I am a long time US Bank customer, but lately I am getting a little irked about them. First they install new ATMs in my area that are so low that any SUV driver has problems reaching down to the money dispenser slot. Not happy about this at all. In the area of the country where I live many people drive SUVs and trucks and this is just bad how this works out for US Bank customers. Second I ran into a situation yesterday that is just plain stupid. US Bank blames VISA for this, but I think it is stupid and really bad customer service. [Read more...]
Local Lead Generation for Small Businesses
Many small business are struggling these days with their marketing efforts. Old school advertising strategies can only go so far and unless a small business adjusts their marketing efforts, they will lose out to the new advertising channels created by Internet-enabled phones and the Internet itself. But most small businesses have limited resources in regards to sales and marketing and while a business owner is used to wear many hats, learning the more difficult marketing strategies required to succeed on the Internet is almost impossible. If you talk to a business owner about Google Quality Score, A/B Split testing, Web Analytics, Pay Per Click advertising, or Facebook advertising you often lose them because they do not understand the lingo or have problems keeping up with those things already.
Then service providers entered the market offering to manage the online pay per click marketing efforts for a fee. However, the risk still stays with the small business. These service providers take 10% of the marketing budget in fees alone without providing any sort guarantees. Small businesses are at the mercy of these providers and need to trust them a lot. [Read more...]
Ebay And Dropshipping, A Marriage Made In Heaven?
Ebay And Dropshipping, A Marriage Made In Heaven?
Believe it or not, eBay is the ‘BEST’ opportunity you can use right now to make money online in the dropshipping business from the comfort of your own home.
Thousands of people just like you use eBay auctions on a daily basis to sell and buy products on the Internet; now it’s your time to START your own dropshipping home-based business and succeed in the eBay auctions ‘game’!
There are no special skills required for this dropshipping business, all you need is a computer, Internet access and some basic computer / Internet knowledge.
Dropshipping is when you sell products on the Web, forward the orders to the dropship supplier and, in return, the dropshipper ships the product to your customer (buyer).
You act as the middleman between the dropshipping supplier and your buyer. You can take orders by credit card, PayPal fax or any other method you can think of. You can sell via your own Web Site, Yahoo store, or even through e-mails.
Your profit is generated on the difference between your selling price and the price the dropshipping supplier charges you.
Thanks to dropshipping you can start making money ‘instantly’ without any investment in inventory, warehousing, shipping, equipment, employees or office space.
Having products drop shipped by suppliers, allows you to concentrate on truly important aspects like advertising, sales and promotion.
Pay attention! There are lots of companies claiming to be ‘Drop Shippers’. However, a legitimate drop shipper is a factory-authorized wholesale distributor, or sometimes the actual manufacturer of the product. A legitimate drop shipper should not charge you an ‘account setup fee’ or ask you to place a ‘minimum quantity order’.
Make sure you find legitimate drop shippers who have the product(s) you want to sell, talk with them on the phone or by e-mail and let them know that you are truly serious about doing business with them.
Customer support counts in the dropshipping business, so don’t hesitate to contact dropshipping suppliers before you proceed to work with them.
This will help you decide if you really want to do business with a particular drop shipper or not.
To succeed in the dropshipping business you’ll have to LOOK for hard-to-find products that people desperately need and want to purchase.
The key is to sell products with little or no competition.
Do some research for product’s you want to sell that you think will have little or no competition on eBay.
I suggest you RESEARCH for quality products & legitimate dropship suppliers, MONITOR the eBay auction listings to see if there’s any competition and TEST the market (e.g. find out if people really want to spend CASH on the product you want to sell)
Remember! Dropshipping makes it EASY for you to start and run your own home-based businesses on a shoestring budget; and eBay is the ‘perfect’ MEDIUM to expose your product to potential buyers all over the globe!
About the Author:
Ron Keegan runs Megastar Distributors a red-hot Web Site jam-packed with lots of FREE Resources, Tips & Reports on DropShipping & eBay. Pick-up your *FREE* ebook at http://www.Megdis.com to learn more about making-money dropshipping!
Can you build an online home business without a monetary investment?
Can you build an online home business without a monetary investment?
You see it all the time: Ads such as, “FREE HOME BUSINESS”, “MAKE A PROFIT WITH NO COST TO YOU”, etc. You see these claims in emails and on websites all over the Internet. You see them in your local newspaper and in magazines. Are all these ads just a bunch of lies, or can you really build a home business without a monetary investment? I believe the answer to this depends on a couple of different factors. 1) Is the person seriously trying to build the business and, 2) What are the resources being used to build it.
Let’s look at the first factor – YOU! (No, I am not picking on you.) What type of person can build a business without investing any money? He will have to be a self-starter. There will be no boss looking over his shoulder to make sure the job is being done. He also must be dedicated and have a strong commitment to succeed. Trying to build a business this way is going to take much time and patience. There may be many hours of sitting in front of a computer submitting websites or placing ads in his immediate future. He must have “stickability”. He must decide what he is going to try to build and stick with it. He can’t be jumping from one “sure thing” to another.
