Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Getting Traffic Through Advertising

Copyright: Earl Williams
The NetMarketer

There are several ways that you can advertise inexpensively. For newbies that’s just starting out with an online business and a low budget, you can focus on the free advertising that you can get. If you have an online business, this can be even easier, as long as you are willing to take the time to do it. If you can go to chat rooms, blog’s, or other interesting places and keep your website or your business name as your signature, even if that is only seen by a few people it is still a free way to advertise.

You can also post your name on various threads and in various places that will allow you to post your website. There are website that is dedicated to helping newbies with free advertising until they are able to afford something better. Here are two sites that come to mind. One is call: T2000 Ultra.com and the other is call: Free Viral.com. These sites are design to improve your traffic, and if you were able to convert the traffic into sales then it would be worth your time to check them out.

One of the keys to advertising online is to find a place online where lots of your customers are going to go. Customers who are looking for the same type product or service you have to offer. In order to do this, you have to be sure that you know who your demographic is and who is using your business. This might require some work on your part. Once you have identified who the people are that are using your business, you can go to other sites that these people are also going to be using, and you can advertise on these sites, quite easily.

The other way to advertise cheaply is by writing articles about your business, blogging and word of mouth. This might require you to be online for a long time, simply going to sites and talking about your business and how good it is. This is something that requires time and energy, but in the end you will find that it is actually a very inexpensive way to advertise. Remember, as I stated before this is mostly for newbies who is just trying to get their online business ideal notice.

Once your business start pulling in a profit, then you can move on to higher means of advertising. But for a lot of new online business, they don’t have the big bucks to have a Google click ad; adwords and ezines are just some of the other way you can advertise online. Right now all they are after is getting traffic to their site.

But if you do have the time and money, you can also advertise out in the world, not on the Internet. This is something that you can do by way of posters, billboards and flyers and by other methods as well. The main idea is that you should find out where your customers are going to be, and locate them, whether it is in the real world or whether it is online. Once you have located your customers, you can go ahead and start advertising in ways that they are going to understand, and ways that they are going to be able to take advantage of.

You may republish this article in its entirety, provided you leave the byline, author's note and website hyperlink intact.


About the Author: Earl Williams is a real entrepreneur who makes it easy for you to build your home-based business and earn a substantial income from home, learn how by Visiting: http://www.NetMarketer.org

Saturday, February 23, 2008

Three Keys to Succeeding This Year

(c) Charlie Page
------------------------------------------------------

When it comes to succeeding online - whether that means starting your own online business, earning money as an affiliate, or something more, there is a world of confusion.

Create a niche site, some say. But that's easier said than done.

Publish an ezine, say others. But what would you have to say?

Become a super affiliate we often hear. Again .. HOW?

In the years I've been online I have been blessed indeed to be able to learn what I needed to know to succeed. Sometimes I learned from others examples. Sometimes I learned from watching others mistakes.

And sometimes I learned from painful (and costly) trial and error.

Based on all of that, I'd like to share with you three keys that I believe can help every one of you succeed this year, and beyond.

---> 1. KNOW YOURSELF

The good thing about the Internet is that there are so many different ways to make money.

And the bad thing about the Internet is that there are so many different ways to make money. ;)

So what's a boy (or girl) to do?

Know yourself. Respond to what feels right, what sounds right to you. Remember what you learned as a youth -- if it sounds too good to be true it probably is. Nowhere is that more true that on the Internet where scams and snake-oil salesmen abound.

So, how *specifically* does 'knowing yourself' help you succeed online? Here's how. If you are losing sleep over the ability to pay your bills and need some very fast money you may be much better off getting a second job for a while than 'starting an online business'.

I know -- that's not the advice you are used to hearing. But it's the advice I would give my daughter. There ARE situations where trading time for money makes *very* good sense - times where the efforts you make MUST bring a return or you will lose everything.

A bird in the hand still beats two in the bush, and making any real money online when you are just starting out is hard. Very hard.

The truth you are not being told is that the "overnight success" "here's a picture of my PayPal account" "look at my shiny new race car" stories are by FAR the exception ...

IF they are even telling the truth. You know that in your gut, so trust yourself when the voice in your head says "better think twice".

Here's another example.

