The ways to profit

How to invest safely

2008-10-20T20:45:00.000-07:00

5 ways of making equity investing safer

Veena Venugopal, Outlook Money (January 09, 2008 )

You may have stood outside, watched the dancers and wondered when was a good time to join the equity party. You may have taken a step forward, heard the thunderous music and then jumped backwards.

With the indices marking record highs in 2007, the equity party was certainly one where latecomers were kept out. Even as the party continues to be loud, don't be afraid to join in. But, be careful and don't get swept off your feet.

As the new year begins, let safety be your resolution. Outlook Money defines five ways of making equity investing safer.

1. Pick 'safe' stocks
Stock picks are paramount in any kind of market, and especially so in a market like ours that has had a significant run up. The market is now trading at around 20 times one-year forward earnings, an unprecedented level. Even at the best of times earlier, valuations have not exceeded 16 times one-year forward earning.

The first mistake to avoid is to assume that the cheapest way to enter this market is through initial public offers.

Says Gaurav Mashruwala, a Mumbai-based financial planner: "Many people say that the market is too expensive and putting money in an IPO would be cheaper. That is a wrong strategy. Companies just getting listed are more risky than established blue-chips."

The safest way to enter the market is by investing in large companies, ideally those that are part of the market index.

Once you gain some experience, you can diversify. Even then, it's better to stick to well-known players. Try and get research reports from reputed brokers. Learn to read balance sheets and understand the industry the company operates in. Ignore hype and, most importantly, do not depend on 'market tips' your friend always gives.

Another important factor to investing safely is knowing when to sell.

2. Read between the lines
Beware of hype. One of the recent trends to emerge from trading patterns in the last few months is that delivery-based transactions are sometimes less than half of actual volumes in the market.

This indicates that the price rise in a lot of stocks is purely speculative and not backed by any fundamentals. This is true even for large-cap, well-known stocks.

Try and understand the reason why certain scrips are gaining. Check data from the exchanges.

If volumes for delivery constitute a major portion of trades transacted during a period, it indicates genuine buying and selling. If only day traders or speculators are interested in the stock, you may be buying into an artificial demand.

As the Sensex reaches unthinkable levels, massive volatility is par for course. Do not get caught on the wrong foot.

3. Do not over-leverage
You had a good run last year and have substantially improved your portfolio. You wish you had more funds to make an even bigger killing. Your broker suggests margin trading. At just 10 per cent of the investment you get to take a position on a stock that is definitely going up. Sounds great? Well, resist.

Even brokers are of the opinion that the current market is not one for retail investors to try and test their skills in.

As our bourses get increasingly aligned to foreign ones, short-term market movements will be driven by forces we cannot foresee or predict. Avoid buying stocks to trade them in a few days, and even more importantly, avoid over-leveraging yourself.

If your call goes wrong and you have utilised the margin trading facility, you will have to cough up the remaining 90 per cent overnight. You may have to liquidate other investments or even borrow at a higher cost to cover up the losses.

"Margin trading is not safe even in the most placid of market conditions. Though we do offer this facility, it is inadvisable to use it in the current market conditions. In 2008, we expect more volatility, not ideal conditions for a novice to leverage market positions," says the head of a large broking house.

4. Be vigilant
As more investors are entering the market, regulators, exchanges and depositories have been tightening the rules. However, this does not mean that all fraud is eliminated. Choose your broker carefully. If you are picking the stocks yourself, then you can go with the cheapest broker. If you are going to rely on your broker for investment advice, then choose one that has the best research capability.

Even if you have picked a reputed broker, be vigilant. After every buy or sell transaction, check your contract note. It should have the order number, trade number, trade time, quantity, price and brokerage, and should be signed by the authorised persons.

If you have an online broker, check your depository participant status. Shares must reach you on the second day after you have put in your buy order and cash must be in your account the second day after you sell.

Keep a daily check on your DP account even if you have not transacted. Sometimes brokers move your shares to their common pool and transact on them. Call them and ensure that they reverse this. If a record date for dividend payment has been set on the day your broker does this, you may lose the dividends.

5. Be diligent
The best way to ensure the safety of your money is to be diligent. Get yourself organised and keep your papers in order. If you are applying for an IPO, keep a copy of your application form and cheque.

If you are buying and selling through a broker, check your contract notes and file them away safely. If you have all your documents in one place, it is easy for you to spot fraud and take action against it.

Market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India as well as the Bombay and National Stock Exchanges have investor complaint cells. You can write to them and follow up to ensure that action is taken against the broker or the registrar if you face problems with your transactions or IPO allotment. But, for this, you need to have all your evidence in place and in the right order.

Stockmarket investing is fraught with risks and not for the faint hearted. But facing the risk of an intelligent and calculated transaction going wrong is one thing, and having to lose your money because of greed or laxity is another.

If 2006 was a year when even your pet dog could stock pick and make a decent profit, 2007 has taught us that, ultimately, markets favour the intelligent. Indications are that 2008 will teach us more of this. Brace yourself and enjoy the party.

I've seen this report to be very good therefore I want to share it for you. Hope you will like.

Thanks for your reading!

How to Manage Your Finances

2008-07-14T20:46:00.000-07:00

For some strange reason, money is often equated with evilness and that may be why many people do not even discuss how to manage money with their kids. However, it is a necessary evil to deal with it. It is also necessary to master your finances as it can often mean a success family and business life, so do put in the effort into mastering it.

Make managing your finances a mental habit. In the back of your mind, always try to think to yourself whether you have saved money by doing this. Also ask yourself whether there may be a cheaper way of doing something. If you ask yourself these questions each time you want to spend money or spend time (as time equates to money since you can use your time to make money), then you will get into a good habit of saving and spending only what you need. Just think of yourself as a poor person, and you probably won't likely spend so much money. Of course, once you do get rich, remember to donate some of your money to others for worthy causes, detailed in the article Philanthropy: Where and How to Donate Your Money to Charity.

Keep track. Find a simple way for yourself to keep track of how much money you make and how much you spend. There are probably lots of software these days that will help you do this quite handily. You can also do it the old-fashioned way of paper, pencil, and calculator. Just find a way that works and that you will maintain for at least one to three months every day - writing how much you spend and on what you spend it, as well as how much money you make. Once you see the numbers, and endeavor to save, you will become addicted. Most people get addicted to numbers, and once you see how much you have accomplished by saving on certain costs, you will be inspired to do even better next time. Of course, try not to deprive yourself or your family of necessary expenses such
as required food to get the nutrition that you need. However, you could probably eat out less and save much more money and eat healthier by cooking your favorite foods at home.

Get out and stay out of debt. One of the first ways to get out of debt is to stay out of it in the first place. Do not overspend on your credit card, and remember to pay your card all the time. Just remember to budget those items in. Make a budget table for yourself if you have to. For some areas of your life, it may not be possible to immediately get out of debt, such as the mortgage on your house. However, try to buy a house that is within your budget, and try to return as much as you can possibly without hurting your lifestyle drastically. If it takes 25 years for you to return your mortgage, then let that be. Also schedule for problems, such as if you lose your job, how will you manage with your mortgage. Will you sell your house, will you need to rent out part of it? Just allot for certain problems that prop up in life every now and then.

Save money. Most books recommend saving 10% of what you earn. That's definitely quite reasonable. The more you save, the better, so if you can save even more than 10%, please go ahead. On the other hand, if your wage is quite meager, and you can only save less, try to see if there are innovative ways where you can save that 10%. Remember to put your money safely somewhere after you have saved it, such as probably some form of locked term deposit in the bank where you will earn a reasonable interest rate. Use your money to make additional money, as that probably requires the least effort on your part. It may not make you rich, but why not let your money make additional money when there is almost no additional charges. Be wise, though, when choosing your financial institution and how you lock your money. Get all the details, as well as what would happen to your money if that financial institution went bankrupt. Therefore, it is probably safer to place your money at least in a few big financial institutions so that at least you will know it will be useful. It might not hurt to also have some gold or some foreign currency in case anything happens to your country's currency. You may also want to read the article on Saving Money.

Do not lend money unless you do not want to see the money again. If you do not want losing the money that you lend, then do not lend it. If you are thinking of it as a donation, then that would be a good idea to lend it. However, if you intend on seeing the money back later, then do not lend it. Not that the friend or relative or whoever you lend it to will not return it, but it is better to be on the safe side. It might not be their fault that they cannot return it, but the circumstances.

Hang around other frugal people. If you spend some time with frugal people, you will probably most naturally pick up their frugal habits effortlessly. They may even talk about money quite often. Just relax and take in the information and their actions. Then you, too, will become a frugal person and other people will want to hang around you.

Many people have poor financial management skills. However, if you are able to master financial managements, you will become one of the gurus who can actually say that you are able to control how much you spend instead being controlled by the money that you earn.

In summary, to manage your finances,

A. Make managing your finances a mental habit.

B. Keep track.

C. Get out and stay out of debt.

D. Save money.

E. Do not lend money unless you do not want to see the money again.

F. Hang around other frugal people.

Original article from http://lifeskills.endlex.com/article/finances.html

Thank for your reading!

How to Earn and Save Money

2008-06-21T23:32:00.000-07:00

Earning money is earning money regardless of which new toy you wish to purchase. Cashflow is the key. Here are some ways to get more flow towards you and eliminate cashflow away from you when it makes sense financially.

You can try to check with the steps below:

1. Find a job, start a business, negotiate extra chores that someone will pay you to complete, or find contract work. Do something that is legal and pays. It's even better if you get something that pays and that you enjoy doing, but don't let enjoyment stand in the way of earning a living.

2. Look for ways to save and budget for your toy purchases. Or, find ways to get a raise, or pick up a second income. A quick way to save is to eliminate lunches and dinners out and also eliminate "designer" coffee and soda from restaurants, fast food joints and convenience stores. Most people, this author included, can find many ways to save if we take a close look at our cashflow. There are probably lots of current expenses you can eliminate.

3. Once you receive positive cash from one of the above sources, set aside a portion of your earnings, and or new found savings, each pay period until you have saved for your new toy. This may be one pay period or many pay periods.

4. Avoid paying "convenience" fees whenever possible. An example of a convenience fee would be purchasing a 12 ounce soda at an event or restaurant for a $1.00, $2.00 or more, when you can buy the same soda for $.50 or less when you purchase them at a grocery store. If you track your money closely you may find many "convenience fees" that can be avoided daily.

Final noting:

There are expenses in starting a business and not every business is successful. That being said, a successful business can be very lucrative if handled correctly.

Hope your sharing!

2008-06-08T02:26:00.000-07:00

This is a special idea of Ashwin (Author of this article - Original content which I may share you to see passing. Thank you!
Make Money From Football Risk Free! (Monday, 20 November 2006)

I fondly remember those days when I tried to make money from football back in my University days. I thought I could combine my passion for the sport with my interest in making some money on the side.

I've had mixed results - I still think that I can "read" a football match in-running better than the average person. And it's fair to say that I made more money than what I lost.

However, I would not recommend anyone to bet on football. There is far too much uncertainty in a football match. If you are getting some buzz out of it, fair enough. But do NOT see it as a means of getting a guaranteed income.

As Sir Alex Ferguson, Manchester United Manager and keen racing fan states, "never trust a football match, it's a funny old game".

Instead, I've found another way of making money from football completely risk-free. It will NOT get you rich but will fetch a few hundred dollars risk-free.

It works as follows:

1. Telephone the Merchandise Shop of a big football club (we are only talking of the ilk of Chelsea, Barcelona, Real Madrid, AC Milan, Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal). You will find their number easily from their website;

2. Tell them that you would like to buy a signed football shirt from a specific player - normally, go for the much loved players, e.g. Steven Gerrard, Ryan Giggs, David Beckham;

3. The answer is more likely to be a "No". INSIST! Tell them that you really want it (either because you are a life-long fan, or that it would be your little brother's dream come true, or simply that you are an avid collector of football memorablia);

4. If the answer is still a no, ASK THEM WHAT PLAYER CAN THEY GET A SIGNED SHIRT FROM. Many people would love to buy football memorablia from top players who are not as loved as David Beckham, e.g. Paul Scholes, Ashley Cole, Peter Crouch etc.

5. BUY THE SHIRT THEY OFFER YOU. They will sell it to you for the cost of the shirt;

6. Now, guess what, sell the shirt on Ebay!

Read my blog on Make Money From Ebay to get the best advice. Essentially, if you take a good picture of the signed shirt, put the name of the player in the auction title and put a good description, you will sell the shirt for MUCH MORE THAN THE COST. For example, you will get a signed Wayne Rooney shirt from Manchester United Merchandise Shop for no more than £40. And these consistently sell for over £100 each on Ebay!!

