Which home business opportunity should i choose

You may feel overwhelmed by the many business opportunities that are available online that it could be very difficult to decide which one would suit you best. There are several opportunities that will give you the chance to earn a monthly income from home, depending on how much effort you want to contribute to the opportunity. Many people are looking for a way to make money online to avoid a long commute to work. You also would have the ability to set your work schedule and hours as well as determine your own dress code. The challenge that internet novices face is their belief in programs that sound too good to be true. They might believe that anyone claiming that you can make a ton of money online is telling the truth. While there are home businesses that will have you earning money if you follow their program exactly, many times you will end up spending more money than you will earn. Advertising your business can cost a lot of money, however there is no question that it is a necessary cost in order to make your business grow. In fact, your business will most likely require a certain amount of advertising just to remain in business. Carefully scrutinize each home business opportunity and look for signs of its honesty or dishonesty. If you find a site that is claiming that you can make money within minutes of signing up, then it most likely is a scam. You will have more luck getting money by hitting it big in the lottery. You can make money on the Internet, however most online programs do not tell you that you will need to advertise your site in order to get visitors. You need these visitors to make your website last. Visitors turn into customers, which means that it is these very people that will determine your sales and ultimately your future. You could make a decent online income from home business programs that involve internet marketing, provided that you are aware of how this advertising method operates. All websites are looking to target potential customers and add to their bottom line. Before deciding to join an online opportunity, you should know that you will need to put in time and effort to grow your business to the point where you can really start earning residual income. Make a budget of the amount of money and time you would be willing to spend on developing your business. Give yourself so many months and if you have surpassed your money and time budget, you will know that you need to look elsewhere to earn money.

Online business and affiliate sites

The internet is quickly becoming the best place for you to get all of your necessary things done each every day. The internet is really quick, efficient, and harbors tons of information and opportunities for you to get involved in that it is sometimes just completely mind blowing. If you are looking for a place to start making a little bit of extra money then clearly you know where you should look for that. The internet is a great place to start looking for ways to make extra money because there are a lot of different options for things that you can do to make the money you need. However, if you want to make money online then you need to know a little bit about online business and marketing and just how the internet works in general in order to be successful with whatever you decide that you would like to do. There are a lot of tools that you can find on the internet that will help you to get started and be successful when you want to make money online and make money fast. The Pro2 system is the first thing that you should check out because it offers you with a basic step by step guide to the internet and how to make money by using affiliate sites to gain revenue. Affiliate sites can become really important because they help you to gain credibility online and they boost your income in a manner that you can control and figure out with the help of the Pro2 system. What makes this guide so great for you is that it works closely with noted and prestigious affiliate sites that will quickly get you on the road to success. The ClickBank cyber mall is a really great online tool that you need to start checking out. The Pro2 system is a fantastic guide to this website and you can use it to make yourself really successful in a time period that is suitable for you and your goals. The ClickBank cyber mall has a vast amount of products that you can look through in order to pick and choose the ones that you would like to start promoting. In this way you can start online marketing with products that you know about and can therefore promote in a fashion that makes them really stand out because you have a lot of knowledge about them. The Pro2 system also gives you a lot of hints and tips that you can only get through years of experience. For instance, the road to success is made with small leaps and goals that you know that you can reach. Crating small goals for yourself the first couple of months will help you ease into the online business. You will be able to concern yourself more with learning about the conventions of the internet rather than with reaching an outrageous goal. Also, having goals that you can reach will help you to gain confidence and experience at the same time.

How to quickly build your feedback on ebay

The Fast Way To Become A Trusted eBay Seller If you’re just starting out selling on eBay, you may find it tough to sell your products are decent prices, especially if you’re selling high priced items like electronics. The problem is that when you’re a new seller is that you lack feedback, and a low or nonexistent feedback score is a red flag to any buyer that you might be a crook trying to scam them. To make the problem even worse, there are some features that you can’t use on eBay until you get enough feedback. So what’s a person to do? Well, if you’re serious about selling on eBay, then you’ll embark on what I like to call a Fast Feedback Campaign. You’re going to want to budget about $50-$100 to start buying small items, like $.99 reports, CDs, or other low priced items. Try to buy at least 20 different items, and try to find items that you can either resell (even if you lose money on it – that’s okay), or buy cheap reports that teach you how to make more money on eBay. Make sure that you pay promptly for everything. Within just a few days, you’ll have built your feedback score up from nearly nothing to just a small but less suspicious looking number. However, you’re still not out of the woods yet. After all, some savvy buyers will notice that all your feedback is from buying items, not selling, so they might still be suspicious of you and will be reluctant to trust you. Your next step is to start selling items, but don’t start out with high priced items. If you can get your hands on cheap items that you can sell on eBay (try to at least break even, but a small loss is okay – this is still feedback building), such as CDs or books, do it and start selling cheap items on eBay. Sell these items as quickly as possible so that you can get your feedback built up. Once you have your feedback score up above fifty (you’ll need to sell more than fifty items to get to this number as not all buyers leave feedback), and when people look at your feedback, they see that you already have satisfied customers, they won’t be reluctant to purchase from you anymore. If you’ve done a really good job of pleasing your customers, you may make it more likely that your customers will purchase from you than someone who has a higher feedback score but also has some negative remarks in their score. Remember that good feedback becomes especially important the higher the cost of your items. People are far more likely to take a chance buying a DVD for $10 from a low feedback seller than they are to buy a $1300 video camera. Keep these tips in mind and you’ll have not trouble building up trust with your potential customers right from the start.

