failure can be disconcerting to some but you have to be prepared for any eventuality.

2. By starting as a part-time business, your investment both in finance and time will naturally be small thus minimizing the risk involved.

3. While in the process of establishing your Home Based Business, you still have to settle your monthly bills. It is the full-time job that can help you tide over this situation especially during the early months of your part-time business. If you start making profits early in your business then build up a reserve fund to start your full-time home based business.

4. The very thought of your having a regular full-time job with a steady income will give you the confidence to take a reasonable amount of risk in your part-time home based business. This will not be possible otherwise.

5. The presence of a full-time job means that you will not be under excess pressure to perform in your pat-time business for your survival. You can learn business skills, acquire business knowledge and grow gradually at your own pace.

6. By holding on to your full-time job you can continue to enjoy the benefits of health insurance, leave and other benefits till you establish yourself in your part-time business.

7. In the event of sustaining loses in your business during the first year or two; these could be written off when submitting your tax returns.

8. It is much easier to obtain bank loans, credit card facilities and other financial benefits for your business while you are in employment. Why not take advantage of this and grow your home based business while you are in employment.

9. If your intention is to become a home based business entrepreneur one day, then make use of your full-time job and lay the foundation for your home based business by making the necessary contacts with people who could be useful to your future business and could also end up as customers. You should of course ensure that your actions do not come in conflict with the Management policies of your employer.

10. Quitting your full-time job one day and starting a full-time home based business the following day could end up in chaos and disaster unless you have very strong support from experienced entrepreneurs. On the other hand if done gradually transition from full time job to full time home based business becomes much easier. Having said the above, it has to be mentioned that there are ofcource certain disadvantages in the method indicated. Doing a full-time job and running a part-time home based business can be strenuous and you can experience burnout and consequently neglect either you business, job or even both. Excessive indulgence in your part-time business can eventually lead to under performing in your full-time job, thereby creating problems with your Boss or Employer. You will have to sacrifice much of your precious family time for the sake of your home based business.

Success in your home based business or for that matter in any business does not come easily. It requires hard work, sacrifice, dedication and determination. Above all you have to be passionate about what you are doing.

Many great businesses have grown from small beginnings including the Giant Amazon.com. Start sowing the seeds of your home based business while you are in employment, watch it germinate, look after it with tender care, be passionate about it and watch it bearing the fruits of your labor. Enjoy the fruits of your labor and when the time is ripe, quit your full time job. That's it, keep growing and establish yourself as a successful home based business entrepreneur. This then is the Smart way to Success.

Copyright © 2005 Kanaga Siva. Kanaga Siva has a wealth of experience in running a Home Based Business. He now operates his Internet Marketing Business. Visit his website http://www.business-fromhome.com for Articles, Resources, and Ideas to start a Home Based Business and for other recommended Programs.

Kanaga Siva has been a Marketing Manager and Business Manager and has a wealth of experience in Marketing. He now operates his own Home Based Business. For Articles, Resources, Tips and Ideas to start a Home Based Business from anywhere in the World - Visit his Website, http://www.business-fromhome.com

 

Kanaga Siva may be contacted at http://www.business-fromhome.com or whitefieldsiva@yahoo.co.nz




 

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