About Entrepreneurs

Author: James Lowe

There are actually many different ideas for making your money online. Some of them are obviously more lucrative than others, however. Also, there are many scams for supposedly making money online that don't really work, and you end up losing money.

Try the little ones, at first, that are extremely cheap, or free, to gain experience and knowledge. If you blow the big bucks, like $5,000 like I did, my guarantee is that you will be way too green and not knowledgeable enough to make them work, even if they are good. The reason for this is that problems will come up, like a strict schedule, everyday. Some you will be able to solve and some you won't have a chance to solve. These will sink you.

Knowledge and experience are king and queen in this business and you have to build them both in your mind, one by one, step by step. I don't mean to discourage you but I do mean to save you discouragement, time and money on the way.

As a general rule, if the online money making opportunity asks for money, it is probably not a good thing. On line surveys are probably the best example. Survey work is great but, if they want money for it, forget about it. The survey companies that are legitimate are good but virtually all free. Legitimate ways to make money online will not ask you for money to get the job. The only exception to this is for home businesses. Many home businesses require an upfront investment from you. If you decide that a home business is the best way to go for making money online, then you will probably have to spend some money to get started. However, many people have been very successful with home businesses.

Beware of web sites with businesses to sell that have lots of very powerful testimonials from satisfied users with their pictures plugged into the testimonials. Every experienced net worker knows that testimonials sell almost anything. The trick is that their networking friends give them lots of testimonials. These people are very talented and experienced, and can even make awful business opportunities work, but You are just beginning to learn so please don't blow your dough (money) till you are ready to handle the big tech problems that come with doing these ventures.

One way that people are making money online is by having several different income streams. This means that you do a bunch of things online that make a little bit of money, which turns out to be a reasonable amount of money when you add them all up. For instance, some people fill out surveys (see above), do some writing, read emails, sell things on Ebay or even do affiliate marketing. These are all ways to have multiple streams of income making money online.

There are actual jobs available online. However, there is a lot of tough competition for them. Telecommuting from home is one of the best ways for making money online. You need to have an excellent resume and to do a lot of research to find the companies that are hiring people with your skills.

To make money online, you have to find the opportunities. Search, search, search and you will find. Opportunities will not come looking for you. Until you are making the kind of money you would like to, don't quit your day job. Common sense and very valuable advice.

Author: Daniel Millions

When you are a parent with growing children and a tight budget, money is always on your mind. Can I put my children through college? Will I be able to tour the world after retirement? Should I get those sexy new sandals? All these questions compel you to do the math.

However, you may not always get the answers you want, but getting acquainted with the easy ways to make money will help you create equations that work for you.

Money may not grow on trees, as the old adage goes but certainly, there are lots of ways to make money without difficulty.

Here are good advices on how to save, earn, and divest your money. These things will help you get the income that you need in no time.

1. Take a "part time work"

Nowadays, earning money is not enough if based on the current job that you have. You simply cannot make the ends meet.

For this reason, it would be better if you will think of some ways to earn extra cash so as not to limit your finances on your monthly income. In this way, you can easily create money without having to leave your current job.

2. Go easy on the coin

Many people tend to overlook the value of money. For example, coins were never considered that important because they always see it as loose change. Hence, it is either you spend it or you give it to your children without knowing the value that it has.

It is just a simple computation. Coins do make a $1 bill. Hence, it has more value than those bills piling up on your wallet.

3. Tax your self

Make it a habit to impose some taxes on yourself every payday. After running down a feasible budget, evaluate the extra money that you have. Before you dash to the road and buy that new dress you have just seen from the boutique, it is best if you pay your taxes first — to your self, that is.

This is so easy to make. Every payday, you have to a lot a certain portion of your salary into the piggy bank. For instance, you may take out $100 each month or you may start with a little amount, say, $20.

Doing this again and again will not only let you make easy money but you are saving something for you own expense instead of having those bills pad up in a nearby coffee shop.

At the end of the year, you will be amazed how $1200 or $240 was easily created. You will never really notice it growing as you pay your self each month.

4. Get an extra income online

With online moneymaking scheme, you can easily make money in a jiffy. With a good set of computers and a reliable Internet service provider, the flow of money will easily run to you.

With online business, home-based jobs, affiliate marketing, PPC or pay-per-click advertising, networking, and stuffs like that, you can easily create additional income in simple ways.

5. Advertise your area of expertise

If you are into cooking and baking, try to make a dozen and sell them to earn extra cash. Alternatively, if you are into writing, try to incorporate those words and sell your own book, on a paperbound or virtual version.

The point here is that if you have a talent, try to make the most of it. You can never really identify its worth if you will not make money out of it.