11 Ways to create successful corporate meetings and retreats

What’s the cost to put together a strategic corporate meeting or retreat? Regardless of the specifics—hotel expenses, payroll, lost opportunities, lost management time planning the agenda, the cost of guest speakers, food, and supplies—you expect the returns to far outweigh the $3000 or $150,000 bill. Unfortunately, too many meetings never hit their mark. You start with specific goals and an agenda. You sit everyone down and start covering your list. However, somewhere the whole thing veers off course. Perhaps a guest speaker doesn’t deliver the content you intended. Maybe a member of the group falls short with their sales presentation or operations report. Before you know it, you’re at 72% of where you wanted to be, and you can’t go up. Now you’re stuck answering questions or offering solutions that weren’t part of your original agenda. When the event is over, you’re happy…not elated. The whole thing wasn’t a total loss. You rallied the troops, but didn’t achieve objectives the way you had intended. Sales will rise, maybe by 20%, but they won’t double the way you had hoped. You pay the bill and go home. It doesn’t have to be this way. Here are 11 ways to get more of what you want out of future meetings: 1. Set the agenda yourself…don’t have your staff do it. Yes, ask for ideas, and get involvement early. However, you give the purpose for your meeting, and that can only be focused if you keep on target. 2. Select presenters who have some presentation skills. This is not a popularity contest, but if your operations person should have been buried 8 years ago, you don't need him/her at your meeting. Find a presenter who will perform in a way that suits your needs. 3. Get presenters on the same page you’re on. Too often guests are asked to deliver information and then left on their own. Stage the content like a Broadway show. Choreograph more than just their topic; know their direction, content, and tone. If you’ve ever been disappointed, that’s typically the reason why. 4. Focus on the value to the participants. Remember that participants are looking for “what’s in it for me.” Plan every aspect with this important factor in mind. 5. Get to the point. Start meetings off fast. How often have you enjoyed the CEO/President speech? No one else likes it either. 6. Stick to the issues and keep it honest. The purpose of the meeting is to focus on real data. When egos, sales, or fear get in the way, participants build solutions to fictitious problems. Not the way you want to go. 7. Place handouts in order of use. Then staple them in that order. Participants can’t pay attention if they’re struggling to find out where you are. 8. Create an accountability sheet. One page. Who does what, when and how? If it's discussed, someone must do something (or decide to do nothing). Minutes are nice, but how many times in your history have you read minutes from a meeting and then acted? We’re guessing few, if any. 9. Don't speak “off the cuff.” Even professional speakers who sound like they’re winging it are not. You shouldn't either. Take the time to bullet your points. Think them through. Odds are you’ll get significantly better results with a trial run through your notes before the event, versus improvising in front of the crowd. 10. Stick to the schedule. Make sure your room has at least one clock facing the moderator. Try the Wal-Mart $5.99, 8-inch clock. The worst thing you can do is look at your watch. Then everyone else does. 11. Prepare the next agenda during the meeting. It’s like setting a rocket booster under your seat. Set 15-30 minutes aside to plan the next meeting while issues are hot. There can be changes later, but at least the burden is lifted, you’re covering key topics, and everyone knows what to expect. Olympic ski races are won and lost by only hundredths of seconds; most corporate meetings teeter on the edge of success and failure by similar fractions. Creating meetings is not rocket science, yet so few meetings bring about the impact intended. Implementing even a couple of the above suggestions should boost future results from so-so to astronomical. © David and Lorrie Goldsmith

Video streaming a new town hall

It was a night in July 2007 when a new town hall was discovered. Men and women from around the United States participated in a debate of sorts between 2008 Presidential hopefuls on the Democratic ticket. What made this event unique is not that the candidates took their message on the road, but that the candidates received questions via video streaming site YouTube. Multiplied thousands of Internet users tuned in for a town hall meeting that was available on a global basis. Viewers even used YouTube to pose their own questions to competing candidates. While this forum made for some rather interesting video questions, the implications of the use of video streams are phenomenal. For the first time citizens from across the United States were invited to be a part of something that simply required the ability to stream video on the web, and the audience responded. The CNN debate was sponsored by the video streaming giant YouTube. This approach to debate may have had some people thinking it was a cross between politics and a reality TV show and some would argue that’s what it ultimately became. However, this debate also helped foster the notion that anyone’s voice can be heard from any point on the globe. The debate format was sometimes eccentric, sometimes anticlimactic, but interesting nonetheless and memorable for the milestone it passed in forging a new way to connect with the public. This is not an article about politics. It is, however, a beacon pointing out another merit of video streaming. Children’s television channels have been working to integrate video streaming into televised children’s games. The effects of this new paradigm are not lost on children who gravitate to the technology and appreciate the potential for their own brush with fame. The presidential debates using video streams for questions should allow all who are involved in Internet-based business to consider video streaming in present and long-term marketing goals. Many video streams on download locations like YouTube have in excess of a million downloads. Some statistics indicate many people are spending more time with their computers than they are television and other forms of media. Television and movie companies are catering to the need with hi-resolution trailers and television show downloads – all using video streaming technology and all from the comfort and privacy of on demand personal computing. If people are spending so much time online doesn’t it make sense to find a way to bring your business to a group of consumers who are already immersed in all things pop culture? Pushing forward with video streaming as a marketing tool is not only cost effective, but can be used as either an entertaining infomercial or something as simple as a guided tour through your primary site. In either case, site visitors may be inclined to ride the video stream than to click endlessly through a new site in the hopes of finding something worthwhile. Video streaming can help you discover new ways to reach customers – and there’s no debate about that.

Online shopping price comparisons don t have to be complicated

With outsourcing, downsizing, reorganizations and every other excuse business make to increase their bottom line we the employed really aren’t always certain about the next paycheck. E-commerce or online shopping is becoming more and more favored as the place to be when attempting to save money. To be as thrifty as possible it is not only wise to do comparison price shopping, it’s prudent. Prices vary widely from site to site and the extra effort shopping provides rewarding discounts and achieved savings. The simple fact of the matter is you don’t have to spend hours upon hours searching the Internet by going to individual websites as there are now free shopping services that allow you to search quickly and easily for virtually any product sold anywhere. These services have various options available to provide the consumer with their best possible purchase strategies. I don’t know all the shopping services available out there but I can certainly cover 3 or 4 to get you pointed in a more efficient time management direction. The goal of shopping services is to provide consumers an overview of a full range of products offered by retailers by providing comparisons and detailed product information from both brick and mortar and online stores. Although no shopping service make any claims about the reputability or quality of the retailers they list, most all do remove any retailers they find to be disreputable. Price Grabber is used by consumers to quickly obtain free and unbiased information about products and services, merchants and sellers before making a purchase decision. They list millions of unique products and services. The service connects its online shoppers to merchants and sellers of all sizes and scope, from large traditional merchants, such as Best Buy, Office Depot and Wal-Mart to smaller local merchants and individuals. The service provides Bottom Line Price calculations (tax & shipping included in the price), merchant ratings and reviews, product information and reviews, side-by-side product comparisons and Email notifications of the best prices and availability on the Internet. Price Runner is another comparison service designed with the consumer’s best interest in mind as well. They too let you compare prices, find the best price, coupon deals, provide expert as well as consumer reviews and buying advice. Their goal is to give savvy online shoppers a full overview on products so that ultimately a confident and informed decision can be achieved. The offer price comparisons for products sold both online and offline. Shopzilla also a leading comparison shopping service connects millions of shoppers to thousands of stores. This service also operates the BizRate consumer feedback network that collects millions of consumer reviews of stores and the products retailers market. This service operates with websites serving consumers and retailers in the U. S., U. K., French and German markets. Smarter is yet another online comparison shopping service. They gather product and merchant data from across the Internet, organize and structure it into a comprehensive catalog and than publish it online. They list the best deal first for any given product for stores they certify that are member of their site for three or more months. This company takes the bad guys off their data banks. They refuse to list any stores that continually receive negative feedback. They continually list the latest promotions, discounts and coupons to save consumers even more money on their online purchases. So, I don’t know how many other comparison shopping services there are. I’d certainly have no idea which service or combination of services best fulfills your shopping needs. I only know they are out there to assist you in making the best possible decision with a lesser amount of expended time on your behalf.