You can repeat this process on and on. You do not have anything to lose. At worst, you will only be refused the football memorablia.

You can even apply this technique for signed autographs. Get a signed autograph from, say, Jose Mourinho. IF YOU WRITE TO CHELSEA FOOTBALL CLUB, YOU WILL GET A SIGNED POSTCARD FROM JOSE MOURINHO IF YOU ASK FOR IT.

FRAME THE AUTOGRAPH, TAKE A PICTURE OF THE AUTOGRAPH, AND LIST THE AUTOGRAPH ON EBAY. It will sell for at least £30!!!

As you can see, this technique will not get you rich, but you can make some decent profits every season from football memorablia.

Email me at pinoop411@gmail.com if you have any thoughts on this.

Once again, thank for your reading!

2008-05-03T03:38:00.000-07:00

Top Easy Ways to Earn Money Online

Don't waste you time with so many programs out there. The PTCs and sites listed below are all unique and easy to reach the minimum cashout. I have also been paid several times.

Do You need any skills?

With the PTCs you don't need any skills. All you need to do is visit the sites I provide for you then You simply click a link and view a website to earn money.

VIEW => CLICK => MAKE MONEY

I've been ever lost a lot of money after investing into HYIPs. All of them only is lie. I don't believe them again. I decided to earn money online with some paying PTCs sites and result is real surprise. I get paid several times.

Wish you always successfully!

Make money easily with BUX.TO ( View -> Click -> Make $$$ )

2008-01-10T22:41:00.000-08:00

It has been well documented by us and many other online business observers that bux.to is still improving its service just when you though it couldn’t get any better. Over the past month they have shown just how far a PTC site can go by achieving the world’s highest known Alexa rank for a PTC site. As you can see from the picture below bux.to has not only beaten their competition but are still rising up the chart at a remarkable rate.
Referrals at bux.to have also increased in performance with most bux.to members having their dead purchases replaced after a long month of fresh sign ups. Member satisfaction at bux.to is now at an all time high as people are able to report very respectable earning from the site which range from $20 payouts to $4000 and beyond.
This begs the question of them who are still sceptical about bux.to “Why pass up what has been proven to be the best performance of the very business you seek?” bux.to although doing very well already can only do better as time goes on which makes the future of bux.to a very exciting one.
Bux.to is said to be the leading PTC site. This is due to their early start making a good reputation by responding fast to member questions and always paying out on time. Their members have now increased making them one of the most populated PTC sites on the web. To learn more about them we turned to their terms of service page which included all the important sections about pay.
On the intro page a sign up incentive has been advertised where you are instantly given $0.05 when you sign up a new account. The introduction page also includes an estimate of your earning if you have 20 referrals when you click 10 ads a day coming to $63.00. You can also access the forum here and donate to charity.

All success to you!

The art of home decoration

2007-12-21T02:33:00.000-08:00

Christmas's oncoming therefore I want to share with you this interested information!
If you would have your rooms interesting as well as beautiful, make them say something, give them a spinal column by keeping all ornamentation subservient to line. Before you buy anything, try to imagine how you want each room to look when completed; get the picture well in your mind, as a painter would; think out the main features, for the details all depend upon these and will quickly suggest themselves. This is, in the long run, the quickest and the most economical method of furnishing.

There is a theory that no room can be created all at once, that it must grow gradually. In a sense this is a fact, so far as it refers to the amateur. The professional is always occupied with creating and recreating rooms and can instantly summon to mind complete schemes of decoration. The amateur can also learn to mentally furnish rooms. It is a fascinating pastime when one gets the knack of it.

Beautiful things can be obtained anywhere and for the minimum price, if one has a feeling for line and colour, or for either. If the lover of the beautiful was not born with this art instinct, it may be quickly acquired. A decorator creates or rearranges one room; the owner does the next, alone, or with assistance, and in a season or two has spread his or her own wings and worked out legitimate schemes, teeming with individuality. One observes, is pleased with results and asks oneself why. This is the birth of good taste.

Treat your rooms like "still life," see to it that each group, such as a table, sofa, and one or two chairs make a "composition," suggesting comfort as well as beauty.
Never have an isolated chair, unless it is placed against the wall, as part of the decorative scheme.

Thanks for Marjan Zemljic's article ( Author of How to break into the interior design industry ). A sharing's really profitable!

"The Power to Succeed"

2007-12-11T05:02:00.001-08:00

It’s amazing how we fool ourselves... while at the same time believing we are doing what’s best.

Let me give you an example. I overheard a guy telling a group of friends, over drinks, how he had become fed-up with work. Guys being guys, they immediately started to come up with options to fix the problem – ideas like changing company and changing jobs. That was when the guy got all logical…

‘Yeah, but I need to pay the mortgage and my kid’s education and we’ve got a holiday planned for the Bahamas and…’

I interrupted. ‘How much do you need?’

‘A hundred grand a year,’ he replied.

‘What’s more important,’ I asked, ‘your happiness or the money?’

Of course he said happiness. Then he got all logical again. ‘But I can’t be happy unless I can pay the mortgage and give my kids the best and have great holidays.’

‘How many hours do you work?’

‘Around fifty.’

‘And how do you feel when you get home?’

‘Tired.’

‘What would your kids prefer, a father who is worn out for forty eight weeks of the year but has four weeks to entertain them per year or a dad who is a real Dad all year round?’

The conversation went on, me questioning, him justifying what he perceived as logic.

Yet it’s not logic, is it? It’s not logic to deny your heart’s desire to change life when it’s hurting you. The mortgage, the kid’s education, the holidays are just stuff. And, like most people find after a heart attack or a divorce or an accident, is that this ‘stuff’ is not that important. What’s important is something else…

Life!

The problem is we got “Conditioned Logic” – “logic” transferred to us by society: friends, family, schools, college, the media, religion etc. We took it all on and felt we had to behave in a “conditioned” way. The repetition of that conditioning is fine for a while, but when we end up doing something we don’t love, each time we do it takes a little of the soul away. Let me put it another way.

What gives you the power to succeed is what you perceive to be logic. Real power is not necessarily doing what society dictates. Real power is often something else. It is that knowing that comes from nowhere to tell you, you must do something different.

It might seem logical to have the house, the car, the private education, the holiday, but is it powerful. What is powerful is, to say I am not happy and things must change; I’m not killing myself for forty-eight weeks just for four weeks of pleasure; I’m not excited by my work and I’m willing to live in a smaller home if it means I can have more peace, less stress and fall back in love with my partner.

It’s not all about the stuff, is it? It’s about happiness and love; happiness and love of your partner; happiness and love of your children and family; happiness and love of your work. If you have that then you have it all.

Now that’s the power to succeed!

Thanks for Neil Millar's article! A lifeful sharing is profitable!
( Inspiration and thoughts that are often mind-bending can be found )

Network Marketing Do's and Don'ts

2007-12-03T02:43:00.000-08:00

Why did you become a network marketer? Most people immediately respond, “for the money!” However, this is not the real reason.

No one subjects them to the hard work of building a business just for little pieces of paper with the faces of dead presidents. The truth is you work in order to obtain what those little pieces of paper can bring you.

The first thing you need to do is to find the reason WHY you are a network marketer. Is it the freedom to choose whatever you want to do whenever you want to do it? Maybe you are looking for a different lifestyle. If there is one thing that is critical to your network marketing success, this is it. If you don’t have a reason, there is no motivation to succeed.

A network marketing business is a teaching and coaching business. If you don’t like interaction with other people, a network marketing business probably is not for you. There’s a concept that most network marketers just can’t seem to get a handle on. You do not sponsor “reps,” you sponsor “people!”

If you have to find a reason why you are building your business, then doesn’t it stand to reason that other people will have to do the same thing? If that’s the case, then why is it that network marketers continually focus on how much money your prospect can earn?

There’s no way you are going to convince “Joe Sixpack,” to get out of his Lazyboy recliner unless you find out what his motivation is. Most network marketers literally pound in the amount of money Joe can earn. They bombard him with message after message about how “Successful Sam” has just purchased his 10th Porsche, refurnished his 25,000 square foot cottage and promise Joe that he can do the same!

Just how realistic is this approach? Joe isn’t stupid. He works long, hard hours at his job in order to provide for his family and truly believes that the best thing he can hope for is saving enough money by summer to pay for a camping trip. Then here you come, promising Joe that he can have everything that Sam has and he can have it if he will just sign that piece of paper making you his sponsor!

You will probably sponsor a few people that way, but if you are in business for the long haul you need to change your approach and do it fast.

The proper approach is so simple, but in your rush to sponsor another “rep” instead of helping another person, all too often you talk yourself into and straight out of sponsoring the Joes of the world.

God gave you two ears and one mouth and he did it for a reason. We are supposed to “listen” twice as much as we “speak.”

Instead of pouncing on Joe with the latest and greatest network marketing program of all time, find out what Joe wants and needs. Ask him questions, lots of questions. In fact, in your first meeting with Joe, don’t even mention your business! Yes, that’s what I said. Don’t even bring it up. Remove yourself from the super duper network marketing persona and spend time making a new friend.

Follow these recommendations and you are set to grow your business exponentially.

Thanks for Nial Robbins's article!
A sharing's very well to everyone.

There is another way that it can make more money is to Build Our Own Automatic Money Machine Starting from Right Now! That's Right?

The easiest way to America

2007-11-22T07:38:00.001-08:00

In 2007 the US government will give away 55,000 Green Cards! Don’t miss this opportunity of a lifetime!

You, too, can make your American Dream come true. If you want to stay in the USA for a longer time, start a completely new life there, study, or work with the Green Card all this is possible for you. It entitles you to unlimited residence and work in the USA. All you need is a little luck in the DV-2009 green card lottery.

According to US State Department rules for the green card program, all dvlottery applications need to be filed electronically. As our customer you do not need to worry about anything: You can file online with digital photos, but you can also send us your original entry with regular printed photos.
At no extra cost to you, we will digitalize your application and submit it electronically. With constantly new rules set forth by the US authorities, it could now be more important than ever to rely on Europe’s largest US immigration specialist, The American Dream, for a successful green card lottery participation.

Apply for your DV-2009 Green Card!

Is the truth so true? Please contribute your opinions! Ok?

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10 Million Dollar Ideas That Shouldn't Have Worked

2007-11-14T02:55:00.000-08:00

A successful self-made millionaire and Group Leader at SFI takes readers step-by-step through the process of succeeding on the Internet with an online home-business.

1. Million Dollar Homepage

1000000 pixels, charge a dollar per pixel � that�s perhaps the dumbest idea for online business anyone could have possible come up with. Still, Alex Tew, a 21-year-old who came up with the idea, is now a millionaire.

2. PickyDomains

Hire another person to think of a cool domain name for you? No way people would pay for this. Actually, naming domain names for others turned out a thriving business, especially, when you make the entire process risk free. PickyDomains currently has a waiting list of people who want to PAY the service to come up with a snappy memorable domain name. PickyDomains is expected to hit six figures this year. Full Story

3. Doggles

Create goggles for dogs and sell them online? Boy, this IS the dumbest idea for a business. How in the world did they manage to become millionaires and have shops all over the world with that one? Beyond me.

4. LaserMonks

LaserMonks.com is a for-profit subsidiary of the Cistercian Abbey of Our Lady of Spring Bank, an eight-monk monastery in the hills of Monroe County, 90 miles northwest of Madison. Yeah, real monks refilling your cartridges. Hallelujah! Their 2005 sales were $2.5 million! Praise the Lord. Full Story

5. AntennaBalls

You can�t sell antenna ball online. There is no way. And surely it wouldn�t make you rich. But this is exactly what Jason Wall did, and now he is now a millionaire. Full Story

6. FitDeck

Create a deck of cards featuring exercise routines, and sell it online for $18.95. Sounds like a disaster idea to me. But former Navy SEAL and fitness instructor Phil Black reported last year sales of $4.7 million. Surely beats what military pays.

7. PositivesDating.Com

How would you like to go on a date with an HIV positive person? Paul Graves and Brandon Koechlin thought that someone would, so they created a dating site for HIV positive folks last year. Projected 2006 sales are $110,000, and the two hope to have 50,000 members by their two-year mark.

8. Designer Diaper Bags

Christie Rein was tired of carrying diapers around in a freezer bag. The 34-year-old mother of three found herself constantly stuffing diapers for her infant son into freezer bags to keep them from getting scrunched up in her purse. Rein wanted something that was compact, sleek and stylish, so in November 2004, she sat down with her husband, Marcus, who helped her design a custom diaper bag that's big enough to hold a travel pack of wipes and two to four diapers. With more than $180,000 in sales for 2005, Christie's company, Diapees & Wipees, has bags in 22 different styles, available online and in 120 boutiques across the globe for $14.99.

