Thousands of individuals today want to be their own boss and work on their own schedule. Many people would like to have their own internet business and have a money making site but have no real idea how to make money on the internet.
Risk is the factor that kills most businesses off. Even if you’re lucky enough to obtain the capital to start, nearly 90% of all small businesses fail in the first year. If yours is one of the lucky ones, you have to keep reinvesting your time and money to build up the businesses reputation. It could be anywhere from 5-7 years before any significant profit is seen. Most of us cannot wait that long which is what makes affiliate marketing such an eye-catching offer.
Affiliate marketing involves you, working as an affiliate for a merchant or business. You promote either goods or services and you’re paid on how much you produce. There are low costs and low hazard. You put in what you prefer and are rewarded accordingly.
There are literally thousands of programs for you to select from. However, to get started you possibly will want to choose something that you are familiar with. This product or service may not be the most up-to-date thing on the current market or make you a millionaire, but you will come off more confident and sincere with something you know and believe in.
This will also help when it comes to creating your site. Something known will allow you to be personal and creative. Trying to create a site around something you grasp little about will soon become boring and tedious.
Working with something familiar will also provide you the some experience in the program. You can always make bigger at a latter time when you are more familiar with how things work.
Another good piece of internet marketing advice is to watch the amount of banners that you put up. A site full of banners will make the site look unattractive and put off potential buyers. Carefully place your banners and use them to accent your site. Stuffing it full will not help.
Take into account, in the world of affiliate marketing there is no such thing as the perfect program. Any particular program will be stuffed full of varying testimonials. Some will be notable while others will have not done so well. You need to decide for yourself and not be put of by a few bad experiences. In the end it is up to you and how much you want to put in.
Affiliate marketing is a great way to make money and work in support of you. The risk to you is minimal and there is little start up cost. There are many great affiliate marketing programs out there and choosing the right one may seem like a daunting task. When you first start out remember to stick to what you understand.
The best way to be a winner online is to find an area you have an interest in to start with, then build a website or blog with good information and some affiliate links. There are countless ways people make money online today so test a few out and see how it goes. Affiliate marketing could be just the answer to your new job search.
In recent years we’ve seen a HUGE increase in the number of small businesses owned by women. This growth has been so dramatic that millions of people now think of a woman when they visualize who owns the businesses they buy from.
Women everywhere deserve a big pat on the back for this amazing accomplishment. But as is always the case for small business owners, there is still a lot of work to be done.
The one thing your small business MUST have is a web site. Sure, ten years ago having a site was an option many small businesses could do without. But that is no longer the case. Here’s why:
* These days consumers and business leaders are more likely to use search engines than the Yellow Pages. They’ll type the name of your town and your type of business into Google and start their research from there.
* A web site lets you put as MUCH information as you want in a public forum. You no longer have to pay thousands for a big newspaper ad just to let customers know about your prices, new services, or show photos of what you do. Now you can keep all that information available on your web site 24/7 at little or no cost.
* You know as well as I do that most customers are a little shy about asking questions. Often they don’t even want you to know they’re interested until AFTER they have learned more about your product, service, or idea. A web site allows that vast number of potential customers to privately and anonymously read all about your business. Then, when they’re ready to buy, they’ll come forward with their questions and orders. This is a MUCH more efficient way to do business, which leads to my next point.
* Web based business operations can be EXTREMELY EFFICIENT. Customers often prefer convenient email over phone or in-person visits. Email encourages customers to organize their ideas, contacting you when they know what they want and are ready to act. You’ll find your web site generates many more customers and the customers you get are better organized.
Women everywhere deserve a big pat on the back for this amazing accomplishment. But as is always the case for small business owners, there is still a lot of work to be done.
* Finally, women love to buy from women-owned businesses. Women, as a group, tend to be less compulsive shopper than men. While a large segment of men will buy an item on impulse, the vast majority of women prefer to learn about your product or service, getting all the details they can before placing an order. Web sites are perfect for presenting a lot of information at very little cost.
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Regardless of the type of business you conduct, there is a significant risk of being sued in our litigious society. Lawsuits can range from claims of negligence to defective products to disputes with employees. Incorporating is a means of guarding against these potential threats.
Single Incorporation – Protecting Your Personal Assets
Incorporating your business is a method for creating a legal wall between your personal assets and business. Any judgment against your business will not impact your personal assets. While your home, savings, stocks, etc., are protected, what happens to your business? If a judgment is rendered against your business, the business assets are as good as gone. This doesn’t have to be the case.