If you are staying up until the wee hours of the morning viewing site after site that sound too good to be true then you are headed for trouble. Someone is about to pick your pocket.

It might be with the promise of huge commissions or of doing all the work for you (why would they do that?) but one way or the other they are going to take your money. So be careful. Very careful.

---> 2. GET OFF THE OPPORTUNITY TREADMILL

What does that mean? It means stop looking for the next big thing and start looking for the next real thing. Specifically, if a business you are considering does not make sense to you but is asking you to 'trust them' please don't.

Business online is just like business offline. Those who stick with things succeed. Those who jump around don't. Nowhere is this more evident that in network marketing. I've read, but not confirmed, that the average person starting out in network marketing stays with the program they choose for less than 90 days.

My friend, no one succeeds at anything new in less than 90 days ... especially if they are doing that business part time.

So, forget the word 'opportunity' for a moment and focus on the word business. Here are a few clarifying questions that might help.

Is the business you are considering delivering a real product?

Does that product help people achieve meaningful goals?

Do you understand how the business works?

Could you explain the business to your best friend and be comfortable?

WOULD you share the business with your best friend and still be comfortable in the friendship?

If you answered yes to all of these questions you have the beginning of a basis to go into a business. If not, run.

---> 3. FOCUS

We touched on this above but it is *so* important thatI want to hover here for a moment more. To succeed online (or offline for that matter) you willhave to focus on *one* thing at a time.

* Focus your attention
* Focus your resources
* Focus your passion
* Focus your time

If you learn to focus your resources in this way on*one* thing and prove that it is for you (or that it isnot for you) you will succeed faster. Period. How can you focus?

Think of something you want to accomplish. It might be a business you are considering or a new site you want to build or a way to advertise a product.

Now examine that from the outside in and then the inside out and then examine it again. Ask questions. Be a skeptic.

Check out testimonials to be sure they are real. Ask people who have succeeded with the idea you are pursuing.

Now go further and Google something about the idea to see what people are saying and to check the validity of any sites you might be considering.

Once you *know* that you want to move ahead take action and give it your all. Only then can you know what will work for you! One last word - the fact that something doesn't work the first time does not mean that it will not work.

Nowhere is this more evident than in the world of advertising where beginning advertisers wrongly think they can run one ad and have it succeed. Professional advertisers know that it takes testing - and patience - to make an ad campaign work.

If your first attempt at something fails consider analyzing why and trying again before moving on to something else. Use your focus to discover how to do better on the next try.

The list of people who failed on their first try and then went on to greatness is legion.

I hope that this year is your best year ever.

May it be so for us all.

*******************************************************
Charlie Page helps people succeed online. How can hehelp you?
Find out now at his main site or call histoll free number.
http://www.RealWorldTactics.com


You may republish this article in its entirety, provided you leave the byline, author's note and website hyperlink intact.


About the Publisher: Earl Williams is a real entrepreneur who makes it easy for you to build your home-based business and earn a substantial income from home, learn how by Visiting: http://www.NetMarketer.org

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Getting Customers To Your Home Business Website

Copyright: Earl Williams
The NetMarketer

The most important thing you need to keep in mind when you start building your business website is, how quick will the page open. You can have the best design website on the Internet or have the best Internet business, but if it take forever for the page to open, then you could be loosing sales. People in general will not wait too long for a website to open before moving on to another site. You can check the speed of your website for FREE at: Web Page Analyzer

Even if you have taken all of the steps to make sure that you are advertising your online business in the best way for you, you might not be in the home stretch. Even if you have people come to your website, you want to be sure that you can keep them there. This is something that is very important, and also very hard to do. A good quick website not only will attract people to it, but will also keep them looking and hopefully turn them into customers.

There are several ways that you can make sure you have the right kind of website for you. First of all, the website has to be as organized as possible. Many people are going to get frustrated if they can't easily see what is on your website, and if they cannot see it they will not be able to use the website as easily as possible. Remember that if a person cannot figure out how to use your website, chances are good that they will simply go away and not use it any more. Therefore you must be sure that your website is as organized as possible.

The other thing that you have to remember is that your website must be easy to use. If you have lots of different things to click on and many buttons, you might end up with a website that is much too hard to use. Therefore, you want to be sure that you are able to have a website that you can make as easy as possible.