9. SantaMail

Ok, how�s that for a brilliant idea. Get a postal address at North Pole, Alaska, pretend you are Santa Claus and charge parents 10 bucks for every letter you send to their kids? Well, Byron Reese sent over 200000 letters since the start of the business in 2001, which makes him a couple million dollars richer. Full Story

10. Lucky Wishbone Co.

Fake wishbones. Now, this stupid idea is just destined to flop. Who in the world needs FAKE PLASTIC wishbones? A lot of people, it turns out. Now producing 30,000 wishbones daily (they retail for 3 bucks a pop) Ken Ahroni, the company founder, expects 2006 sales to reach $1 million.

Source: www.valuablecontent.com

When I surfer Web, I've catched a good article therefore I want to post it here that everyone swaps and consults together. Thanks for your visiting!

Wish you all success!

The easiest and most risk free way that Anyone Can Make $$$ Online

2007-11-13T05:29:00.000-08:00

Paid surveys online are the easiest and most risk free way that I have found to make money online. It costs nothing to join, there is no selling involved, no start up costs, no computer experience or programming necessary. You just give your opinion and get paid. What could be easier?

Yes, you read that right. Paid surveys online is a great risk free way to make money online. You may not get rich, but you can create a perfect part time job for yourself. It isn't unusual for people to make anywhere from $500 to $1000 a month from the comfort of their own computers taking paid surveys online.

It's obvious that a lot of people out there are quite skeptical about paid surveys online. Basically this perception stems from two problems. First there are all the ads out there promising outrageous amounts of money like "Make $150 and hour". Secondly and related to the first there is a lack of information and misinformation about how to make money online through paid surveys.

Hopefully I can share my experience and clear up some of this misinformation for you. That way you will see that paid surveys are a legitimate way to make money online.

One way that most companies are now using is through the internet and online surveys. As of 2005 only 30% of surveys were internet based and that number has been growing steadily. Companies realize that they can get large amounts of opinions cheaply through the use of paid internet surveys.

Companies used to have to spend much more time and money to survey their customers either by mail, by telephone or by bringing the customers to a physical location. This cost them a lot of money and could be a slow process to get feedback.

Now many companies contract with internet survey companies to get the data they need. These large companies pay well for surveys and the survey companies pass that along to you when you take a survey from them. When you take paid surveys online you are like a contractor for the market research company.

If you spend a lot of time online, then why not get paid for some of it by taking some paid surveys. If you're going to be online anyway why not get paid for it. You get to influence new and existing products and get some extra cash for yourself.

It is really better than most part time jobs available that pay just $8 to $10 an hour. When I've kept track of my time and income I find that the rate seems to work out to about $15 an hour.00 an hour which I think is pretty darn good for a part time job where I am working from home and making my own hours. In addition to the cash I also receive the occasional prize like Amazon.com gift certificates or restaurant gift certificates. Nothing big yet, but even the little things add up.

So, give it a try. Like I said earlier it is fun and easy and best of all it is one of the only risk free ways to make money online consistently. Sign up for as many paid surveys sites as possible and you'll soon be able to pick and choose which surveys you want to take. What could be better than working from home and making your own hours taking paid surveys online.

Have fun and make money!

Another great way to increase your website traffic

2007-11-06T02:04:00.000-08:00

New Opportunity! Free blogs hosting from BlogHi.com

Like Payperpost, you'll gain free exposure by listing your article or blogs on Internet. Here they thrive to offer you the best tools available today for building and managing your blog. A blog allows you to share your thoughts, ideas and experiences with others who want to hear them. BlogHi! is a small but fast-growing city in the blogging ecosystem. There are many ways to start your own weblog but one of the easiest is with our free service. directory for FREE. Your articles and blogs will be seen by thousands of readers, publishers and webmasters.

Blogs are the newest way to publish information on the web. Similar and at the same time different from traditional web sites; a blog is built using web design tools, but it's far more dynamic. In various shapes, millions of them are all around you, whispering the blogosphere. From personal diaries to political battlefields, Blogs are becoming more and more the new media, one that you create and control.

A blog is a powerful communication tool. Your readers can easily catch up by going through the archives or browsing your tags cloud. Your readers can thread comments on your posts, activelly participating in the discussion. Every blog has its own unique story, taking snapshots of their author's views and opinions over time.

Here they thrive to offer you the best tools available today for building and managing your blog. A blog allows you to share your thoughts, ideas and experiences with others who want to hear them. BlogHi! is a small but fast-growing city in the blogging ecosystem. There are many ways to start your own weblog but one of the easiest is with this free service.

Wish you all success!

Don't forget to monetize your blogs to make money!

How To Make A Living As An Affiliate

2007-11-04T00:14:00.000-07:00

95% of all affiliates make $0 - $100 a year. I don't know about you, but in my books, this is not a living. In this quick "How To" guide, we'll take a look at how you can become part of the 5% who ARE making their living online. This guide does not guarantee that you'll make a fortune, but it will point you in the right direction if you're interested in making a living as an affiliate.

1. Mindset: Get in touch with your grey matter. Program your mind with positive, committed thoughts. If you can believe it, you can achieve it. It sounds a bit like a sales seminar, but bottom line is, if you don't believe you can make a living online, you won't. You have to be committed. Commit to yourself that you will develop an income online - no matter what it takes. Think of your business as a bacon and eggs breakfast. The chicken was involved, the pig was committed!

2. Viewpoint: This is your business. Once you've accomplished your first hurdle and committed yourself to making this work, you have to look at your business from the proper viewpoint. No rose coloured glasses here. This is your business. You are the CEO of your own marketing company. You can choose to offer your services to one or several companies. Bottom line, you are responsible for every action in your company. Every decision you make affects your bottom line.

3. Learning Curve: Expect it. Becoming an affiliate is like going to college or university. You start at the beginning, learn the basics and build on what you learn. Take it step-by-step and you'll build a much stronger business. Think of it like becoming a doctor. One doesn't decide to become a doctor with the expectation of opening a successful practice one week from now. It takes time to learn the products or services you're marketing and it takes time to learn to run your business.

4. Budget: Time and money. Set a general budget for both. As a business owner, you'll use plenty of time developing and promoting your affiliate business. Budget as much time as you can each day and make sure you use your time wisely. Set up a budget for your monetary expenses too. You can run a business online with a shoestring budget, just don't expect a mammoth income in the beginning. The more you can invest in your business, the better. This doesn't mean that simply throwing money at your business will make it grow. Every dollar that goes out your door, needs to come back in and bring another dollar with it.

5. Goals: she/he shoots - she/he scores! Your goals will get you through the tough times. There'll be lots of days when you feel like quitting. If you make your goals tangible, you'll make it through the tough days. Money isn't a motivator, but what money can buy, is. Set your goals for a family vacation, a new car, boat, or home. It's much easier to get excited about a shiny red corvette in your driveway than $100,000 sitting in your bank account. Money is only numbers on a piece of paper or a computer screen, but it can bring you a luxurious lifestyle, and that's where the fun is.

6. Nuts and Bolts: Once you've got your house in order, with the proper mindset, you're looking at your business from a realistic viewpoint, you've got an open mind and you're ready to learn, you've set aside some time and money and you've got pictures of your dream house, car and vacation plastered on your wall, you're ready to go hunting. The next step is to find a business that interests you and offers an affiliate program with a reasonable commission. For information products, one of the most popular and profitable online, you can and should expect a commission of 25% or more.

Pick a product that interests you. Buy it and use it. Your business is based on your recommendations of a product or service. If you haven't used it, how can you recommend it? Running around in circles after the newest, hottest selling product of the day, only leaves you dizzy and broke. If you like astronomy, becoming an affiliate of a star chart company may be a good fit. Selling women's pantyhose may not.

7. Look before you leap: Finding a company to represent as an affiliate is one thing, finding a company that respects its affiliates is another. Do a bit of research before you jump on the bandwagon. Send an email to the company as if you're a potential customer. 24 - 48 hours is a good response time. This shows that someone is actually running the company. It also gives you an idea of their commitment. Generally, the faster the response, the more committed the company is to doing business. The quality of the response is also important. Did the response answer your question? Was it written in a friendly, professional manor? Did they answer your question directly or simply send you to a FAQ sheet?

8. Flip the switch: If everything checks out up to this point, then your next step is to take action. Fill out the affiliate application form and get your affiliate URL. Now the ball is in your court. It's time to get down to brass tacks. If you freeze now, you make no money and flush your goals down the toilet. If you take action, you make it one step closer to your goals.

9. If you build it - they will come: OK not really, but you do have to build it. If you want to maximize your income and be taken seriously, you need to own a website. Just like a brick and mortar business, you need a professional location to offer your products. Yes, you get an affiliate URL when you sign up as an affiliate, but promoting an affiliate link looks amateur and will help you LOSE 98% of your sales. We'll cover this in point 10.

10. Follow-up = Sales: Only 2% of your prospects will sign up or buy what you're offering, on their first visit. 98% of your sales will be made from your follow up. There's a very simple method for following up and making sales automatically.

i. Check your favourite search engine to locate a free ebook, software program or report that relates to your offer. If you're promoting a website that sells peanut butter, a free peanut butter recipe book would be a good match. Your give-away must always relate to the product you're promoting to maximize the results of this system.

ii. Build a page on your website to give away your free peanut butter recipe book. Design the page as if you were designing a sales page. Make people's mouths water until they want the recipes so bad they'd gladly pay for them, but then give it to them free. All they have to do is fill in their name and email address in the simple form and you'll send their recipe book to them instantly via email.

iii. As soon as your peanut butter prospect fills out the form on your site and clicks the send button, they are taken to your affiliate URL where they can buy peanut butter. At the same time, the peanut butter recipe book is sent to their email address.

iv. Now your peanut butter prospect receives an email from you each week with new tips and useful peanut butter information. This information positions you as a peanut butter expert and gives you the opportunity to promote your peanut butter affiliate website once a week, to hot prospects. This is where you'll make 98% of your sales.

Although this may seem like an overwhelming amount of work for the beginner, it's all very simple. The whole process is run from an autoresponder, a simple piece of email software that automatically sends your prewritten email messages on a predetermined schedule.

Your success as an affiliate is determined by you. 95% of the people that read this simple How To guide will do nothing with it. 5% of the people that read this guide will put all the pieces in place and start making a living as an affiliate. All you have to decide is which side of the coin you want to be on.

He is a copy writer, marketing consultant and business coach. He specializes in helping small business owners communicate like big business.

This mini report has been brought to you by Terry Telford.

Thanks for Author's sharing and analyses!

I want to preserve original copy then we consider together. Thanks for your visiting!

Keys to Success

2007-10-31T03:57:00.000-07:00

Be Passionate!

When the most successful business owners are asked what is the most important reason for their success a vast majority of them say it comes down to passion. It is passion that helps them work through the dip of the slow growth to success. There will be good days, there will be bad days but in the end it will be their passion that will keep them in the game.

Life's always forward! But the classic example of being passionate is still valuable about successful story of Colonel Sanders and KFC. The story goes that Sanders had the idea that a fried chicken franchise restaurant would work. With nothing more then the idea of KFC he went forth and knocked on 1000’s and 1000’s of investors doors. Many of them laughed him right out of the office. Instead of giving up after the first 1000, Sanders passion drove him to keep going. Eventually he found the right investor and today as I’m sure everyone knows KFC is the leader in fast food fried chicken.

Are you passionate at what you do right now?
If you are not then perhaps you should look into yourself and find something you are passionate about. Then start to think of how you can form a future business around it.

What do you think? Think and grow Rich! What you think, so you will become!

Atomic Blogging

2007-10-29T21:34:00.000-07:00

Why don't you start making more $$$ from your blog?

Hello Friends ( Bloggers )

You and I are making money online and finding out new programs to make more money. You've your own blogs => Why don't you start making more money from your own blog.

If Your Blogs Aren't Rooted Rock-Solid On The Top 10 Rankings in Google Like You Want It To Be... Then Get Atomic Blogging To Attract Unseen High-Rankings And Floods of NEW Cash With Your Blogs Today!

Will you do me a favor? As you can see, "Atomic Blogging" comes with a 56-Day 100% Satisfaction Guarantee so give it a risk-free try because sincerely, I want to hear your success story and see you achieving massive profits and high-rankings with your blog by Power of Atomic Blogging.

Wish you all success

Probable You consent with me that the best way to become cash freedom is Build Our Own Automatic Money Machine! OK?