The second factor we should look at is the resources being used. Building an online business using free resources can be a very time consuming experience. I have read several testimonials from people who have done it, so I know it is possible. Success mainly boils down to this: having the time to do the research on the many free online resources, and then doing the necessary work required in putting them to good use. Let’s take a look at a few of these free resources and see if they really work.
The Internet offers a wide variety of free resources available to a person trying to build an online business. From free web hosting & html tutorials, to free affiliate programs & advice (some good and some bad).
1) Websites:
a) If you are going to have on online business, you are going to need a website. Various companies offer free web hosting. Normally in exchange for this service, you will have to agree to some type of advertising on your site. Many of these sites will also have certain restrictions of what you can and cannot do with your site.
b) Many of these same free web-hosting companies will also offer a website builder. These WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editors are easy to use but are limited in what you can do with them. They do allow you to get a website up and running without learning html.
c) HTML: Learning HTML at first will seem almost impossible. What did you think the first time you looked at the source for a webpage? My first thought was “You’ve got to be kidding!!” Actually, there are many sites on the Internet that offer free tutorials that are perfect for the beginner.
d) Drawbacks: Many free websites are very plain and to be truthful, most people don’t take them serious for a business. Look at it this way: You are given two choices of locations to go out for dinner. The first one is a nice but affordable, sit down restaurant while the other is a guy cooking on a hotplate on a street corner where the only seat is the nearest fire hydrant – which one is going to look more professional to you?
2) Products:
a) If you are planning to sell some type of product on your site, you are going to have to find a place to get these products. There are a lot of companies that will “drop ship” their products for you. It’s really simple: You sell their product on your site, you collect the money from your customer, you place the order for this product from your supplier and they package and ship the product straight to your customer. Most of them will even show your company name as the return address. You pay your supplier the wholesale cost of products sold and you keep the difference between the retail prices you charged your customers.
b) Affiliate programs go beyond the drop ship companies. You promote their products, the customer clicks on your link to purchase the product and the affiliate company will handle the payment, ship the order, and send you a commission check.
c) Drawbacks: Making sure your supplier has the product readily available when your customer is ready to purchase.
3) Advertising:
a) There are tons of places online that you can place free classified ads. Simply do a search on your favorite search engine and you can spend days submitting ads all over the Internet for your product or service.
b) Search engines: Getting your site listed in the major search engines is a must. But once you get them listed, will anyone know you’re there? Think about your own search habits. When was the last time you searched through more than a few pages of results to find what you were looking for? Optimizing your website to get high search engine rankings can be a VERY time consuming affair. There are many resources available to help, but it still requires a lot of time.
c) Traffic Exchanges: You can join one or more of many different free traffic exchange programs. Simply put, you click on other websites to earn credits. When you earn credits, you site is listed on the site and some one else will click on your site to get their credits.
d) Drawbacks: Free advertising can and does work but it will cost you a lot of time in the process.
In conclusion, I would say that yes, a person can indeed build an online business without a monetary investment. But going into it with some foreknowledge of the necessary personal characteristics, process and time investments can aid you in being successful. Be prepared to spend a considerable amount of time. Search out many free programs and make decisions wisely. Even though the program may not cost you money, it will cost you time.
One last recommendation if you are considering trying this method: when you begin to see a profit, immediately invest a percentage of that money back into your business. You’ll soon start to realize that many of the necessary business-building routes become shorter when you buy resources rather than rely solely on the free ones. Your business will still have not cost you anything “out of your own pocket”, as you’ll be utilizing your first profits made from your time investments.
About the Author
Craig Binkley – husband, father and home
business owner assisting in the restoration
of the “traditional” family.
http://www.bornagainbargains.com
A Practical Guide To Starting A Business
A Practical Guide To Starting A Business
Starting a business can be an exciting prospect….or a frustrating, confusing task that seems impossible to conquer.
Which one will apply to your situation will depend on how well you plan, how much you educate yourself, and how disciplined you are in following through.
Many people start out with a great idea, but don’t know how to translate that idea into a viable business.
==Where Do I Start?
Your first step should be your business plan. Many would-be entrepreneurs will skip this step, choosing the fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants method instead, but starting a business without a business plan is like embarking on a long journey to an unfamiliar place without a map.
A business plan serves to define your goals, map out your plan of how to achieve them, and will provide you with a sense of purpose and accomplishment along the way.
Your business plan should include the following elements:
1) the description of the business
2) the marketing plan
3) the financial management plan
4) the management plan
The Small Business Administration offers an online tutorial on how to write a business plan.
http://www.sba.gov/starting/indexbusplans.html
One of the first decisions your will have to make is what form your business should take. The most common forms are:
-Sole Proprietorships
-Partnerships
-Corporations
Which form you choose will depend on many factors, including:
-Legal restrictions
-Liabilities assumed
-Type of business operation
-Earnings distribution
-Capital needs
-Number of employees
-Tax advantages or disadvantages
-Length of business operation
Some of the advantages and disadvantages of each type is outlined below:
Sole Proprietorship
This is the easiest and least costly way of starting a business. A sole proprietorship can be formed by finding a location and opening the door for business. There are likely to be fees to obtain business name registration, a fictitious name certificate and other necessary licenses. Operating a Sole Proprietorship is easiest as the owner has absolute authority over all business decisions.
