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By Wil Schroter

Business Start Up Funding

Startup companies often get frustrated when they are unable to find investors willing to fund their new idea. They don’t realize, that in order to get an investment, they need more than just a good idea and the promise of future profits. What investors are looking for is a “silver bullet” in the business that ensures their small investment will yield a huge return.

Business Start Up Funding - You Need a Silver Bullet

The silver bullet is the aspect of your business plan that proves your company is able to grow quickly. For example, you’ve proven that 100 customers are willing to pay $99 for your newly developed product. To sell more at that price, you’ve got a silver bullet, if all you need is additional cash to build 1,000 more items.

Investors are compelled to make investments in startup companies that have proven some aspect of their business model “works” and that what they really need is more capital to make it work better, or to sell more products.

When entrepreneurs wander around in search of business start up funding to find the silver bullet in their business plan that becomes an unattractive proposition. In this scenario, you’re asking an investor to put money into a treasure hunt, not into a business. Until you demonstrate you can sell something (at a profit), you do not have a business worthy of investment. Therefore, you need to re-focus your efforts on finding your silver bullet.

Investors Love Paying Customers

Every business model is different, and as a consequence, the silver bullet of one business may look somewhat different than another. The common thread, however, is that each of them shows your investors, you have found a facet of your business that works well and simply needs business start up funding to be exploited.

A great place to start is with paying customers. Even a few customers create proof that there is an active buying market for your product that could be even bigger, if you had the capital to reach more of them.

Notice, you’re not telling an investor, “if we build it, they (customers) will come”. What you want to say here is “we built it, and they already came”. This puts you in a much stronger position to suggest that if you are capable of repeating the process provided, you will have more business start up funding.



Understanding Conversion Works, Too

Maybe you don’t have 10,000 paying customers but have found, on a more modest scale, that for every $1 you spend in marketing, you can earn $2 back. This information is a silver bullet, too. In this case, you’ve proven that you understand how to acquire a customer for less than they are spending, which is a big deal!

This may seem like an obvious necessity for any successful business (let alone one looking for business start up funding), but there are plenty of companies that overlook this point. If you haven’t proven that you can profitably acquire a customer, perhaps this is a good place to start.

Analyze the costs involved in acquiring your first batch of customers. Try to project this cost out to the next round of new customers and the round after that. Try this for those next customers and see if your results match up with your predictions. Once you feel comfortable that you understand your cost to acquire customers, you can begin to identify specific capital needs to accelerate that process.

Speed Things Up

Speeding up time can also be a good reason to ask for business start up funding. If you find that it takes you two months to service a customer now, but with additional capital you could service a customer in two weeks, (and therefore earn revenue in a shorter time) you’ve found another silver bullet.

Investors are always hungry for businesses that could be even more profitably, or grow faster, if just a little more capital was applied. Creating a strong case for this use of capital will make it easy for investors to understand your needs.

Read, Aim, Fire!

Perhaps you only have one of these silver bullets ready to present to investors. That’s fine, as long as you have prepared a strong argument for why this one single factor will have such a great influence in your growth.

Presenting your case to investors isn’t about coming up with as many reasons for investment as possible. It is not about quantity. It’s about quality. What you need to demonstrate is that you have key factors in your business that have a demonstrated track record for growth, but you need capital to accelerate that growth.

If you’re in the process of raising business start-up funding right now, step back and take a second look at your PowerPoint presentation. Does it clearly articulate the fact that you know how this investment is going to ramp up the value of your startup? If not, try taking another pass with the focus on finding your silver bullet. That’s the type of ammunition your investors are really looking for.

About The Author
Wil Schroter is the Founder and CEO of the Go BIG Network, the largest network of startup companies and entrepreneurs. He is also the author of the new book “Go BIG or Go HOME”, download it for FREE at http://www.GoBIGnetwork.com.

Get your business start up funding at: http://www.GoBIGnetwork.com.
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By Stuart Elliott

Interestingly enough, the majority of people who ask me if their sales letter is too long have missed the boat somewhat.

Their mind is focused on the length of their sales letter rather than the job the sales letter has to do. When they do that, it is impossible to write in a manner that will convince the reader to take action and buy their product.

No, your main focus when writing a sales letter must be on the job it has to do and that, in a nutshell, is to convince the reader that he or she needs to buy your product.

Pay special attention to the word 'need' here. You must focus upon the emotional need of the reader - this could be nothing more than simple 'one-upmanship' over a neighbor instead of a logical need.

For it is a fact that man…

"Buys based upon emotion and justifies that decision with logic."

Just think about that statement for a second. When was the last time you bought something based purely upon cold hard logic? Probably never, right? It was your emotions that directed you toward the purchase and the logic that justified it.

Take a shiny new car as an example. (And by the way, 'shiny new' is a subtle emotional trigger...)

If you were to look at the purpose of a car through the eyes of cold hard logic, there would be very little reason to buy one with all the latest gizmos that are designed to pamper you. (And cost you more.)

All a car has to do is get you from A to B safely, dryly and quickly. Given that logical explanation, who has need of a radio, electric windows, self-adjusting vibrating seats, automatic distance sensor for reversing, and so on?

They don't help you in the primary purpose of getting from A to B, do they? No, rather they serve to pamper you at an emotional level.

So going back to your sales letter, you need to identify these emotional triggers inside your prospect and write about them in an exciting way that is sure to trigger those emotional needs further.

If this means that you have to write 30 pages of copy to do so then do it!

The more you have to write, the better the chances you will have of getting the sale.

However...

Don't just go and write thirty pages of waffle or repetition. You should ensure that your pages are full of emotional excitement, not just page after page of boring old features.

Also, prove how your product has helped others. Social proof in the form of testimonials from other satisfied customers is a powerful addition to your sales copy. They are usually written in a persuasive, emotional way. The testimonial writer has bought your product and it has helped him or her; often, it is all that needs to be added to your copy to convince your reader to buy.

Going back to the car again...

Here are a couple of features that will do nothing to add excitement to your sales letter:

Auto reversing distance sensor...

It has the latest auto-reversing, distance sensing device.

"So What?" You say, " What use is that to me?"

--------------------

Vibrating Seats:

The seats vibrate as you drive.

"Err... Excuse me?" You think, " Why do I need a car that has seats that shake about when I drive? I mean, if I drive over a bumpy road, I'll get the same effect won't I?"

--------------------

Blah, blah, blah... What is this doing for your prospects emotional needs? Nothing! It's just another page full of boring old words, Goodbye!

Now, if you change the above sentences to something like...

For the auto reversing sensor:

Save Money On Your Insurance Premiums...

The truth about sky rocketing premiums is out. Major insurance companies have admitted that 60% of all claims for minor bumps on vehicles they insure is due to parking bay mishaps.

"Many people just don't know how big their car is and accidentally bump into another one when maneuvering around in busy parking lots..." Quoted an Insurance company spokesperson.

The shocking truth is, your premiums are being loaded due to others carelessness, but...

Now you need never worry about those fools or how big your car is again, because XYZ model will actually tell you when you are getting too close to another car. This means you have the pleasure of driving and saving on your insurance premiums at the same time.

--------------------

For the vibrating seats:

Personal Masseuse, Yours Absolutely Free With Every Car...

Imagine your very own personal masseuse... yours to pamper you as you drive... takes away the stiffness in your back and legs in an instant... You stay fresh and alert while you drive, arriving safely at your destination - No other car has massaging seats that will pamper you like a king.

--------------------

Don't these two paragraphs create a little more excitement in your mind?

All you have to do when you write your sales letter is keep building more excitement with every word until your prospect suddenly says "Wow! I gotta have one of those!"

It doesn't matter if you have to write 50 pages of copy to create that feeling, as long as you keep the excitement building up, your copy won't ever be too long.

Remember that your sales letter has to be exciting and long enough to do its job otherwise you won't get the sale.

Copyright (c) 2006 Stuart Elliott

Stuart Elliott is a world-class copywriter who has written numerous articles about sales letters and copywriting. Drop by: http://howtowritekickbuttcopy.com to pick up your Free Copywriting Power Guide.
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By Tim Sales

I've made millions in network marketing, I've made millions through investments, and I've also lost a lot of money too. Profit from my mistakes and learn how to best invest the money you make in your MLM business.

Network Marketing professionals often ask me how to manage the profits earned from their MLM income.

Can you make more money by diversifying into investments such as stocks, bonds, real estate, etc., and have your money working for you in other areas besides an MLM business? Or would you make more money by really focusing and investing your money back into your MLM business?

There are three items to think about when answering this question for yourself.

A. What else would you do with your time?

B. What else would you do with your money?

C. What else would you do with your attention (definition: the ability or power to concentrate mentally)?

Every investment (stocks, bonds, real estate, your sister's business) requires that you learn about it. Just the learning costs time and attention. It is the using up of your attention that rarely gets factored into the "diversify your money" advice.

Probably what's most important here is, the greatest amount of money you will ever lose is that amount you will never make because of misuse of A, B, and C from above.

When listening to a radio talk show 10 years ago, the advice given to me was, "Select the top three stock market sectors based on trends. Put one-third of your investment capital in each. Wait 10 years and you should be wealthy off your passive investments." I was making about 50 thousand dollars a month above my expenses - so I thought, "Why not?"

I chose the following sectors: Health Care, Technology, and Telecommunications. After losing about half of my investment, I changed to three different sectors. I look at my portfolio today and I have lost another $11,848.78.

Don't get me wrong; there have been times I've made over $50,000 dollars in the stock market in a day. Fun! And there have been times I've lost $150,000 dollars in a day. Not fun.

In addition to that, I've spent an enormous amount of time on my "passive" investments. Many hours (per week) have gone into "pondering" (wasting item C from above) what the stock market is going to do next. Reading newsletters, magazines, newspapers, watching the stock market news and commentaries on TV. Still, my return has been negative.

The only thing that has remained very stable and predictable is my network marketing income. Had I taken the same amount of money, roughly $500,000 and invested it into promoting my MLM home-based business would I have had a greater return? Yes.

So what about the "Rich Dad Poor Dad" philosophy of "Buy assets that produce more income?" Or more commonly stated, "Create multiple streams of income?"

As you may know, I created a prospecting tool based on that philosophy where I explain to prospects how wealth is created by investing in assets. (www.mlmbrilliance.com) So I'm very close to this subject.

However, if you listen closely to the way I stated it in the online movie, I say, "So what are assets? Well the most obvious ones are: stocks, bonds, real estate..." Then I say, "...education and businesses." I'm referring to educating yourself about businesses; whether that is your MLM home-based business or your pinball machine business.