Remember that the other thing a website needs is contact information. No matter what you want to do, you have to be sure that there is the right kind of contact information on your site. If someone can't see how he or she can easily contact you, they might feel like they don't have to do so and will simply find another site. So, it is important that you find a good way to have your contact information on your website.

The other thing that you have to remember when it comes to keeping customers is that you absolutely must be able to respond to them right away. IT is important that you are able to respond to your emails or your phone calls when people email you or call you with information or questions. This is something that can mean the life or death of your business, so you want to be sure that you are doing it at all times.

It might take some time to set up your website so that you will be able to keep customers, but you will find that this is something that is worth it in the end. This is going to help you make sure that you are able to be successful as a business owner and that you will also be able to get as much out of your business as you possibly can. Remember that this is very important for you to do.

You may republish this article in its entirety, provided you leave the byline, author's note and website hyperlink intact.


About the Author: Earl Williams is a real entrepreneur who makes it easy for you to build your home-based business and earn a substantial income from home, learn how by Visiting: http://www.netmarketer.org/

Monday, February 11, 2008

Keywords Are King

Copyright: Earl Williams
The NetMarketer

When you operate your business on the Internet, there are a number of different tactics that people use in their online businesses, but there is one thing that ties all of these tactics together. Every single tactic used by a business today successfully is successful primarily because somewhere in that tactic there are keywords that make the tactic work. Keywords determine almost everything imaginable on the Internet and that is exactly why Keywords are King in the land of online Internet marketing and home based business online.

Importance

The importance of keywords has to do with search engines. How many times have you been interested in learning about a specific something and then searching online for that specific something in a search engine like Google, Yahoo or MSN? If you are like most people that have used the Internet, the answer is quite often. While some people might exclusively search online encyclopedias and other products like that, at the same time most of the people will use search engines to look over the Internet and this amounts to hundreds of millions of people conducting billions of searches each day.

The keywords that you use on your website are going to be the keywords that they put into the search engines if you do the keyword placement correctly and that ultimately means that keywords are directly linked to search engine success and this is exactly why they are so important in the grand scheme of things.

Plan of Attack

Having a plan of attack for your keywords when you set up your website is always a good idea. The best way to formulate that plan of attack is to fine keywords directly related to the website that you are building. For example, a website on Slim-Fast would greatly benefit from keywords like "weight loss", "diet" and "diet drink".

Once you have a list of very obvious keywords, your goal is then to run those keywords through keyword tools and figure out what people have been searching for in relation to those words and compile a list of keywords in this way. Then, come up with synonyms and search for the synonyms. It is a good idea to have at least 100 keywords for a website before you formulate your plan of attack and going through this process will ensure that you probably end up with a lot more. But make sure the words appear some place on your website.

Search Engine Optimization

Part of your plan of attack has to revolve around getting those keywords into places on your website where they will attract the interest of the search engines and the process of doing this is known as search engine optimization. Search engine optimization essentially means getting important keywords into the titles and sub-titles of the website pages that you have and also making sure that keywords are sprinkled throughout the text in appropriate percentages.

All of this is very difficult to master but easy to learn the basics of, so if you are putting together a website learning the basics of search engine optimization is a very good idea. All the hard work of search engine optimization will pay off in the end when your website end up on the first page of one of the search engine like Google or Yahoo.

You may republish this article in its entirety, provided you leave the byline, author's note and website hyperlink intact.


About the Author: Earl Williams is a real entrepreneur who makes it easy for you to build your home-based business and earn a substantial income from home, learn how by Visiting: The Netmarketer

Thursday, February 07, 2008

Copyright: Earl Williams
The NetMarketer

When starting an online business one of the first thing you want to do is find a online programs that induct you to the fast track for seemingly unlimited earning capacities that is simple, but increasing your online residual income opportunities takes a bit of doing and a little know-how. Imagine the possibilities associated with not only growing your steady cash flow potential, but also cultivating a vibrant residual system that will pay you long after your direct involvement in a deal or transaction has been paid!

