Coastal Vacations is the kind of business you love to see: great deals, expert customer service, well trained representatives, and even if you are not a tourist in search of a great travel deal, you can profit from the company by becoming a network marketer. Unfortunately it is this concept that has led to the mushrooming of scam artists who have been so successful in fleecing vacationers that not only the travel industry and Coastal Vacations, but the businesses involved in multi level marketing (MLM) have all suffered black eyes in the process. As a matter of fact, Coastal Vacations scams in some cases may be used as an object lesson for how easy it is to get take online, and how little a company is able to do to protect naive and consumers from scam artists who are misusing the name and logo of said business.
Lessons learned from Coastal Vacations scams are legion, but the most important ones for both businesses and consumers are quickly summarized:
* Consumers need to take the time to check out a company before doing business with it. A logo is easy to cut and paste onto a rogue website and one of the most commonly used logos is the Better Business Bureau sign. Check out the company with the BBB, enter the name into the search engines to find out what the online buzz is, and also find consumer watchdog groups for the travel industry, or any other industry where you are looking to do business with, and do your fact finding. Never take a company’s word at face value. Just like you would not buy a tomato without lightly squeezing it, you also should not do business online without lightly testing.
* Businesses need to be on the forefront of ridding the ‘Net from scammers who are taking advantage of their customers. Periodically run a search on your own company and see what the buzz is. If forums are discussing how they have been taken advantage of by an agent, especially if you are actively engaged in network marketing, you need to strive to immediately shut down that person’s operation while you investigate the claims.
* Consumers need to use common sense and understand that offers which sound too good to be true will not be genuine. Similarly, if the main company offers the package at $1,000 and the individual reseller offers it for $500 you will need to question the drop in price. More often than not your funds will be received and the website suddenly becomes unavailable.
* Businesses need to keep a close eye on their network marketers and ensure that pricing policies are followed in detail. Even as you give a bit of leeway to your agents, glaring deals that simply cannot work and make the agent any money need to be researched. There is nothing wrong with running your own sting operations! In brick and mortar business operations this is known as the mystery shopper; use this concept and adapt it to your needs!
Jeff W Albert
http://jeffalbert.teachingyouwealth.com
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Friday, August 22, 2008
Letting Go Of Micro-Managerial Impulses
As an entrepreneur you are in the business to make money. If you were independently wealthy, the odds are good that you would be lounging on a beach with a cold drink, a warm breeze in your face, and not a care in the world. Yet since your parents never did sign up for the trust fund option, you are on your own when it comes to making a living and as an entrepreneur you have found the method that most appeals to you: being your own boss. You might have started out small, perhaps from your back bedroom or out of your garage, but eventually success began to smile on you and before long you found that just to keep up with consumer demand you would have to begin either working around the clock or get another pair of hand to help ease the burden and spread around the work that needs to be done in order to be profitable.
While initially your significant other, your kids, or maybe another family member of friend will lend a helping hand after hours or before school, eventually you realize that instead of the catch as catch can attitude this kind of assistance brings with it, you require the kind of assistance that is scheduled, deliberate, hard working, and most of all can be counted on, even if the weather is bad or Uncle Sam came to town. In other words, it is time to place an ad in the help wanted pages of your local paper and look for a qualified individual to share your work load. In the realm of MLM this might simply mean finding another distributor who can become part of your down line and to whom you can funnel some of your extra business, while in the brick and mortar business sense this will refer to a person who will punch a clock and work a set schedule.
Yet becoming the boss is a double edged sword. Those who are break away from the corporate world to go it on their own do not always make good bosses. As a matter of fact, in some cases they make downright lousy managers and supervisors since they come from a business experience that had taught them to not play ball and become the team player but instead rely on their instinct as a maverick to become a mover and shaker. In a very real sense this impedes such an entrepreneur’s abilities to successful manage one of more employees in that it provides fertile ground for the practice of micro managing. After all, you know your business best and because of this reason there is no room for individual approach or process. Letting go of micro-managerial impulses, however, is a first rate requirement if you want to see your business flourish and your profitability grow by leaps and bound.