6. Make money out of a hobby

Are you fond of crocheting? Do you love making cross-stitch patterns? If you do, then it is time that you earn money out of it.

Hobbies may mean time to relax from work. However, if you will just think about it, you can really make money out of those cross-stitch patterns or afghan crochet by selling them to your friends or relatives.

7. Put aside your refunds

By the end of year, employees usually have a refund on their leave credits or expenses that they have accumulated in a travel or just by amusing the customers. When that time comes, you may not have some current expenses or bills to pay.

So, instead of cashing them out or using them in a shopping spree, why not save them instead? The point here is that if you have extra money and you simply do not have any important items to pay for it, and then do not spend it.

8. Make your own product

This means that you have to create your own business. You can start by taking lessons on simple-to-prepare products that can trigger moneymaking potentials.

For example, you can enroll yourself in a soap-making class. Usually, you will only need small capital to start your business. then try the first batch with your friends, family, and relatives. You will be amazed on the results.

9. Control spending

This may be one of the easiest money making scheme you will ever do. The problem with most people who say they cannot save is that they are so busy spending money. Therefore, if you take control on your spending habits, you may even end up being a millionaire some day.

10. Never believe on get rich quick scheme

The bottom line is that even if it is true that there are easy ways to make money, you just have to believe that it will take some time to see those bills grow.

Remember that money does not grow on trees. So believing that you can get rich now is an understatement. You have to work it out to earn money. Keep in mind that it takes determination and persistence to earn a living.

Author: Martin Boyd

Most people don't have time to learn all of the skills they need to have in order to excel at every aspect of their work at home business, nor do they have the finance to be able to pay for expert help in the areas where they are lacking in ability. This is one of the areas where networking within the local work at home business community can pay off in a big way.

Whilst you may not be able to create the illustration your client needs on his advertising campaign, or the custom paintwork he wants on his car, you do have your own area of expertise. This is a marketable asset and a negotiating tool that you can use with another work at home business owner who possesses the skills you lack and has a need for the skills you have.

Create a list of the skills you need to provide a first class service in your chosen work at home business. Use this list to identify the skills that you don't have, or any which you may have some ability in but not to a high enough level of proficiency. Once you know what skills you lack, look though the local work at home business directory, or flick through the yellow pages for small business owners who will have these skills and then approach them with a view to collaborating with them. You will provide your skills when needed for their projects and in return they will do the same for you.

Once you find someone who fits your perfect collaborating partner, set out some rules for your collaboration together. Consider how much warning you would each need for taking on part of the other's project. How will you keep records of the length of time/number of projects you have each worked on for the other - how will you handle the situation if one of you makes more use of the other? How will you deal with the extra work if the person you are collaborating with doesn't have the time to help you because of overload on their own books? Make sure that both of you are happy with the rules and then have these printed up as a collaboration contract which you both sign. You may want to have a collaboration agreement with more than one person so that you should be always able to have access to the skills you need to complete your project on time.

Having secured a collaboration agreement, you can now highlight these added skills by increasing your menu of services your work at home business provides to its clients. You always need to keep in mind however that you may be called upon at any time to help out your collaboration partner with their own workload, so if you are approached with a tight deadline it's wise to consult with them before accepting the project.

Not everyone needs a collaboration partner, but if your work at home business could benefit from an extra set of skills that you don't possess, then it's the perfect solution to having access to "on call" skills without having to pay the going rate for this kind of experience.

Author: Michael Ribet

Hundreds of Billions of Private Equity dollars are trying to get off the sidelines and into the game. The single most important decision criterion is the quality of management. What makes an executive bankable to PE groups?

So much has already been said written about bankability that it's difficult to sort through the noise. Here, are four key criteria that cover most of the ground. If you stand up to these four tests, chances are excellent that investors will get behind you.

Track Record of P&L Success

As one PE partner recently told an executive, "We want you to earn, not learn on our watch." Without a doubt, this is the single most important factor. Do you have a track record of earning money in the same or a related industry? Have you run businesses of a similar size?

Nothing is as impressive as consistent growth of both revenue and earnings. However, most sophisticated investors understand that stuff happens. Bumps in the road are not necessarily an issue. You should be prepared to talk about them openly and show how you overcame them. One important note: the CEO title is not the key. Bottom line responsibility is everything. For example, the general manager of a $200MM division of a large corporation will usually be bankable to run a similarly sized company in the same industry. Whereas the CEO and owner of a $20MM company in the same industry may not be.

2. Leadership / People Skills

Are you a team builder? Have you demonstrated the talent to motivate and empower your subordinates? Do you have some key players who've worked with you before and would like to join you in a new venture?