From the onset it is imperative to realize that any website which promises you to make money while you sleep, get rich quick overnight, and become a millionaire doing this line of work is lying to you and most likely is trying to do little more than get you to pay $19.99 to $ 49.95 or some such amount in an effort to sell you a secret that allegedly will make all of your dreams come true. Think about it! If there truly was such a secret, the person in possession of it would not be hawking it on a badly designed website using stock graphics.

The only way to increase your online residual income opportunities is through dedication and hard work and just a bit of business savvy you can get yourself without paying one red cent. Begin by building a website that is user-friendly as well as search engine friendly (optimize your site).

You may then use it to sell the product you may have decided to sell. Conversely, you also have the option of signing up with a multi level marketing (MLM) company which will not only build you a website already populated with all the links you need and commerce tools you will require, but the company will even hold the product for you in their warehouse pending the sales!

Maximize your income potential and begin your road to residual income by recruiting other individuals to do the same thing. Invest your time in training them, helping them to build an online presence, and also coach and encourage them as needed. You will be rewarded with a small percentage of their overall profits, which will continue to trickle in long after your training and grooming of this individual will cease.

What is more, if you sign up with a MLM company that has a generous remuneration plan, you will find that the people they recruit will also pay a small percentage of their profits to you, and thus if you are a successful recruiter who finds, grooms, and then turns out other successful recruiters, you are in the fast lane to making some serious residual income!

Self promotion and the utmost care in choosing a product and company are key components to increasing your online residual income opportunities, as faddish products, companies with bad reputations or a less than generous reward and remuneration structure will rarely attract others either as customers or potential recruits.

In the same vein, ensure that the market is not overly saturated with the product you are selling for otherwise even the best-developed plan is doomed to fail. One more keynote, always give something away to your potential customers. This will keep them coming back.

You may republish this article in its entirety, provided you leave the byline, author's note and website hyperlink intact.


About the Author: Earl Williams is a real entrepreneur who makes it easy for you to build your home-based business and earn a substantial income from home, learn how by Visiting: http://www.netmarketer.org/

Tuesday, February 05, 2008

Double Duty: 77 Ways to Make Money on the Side While at Work

Tuesday, February 5, 2008 at 6:24pm by admin


By Christina Laun


Ever have times when you’re sitting at your desk with nothing to do and wish you could be doing something much more productive instead? If you put your mind to it, you could be, and maybe even earn a little money at the same time. So long as you’re still getting your primary work done, there’s really no harm in taking your productivity to the next level, right? Here are a few ways that you can start using your spare minutes at work or at home to make a few extra bucks a week with a part-time business.

Around the House

Looking at your own to do list should be enough to show you that there are plenty of tasks you can do around the house that many people would be willing to pay you to take care of for them. Here are a few ideas to get you started.

  • Handyman: Are you good with a hammer or a screwdriver? Why not turn that skill into a little extra money on the side by offering handyman services to those who are too old or too inexperienced to do minor home repairs on their own. You can even spend your downtime at work posting ads for your services on local bulletin boards.

  • Cleaning houses: Everyone wants a clean house, but not everyone wants to do the work that goes along with it. Offer cleaning services to local homeowners and you could make good money for just doing a few extra chores around the house.

  • Home inspection: Before buying a home, most buyers have it checked out by a home inspector to make sure it’s sound before they complete the sale. If you’ve got some knowledge of construction and building codes you could be that inspector and be making money anytime you get spare time to check out a house.

  • Window tinting: With a little basic training and equipment, you can get set up to tint the windows of just about anything. Whether it’s tinting car windows or office buildings, you can be making some green by offering this service during your downtime.

  • Houseplant maintenance: If you’ve ever gone out of town and come home to withered and brown plants, you all about the need for plant care. Offer your watering and care services to homeowners as well as businesses who don’t have a green thumb or the time to care for their leafy decorations.

  • Organizing: Have a gift for bringing order to chaos? Make it your job. Help packrats clean out their closets and get rid of the excess clutter and you could make a tidy profit.

  • Yard care: The outside of the home is the only part that most people ever get to see, so it makes sense that it should look good. Capitalize on this by offering yard care services like lawn mowing, weeding, fertilizing, and pruning. Money could just end up growing on trees after all.