Remember that only by showing your employees trust in their integrity and ability to do the job for which they were hired that they truly will perform to the full extent of their abilities. Anything less will not only insult their intelligence but sadly also stifle any sense of ownership the individual employee will take of a business aspect. While trust must be earned, it also needs to be freely given unless and until there is a reason to doubt. Do not presume your employee to be lazy because her or his approach does not match the frantic hustle and bustle that characterizes your work day. Instead accept that as long as the job gets done right and on time, her or his method does work!
Jeff W Albert
http://jeffalbert.teachingyouwealth.com
While initially your significant other, your kids, or maybe another family member of friend will lend a helping hand after hours or before school, eventually you realize that instead of the catch as catch can attitude this kind of assistance brings with it, you require the kind of assistance that is scheduled, deliberate, hard working, and most of all can be counted on, even if the weather is bad or Uncle Sam came to town. In other words, it is time to place an ad in the help wanted pages of your local paper and look for a qualified individual to share your work load. In the realm of MLM this might simply mean finding another distributor who can become part of your down line and to whom you can funnel some of your extra business, while in the brick and mortar business sense this will refer to a person who will punch a clock and work a set schedule.
Yet becoming the boss is a double edged sword. Those who are break away from the corporate world to go it on their own do not always make good bosses. As a matter of fact, in some cases they make downright lousy managers and supervisors since they come from a business experience that had taught them to not play ball and become the team player but instead rely on their instinct as a maverick to become a mover and shaker. In a very real sense this impedes such an entrepreneur’s abilities to successful manage one of more employees in that it provides fertile ground for the practice of micro managing. After all, you know your business best and because of this reason there is no room for individual approach or process. Letting go of micro-managerial impulses, however, is a first rate requirement if you want to see your business flourish and your profitability grow by leaps and bound.
Remember that only by showing your employees trust in their integrity and ability to do the job for which they were hired that they truly will perform to the full extent of their abilities. Anything less will not only insult their intelligence but sadly also stifle any sense of ownership the individual employee will take of a business aspect. While trust must be earned, it also needs to be freely given unless and until there is a reason to doubt. Do not presume your employee to be lazy because her or his approach does not match the frantic hustle and bustle that characterizes your work day. Instead accept that as long as the job gets done right and on time, her or his method does work!
Jeff W Albert
http://jeffalbert.teachingyouwealth.com
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Looking For That Perfect Home Based Business Opportunity?
Finding that perfect home based business opportunity can be difficult. You may have already realized that though, if you have been trying to locate the perfect one for yourself. It consists of a lot of trial and errors and you may often feel like you may never find the perfect one. There are steps that you can take to help find the one business that can be more successful than the others.
Having a goal to works towards is a great place to start. Know the type of business that you want to be a part of and the types of products that you are interested in selling. Do not join a business that ask you to do things that you are not comfortable with. If you would not do well with calling others at their homes to try to get them interested in your products, this is also referred to as cold-calling, do not join a business that depends solely on this type of interaction to bring in clients. Discussing the schedule and times that you need to be available to sell products or services may be important too. You should feel comfortable with the availability of time that you need to put forth. You will not make a decent income if you do not give a considerable amount of time to the business; however, you should not try to work more hours than you have available and should not join a company that requires you to work more than you are able. Trusting your instincts is another good idea. If you feel that your company is not a legitimate company, then you should get out immediately. It is much better to get out of a company that could be a disaster then to regret losing money in a company, because you were afraid to get out. Do as much research as possible on each company that you are considering joining, before you make a commitment. There may be some information that is pertinent to know before you start the company, You may be able to find reviews online about the company or through contacting the Better Business Bureau in the area that the company is based in. You should research the individual products that you will be selling as well. This will help you to feel confident about answering any questions that a client may have. You will also feel better about trying to sell a product that you understand the inter-workings of.
Knowing the type of business that you want to join, understanding the products, and knowing your limits can make you a better seeker for a home based business opportunity. Using these simple tasks, you should be able to find a job that you are interested in having and that you feel good about working. Take your time and try different types of home based business, until you find the one that best suits who you are and the type of job that you find the most appealing.