Equally important, do the investors think that you'll be easy to work with at the board level? Will you take the time to understand their perspective and listen to their ideas? It's good for the entrepreneur to have a certain level of understanding of the business of operating a Private Equity fund. This will sensitize him/her to the partner's needs.

3. Desire to Build

Investors are looking for executives who thrive on the process of building a business and are willing to stay with it until a successful exit is achieved. A window of 5-7 years is normal. They become wary if they think that you're looking for a quick flip.

4. Skin in the Game

With very few exceptions, investors want the CEO to make a serious capital commitment to the venture. It is universally believed that this insures that your attention and motivation will remain focused. How much is serious? The answer varies but most PE firms would say that they know it when they see it. They don't need you to take out a second mortgage but they do want to know that the investment will represent a significant portion of your liquid net worth. A range of $250K - $1MM covers most cases. It's not uncommon for a PE group to offer to lend the executive money on attractive terms in order to increase the commitment.

And one More . . .

In many cases, the PE group identifies the opportunity and then searches out the executive. However, the best opportunities may be created by an executive who has located an opportunity and is seeking investors. In this case, the PE firm expects you to be able to explain and defend the investment thesis. This discussion will include market opportunity assessment, a plan for operating the business with appropriate financial projections and a discussion of potential exits.

If you're Bankable, you're Valuable

Executives who pass the bankability test are the rock stars of the Private Equity world. Understand your value and expect to be well compensated. However, don't focus too much on salary. The most important way to become wealthy in running a PE backed company is through incentive equity. Negotiate hard for a lot of upside at the time of the exit. If a PE group is achieving their IRR target for the investment, it's appropriate for upper management to share in the wealth in a big way. For example, if the PE fund can earn an IRR of 30% or more after granting management 15% of the equity, then everybody is a winner.

Author: Nancy Stetson

So you want to start your own internet business but have no idea where to begin. First let me say that you will be joining hundreds of thousands of people all over the world who are freeing themselves from the tethers of working for others. Home based opportunities are now all over the internet and with the super information highway it is now easier then ever to order anything with the click of a button so why not get in on it.

You don't necessarily have to know a lot about affiliate marketing or online advertising to get started on an internet business. Some of the things you do need to know however are, will you have time to devote to the business, what type of business are you passionate about beginning and are you willing to learn about how to conduct an internet business as you go. The internet is changing every day so keeping up on the new changes is key to a successful internet based business.

One thing a newbie needs to understand from the beginning is how the internet works. A trusted internet website that explains home based internet businesses is a good place to begin. You need someone who will give it to you straight and tell you exactly what you are facing when you begin this adventure. There is nothing worse than getting involved in something that you do not truly understand only to fail later because of something simple that could have been avoided if you had only had the right instruction.

Internet businesses have their base in internet websites so you must also understand how websites are effective and how they are instrumental in your home based internet business. Today's internet with the introduction of web based programs like MySpace and MSNSpace are offering more and more people the opportunity to build and maintain their own website but the truth be told this is only playing on the fringes of what a true website can do for your business. With low cost programs and ready made website templates you can be up and running in no time but none of that will do you any good if you do not have a proper understanding of what an internet business is and how it works, again you will need a guide.

Days not so long ago businesses trusted word of mouth and local advertising to get the word out on their business and even the most successful business reached only in a small radius around his storefront. Those days are over and now the small business owner in Turlock California can be seen and heard in every country in the world. There are guys in California who sell almonds to guys in Turkey and never even leave their offices. The internet based business has opened up the entire plant and now you too can walk through that door as never before. Just be sure to do extensive research looking for the best fit for you.

So where do you begin? Once again we stress that it is important to find the right guide. You need a company or individual who knows the ins and outs and isn't afraid to show you. Some internet business set up companies are only interested in furthering themselves, that isn't the story here. We want to see you become successful so that you too can throw your hat into the ring and make the internet business world that much more of a handy place to shop. We know what this step will mean for you as a business owner and the really exciting thing is that you don't have to be an expert, you can learn as you go.

Setting up your own internet business is a great project for retirees, couples and even families. You can be your own boss, get those you love involved and never leave the house all the while making money at what you have a passion for doing. Think of it, you can take control of one part of the internet business while your wife takes care of another and then the two of you can still take the time you want for other things. You control the business, you control the product and you control the money flow. Your world and your destiny is now in your hands.

So step off today and decide what your passion is and go for it. Internet based businesses are the wave of the future. Make your services or product available at the click of a button. Think of the thrill you will get if that guy in Turkey who bought the almonds from the guy in Turlock also wants to purchase something from you, while you sit in your own home, at your own computer doing business through your own portal to the world.