2007-10-26T23:58:00.000-07:00

Why DON'T YOU Make $$$ from YOUR BLOG

1) Cost-Per-Click (CPC) Advertising Programs

CPC advertising programs are the best money making programs for most of the bloggers. They are suitable to all kind of blogs with family-friendly content regardless of their traffic level and age. CPC programs work well on blog because they display contextual ads that are highly relevant to blogs content and bloggers will earn anywhere between 10 cents to 50 cents for each contextual ads click by their visitors. With proper CPC ads optimization and consistent amount of traffic, a blogger can earn a steady amount of money displaying CPC ads on his/her blog. Google AdSense is no doubt, the undisputed king of CPC advertising programs and Yahoo Publisher Network is the closest alternative of AdSense.

2) Cost-Per-Action (CPA) Advertising Programs

CPA programs is quite similar to CPC programs except CPA programs don't pay bloggers for each click on the CPA ads hosted by bloggers. The blogger only makes money when the visitor takes an action on the CPA advertiser website. The action can be a sign up, making a purchase, generating a lead, downloading a product and more. CPA networks pay a lot more than CPC programs, for a visitor sent by the blogger from his/her blog to a CPA advertiser website and the visitor taken an action on the advertiser site, the blogger can earn few dollar to fifty dollar depend on the niche. But CPA ads tend to work well on large traffic blogs only. AzoogleAds.com, Commission Junction and Advertising.com are some of the largest CPA networks.

3) Promote Affiliate Programs

Marketing affiliate programs is very common nowadays. You sign up with affiliate program of an online company, then decide whether to use the company's text link or banner ads on your blog to promote the company's products or services and earn affiliate commission when a visitor make a purchase through your affiliate link. Affiliate programs can be promoted without a website and blog too.

4) Pay Per Post Programs

Pay per post programs started last year. The programs pay bloggers to write a blog post about a sponsor's website. The paid blog post can be a review or an introduction on the advertiser's website, products or services. The blogger will be paid a least $5 for each sponsor post. Blogs that have massive traffic, high Google PR and large number of subscribers can charge a few hundred dollar for just writing one sponsor post. Here's are the two most popular Pay per post networks that offer this type of earning opportunities: www.reviewme.com, www.payperpost.com...

The downside of pay per post is that writing too many sponsor posts that are not relevant to your blog content can seriously affect your traffic.

5) Sell Text Link Ads

Selling text links on your blog can be a great source of additional online revenue. It is not difficult to get started, just go to Text-link-ads.com to sign up an account, then decide which part of your pages you want to display paid text links, set your price and you are ready to take order. Text-link-ads.com will handle all the promotional works. Another company that offers the similar services as Text-link-ads.com is Reverselinks.com

6) Hosting Web Poll

Vizu Answer offers a pretty new way to monetize your blog's and website's traffic. The pays the publishers on a cost-per-thousand impression (CPM) basis for hosting targeted web poll. The money a blogger can earn from hosting poll is depending on the page views. The more page views, the higher the earning.

You're making money online from which ways?
The best or the easiest!

2007-10-24T21:32:00.000-07:00

Work Your Home Based Business Idea in Three Easy Steps

Create a Business Plan first

The primary necessity is to get a perfectly designed plan of action for a genuine business. A business plan on its own is useless. It is a mere reflection, but it will not suffice you also need an action plan. A business scheme is the first step in working out your idea into actions that you can follow. Well-illustrated business plans can be found online or at your library.

Begin now

• Do not be afraid of failure. Remember failure is the first stepping stone to success, if this home based business idea does not work out for you now do not let this deter you. Always remind yourself of the spider when you feel like losing hope.

• Do not let that wonderful home-based business idea gather dust. Start today.

• Waiting for the right time to start your business might make success elude you forever. If there is any specific right time, it is right now. Do not waste your precious time.

• Put a figure on it
This is the greatest stumbling block for most home-based business owners. That is, they fail to evaluate their work. If you do not give proper attention to this, you may have to wrap up your business. You need to know that real figures and numbers are needed for you to stay in business. If this is not your agenda of work, you are probably going all wrong.

Large businesses usually set up balanced scorecards. The idea is to have a referring point to compare how successful your work is. For example, to get five customers in one month you could settle on free seminars but if you see that your plan is not getting you five clients, you need to reassess your plan. Change of plan prevents waste of energy and resources.

About the author: Jan Heering for a successful home based business.

I want to preserve original copy you looked up pass off and judge because present on Internet there is overmuch tips to make money online that I myself can not judge them good or not good, true or not true. Thanks for your visiting!

2007-10-21T05:18:00.000-07:00

How to Start Your Home Based Business and Quit Your Day Job

Ever dream of leaving that daily commute, nagging boss, and finding your freedom in running your own home based business? Can’t wait until the day you can walk out the door and work at home? Well, the key is finding the right home based business that will allow your dream to become a reality, and quickly.

No one wants to feel forced to stay in a job they do not like. If you already have a part time home based business that you believe can make you enough money, go for it. However, if you have no idea what to do in your business, then you first want to find a home based business that will pay you a continuous residual income on a monthly basis. This way you do not have to stress about selling enough to live on each month.

You will also want to find a consumable product for your home based business. Some of the most lucrative businesses are those in which the consumer needs to replenish a supply of it on a monthly basis. This way you only have to build a small base of repeat consumers, and you don’t have to work so hard to build a new consumer base.

Also, you will want to find a product that is easy to market. Complicated products are hard to sell, because consumers don’t want to think that hard about what they are going to purchase. Make sure that the service or product your home based business is selling is not only simple to understand but reliable and easy to use. People want to buy a product that will work on a regular basis. Create a great reputation for your home based business by choosing a quality product.

Selling an exclusive product or service is key to making money in your home based business. If it cannot be found anywhere else, you’ve found your niche. Make sure your clients feel like they just have to get the product or service from you. Many companies start up and sell a product that people can find almost everywhere. Find your uniqueness in your home based business product and use it to your advantage.

Hard work and a great product are two components that spell success for the home based business owner. One without the owner makes success very difficult. Find your niche. Then sooner than later you’ll be able to put in your notice and find your financial freedom in your home based business.

About the author: Charles Fuchs who specializes in helping people start their very own Home Based Business.

2007-10-19T02:31:00.000-07:00

Exposing The Myth Of The Free Home Business

Here is some feedback I recently received from one of my home business advice newsletter readers:

"I have joined a lot of free home businesses and have made no money. I am determined to succeed at this internet thing, but I need help. I'm not going to spend money on this and waste it. Do you know where I can get a simple step by step FREE manual so I can start my home business?"

And here is the advice I gave Jeff...

Have you spent months, maybe even years, looking for a way to make a living from home on the internet? If you are only considering what is commonly referred to as a "free home business", you are likely to be looking for a long time to come. You can avoid wasting more time and effort by understanding the realities of running an internet home business.

The mentality of getting something for nothing will put an end to any dreams of working for yourself you may have. So will the need for immediate gratification. By keeping these thoughts out of your mind, you greatly increase your chances of running a successful internet home business well into the future.

Let's start out by looking at the idea of a free home business. This would be a home business that you could start and run without spending a dime. You see many different kinds of businesses every day, both internet web sites and real world businesses in your neighborhood. Can you think of just one real business that can be started with no investment and requires no money to operate? You can't because there aren't any.

And spending months of your personal time to set up and run even the most basic small business (that may or may not make any sales) is still costing you money. Yes, your time is a valuable asset that does have monetary value, just as it does when you spend it working for someone else. The fact is that you cannot replace the time you have already used. But you can make more money. You cannot make more time.

If you are not willing to spend money to start and build your home business, you are involved with a hobby, not a business. It is possible to start and build an internet home business using low cost tools and resources, in case you don't have $100,000 lying around. It is also possible to use many no cost resources in your home business that will save you tons of money. But when it comes right down to it, you have to be willing to take on some risk if you want a real business of your own. You have to assume the risk of (wisely) spending money to build your business. There is no way around it.

Here is a getting started manual (free) like the one you asked about

Establishing priorities for your personal and business spending habits is your first important task. This will allow you to treat your internet home business like a business, not a hobby. Since your initial cash flow may be small, your initial growth will be slower. But having your internet home business started and running is essential. You can't grow a business that doesn't exist. If you can then delay your gratification by putting most of your revenue back into the business, your business will slowly grow into a profitable money maker.

By delaying gratification, you are demonstrating that you can focus on the big picture, your long term future. This is an essential small business mindset that will allow you to eventually get what you want. Any money you spend on advertising your product or service should be focused on the long term, too. That means focusing on building mailing lists of targeted prospects, either email lists or direct mail lists (both is better!).

You will still end up making some sales along the way, but over time you will have created a much more valuable long term business asset. Future repeated contact with your email and direct mail lists will cost you very little, practically nothing. And the relationships you build through regular contact will make you many customers and sales long into the future at near zero overhead.

So go ahead and start a real internet home business, but stay away from any "free home businesses" (masquerading as real businesses) that won't build real long term worth. You will save yourself a lot of grief, and you will end up actually getting what you want out of life.

About the author: Ken Leonard Jr. can help you start an Internet Home Business in just a few weeks.

2007-10-15T04:12:00.000-07:00

The Perfect Home Business For Moms!

The important role that women play as a wife and mother at home can not be overemphasized. They organize home life to ensure things run smoothly. From cleaning the home, making the meals, taking care of the children, and running a host of other important errands and tasks. For a wife and mother who works outside the home these tasks can take on the organization skills of Super Woman. And, while some women are content to take on the daunting challenges of career woman, wife and mother, others would prefer to work at home.

Looking for a work at home business can be a task in itself. We often need to search through several opportunities before we settle on one that has possibilities and appeals to us. One Work at Home Business that has worked out very well for me is eBay. eBay recently reported $14.87 billion in annual merchandise sales with over 100 million members. 400,000 of these are making their living from eBay. Why? Because a Work at Home Business using eBay is so easy to operate and maintain.

Since technology has become much simpler over recent years, learning curves have become less severe than they once were This has made operating a computer easier than ever. With this, people have been flocking to the Internet and eBay to create a Business of their own. The main draw of working online is that you can Work at Home. No long commutes to work. No 9 to 5 either, your hours can be flexible so you can still enjoy time with your family.

eBay lends it self perfectly as a Work At Home Business. There are no special skills required other than the confidence that you can be successful with an online business regardless of your business, computer or Internet experience and skills. What skills? you ask. Well, just very basic skills. The ability to surf the web, read and send emails, create auction pages (webpages) and upload them. And most importantly and ability to learn and the want to succeed.

The easiest way to start your Online Auction Business would be to use Dropshippers. The great thing about Dropshipping, as outlined in my book "eBay Marketing Wholesale SourcePak", is that it will allow you to operate a Home Based Business as an Internet Marketer with out ever worrying about storage of inventory, packaging of inventory, or even shipping of that inventory. The Dropship supplier will look after all of that for you. And even greater still is the fact that your auction business will cost you very little to get started The fact is, most Dropshippers charge you nothing to become a member to sell their products. While others may charge just a nominal administration fee. Plus, you
can list your item on eBay for approximately .35 cents. So, as you can see your eBay Auction Business will cost you very little to get started. With such a low financial risk the only thing you have to lose is a bit of your time.

How does one put together eBay and Dropshipping? It's really very simple. First, browse eBay to see what kind of product(s) you would like to sell. Then sign up as a member with eBay. Once you have decided on a product(s),locate a Dropshipper for that product(s). Sign up with that Dropshipper and then place an auction on eBay for the item.. Once your auction is over and you have a buyer for the product email your Dropshipper the required information. The Dropshipper will ship the product directly to your customer as though it came from you. Then the Dropshipper will charge your account the wholesale price for that product. The difference between the wholesale price and your retail price is pure profit!

To run a successful eBay Business you will need to sell what the public wants to buy. Always research any product before you decide to sell it. Make sure it is popular and you can get it at a great price. If you have something worth selling, you are bound to find someone on eBay who wants to buy it..

About the author: Joe Clare is an active Netpreneur and eBayer! He is the author of numerous articles on how to make money online and be successful on eBay!

2007-10-13T03:23:00.000-07:00

Fast-Track Your Home Business Success
Using One Simple Word

A common characteristic shared by successful home business owners is the steadfast, almost fanatical way in which they guard their time.

Large corporations and businesses hire people and spread the responsibilities, and although I highly urge you to leverage your time by surrounding yourself with people who will take care of lower return activities, there is still no escaping the many interruptions and distractions that are a part of home business life.
People who play at the top of their game whether in business, sport or life, have learned how to either eliminate or reduce distractions by mastering the use of one simple word ... "No."