Everybody s doing it 5 reasons you should have an ebay store

Testing the Waters If you’ve ever dreamed of quitting your job and going into business for yourself, you may have considered online retail. But opening your own web site is quite an undertaking — you’ll need to acquire a domain name, integrate shopping cart software, design your web pages, optimize your copy, and the list goes on. And all those services will cost you money up front, which means you’ll need to have some capital set aside. So before you tell your boss what you really think of his toupee, you may want to consider trying a somewhat simpler option first — the eBay store. Running an eBay store is a great way to get a feel for whether or not selling online suits you. It’s a simple entry point that lets you test the waters, without committing a lot of your money or time. The cost is only $16.95 a month and the first thirty days are free — a pretty safe investment. 5 Benefits to Choosing EBay EBay takes care of much of the busywork associated with running an E-Biz . There are numerous advantages to starting an eBay store before creating your own web site: • EBay hosts your site, provides you with a URL, a shopping cart, and an easy-to-use tool that lets you quickly design an attractive storefront. • EBay takes care of search engine optimization for you — making sure that you'll be listed with the major search engines, as well as the minor engines they feed. • When you start an eBay store, you have an immediate presence online — from Day One, you have 170 million customers. • EBay provides an 800 number with live support. • EBay offers workshops, at no extra cost, on how to implement the various tools they offer. 3 EBay Tools You Should Be Using EBay even offers built in channels for growing your business. Janelle Elms (JanelleElms), successful e-business author and lead instructor for eBay University, tells, "What amazes me is how many sellers are not taking advantage of all the amazing tools that eBay gives you for that $16 each month.” She quickly lists a few of eBay’s biggest untapped resources: • An opt-in newsletter to keep your eBay store in front of your customers. A series of clicks and pull down menus, and your newsletter is ready to go in a matter of minutes. A simple source to keep your customers coming back, but many people don’t even realize that option is available to them. • RSS Feeds (Really Simple Syndication). Once you turn this button on, all your buyers have to do is click on it, and every time you put new products in your store or up for auction, they’ll get an update telling them what you’ve added. Says Elms, "An RSS Feed is basically a legal version of a pop-up ad.” • Printable brochures of your eBay store to send out with every package to show your customers what else you offer and to remind them to shop with you again. EBay stores are user-friendly — anyone can run one. In addition to being a great proving ground for your online retail skills, you may find it to be a very profitable enterprise in and of itself.

Internet hosting services

When you use your business dollars wisely, you end up choosing Internet hosting services that meet not only your business needs, but your personal needs as well. The services that you are paying, for most are the services that you do not have to giving a second thought to during the course of doing business with these Internet hosting services month by month. If you have to worry about the amount of downtime that the web hosting services has experienced during any given month, then you are not getting the best deal for the money you spent choosing Internet hosting services that you thought you could rely on. These web hosting services companies should have provisions in place to ensure that your customers never have to realize the amount of downtime that their servers had at any time of the day or night. The provisions each web hosting services company will have in place at all times, when you are conducting online business transactions with them, should be taken into consideration when you go about choosing Internet hosting services companies. If web hosting services company has back up generators then one of their provisions in place would mean, that their servers will never have downtime when storms come and cause power outages in the web hosting services companies buildings. The amount of downtime, that an Internet hosting services company experiences, can be translated into lost revenues for you and should be considered “No Sale” time for you and your customers. The customers that rely on you for their shopping needs also suffer because of the error you made when choosing Internet hosting services from a company you could not count on. When your site is not available for access, then a domino effect begins to occur. Not only have you lost access to the files and business information that is stored online on the web hosting services companies databases, but the lost online presence that your business has on the Internet, might make your customers think they made a bad decision in choosing Internet hosting services that included doing business with you. To protect your business interests, when choosing Internet hosting services, take into consideration the web hosting services provisions for policies that promise zero downtime, and the web hosting services that can provide you with the web mastering tools to project a great image through the type of websites that they offer. If your website is poorly planned and projects a low priced image, then it will be hard to get people to shop at your virtual storefront. Without the web mastering tools, you will have no way of marketing your company. When choosing Internet hosting services, check to see if they might offer any type of business marketing services. If your web hosting services feature the latest technologies, then the quality of your website presentation preview will be absolutely stunning when your prospective customers access your storefront. Their positive comments and continued business will be a direct reflection on the amount of work that went into choosing Internet hosting services that will meet everyone’s needs. If customers see that they are doing business with a company in touch with the needs of the modern day business and consumer, then they will pass a recommendation on to all of their friends through word of mouth advertising techniques.

Why use affiliate programs

How can we look for the right business in this industry where there exists a world of different opportunities? It is possible, but you need a lot of reading and research to develop a sound and reliable online business strategy. Some give up before they actually started. Why? Because the amount of effort required is sometimes too heavy to carry. So, what is one easy way to make money online without having to think how to make it work? It’s the great idea of using an affiliate program. Consider if you have been in business online for a while, or if you’re just getting started, one critical component to build sales is to generate traffic for your site. Affiliate programs group together merchants and non-merchants alike, with the common goal to generate traffic. How does it work? Well, as a merchant, you join an affiliate program, and when others join and advertise your site in some way on their site, you get leads from them and you pay them for it. The beauty about affiliate program is that they are pay-for-performance, that means, you don’t pay unless a lead is materialized and a sale is generated from that affiliate. Even if you are in a non-merchant business, you can also share the advantages to joining an affiliate program. To begin, provide your visitors with links to the merchant. When more people visit your site, and click on the links to the merchant, you get paid for the number of leads or sales generated by your efforts. To increase this traffic, you can get others to advertise your site. Of course, you will have to pay for the leads generated, but think of the benefits of the added traffic to your site, they usually outweigh the costs. Last but not least, to all online businesses, affiliate programs are relatively easy to manage, and they are economical solutions to making money. They are less costly, and you need lesser work to join an affiliate program, compared to managing your own list of affiliates. Besides, affiliate programs usually have huge member size, so you stand to tap a far wider range of the market. It is not easy to achieve all this on your own. So, why wait? Use an affiliate program now.