Double Incorporation Strategy – Protect Your Business Assets
Many businesses can benefit from pursuing a double incorporation strategy. The strategy is designed to address the situation where a business has significant assets that are exposed to litigation risk. If you incorporate your business, it is all well and good that your personal assets are not at risk. But what if your business has a number of high value assets such as manufacturing machinery, office equipment, popular domain name, custom software or other items? Merely incorporating your business will not protect these assets because they are owned by the business entity. Since a successful lawsuit would result in a judgment against the business entity, all assets of the business could be seized as part of the judgment. In short, you lose your machinery, office equipment, intellectual property or any other item of tangible value. The double incorporation strategy prevents this scenario.
As the name suggests, the double incorporation strategy involves the creation of two business entities. The first is your “at risk” business that interacts with your customers or clients. The second entity, a “holding corporation”, is then created to own the valuable assets of your business. This holding corporation then leases the relevant business assets to your “at risk” entity. If the “at risk” entity is sued, the holding company merely recovers its assets and the plaintiff is forced to settle for pennies on the dollar because the “at risk” entity has few assets. In essence, the plaintiff wins the battle, but loses the war.
Lawsuits can range from claims of negligence to defective products to disputes with employees. Incorporating is a means of guarding against these potential threats. The first is your “at risk” business that interacts with your customers or clients.
Most people know that a business entity can be used to create a protective shield for their personal assets. If your business has high value assets, now you can use this double incorporation strategy to protect those assets as well.
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I don’t know how many times I’ve flipped through the channels and heard Lou Dobbs talking about “Exporting America.” Now, I know Lou is discussing the political and economic context of American companies outsourcing their jobs overseas. However, this new one-dimensional definition of outsourcing has other implications to some of us in the States.
I am no expert on politics, economics or Lou Dobbs, so I’ll keep my opinions on those subjects to myself. However, what I would like to discuss is the negative connotation that the word “outsourcing” has taken on in this country.
There are thousands upon thousands of small businesses in this country whose sole survival depends on other companies outsourcing their needs. Just think about it for a moment. How many companies in the service industries only exist to support the needs of other businesses?
Imagine if every company had to act as a fully self-sufficient corporation. They must handle all of their own HR issues…no more employment agencies, payroll companies, etc. They must employ a full-fledged IT department to handle all of their own web design, networking, software and database designs. Each enterprise has to have enough administrative assistants, data entry specialists, desktop publishing experts, marketing gurus. The list is endless.
If American companies were to completely eliminate all forms of outsourcing, life as we know it would end!
Now, we all know that this is not what Lou or anybody else who has defined outsourcing as one of the most popular buzz words of the last few years is talking about. I understand that most people know that the business to business outsourcing within America is not a bad thing. Nonetheless, it seems strange to me that one word can take on such a life of its own. It’s really not a new phenomenon, yet it is the first time that I’ve encountered one of these controversial terms in my own ventures.
Let me say that as a business person in a field that is solely based on other businesses looking to my company to meet their needs, I find myself quite often searching for synonyms to outsourcing. Not that there’s anything wrong with it, but when I’m advertising, I’m forever brainstorming for words to replace that one that starts with o and ends with source! After all the talk that’s been spinning around Washington and the rest of the country, it seems that it’s turned into a dirty word.
I’ll keep my opinions on those subjects to myself. However, what I would like to discuss is the negative connotation that the word “outsourcing” has taken on in this country.
Obviously, most people understand that there are all types of outsourcing. On the other hand, when you’ve got limited time and space are you going to choose a “hot button” word to describe what you’re selling?
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Health and Safety-It Makes Good Cents
Data shows that small businesses that have health and safety procedures in place reduce their injury and illness costs by 20 percent and even up to 40 percent. Nearly 95 percent of business owners report that health and safety programs have a positive impact on the company’s bottom-line according to a recent survey. Of this group, 61 percent say their return-on-investment is 3 dollars for every 1 dollar they invest in improving workplace safety. In addition, companies that have working health and safety programs in place have seen employee absenteeism drop in half.
A well planned health and safety program is obtainable even for small businesses. For example in this worst to first situation, a small manufacturing company was forced into putting a health and safety program in place or be shut down. They started by doing an audit, identified and controlled hazards, showed working procedures, and had to keep their injury rates below the national average for their sector. After they had implemented their health and safety program, they had many years with not one injury and saved more than $45,000 on insurance premiums. The company was even recognized with an award for their safety record. The owner, Rick, said “Our health and safety program has helped us protect our employees, maintain compliance, keep our vital employees working for us, and has saved us real money to put back into our company.”