Author: Helmut Flasch

Employees cost money. With high wages, insurance for them and the rising taxes and most importantly, with the drastically reduced reimbursement from insurance companies for services, one must keep the number of employees at the lowest possible level.

Or does one?

Only if you want to stay poor, despite being a doctor, and want to overwork yourself, have rarely time for family and if you want to worry about the money you are not making in case you do go on vacation. Only if you want a stressful life and want all life's enjoyments drained out of your life. Only if your premature aging means nothing to you Only if you are suicidal.

But if you want to realize the dreams you had when entering med school and opening your practice, then you better listen well to what I have to say.

What I say is not mainstream, but let's face it, mainstream management of any private health care professional means working till 100 because of lack of money.

It means worrying about making payroll and not enjoying the so needed and wanted vacations and then having to catch up with making money, bills and work when coming back.

Even if the situation described above is a bit milder for you personally, doctors are seldom coming close to their original dreams.

So what to do? Am I suggesting that even though you have payroll problems I want you to hire more?

You bet I am.

But never mind what I want you to do or any other guy wants you to do.

Just start looking at life and start really observing what is going on.

Newton did not invent the Law of Gravity - he only observed it. No more than I am asking you to observe that more employees opposed to less is the answer in most (probably all) cases.

People, and only people, have life in them. And only life can help you to get a life. No machinery and no medicine can keep people alive without people administering and controlling them. Hell, it was people who invented any machinery and any gadget, not machines.

People and only people is the answer.

Let me tell you an all too common money-draining situation in just about all practices.

There are enough people to service the existing patients. That is if all employees are at work, if nobody is sick or on vacation and if all employees are at their best.

All the above rarely happens. There always is an emergency of some kind, which requires extra work and other regular work has to be put off for a bit. There are many, many days of sickness amongst the employees, and people quitting or getting fired usually puts a hold on patients' service at least, if not also putting a stop on income producing activities such as treatment plan selling, delivering, billing, etc.

The stress and the lost money, which such a situation creates, is grave enough for it to be not ignored and to make some changes.

But what I have to say next should make you start to hire so fast, like there is no tomorrow. Because there really is no tomorrow if you don't - at least not the tomorrow you envisioned when opening your practice.

Even if there are enough people to serve all your patients well all the time, they only serve the patients you have.

What about getting more patients? Are you trying to get large numbers of new patients with a few flyers every so often, a yellow page ad, a recall system that reaches most patients only once a year, having lunch with a few doctors here and there?

If the creation of new patients and existing patients coming back is not handled with the same professionalism and the same tenacity as running the medical part of the practice, one will of course have continuous money problems.

So, even if you can hardly make payroll, hiring more employees, not less, usually is the solution.

Of course, the new employees must be treated as if they work for a completely different company - the marketing company.

If you simply hire more employees and put them into the practice, you can be assured that you will get no increase in production but only in payroll.

Even if you keep the new employees separate as a new company or at least a new division, then you still must know the fundamental basics of marketing which are as sound as the Law of Gravity.

You also must know how to organize and give orders, so that the job gets done. A few examples of a wrong order would be:

The target is $100,000 this month. Or Let's be friendly and professional. Or Let's work hard. Or Let's give it all. Or Let's ask for referrals. Or Let's get in some new patients.

Sound familiar? Gets nothing done. Not possible. Not executable.

Anyhow, where and how to market as well as how to get the job done by giving executable orders is too long for this issue and is available in several different directives I have written.

Hmm, perhaps, I have just asked you to forget everything you have ever learned about practice management and to defy the basic standing order of a penny saved is a penny earned. A penny saved is NOT a penny earned - it well could be $10 dollars lost.

And if I have talked no sense then keep in mind that all the sensible management advice from all those experts has made just about all doctors work harder and harder with less and less income.

So, the choice is yours: Do what is taught by all the authorities and do what all docs do, and be overworked and broke - or take a deep breath and do what I asked you to do. Be normal, and get what is normal (stress and little money) or be un-normal and get what those people usually get: Amazon.com success, Starbucks popularity, or having 3-6 practices with 20 doctors working in it and all the time in the world to spend the gargantuan monies you will make despite not being in the practice.

When you are ready to be un-normal, give us a call.

Author: James Lowe

The good thing about working from home is that you can do many more things that you want from life than if you let some jerks run your personal life and emotions at some dead end job. If you like to paint, you can turn your skills into a home based business. If you are a marketing guru, that will work as well.

The one thing that holds a lot of people back when they are looking for a home based business opportunity is money, actually two, the second is fear of being independent. This has been a personal world problem for many of us the last few thousand years. So, we can bust out of this frustration money and independence bubble or we can be like ants, doing the same dullsville thing all our lives.

