Owlbert Shares Starting Your Own Business Tips
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Starting your own business (especially online!) is easy - why, you could even sign up at affiliate sites like Amazon or eBay, build a website complete with affiliate links, and begin trying to generate an income that way.

Like I said, starting a business can be easy... making it profitable, however, is a whole 'nother earlobe.

So let's first commence with:

Before You Begin - MLMs are NOT "starting your own business!"

Oh my, how did the above sneak in? That's not where I was going to begin with...but the point does remain. For 99.9989% of the world's population, MLMs (otherwise known as Multilevel Marketing) are NOT "starting your own business"! Instead, it's more like "get into bankcruptcy real quick and painful-like."

All joking aside, I'm very serious here. So many times you'll see online ads that extol the virtue of your own business. Thing is, they'll never tell you upfront that it's Amway or Quixtar or Herballife or things like that.

Other folks have written far more eloquently than I can about this blight, so let me refer you there for more information.

Now that I've gotten that off me chest, let me begin with

Before You Begin - What Starting Your Own Business Means

Starting your own business means you're the boss!

It's also means you're responsible for EVERYTHING. Like, everything. Did I mention EVERYTHING?

There's the responsibilities of ownership, marketing, production, distribution, politics, surveying, customer service, customer referrals, product returns, PR news releases, tax deadlines, and oh, did I mention EVERYTHING?

Yes? Good!

Some resources to really get a handle on what EVERYTHING entails are:

'tis alot more than you would think, eh? I would agree.

It's a lot of work. But what kind of business would be the best to own? It really depends upon you and your circumstances of course...what's your temperment? Will you wilt or blossom under pressure? If problems arise, can you recognize when to change direction, or would you simply keep bashing your head against a wall because it feels so good when you stop?

Well?

I certainly cannot answer that for you...you must be strictly honest with yourself. But in the meanwhile, let me go over the following types of businesses: ebusiness (ie, online), work-at-home, and franchises.

Step 1 - eBusiness

Make money from your computer!

Ummm, it doesn't quite work that way. Instead you make money via using your computer to interact with the rest of the world. It's like saying, make money from your car! because it's your car that gets you to the office, where you can then do the work for which you're paid.

Making money from the Internet simply means getting paid by some sort of interaction with the Internet. It could be:

  • Affiliate marketing - you put affiliate links from Amazon on your site - if someone clicks thru and buys an item you get anywhere from 5 to 10% of the sales price as a commission.

  • Writing an ebook and then selling it - people will pay for targeted knowledge. Do you know how to run a day-care business? Or teach your pet not to bark? Or how to build a home projection TV area? If so, you can write and market a book about it. My colleague wrote 18 books, one of them being Sell More Model Horses on eBay.

  • Creating a paid membership site - in this scenario, you have bunches of valuable resources for which people are willing to pay a monthly fee to access.

  • Selling products online - do you craft or build things other folks would like? You can build a website online and actively sell them even without a merchant account (you could simply use Paypal (which of course does take a cut of the proceeds)).

  • Selling services online - are you a trainer in Internet recruiting, or can you tutor kids in math? Perhaps you know how to train cats to fetch? Whatever your skills are, you can use the Internet to set up a trainer's site and schedule classes and the like.

Sounds intriguing? Well if so, some of the resources to learn more include:

Now let's tackle:

Step 2 - Work At Home

Have you ever seen those "Make $3,000/hour working at your home" signs tacked onto telephone poles?

Never ever ever ever ever ever EVER get taken in by them! It's probably Herbalife (another MLM). You can read more Cockeyed.com presents: Work at Home and Be A Sucker!. Go there now and return only after you've read the articles!! It's truly a must-read that will arm yourself with money-saving knowledge.

Back again? Great! Let's now talk about REAL valid work at home opportunities.

A really great comprehensive resource for that can be found at Home Business Ideas: Work at Home. From Entrepreneur.com, it lists dozens of home based businesses that you can start. Very useful.

Another great way to find valuable help is to network with those already doing it. Consider the following discussion boards - you might find some gems of wisdom there.

What I like about the boards above is that you can post your questions regarding opportunities online....and receive quite useful input in return. By taking the time to research and question all potential home-based businesses, you're far less likely to be taken in by a scam.