  • Wallpaper hanging: If you’ve ever hung wallpaper you know how difficult it can be to get just right. Some lucky people, however, have a particular skill at it. If you’re one of them, you can earn some extra weekend dollars by hanging wallpaper for those who are clueless in the ways of papering walls.

  • House sitting: Put a vacationing client’s mind at ease by being a house sitter. You’ll be there to make sure the plants get watered, the mail gets brought in, and those daily newspapers don’t just pile up in the yard.

  • Window cleaning: No matter what, over time, windows will get dusty and dirty. With a ladder and a squeegee, you could turn a profit cleaning these hard to reach windows for people in your area.

  • Pool service: While cleaning and maintaining pools might not be the most glamorous work, it can bring in some much needed income, especially if you live in a hot area where many people have pools.

  • Power washing: You can rent, borrow or buy a simple power washer and turn it into a small side business. Driveways, houses and even businesses could stand a little bit of a wash now and then.

  • Paint curbs: Who doesn’t want their address displayed clearly? It can make a big difference in the event of an emergency. It can also be a great way to make a little extra cash for not a lot of extra work.

  • Babysitting: This can be a great way to make some extra cash, as finding good, reliable and readily available babysitters can be a chore. If you don’t mind giving up your nights and weekends every once in awhile you can build a solid customer base for your childcare services.

  • Shovel snow: Few people want to go out in the snow to clear driveways and sidewalks, and would be more than willing to pay you to do it instead. Invest in a snow blower and you could turn all that white stuff into green.

  • Arts and Crafts
    If you’ve got a creative talent, don’t let it go to waste. Here are some ideas on how you can use it t make some extra profits.

  • Microstock: If photography is your hobby, why not post some of your favorite shots on microstock sites? You’ll earn money each time one of your snapshots is used.

  • Antiquing: Spending your weekends scouting garage sales, thrift stores, estate auctions, and flea markets can be a great way to score old treasures for cheap. Research to find out the real value of what you’ve found and spend your next lunch hour auctioning it off on eBay.

  • Making jewelry: Go to any crafts fair, and you’ll quickly find out that making and selling jewelry is big business, even when the materials aren’t highly valuable. Work with gold, silver, beads, or even recycled materials to create original designs you can sell online or at local craft fairs.

  • Picture framing: Framing pictures takes a little bit of know how and a few specialty tools, but if you are good at it it can be a wonderful way to bring in some extra money on the side. Make friends with local artists, galleries and photographers if you want to boost your business and your income.

  • T-Shirt design: If you’re good with design and know how to screenprint or applique designs you could turn a good profit making t-shirts for local teams, groups and businesses.


  • Write: Writing doesn’t have to just be a hobby, it can also be a great way to bring in some extra money freelancing. Write online for blogs, for a local newspaper, or sell short stories to literary magazines to get your name out there and help pay your bills.

  • Upholster furniture: Sometimes the fabric on a chair will go out of style long before the shape. Update old furniture by selling your skills as an upholsterer. You’ll make money and help rid the world of ugly furniture.

  • Interior design: Some people are just hopeless when it comes to decorating a room and picking out furniture. If you’ve got a knack for it, market your skills for paint, fabric and layout as an interior designer. If your own home looks great, use that to help market yourself.

  • Sew: If you know how to hem a skirt or take in much to large dress you could be using those skills to bring in a little extra income. Many people aren’t especially skilled with a needle and thread and will be more than happy to pay you to take care of it instead.

  • Musician: If you’ve got some musical talent, you can spend your next lunch hour booking gigs to bring you and your band mates some extra cash for doing something you love. Play at a local club or check out the wedding circuit.

  • DJ: If you’ve got a record or CD collection that just can’t be rivaled, you can start making it work for you by becoming a DJ. Get gigs at weddings, school functions and parties and put together play lists over your lunch break.

  • Professional Skills
    Make your professional work skills count even when you’re not at your primary job. Here are a few ways to make money on the side using your degree or professional skills.

  • Medical transcription: Help out a hospital, doctor, dentist or even a veterinarian by transcribing medical records. These kinds of services are in big demand and best of all you can work from home or from where ever you are. You’ll be most successful if you have a good knowledge of medical terminology and great typing skills.