The inability and fear around using these two little letters has caused more home business failures, tears, stress, frustration and relationship troubles than any other.

And although many new home business owners insist their greatest weaknesses are lack of marketing and sales skills, the biggest obstacle that is blocking their ability to develop these skills is the fact they are not saying no to time-robbing activities so they can focus on building and growing.

Lack of time is the number one challenge every one of my clients brings to the table when we begin working together.
Learn to say "no" to doing everything yourself.

Oftentimes I'll hear, "But I'm in start-up, I have to guard my spending" and I respond with, "You can't save yourself into profitability. You have to focus on making money."

This mental block will never allow you to grow, especially at an accelerated rate.

Low pay-off activities can be delegated, bartered, given to volunteers, students and family members. Do some creative brainstorming with your coach, mastermind group or trusted colleague.

Learn to say "no" to the demands of daily living.

How many times have you said "yes" to the following even though you either didn't want to or knew it would take you away from your own priorities?

* taking care of your neighbor's kids after school because she had a hair appointment
* volunteering to cover the refreshments table at your child's high school dance
* loaning out equipment or items you know you won't get back unless you ask for them several times
* agreeing to listen to your friend rant for the third time this week about how his wife is trying to ruin him in a nasty divorce battle
* taking your mom to visit her friend across town every week because your brother and sister are too busy
* making Johnny and Sally's beds because they have to rush to school in the morning and don't have time
* going to every birthday and holiday dinner a family member hosts
* reading every single e-mail and taking every single call that comes in...

By not saying "no" to the hundreds of non-critical demands that are placed on you every month, you will not create the business success or freedom you want and deserve.

The two biggest obstacles in mastering the skill of saying "no" are fear and guilt. Fear that you will be loved less or rejected and feeling guilty that you may have hurt someone's feelings.

Saying "no" doesn't have to hurt anyone or cause you to be rejected and the way you deliver the message can make all the difference for you.

To refuse a request be honest and assertive in your reply by stating, "I'm sorry, however I have to turn down your offer/request at this time because I've been so busy with obligations, I've neglected my own priorities and have to give them my attention right now."

If others get angry with you or try to make you feel guilty for wanting to give yourself the attention you deserve, it's time to decide whether or not they're the kind of people you want in your life.

Start small. Build your "no" muscle slow and easy and work your way up to the larger demands. Like any skill, you can develop it and once you become a master, you'll enjoy quantum leaps in your happiness levels and business success.

About the author: Laurie Hayes - The HBB Source

2007-10-11T02:35:00.000-07:00

Why Home Businesses Fail

With more than 50% of home businesses failing within the first three years of operation, you may be wondering why you started home based business at all. For many people working from home is cost effective and allows them to spend time with their family. If you want to start a home business make sure you fully understand why so many businesses fail so you can avoid these pitfalls.

Many entrepreneurs who have a good idea are not business people. However there are certain business practices that you need to understand in order to run a home business successfully. You need to think about growth, marketing, and a variety of other business issues. Running a successful home business depends not only on a good idea but also on understanding and implementing business practices.

Problem #1: No Plan of Action

A large piece of what I like to refer to as the “business success puzzle”, is a clear comprehensive business plan. Complete with an outline of a businesses structure: management team; products and services; marketing strategies; and financial goals. Small business owners and entrepreneurs that work from home, neglect to see the value of such a plan. Since the majority of their capital comes from a personal account, they are convinced that a business plan is a waste of time.

This too is a misconception. Every business needs a plan of action. At some point, you will want to review your business strategies: to find new ways to increase revenue; and generate a client database. Without a business plan, you’re heading down a road that leads to destruction.

Invest in Your Dream - Not Someone Else’s

While get rich quick schemes may sound like the perfect of road to success, they’re usually money traps designed to only benefit those that have created it. Often they promise great wealth and income in a short amount of time. Use your skills and knowledge to benefit yourself not someone else.

Many get rich quick schemes promise easy money and really do sound like a good idea. Thousands of people have invested their hard earned money into these schemes and gotten nothing out of it but disappointment.

Thousands of people have invested their life savings and lost them in money making entrepreneurial schemes. What they usually don’t tell you is the risks involved. Making money is usually never easy so don’t be fooled by schemes that seem to promise you the world. If you want to invest your money to start your own business be smart and don’t throw your money away.

Find a Market and Stick to it

You may have plenty of good ideas that you want to implement all at once. However doing too much at one time can be your downfall. Many entrepreneurs have several products or services they want to sell. Take your time and implement one at a time and get it right before you try something new.

If you have several different interests you may want to start with just one. Some services and products don’t go hand in hand and don’t try to force it. Marketing certain new products to existing customers is not always a sure fire way to get sales. Think about your marketing plans before implementing them or they may be a waste of your time.

Selling network memberships takes more then a little bit of knowledge about networking. It takes time: Time to develop contracts; organize meetings; set up events; and keep your members active in business referrals. Think about your target market!

Take time to review over any new entrepreneurial plans and compare them with your existing business plan. See if they make sense or if they will fit in with your goals. Starting your own business can take some time but carefully done success will be yours.

About the author: Vlad Ehrsam writes exclusively for Full Info on Business, there's a wealth of knowledge on the website, plus why not sign up for the free Business newsletter.

2007-10-09T00:25:00.000-07:00

Tips on how to earn money with a home business

Everyone wants tips on how to earn money with a home based business. It never seems to amaze me that a lot of people with a work at home business are not earning some money.

When I got to question a few of these people about why they are not earning any money, I found out why!

People, you have to do something to earn something! Just because you have joined a MLM or affiliate program, don’t think just by sitting back you will earn some money. NOT TRUE!!!

So I have tried to make it easy on these people by coming up with the necessary things you need to do to earn money from home.

If you honestly do these things, and still don’t make any money then maybe a home business is not for you. But you need to be honest about this and put out the effort.

1. When you first start with a work at home business, set out at least an hour a day devoted to your business.

2. Spend the first day advertising your business on the free classified websites, there are literally thousands of these sites to advertise on.

3. If you have a website for your business, then spend day 2 submitting your website to all of the search engines, Yahoo, MSN, Google, AOL, etc.

4. Day 3 start submitting to ezines, this is a very good way to promote your business.

5. Day 4 start by writing an article to use in the yahoo groups. And with this article your can promote your website at the end of the article.

6. Day 5 submit your business to the various business message boards, there are lots out there that let you post an ad for your home business.

7. Day 6 you will want to start advancing up and checking for “Leads” that are interested in starting a home business. When you find a good source you will want to start emailing them. To do this you will want a good auto responder to handle the high volume of emails.

8. Day 7 you will want to start this process all over again.

You can do these steps in any order, but remember persistence is the key. Spend an hour a day for the first 30 days on these 7 items. Each day promote your business in a different way.

Within 30 days you will start to see the rewards of your work that you only spent 7-10 hours a week on!

Further more don’t expect to get rich overnight. The businesses offering “pie in the sky” so to speak do yourself a favor and stay away from those type of offers.

Do yourself a favor when you get involved with a work at home business. You owe it to yourself to give it an honest try. Nothing will happen, if you don’t do anything.

About the author: Jim Noel has 2 very successful online businesses that he has been operating for over a year now. Mr. Noel has the knowledge and knows how to promote and to generate a nice profit off of his 2 online businesses.

2007-10-04T03:21:00.000-07:00

Investing the Profits from Your Home
Based Business

Having made the bold and glorious decision to sack the boss and go it alone you are one of the few who have what it takes to succeed. You have an entrepreneurial spirit and a strong will and these are rare and valuable attributes that will guide you throughout your professional and personal life.

Now that your business is up and running and you’re profiting from your efforts, it’s time to turn your attentions to investing the profits from your home based business wisely and for maximum gain.

One of the most consistently returning asset classes over the long term and the one that the majority of us can profit from is real estate.

Understanding market cycles

Now, you’re most likely aware that property markets are cyclical – this is because there is a direct correlation between the underlying price of real estate in relation to individual buying power. Simply explained: when property prices rise above what first time buyers can afford to pay the market slows down, stagnates and sometimes readjusts – but as soon as purchasing power increases again, either with a drop in interest rates or an increase in GDP, so property prices begin rising again.

And there are even ways to make money from real estate during a market downturn!

Investing in real estate for income

Depending on the nature of your home based business your monthly income may be slightly erratic – some months being better than others! If you invest in property assets in a buy-to-let or even jet-to-let capacity you can secure yourself a consistent monthly income which may afford you an added degree of financial security.

Buy-to-let is when you purchase property for rental purposes – this make be an apartment you corporate let, it could be a house you student let or even a family home you rent out long term.

Jet-to-let is similar but it involves purchasing overseas property for short term weekly or fortnightly rental to tourists. This type of letting is usually very lucrative indeed during peak holiday periods but may mean you have a property that is empty for a few months out of season.

Both types of property investment return you a regular income and at the same time the physical real estate asset will grow in value over the long term and if ever you wish to release the profits from your investment you can sell on the property and take the gains you have accrued.

Investing in real estate for profit

The alternative to building up a property portfolio for income generation purposes is purchasing property and selling it on relatively quickly to realize the gains the asset has accrued.

You can do this in a number of ways…firstly you can purchase run down property in need of renovation, tidy up the property and turn it into a home before selling it on at a higher price and reaping the profits gained.

Alternatively you could seek to beat the curve by buying into up and coming areas, waiting for prices to boom and then selling on for profit. This is quite a risky strategy for a first time investor as timing the market is hard!

An alternative to this is looking overseas for the latest emerging property markets worldwide and buying properties to renovate or properties off plan and then flipping them on for maximum gains in the short term.

Financing your investment

As a self-employed individual it can be tricky to get a mortgage unless you have audited accounts, bank references etc., etc. If you don’t have all of these requisite documents there are other options available to you.

The main options are re-mortgaging your primary residence and releasing the equity that you have accrued already for reinvestment in another property project or taking out a self-certification mortgage where you make a large down payment and basically tell the lender how much you can afford to borrow!

A winning attitude

You’ve already proved you have what it takes to succeed against the odds by establishing a profitable home based business, now apply the same steely determination to your real estate investments and you will succeed in making the maximum gains. Start small, begin gently, test the market and your understanding of it and slowly build up a profitable real estate portfolio from the profits of your home based business for maximum financial gain.

About the author: Rhiannon Williamson is a freelance writer whose articles about property investing and emerging real estate markets have appeared in publications around the world. She is currently working on a brand new property investment.

2007-10-03T02:50:00.000-07:00

7 Financial Strategies for Transitioning from Salaried to Solo

A 40’s something woman was talking to me the other day about her growing sense of frustration with “working for someone else” and her longing to “do my own thing, drive my own wagon”. But, she said with consternation, “I have family counting on me and a standard of living I don’t want to sacrifice.”

Everyone has to decide for themselves what level of sacrifice and risk they’re willing to undertake in order to enjoy the satisfactions of working independently. Knowing some strategies for managing the risk will allow you to make a well-informed decision.

Of the seven strategies included below, the first two suggest ways to gradually transition from salaried to solo, instead of diving off the edge. The second two are ways to stretch the dollar; and the final three are ideas for getting started without stopping.

1. Continue to draw a (reduced) salary

Leaving your current employment in order to develop your new business may look like the only option, based on an assumption that you won’t get approval for reducing your hours. While this may prove to be the case, asking yourself why and how your company will profit from retaining your skills and experience for a transitional period can provide the basis for approaching your employer. Be sure to do your homework first, however, and be able to back up your request with a solid rationale.
Also consider the issue of timing. You want to weigh informing your employer of your wish to leave with being prepared to leave if the answer to your request is no.

2. Develop another income stream

If you need to leave your present employment, is there a skill in your toolbag that you can resuscitate and put to work without a significant expenditure of time or energy? Is moonlighting or freelance work an option? Virtual e-lancing websites (such as eWork.com, Guru.com, and e-lance.com) may be worth looking into for short-term professional services opportunities.
Examples: A community mental health worker transitioning to private practice used his conflict resolution experience to sell a training package to public schools. A woman transitioning out of an insurance brokerage created and sold seminars on long term care financing at local retirement centers.

3. Reduce expenses

Apart from fixed expenses - mortgage, taxes, insurance, etc. –are discretionary expenses that make up the larger part of budgets. Doing a careful analysis of these expenses and choosing what you can forego for awhile can often save thousands per year.
Carefully analyzing hidden expenses – credit card interest rates, bank charges, late fees, auto debits, phone plans – or “lost money” from low interest rates on savings may generate several thousand more per year.