Two common mistakes in making decisions on A, B, and C from above are:

1. Making decisions based on now vs. decisions based on future. Of course, you need to pay your bills now. They're screaming at you! Keep in mind what I talk about in Brilliant Compensation - it's not faster, (in the long run), to tie your young son's shoes than teaching him how to do it himself. If you tie his shoes for him, you silence the screaming urgency, but you're still stuck with the job, UNTIL, you teach him to tie his own shoes. When you make financial decisions, make sure you're looking at the long-term. Residual income that can be generated from an MLM business is sweet.

2. Making decisions based on "could you" instead of what "will you" do with your time, money, or attention. Example: A guy determines that it's a poor use of his time and attention to mow his own yard, so he hires the boy down the street to cut his grass. Now, what does he do with that extra time (A), and the extra attention (B)? He watches TV. Bad choice. When he was making the decision to hire the lawn boy he thought, "It's a waste of my time to mow the grass when I could be doing more important things like building my MLM business." Make sure when you free up any of the three resources you use them wisely.

Summary: My personal opinion is; invest your time, money and attention into KNOWING your MLM home-based business and become really good and profitable at it. Find and study MLM training that is proven and effective, and master it.

Continually reinvest your profit back into your network marketing business by promoting it more, that’s where the high return is. When you have a surplus of income, buy a secure investment like Treasury Bills http://www.publicdebt.treas.gov/of/ofbasics.htm, until you're ready to learn another business FULLY. By business, I'm including all investment activities as well. Then focus your time, money, and attention (from the surplus only) on knowing THAT business.

From my experience, diversifying my money has done nothing more than dissipated my focus, which has in turn lost a lot of money, time, and attention.

Tim Sales helps network marketers gain the confidence and skills to be an MLM success. Discover what you must know to become a true network marketing professional. Sign up for his free MLM training newsletter and listen to free training at http://www.brilliantexchange.com.
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By Biba Pedron

Networking is my favorite, low-cost marketing tool. However, a large number of people often find it a challenge to get results and turn prospects into clients, by networking.

Here is another very effective marketing tool requiring no skills. It can be applied to your business immediately, and will help you to gain new clients.

Simply get testimonials from your current clients!

Testimonials from satisfied customers are the best way to promote your business. It doesn’t cost you a thing. Stop selling; let your clients and raving fans do it for you.

Contact your best clients, who know and appreciate you and the value your products and services. They will be happy to help you; providing you with testimonials that praise your products and services.

Be sure to obtain their permission before using their information in your brochure and on your website.

Use their testimonials on your website. This way your clients will make the sales for you. When people see the results and the benefits your clients reaped from using your products and services, they will want the same results for themselves or their businesses.

Don’t use a testimonial like “Mary it was great working with you” John S., NY. This is useless.

Use effective testimonials where your clients mention the benefits of working with you. What was their experience and results in their businesses after they bought your product/service or program? Make sure that you mention their name, website, and eventually their email and phone number. Give your prospects the opportunity to see that there are real people like them, who can be contacted or websites to check out to verify who they are and what they do. The new clientel will probably never contact them to ask about the experience they had with you, but they will feel more comfortable if they can identify themselves with your current clients.

When it comes to testimonials, I always mention one of my businesses, my French consulting business, www.focusoncareer.com, I don’t have to promote it. Because I am working within a specific niche - French solo-entrepreneurs who want to start their own businesses in the US -, and my website has a very rich content providing a great deal of free information, including some very powerful testimonials from clients. I have at least 3 to 4 people weekly, who contact me for consultation. I don’t have to chase them; they just come to me. When I ask them why they decided to contact me, they always mention the testimonials. They say, “You did so much for so many people that I imagine you can do the same for me”. Because my clients did the sell for me, after the first consultation, 50% decide to work with me immediately. Others may need to talk further or find out a little more about my services and me.

Have a complete page with all of your testimonials on your brochure or website.

If you promote a special product or program, insert your testimonials, along with the description and benefits of your program.

As an example see my program at http://www.powerofnetworkingsecrets.com

I work with lots of people who are just starting their businesses, so their question is always, “But I don’t have clients yet. How can I get testimonials?” Well, offer to trade your services with a couple of people who really need your services but who perhaps cannot afford them, in exchange for a testimonial. That is a good way to start.

Don’t hesitate to contact your best clients now. Ask them for a testimonial. Make a list of clients you could contact today; those raving fans that enjoyed working with you and for whom your products made a significant impact on their businesses. You will see they will be more than happy to help you in return for what you did for them.

When asking for testimonials, don’t forget to ask for referrals: friends, colleagues, or family who would benefit from your products or programs also.

Another way to use your testimonials is to prepare a direct mail campaign, and send it to the list of referrals your clients just gave you.

Don’t you think that when the targets see their friends’ names in your brochure or mailing campaign, they will trust you and be keen to work with you also? You will get a better response to your campaign than advertising in a magazine, where nobody knows you and most readers won’t even notice your ad.

Need more techniques and strategies to boost your business and turn more prospects into clients? Then learn more about “The Power of Networking”. In this 5 step program, you will find everything you need on how to maximize your networking results.

You will learn: how to create an outstanding business card – how to polish an elevator pitch, which will hook your audience so that people will remember you – how to create a 7 step follow-up system to turn more prospects into clients – how to use testimonials - how to use your newsletter to promote your products or services without hard selling – how to create strategic alliances to grow our business faster. For complete details of the program “The Power of Networking” visit http://www.powerofnetworkingsecrets.com

(c) 2006 Biba F. Pédron

Biba F. Pédron, also known as The Connection Queen, is a marketing consultant, founder of Biba4Network, that specializes in networking for small business owners in the greater New York area. Biba helps entrepreneurs to maximize their networking results so that they can grow their businesses faster.

Biba is the author of “Start Your Dream Business Today! The Proven 11 Steps to Start and Grow Your Own Business”. http://www.startyourdreambusinesstoday.com.

For more information or to receive free tips like this one, please visit http://www.theconnectionqueen.com
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By Paul Taylor

The title of this article is not just the newest TV show staring William Shatner, or a great line from a Tom Cruise movie. These four words should be the motto of small business owners everywhere. Without money, your business has very little chance of succeeding. This statement can be taken several ways.

First and foremost, is finding financing for your business idea. Each business owner has to decide where to find financing. The obvious choices include banks, finance companies, money brokers, etc. Another place to look for funding is friends and family members. That is not what this article is really about.

Second, is to price the items in your business so that it insures that your business endeavor is a success. You want your prices to be in line with your competition. Price is usually a consideration with most people. However, you do not have to have lower prices on every item; you must, however, be in the same ballpark with the competition. There are other items that customers consider when purchasing an item from you, but price is the main one.

And finally, the reason for this article is start–up costs.

What are start-up costs? Start-up costs, as the name implies, include all the expenses that you have during the process of opening your business. Simple enough. But many times, entrepreneurs underestimate the amount that it will take to open the doors. Each business start-up costs vary, depending on the type of business that you plan to open.

Many of the costs associated with opening a business are obvious, however, I will list many of them so that when you are planning your budget, it may refresh your memory.

· Location for your business. Of course, this is the most obvious. Initial maintenance problems or remodeling should consider a start-up cost.

· Advertising is often overlooked or underestimated. You should check with various media about prices to advertise. This can be a major expense. Having a sign made for your building is also necessary for your business.

· Insurance is a necessary evil. Do not open the doors without it.

· Office equipment such as computer, printer, scanner, copier, fax, adding machine, calculators, filing cabinet, desk, and a bookcase are all necessary in an office.

· Office supplies are also overlooked; these include paper, pens, computer disks, notebooks, file folders, tape, stapler, and so on.

· Business licenses are required and should not be forgotten, although the cost is usually minimal.

· Utilities such as electricity, water, and phone; also an Internet connection and mobile phone should be considered.

There may be other costs that can be associated with start-up that are not listed here. This is only designed to get you to think about what it really costs to open a business. Many start-up costs are one time costs such as a deposit on a utility connection or having a sign designed and placed on the building or marquee. However, many are recurring such as insurance premiums and monthly utility expenses.

One business owner that I know said this about start-up costs “you should add up everything that you think it will cost to get open and then at least double it, and you will come close to what it costs.” The lesson here is do not underestimate your initial expenses. It costs more than you think.

Paul Taylor is a business owner that helps other business owners and entrepreneurs locate wholesale distributors and drop shippers. Visit his website http://www.WholesaleMap.com for information about wholesale sources or opening a business.
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By Joseph Kennedy

The vast majority of people in business really do not like numbers. They remember Math as being one of the hardest subjects in school. They never got interested in accounting.

Most of us go into business, because we like the thrill of designing a new product, the joy of making a sale, or simply the freedom of being your own boss; not because we love to pour through financial sheets.

When you look at how many businesses fail, and WHY they fail, you have to step back and rethink things. A venture can have the most exciting products or services ever devised and plenty of customers and STILL not make a go of it.

Why? The answer is in the financial numbers.

Most businesses don't work out because their owners and managers don't fully understand the business' financial picture. When you have a complete and accurate view of your firm's finances, you know:

* How much money you are making
* How much money you're spending
* How much money you'll make or loose in the months ahead
* Know if your product is succeeding
* Know if your advertising is a waste of time
* Know if you need to order more product, or less, or even how to make money with your unused inventory

Your company's numbers quickly tell you all this and more. So how do you get access to these truths? Most small business experts will tell you to get a good accounting program like MS Money or QuickBooks. But that's not nearly enough.

Even though these programs are good, maybe even essential, you'll need to fully understand what is going on in your company. That's why a whole industry has sprung up to supply these much needed forms, databases, and software.

Big box stores and other large retail and service organizations have always had access to this kind of advanced accounting power. They either use their own teams of in-house MBAs or sign up for very expensive outsourced financial management services.

Today you can have that same kind of expert help simply by logging onto the Internet. Many of the forms you'll need are available free. And you can gain access to even more software and databases for a very small monthly fee.

Finally, BIG company financial power is readily in the hands of small and medium-sized businesses. Make sure you make full use of these resources. Your probability of success will be far higher and you may never have to worry about your company suffering serous setbacks.

Joseph Kennedy is a veteran of the banking industry and a former computer analyst. He is founder and CEO of http://www.businessbuilderonline.com, offering extensive financial, legal, and administrative forms you need to quickly succeed in business, plus much more. info@businessbuilderonline.com.
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By David Reske

Remember the days when it seemed as if every Web site began with a home page that featured some sort of animated flash, with the “skip intro” link as a way out? With all due respect to some highly creative interactive Web designers, today’s Web sites need to be highly focused, content-rich, and finely tuned in order to achieve maximum impact, visibility, and usability. In my own experience working with our clients at Nowspeed Marketing, we have found that most companies can take their existing corporate Web site and optimize it for effective lead generation.

Below are five best-practice tips you can use to help turn your Web site in to a lean, mean, lead generation machine.