Health and safety is no longer just viewed as a good idea, but a crucial investment in the business’ long term success. Mounting costs of unhealthy employees and the expense and disruption of staff turnover is turning many small business owners to health and safety. The payback in health and safety programs comes in the form of: improved productivity, fewer insurance and worker’s comp claims, less absenteeism, decrease in accidents, reduced staff turnover, higher employee morale, and leads to a better business reputation and customer loyalty.
Unhealthy and absent employees are costly. Businesses incur direct costs such as worker’s comp payments, disability costs, replacement employees, equipment damage, and even lost productivity.
By having a health and safety program in place, employers also protect themselves from liability in employee’s injury in being exposed to unidentified hazards in the workplace. Employers can be charged in injuries caused to untrained employees. An unhealthy may also threaten the safety of others such as fellow employees, the business owner, and even the customer of the business.
In starting a program, there needs to be commitment. Employers must get a feeling of the seriousness of this new procedure. The planning should be a partnership between the business owner and employees. To be able to actively engage all aspects of the on-going process in the business, the program should consider all of the major health risks in all of the areas of the workplace to meet the needs of all employees.
Deciding on whether to have a health and safety program should be clear. Health and safety issues in the workplace cost the business owner directly and even in lost opportunity. A change to making the business safer will lead to a more positive bottom-line.
For any questions or even help in getting started, drop us an e-mail at abbsafetynet@gmail.com.
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Considering what CPAs are being asked to pay for pre-packaged paperless solutions for their offices, the title of this article is quite radical. Since the title and what is discussed here is based on actual experience of the author, it is alright for it to get some media attention.
Most CPA practices these days have a small office network in place to handle the operations of the business. Rather, it is almost impractical for them to be operating without some kind of a computer network in their offices. Most CPAs and accountants also efile their clients’ tax returns and so they need a reliable internet connection in their office. Unbeknownst to them, CPAs have over 90% of what they need to go paperless, at least on the hardware and the software side.
CPAs have almost all the hardware and software needed, in their office, to convert their practice into a paperless practice. Almost means close to 90%. However, they need to build up another asset to be able to go paperless in a very short time. The asset they need has to be built in house and cannot be purchased. They have to first recognize the extreme importance of the need to go paperless and then develop a strong determination to do so within a short time and limited budget.
Recognition of the importance of going paperless is the major hurdle facing the accounting industry at this time. Many CPAs are still waiting on the sidelines to watch how this trend evolves. Generally, that is not a very bad strategy. Not all trends become permanent in any industry and so a lot of times it is good to wait a little before getting on the bandwagon. However, paperless movement has been building momentum over a long period of time. In fact, it probably has been in discussions for over a decade. There have been some early adopters who benefited from it. It has not become a general trend yet in accounting industry, other professional services industry and business in general. But there are signs that it is picking up speed.
It is during the last few years that the capacity of the technology, that is being used in accounting offices, like other businesses, has increased tremendously at very affordable prices. Until a few years ago, going paperless in an accounting office was a major undertaking as it would require upgrading of hardware and software in a significant way. Now, there is no need to upgrade. If the hardware was purchased during the last 2-3 years, it probably has adequate capacity and speed to handle a paperless office without much upgrading.
In that case, a typical small CPA firm just needs to add a couple of scanners at $300 each and a PDF converter software that can be purchased for about a $100 these days. A strong commitment to go paperless and a determination to get it done within a given time frame is short in supply and is not available with any hardware or software vendor.
It is a very strange phenomenon. The technology is available and the need is there and yet most small CPA practices are not paperless, and one would hope that they are at least thinking about going paperless sometime soon. Why shouldn’t they go paperless if they could do it within a $1,000 of additional hardware and software?
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Quality Assurance (QA) in translation can be defined as all the systematic and planned actions established to ensure translation services adhere to client requirements and meet the expectations of the target market. The translation service provider bears the responsibility of establishing the methodologies and processes necessary to meet customer quality requirements.
Language and Technical Quality:
To ensure the highest quality translation, you should only accept translation jobs where you are a native speaker of the target language and possess professional expertise in the subject matter.
Having a “near-native fluency” in the target language may not be sufficient to accurately relay cultural idioms or inherent language subtleties and nuances. Additionally, appropriate educational certifications and professional credentials are essential for technical translations.