4. Borrow

It isn’t necessary to wait to borrow for start-up costs until you have a well-documented idea to submit for a business loan. Refinancing a home or taking a line of credit are relatively low-cost ways of generating capital. Depending on your credit rating, you can also get time-limited low-interest loans from credit card companies.
If you choose this option, applying for loans or refinancing packages while you’re still employed is strongly advised. Your rating as a borrower declines quickly once the regular paychecks stop.

You don’t have to wait!

Get started on your new business idea while you’re still employed. Several of the all-important first steps (below) can be started while standing in the grocery line or running on the treadmill. They involve asking yourself some questions and doing some informal research to get crystal clear about your idea. This can take weeks off your actual start-up time.

5. Identify your niche.

Think about the services you’re uniquely qualified to provide, as well as the ones you most enjoy providing. Be specific! Write them down! Then think about what group of people would get benefit from those services and have the ability to pay for them. Again, be specific: age, where they congregate, habits and values, how they define the problem your services are going to solve. If you don’t know, ask. Find someone who fits your “ideal client” profile (s/he may be on the treadmill next to yours at the gym) and get permission to ask some questions. People generally love to be helpful.

6. Create your marketing plan.

Don’t be intimidated by the term “marketing plan”. While what you need from a marketing plan will get more sophisticated as your business develops, for now it simply means answering the question, How is my business going to make money? What is the product or service you’re going to sell? How will you describe it so people quickly recognize the value? How will you package it? (fee for service? by the project? on retainer?) How will you price it? (What’s being charged for comparable services? What “feels right” to you?)

7. Manage fear!

For most people, anything involving money involves some level of fear. It’s important to acknowledge to yourself and to others that you are taking a risk, and you’ve decided it’s a risk you want to take. So consider the fear natural, and find ways to manage it.
Getting support from people who believe in you and in what you’re embarking on is #1 in fear-management tactics. Don’t assume that you’ll get it from the people closest to you, or that if you don’t have it you shouldn’t proceed. They’re probably the ones most impacted by your decision and so may be least ready to offer support. Their consent – a willingness to go along with your plan – is helpful, but support may have to come later.
It’s also helpful to set a goal (and a date for completion) that’s key to your new venture – arrange financing by a particular date, or sign a lease – and announce it to at least one person. You’ll find that making that commitment, saying it out loud, and following through will in turn generate more confidence and more forward momentum.

To all of you who are tired of marching to someone else’s drum and are eager to go solo, these strategies should help you take prudent but positive steps toward realizing your goal. Good luck!

About the author: Nina Ham is an internationally certified women’s business coach and a licensed psychotherapist. Her company, Success from the Inside Out, provides programs and services essential for anyone making the salaried-to-solo transition, including niche identification, marketing fundamentals, and self management for solo professionals.

2007-10-03T02:13:00.000-07:00

The Best Time to Day Trade the
Forex Market

The three major forex trading 'sessions' are as follows (all in Eastern Standard Time):

1. New York open 7:00 AM to 4:00 PM 2. Japanese/Australian open 7:00 PM to 3:00 AM 3. London open 3:00 AM to 11:00 AM

** Often, the best times to trade is at the beginning 3-5 hours of the above mentioned opening times, because the major currency pairs tend to move the most in a particular direction. Especially when there are economic news releases.

THE ABSOLUTE BEST TIME TO TRADE IS FROM 3 AM TO 11 AM EST.

The New York and London trading sessions overlap between 7 and 11 am EST. The volatility is much higher and trading opportunities are much more frequent with bigger moves, especially in these four hours.

The currency pair that moves the most during these hours are the Usd/Chf (#1), then the Gbp/Usd, then the Eur/Usd, then the Usd/Jpy.

This is when you can make 30-100 pips trading in just a few minutes or hours, using any of our strategies in any time frame, especially around news releases.

If you need help in converting EST time zone to your time zone, please use this world time zone converter

DAILY FORECAST WEBSITES

First thing in the morning, I go to http://www.fxstreet.com to check out some forecasts and news release times for the day. I always check before I start trading and I write down the support/resistance, trend, trading range, target highs & lows, news release times, etc. on my Daily Trading Sheet, which is provided in the Day Trade Forex Advanced course.

This is an interesting forecast site that I also like

Another place to find out when the world economic news releases are: http://www.forexnews.com and scroll down to the bottom of the website for the list of the current week news releases that impact the Forex markets.

Most often, the economic news release is scheduled for 8:30 AM EST. If you are in a trade at this time, make sure you have your stop loss at a place you are happy with. The volatility is scary and fast, but if you aren't already in a trade, you can jump in once you see the major trend, usually after the first 5-15 minutes. Look at a 30 min chart to see the major trend.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Most of the forex brokerages have now stopped guaranteeing their stops during fundamental news release times, as the volatility is so extreme, that the price can often move faster than their servers can keep up with. Thus, please be very aware that getting into and out of a trade when you want, can sometimes be next to impossible. You can possibly encounter several things during news release times: whipsaw of the price, slippage, freezing of the platform, disconnects, re-quotes of price, loss of money, etc. Don't bother calling up any dealing desk to complain, as they are all now distancing themselves from this problem, and they all have a disclaimer on their websites. It is a buyer-beware type of situation. If you choose to play the news, you have to be aware of it's risks. The rewards can be very great in just a few minutes, or it can go against you. Make sure that you immediately put in your stop.

About the author: Erol Bortucene and Cynthia Macy are co-authors of 'The Day Trade Forex System: The Ultimate Step-By-Step Guide To Online Currency Trading'.

2007-09-30T00:35:00.000-07:00

HealthSmarts: 10 steps to a good physical

WASHINGTON, June 14 (UPI) -- For years, the routine physical has been a standard of American healthcare. As children, we were reluctantly dragged into pediatricians' office every summer sometime before the first day of school. Most of us continue this tradition into adulthood, scheduling that once-a-year appointment with our physicians.

With American healthcare becoming more fragmented, many patients are questioning the need for the yearly physical. I hear more patients grumbling that the physical is a "waste of time" and that "they don't do anything there anyway." Usually, the appointments are "too rushed" and patients complain that "I had to see a doctor I have never seen before."

Let's be honest: How often do we remember to schedule that yearly appointment? While many of the complaints about today's appointments are valid, ignoring our health because of a faulty system only hurts us in the long run. Our bodies require as much preventive maintenance as our cars and homes.

In the current healthcare system, patients will have to be more proactive about their own health. I still believe in the yearly physical but would recommend that patients learn to prepare for their appointment just as they would prepare for a business meeting or interview.

Here are 10 useful steps:

1. Do your homework

When scheduling the appointment for your physical, it is a good idea to do a little homework first. First, research your physician and determine the type of physical you would like. Would you like to be seen by a physician specializing in internal medicine or family practice? Maybe as a female you would like someone specializing in women's health. Finally, an emerging group of integrative medicine physicians offer more comprehensive and lengthier physicals. The type of physician you choose is dependent upon your own medical needs and values.

Pre-physical homework also includes scheduling the appointment with your physician of choice and clarifying the amount of time that you will have with your physician. Will this be a 10-minute appointment or an hourlong appointment? If the appointment time seems too short, you can ask for more time with the doctor. Not only will this give you more time to discuss your health concerns, it will also prepare the physician for a longer appointment.

2. Take a pre-physical self-inventory

The days and weeks prior to your appointment are a wonderful time to take an inventory of your own health. I advise keeping a 1-2 week record of your sleep patterns and exercise frequency. For a couple of days, record your diet history by writing down everything you eat and drink. Think about your family history and write down any illnesses that have affected immediate relatives. Pay attention to areas of pain and discomfort in your body.

3. Prepare a list of questions

Yes, it is true -- many physician appointments today are rushed. In addition to your self-inventory, I would also write down a list of questions that you have about your health. If your doctor seems hurried or your appointment rushed, then you can refer back to this list, helping to keep the appointment more focused.

4. Arrive on time or early

An early arrival ensures that the process of registering will not eat into your appointment time. This also gives you more time to relax before being rushed into the examining room.

5. Make use of your homework

So, after all the homework and preparation, the big moment has arrived. Your physician enters the room, and your physical begins. This is your chance to show off your homework. Even if your physician does not ask for your self-inventory, I would show it to her and ask for her opinions. I would go through the questions on your list and listen carefully to any concerns that the physician may have. Most importantly, when confused about information, ask for clarification. Don't be shy to repeat questions or to ask for additional explanation.

6. Take notes and write down recommendations

It is easy to forget medical information and become confused about recommendations. Take notes and write everything down, so that after the appointment, there is no confusion.

7. Obtain all screening exams

Your physician will likely perform or recommend specific screening exams dependent on your age and gender. For example, all women need monthly breast exams and yearly Pap smears, while men need testicular exams. Both men and women should have a skin exam, looking for new moles or any irregular changes in pigmentation. Blood pressure and cholesterol screening should be conducted in men and women every year. Women need mammograms after age 40, while men need prostate cancer screening. Finally, screening exams for colon cancer are done in women and men after age 50.

I have mentioned only the most common screening exams, but your physician may recommend additional exams and lab tests. Again, always clarify if you are confused about why you are obtaining certain tests.

8. Ask about follow-up visits.

If certain health issues are discovered during the physical, your physician may want you to schedule a follow-up appointment. You may want an additional appointment for concerns that may not have been addressed.

9. Remember to follow up on all lab results

It is a good idea to call the office a few days after your appointment to obtain your lab or radiology results. Again, ask questions if any of the results seem confusing.

10. Keep records of the visit

Keeping your own medical records is important, particularly if you change physicians next year or move to another location. Physicians always appreciate patients who can provide them with records of their health.

With a little preparation, your yearly physical does not have to be a "waste of time." Rather, it can provide you with important information about your health and arm you with preventive strategies for the future. So, don't delay -- make that next appointment and take advantage of the opportunity to re-evaluate your health.

About the Author: Dr. Bhatia is a physician and fellow at the University of Arizona Program in Integrative Medicine. She has practiced pediatric emergency medicine for seven years and is certified in holistic medicine, nutrition and acupuncture. She is a recurring medical guest on CNN/Headline News.

2007-09-30T00:28:00.000-07:00

How To Spot A Credit Card Scam

Credit card scams are more common that people know. Often time, companies prey on consumers who have bad credit or less than perfect credit. For many, creditors are not knocking down your door, offering you a great deal on a credit card.

Unfortunately, the credit card offers that you may be receiving may seem like legitimate offers. Often times, these types of credit cards come with extremely high interest rates, inflated fees and other crazy terms.

These companies are hoping that you are trying to repair your damaged credit and want the conveniences of carrying a credit card with you. So what they do is mail out offers that look like legitimate offers for either a MasterCard or Visa. They first let you know that you have been pre-approved. Then they really get your attention by offering you a pre-approved credit card with a $5000 line of credit that requires no security deposit. In actuality they are usually credit cards that can be used at only specific catalogue clubs or store clubs.

Because you may be desperate to own a credit card you may ignore the fact the offer sound too good to be true and jump on any offer you receive in the mail. Make sure that you really read all the fine print in these offers you receive in the mail. Before you commit to anything look very thoroughly through the offer.

Most credit card scams start with a great opening line like, "you have been pre approved for a MasterCard with up to a $5,000 credit limit". They try to make it sound very simple. They ask you to check the printed information on the application and make sure all the information is correct. Then just sign the application and mail it back to them. Then they will verify your personal information and promptly mail out your new credit card.

However, if you thoroughly read over the document, you will realize that this is not a regular MasterCard credit card. Instead, you can only use this credit card to make purchase through a special online catalogue or in a special store. The credit card cannot be used anywhere else. The types of products you can purchase with these credit cards are off brand house ware products and electronics.

The usual catch to the scam can be found by further reading the offer. They usually require you to mail them a money order for $299 to activate the offer. They usually offer reassurances that you will get that money back with special offers or discounts from the company when you make your first purchase on your new credit card. Annual fees of additional hundreds of dollars are also added to the credit cards by some of the companies out there, and that is on top of the of the extremely high activation fee. Hopefully the more you read the less appealing the offer sounds.

Most of these types of credit card offers will charge you upward of 45% interest, which is obscenely high. So it is vital that you have read all the information contained in credit card offers.

The best advice you can receive for an offer like this is to just throw it out! Your money would be better spent on getting a secured credit card instead of paying their activation fees. You can easily get a real Visa or MasterCard with a security deposit. And by going the way of a secured credit card you will actually begin repairing your credit through the major credit bureaus. Make sure you keep this in the back of your mind when you find credit card offers in your mailbox.