Tip #1: See your Web site through the eyes of the visitor

Visitors to your Web site want to understand immediately who you are, what you do, and, most of all, what you can do for them. They want clear, logical paths for navigating through the site to get more information. This means you must design content and offers that speak directly to different target audiences, in terms of their demographics and job functions, and that also work well across the buying cycle (“tryers” vs. “buyers”.) Start with your home page, but don’t stop there. Make your interior pages content-rich and offer-specific as well.

Tip #2: Keep it clean, clear and concise

A common mistake is to put so much information and so many links on the home page or interior pages, that they quickly become cluttered. Think of the page in terms of valuable, limited real estate. Utilize it wisely. For the home page, include a SEO-optimized description of who you are and what you do. Provide short blocks of text and clear click-through paths for different types of visitors (customers/prospects/info seekers). Place high-performing, relevant offers where the eye can see them without much effort. Whenever you can, avoid making the user scroll down the page.

Tip #3: Balance search with simplicity

Optimizing your site for organic search is critical. Jupiter Research estimates that organic indexes generate 87% of commercial referrals from search engines. However, you need to weigh the benefits of high keyword placement with simplicity and usability from the visitor’s perspective. Don’t go SEO-overboard. Our advice is to SEO-optimize your copy and tags around keywords that have the following characteristics: high traffic, low competition, and are a good fit with your business. For example, the keyword phrase “B2b lead generation agency” works better for our marketing agency than “interactive agency.” Keep copy targeted around these parameters. You will not only connect well with your audience, but you will also rank high in organic search.

Tip #4: Evaluate traffic patterns for best offer and content placement

Use a Web analytics tool to see where people are clicking through from your home page, and which interior pages are receiving the most click-throughs and/or longest retention. Then, place your best offers there. You may be surprised to find that what you think is important, such company news links on the home page, is in reality a low traffic area. If that is the case, consider replacing that link with one to a page that is more relevant. Or, if your “About Us” page is getting a lot of traffic, place more links and offers on that page to encourage them to explore other areas of your site and request information.

Tip #5: Test, update, and fine-tune

Once you’ve got a solid, lead-based architecture in place, monitor visitor behavior and fine-tune various elements of the site until it is performing at the highest possible level of effectiveness. Utilize Web analytics to perform offer and message testing. Remember that, like content, offers can become outdated fairly quickly. As their popularity begins to wane, refresh your site with new offers.

David Reske
Partner and CEO
Nowspeed Marketing (http://www.nowspeed.com)

In 2003 Dave Reske co-founded Nowspeed Marketing, a direct marketing firm that delivers world-class lead generation solutions for leading business-to-business marketers in the U.S.

Before founding Nowspeed, David was founder and CEO of Onward Technologies, a web marketing and systems integration firm, where he led the company to significant growth. Founded in 1994, Onward Technologies was an early provider of Internet marketing and business-critical web-based applications for Fortune 500 companies.

As CEO of Onward Technologies, Dave provided highly successful Internet, intranet and communications solutions for hundreds of business clients. In 1998, Onward Technologies was acquired by CSC Consulting Group, a division of CSC Corporation that provides information technology consulting services to commercial and government markets. Dave served as Senior Partner at CSC Consulting until 1999.

Dave is a veteran industry speaker at Internet and e-commerce conferences nationwide. Now his leadership, vision and expertise are enabling Nowspeed Marketing clients to lower their marketing costs and increase response rates through innovative online direct marketing programs.
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By Casey Gollan

You know what I find funny?

Most people start a business so they can enjoy the benefits of the ‘extra’ money and wealth that owning a business can create.

Yet many business owners have no idea about understanding their own financial statements, and that’s where their money is!

To me, it’s such an irony.

And it’s something that I definitely rectify with every client I work one-on-one with.

By the time they’ve finished with me – they know their financials like the back of their hand… in fact they showing their accountants a thing or two…

Over the years I have noticed that most small business owners don’t look at or understand their financial statements.

This can be for any number of reasons.

Maybe your accountant hasn’t taken the time to explain it to you.

Maybe you don’t want to learn them; after all, who understand Math at school, or enjoyed doing it?

In my experience I have found that the typical business owner starts a business because they have the drive and the personality to influence and convince people.

I have found that on most occasions, not all, that this type of a personality doesn’t enjoy doing paperwork and financials.

And that’s okay… but to make it as a successful business owner, and add another million or so to your business - I suggest that you really become excellent at reading and understanding financial statements.

Because the best and wealthiest business owners do.

As with any area of your business – you should know what you’re doing – but it doesn’t mean you have to do it.

So employ people to do your financials – but you’ve got to have the knowledge and the experience to know that the people you are employing are doing it properly.

And this is certainly the case with your businesses and your personal financials.

If you don’t know how to read and understand them, you’ll wind up in big trouble with them at some point in your career… be assured of that.

So start now.

Don’t fall into the trap of LEAVING it to your accountant. It’s the biggest mistake you can make. You should be doing it WITH your accountant.

If you have an accountant now that you have started with, chances are that your business is heading into areas that they are not as competent in. When you started your business –it was small and you probably weren’t making great money. For this reason, you probably hired a ‘lower end’ accountant at that time.

And that’s fine. You just need to know that as your business grows this ‘lower end – accountant’ may not have the skill-set to cope with your growth.

It’s like different levels of sport.

Take football for example.

There’s local football, inter-district football, state level football, and National Level football.

As the level increases – so does the expertise needed by the players, the coaches, and the administrators.

And so it is with Businesses.

It’s the same with me.

My skill-set is excellent with taking $1 million businesses up to $2 to $5 million. I can work with businesses that are smaller than that, or that are bigger than that – but I’m perfectly suited to the niche of taking $1 million business to $2 to $5 million.

So I concentrate on businesses in that niche.

Above this mark, or below it comes a whole new set of skills that I don’t particularly want to be involved in.

Now back to you…

You’ve got to take an active role in creating your financials.

Ideally, you should know all your expense categories so that for any payment made in your business you know which category it should go into.

You should know all your allowable tax deductions; like the back of your hand.

It’s your business, your money, and your life – so control them.

You should also have up to date and accurate financial statements.

Some of these statements you should be looking at daily. Some weekly. Some monthly. Some quarterly.

You should be actively involving your bookkeeper and your accountant in this analysis. Then you are all up to date and focused on growing the business.

It’s what all top business owners do, and it’s what helps them to continue to grow and prosper – so that they can not only grow their business – but also enjoy the rewards that only a well-controlled and profitable business can provide.

On my ‘1-on-1 Business Coach Program’, I’ll take you through a process that will have your head spinning with how easy it is for you to understand your accounting reports. And how easy it will be for you to understand your financial position.

I’ll also take you through the best ways to work with your accountants so that you are kept up to date and accurate and so you know exactly what’s going on in your business at all times.

It’s such a refreshingly simple ‘demystifying’ process. All of my clients love it once they’ve learned it because they really know where every cent of their money goes. It gives them more control and understanding of their business.

They all realize just how important knowing their financials is for their business growth and success.

Know your financials like the back of your hand.

Copyright © 2006 by Casey Gollan. All Rights Reserved

http://www.caseygollan.com.au - Business Coach, Mentor And Growth Specialist - Casey Gollan, Business Coach, Mentor And Growth Specialist. Grows $1 Million p.a. Small Businesses Into $2 to $5 Million p.a. Businesses Over a 2 to 3 Year Period.
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By Laura Koehne

Usual advice to entrepreneurs focuses on practicalities like learning to evaluate the market, write a business plan or raise money. But this assumption that we’ve already found the perfect idea or business opportunity is just plain wrong!

As a kid I dreamed that someday I would have my own business. In my 20’s I kept my eyes open, freelanced a bit and even had a little web start up with a friend that turned out to be more of a hobby than a sustainable venture. I completed an MBA and studied entrepreneurship, and along the way I wrote a number of appealing business plans. Unfortunately, none of those businesses were appealing to me.

Truth was I didn’t know what my dream looked like. I was surrounded by great opportunity but I hadn’t spent enough time honing my receptors to know which opportunity was right for me.

What was missing was the atypical business advice: To find my perfect business opportunity, I had to find myself first. I needed to assess ME before I could even look at the market!

How will you recognize the idea or business opportunity that is the perfect fit for you? Do you know what gives you the passion and energy that you’ll need to start a business? Steel your courage and get ready to dive in: knowing yourself objectively, good and bad, inside and out, is essential for recognizing your perfect opportunities.

Here are some unconventional ideas to help you prime your entrepreneurial pump:

1. Specialize – in Yourself

Take the time to inventory your most important values and goals. Evaluate your strengths as well as your blind spots. Remember that it’s not easy to read the label when you’re inside the bottle, so solicit help from friends you respect and who know you well. My friend, Jim, was stunned to realize that not everyone loved talking to people the way he does. He had discounted his talent for networking because for him it’s as natural as breathing and he assumed everyone could do it. These overlooked gifts are often our easiest, most energizing and valuable skills.

2. Generalize – in the World

You’re an expert in your field, no doubt, but don’t forget that there is a whole world out there. Be curious and pay attention to different industries, trends and patterns. Many of the biggest breakthroughs come from making connections between previously unrelated needs. Visit the newsstand once a week to pick up a publication you would otherwise never read. Watch the ideas start flowing. Collect the ideas that are most intriguing to you. Are there any patterns?

3. Take a Vacation

Taking a break from your routine is needed to reconnect with your creativity, insights and passions. Have you ever been driving a car or daydreaming in the shower when suddenly an amazing revelation pops into your head? A relaxing vacation can have the same effect on a grander scale. Give yourself time to dream.

4. Prepare Your Financial Attitudes

You’ve heard all the advice about preparing your bank account for the big leap, but you must also tune up your money attitudes. An off-kilter relationship with money can derail your entrepreneurial dream. My client Lori, whose business was slipping, examined her beliefs and found she wanted to protect money, and thus failed to take needed risk. Now that she’s more comfortable with money, and bolder, her business is thriving! Appreciate money as you would a business partner and create a good relationship with it, before you start the company.

5. Kick Butt at Work

While you develop your entrepreneurial dreams, redouble your commitment to your current job. Do great work for co-workers and clients. Develop relationships and a sterling reputation. So what if these people are not among your first customers, they can become your greatest advocates! Do your day job to the best of your ability and be someone that others are proud to refer.

6. Befriend Your Fears

We all have them – big, tummy-knotting fears or little nagging, “I’m not good enough” worries. Learn to recognize the limiting perceptions or attitudes that may become speed bumps on your way to success. When acknowledged, these fears become allies that will actually make you more successful: Business owner, Lisa, is a creative visionary who shivers at the thought of implementation. For sure, she will want to hire a crackerjack implementer for her team. Seek opportunities that minimize the effects of your fears, or consciously prepare to accommodate them with additional training, specific people in your team or advantageous alliances.