Real world advice for choosing a modeling agency

Choosing a modeling agency is the most important decision a new model will make when embarking on a career in the modeling industry. The agency that a model decides to sign with will basically become a second family. Therefore, it is vital for the aspiring model to meet everyone on the “team” and be certain that everyone has the same career goals in mind from the beginning. One of the toughest challenges a new model will face is weeding their way through the thousands of agencies out there in order to find the ones they “click” with. Many of the lesser known, a. k.a. rip-off agencies, offer potential models free portfolios or comp cards for signing with their agency. Keep in mind that, one should never pay to sign with a company, and rarely is anything ever free of charge, especially at the beginning of a career. Read the fine print of every contract. Usually a “catch” can be found when it comes to these types of offers. Since the question of finding a quality company to work with is so important, how does the new model decide which ones are good and which ones should be avoided. Finding a quality modeling agency is the single most important step to becoming a successful model. Any model, no matter how beautiful, without a team of agents that are excited to be working with them, is doomed to mediocrity from day one. The fact is that top clients like Calvin Klein, D-Squared, Armani, Guess, DKNY, skincare companies, and the like, will only deal with certain agencies. Unless you are represented by these agencies, don’t plan on ever seeing yourself on billboards or getting mainstream magazine exposure. The goal of every new model wanting to really succeed should be first to sign with an agency in one of the fashion capitols: Milan, London, New York, or Paris. Being represented by these agencies early on makes it infinitely easier to establish a global network of credible companies to work with throughout your career. Signing early on with a modeling agency that has a solid background and name recognition within the industry is a must as a foundation for any career. For models living in or near one of these major modeling centers, open calls are the best way to get noticed and ultimately signed. For those who are not living in close proximity to any of these cities, there are ways to get your picture in front of the agents without traveling, and without spending a fortune on professional photography. Did you know that you can submit your pictures to agencies worldwide using a digital camera and never even leave your home? You just need the right contact information. Submitting photos to a big modeling agency in top fashion locations can be intimidating for new models if they don’t know exactly what they are doing. Models often wonder what they should include in their portfolio and in what order to present pictures so as to make their book stand out from the crowd. Learn how to present your pictures and personality in a way that will have even the biggest clients looking twice. Ever wondered how you can get noticed before you even have a portfolio? These are just a few of the questions that all new models should know the answers to before: A) Spending a single dime on professional photography, and B) Before moving forward and approaching agencies. The fact is that if you know how to approach large agencies correctly you have a much better chance of getting a contract offer. The answers to these questions and many more regarding the modeling industry can be found in the best-selling new e-book, The Model’s Bible. Written by international supermodel Caleb Lane. In his book, Caleb shares his real-world experience that stems from working in the fashion capitols of the world over the past 10 years. Caleb has worked with top clients like Calvin Klein, D&G, Kenneth Cole, Armani, Guess, Vogue, GQ, and many more. Visit modeling-success and instantly download everything that you need to know in order to get your career as a model jump-started and headed the right way!

Video to increase trust

Everyday consumers commonly think of online businesses as high technology enterprises. While there are indeed some websites that deal in high tech merchandise, most vendor websites trade mostly mundane materials like clothes, beddings and linen and other ordinary stuff we use in our daily lives. With common enterprises like these, the website is only another selling point for their inventory. What will be mostly displayed in these websites are pictures and short text descriptions of products. On the other hand, vendors that deal with high tech materials design their websites in such a way that it reflects the level of technology they work with. In the eyes of a common consumer, websites that do not exhibit high technology design are probably failing or disreputable. When browsing consumers find your website somewhat lacking in style and technology, looking for another website that will satisfy their expectations is highly probable. While it would be considered crass and distasteful to make your website look like the command center of the starship Enterprise, a few smatterings of high tech applications can give your website design reputation a good boost. In the beginning days of the internet, people tried to make their websites attractive by using lots of blinking and animated pictures in their websites. As website design matured, a more professional and modern feel gradually took over the blinking internet kaleidoscope world. Today, website design is usually patterned or themed after the owner’s profession or business. Simple but tasteful and professionally elegant are now the norm in designing websites. However, this norm, like technology, is fast becoming obsolete. As internet availability, data transmission speeds and bandwidths increase, the more options people have for designing a web site. In the beginnings of video streaming, video vendor sites were those that usually contained audio-video streaming capabilities. They used video clips or trailers of a movie to entice a customer to buy the whole video. Today, almost all vendors of video and audio have portions in their websites reserved for viewing movie trailers and listening to audio teasers. Of course, it would be a mistake to discount or limit the use of video streaming to video and audio websitesmon vendor sites like Amazon can surely use video streaming to further enhance the shopping experience of a customer. After all, a customer would like to see the merchandise before she actually makes a purchase. Video streaming provides this specific aid to both vendor and consumer. Aside from viewing videos of the product from different camera angles, a short demonstration of the product can be included in the video just like they do in TV shopping channels. Outside of video specific and trade merchandising businesses, video and audio streaming is also useful when it comes to other industries such as medical transcription, online education, medical facilities and personnel interconnectivity, online tutorials and instructional modules recorded in video format. Most importantly, the spread of internet video streaming usage signals an advance in technology. With advances and discoveries, opportunities for new ideas and enterprises abound. While it is great to have new technology available to, we need to put it to good use for it to be beneficial to us. In the case of websites with video streaming, the customer is assured that the products they sell are workable and crafted with quality. As internet shopping becomes more and more popular, vendor websites will have to see to it that they provide their customers a good look at their product.