About the Author: Darren Allsop, My informational web site specialises in supplying hints and ideas on picking the greatest credit cards including where to get the lowest interest rates.

2007-09-28T20:34:00.000-07:00

A new and better way for Pensions

We are told that the pensions crisis is due to our living longer than politicians' desire and having too few young people working creatively.

The truth is a bit different. The Government now provides useless and destructive employment for a vast army of bureaucrats, in order to make the dole queues look small. We have fewer and fewer people working to produce what we need. Those productive people, are working harder and harder and producing less and less. At the same time, people are able to buy less and less, without going into debt.

Nevertheless the chosen productive few, work so well that vast surpluses, which they can create, will not sell and only earn for those workers so little, that saving is impossible.

A failure to observe reality and instead, to succumb to political propaganda, allows us to believe that we had best not grow to full maturity, but to retire from the game of life, nice and early.

The pensions crisis looks very real and looks quite lethal.

Fortunately we can, if we wish, observe reality and take notice of how our Statesmen should behave correctly.

Our Statesmen have become experts at getting things wrong. Their biggest crime is to devise a corrupt and unworkable Monetary System.

Our Statesmen agree amongst themselves, that ordinary mortals cannot be trusted with the task of creating and issuing the currency. They know for certain sure, that if they were to undertake this task, they would over create and give us all, runaway inflation.

As Denis Healey, the then Chancellor of the Exchequer, once told me, "Doctor Hamlyn, I have never understood money and I never shall".

It is no good expecting those who have never understood money, not to create trouble for pensioners. Likewise trouble is not necessary and we can handle, a seeming problem, merely by understanding money.

We need to understand money, because when there is a difficulty with understanding money, the creation of new money gets handed over to the experts. Politicians have given the bankers, that responsibility, believing that being experts at making money, bankers are the best people to create new money.

Bankers actually make money by lending money, therefore it comes very naturally to bankers, to lend new money into existence.

Governments allow bankers to issue new money as credit.

New money is now created by individuals and by businesses accepting credit as a loan and then the law states that money is owed.

It is new money which is owed, new, because it was credit before being accepted as a loan.

Individuals, businesses and nations get ever deeper into debt as a result of calling credit money.

If you stop and think, you will realise that it is impossible to save credit, or to salt credit away in a pension fund. New money, which is actually credit in disguise, gives us debt as our currency. Fair trading is impossible when the currency is debt. Fair Trading is replaced by commercial warfare.

We call it a rat race, which is a race which can only be run before you retire. Once you retire you automatically become a loser in the rat race. But you can do something about it. Get your M.P. to attend one of my seminars, so as to understand money and relieve the bankers of their burden. Then we can have real money as currency and manage without debt.

There is life without debt. But without money we die.

About the Author: Dr Hamlyn is a founding member of the Royal College of General Practitioners, a veteran of WW II, retired farmer and practicing medical doctor.

2007-09-27T23:42:00.000-07:00

Business bonds for greater good

Most of the businesses in the recent times have affiliates that they carry out their business with. These companies come together in order to meet a certain purpose whether it's a part of a better marketing plan or it is for the cause of a charitable organization. The affiliates have to have one binding factor due to which they come together.

If you are beginning your own business, develop a network of business affiliates. This network will allow you to boost interest in your business and develop a list of potential clients. Choose business affiliates that will allow you a mutual working relationship. Regardless of the type of business you look to begin, there are affiliates available in all areas of the market.

One of the best places to identify the business, organization or the charity to serve as your business affiliate is to look at the local chamber of commerce. Whatever you are on a lookout for, clinching clients, prospective partners, you will find them all here. It also provides a great boost to your business especially if you have just ventured out in the world of business. Undoubtedly, you can capitalize a lot from this resource.

Ask your friends, family members, coworkers, or neighbors for potentially affiliate information. You will find having affiliates to share in your business endeavors will promote your business and provide you with more clients. Find a business in relation to yours in order to develop an affiliate association.

Take the sign making business, for instance. If that's what you are doing, you should choose to affiliate with someone in the marketing and advertising field. This way both the parties can profit from a mutually beneficial alliance. You should look out for businesses that will help you boost your business by expanding your client list.

While seeking affiliates you must consider charitable organizations. It is a sound proposition at various levels. You can give back to your community and help others through giving. And, you can develop your business because these charitable affiliate associations offer many advertising and marketing opportunities. For instance, if you are beginning a construction business, you can form an affiliate relationship with a charity like Habitat for Humanity.

In addition, you can seek help from your business affiliates to provide a specific product or service. That is one of the main reasons why most businesses form affiliate relationships with companies or corporations in the first place. If you have regular dealings with a local printing shop, for instance, you should form an affiliate relationship with them. You will give them clients in return for discounted rates on their services and they will do the same for you.

It is important that once you have decided on an affiliate, make the relationship work, as this is a great way to ensure the growth of a fledgling business. A great method to ensure this relationship works is to make your goods and services privy to the clients.

About the author: Agatha Kohn writes exclusively for At Affiliates, visit there today for the latest Affiliates advice, and while you're there sign up for the free newsletter.

2007-09-27T04:09:00.000-07:00

Rental Property Investment -
Finding The Properties

Rental property investment starts with finding the best deals. To do this, you can increase your odds by finding more deals. Who's more likely to get a cheap apartment building, an investor that looks through the MLS listings and calls it a day, or the one that uses ten resources? Here are those ten:

1. Look in old papers to find "For Rent" ads. Call if they are a few weeks old. The landlord may be ready to sell, especially if he hasn't yet rented the units out.

2. Look up old FSBO ads. Call on two-month-old "For sale By Owner" ads, and if they haven't sold, they may be ready to deal. Owners often give up the effort, but still would love to sell. Help them out!

3. Drive around looking for "For Sale By Owner" signs. Owners often don't want to pay to keep the ad in the paper every week, so you won't see all properties there.

4. Find abandoned properties. That's a pretty clear sign that the owner doesn't want to deal with the property. He might sell cheap.

5. Talk. Let people know you are looking and sometimes the properties will come to you. There are a lot of owners out there who want to sell, but haven't yet listed their property.

6. Talk to bankers. You might get a foreclosed rental property cheaper if you buy it before they list it with a real estate agent.

7. Offer someone a finder's fee. There are people that always seem to hear about the good deals. Have such people coming to you.

8. Eviction notices. If your local papers publish eviction notices, or if you can get the information at the courthouse, it can be useful. A landlord who just went through the procees of evicting tenants is a likely seller.

9. Use the internet. Go to a search engine and enter the type of real estate you are looking for, along with the city you want to invest in. You never know what you might find.

10. Put an ad in the paper. "Looking for rental properties to buy," might be sufficient to generate a few calls.

There is a lot more to learn to do it right, but finding good properties is a good place to start for rental property investment.

About The Author: Steve Gillman has invested in real estate for years. To get a free real estate investing course, and see a photo of a beautiful house he and his wife bought for $17,500.

2007-09-27T03:45:00.000-07:00

The Top Ten Tips For Auction Success

If you were to look through eBay, or any other online auction site for that matter,you would find that many people make some very basic mistakes. And, they repeat these mistakes over and over again. As indicated in my book "eBay Marketing Wholesale SourcePak" with a little common sense these mistakes are completely preventable. So to prevent you from making these very same mistakes I have put together the Top Ten Tips For Auction Success.

10. Shipping
Always state what your shipping price will be. And, Do Not try to rip off your buyers by inflating the shipping price to increase your profit. Believe it or not, people do have a fair idea of what shipping costs should be. If they feel you are inflating your shipping price they will not bid on your item and may not look at any of your other auctions either from fear of being ripped off.

9. Customer Support
You must respond to all emails regarding your auctions. Yes, responding to emails is time consuming. But, if you don't, that potential bidder will look elsewhere for the product and you will have lost yourself a customer.

8. Reserve Price
Do your research on the price for your item. If you must use a reserve price keep it real. If you over price your item you will not get as many bids. And, while all good marketers know there is a time and place for the Reserve Auction, you may actually get more bids using no reserve pricing at all. Do your research to help you make this decision.

7. Item Condition
You must let bidders know what condition your item is in. Is it new and in it's packaging, or used but like new condition. Does it have any imperfections they should be made aware of. A potential bidders will want to know what condition your item is in before making any bids.

6. Terms
This could come under the heading Customer Service. If you have terms on your auction page that read something like this "Not Responsible For Item Once Shipped" or "Item Sold As Is" you will get less bidders for that auction. Be a responsible eBayer, have insurance on the item that your buyer can purchase. And be sure to have some sort of guarantee on your products.

5. Feedback
One of the most important parts of your eBay Business. Feedback is a method eBay uses to allow buyers and sellers to record their experiences with each other. Then, others can check out the feedback of any eBayer they wish to deal with, to see if there has been any negative comments left. Therefore, it is extremely important to keep your feedback rating positive.

4. Auction Start/Close Time
You must plan your auction start/close time around the bidders you wish to attract to your auction. If the product you are selling appeals to the working woman, the best time to start/end your auction would be in the evening or on the weekend. Always create a profile on your product and what group of the population you are selling to.

3. Item Description
Not enough information or too much rambling of information will discourage people from bidding. So too will to many typos. Your item description must be clean and concise. Succinctly provide all the information required to describe the item sufficiently and create buyer interest.

2. Image
You need to use an image on your auction page. Remember a picture is worth a 1000 words! Potential bidders will want to see what the item looks like before they make a bid. With digital cameras, being so affordable these days adding an image to your auction page is easier then ever. But, make sure the image is clear and well lit to show it's detail or any imperfections it may have. Also, keep the image at a reasonable pixel size so your auction page doesn't take to long to load.

1. Headlines
This is the most important issue for getting more bidders to your auction page. You must include words that people will search on eBay. And, you must make your headline enticing, so potential bidders will click it. If you are selling an antique make-up table a headline saying old vanity table would not pull in a lot of bidders. But, if you said something like "Vintage Vanity Table - Mint Condition - Collectors Item" not only would you get more potential bidders to view your auction, you would also be using words people would search eBay for. Your auction title would appear in searches for Vintage, Vanity Tables, Collectors Items. Therefore, allowing even more potential bidders to see your headline.

About the Author: Joe Clare is an active Netpreneur and eBayer! He is the author of numerous articles on how to make money online and be successful on eBay! Check out his latest Best Selling eBook "eBay Marketing Wholesale SourcePak" Your Passport to Success!

2007-09-25T21:49:00.001-07:00

Why You Must Get Started On
Your Business Plan

A business plan is a clear course of action for small and large businesses. Without a clear plan, it is nearly impossible to win the favor of an investor. You can also forget about a bank loaning you money. Even though you've mapped out your business plan in your head, it still needs to be presented in black and white.

It is critical that you plan properly for making decisions, setting priorities, and training management. This means you need more than a bunch of numbers. You will need some hard facts. Planning requires an equal balance between detail and concept.

Writing a business plan requires you to acquire as much information as possible on the materials you're selling; as well as your target market. To do this, you need to invest in magazine articles, journals, business literature, and even information from the Small Business Association. Read literature that is inspiring but factual, so that you know 'how to' drive the market into your place of business. You'll need to know 'what steps' to take, and 'who' would be interested in what you're selling.

You can start writing your plan once you have gathered all of the relevant information. The Internet has sites offering business plan templates in case you feel overwhelmed or confused by the whole process.

After the information has been assembled, it is time to begin writing. If you don't know where to begin, look on the Internet for business plan templates to help you on your way.

In order for your business plan to be accurate and within reason, you will need to collect a wide range of materials. The information provided in this article is a starting point. I believe this basic material will give you a good place to start without becoming overwhelmed.

You want your information to be accurate and relevant, so you will have to pool data from diverse sources. This article is a nice starting point, but you will need to probe much deeper.

Business Name: List the type of industry you want to go into. Develop a name that has a special flare to it, and research that name. Is your business name unique? Does it inform your prospective customers of what you do? While researching, don't forget to analyze "what is in a name".

Business Name: Write down the kind of field you have interest in joining. You want a name that people will remember. Once you think you have one, do some research to make sure that no one is already using it. Next, ask yourself it tells people what kind of business you have.

Cost of Equipment/Supplies: To list what your business needs are, you need to know what it is going to cost you to set up. Take account of the equipment your competitor has in his business. Find a distributor to provide you with a quote for your business equipment and supplies. Next, evaluate what is necessary to start your business, and what you can purchase at a later date.

The Location of Your Business: Location! Everything in business is about location. Where you're located will affect your profitability. If there are two restaurants in a strip mall and you're one of them, the likelihood of your restaurant succeeding or stealing the market is extremely low. However, a Family Style Diner verses a Chinese Chop House will increase your odds.