  • Consulting: If you’ve got loads of knowledge on business or IT, you could be using it to help out other businesses by doing a little consulting work on the side. Just make sure it isn’t a conflict of interest with your current occupation.

  • Prepare taxes: As inevitable as they are, people hate doing their own taxes. If you’re number savvy and have the know-how, you could be spending tax season getting more than just your own refund.

  • Tutoring: Got a college education that isn’t being put to much use at your job? Use your downtime to tutor kids after school or over the Internet. You’ll be helping out students and making a little extra for yourself as well.

  • Language lessons: With the world getting smaller and smaller with new technology, knowing more than one language is a must. If you’re bilingual use your language skills to create a business opportunity. Teach children and adults in your area or give classes at local businesses.

  • Fundraiser: If you have excellent people skills and marketing talent you could become a part-time fundraiser. Many fundraisers are paid a percentage of what they raise, so that’s all the more incentive to get yourself busy bringing in the money for a local charity or non profit organization.

  • Accounting: If you’ve got attention to detail and the math skills, you could make some extra money managing the books of a business on the side. Check your local newspaper for ads from businesses looking for part time bookkeepers.

  • Virtual assistant: You don’t need to be in the office to be an assistant these days. You can find work with many places where you’ll perform tasks over the Internet instead. It can be an easy and commute free way to get some extra money.

  • Editorial services: If you’ve got speedy typing fingers and an eagle eye for grammar mistakes, try offering your services as a typist and proofreader. If you’ve got a computer, printer and email you’re set and ready to go starting this side business.

  • Debt counseling: For those from a financial background, offering services to help others get a handle on their finances can be a great way to bring in some cash. You’ll be getting both you and your clients on the road to a better financial future.

  • Green business consultant: Many businesses are looking for ways to be more environmentally conscious these days. If you’re an earth loving type with some know how, you can launch this into a successful side business.

  • Health and Fitness
    There are few things more important than health or fitness. Improve your financial fitness with these side business ideas.

  • Personal trainer: Pump up your profits while you help others pump iron. Fitness gurus willing to get certified can make quite a bit of money offering training services to those who want to lose those pesky love handles.

  • Yoga instructor: If you’ve been practicing yoga for many years, chances are you could learn to teach it to others as well. Offer classes to local businesses, health clubs, or through your local parks and recreation to bring in some extra cash while maintaining your zen.

  • Personal chef: With so much going on, it can be hard for some people to find the time to cook a real meal. That’s where you can come in. Plan and cook a menu for clients that will be healthy and satisfying.

  • Swimming lessons: Don’t let all those early morning swim practices go to waste. Use your swimming skills to teach kids in your area. You’ll help them become more confident in the water and help keep your finances afloat.

  • Espresso cart: Selling coffee can have quite a large profit margin if you know how to move it. Buy or rent an espresso cart and head out to local sporting events and markets in your area to capitalize on those caffeine addicts.

  • Make jellies: Never thought that jelly making your grandma taught you all about would be that useful? It could be if you’re willing to put in the time and effort. Sell your custom creations over the Internet or at a local market.

  • Grow vegetables: If you rarely use your backyard why not turn it into a garden? You can sell the best products of your harvest and if there’s anything left over you’ll have fresh fruits and veggies ready to eat for dinner.

  • Walk dogs: Dogs need to be walked one way or another and some pet owners simply can’t get home during the day to take their best friend out for a walk around the block. Creating your own dog walking service can be a great way to get exercise and get yourself some extra money.

  • Hiking guide: A love of the great outdoors will make you an ideal candidate for considering this as an alternative way of making some cash. You’ll get to do something you love while making sure others stay safe enjoying their hike.

  • Massage therapy: If you take the time to get certified as a massage therapist you could be making quite a bit of money offering your services. Massage appointments are sometimes short enough that you could even sneak one in over your lunch hour.

  • Life coaching: Encourage others to be successful and make the most of their potential as a life coach. You can fit in appointments on weekends, during lunch and after work, making it easy to do double duty.

  • Makeup artist: If you’re constantly getting complimented on your stellar makeup skills, then perhaps it’s time you tapped into them as a business endeavor. Paint the faces of women for weddings, parties, and even stage performances in your spare time.