Is business card printing a feasible home business

Stay relevant to your main web sites theme or subject matter. If for example you own a sports related web site and you add cosmetic and make up ads to it, chances are you are not going to do well. But if you put ads for health and fitness supplements on your sports oriented web site you may interest a few people into buying those products earning you a commission. There is a particular web site where I regularly place my free internet marketing articles to generate traffic to my blog. Quite often several so called internet marketing experts place articles shortly after one of mine has been posted talking about the impossibility of making any money online without spending lots of cash on advertising. Allying a company with several other high volume companies means the company has increased visibility with all of the other companys customers or potential clients. This increased visibility lends itself to increased hits on the companys website, and those increased hits increase the opportunities for sales. One of the biggest reasons for this is its low cost. For as little as $5, you can start advertising on the web in less than 5 minutes from now. Is business card printing a feasible home business? The increasing expenses identified with going to work daily has made home based business a yearning for almost every office worker. Establishing a home based business may just be a dream for most people today but it can be a reality with proper planning and determination. A home based is ideal for working mothers who want to spend more time at home with their children. However, it is often difficult to start a home based business fulltime because of the financial requirements of every household today. A person dreaming of a home based business should start putting his dreams into action by choosing a home based business idea. To be more feasible a person should consider a home based business that is of interest to her and which she already has the skills for. It is best to make a list of your talent, skills and experience and match this with a list of prospective home based business ideas. If you are interested in a certain hobby this would be a good start for a profitable home based business. If are creative and have computer designing knowledge then it would be possible for you to go into selling business cards right in the privacy of your own home. A business card home based business does not require a commercial office although you must have plenty of contacts to sell your business cards to. As you can see, there is plenty of opportunity here to make money, legitimately. There is no con involved. Nothing illegal involved. Just good business practice. So is making money online through affiliate marketing a scam? Absolutely not! Learning from people who are successful will drastically speed up your learning curve and help you achieve your goals. There are many tactics and strategies that you must know about before you start promoting any affiliate program. This actually will save you a lot of time and money, because you will know which systems or advertising methods will bring profit and which will not. Above all you should provide unique service. If you do not have the time you pay other people to do it. . There are no big secrets to making money. How do you start to make money on the internet? First of all, your product or service needs to be something that people have a demand for in order for it to make any money. You need to have a high speed computer and a colored printer to start with your business card home based business. You should also equip your computer with different graphics and design software to help you in creating different business card designs. Business cards have a ready made market because this is an important tool not only for business people but also for ordinary people who want their own cards. Even students and young professionals feel more confident if they can present their own business cards to colleagues and acquaintances so get hold of these markets. You also need to scout for boards in different designs and colors to match the personality and the occupation of your client. There are various designs and quality of boards for business cards and these are available in bookstores and in malls. Make sample business cards for your friends and acquaintances and print them out in twenties. You can give out the cards as tokens and samples but keep one or two for each card design and make a business card album so your future clients can see samples of your work. Full reviews on Making Money Opportunity here. Proven Money Making Opportunity as seen on CNN Money, CBS and Forbes. Although you are printing the business cards at home, you can get as many clients depending on your contacts and your marketing style. Make sure to post flyers and give out brochures in your neighborhood or even in nearby offices and other establishments. A business card home based business requires a meager capital if you already have the equipment but you can earn much if you know how to market your business cards. You know that it must be possible! After all you are buying these products and you know that with the millions of people on the internet, that other people must be buying them too. So you know that it is possibile to make money selling other people’s great products, you just need to find out how. Best Money Making Opportunity as seen on CNN, CBS and Forbes! Full details at money-2007.info These were all of the most important methods you should know in order to start making money off the internet with your home based business. Affiliate programs are the best option to start online if one does not have enough time, finances and expertise on internet business. The risk is minimal Christian home based business called Disciple's Cross. With Disciple's Cross, you make beautiful crosses and send these crosses back to the company. The company will pay you for the crosses it accepts. It has been a lot of fun to participate in this business opportunity and wonderful ministry.

What all customers really want creating sticky businesses

There is a popular sales and marketing axiom that states, people don't buy goods, services, products or expertise. People buy solutions to their problems. I believe this statement is true but I have had to clarify it for many of my consulting clients. In spite of the billions of dollars of merchandise for sale in todays marketplace, customers are really looking for only three things; 1) Good Feelings 2) Solutions to Problems 3) Genuine Relationships Do you know what your clients are REALLY buying? Top business consultants generate billions of dollars in fees every year to make companies understand this simple truth. Most companies engaged in professional services such as brokers, accountants, lawyers and doctors assume that their clients are buying their knowledge and expertise. In these expert industries a vendors expertise is usually ASSUMED by the customer. Rarely is it understood. I assume that the legal advice you are giving me is correct. I assume that the estate plan you have created for me is accurate. I assume that the tax return you spent months working on is legal. I assume that it is my appendix that has to be removed. Customers in all industries purchase the EXPERIENCE of doing business with you. As a professional merchant or vendor it is your job to make that experience as distinctively unique, pleasant and memorable as possible. The hard lesson that Corporate America has had to learn is that customers are not purchasing what you think you are selling. Customers buy the experience. My question to you is, are you clear on the experience you are selling? I do not purchase insurance. I acquire the peace of mind that when something goes wrong you will be there for me. I do not purchase gifts for my children. I acquire the joy and pleasure that my child will have with your merchandise. I do not purchase clothes. I acquire the comfort the wardrobe provides and the unique experience of being fashionable, stylish and attractive. I do not buy food. I am acquiring relief from hunger and the joy my taste buds will feel with this incredible culinary delight. I do not buy software. I purchase the pleasure of time saved, the prestige of recognition and the inside knowledge on how solutions are created. I do not buy pest control chemicals. I acquire the pleasure of not seeing rodents and cockroaches in my home. I do not buy airplane reservations. I acquire safe, on time, reliable and pleasant transportation to sexy destinations. If you want to increase your companies sales you must understand that customers do not purchase things. Customers buy ideas, feelings, happiness and positive experiences. Worth remembering when you talk with customers. Want to increase your sales? Provide the experience. Its been a wonderful blueprint for companies like Disney. Ever notice they never say come to our park, and ride our rides? They refer to it as the "Magic Kingdom." Disney understands that you sell the experience. What does this have to do with traffic and Search Engine Marketing? Everything. Most newbies think they have a traffic problem. Generating Traffic is the easy part of the equation. Most online businesses have a conversion problem because they ignore this simple truth.