Partnership
There are several types of partnerships. The two most common types are general and limited partnerships. A general partnership can be formed simply by an oral agreement between two or more persons, but a legal partnership agreement drawn up by an attorney is highly recommended. Legal fees for drawing up a partnership agreement are higher than those for a sole proprietorship, but may be lower than incorporating. A partnership agreement could be helpful in solving any disputes. However, partners are responsible for the other partner’s business actions, as well as their own.
Corporation
A business may incorporate without an attorney, but legal advice is highly recommended. The corporate structure is usually the most complex and more costly to organize than the other two business formations. Control depends on stock ownership. Persons with the largest stock ownership, not the total number of shareholders, control the corporation. With control of stock shares or 51 percent of stock, a person or group is able to make policy decisions. Control is exercised through regular board of directors’ meetings and annual stockholders’ meetings. Records must be kept to document decisions made by the board of directors. Small, closely held corporations can operate more informally, but record-keeping cannot be eliminated entirely. Officers of a corporation can be liable to stockholders for improper actions. Liability is generally limited to stock ownership, except where fraud is involved. You may want to incorporate as a “C” or “S” corporation.
==What About Taxes?
It is very important to understand the tax laws that apply to the type of business you have chosen.
There are four basic taxes that you should be aware of:
-Income Tax
-Self-Employment Tax
-Employment Taxes
-Excise Tax
Income Tax
You have to file an Income Tax return if your earnings were more than $400 for the tax year. Even if your earnings were less than $400 from your business, you may still have to file a 1040 if you meet any of the criteria listing in the 1040 instruction booklet.
If you expect to owe more than $1,000 in Income Tax, you may have to pay Estimated Taxes. There are four ways to pay estimated taxes:
1. By crediting an overpayment on your 1999 return to your 2000 estimated tax.
2. By sending in your payment with a payment-voucher from Form 1040-ES.
3. By paying electronically using the Electronic Federal Tax Payment System (EFTPS). For EFTPS information, call 1-800-945-8400 or 1-800-555-4477.
4. By credit card, using a pay-by-phone system.
For more information on Estimated Taxes, see the IRS website at
http://www.irs.ustreas.gov/forms_pubs/pubs/p505ch02.htm
Self-Employment Tax
Self-Employment Tax must also be paid if your net business earnings were more than $400. SE Tax is a Social Security and Medicare tax that provides retirement benefits, disability benefits, survivor benefits, and hospital insurance benefits to you under the Social Security system.
You can deduct 1/2 of your SE tax from your net earnings on your 1040.
For more information on SE taxes:
http://www.irs.ustreas.gov/forms_pubs/pubs/p3340103.htm
Employment Tax
If you employ others in your business, you will need to report Employment Taxes. For specifics and tips on Employment taxes:
http://www.irs.ustreas.gov/forms_pubs/pubs/p15toc.htm
Whether or not you need an EIN (Employment Identification Number) depends on your business structure. You only need an EIN if you:
-Pay wages to one or more employees
-Have a KEOGH plan
-operate as a corporation or partnership
-File any of these tax returns:
a. Employment
b. Excise
c. Alcohol, Tobacco or Firearms
To obtain an EIN, you must fill out an SS-4 which is available through the IRS.
Excise Tax
Excise Taxes apply to certain types of businesses and certain business activities. Some examples are:
Tractor or heavy machinery sales
Tobacco, alcohol or firearms manufacturing or sales
Business activities or products that have environmental impact
For a list of businesses that apply, see the IRS website:
http://www.irs.ustreas.gov/forms_pubs/pubs/p3340105.htm
A free Small Business Tax Kit is available from the IRS. Their Small Business Corner offers advice, publications and links to useful information. http://www.irs.gov/ They also offer a Tax Calendar which tells you when to file returns and make tax payments.
You should also be aware that the laws vary by state and by industry, so it is highly recommended that you consult a tax advisor in your area. You can get information on local zoning regulations from your city hall, county court, or state department of taxation and finance.
==For More Information…
The Small Business Administration is an excellent source of information and a great place to start. You can get a free Startup Kit, download a Business Plan Tutorial and find many free publications. http://www.sba.gov/
Other useful resources:
====STAWRS One Stop Guide
http://www.tax.gov/newbusiness.htm
====Business Plan Pro 4.0
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00003IE59/americashomebase
====The Legal Guide for Starting & Running a Small Business
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0873373790/americashomebase
====J.K. Lasser’s Taxes Made Easy for Your Home-Based Business
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0028627970/americashomebase
====The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Starting a Home-Based Business
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0028615395/americashomebase
====Business Start-Up Guide: How to Create, Grow, and Manage Your Own Successful Enterprise
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0965321207/americashomebase
———————-
Sharon Davis, Work-At-Home expert, author and consultant,
helps people to achieve their goal of working at home,
telecommuting or starting a home business.
http://www.2Work-At-Home.Com
List of other articles of interest:
http://www.2work-at-home.com/freecontent.shtml
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