Many of us feel or felt, now or in the past that in order to start a company, we are going to need a lot of financial backing; something that most people simply cannot come up with. Even though this is true in some aspects, there are also many free, and very cheap, home based business opportunities that you can try out.

Think about it, why do you need to spend a lot of money on start up costs? You more than likely have everything that you need right in front of you or in within easy searching distance. A little search work, so easy to do and even fun, can open whole new worlds of joy, interest and excitement for you. Isn't that lots better than being bored to death at the same job, you frequently don't like, for the next 40 to 50 years? Please don't say no.

Generally speaking, the first thing that people do when they are searching for a home based business opportunity is search the internet. There are hundreds of sites that will promise you the world for no money at all; the bad thing about these sites is that they actually sound like good opportunities.

The problem is that the majority of these sites are simply scams that are meant to dupe you out of your money. Sorry, that's the truth. To take this even further, these scams ruin it for the legitimate companies that are available.

So obviously, the best way to find a free home based business opportunity is to do your homework. One of the best opportunities available is affiliate marketing programs. This is a great way for anybody to start their own home based business with no start up costs at all.

This involves getting paid by affiliates for driving traffic to their site. Eventually you may need to start putting money into your business to be more successful, but you can get started with relatively few problems at all.

Another free home based business opportunity that many people take advantage of is filling out online surveys. This is a legitimate way to make money from home, but you must be aware of all of the scams that are out there.

The only way to do this is by searching through all of the available companies, doing your triage or due diligence, and then choosing the ones that are most reputable. Finding ratings for survey sites is not difficult because there are a lot of people that are interested in this home business opportunity. Usually, the best ones are free.

Finding a free home based business opportunity is not impossible. In order to be successful, you will want to watch out for scam artists so you do not end up losing valuable time and money and, most importantly, your burning fire hope for better things in your heart and life.

Author: Obinna Heche

Making money online for free is not an impossible thing. eBay is the best place to make more money than you have ever imagined possible for absolutely free. There are lots and lots of other alternatives that will enable one make money while at home for free. Millions and millions of people all over the world browse the web regularly, purchasing products through the Internet at very low wholesale prices. By this action not only the online sellers enjoy earning thousands of dollars everyday but the purchasers also maintain business relations with the established International business houses to buy their products at wholesale rate and sell them at the retail price through the eBay. One can be utmost surprised to learn that there are Ecommerce websites available to everyone, which help the dedicated home based business personals in entering such businesses to earn money online. It would be further more surprising to know that in such cases, the seller has to incur any expense, since the total cost is covered by the company. Moreover, the responsibility of shipping the product falls on the shoulder of the concern. Buying wholesale and selling retail is really a perplexing home based earning mode. Besides wholesale earning, there are a lot of other lucrative yet fair ways, one can follow to make a lot of money from home for free. Take a look at these options consumers have.

Advertising is a very sophisticated mode of making money online, while sitting at home. The only thing one has to do to get success in this stream is to have website traffic driven to one's website by any good search engine. Once the website traffic falls within the first 1,000,000 Alexa ratings or Google PR4 ratings, one can be a seller of advertisement on his website. Success will gradually come with the experience.

Resale Rights is again a wonderful concept and a very successful online money making policy. All you have to do is to make a wide range of resale rights products maintaining a high quality and then you can kick start a very profitable business.

Google Adsense is a money making online tool and perhaps the strongest one, where one does not need to sell things. The most one has to do is to post a quality range of content on his website and get good amounts of money smartly extended by Google.

There are many more such online lucrative business schemes that allow smart inflow of money into one's bank account. But the major thing that has to be taken care of is the evaluation of the money making opportunities. Evaluating a home based money-making opportunity which is very easy, is something that can make a successful earner. To establish a good business opportunity the main thing is to focus on intuition and a have a money making mindset. The last and the final step is to make right plans and formulate appropriate policies to make money at home for free.

To Your Success

Author: Don Resh

So, you've finally decided to take the plunge and start your very own home based internet business. You've decided that it's finally time to stand up and be counted and claim your share of all that internet wealth you keep hearing about. The only problem is, now that you've finally made your decision, it seems like a pretty intimidating task deciding what to do next. Using the term "information overload" to describe the dilemma seems like a gigantic understatement.

Well, if you're really serious about starting your own home based internet business, the next step really doesn't have to be that difficult at all. There are several reasonably simple ways to start making an online income and one of them is sure to fit your particular plan of what it is you would like to do. So, just relax, take a deep breath, and read thoroughly the following ideas until you find something that strikes your fancy.