7. Discover – and Live -- Your Personal Brand

When people’s perception of you is in sync with the real you, life gets a whole lot easier. Act consistently on your values and beliefs, and people will recognize what you stand for, what you can be counted on to do, and how you will do it. This makes it easy for others to introduce you to the perfect people, the perfect companies, and perfect ideas. An authentic personal brand gives you a high likelihood of finding the perfect opportunity. After all, your unique dream comes from who you really are.

Laura Koehne, founder of THRIVE Against the Grain, coaches you to take the road less traveled with complete confidence. She holds an MBA in Entrepreneurship from University of Maryland and has realized her entrepreneurial dream by helping others find theirs. For coaching, guidance and additional exercises to help you prepare for your chance of a lifetime, visit her website at http://www.ThriveAgainstTheGrain.com and subscribe to Laura’s DoWhat!? monthly eZine.
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By Mario Churchill

It is an unavoidable fact that businesses will encounter problems once in a while. It may be a problem in marketing, in sales, or in personnel. Whatever it is, you need to solve it fast in order to keep your business on track and avoid losing a lot of money.

Having problems in your business may seem very frustrating. With simple problem solving techniques, you can solve your problems in no time at all.

For example, if your competition is selling more than you, you need to analyze all the related factors of the problem with your company, or why your company isn't selling like it used to. Determining the problem is the first step in all kinds of problems that you need to solve.

With big business problems, face the facts; you will need help in order to solve it faster. Here is a guide you can use in your problem solving techniques to know how to solve problems more efficiently:

-The first thing you need to consider is identifying what problems you are facing. Whether it is about marketing or about sales, you first need to know what the problem is in a specific department. It may be lack of sales or it may even be problems with inefficient employees. Whatever it is, try to know what is causing it.

-Once you identify the problem, you need to set up a meeting with the people who are responsible. Then, you can ask them about their opinions on the problem. Try to ask them what is wrong with their respective departments and try to let them list the things they think need to be improved.

-After they write all the things they think have a problem, discuss it one by one. Ask them how and why they arrived at that particular problem, and what their opinions are to properly solve the problem.

-Now that you have their opinions, you can now decide what to do about that particular problem. Knowing what is causing the problem will enable you to arrive at the right decision in solving the problem.

These are the things you should consider when solving a problem in your company. You will know how you can solve the problem by making the right decision.

If you still need information to arrive at a good decision, then you should look for it. One way to solve the problem is by imagining how you can cause the problem. For example, if you think you need customers, imagine how you can scare them away. By doing this, you can determine why you don't have enough customers and solve it.

These are some of the things you should keep in mind in order to solve the problem in your business more effectively.

By getting the right information about a particular problem, you will be able to solve it at a much faster rate. You can really improve how your business is running and also improve the way you deal with problems.

Mario Churchill is a freelance author and has written over 200 articles on various subjects. For more information checkout http://www.ideacenter.com and http://my-updates.info.
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By Annie Jennings PR

If you are a book author, expert, or wish to brand yourself to the media and are in pursuit of media placements, Annie Jennings PR recommends you develop a media site, or author/expert showcase site developed especially for the media.

Choose a website name that is easy to type and contains no unusual spellings. You want to keep the site simple and easy to use. Limit or eliminate any challenges the media might have. The first step is to name the site in a way that makes it easy and obvious.

The name of your media website, for example, could be: www.YourName.com, www.YourNameCredentials.com, www.yournamePHD.com, or if www.yourname.com is not available, buy the .TV extension meaning you would buy the www.yourname.tv.
By naming your website after yourself, the media assumes they are going to the site to find out about you, the expert or author, and of course, they are right.

It is certainly OK to have more than one website; in fact, I recommend it. Each site should have a specific strategy, that is, what do you want the visitor to do? This is also called a conversion strategy.

With a media site, you want the media to be able to obtain all the information they need to book you for the media opportunity.

With a business site, you want the visitor to find out all about your business and hire your business.

With an e-commerce site, you want the visitor to find out all about your products or services and buy them.

Observe, all three types of sites have a unique strategy. The media website should not be combined with any other type of site; especially, with an e-commerce or sales site. It seems odd that you would want the media to buy your products or services, right?

CONTACT INFO

Each page should have a header area containing the essential information about you. This should include a short list of topics or a broad category name such as "Relationships" and your contact information.

I advise against using email as the only way to get in touch with you. Why? It is not instant and does not leave the media with certainty that you will respond. How do they know you will even get the email? So they must continue their search for the perfect expert and you will most likely lose the media placement.

Certainly, never use info@, as that seems like it goes to an unmanned inbox. You can use your real email address. It will sound more convincing. Be sure the email goes directly to your blackberry. You can even let the media know that the email goes directly to your blackberry and you will respond shortly.

But ALWAYS give out a telephone number if you want media placements. You can use a cell phone or even an answering service that contacts you the second the media calls them. The best choice is the most direct route to you!

YOUR BIO PAGE

If you have credentials, let the media know right away. The more credentials and accomplishments you have in your area of expertise, the better your chances are of being chosen by the media for the placement.

Also include all of the topics you can discuss, as well.

Be sure to lead with a great color picture of you – one that is engaging, well groomed, and offers the viewers a glimpse of your personality.

Do not use your driver's license picture!

Your bio page should be conversational in nature and not a copy and paste of your C.V. or resume. The idea is that you want you bio to tell a story about you, your expertise, who you are, and in the end, answer the one question the media has, which is, are you the perfect expert for them?

YOUR MEDIA APPEARANCES PAGE

A Demo: Short video of previous author or expert media appearances. Sending your demo DVD overnight just takes too long! No kidding. Create a short DVD as a starter demo with clips of your BEST MOMENTS. Don't have the long version of each segment as the first demo the media sees. They can always look at the rest if they like the first starter demo enough to want to know more about you.

An Audio Clip: Let the media hear you in action, but first, be sure to map out what they are going to hear. Start fast, engage fast and deliver some awesome talking points.

I highly recommend hiring a pro to help you develop and record a high-powered, blockbuster, short audio; especially for the media, packed with what they need to hear to choose you from a great engaging personality, to an action-packed pace, to lots of great information.

Your Print And Online Placements: Include a list of your most prestigious placements; including, the month and issue date of the article. If the original article is online, then by all means, link to the article.

Your Topics & Areas Of Expertise Page

Your topic page should include a list of the topics you can discuss along with titles of tips, sheets, or links to tips, sheets, or articles you have written.

The reason why you want to actually link to tips, sheets, and articles (such as Ten Smart Career Moves or Why You Should Never Ask Your Boss For A Raise On A Business Trip) is because this gives you the chance to showcase your knowledge in a variety of areas.

The idea is to present yourself and your experience in the most powerful way possible, creating certainty for the media that they are making an excellent choice in choosing you!

Annie Jennings PR has booked thousands of media placements with over 20,000 authors and experts. Annie is the creator of advanced publicity strategy, media websites, online press kits, platforms, advanced branding, HOT 35! BIG CITY & national shows radio campaigns. Free "How To Create An Online Media Kit" at http://www.anniejenningspr.com/onlinemediakit.htm Free Website Consults Audio at http://www.anniejenningspr.com/publicitypro.htm.
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By Evan Carmichael

"There is only one boss - the customer. And he can fire everybody in the company from the chairman on down, simply by spending his money somewhere else."

Growing Up

Sam Walton's career in retail began in 1940 when he became a sales trainee in Des Moines, Iowa at a J.C. Penney store. Despite his enthusiasm to serve the customers, Walton was not a model employee. His desire to make his customers happy was so great that he often let other responsibilities like paperwork and keeping the books fall by the wayside. He was almost fired by his boss who told him that he was not cut out for a career in retail. Walton kept his job, however, because of his ability as a great salesman.

In 1942, Walton was drafted into the United States Army. He worked in the communications division of the Army Intelligence Corps and remained on home soil throughout the Second World War. When he left the army three years later, Walton was married, had a child, and decided to start his own business to support his new family. With the $5,000 that he had saved along with a $20,000 loan from his wife's father, he purchased a Ben Franklin variety store in Newport, Arkansas. Walton was 27 years old.

Starting The Business

By putting in many hours at the store and implementing a pricing strategy far below what his competitors were charging, Walton's new business took off. By 1950 he had the top performing Ben Franklin store in the area. Walton's landlord, seeing his success, decided that he wanted Walton to sell the store to his son. When Walton refused, the landlord decided not to renew Walton's lease and he was forced to shut down.

Walton's 10 commandments for business success were: 1) Commit to your business.
2) Share your profits with your associates and treat them like your partners. 3) Energize your colleagues. 4) Communicate everything you possibly can to your partners.
5) Appreciate everything your associates do for the business. 6) Celebrate your success. 7) Listen to everyone in your company. 8) Exceed your customers' expectations.
9) Control your expenses better than your competition. 10) Blaze your own path.

Determined as ever to succeed in his venture, Walton looked for other rural Arkansas towns for a new place to set up shop. He came across a small village called Bentonville and opened the Walton's Five and Dime in 1950. He made sure to get a 99-year lease this time on the property. The two local competitors in Bentonville did not want to discount their prices and Walton's business began to flourish.

Realizing he had a recipe for success, Walton began looking for other areas of expansion. He borrowed money and used the profits from his first stores to acquire more. By 1960, he owned 15 stores but he was not getting the kind of return on investment that he thought he would be making. He then made the decision to follow a heavy price cutting strategy and hope to get much higher volume to turn a larger profit. This was not a new idea. The problem at the time was that most discount stores were small, located in urban areas, and focused on specialty items. Walton's plan was to change the way retailing was done across the country.

Building An Empire

Walton's revolutionary plan was to have large superstores in rural towns that discounted a wide variety of products. His initial approach was to Ben Franklin. They turned him down, as they did not like the idea of operating with lower margins. Without a large company behind him, Walton opted to go it alone. In 1962, he mortgaged his home and borrowed against everything he owned to open his first Wal-Mart in Rogers, Arkansas, and a neighboring town of Bentonville.

Excited about the prospects of getting discounts and selection that were previously only obtainable in the cities, rural customers came out in droves to his store. The success of his first store allowed him to expand and by 1969 he had 18 Wal-Marts in Arkansas and Missouri.

Funded solely through debt and reinvested profits, Walton decided that in 1970 he would take the company public. The IPO raised $5 million and Walton retained 61 percent of the company. The money was used to settle the company's debts and fuel further expansion. By 1980, 276 Wal-Marts were operating.

An integral component of Wal-Mart's success was it’s leveraging of new technologies to improve efficiencies and save costs. Walton knew that the key to success in a low margin business was to rigidly control his costs. Wal-Mart was, for example, one of the first major retailers to use electronic scanners at the registers which tied to an inventory control system so they could know immediately which items were selling well and needed to be re-ordered.