Web hosting plans

Why on earth would you ever buy something that you don't need or pay for something that you'll never use? If you're in the market for a web hosting plan, chances are that you're a small or start-up company with a tight budget. You've planned out every expense down to the last dime. If you're in need of office space, you probably wouldn't even think about signing a three year lease for a 1300 square foot office with a giant, picture window, complete with an ocean view - and why not? Because you don't need all of that space (or the expense) as you start out on your new venture. The same holds true for web hosting plans. Why would you purchase a plan that has 50,000 mb of various space and 20 email addresses when it's just you, your spouse, and a four page website? Starting out small with the ability to expand when necessary is a crucial part of a successful entrepreneur. Believe it or not, the majority of those who are looking for such information are not computer gurus, but typical individuals looking for a simple plan to fill their website needs. Such customers are usually unaware of the exact amount of space, storage and other do-dads they will need until their site is up and running. So in addition to the low cost of these cheap web hosting services, many of them offer you a "building block" type of service, where you start with a small, base plan with the minimal amounts of disk space and monthly transfer allowance, but with the ability to upgrade to a bit more as you go along, whether you realize your need during the site building process or six months down the road, the upgrade options that you need, along with many that you don't, will be available for you to purchase. Email addresses (more than one) all come standard (usually) with the purchase of a basic package, and also offer you the ability to add more to your basic, cheap web hosting plan. Some might shy away from the less expensive web hosting plans and companies for fear of inadequate or cheap service. Most of the time, the cheap, or inexpensive web hosts will provide the same quality (if not a bit better) of a product/service as their pricey competitors. Of course, you will need to do your homework and research on the company at hand. I STRONGLY RECOMMEND YOU TO GO FOR GLOBAT PLAN BECAUSE YOU CAN'T GET A CHEAPER ONE THAN THIS

What to expect from an online auto auction

How many types of online auto auctions are there? What is the scam risk with online auto auctions? Are there vehicle reports where to check the history of a car for sale at an online auto auction? These are but a few of the questions that are most frequently asked when you want to buy a car online. There are free online auto auctions, where you can bid and have the car checked once the auction is over. Web sites specialized in car auctions are just intermediaries, if your bid wins, it is between the two parties involved to close the deal and write the contract. Usually, you can examine the car in daylight before purchase. Then there are the salvaged cars online auto auctions, where you can buy reconditioned cars that have been recuperated from a flood, a car crash or a fire. Very often, behind such cars lie big scams, that you'd better do some research before going to a car auction. First you should be suspicious when the price of the car is too low, and when you can track no precise history record. So, when you go to an online auto auction make sure you buy the car below the fair market value, otherwise you'd better go and buy it from the seller directly. Try not to get caught into a bidding war, because in case you win it, you will have to pay the winner's premium, as most online auto auction sites require. That is, you will pay a specific percent of the total bid to the auction site, which can be quite a sum, in case it's 10% or your bid for instance. Car rental agencies also try to sell at online auto auctions; however these cars are a lot better maintained than the salvaged cars. Usually car rental agencies use them for a year or two, and then try to take them out of service. Some of these cars still have warranties in affect, so it's better for you to check who you are buying a car from. Researching for some history records of the car you want to purchase would save you a lot of trouble. Before getting at an online auto auction, check on details on the car you want to bid on. It doesn't matter where you are from, state or country, you can easily be the victim of a scam.

Protecting your privacy and your online business

Working at home and starting a home-based internet business is the dream of many men and women from all walks of life. Across America and around the world countless numbers of these people are turning their dream into a reality. There are certain challenges however that often come back to haunt the would be e-entrepreneur that they never gave much thought to at the beginning of their venture. One of those is one of the most important potential problems of today and the future. That is the issue of identity theft. When you are operating an online business, you spend many hours on your computer doing the things necessary to build your business. Quite frequently this requires you to do business with and/or contract with other companies for various reasons. This can sometimes open you up to exposing yourself to privacy issues. At the end of this article, I will reveal to you probably the best step you can take to securing your identity. An identity thief takes your personal information and uses it without your knowledge. The thief may run up debts or even commit crimes in your name. These 10 tips can help you lower your risk of becoming a victim. 1. Protect your Social Security Number Don’t carry your Social Security Card in your wallet. If a company you do business with wants to use your SS# as your account number or id number, ask them to use another number. Protecting your Social Security number is the key to controlling identity theft. 2. Don’t let your identity get trashed Own a paper/document shredder as part of your business. Shred or tear up papers with your personal information on them before you throw them away. Shred credit card offers and other mail you receive that might have your personal private information on them. 3. Use caution when clicking around the Internet Before entering credit card or other personal information on any web site(especially if you are new to it), read their privacy policy. See what your opportunities are to opt out of sharing your information. IF there is no privacy policy posted, BEWARE!. Do business somewhere else. When you do enter personal information, enter it on secure Web pages with “https” in the address bar and a padlock symbol at the bottom of your browser. These signs indicated protection from hackers. 4. Don’t fall for “Phishing”! Scam artists disguise themselves as legitimate businesses that you do business with like your bank, stores, eBay, Paypal, government agencies and such. Tactics include phone calls, emails, regular mail, and others asking you to verify personal information like account numbers and passwords. Don’t respond unless you initiated the contact. Legit companies do not ask for this sort of information in these ways. 5. Control your personal financial information Limit where you can, the sharing of your information between companies and/or their affiliates. 6. Opt-out of pre-approved credit card offers Many pre-approved credit card offers are simply ploys to make your information an easy target to gather. 7. Check your bills and statements Open these items when you receive them in the mail. Reconcile right away and look carefully for any unauthorized charges or withdrawals. If you don’t receive these in the mail, call to find out why in case anyone has changed your contact information. 8. Protect your computer Computer viruses and spyware can compromise your privacy. Use the appropriate security software. Make your passwords difficult for others to guess. Don’t click on links in spam email. 9. Check your credit report This is one of the best ways to protect yourself. Monitor your credit history. You can get a FREE credit report every year from each of the three national credit bureaus. 10. Ask Why Whenever information is requested from you that seems inappropriate for the transaction you are making, ask questions. Ask how the information is going to be used and if it will be shared. Move on if you feel the answers are unsatisfactory. Identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes in America. It’s wise and prudent to take steps to protect yourself when you are an online business owner spending so much time online. A great way to protect your good name and your identity from being stolen is with a fantastic company called Lifelock. They’ll even give you a Million Dollar Service Guarantee. Quite simply, using Lifelock is absolutely the best way to protect yourself from identity theft BEFORE it happens. If you decide to take this important step toward protecting your identity and good name, here’s how you can save a little money on Lifelock’s already low service pricing. At the appropriate point when prompted for a “PROMO CODE”, enter the promo code LOCKSAFE. By entering “locksafe”, you’ll receive a 10% service discount from Lifelock that I have negotiated for all my readers. Get all the details at Lifelock . Identity theft can happen to anyone, anytime and anywhere. It can happen online or offline. Take the logical steps to protect yourself and rest assured that you have properly protected your reputation and the reputation of your business online and off.