As part of your language and technical quality strategy, make sure your translation goes through editing and proof-reading stages, besides the translation stage. After you’ve completed your translation, have it reviewed by an editor to verify its accuracy. This final, edited version should then be proofread for the consistency, fluency and integrity of its content.
Review and Prepare the Source Text
Any mistakes, omissions or inaccuracy in the source text will inevitably be repeated in the target language, unless an initial review is carried out. It is essential that you analyze the linguistic and technical quality of the source text and make any necessary modifications – be they simple or extensive – to incorporate quality. Make sure you contact your client and advise them of any initial review you deem necessary.
Ask Where and Why
Culture is an integral part of language, so make sure you know your target audience. Ask yourself the two-simple questions of Where and Why on every single translation project your work on. Ask yourself “why translate this text”: is it to educate, persuade or sell? The objective of each translation project will determine the language register, as well as the translation style you will use.
Another important question to ask is “Where to translate”? Am I translating to a French audience in France or in Quebec? Is the translation intended for professional PC expert or the casual user? An understanding of the target audience of your translation, as well as a thorough knowledge of regional as well as group-specific language variations will eliminate the risk of any misunderstanding and will assure the quality and integrity of your translation.
Visual and Functional Quality
It is essential to verify the quality of the presentation and functionality of the translation to make sure it accurately reflects the quality of the source material. Visual checks include the verification of typography, page flow and cross references. Functional checks test the functionality and output features of the translation, be it documentation, software or website. These may include the duplication of the functionality of the source software, compatibility with respective platforms and hardware, and correct output, such as publishing and printing standards.
Establishing translation quality assurance processes does not only yield increased quality but ultimately facilitates successful translation projects and reduces turnaround times as future translation projects come into the mix.
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When I call on businesses offering my web design and hosting services, the first question I ask, naturally, is “Does your business have a web site?” If not, then I ask for the person in charge of these things (for my niche, usually the owner) and give my pitch.
It’s 2006, so you would think that they would jump, but it’s not that easy. The small independent businesses that don’t have web sites (and there are a bunch!) would have had one already, if they thought they needed one.
It’s my belief that businesses offering any product or service needs to have some sort of presence online. Newspaper and magazine readership is down. There are 500 television channels in some markets, and commercial-free satellite radio also. The conventional ways to advertise are not reaching as many people. Your new customers are online, shopping, looking for something to do, or a new place to go. They get addresses, phone numbers, coupons, menus, and can even make purchases without walking through the door of your business. Although I could list several reasons why your business needs a web site, I’ll stick with the big three.
Affordable advertising that’s available 24/7/365
This is the biggest reason, by far. A web site is a billboard available to everyone all of the time, at a cost that is considerably less that TV, radio, or newspaper ads. After the initial design cost, you pay hosting fees, which will run most businesses between $40-$70 dollars a year, and you pay for your domain name, which runs between $10-$30 a year. That’s it. If you find the design cost prohibitive, you can design a great looking site yourself with several available software or online programs. The best thing on the advertising side is email. Imagine all of the emails you send having your name and your business name in the address! Not only is it more professional, it’s viral advertising if your emails are forwarded beyond the person you sent it to.
Control your expenses
On sites I create, I always suggest an online coupon for two reasons: it provides incentive to visit your site often, and it gives you a great way to gauge the traffic on your site. When you control the coupon like this, you save money. No printer, no artist, no postage, no newspaper or magazine ad. If they want the coupon, they will print it themselves on their own printer. People also forward links like this to friends and family, creating a mass mailing, word of mouth effect that costs you nothing. You can also control expenses with an online store. Sell your products 24 hours a day with a fully automated store that accepts credit cards and doesn’t take breaks!
Google
The way we retrieve information has changed drastically in the past few years, thanks to Google. The Google search engine is the third most visited web site, with millons of web page searches each month. The reason I mention this is because they have reached number three, and will soon be number one, without any conventional advertising! Google is all you need to say when describing the power and potential of the Internet. There are 16 billion web sites out there, and number 3 got to number 3 by word of mouth. That still amazes me.
Now, I can’t promise you the traffic that Google has, but I can tell you this: If your business is not online, you can reach customers that are for just a fraction of what you have paid in the past for advertising and promotions. A great web site for your business can save you money AND make you money, which is the bottom line for small business owners like us.
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You need a website, but how can you tell the professional business web site developers from the college kid in his basement? The answer is fairly simple if you know what kinds of questions to ask. Professional web site developers are just that – professionals. They have college degrees and/or experience related to web site development. They understand small and medium size businesses for it is likely they are one too. Most importantly, they speak to you in your language, not theirs.