The success of his Wal-Mart stores led Sam to another idea - Sam's Wholesale Clubs. These would be discount stores that sold to small business owners in bulk. The idea was another big hit for Walton and by 1985 he was considered by Forbes magazine to be the richest man in America with an estimated net worth of $2.8 billion.

Similar to Ray Kroc, Sam Walton did not invent retailing, he simply changed the business model and way of doing business to make it a much more profitable venture.

Evan is an entrepreneur and international speaker. At the age of 19, he became an owner and Chief Operating Officer in Redasoft, a biotechnology software company. The company quickly grew to over 300 organizations as clients, including NASA and Johnson & Johnson, in 30 countries. He started Evan Carmichael & Associates with the goal to give entrepreneurs the Inspiration to follow their passion and the strategies they need to succeed. Evan has delivered over 100 keynote presentations to entrepreneurs in North America, Europe, and Asia. He has been interviewed by newspapers, radio stations, and television stations including The Globe and Mail, CHUM FM, CityTV, Global TV, OMNI TV, Enterprise, and the Toronto Sun. Evan's website, http://www.evancarmichael.com, is the world's #1 website for small business inspiration and strategies.
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By Jim Mack

Every day, millions of entrepreneurs get up, go to work, and they go no further than their own home. A home business is one of the most popular ventures for those who want to earn money, but also desire the freedom and flexibility that can only be achieved through working at home.

At day’s end, the most important thing that we have is our family. In an effort to spend more time with them, many entrepreneurs set up an office in a spare bedroom or even in the family room. This option is especially beneficial for those who have children and feel the need to be at home with them. Today, many families prefer to live in a suburban or country setting to allow their children the safety of playing outside or riding their bicycles. The problem is these areas are not commonly associated with a large job market, which means a longer commute for those who work away from home. For many, a home business is the answer to living in a safe area, eliminating the need to commute and still maintaining a steady income.

Family freedom is achieved through setting aside important time to share in special moments and always making sure to be there when you are needed. A home business allows for all of these things, but with a twist. It’s still possible to take your little ones to softball practice or pick them up from school, but it’s also possible to earn a full-time living while doing so.

If you work for someone else, what happens if you want to take a vacation? How early do you have to provide your request and what will happen if something later comes up and you need to change the date of your trip? If you’ve already requested a vacation from your employer and that request was approved, what happens to the vacation plans? It’s not always so easy to change plans when you are working on someone else’s time clock. If you want the freedom and flexibility to choose your schedule, arrange family outings and vacations at a time that is convenient for everyone, have the peace of mind to know that plans change and you need to be able to change with them, then a home business is the way to go.

Working at home is not just about being there to clean up little spills, run errands or even picking someone up from school. It’s more than that. It’s about taking care of your children when they are sick and need you. It’s about being there when one of them calls from school and wants to come home because they are hurt. It’s also about being there for the special moments that deserve your presence. Whether it’s your toddler’s first step across the carpet or their first step into kindergarten, these are the moments that shouldn’t be missed and won’t be missed, if you are in control of your own schedule.

Jim Mack is a home business professional that is dedicated to help his team succeed http://www.giantcashcow.com, the BEST home business out there today. To find out more about Jim go to http://www.giantcashcow.com ]]> http://miraclemoneyblog.com/homebiztips/HomeBusinessTips_PKe_489/user/index.php
By Denise Landers

On a recent airplane flight, I thought of all the systems that are in place to get us from one destination to another as efficiently as possible.

Boarding

Consider the rapid turnaround of planes these days. When the arriving passengers disembark, their luggage is taken off, the plane is refueled, a maintenance check is done, the interior is cleaned, a new crew boards, luggage is loaded, food and drinks placed on board, and the new passengers settle in – often all within 30 minutes. Then we’re soaring to our next destination.

Taking Off

We don't buckle up in our seats and then wait while the pilot rummages through stacks of papers, old charts, unread magazines, and empty food containers, trying to figure out what the present destination will be and then where the directions are for that destination.

We expect these procedures to go smoothly and rarely give the process any thought. The pilot boards knowing exactly what he is going to do. There is nothing in that cockpit that is not specific to the job at hand. He has a set of procedures that he follows, in a set order, to make sure nothing is skipped. We count on that, for both punctuality and safety. When something does goes awry and we are delayed for any reason, we're disappointed. If a plane has an accident, we're shocked.

Yet, do we expect the same of ourselves in our business endeavors? Consider your desk or your work area as the cockpit, driving the segment of the business for which you are responsible. Take a look around you. Is everything as streamlined as it could be? Are there any extraneous materials that do not pertain to the job at hand? When you come to work in the morning, do you know immediately where to begin, or are you shifting through papers and clutter to determine where to focus first?

With a good system in place, your work has been prioritized the night before. When you come in, you know what your schedule is and what you want to accomplish this day – your destination. Nothing will fall through the cracks because you have a procedure to record every task and follow-up that has to happen.

The Crew

You also should expect those around you to be handling their workspaces with the same efficiency. Consider what would happen to our flight if everyone were following the systems needed to get the plane turned around except for one group.

Suppose the cleaning crew didn’t pay much attention to the exact timing on their schedule. They knew they were going to clean planes today, but some friends from another unit stopped by so they had a brief visit and chat. Then someone had to make a personal telephone call. When they got to the plane, they found they didn't bring all the supplies they needed, so someone had to go borrow materials from another cleaning crew. Meanwhile the boarding and subsequent take-off is delayed.

Even though everyone else did their jobs, following procedures and schedules, the repercussions of this one group's delay trickle on down to all of the planes following after.

This may sound far-fetched, but it occurs in some form every day in offices everywhere. We may be efficient ourselves, but there’s often one person whose desk is stacked, who has to constantly ask for duplicates because they can't find what they need, who is easily distracted, and who forgets to follow up. We tolerate that and make jokes about it, but ultimately it’s not just that one person in the organization that's affected, it's everyone around that person. If you are working with someone like that, you are subjected to disarray, interruptions from him or her, and not being able to count on him or her to be as efficient as they could be in doing their share of the work. All of these results impact on the rest of the team.

Each of us needs to be working like the pilot. Know what your schedule is, establish a prioritized plan of action, have the materials you need on hand, and get rid of any unnecessary matter around you that does not pertain to the job at hand so that you can focus on what needs to be done now.

We count on that when we do business with other companies. Shouldn't they be able to expect the same from us? If you want to get your business off the ground, set up systems that will help you soar!

©2006, Key Organization Systems, Inc., All Rights Reserved

As the owner of Key Organization Systems, time management expert Denise Landers shows businesses, governments, and educational institutions how to manage daily workflow for maximum productivity and minimum stress. Learn how your business can benefit immediately at http://www.keyorganization.com.]]> http://miraclemoneyblog.com/homebiztips/HomeBusinessTips_PKe_489/user/index.php
By Jessica VanderHaar

Deciding to start your own Internet Home Based Business can be an exciting and scary time. There are many opportunities offered on the Internet. Many are legitimate from reputable and honest work at home Internet business vendors. Unfortunately, there are also some fraudulent schemes.

A popular home business opportunity being advertised on the Internet is Medical Billing. While being a medical biller is a legitimate home based business, one must be careful of the schemers who are just out for your money and leave you to fend for yourself in an industry where you have little chance of succeeding.

It starts by you responding to the ad for the medical billing work at home business. You will receive a phone call pitch telling you about the burgeoning health care system crisis. Typically, the pitch includes statements about claims piling up and just waiting to be processed. Your opportunity lies in processing these claims electronically, which is not being done often. This is where you make your money.

Doctors, they say, outsource their billing to you. You can work in Accounts Receivable, Insurance Claims, Physician/Dentist practice management. They claim that you do not need experience as training is included and you get the added bonus that their sales staff will put you together with health care clients to get you started. The sad truth is that your investment - $2500-$9000 is seldom recouped. In order to come close to recouping your investment and/or make a profit, you will need to find your own clients. The training you receive is sub-par. The problem with Medical Billing, as it can be a legitimate business, is that the market is saturated and the competition is fierce.

Make careful considerations when choosing a Medical Billing company to partner with. It is best to locate a company in your area, get hired on as a medical biller, receive their training, and then work towards moving to a home based operation.

Another legitimate work at home business opportunity commonly distorted by schemers is Surveys for cash. There are many survey companies you can join that give you the opportunity to get paid for taking surveys. What you must be mindful of are the websites that say they offer you a home internet survey business opportunity but really only offer you the opportunity to pay upfront money for a listing of those survey sites that will pay you to take their surveys.

Most of the firms they provide for you in their list are firms you could have found for yourself by doing your own search on the Internet. Often, the firms on their list aren't current. The fees charged for the initial directories can be up to $100. What you get for your investment are out of date lists, with incorrect information, poor navigation, inadequate contacts and pages that don't work.

There are some websites that the consumer advocate agency recommended as legitimate paid survey work at home Internet business opportunity firms. These sites do charge upfront fees of up to $60.00. The difference between these firms and the schemers are these firms actually have staff dedicated to helping you find survey clients and assignments. These firms offer a 100% money back guarantee and actually honor that guarantee.

Will paid survey sites make you rich? Probably not, but you can earn a decent income. Most survey sites offer payment for surveys taken anywhere between $15-$25 and some even offer payment of $75 for a completed survey. Time to complete a survey can range from 5-30 minutes per survey. Income potential is up to you. It depends on the amount of time and effort you wish to put forth. A 20-hour week could provide you with a median monthly income of $1600. Again, this won't make you rich but is definitely a good income for something with so many benefits - little to no overhead, no dress code, no rush hour traffic, no training or experience required and hours you determine yourself.

One of the major points of having an Internet home work income business is to be in charge of your life. An Internet home work income business is about working the schedule you want to work, wearing the wardrobe you want to wear, setting up the home office you want to have, and being your own boss. While no one (or at least no one legitimate) would ever tell you that an Internet home work income business is a breeze to start and make a lot of money at, those who have been there and done that and succeeded will tell you it’s wonderfully stimulating and satisfying – no matter what the financial outcome.

Jessica VanderHaar is the Webmaster / Owner of the Best Internet Home Business Website: www.affiliatehomepro.com

To Join Her Newsletter "The Home Pro Digest - All About Making Money Online" send a Blank Email to affiliatehomepro@getresponse.com

View their website at: http://www.affiliatehomepro.com
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by Paul Speziale

“There is no harder job in the world than copywriting, yet there is none more rewarding...both financially and emotionally. It truly is the world’s best kept secret job.”

First of all, there is some confusion about copywriting...let me dispel the most common myth:

What Copywriting is NOT

“Copywriting” is not “Copyrighting”. Copyrighting is the act of securing the copyright on a piece of work. A copyright is just the legal right to reproduce the work.

What Copywriting IS...

Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia, defines copywriting or the act of writing copy as:

Copywriting is the process of writing the words that promote a person, business, opinion, or idea. It may be used as plain text, as a radio or television advertisement, or in a variety of other media.