5 Steps to increase your search engine ranking

Following are five ways that can help increase your rankings in the search engines and gain much needed exposure. Traffic Exchanges These are exceptional tools when used right. It can be used with great success when dealing with MLM, affiliate marketing and home based business opportunities. One of the best ways to use traffic exchanges is to create your own separate landing page for the product or opportunity you're promoting. Always try to stand out from the crowd by using something other than what all the other affiliates are using. You can build your own landing pages for free here: yoursqueezepage/?ref=5161 Then by simply enticing other surfers with some free information and using an autoresponder to capture their name and email address you can quickly build your own opt-in list of interested prospects. Getresponse is a good option, and has a paid and free option. Write a Newsletter While this may seem time consuming, it really doesn't have to be. There are hundreds of article directories floating around with articles written by experts in almost every field. Infogoround is a very good one. Simply use them within the guidelines prescribed by the directory and author, add a few lines from yourself as an introduction and throw in an ad and you've got yourself a newsletter. Write and Submit Your Own Articles As the previous point shows, there are many hundreds of article directories out there and literally thousands of web sites, ezines and newsletter publishers looking for new and unique content every day. In Isnare you can submit 5 articles to thousands of directories for $10. By writing your own articles and including a link back to your site you're not only branding yourself as an expert but also creating valuable back links to your site. This is a huge factor when it comes to search engine rankings which bring the best free traffic. Online Communities and Forums By joining online forums you can also gain back links to your site by posting comments and using a sig file with your links in it. Beware though that most forums frown on blatant advertising. You have to attempt to add something of worth with your posts or you may get banned. Adlandpro is one of the best online communities to promote your business. You can join here: startyourownbusinessonline/adlandpro. htm Exchange Links This may actually be the most difficult tactic. You must find sites that are in the same niche as yours but not necessarily in direct competition. You also have to find sites that already have a good ranking in the search engines for this to be effective. Always approach any site owner with grace and dignity. Be tactful and courteous. Remember, you attract more flies with honey than vinegar. Use all five of these tactics on a regular basis and you'll surely see a climb in traffic and search engine ranking.

Crm eliminate layers of complexity

Traditional approaches to system development include design of both the application and platform strategies. With on-demand CRM services it is possible to avoid the burden of complex application development and integration because they deliver multi-option, tightly integrated portal platforms for workplace collaboration. When developing a proprietary architecture, it is necessary to go through a process of creating and developing models, that are worked and reworked, discarded and/or refined until they satisfy the desired result. A list of some typical models are listed below and they constitute the 'layers of complexity' in application development. Concept Models Requirements Behavior (operational scenarios) Structure: system hierarchy, interconnection, interfaces Properties Analysis Detailed engineering models List of deliverables The process of bridging these layers together is complex and very difficult in trying to guarantee the exchange of underlaying data. Building these various layers, begets volumes of documentation, requires teams of programmers, architects, administrative support, and so forth. It is a process that becomes progressively time consuming and expensive. Additional 'layers of complexity' in application development include integration of collaboration tools and partner portals while trying to maintain a consistent look and feel. Application development can address organizational needs, but it adds so many layers of complexity to integrations that it becomes less profitable as an option except in very specific situations. Using on-demand CRM solutions are a strategic and cost efficient alternative for most organizations to application development initiatives. On-demand deployments offer easier integrations, have many standard collaboration tools and processes for sales and marketing activities already integrated, and are more cost efficient in terms of actual adding of content. With on-demand CRM it is also possible to incrementally deploy only the necessary parts of the application in strategic deployments for further cost efficiencies. On-demand CRM is the most evolutionary state of the portal market, it is a platform approach that brings together all the necessary content and applications from across the enterprise. Salesboom delivers robust CRM services without the layers of complexity you would expect in a typical application deployment, instead you receive an integrated web platform and that includes standard tools for collaborative workplace success. Benefits of Salesboom On-Demand CRM Reduce complexity and cost – Access standard tools for point integration and enable services for access to legacy data and current transactions. Modify and tailor user screens through local administrators. Excellent process visibility and control – Access mainframe data so it is transparently available to applications that require it. Use standard tools for management, audit and trace functions, browse and display so that specific processes spanning both distributed and mainframe environments can be easily and intuitively updated, contextualized and shared. Fast deployment of new business processes – create new processes or refine existing ones using workflow. Make customizations and updates easily through your local administrator. SOA deployment – Enjoy bi-directional integration between applications via Web services. Salesboom uses AJAX and COMET programming to enable fast processing. Salesboom CRM makes it possible to make mainframe and distributed systems peers within a standards-based SOA infrastructure. Real-time results – Access real-time information for business events, wherever they originate on the platform. View business processes in real time and participate in complex event processing from the dashboard within Salesboom. Template-based configuration and tailoring of Salesboom. - Use templates to customize and tailor screens for many activities, eliminating the cost of custom modifications.