Sign-up for One or Several Affiliate Programs

This is undoubtedly one of the easiest and fastest ways to get started making money online. The Internet is loaded with products that have affiliate programs that you can join and most of them pay handsome commissions. When you sign-up for an affiliate program, you are simply making an agreement with the owner of a product or service that you will earn a commission in exchange for referring a prospect to that person's product (usually a sales page that you have sent the prospect to via your unique affiliate link) if that prospect ultimately makes a purchase.

Begin by selecting a product or service that interests you and then visit some of the websites that have achieved top rankings for the keywords that best describe that topic. You're certain to find the top affiliate programs for that niche or industry relatively quick. Or, try visiting one of the many affiliate program directories (you can find them easily enough on Google) and scan their listings and recommendations until you find something that you believe will work for you.

This is a good Internet marketing solution for newbies since you don't even need your own website to get started. You will, however, need to learn how to use a variety of traffic generating strategies, both free and paid, so you can get some targeted traffic to your affiliate link. Once you start generating some income from these sources, you can then start reinvesting some of your profits and get yourself set up with your own website. By that time the concept of getting set up with your own website won't seem so daunting.

Join a Recurring Income Program

Recurring income programs are somewhat comparable to affiliate programs in that you typically get paid for referring a prospect to the program's website if that prospect follows through and makes a purchase. However, the difference exists in the fact that with these programs, you also have the opportunity to earn a monthly recurring income if the prospect you refer becomes a paying member of the recurring income opportunity program. For example, I join one of these programs myself. If a prospect comes to my website and clicks on a link which takes them to the sales page for the product or service that I am promoting, and they buy, then I get a commission. However, if that prospect also decides to become a member of the recurring income opportunity program, then I get a check every month as long as that prospect remains a paying member of that program.

People tend to be cynical of these programs and get them confused with pyramid schemes. The way to tell if one of these programs is a pyramid scheme is to simply verify if the company in question offers a real, legitimate product or service. If so, it cannot be classified as a pyramid scheme and you should be okay. Don't be frightened away by the fact that you will most likely have to pay a monthly fee to participate in the recurring income opportunity. If you can build a downstream revenue source for yourself in one of these programs, the monthly fee will be insignificant compared to the probable recurring income you could earn. Many of these programs will provide you with your own ready-to-run website, which is okay if you are just getting started. Some, like one of the opportunities that I offer on my websites, not only provide the ready-to-run website and hosting, but also all the products you need to sell AND the ability to edit and customize the site to your liking. Again, use the various traffic generating strategies to start generating some traffic and then work on getting your site customized and personalized so you can start to build your own opt-in list.

Sell a Hard Good or Downloadable Info Product

Alright, I know this one doesn't sound as simple and easy as you had hoped, but to be honest, it truly not as hard as it might seem. Selling a hard good involves offering a real physical product (like custom car accessories, for instance) for sale in your own online retail store. If this idea really appeals to you, go for it. Brainstorm some products you would enjoy selling, then do some keyword research in Wordtracker to build a targeted niche within that market (hot rod parts?).

Then, you can use a drop ship source directory or the search engines to find suppliers or distributors who will drop ship the product for you (meaning they ship it directly to the customer and you don't have to carry any inventory). Then go to EBay or Yahoo and sign up for one of their stores. They'll even provide you with a shopping cart feature and help you get set up with a PayPal account (so that you can accept credit cards). Additionally, you'll get some built-in traffic since millions of people are using their shopping directory to search for products every day.

As far as the website is concerned, not to worry. Most hosting providers today have some type of site building solution available for those customers who don't know html code from java script. Believe me friends, I have seen technically useless and HTML challenged technophobes do this, so YOU can, too.

Now, regarding the info product of which we were speaking. By the way, I mean YOUR OWN info product. Everyone on the web and their mother will tell you that this is the best way to make the really big bucks online. Write about something you know and/or in which you have a deep interest. The topic of internet marketing seems to have been way overdone. Unless, of course, you are a true subject matter expert on some niche within internet marketing, then definitely do it. But please, don't do it just because everyone else is.

As for the actual writing, you don't even have to do that if you really don't want to. You can check out a site like elance.com and post your project and have writers bid on completing the project for you! And there are so many easy to use PDF ebook creators available that formatting the book should pose no technical challenge whatsoever. I offer several that you can read about on my websites. Set up a simple, little one page sales website with a link for payment processing, optimize the site for the search engines, implement several forms of advertising (free and paid), find some JV partners, and you're in the money! Now, just to be fair and honest, you probably won't attract too many JV partners until you have something to offer in return, i.e. a big, paying list of customers.

By the way, I know of some guys who have about 10 or 15 of these little mini sites set up selling simple reports on niche topics and raking in an average of $2,000 a month from each site. And they're incredibly easy to set up and practically run on autopilot once you do!