I agree with this definition, but copywriting goes much deeper than that...It is both a science and an art.

Where You Can Find Examples of Copy

It’s generally used in advertising and marketing and is primarily used to sell goods and services, but it is also used to communicate with people.

You can find it in all ads that you see everyday...

That includes: the Internet, newspapers, magazines, billboards and radio...on the package of things you buy, on the back of your milk cartons, and even the bible! More on that later...

The Problem With Copywriting and Why It’s So Important

The act of copywriting is the most mis-understood skill in any business, yet at the same time it’s the most important.

Here’s why:

It’s really just words on a piece of paper.

It makes it even more mis-understood when a copywriter asks for thousands of dollars and it only took them a week to prepare it.

But, when written correctly and sent to the right people, it has been known to turn a mediocre business into an industry giant very rapidly.

Your words, reproduced thousands of times, leverage your message to thousands of people...and it costs only fractions of a dollar per letter to distribute it.

A well-crafted, persuasive letter is one of the most powerful forces in the world today.

You know, while the National Enquirer won’t even win the Nobel Prize in Literature, they write with simple language and very effectively target their audience...they have over 15 million readers after all. With all the complaints they get, no one has ever complained they write too clearly.

Words on a piece of paper have been known to create wars (or prevent them), to sell millions of dollars in goods, to express emotions and so on...

I said earlier that copywriting was in the bible...St. Paul, the Catholic saint, used copywriting to communicate the word of God to other people. He spread the message without ever having to be there personally. He was one of the earliest copywriters.

The president’s speechwriter is a copywriter...he or she has to be very careful about the words they use.

The Role of a Copywriter

The role of the Copywriter is to write copy. Simple.

To write copy, a copywriter must research their a) intended audience and b) their subject matter. Then they must put pen to paper and create a message that will communicate their subject matter to their intended audience.

The copywriter must also pay attention to how the copy

a) Looks: if the copy looks too overwhelming, no one will read it.
b) Flows: if the ideas and words in the copy connect together properly.

In the end, what does a copywriter produce? The length and type of copy can vary...they can produce letters 30 pages long or as short as one sentence (or a word or two).

Writing 30 pages is definitely a skill, where if you want to sell something, it has to be extremely interesting so that someone will read it...

What about writing a sentence? Sometimes that can take months of digging into volume after volume of dry product data and material to uncover the one phrase that can best describe the product.

Every word counts and is worth its weight in gold

In both cases, every word counts...the copywriter must agonize over every word because not only are you paying for the space you use (in a magazine for example) to distribute the copy, but the very words themselves can either persuade your audience to listen to you and buy your products...or completely turn them off.

Because of the complexities and the needs for copywriters...there has emerged a wide range of copywriters...they range from artists and English majors to people in sales.

The difference between the two, I will discuss in my next article: “The difference between your “everyday copy” and “copy that sells”

Conclusion

Copywriting has been around for hundreds of years in various forms. Only in the last 100 years or so has it been used so widely to sell goods and services. Yet, despite all this, it still remains one of the most mis-understood, but important aspects of any business.

Everyone should know the basics of it and use that skill in their business.

Paul Speziale is a direct marketing consultant / entrepreneur based out of Toronto, Ontario. He has served all industries from manufacturers to retailers, from entrepreneurs to professionals. Besides helping clients, he is working on his own projects. He also volunteers his time for several worthy causes both local and global. You can reach him at: http://www.AnelloSolutions.com: Growing Your Business Through Low-Risk, Optimized and Results Based Marketing.
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By Tim Sales

There is one very specific quality you must have, whether leading just a few or a few thousand people in your MLM business. Achieving MLM success will be A LOT easier when you develop this one quality, tell the truth.

If you do not tell the truth, your downline may be friendly to you...but they probably won't follow you.

Truth means: that which is factual based on observable data.

There has been much written about truth, a lot having to do with philosophy and religion. My only interest in the subject (as it pertains to the MLM industry) is that we, as a group, stop destroying our income and our reputation by not telling the truth.

Being truthful should go without saying, but I have to discuss it because it is one of the Ten Communication Qualities that make up a great communicator. It’s also a major problem in the network marketing community needing correction for the MLM industry to grow to its fullest potential.

My income dropped in 1991 - like a brick falling from the top of a building - from a monthly gross of $68,000 to $16,000 - just because people were not telling the truth.

A media member sneaked into my colleague's business meeting and recorded the dialogue that occurred. Although it was a painful experience for me, the biggest loss stems from the CONSTANT number of people we repel because of not telling the truth.

Every time we (I'm talking about me and you) don't tell the truth, we feel icky inside. Observe a dog that has done something wrong - do they come strutting into the room? Not at all! They actually hide under the couch. Their ears and tail hang low. They don't feel worthy. The same is true for us. That ickyness actually causes us to not feel worthy that others follow our advice...and so they don't.

Five broad categories of not telling the truth have gotten individuals and/or companies in trouble. It stopped them from growing to their fullest potential. They are listed below.

1. False income representation or suggesting others can earn a stated level of income.

2. Stating that a product or service can do something that has not been substantiated.

3. Promising someone (or yourself) something and not doing it.

4. Gossiping about others. Passing information to another that does not add value.

5. Building the business in a way that is not truthful...such as suggesting distributors create fictitious accounts or positions.

Let’s consider, category one, false income representation. If you don't know what your upline earns, don't say what you think it is. If through the grapevine you've heard its "X" amount, and you feel you must state it, say: "The rumor is that he/she earns $ amount; although I've not verified it."

Say nothing you don't know is absolutely true. This gives you tremendous credibility!

When you discuss income, discuss what the prospect wants - NOT what someone else is earning. If the prospect states an income they desire, tell them it's achievable, (provided it is). Then state, "Some people go to school and become the President. Some become billionaires, some sell illegal drugs and some draw a welfare check. It would be impossible to know what you're going to do with what I teach you, but there is the potential to earn a substantial income if you choose to fully apply what you're taught."

Category two from above is unsubstantiated product claims; which, in the past, have also gotten the network marketing industry into trouble. If you market a nutrition product, the current law (in the USA) is the DSHEA Act, (Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act), which states you can discuss what a product does, provided THAT PRODUCT is what has been proven to get results.

Most often an INGREDIENT has had some studies done on it (such as vitamin C) but your company's product (that contains that ingredient) has NOT. Therefore, it is against the law to claim your product does ANYTHING!

Now, that doesn't mean you can't promote your product truthfully. You simply say something like, "The active ingredient (vitamin C) in Potent-C (an example of your company's product) has demonstrated to increase/decrease ________ by X amount." That way you're not claiming your product does anything.

Telling stories of your success or others' success with the product or the MLM business is also common. Just keep in mind that the common way people get in trouble is from questionable claims reported by the media after coming in with hidden recording devices and capturing what you say. Make sure you are not claiming anything that isn't the truth.

If a friend went on your company's product and stopped having migraine headaches, you honestly wouldn't know if the reason was the product or the fact that she increased her water intake to take your product! You can't determine what really helped her - so be very careful what you represent.

Category three is to keep your word once given. If you say you will be at a meeting at 6:45 - be there at 6:45. No excuses, just be there. If you say you're going to help someone, - help them. Keep your word! If you're unable to keep your word, make it up to the person. Do something that shows you want to help.

The most important person you must keep your word with is yourself. If you say you are going to bed at 11pm - go to bed at 11pm. If you say you will call five prospects a day, call five prospects a day!

When you're honest with yourself and with others, people will trust you. This trust is what helps your MLM business to grow and be successful. My experience is that people will not follow someone they cannot trust.

Tell the truth always and you will be on your way to experiencing passive income and time freedom in your MLM business.

Tim Sales helps network marketers gain the confidence and skills to be an MLM success. Discover what you must know to become a true network marketing professional. Sign up for his free MLM training newsletter and listen to free training at http://www.brilliantexchange.com.
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By Clarence Binayu

More and more people are lured into affiliate marketing. You might be one of them. Affiliate marketing is one of the most effective means of generating a full-time income through the Internet. It’s a fair deal between the merchandiser and his affiliates, as both benefit from each sale materialized. Like in other kinds of business, a great deal of the profits in affiliate marketing depends on the affiliate’s advertising, promoting and selling strategies. Everyday, as the affiliate marketing industry expands, competition heightens, also, so an affiliate marketer must be creative enough to employ unique and effective ways to convince potential buyers to purchase or avail themselves of the products and services offered.

Compared to traditional advertising practices, affiliate programs are more effective, risk-free, and cost-efficient. Why do many people still fail in affiliate marketing? There are many reasons and many areas in the program to look into. The most critical aspect in the affiliate program is advertising. Many affiliate marketers’ fail in this aspect because they lack hard work, which is the most important thing in affiliate marketing and in all other kinds of business. Although it pays to be lucky, you cannot merely rely on it. Affiliate marketing isn’t as simple as directing customers to the business site. If you want to earn big, you have to invest time and hard work in promoting the products. As earlier mentioned, the competition is very intense. Customers nowadays are very wise. After all, who doesn’t want to get the best purchase—that is, to pay less and get more in terms of quantity and quality?

Another reason why one fails in affiliate marketing is the lack of preparation, whether he is a merchandiser or an affiliate. Part of the preparation is researching. The merchant has to be highly selective in choosing the right affiliate websites for his affiliate program. To make the best choices, he must have exhausted his resources in looking for highly interested affiliates whose sites are a sure fit to his products and services. The affiliate sites must match his targeted customers. Also, the affiliate marketer must research on the good-paying merchandisers before he signs up for an affiliate program. He must ensure that the merchants’ products and services match his interests so he can give his full attention and dedication to the program. He can get valuable information by joining affiliate forums, comparing different affiliate programs, and reading articles on affiliate marketing where he can get tips from experienced affiliate marketers on how to choose the best merchants and products with high conversion rate.

The website is a very important tool in the whole affiliate program. As an affiliate marketer, you should plan how your site is going to look, from domain name, to the design, the layout, the content, and ads. Some users are particular about what they see at first glance. If they find your site ugly, they won’t read through the content even if your site has many things to say and offer. In contrast, there are those who want information more than anything else. Affiliate marketers with “rich-content” web sites are usually the ones who prosper in this business because the content improves traffic to the site. Websites with high quality contents—with relevant keywords and more importantly, right information about the product and not empty hyped-up advertisements—allow you to earn big in affiliate marketing even when you’re asleep. If you aren’t able to sustain the interest of your site visitor, you won’t be able to lead him to the merchants’ site. No click-through means no sale and thus, no income on your part.

Selecting a top-level domain name is also crucial to the success of the affiliate program. A lot of affiliate sites don’t appear in the search engine results because affiliate managers deem them as personal sites. Major search engines and directories would think of your site as transient ones and thus, they won’t list it in the directory. Before you decide on the domain name, know first what you are going to promote. Many fail because their sites are not appropriately named. When they feature the exact products the customer is looking for, the customer might think the site is not relevant and will not enter the site.