Jeff W Albert
Htt[://jeffalbert.teachingyouwealth.com
Having a goal to works towards is a great place to start. Know the type of business that you want to be a part of and the types of products that you are interested in selling. Do not join a business that ask you to do things that you are not comfortable with. If you would not do well with calling others at their homes to try to get them interested in your products, this is also referred to as cold-calling, do not join a business that depends solely on this type of interaction to bring in clients. Discussing the schedule and times that you need to be available to sell products or services may be important too. You should feel comfortable with the availability of time that you need to put forth. You will not make a decent income if you do not give a considerable amount of time to the business; however, you should not try to work more hours than you have available and should not join a company that requires you to work more than you are able. Trusting your instincts is another good idea. If you feel that your company is not a legitimate company, then you should get out immediately. It is much better to get out of a company that could be a disaster then to regret losing money in a company, because you were afraid to get out. Do as much research as possible on each company that you are considering joining, before you make a commitment. There may be some information that is pertinent to know before you start the company, You may be able to find reviews online about the company or through contacting the Better Business Bureau in the area that the company is based in. You should research the individual products that you will be selling as well. This will help you to feel confident about answering any questions that a client may have. You will also feel better about trying to sell a product that you understand the inter-workings of.
Knowing the type of business that you want to join, understanding the products, and knowing your limits can make you a better seeker for a home based business opportunity. Using these simple tasks, you should be able to find a job that you are interested in having and that you feel good about working. Take your time and try different types of home based business, until you find the one that best suits who you are and the type of job that you find the most appealing.
Jeff W Albert
Htt[://jeffalbert.teachingyouwealth.com
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Make Money From Home Blogging For Business
When it comes to advertising and marketing, businesses have many new tools to attract visitors to their online showrooms. Whether they sell merchandise or services, they need to attract as many potential customers as possible to increase the odds of making enough money to stay afloat. Between search engine marketing, article marketing and advertising, companies can spend a ton of money making sure their name gets out into the public.
With the increased use of social networking sites and web logs, companies are finding they can reach a new potential customer base by getting their messages out on these advertising arenas at a cost significantly lower than traditional advertising. However, it takes a lot of time to post messages on blogs, which is short for web logs, and many companies are paying independent bloggers to post messages for them.
Companies will pay people to peruse the internet to find blogs that pertain to their business. It could be informative blogs about the products or services they offer for sale or blogs about joining business. For example, there are countless blogs pertaining to working online and numerous visitors will visit them an either extol the virtues of the companies for which they work, or will spew their venom about the companies that have cheated them out of their money.
Most bloggers will shy away from these types of sites as they are looking for positive feedback from their customers. That is not to say they ignore complaints, but most would prefer to handle complaints from employees and customers in a less public forum.
Some folks start their own blogs relevant to a particular business or theory and companies may be willing to advertise on them, if the number of visitors they receive each month hits a certain benchmark. When a paid blogger submits information online it will not There are companies that sponsor their own website that brings bloggers and companies together.
They way they work is that companies will post their product or service online they want to advertise and bloggers, in some circles known as posties, will select the ones they want to write about. They will then post this information on their own blog site and let the company know it is there. The company notifies the advertiser, which will review what has been posted and if they are happy with the result, will pay the blogger for having their information on their site.
In these circumstances, having a lot of traffic to the site is key to attracting other advertisers who will pay to have their products talked about on the blogger's site. Some individuals have posted blogs on their popular social networking sites and are getting paid to talk about a company's products or services on their site, turning their personal space into an advertising spot.
There are several companies that offer free blog sites on the internet, although they will usually be paid for through advertising, and bloggers have to be careful not to post blogs that are in competition with, or contradict the information posted by the advertiser that supports the free site.
Jeff W Albert
Http://jeffalbert.teachingyouwealth.com
With the increased use of social networking sites and web logs, companies are finding they can reach a new potential customer base by getting their messages out on these advertising arenas at a cost significantly lower than traditional advertising. However, it takes a lot of time to post messages on blogs, which is short for web logs, and many companies are paying independent bloggers to post messages for them.
Companies will pay people to peruse the internet to find blogs that pertain to their business. It could be informative blogs about the products or services they offer for sale or blogs about joining business. For example, there are countless blogs pertaining to working online and numerous visitors will visit them an either extol the virtues of the companies for which they work, or will spew their venom about the companies that have cheated them out of their money.