Well, there you have it. Just a few relatively simple ways to get you started on your way mining YOUR share of the internet gold mine!

All the best in your success.

Author: Dave Kauppi

As a professional M&A intermediary I am amazed when I hear others in my profession at industry meetings proclaim, "I don't work with individual buyers." They put it out there almost like a badge of honor or an indication of reaching a higher level of professionalism. My first reaction is, shame on you.

My second reaction is, how short sighted. My third reaction is to understand why and to advise buyers on the preparation necessary to gain credibility, traction, and support from a qualified business broker or M&A Professional. The purpose of this article is to give the first time buyer some action items to complete before they approach a M&A professional to improve the likelihood of garnering professional support.

First of all, please recognize that there is tremendous competition at the Main Street Level (transaction value under $1 Million) for business acquisition. This phenomenon is the result of down sizing and early retirement of mid level and senior executives in their forties and fifties. These people have exited with a war chest of a half million dollars and have vowed to never again be a victim of a corporate restructuring. They want to control their destiny, run their own show, buy and run a business. Most of these people are looking to buy a job.

You and 10 million other buyers: I am looking to buy a niche manufacturer or distributor with $3 to $10 million in revenue and $500 K to $1.5 Million EBITDA and I don't want to pay more than a 3.5X multiple. I have about $350 K of my own to put into the deal and I have investors lined up for another $1.5 to $2 Million. Pleeeeeeese! Do me a favor. When you have a first meeting with an intermediary and you deliver this message, make sure you are on the first floor. I hate to see my colleagues leaping from tall buildings.

Do your Homework: There are several things you can do to improve your chances of getting and keeping the attention of a broker.

1. Be Specific. In the example above, the category was so broad that you come across as being not focused, not prepared, and wishy-washy. Translation - this guy is a long way away from pulling the trigger. Your best bet in getting support from investors, friends and family, and bankers is to purchase the business you were employed by or a very close competitor. Specific industry experience improves the potential of the acquired company surviving and servicing debt.

Pick out a sample company of the size range and industry you are targeting and present that as an example of what you would like to acquire. Take it a step further and be prepared to articulate your area of expertise and how you would apply that to make this sample business perform at an improved level. This should be a one to two page summary document. Now that's focus.

2. Funding Preparation. Know exactly what you can put down on the business. If you are not prepared to supply your broker personal financial statements, you probably will not get any help. Go and have the specific discussions with the friends and family (take your sample business and your performance improvement plan). Present your expected returns/equity percentages and ask them what they are willing to commit.

A signed letter from these folks describing their backing is a very powerful attention grabber. Do not assume anything. Know your support level before you and everyone else does all the work to find a qualified acquisition candidate only to find out your investors did not materialize.

3. You are selling yourself. In a sense you are interviewing for a job. Bring the materials that support why you are qualified for the job. A resume is essential and written references are good to have. Remember, most of these transactions will require the former business owner to carry a seller note. They want to understand exactly to whom they are lending and the risks associated with servicing this debt.

4. Realistic expectations. A good business for sale will not be purchased at financial buyer pricing multiples. An attractive business - i.e. one that has a high growth rate or, proprietary technology, barriers to entry, contractually committed recurring revenue streams, blue chip customers, brand recognition, high gross margins or a combination of these will command pricing that is above a strict discounted cash flow multiple. The market will recognize some strategic pricing component and the company will get visibility from strategic buyers.

Even Private Equity Groups that are assumed to be strict financial buyers, do factor in pricing considerations that might reflect ownership of a portfolio company in the same market space. The better the business, the greater the universe of buyers. The good news is that a company that has attractive characteristics, but is small (below $5 Million in sales) probably will not interest the Private Equity Groups.

5. Network Network Network. A great way to improve your chances of successfully purchasing a business at a good price is to have an entree into a business that is not formally for sale. What I mean when I say that the business is not formally for sale is that the owner has decided that he wants to exit and has shared that information with a few close advisors, but has not engaged the services of an M&A firm or advertised on one of the popular Business for Sale Web Sites.

Put the word out to your network of professionals, industry sources, trade associations, vendors and suppliers, etc. Utilize the same preparation as described above and hand out your materials. Your banker, your lawyer, your financial planner and all of their associates are great sources of businesses for sale. Remember, if you do not establish your credibility with them in your preparation, they will not risk their credibility with another client through an ill-advised introduction. The good news from this approach is that you may be able to purchase a good business at a bidder of one price without price pressure from other buyers. If that seller's trusted advisor brings you in, the chances of this happening improve significantly.

6. How serious are you? Lots of individual buyers will pay a broker or intermediary a success fee based on a percentage of the purchase price. The most serious buyers, however, pay buy side engagement fees as well. This is a fee usually ranging from $2,000 to $7,500 per month paid to the M&A professional to formally search for you outside of the networking only approach they would take for no engagement fees. Corporations in acquisition mode almost always operate this way.