  • Organic catering: Organic food has become increasingly popular as people become more aware of the harmful effects of chemicals. Capitalize on this and your cooking skills by offering 100% organic catering services.

  • Technology
    Technology is in everything these days, and if you know enough about it you can make good money selling your skills. Here are a few tech related business ideas to try out.

  • Computer set up: Despite the constant presence of technology in most peoples everyday lives, there are some that just can’t seem to get the hang of it. This is where you can come in and get paid to help those with new computers get them set up, install new programs, and make sure everything is plugged in correctly.

  • Home entertainment service: Home entertainment systems are getting fancier and fancier, and as a result many people have little idea of how to hook them up. This is where you can come in. With a little bit of knowledge about home electronics and wiring, you can set up tvs and stereo systems for a little extra cash in your pocket.

  • Computer tutor: You might be a computer whiz, but many others, especially older people, aren’t and could use a little help learning how to navigate their desktop. Offering at-home instruction on how to use word processors, surf the web, or set up a computer can be a big help to the less tech savvy who still want to stay connected.

  • Records search: Explore your investigative side by searching for information for clients. Use the Internet to browse public records to find lost loves, check out questionable employees, track down debtors, and much more. Best of all, you can do it right from your desk.

  • Blogging: Got something to say but no place to say it? Try starting a blog. If it gains popularity you could bring in a good chunk of cash through on page advertising each month.

  • Buy and sell domain names: While many of the best .coms are already taken, you can still make money in the domain name business with the newer .tv and .info names out there. With a little business savvy you can turn your afternoon domain auction browsing into a cash cow.

  • Design webpages: Well-designed webpage work is always in demand and is something that you can easily do on the side with the right technical know-how to make some extra money.

  • Be a virtual mogul: With the growing popularity of online programs like Second Life and WoW, there is plenty of money to be made in creating in-game clothing, real estate, objects and anything else and exchanging it for real life dollars.

  • Web hosting: You don’t need to buy a lot of fancy and expensive server hardware to provide a Web hosting service. Many big hosting companies allow “reseller” accounts where you sell hosting plans to customers and the hosting company will host them all for you under your account umbrella, and you can charge your own rates for the service.

  • Sell on eBay: You can make a profit not only selling your own things on eBay but charging others to sell their things as well. Doesn’t sound like something people would pay for? Many business are already making substantial profits doing it, so why not jump on the bandwagon?

  • Computer cleanup: Viruses, malware and spyware are everywhere these days and can bog down a computer in no time. Offer your services to help clean and speed up computers that may have been infected.

  • Transfer formats: Know someone that would be happy having their album collection moved to CD or MP3 format? With a small amount of equipment you can do this while you’re working on other things around the house.

  • Retail
    Shopaholics and penny pinchers alike will appreciate these ideas on how to make money in the world of retail.

  • Personal shopping: You’d be surprised at how many people would pay to not have to deal with the hassles of shopping, especially around the holidays. Make their laziness your benefit charging by the hour for your services.

  • Market research studies: Spend your free time at work browsing the classifieds for opportunities to participate in paid studies. Depending on the study, it could be some of the easiest money you’ll ever make.

  • Product reviews: Companies are often more than willing to pay reviewers to use and review their products. You’ll not only get paid, but you’ll get free products to boot.

  • Mystery shopping: Many big retail chains are willing to pay you to shop on their behalf to see how the staff treats customers. Buy products, eat meals, or stay in a hotel, all on someone else’s tab.

  • Gift wrapping: Many people make good extra cash around the holidays wrapping gifts for others. If you’re skilled with tape and ribbon, it could be a great way to help afford those extra holiday expenses.

  • Miscellaneous
    Still looking for that perfect fit for a side business? Try these on for size to see if they can help you bring in extra revenue.

  • Genealogy: Many people want to know more about their family history but just don’t have the time to look up all the records they need. You can offer your services as a family researcher and help clients get in touch with their roots. Best of all, you can do a lot of this research right from your desk at work.

  • Trip planner: Everyone needs a vacation now and then, but not everyone wants to make all those reservations and bookings. Take the work out of vacation planning for someone else and earn yourself some money to put towards your own vacation.