An affiliate marketer must be willing to learn more. Certainly, there are many things to learn and so an affiliate marketer must continue to educate himself so he can improve his marketing strategies. Many fail because they don’t grow in the business. They are merely concerned about earning money quickly. If you want long-term and highly satisfactory results, take time to learn the ins and outs of the business. Continue to improve your knowledge especially with the basics in affiliate marketing ranging from advertising to programming, web page development, and search engine optimization techniques. Study the needs and wants of your site users and how different merchandisers compete with each other.

Keep on trying!

Clarence B. is the founder and Webmaster for http://www.virtual-guides.com. Here you can find FREE information on many subjects including business, automobile, travel, vacation, affiliate marketing, advertising, internet, sports, entertainment, technology, communication, fashion, home improvement, culture, education, society, science, politics, fitness and health. http://www.virtual-guides.com provides you with helpful guidance, tips and news update, from basic to the latest skills, knowledge and information, about these subjects.
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By Colleen Kettenhofen

"Success seems to be connected with action. Successful people keep moving. They make mistakes, but they don't quit." Conrad Hilton

1. Get rid of clutter. Too much "stuff" in your office and inside your home clutters your mind, creates confusion and exacerbates stress. Start by cleaning one area at a time. What items do you have that need to be donated, sold, or put back where they belong? As you're cleaning and putting things away, repeat to yourself, "Everything has a place." I often heard my dad repeat this phrase while we cleaned house. It still rings in my ears every time I clean.

What clothes do you own that you haven't worn in a year? Are you hoping to fit into them again? Donate these items to a local charity. What piles of paperwork are lying around that need to be filed? Studies show that 85% of everything that gets filed away never gets looked at again. Consider starting an archives file. You'll feel more energized, less stressed, and more self-confident when you eliminate clutter.

2. What's going on outside you is a result of what's going on inside you. What self-limiting beliefs do you have about your skills, aptitudes and abilities? Be honest with yourself. Write them down! You don't have to share them with anybody. The average person has 50,000 to 60,000 thoughts a day. When we talk to ourselves about ourselves, much of that self-talk is negative. As the saying goes, "How many times in a day do we ‘should of ' all over ourselves with everything that we should be doing?!" Get rid of the "should of' ." Become more aware of your thoughts, change them into positives, and you'll start achieving more success.

3. Enroll in a sunrise semester. First thing in the morning spend 30 to 60 minutes a day reading motivational, inspirational, or other pertinent information related to your chosen field. Your subconscious mind is most amenable to suggestion the FIRST hour upon arising, and that LAST hour before bedtime. As John Wooden once said, "If I am through learning I am through." Stay current and constantly upgrade your skills.

Learn more to earn more and to improve performance. Much of this is material we already know. Yet, often we need to hear it again because we don't "do" with what we know. Invest at least 3% of your income in personal and professional books, CD's, e-books, and teleseminars. When pressed for time, listen to CD's in your car on the way to work, picking up the kids, or driving to and from the supermarket. Attend seminars and conferences no matter what the distance. It is worth the investment in keeping you motivated.

4. Become more self-disciplined. The difference between successful people and unsuccessful people is that successful people make themselves do things unsuccessful people don't want to do. It's that simple. Once you start an important task, discipline yourself to keep going. Focus on it single-mindedly until it's complete.

Be more aware of your every day habits and what distracts you. Make a list of the activities you engage in that are a waste of time. Resolve to eliminate them altogether or delegate them to someone else. Start by determining which activities only you can do. These are the ones you must do. Outsource everything else. The ability to determine where you should spend the majority of your time and then complete those tasks can have more impact on achieving your goals than anything else.

5. To improve performance and productivity work faster. Compete with yourself. Make it a game. Resolve to work more effectively and efficiently throughout your workday. Try arriving to work earlier and leaving a little later. Many business people in my speaking engagements tell me they get more work accomplished when they arrive to work at the crack of dawn. No one else is in the office and there aren't distractions. Try this at lunch as well. Everyone leaves from noon to one in the afternoon. Cut back on frivolous time wasters such as talking with co-workers around the water cooler and other idle chitchat. This will free up your time for the things you really enjoy, like spending time with your true friends, family and loved ones.

6. Review your values and priorities. Make sure your goals are consistent with what's important to you. Otherwise, no matter how much you think you want something, you won't work hard to achieve it if it's not in line with your core values. Write down each individual goal you think you want. Is it consistent with giving you greater peace of mind and happiness?

For example, values that are important to me in terms of work are helping others, freedom, creativity and flexible hours. A corporate job where I'd sit in an office all day would make me unhappy no matter how much it paid. So start by clarifying your values.

Success means many things to different people. In powering up your performance for greater success, first determine what you really want…and why. For example, do you really want a new car out of necessity, or is it to compete with the neighbors next door? No matter how much effort you put into achieving your goals, if they don't fit in with what's really important to you, you'll find ways to procrastinate or sabotage yourself. It's easier to be self-disciplined when you're passionate about something and it fits in with your core values.

"The biggest mistake people make in life is not trying to make a living at doing what they most enjoy." Malcolm S. Forbes

Colleen Kettenhofen is a motivational speaker, workplace expert, & co-author of "The Masters of Success," as featured on the Today Show, along with Ken Blanchard and Jack Canfield. For free articles, e-newsletter, or to order the book visit http://www.ColleenSpeaks.com Topics: leadership, management, difficult people, public speaking. Colleen is available for keynotes, breakout sessions, seminars. (971)212-2412.
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By Tim Sales

It is very difficult to achieve real MLM success if you are afraid of talking to people about your business. Use these four guidelines to achieve confidence when talking with prospects. They've worked for thousands in my own MLM business. I know they will work for you.

Why do you have a "chicken list?" Because you fear you don't communicate easily or well.

A "chicken list" is the list of prospects that you're afraid to call. Often people think they will call their "chicken list" after they get successful. But, they need these people in their MLM business to create the success.

This is a "Catch 22."

The phrase "Catch 22" is from a novel by Joseph Heller, written in 1961. The pilot was afraid to fight in World War II. He feigned insanity. But the doctor said that if he were truly insane, then he wouldn't mind endangering his life by going into the war.

If he were sane, then he would be capable of following orders to fight the war. Thus the phrase "catch 22" came to mean, "a situation that trips one up no matter which way one turns."

You need the people on your chicken list to create the success you need in order to contact your chicken list. How do you get around this catch-22?

Your fear of the chicken list is based on your feelings that somehow, people are above you because of their status. If you were to examine this more closely, you would discover it is not that the people are any better than you; it's lack of confidence in your ability to communicate easily.

If you knew you could communicate easily and effectively without making any mistakes, you could...and would...call anyone without hesitation. You would have confidence. You would have certainty. And there's NOTHING more rewarding than having that feeling.

Communicate means: a. To convey information about; make known. b. To reveal clearly.

Easily means: a. Free from worry, anxiety, trouble, or pain. b. Requiring or exhibiting little effort.

The reason I bring this up is there are a group of characteristics an MLM business professional must have in order to truly have success in speaking with prospects. I call these characteristics the 10 Communication Qualities.

Having full knowledge of these qualities and having the proper and correct MLM training to learn them, you will be amazed at how much smoother conversations will go with your prospects.

The fifth communication quality on my list is to, "Communicate easily - no tension, strain, fakeness, sounding rehearsed, stuttering or hesitating."

Let's look at each one of these issues:

Tension & Strain: (The definition for tension and strain is very similar so they are
combined here.)

a. To be subjected to great stress. b. A great or excessive pressure, demand, or
stress on one's body, mind, or resources.

When communicating, tension and strain are stress created by the mental activity of feeling unprepared, or fear that you will sound "stupid" to others. If you've ever been asked to suddenly speak in public, you know what this mental activity feels like.

It creates a very uncomfortable feeling, of "being on the spot", and not knowing what to say. It’s the reason someone's voice "squeaks and quivers" when talking. This communicates an unprofessional, “new to the subject”, uncertainty to the prospect.

The solution to tension and strain is to familiarize oneself with all situations that can arise on a call when talking to prospects. Be familiar with all situations regarding your MLM business opportunity and also the products you sell.

Know what you are going to ask the prospect to do; invite for product, invite for business, send to a website, or get on a conference call, etc. When you are clear about what you're going to do and say, you will greatly reduce tension and strain.

Fakeness: a. To represent falsely; pretend to. b. To fabricate.

People sound fake when they use a lot of fluff words like, awesome, incredible, unbelievable, fabulous, wonderful, special, state-of-the-art, etc. These types of adjectives demonstrate a clear bias on your part. I'm not suggesting you be a boring communicator; by all means, be excited. You don't have to use fluff or puff words to describe your excitement. This normally indicates a cover-up of real content.

Sounding rehearsed: a. One that is not authentic or genuine.

Rehearsing what you're going to say is NOT WRONG. However, if you talk with a prospect before you've rehearsed enough - you will sound rehearsed; which IS UNPROFESSIONAL. When you've received a phone call from a telemarketer, you could tell he was reading from a script. It didn't sound very genuine and when you detected that he was reading from a script. You wanted off the phone. That's what you want to avoid with your prospects.

Stuttering and hesitating: a. If you hesitate, you do not speak or act for a short time, usually because you are uncertain, embarrassed, or worried about what you are going to say or do.

Stuttering and hesitating loops us back to the first issue I discussed above which is Tension and Strain. It is the fear of saying or doing something the prospect won't agree with that causes us to hesitate and stutter. The solution for stuttering and hesitating is similar to the solution for tension and strain; is very familiar with all the situations that can come up on your invite call.

Have you realized the simplicity of this yet? Your willingness to talk to your “chicken list”, or lack of, is based on your ability to communicate easily. You need to become familiar with all aspects of your MLM business and company to communicate easily.

Tim Sales helps network marketers gain the confidence and skills to be an MLM success. Discover what you must know to become a true network marketing professional. Sign up for his free MLM training newsletter and listen to free training at http://www.brilliantexchange.com.
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By Allison Thompson

People will find themselves in difficult financial situations, at times. It may be because their business has not worked out and is on the verge of becoming bankrupt or it could be for personal reasons (a divorce settlement is not what it should have been). At any time, the need for financial support is important. When faced with situations such as shown previously, a loan to help them recover is hard to find. There are many reasons why getting a loan could be difficult, it may be they have a poor credit rating or they have no equity to act as security on a loan that lenders will normally provide. However, now there are moneylenders around called ‘bad credit’ lenders who can assist these people when their state of financial affairs is so dire.

You will find that ‘bad credit’ lenders are institutions or organizations that are able to provide loans to people who are in desperate need of financial assistance. One type of option that these kinds of lenders provide is a private loan (also known as a hard money or ‘bad credit’ loan). This type of loan does not require the borrower to have any equity, and as a result, are able to provide such loans but at an increased rate of interest.