Purchasing a web site is a form of advertisement for your business. Would you pay for the development of a radio or television commercial if you were not sure you would get a return on your investment? Why risk your professional reputation by trying to get the cheapest site possible just so you can put the www.yourbusinessname.com on your business card? If you have seen the work of a web site developer and the pages look great, do they contain keywords, titles, and descriptions to help search engines like Google and Yahoo find them?
These are some of the basic questions a professional business web site developer should be able to answer:
1. How will you measure my ROI (Return on Investment)?
2. What information will be included in my monthly web site analytical reports? The reports should answer these questions at a minimum:
..a. What time of the day do most people visit?
..b. What search engines are they using to go to my site?
..c. How long does someone stay on my site?
..d. Which pages do they visit?
..e. Where do they go when they leave?
..f. What are the demographics of my typical online customer?
..g. Has my search engine ranking changed?
3. Will my site be monitored 24/7 with guaranteed 99.8% reliability?
..a. Are all links checked every day?
..b. Are broken links corrected?
4. What is my conversion rate (how many potential online customers have turned into actual customers)? Also,
..a. Why did they visit my business online?
..b. Were they happy with their purchasing experience?
..c. What would they change about my site?
5. How will you help me increase my business over time?
If you are having trouble finding a web site designer, visit the sites of your competitors or other local businesses. Most reputable web site developers list themselves and include a link in the small print at the bottom of the sites they have created. Call the businesses whose sites you like and ask the owners if they are satisfied with their Internet presence. Consider using a web site developer who is not local. They should be able to gather the information they need over the phone or through a web conference. Finally, ask for proposals with price quotes from more than one web site developer. The quality of the proposal will be a good indicator of the professionalism of the business.
Ms. Davidson is a Certified Internet Business Consultant with WSI Advanced Internet Solutions. She specializes in developing Internet Business Strategies for small and medium size business owners with the objective of providing a positive return on their Internet investment. Contact Ms. Davidson at rmdavidson@premierwsiwebmarketing.net or visit her website at www.premierwsiwebmarketing.net.
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Are you fed up with the relentless monotony of your job? Fed up with working extra hours with no reward? Long to find something better, but not sure how?
Thousands of people every year are making the big decision to work for themselves to escape the tyranny of the 9 to 5 job and the rule of their boss. Many of these people have never worked for themselves before and are often moving in to a new and different areas of work.
Does this sound like the sort of thing that you’ve dreamed of but wouldn’t dare do? There are some simple steps that you can take to make your dream a reality.
Do a skills audit – consider what you are good at, what you are interested in, what your strengths are, what hobbies you enjoy. If you don’t come up with a long list, then ask your friends and family to help you. Are you a great salesman, or creative? Are you thorough with detail, or are you more of a big ideas person? This will help shape and form your ideas of what you might be able to do.
Do a needs audit – consider your current standard of living and how much you’d be prepared to compromise to live a different lifestyle, with only yourself as boss and being able to choose the hours that you work. Be honest with yourself, but also challenge yourself to consider other options. If you are prepared to make some sacrifices during the transition from employed to self-employed, you’re more likely to make a success of it.
Consider your support network – that is, who around you will be encouraging you and spurring you on when things get tough? Do you have friends and family who would be behind you. The one common theme in the stories of successful entrepreneurs is NOT their determination, creativity or financial acumen, but the fact that they ALL had someone who actually believed that they could achieve their dream. If you have just one person like this, who will encourage you, tell you that they know you can do it when everything and everyone else is waiting for you to fail, then you have the seeds to success already.
Consider your local area – where you live will influence what you can do. If you live in a rural area, you might be able to set up a market garden business; whereas living in the city, you may be able to offer a bookkeeping service to small businesses. Don’t forget that wherever you live, the internet gives you worldwide access to a market of millions of people and provides great opportunities.
Research the options – write yourself a list of options and ideas. Don’t do anything yet! Read as much information about your possible business as you can – either online or by visiting your local library or bookshop. Sign up to free courses via the internet and read the free information that is available on websites. Talk to people, find out as much as you can about the opportunities afforded by your new business idea and what some of the challenges you might face will be.
Don’t quit – once you’ve made the decision, keep going. Take it one day at a time, one step at a time and remember that each step takes you closer to your goal. If you believe, you can achieve.
You can find out more on setting up your home internet business at, visit home based internet business.
This article was submitted by Jennifer Carter, writer of how to quit your job.
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