Want to read more? Consider:


Rearrange It! - How To Grow a Six Figure Interior Redesign and Redecorating Business OR Secrets of Interior Redesigners on How Anyone Can Start a Home Based Business Decorating for Others
Customer Reviews — [1] Rating: 5 Date: 2008-09-04 Summary: Great information ... This book is easy to read and has very helpful information that you can use. It contains things that you may not think about. I think if just about covers all items you would use in starting a business or just doing for yourself or helping friends with their home. ...more
[2] Rating: 5 Date: 2008-03-30 Summary: The Best on the Subject ... When you really want specifics on a topic, you just need a book by this author and you'll find yourself immersed in the kind of details and guidance you were hoping to get. Not one to mince words, Jennings lays it all out with precision, yet keeping the information interesting and practical and sometimes a little humorous. She's got plenty of forms, plenty of decorating training (dealing with the professional ways to arrange a client's furniture), and even more guidance on how to move a client's possessions, plus all ...more
Editorial Reviews — ... Product Description | West Coast pioneer of interior redesign, Barbara Jennings of Decorate-Redecorate.Com , teaches you the best and most profitable ways to start, grow, manage and sustain a highly successful interior redesign business, making as much as $100,000+ per year when applied properly. Jennings brings her 37 years of experience in home business development together with decades of interior design expertise in this large format, practical manual that reveals in simple terms the how-to strategies of...more


Working At Home the American Way
Editorial Reviews — ... Product Description | Working at Home the American Way in Medical Transcription is a step by step guide for developing your skills in the medical transcription field. Discover the benefit of being your own boss. From young adult to senior citizen you can earn a prestigious living doing medical transcription from the comfort of your own home....more

The above are several ways to find working from home and being your own boss. Another option to consider is:

Step 3 - Franchises

Compared to other be-your-own-boss opportunities franchises require an initial investment. That's to be expected - ideally, you're given a proven business plan, you'll be selling a known brand, you'll have access to tools for targeted marketing and all those thingees.

Before starting a franchise, of course you should determine if you've got the mentality to run one. Some franchise quizzes can be found at:

Next, you need to decide just what franchise opportunity you want to investigate! Useful resources for that can be found at

Some excellent books to consider are:


The Franchise Ratings Guide: 3000 Franchisees Expose the Best & Worst Franchise Opportunities
Customer Reviews — [1] Rating: 5 Date: 2007-01-30 Summary: excellent resource tool ... This book is great for anyone who wants to get into a franchise or to know more about franchisees. Its definitely open my eyes about how the franchisees operates and whats the pro's and con's. ...more
[2] Rating: 5 Date: 2006-04-29 Summary: A great read and invaluable aid ... I've done quite a bit of research on franchises and there are some great books available, but The Franchise Ratings Guide offers unique insights I haven't seen anywhere else. It's the only book I've found that provides feedback from actual franchise owners on questions such as work hours, ease of communications with franchisors and other franchisees, training, income, grievance solving, royalty, stress levels and the ultimate question of whether or not owners would make the decision to buy their particular franchise ...more
Editorial Reviews — ... Product Description | In America, a new franchise outlet opens every eight minutes—a rate that is accelerating both here and worldwide—yet to date, no publication has provided more than a cursory glimpse into the owners’ experiences. The Franchise Ratings Guide is a deeper examination, revealing an industry in which deceit is common and a full 30% of franchise owners regret their purchase. The Franchise Ratings Guide provides essential and thorough advice on pre-purchase steps, in-depth, actual owner...more


Franchise & Business Opportunities (Entrepreneur Magazine's Expert Advice)
Editorial Reviews — ... Product Description | Get the Inside Scopp on How to Find, Buy and Operate a Successful Franchise Thinking of starting your own business? Have you considered franchising? You should. Franchises in the United States alone rake in nearly $1 trillion in sales per year. In this easy-to-read guide, franchise legal expert Andrew A. Caffey shows you how to cash in on this booming market. You'll learn everything you need to know to become a successful franchisee, from researching the franchise options available to...more

For More Information

Business startups can be quite draining but ultimately quite rewarding as well. For more information, consider:

  • SBA Startup Basics - from the United States Small Business Administration, this site has reams of free information regarding starting and making your business grow.

  • FindLaw's Starting a Business - topics include the first steps, business plans, financing, permits and more

  • Startup Journal - from the Wall Street Journale, a plethora of startup business rsources.

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