Different types of ‘bad credit’ lenders exist, and banks are one source. Should you need to arrange a ‘bad credit’ loan, you could first consult a bank. Many banks require some sort of equity against the loan that you are looking for. It is advisable that you seek assistance from a bank where you have been a customer from some time. This provides the bank with a guarantee of knowing who you are and they will have full details of your banking records.

If this does not work out, there are a number of companies around which also act as ‘bad credit’ lenders. Such companies will provide you with a loan proposal, but be aware that they will often charge much higher rates of interest than usual.

Many financial experts say that when looking for the right sort of ‘bad credit’ lender, it is wise to do as much research as possible. Obtain all the information you can on each lender. Make sure you are aware of what sort of loan programs these lenders have and what the interest rates are that they offer on their loans. After getting this information, it is wise to compare each one. See which ones suit you and the one you will not have difficulty in making repayments to.

Allison Thompson, an expert author, after becoming a work from home mum, runs a small real estate company in Spain. Due to her involvement in the property market she has carried out extensive research relating to all financial matters. If you would like to learn more, please visit http://www.centrallendingservices.com.
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By Wally Bock

For centuries people have debated whether leaders are born or made. Several decades ago researchers started trying to answer this question. The debate goes on, even though we know the answer.

It turns out to be a little of both. Leaders are ‘sort of’ born and they are always made. Knowing the details will help you develop effective leaders for your company.

Leaders are ‘Sort of’ Born

There's only one thing a person needs to actually be born with in order to be a leader later in life; that is intelligence. A leader needs to be smart.

Effective leaders are not necessarily the smartest people in the room, or the company, or even on the team. They have to be smart enough to do the job they are assigned.

The kind of person the potential leader is when he or she becomes an adult is very important. The person who emerges from adolescence into young adulthood has the psychological and character traits they'll demonstrate for the rest of their life. Some of those characteristics matter for leadership.

By the time a person reaches adulthood, we can tell if they know how to help other people achieve results. That, after all, is what we expect leaders to do. We expect them to achieve success through a group. We expect them to help their subordinates grow and develop.

When a person becomes an adult, we can tell if they want to achieve objectives or if they just want to go along and take it easy. We expect leaders to be responsible for achieving results. You can have a marvelous life without a results focus; however, if you're going to lead successfully, you have to have the drive and willingness to be measured by the results of your leadership.

Upon reaching adulthood, we can tell if they are willing to make decisions or not. Lots of people wake up every day and let the world happen to them. Leaders must be able and willing to make decisions that affect themselves and others.

When achieving adulthood, we can tell if they have the basic qualities that we expect leaders to have. We can determine if they're smart enough to do the job. We can tell if they are willing to help others to achieve results as a group. We can tell if they will make decisions.

Those things are essential. People who have those qualities can learn the multiple skills it takes for them to become effective leaders.
No one emerges from the womb or from adolescence with all the skills in place to be an effective leader, no matter how they measure up on the key essentials. Everybody has to learn the job. That's why leaders are always made.

Leaders are Always Made

Leadership can be learned by anyone with the basics. There is a lot to leadership that cannot be taught.

Leadership is an apprentice trade. Leaders learn about 80 percent of their craft on the job.

They learn from watching other leaders and emulating their behavior. They choose role models and seek out mentors. They ask other leaders how to handle situations.

Leaders improve by obtaining feedback and using it. The best leaders seek feedback from their boss, their peers, and their subordinates. They modify their behavior so they are able to obtain better results.

Leaders learn by trying things out and then critiquing their performance. The only failure they recognize is the ‘failure to learn from experience’.

In their book, Geeks and Geezers, Warren Bennis and Robert Thomas identify the special power of what they call "crucibles." These are trials that teach hard lessons which leaders use as the basis of their strength in later crises. Many of these events can be called "failures," but leaders turn the bad situation to good by learning from it.

Effective leaders take control of their own development. They seek out training opportunities that will make a difference in their performance.

Effective leaders look for training programs that will help them develop specific skills they can use on the job. Then, when they return to work, they devote specific, deliberate effort to mastering in real life what they have learned in the classroom.

Marshall Goldsmith and Howard Morgan studied the progress of 88,000 managers who had been to leadership development training. The people who returned from the training, talked about it, and did the deliberate learning applications, were judged as becoming more effective leaders. The ones, who didn't, showed no improvement.

If you're responsible for leadership development for your company, you should structure your support for your leaders to recognize that most leadership learning happens ‘on the job’. Help people develop leadership development plans. Help them select specific skills training. Then work on transferring skills from the training to the job. Help them find role models, mentors and peers to discuss leadership issues.

Help your leaders get feedback from their boss, peers and subordinates. Work to create the culture of candor that will make that feedback helpful and effective.

Don't stop there. Make sure you evaluate your leaders on their leadership work. Reward them. Hold them accountable for accomplishing the mission through the group. Hold them accountable for caring for their people and helping them grow and develop.

A Leader's Growth is Never Done

Leadership learning is a lifetime activity. You are never done. There's always more to learn. There are always skills you need to improve.

Effective leaders seek out development opportunities to help them learn new skills. These might be project assignments or job changes. This develops knowledge and skills that can be used elsewhere.

Effective leaders seek out opportunities that will increase their visibility. Great performances alone will not propel you to the top in your career. You also have to be visible to people who make decisions about promotions and assignments.

If you are responsible for developing leaders in your company, set up programs to give your leaders both kinds of development opportunities over the course of their careers.

There is no magic formula for developing quality leaders in your company. By selecting potential leaders with the essential traits, supporting them with training, feedback, on-the-job learning, developmental experiences, and holding them accountable for results, you will have the leaders you need to shape your company's future.

Wally Bock is an author, speaker, and coach who help leaders improve the performance and morale of their teams. Wally is the author of Performance Talk: The One-on-One Part of Leadership (http://www.performancetalk.com/) and the Three Star Leadership Blog (http://blog.threestarleadership.com/).
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By James MacArthur

Seller financing opens your home up to an entirely new segment of prospective buyers. The more buyers viewing your home, the quicker you will find that one qualified buyer. Specifically, you will attract more buyers who don't want to or would have a problem getting a bank loan, or those who want a quicker closing or more flexible payment plans than banks offer. Such buyers include the self-employed, who may be great candidates, but are not viewed as favorable by banks, as are W-2 employees. Also, those with credit blemishes, which may be going down the long road of credit repair. Real estate investors are another large group, since they may own many properties with mortgages, which make it difficult to get another mortgage from a bank.

Banks typically take 30 days to close a loan. With seller financing, YOU make the decision, and it can be done much quicker, thereby removing a buyers contingencies faster, and in effect, leading to a much faster home sale. Make sure you use "Seller Financing" in your marketing and advertising, be it in newspaper ads, flyers, or in the MLS description, regardless of whether you are selling FSBO (For Sale By Owner), or with a real estate agent.

Other Ideas to Sell Your Home Faster

Number 1: PRICE IT RIGHT! Not too high, not too low, check comparables and local agents to get the right number. If you are not getting any action after a week or two, you probably have it priced too high.

If you will be selling FSBO, use a flat rate MLS open listing. For under $500 you can get listed in MLS with no frills. Check the newspaper or call agents to find one who offers this. It will give you much broader exposure and is advertising well spent. Also, strongly consider offering a buyer agent commission of 2-4%, depending on how quick you want to sell and how hot your local market is.

Put up lots of signs around the neighborhood, especially on weekends. Hold regular open houses. Prepare your house for sale. Keep it neat & tidy. Remove the clutter.

Sell Your Home for Full Price

1. Normally a seller will accept a lower price (below market) for all cash, no contingency fast closing.

2. It will sell for market price if the buyer needs 30-60 days to close escrow, will need to qualify for a loan at a bank, and do a home inspection.

3. You as a seller should charge even more (above market) if you will be giving seller-financing terms, maybe 5-10% higher than Case 2, or more depending on the terms.

A Good Investment

Taking back a note can be a very good investment since you will be making interest on your money, which is usually better than CD's, or money market rates. In fact, you can select the interest rate you want! This is especially appealing if you have no need for the money right now.

In fact, it is such a good investment, that many investors buy seller carry-back notes. If you have no interest in holding a note, it is common for a home seller to carry-back a note and sell it at the same time as the home closing occurs. This is called a simultaneous closing.

We Buy Real Estate Notes and can facilitate simultaneous closings, call for more info on this. We can also assist in setting the terms of the note so you get the best price.

Tax Benefits

When selling a home, under current tax law, if you lived in your home for 2 of the last 5 years, your capital gains will be exempt up to $250,000 (twice that if married). Otherwise, your capital gains will be taxed in the year that you collect the capital gains. If you will have significant taxable capital gains on your home sale, it may be very good for your tax situation to take back a seller carry-back note and spread your sale proceeds over several years, or postpone it for several years. Talk to your tax adviser.

Steps for Successful Seller Financing

1. Pull the prospective buyers’ credit report. Their permission will be needed. Always review a credit report on each borrower. It is a small expense.

2. Can they afford the home, job, income? If they can’t afford it, or have a shaky job or income situation, a foreclosure will be much more likely.

3. Use a professional to draft the paperwork. Each state has various laws regarding real estate sales, contracts, and mortgages. Use an experienced attorney to draft the promissory note, mortgage, or deed of trust.

4. Down payment - Sellers usually ask for 10-30% down payment to protect themselves in case the buyer stops making payments and the seller has to foreclose on the loan, and take the property back. The larger the down payment, the more equity protection you, as the seller, have. The buyer will also consider how much money he has put down, if he is in foreclosure and can’t make the payments, and wants to walk away from the house. Zero down is very little encouragement for a buyer, should he hit a rough patch.

5. 1st position or 2nd position - A first position note is much safer for the seller than a second position note.

6. Set the interest rate above current bank rates. This will encourage the buyers to refinance down the road.

Also Read this Article: "Tips for Creating a Seller Carry-back Real Estate Note" at http://www.jmacfunding.com/articles.htm

Other Alternatives to Seller Financing

1. Land Contract / Contract to buy

2. Lease Option

Disclaimer:

I am not an attorney, nor a tax accountant, laws vary from state to state, and any advice implied by this paper should be checked with an attorney and/or tax adviser.

JMAC Funding
PO Box 91472, San Diego, CA 92169
jmac@jmacfunding.com
http://www.jmacfunding.com
(619) 846-1550

James MacArthur, http://www.jmacfunding.com, is a real estate broker-licensed in the State of California, as well as an investor of real estate and debt instruments. We buy real estate notes and real estate contracts nationwide and make private and hard money loans on real estate in California. Feel free to contact me with any feedback, or if you are contemplating selling a real estate note.
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