Most bloggers will shy away from these types of sites as they are looking for positive feedback from their customers. That is not to say they ignore complaints, but most would prefer to handle complaints from employees and customers in a less public forum.
Some folks start their own blogs relevant to a particular business or theory and companies may be willing to advertise on them, if the number of visitors they receive each month hits a certain benchmark. When a paid blogger submits information online it will not There are companies that sponsor their own website that brings bloggers and companies together.
They way they work is that companies will post their product or service online they want to advertise and bloggers, in some circles known as posties, will select the ones they want to write about. They will then post this information on their own blog site and let the company know it is there. The company notifies the advertiser, which will review what has been posted and if they are happy with the result, will pay the blogger for having their information on their site.
In these circumstances, having a lot of traffic to the site is key to attracting other advertisers who will pay to have their products talked about on the blogger's site. Some individuals have posted blogs on their popular social networking sites and are getting paid to talk about a company's products or services on their site, turning their personal space into an advertising spot.
There are several companies that offer free blog sites on the internet, although they will usually be paid for through advertising, and bloggers have to be careful not to post blogs that are in competition with, or contradict the information posted by the advertiser that supports the free site.
Jeff W Albert
Http://jeffalbert.teachingyouwealth.com
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Making a Success of Your Home Based Career
Before making the decision to embark on a home based career, there are a few things you should give serious thought to. Before joining a home based business, you’ll want to make sure that both you and the company you’re going to work for has a good, direct business plan that outlines the goals and intentions of the company. Using that plan, and other indicators, you’ll want to make sure that the business has the chance for growth and the money you can make will be higher in five years than it is today. A business that doesn’t grow, dies. And finally, you’ll want to ensure the home based career you choose will bring you personal enjoyment for years to come.
If you are starting a home based career from scratch, a business plan is essential. The more money you’ll need up front, the more important it will be to have a plan. Without one, most lending institutions will be reticent to lend you any of their cash. While there are government programs you can use to get money for your small business, they won’t be easy to access without a strong business plan that makes sense. If you’re going to work for someone else, make sure they have the same. A business plan is not only important to raise capital, but it can demonstrate where the company is going over the next few years. While your employer will be under no obligation to share his plan with you in full, you should at least make sure they know what they’re doing and have direct goals for the future.
As time moves on, so does inflation increase. Along these lines, the const of living increases, not to mention the exorbitant rise in fuel costs the country has been experiencing lately. If you were working at an office job, you would get an annual cost of living increase, completely separate from any performance based raises you might expect to receive. You should expect nothing less from your home based career. Unless you start out making much more than you were making at your day job (unlikely), you’ll want to make sure that the home based business is such that monetary growth will be seen through the years. If not, you could find yourself in a poor financial position down the line, even though the money may seem okay today.
Finally, remember that any home based business career is going to take a great deal of time and sweat to make it a success. With this in mind, you’ll want to make sure what you’re doing is at least something you enjoy. Otherwise, you could wind up much more unhappy than you were going to work each day in your cubicle, slaving away for the Man. Staying at home is nice, but don’t sacrifice everything for one grasp at freedom.
Keeping these tips in mind is the best way to start your home based career off on the right foot. If you find a business that meets or exceeds all of these criteria, you may be well on your way to home based success, and the abandonment of an office job for the rest of your days.
If you are starting a home based career from scratch, a business plan is essential. The more money you’ll need up front, the more important it will be to have a plan. Without one, most lending institutions will be reticent to lend you any of their cash. While there are government programs you can use to get money for your small business, they won’t be easy to access without a strong business plan that makes sense. If you’re going to work for someone else, make sure they have the same. A business plan is not only important to raise capital, but it can demonstrate where the company is going over the next few years. While your employer will be under no obligation to share his plan with you in full, you should at least make sure they know what they’re doing and have direct goals for the future.