  • Run errands: Whether your clients just don’t have the time or lack the mobility, they’ll be happy to use your service to save them the time of running their own errands. You’ll make some extra money and you might even have time to take care of your own to do list at the same time.

  • Obedience school: No one likes a naughty and destructive pet, and if you’re good at reigning in dogs you could have a profitable side career as an obedience trainer. Offer both individual classes and group sessions to maximize your profits.

  • Feng shui consulting: Interest in feng shui has risen in recent years and you can capitalize on it by helping individuals and businesses get in harmony in their interior and exterior spaces. If you get certified you can make quite a bit, especially on larger projects.

  • Cake decorating: Cakes often form the centerpiece of formal occasions like weddings, birthdays and anniversaries. If you’ve got the artistic flair, why not use it to create impressive culinary creations? Do a beautiful job and you’re sure to get loads of business.

  • Tour guide: If you live in a touristy area, consider becoming a tour guide in your off time. You can show groups around all the major highlights of your city and get to enjoy the fresh air.

  • Scrapbooking: If you’ve got a flair for making your memories look even more memorable in a scrapbook, you can try teaching scrapbooking classes in your area. Additionally, you can make a pretty penny selling supplies for scrapbooking as well.

  • Boat cleaning: In the right market, the opportunities to make a profit cleaning boats are extensive. After all, there are a lot of boats, and likely more than a few need to be cleaned. Advertise your services at a local dock or marina to bring in clients and some money.

  • Fill out surveys: You’re unlikely to make a bundle working on filling out surveys, but you can do it from your desk, and it might even look like you’re actually working.

Article Source: http://www.businesscreditcards.com/bootstrapper/double-duty-77-ways-to-make-money-on-the-side-while-at-work

Monday, February 04, 2008

Fear Is The Biggest Obstacle To Starting A Home Base-Business

Copyright: Earl Williams
The NetMarketer


It has often been noted that a failure to plan is a plan to fail and when starting a home base-business, this is especially true. One of the most common causes why people shy away from starting their own home business is fear. Most understand that when they operate their own business their time is no longer their own the needs of their customer is going to come before the needs of their family and many are not willing to make that sacrifice.

In addition to time, money is the second most fearful aspect of working for them selves, knowing that if they mess things up; it can be a problem for more than just them. The needs of their family will still be there even if the money is not available and there are many other things they have to worry about when striking out on their own. Not least of which is health insurance for their family. They will have no one else to turn to if they can't make the monthly premium payment and most believe they will not be able to afford insurance that offers good coverage based on their projected income.

Some folks are lucky enough to also have a spouse that works and they can be covered under their insurance policy, but when a couple begins a home base-business together there will be nothing to fall back on if business is not as good as they hope it to be. Daily incidentals are also a concern for those thinking about starting their own home business. Eating, car payments, rent or mortgage and utilities will all need to be paid regardless of where the money comes from. Just thinking about how they will pay for everything can keep some people on their old job no matter how unhappy they are.

While everything considered is a real concern, by weighing the potential for success against the possibility of failure, there are some who will plan ahead and then take the plunge. Unless they have a remarkable product or service that is going to provide the necessary income beginning on day one, they will have to plan for making the switch from employee to business owner. It may be in their best financial interest to begin their business venture on a part-time basis, maintaining their insurance and level of income while putting in extra hours at their own home business until it builds into a full time income.

Many times when working towards making this transition, people can grow frustrated with the pace at which the new venture is growing, but they need to remain realistic. The new business probably will not grow any faster if they are working at it full time and should not allow the perceived frustrations at their old job convince them to make the mistake of leaving before the new business can support them and their family.

While fear of failure should not be the deciding factor of whether to strike out on their own or not, the fear can be used to help them decide when it is financially safe to do so. Ignoring the fear and diving right in may help them become successful sooner, but it can also lead to disaster. Using the fear to better understand the challenges and to develop ways to meet those challenges can make their fear a partner in the decision instead of the deciding factor that prevents them from even trying.

You may republish this article in its entirety, provided you leave the byline, author's note and website hyperlink intact.


About the Author: Earl Williams is a real entrepreneur who makes it easy for you to build your home-based business and earn a substantial income from home, learn how by Visiting: http://www.netmarketer.org/