Management and Staff: Every investor wants to know how you plan to keep your employee cost down. During the first 3 to 5 years, the most critical time of your business, the less cost you have, the more business equity you can build. Think about who will be your key team players, and how much you plan to pay them for their services.

Keeping Sensible Notes

Your contribution to developing a business plan, time and research, is valuable to those who assist you near the end. Investors and banks want to know that "you know your stuff". Coming into a business endeavor without any background in the industry or research is a huge mistake. Immediately investors and banks think you're not serious.

First impressions are important! Your goal is to win over the investor or banker. Make them believe in your dream, and understand what makes your business unique. Showing up with a legal pad and notes will not be impressive.

All information should have its place within your business plan. Prepare yourself by asking questions and then supplying the answers. Edit your business plan for grammatical and spelling errors.

About the author: Vlad Ehrsam is the chief writer at Full Info on Business, there's a wealth of knowledge on the website, plus why not sign up for the free Business newsletter.

2007-09-25T20:57:00.002-07:00

Shop Safely - How to Protect Yourself When Shopping Online

Online shopping offers many benefits that you won’t find shopping in a brick and mortar store or by mail. The Internet is always open seven days a week and 24 hours a day. Internet-only deals and bargains can be numerous online. Shopping on the Internet is no less safe than shopping in a store or by mail. Keep the following tips in mind to help ensure that your online shopping experience is a safe one.

1. While Online Order Only On A Secure Server.

Use a secure browser and shop only at websites that offer encryption protection. A protected website will have one or more of these three features:

a) The small lock or key symbol at the bottom of your browser window;

b) An address that starts with https ("s" for "secure") instead of just http; and

c) A security warning box that pops up at the point of purchase.

Your browser should comply with industry security standards, such as Secure Sockets Layer (SSL). These standards scramble the purchase information you send over the Internet, helping to secure your transaction.

2. Pay The Safest Way.

Use a credit card or Debit Card with a safe online shopping guarantee. Look for a card with specific guarantees, like 100% coverage for any losses due to fraud when shopping on the Internet. Many companies offer an online shopping guarantee that ensures you will not be held responsible for any unauthorized charges made online, and some cards may provide additional warranty, return and/or purchase protection benefits.

3. Protect Your Privacy.

Look for and read a website's privacy and security policy. Stay clear of a website that either doesn't have one or does not guarantee your personal information will not be sold. This policy should disclose what information is being collected on the Web site and how that information is being used.

4. Know Who You're Dealing With.

Research your merchant. Look at the ratings consumers give them and stay clear of websites that either aren't listed or receive poor marks. Shop with companies you know. Anyone can set up shop online under almost any name. If you’re not familiar with a merchant, ask for a paper catalogue or brochure to get a better idea of their merchandise and services. Also, determine the company’s refund and return policies before you place your order. These should be posted on the company’s Web site.

5. Keep A Record.

Print out a copy of your order and confirmation number for your records. Reputable merchants will usually send you an email confirming your order. However a hard copy is always good to have in case your order is lost, deleted or not delivered as promised.

6. Guard Your Online Password.

Keep your password(s) private. Be creative when you establish a password, and never share your website passwords with anyone. Write them down and store them in a safe place. Avoid using a telephone number, birth date or a portion of your Social Security number. Instead, use a combination of numbers, letters and symbols. Do not use the same username and password at every website. Should your personal information be compromised, a thief won't get very far if you use different passwords and usernames on different websites.

7. Track Your Purchases.

Use only one credit card to shop with online. This helps keep track of your online purchases during the holidays, and will make it easier to spot purchases that are fraudulent. Look for a card that allows you to review transactions online as well -- you'll be more likely to notice a problem early on.

8. Keep Personal Information Private.

Don't enter more information at a merchant website than is absolutely necessary. There is usually no reason why you should have to supply information such as birth dates or Social Security numbers when making a purchase. Fill in only the bare essentials necessary to make your purchase. If you have children, teach them to check with you before giving out personal – or family – information online.

2007-09-21T02:13:00.000-07:00

Make Money From Your Own ATM
Machine Business

As financial technology is improving at an ever-increasing rate, there is less and less need for individuals to carry large amounts of cash on them to buy things they may need. In fact, it seems the younger generation has moved to almost entirely electronic transactions where no physical money is ever used. However, in this world of credit and debit cards, there will always be a need for good old-fashioned cash and a smart businessman can make a nice profit supplying cash to those who underestimate the need for it by simply placing and managing automated teller machines (or ATMs).

The mobile ATM machines you see in gas stations and bars are usually not owned by banks, but rather by individuals just like you and me. So how can you benefit from this shift in how people view cash? Here are some tips on what you need before investing in your own ATM machine business:

Location, Location, Location – You’ll need to find a location to put your ATM. Look for a spot that gets good foot traffic and people are buying things. If you already own a business, then this may be the perfect fit. Seasonal events such as fairs and festivals are also prime locations for mobile ATMs. If you don’t own a business or high traffic area, consider offering a free ATM to a business that could use one. Many small business owners don’t consider getting an ATM because they think it is expensive. As you become more experienced, you’ll have a good idea of how much you might make from a given location and may even afford to rent a location to place an ATM machine.

Start Small – It’s possible to ease into the ATM business as many machines can be rented for $100 or less per month. There’s no need to get a huge loan and start spending tons of money right away. Learn the ropes, get some experience and build your income with good solid low-risk investments.

Get Good Advice – Due to the low cost of entry into the ATM industry, there are those companies that offer free ATMs and then try to stick you with huge service fees and hidden charges. Partnering with a knowledgeable company that has been around for a while will save you a great deal of time and money. ATMs are a relatively simple business, but there are things to consider, such as how to stock the machine with cash, how to administer the machine, ATM insurance and more. A knowledgeable ATM services company can teach you how to do these things right the very first time. After all, why try to learn everything from scratch if you don’t have to?

To summarize, the ATM industry is hotter than ever and now is a great time to get your piece of the profits. Especially if you already have a business or special event that gets good foot traffic, you really can’t go wrong with setting up an ATM machine as another stream of income for yourself or your business.

Mobile Money has provided automated teller machine rentals for high traffic locations and special events across the United States for the last decade. Mobile Money also offers a free portable atm program for qualified locations.

2007-09-21T01:56:00.001-07:00

Building Wealth When Refinancing Your Home Loan

Many a homeowner has seriously contemplated getting a cash-out refinance loan with the hopes of landing a lower rate, saving up to $300 smacks a month and getting some cash in hand to spend as ones pleases. Who wouldn't want to lower their current home mortgage rate, save on monthly interest rate charges and have cash to pocket for immediate purchases, home remodeling, or purchasing a new car? Fact is most of us might think we're putting ourselves in a better position by getting more of the things we need and want. But that would depend largely on what we're actually doing with the cash in hand and the monthly mortgage payments savings wouldn't it?

Most would admit that getting what you want is not half as important as building a nest egg. Others strongly believe that building wealth is essential. The fact is doing what you can to live a fairly stable and secure life is what making and saving money is supposed to be all about. Yet the average amount of credit card debt per household is close to $10000 with many families as much as 40-50,000 in debts. Most families cannot come up with that kind of money over a ten-year period. The saddest aspect of this scenario is that most don’t realize that whenever they have an amount of money charged on their credit card what they are actually doing is borrowing money with the promise of paying it back later. That promise comes with an additional charge of fees and interest.

Therefore the average credit card holder is borrowing money on a weekly basis. It has to be said that borrowing money has become a daily part of life for many households. So how can you get out of credit card debt, maintain a nest egg and commence building wealth at the same time? The key to getting out of debt and building wealth is three-fold.

1. Stop borrowing money so often.

2. Save money when borrowing.

3. If you must borrow money build wealth with some it.

Paying Off Credit Card Debt

Paying off credit card debt is not something to procrastinate with. The sooner it's done the less money you'll lose and more you'll have to save. One way to payoff credit card debt is with a home equity loan or cash out home refinance loan. When many refinance with the cash out option the tendency is to spend the cash. Some have even had the thought that paying off debts, saving and or investing the funds breaks the rules of getting cash back when refinancing. Nothing could be farther from the truth.

Let's say you opt for the cash out refinance program now being offered by most mortgage lenders. Cash out home loan refinancing allows you to refinance your mortgage for more than you owe and then pocket the difference in the form of cash. This can be ideal for paying off credit card debt, funding college education, investing in a thriving market or pursuing a practical business venture. You use the cash as you wish.

How Does Cash Out Home Refinancing Work?

A site designed to help consumers and low rate shoppers access low rate loan shopping resources, http://www.refinanceloanrates.fimark.net sites an example: "You currently owe $90,000 on a home that’s valued at $160,000. You are seeking to lower the interest rate. You also want $20,000 in pocketable cash. You refinance the mortgage for $110,000. This leaves you with a lower rate on the balance you owe on the house, and you pocket $20,000 cash to use as you wish."

The lower rate translates into monthly savings of up to $300 per month depending on the actual rate reduction and size of the mortgage. Now the questions is are you actually deeper in debt or have you beat the odds with respect to savings. It goes without saying you do now have a debt you owe. If you must borrow against your house, which is a risk in itself, by all means make some of that cash work for you. What you do with the $300 you save and the $20,000 in cash you've pocketed makes all the difference.

Wealth Building When Refinancing

Savings is not the whole advantage when refinancing. It's how you use the savings that counts. If you were able to save $65 per month and received interest on it (of just 6.5%), over 30 years (the length of most people's loans) you would have been able to build over $70,000 in wealth. That said refinance savings can give you the leverage you need to meet and exceed your financial goals.

Wealth Building Ideas When Refinancing

1. Invest in real estate property (get the grants - tax advantages and all the perks to go).

2. Start a simple but lucrative small business (low overhead essential) with a view to seeing a 300% return on your investments.

3. Invest in your education - get another degree or some form of certification and see a 200% increase in your income potential.

4. Invest in stocks - (buy low sell high).

5. Remember that many forms of investment, self and home improvement come with tax deduction advantages.

How much can you save when refinancing. Using a saving definitive calculator will give you the answer you’re looking for. A Refinance Savings Calculator, will help you to decide whether or not you should refinance your current mortgage at a lower interest rate. Show you how much you'll save monthly, annually and over the life of the loan.

Some refinancing savings calculator will tell you at what point in payments you break even given the cost of refinancing. Mortgage Loan Search lists useful calculation tools Refinance Savings Calculator features advise regarding breaking even and savings in its calculation results.

About the author: Mark Askew is the founder of the Mortgage Loan Search Financial Network.

2007-09-21T01:38:00.000-07:00

Business Communications -
Your Basket of Marketing Tools

Business communications. The phrase seems somehow elusive. Most small businesses know that they need to have it, but are a little confused about what business communications really is. The fact of the matter is that business communications is not just one thing. There are many things that fall under the umbrella of this term, and it is important to make use of them in any business.

Creating Web Copy

Probably the most important element of business communications is copywriting. It is used in all your advertising and for your website. Copywriting is how and what you say about your business, your products and your services. Effective copywriting is what gets a potential customer interested in your product and then makes him or her go out and buy it.

One aspect of copywriting is publicity. Publicity involves writing press releases which you then distribute in order to attract public attention and to generate positive coverage for your company.

As does writing newsletters for your customers helps you cultivate good customer relations while keeping them up to date on the latest happening and events at your company, like unique discount sales or new products or offers. And it creates a sense of belonging to a community, one that is always there.

Special products like brochures, flyers, and special publications also require copywriting. They are considered business communications as they are products specifically designed to catch the eye and stimulate business growth. These products are good to have in your arsenal, and copywriters are needed to effectively get your point across.

Business Correspondence

Business letters deal with the way you communicate with third parties, after all they keep you in business. This is why letters are so important to your business. You use them correspond with your clients and suppliers, and other organizations or people on a daily basis, for instance, by email, fax or use a courier or regular mail.

Internal Communications

This is any activity that takes place within your company. Memos and messages count as business communications, as do phone calls and meetings. Anytime you are communicating something that has to do with taking care of your company to others in the company, that is business communications. Keeping your employees informed and making sure that they fully understand your expectations is very important. It cuts down on misunderstandings and increases the productivity of the company. It also creates a much better atmosphere.

Promotional Items

Promotional items such as business cards, pens, tote bags, shirts, appointment books, key chains and toys all help draw attention to your business. They create awareness and interest which can translate into more business for your organization. Some of these items can be a bit over the top but nevertheless, they serve their purpose.

About the author: Vlad Ehrsam is the chief writer at Full Info on Business.