The ten minute cheat sheet for successful internet business promotion

You’ve seen them brag about their sites – they’re claiming to be earning $10,000+ per month with a simple two-page website because they’ve cracked the age-old secret of getting masses of laser-targeted traffic with practically zero work. But the best thing is now they’re allowing YOU to do the same with their “secret” eBook, super-traffic-generating software or mega-promotion system. So you fork out the $97, stay up all night to read the book, install the software or put the system in motion and after a few days…nothing. After a couple of weeks…nothing still. You’re a hundred bucks down, on zero sales/subscribers and it’s dawning on you that you’re the victim of slick-salesletter-syndrome (again). You’re not alone – thousands upon thousands of new internet business owners fall into the same trap simply because they want to look for the easy way to get business (with practically zero outlay). Now here’s something that they’re not going to like – there’s no magic red button that spews out sales or opt-in subscribers while you pop off for a round of golf. The developers of such systems are using a clever psychological ploy to sell their worthless products/software (great for their bank account – not so good for you). I’m afraid real internet business promotion that yields long term effects takes a lot of EFFORT. But it’s not all doom and gloom. In just ten minutes, I’m going to explain to you the genuine ways to promote your website that WORK. The downside? It also takes work to implement – but get it right and you’ll never be short of long term traffic, subscribers and sales. We’re going to look at four largely free ways of drawing powerful, targeted prospects to your website. FIRST – The key to successful search engine optimisation & submission. Search engines remain one of the optimum ways of driving free, targeted prospects to your sites. In fact, over 600 million people are estimated to have used search engines to find their desired sites in 2005. However, the competition for top search engine placements is growing ever more intense as more and more sites are coming on to the world wide web. And so, search engines are bringing in ever more rigorous rules to rank quality sites and demote (or ban altogether) the rubbish spam sites. So how can you ensure high rankings and ensure your site remains “clean” from the search engine regulators? First, remember one golden rule: Search engines are meant to help people find genuine sites that are relevant to what they are searching for. Search engines don’t like to be tricked (and they can be venomous when they find out they have been). Make your site search engine friendly and you’ll be well ranked. How? It all starts with finding the right keywords for your website niche. You can use the Overture keyword search tool to do this (free on the Overture site). You should also ensure that all your website pages are optimised individually (ie you should not have one standard set of keywords for all your pages – make them relevant to the individual page). Once this has been done, you must hand submit your site to various search engines & directories. Hand submission may be more tedious but gets far better results than sites that are submitted automatically (beware – some auto-software and free search engine tools may damage your sites placement prospects with some search engines). Try and discover what specialist search engines are available for your website and submit to these too – they can be an excellent source of additional targeted prospects. This mix of submitting optimised website pages, submitting them to the right search engines along with having other high-traffic sites linking to yours will have an explosive result on your search engine placements. It can take time – but within a few weeks to a few months your correctly promoted site could be yielding far higher traffic than the competition. SECOND – Write & post articles and submit these to article directories, portals, newsgroups & forums around the web. Article writing is one of the best and lowest cost methods of generating a staggering amount of traffic to your websites. The idea is that you write an article closely related to your niche market and include your website URL in your signature file (the “advert” lines at the end). Publishers that post your article must also post your signature line and this can lead to a flood of genuinely interested prospects flowing to your website. Article writing has been endorsed by some of the most prolific internet marketers of our time (such as Willie Crawford) who use them not only to get targeted prospects but also to build their lists, brand their name and ultimately inflate their sales. The problem with article marketing is the time taken to submit articles. Writing an article can be done quickly – fifteen to twenty minutes isn’t unrealistic (or you can opt to have a ghost-writer create one for approximately $5 each) . That’s great, but there are literally thousands of directories, newsgroups, portals and forums to submit your articles to. To post to all the ones that would accept your work could take days of work (even with expensive software it’s time consuming and cumbersome). To post to only a few directories means that you’re cutting yourself out from the reach of 90% or more genuine prospects. You also need to regularly monitor new article directories and stop wasting time on those that are dead. It’s possible to use article submission services but this can run up to $100 or more depending on the reach and number of articles to be posted. Writing articles also has a dual positive effect – not only do you get your site in front of countless of interested people but you also create backlinks with high traffic article directories and publishers which does wonders for your search engine placements. Even writing one or two articles a month and submitting them to the directories can have a major effect on your credibility, popularity and profitability. THIRD – Use a short but effective press release to inform the world about your website. It astounds me that press releases are not used more by website owners. There are several press release websites where you can submit your press release for free. Press releases are somewhat more “rigid” than articles and there’s more chance of your press release being rejected unless you follow the below guidelines. To have your press release accepted, ensure that it’s concise and informative and not just one long sales pitch (you’re begging for a rejection if that’s what you submit). The press release should be written in a factual, non-hyped way. A carefully prepared release can lead to thousands upon thousands of new prospects pouring over your website so it’s well worth the effort to submit one in the right way. FOURTH – A nicely crafted (free) viral eBook can lead to an endless number of prospects, subscribers & sales pouring into your site for years down the line. Viral eBooks are wonderful internet business promotion tools. It’s fairly simple to create an eBook using Adobe or similar eBook creation tools. The trick here is NOT to compile a garbled collection of fluff but to create a genuinely quality piece of work that will impress your prospects and address their issues. You must make your free viral eBook as good as if you were paying for it because you will ultimately be judged on it’s quality – if it’s garbage then don’t expect many sign-ups or sales. A good viral eBook can really have a wonderful effect on your internet business promotion efforts. The viral eBook can be uploaded to several free eBook sites, and it should be made clear that the book may be distributed freely in any way. Inside, your book should have a link to your newsletter opt in page and possibly your main products (do not stuff it with sales & affiliate links as it will portray you as some kind of greedy hack). Once submitted to the various eBook directories you can expect a long term stream of new opt in subscribers and customers from this one tactic alone. Some of my most responsive opt in lists have been created using this method. Viral eBooks also give your readers the illusion of you being the leader in your niche – a very important deciding factor when your potential customers are poised over the “buy now” button. OK – that’s four of the best internet business promotion methods for you that work (and work well). I’m not saying that these methods do not take time to implement. Yes, you have to put in the effort and submit to countless places but believe me, the results will AMAZE you – and most of the methods mentioned above will keep providing you with new prospects and customers, for months and years after that initial nasty work has been done. Isn’t it time you stopped with the gimmicks and did what really works for your internet business?

4 Things you should know before starting an e biz

Advice from a Genius Renowned E-Biz author Sydney Johnston created the now-famous Auction Genius courses (Auction-Genius-Course) to aid people wanting to create their own e-businesses. She shares some important tips for anyone looking to learn the online retail industry: Tip 1 — Start Small. Many of Johnston’s students are eager to dive in head first, ready to invest all their savings into overseas imports or shopping network returns. But Johnston discourages such risky moves for two reasons. • They haven’t considered all the costs — the enormous minimum quantities that may be required, or the price of having their goods shipped from overseas, not to mention the incidental charges they may incur in the process. • They have little experience and, therefore, no way of knowing all that these transactions entail. Says Johnston, “You’re going to make mistakes in the beginning. The way to minimize any kind of horrible error is to learn with inexpensive items, and scale up.” Start with a minimum investment; and as you begin to make a profit, put that money back into your business rather than buying new toys for yourself. Tip 2 — Research the Market and Test Your Results. As you go, you’ll learn which products sell well and where you’re actually making a profit. Johnston has a “funnel theory” on finding your product niche: “You start really broad, with huge categories. Then you do your market research and you funnel down. You get smaller and smaller, until out the other end of the funnel comes a handful of products that you can really do well with.” Tip 3 — Start on EBay. EBay is a great tool for beginners just learning about online retail. There are several reasons why it’s a smart place to start: • It’s quick, easy, and inexpensive. • The traffic is built in, and the people that are seeing your listings are seeing them because they’re specifically searching for your type of product. • It’s a good way to get exposed to the ins and outs of the business. Tip 4 — There’s No Such Thing as “Get Rich Quick!” Starting an e-business is just like starting any other business — it takes patience and persistence. Don’t expect to be magically rolling in money overnight. And don’t just jump at every “opportunity” that comes along, for fear of missing out. Research it first; if it sounds too good to be true — well, you know... If you take the time to understand what you’re doing, there’s plenty of room in the e-commerce industry for you to make money.