The benefit to this approach is that the intermediary will expand the universe of candidates to those companies that fit your buying criteria that are not for sale. It is a lot of work to compile databases and try to break through the difficult barriers to reach an owner that was not contemplating a sale and convincing him to entertain this process. Our objective is to buy his company as the only competitor. If we can do that, the transaction price will generally be 20% below a business that is formally for sale, represented by a professional, and getting many interested buyers. Saving you $1 Million on the purchase of a $5 Million business certainly will justify any monthly fees and success fees an M&A professional would charge.

The corollary to this is if you are a business seller, and you do not engage a professional, you most likely will leave that 20% premium on the table.

Most individual buyers are engaged in the buying process with either no current income or very limited consulting income. In other words, buying a business is their full time job. While one operates in buying mode, they are working for no income. The longer that buying process takes, the greater the erosion of their financial resources. It is in the buyer's interest to not only purchase the right business at the right price, but to compress the amount of time it takes to complete the process. Implementing one or several of these recommendations should help you buy smarter and faster.

Author: James Bradley

From an anonymous career of internet marketing success, the Rich Jerk has built an affiliate marketing empire, based entirely around the sales and promotion of the all powerful Rich Jerk E-Book.

He has revolutionized the "make tons of quick money on the internet" scene with such marvelously orchestrated precision, that his ebook sales are pushing the Rich Jerk to new horizons of mass wealth, throwing himself into the world of the wealthy and privileged.

Although it hasn't been a ruff road for the Rich Jerk recently, there are some key elements he has developed that directly lead to his powerful presence and success on the web.

In terms of marketing, his approach to "selling" his e-book can teach all but the most experienced internet marketing guru's a great deal about how people will react to his sometimes "rude and crude" sales pitch approach.

Listen Closely

1) The Rich Jerk, either by his own incredible design, or by sheer luck, has waited to unveil his "internet marketing secrets" until the most precise moment, when he knew a "hostile take over" would be more than simple enough.

2) From its arrival on the web, the Rich Jerk has had tens of hundreds of super-affiliates promoting his e-book, seemingly saturating the internet market quickly. But the buzz surrounding the richjerk program through powerful articles, like the one seen in Yahoo news, created such a strong sense of credibility to prospective entrepreneurs to purchase the popular ebook, that it seems the sky is the limit for the profits the Rich Jerk can pull.

3) He seems to attack you, saying "i'm better than you", flashing cars, yachts, and luxury homes, forcing you to visualize what you will do with the money you make from purchasing his ebook. Even though you've heard all the promises before, he still gets you thinking.

4) After throwing jealousy at you, the Rich Jerk begins to lay out about 15 or 20 listed ways that he specifically uses to make his money online. The kind of info that just really makes you feel like "this could work for me" or "he's so right, it seems clear now". He promises to teach you about his profitable web sites, and even create one for you, assuring you that it is too difficult to find what's making money and what isn't on your own.

5) He has filled his sales page with images of his bank statements, checks received, paypal account statements, and more. Driving home even further how rich he is, and how rich you aren't.

Then he goes for the jugular...

6) "I just bought two more cars and another mansion....did you?" -the Rich Jerk

.....did you?

"Well, if you are not convinced, I don't give a s#@%*. Go ahead and keep making your measly couple of grand every month, or whatever pathetic amount you make. When you are fed up, you'll be back."- the Rich Jerk

Ouch, that kind of hurts......and then he has you.

Its so in your face, derogatory, and offensive, that you are practically forced to the purchase page just so you can feel good about yourself. He has battered and abused your ego so badly, that he has sold you without out ever trying to. How can he call you a pathetic moron, tell you to leave if you don't like his attitude, and offer your measly money back, unless he is telling the truth?

He has been obnoxious and manipulative, not even breaking a sweat to get your hard earned $50.

And that is where the genius lies.

With that said, i'm still going to shell out the $49.95 and get my grip on a copy of the highly sought after rich jerk ebook. I'll study the material, determine if its all he's cracked it up to be, and then decide if its time to establish my own internet marketing offensive.

Here is the link to the Rich Jerk sales letter and web site, decide for yourself. Oh, but if you get offended easily, its in your best interest to avoid the web page, otherwise get ready to be attacked with a malicious grin.

The Rich Jerk

Wondering how i'm so positive the Rich Jerk is selling his ebook to make money online like they are going out of style, just check clickbank and see how long he has been the number one best selling affiliate program, competing against more than 10,000 other products. If that doesn't say he's selling, I don't know what does.

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