As time moves on, so does inflation increase. Along these lines, the const of living increases, not to mention the exorbitant rise in fuel costs the country has been experiencing lately. If you were working at an office job, you would get an annual cost of living increase, completely separate from any performance based raises you might expect to receive. You should expect nothing less from your home based career. Unless you start out making much more than you were making at your day job (unlikely), you’ll want to make sure that the home based business is such that monetary growth will be seen through the years. If not, you could find yourself in a poor financial position down the line, even though the money may seem okay today.
Finally, remember that any home based business career is going to take a great deal of time and sweat to make it a success. With this in mind, you’ll want to make sure what you’re doing is at least something you enjoy. Otherwise, you could wind up much more unhappy than you were going to work each day in your cubicle, slaving away for the Man. Staying at home is nice, but don’t sacrifice everything for one grasp at freedom.
Keeping these tips in mind is the best way to start your home based career off on the right foot. If you find a business that meets or exceeds all of these criteria, you may be well on your way to home based success, and the abandonment of an office job for the rest of your days.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Making Money The Home Based Business Way
All those signs you see stapled to utility poles telling you to fire your boss by calling a toll-free number may not look like much more than sign pollution, until you get mad about something at work. Then those signs take on a new identity and you find yourself driving around time looking for that phone number, because you really want to find a way to be your own boss.
There are three aspects of working from home that prevent people from making the switch from their job to having a career working at home. Fear, uncertainty and motivation. Many are afraid of what will happen to their standard of living if they quit their job while others are uncertain about the type of job they will want to do at home. Motivation for start a home-based business is usually stronger after a disagreement with the boss or another supervisor at work, but most of the time it is short-lived.
Take a look at these three aspects, in random order and determine which one is the most responsible for holding you back from fulfilling the dream. Leaving a job you really are not happy doing to start your own business doing the same thing is not really making a change. The only difference will be that you have no boss to answer to. The job will still be the same and is that what you really want to take to your home-based business?
If you are going to make the change, it should be doing something that you truly enjoy. It is often said that a job that you love to do guarantees your success and that is definitely true with a home-based business. Getting up every day and being able to make money doing something you enjoy makes going to work much easier.
Fear can be a powerful tool in keeping you from heading off on your own. You have probably become accustomed to a certain lifestyle and the thought of failing to meet the mortgage payment or not having electricity can be a powerful deterrent to keep many people in their current job, no matter how much they hate what they are doing. If you lack the trust in your own abilities to be able to support yourself and your family without someone else’s influence, then working at home may not be the right move for you.
This brings up motivation. If you have a home-based business doing what you love to do, that can provide the motivation to get up in the morning and get to work. You are going to have fun doing your job and you are going to get paid for doing what you like to do. Now that you are motivated to get out of bed, consider paying the bills. Before venturing out on your own, you have researched your product or service and know there is a market for it in your area.
If it helps, hang a copy of your bills in front of your desk to provide the motivation to continue selling your product or service. You will be on your own with a home-based business and if you do not work, the bills do not get paid. That is a powerful motivator.
Jeff W Albert
President/CEO of teachingyouwealth
http://jeffalbert.teachingyouwealth.com
jeff@teachingyouwealth.com
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Making Money With Your Own Home Business
Making Money With Your Own Home Business
Few people would say they wouldn’t like to make money and have the freedom that a home based business can afford them. The question is, how does one go about doing this? Well, take a look at yourself and decide if you have the intelligence and determination that allows one to succeed in this endeavor. If the answer is yes–if you believe the people making money from a home business aren’t any smarter or more determined than you–than the road to financial independence could soon be your path. If you’ve decided that this is what you want for your life, here are some things you can do to set yourself on the right course.
One of the biggest secrets to home business success is to find something you love to do and then turn it into a way of making money. Do you like to make crafts? Buy things cheap and then sell them for a profit? Make websites? If you have a passion and a talent, chances are you can find some way of turning it into a money making venture. Success rarely comes around the opposite way. Besides, will the money you make be worth it if you’re stuck doing something you hate in order to make it? Life is all about the journey, not the goal. Plus, the more you have a passion for what you’re doing, the more likely it is you can make a success of it. The more likely it will be you’ll want to put the hard work and long hours into it that can turn it into a profitable enterprise. People who make money with their home business tend to be obsessed with making a success of their project. If you start with something you think will be marketable and then try to grow to love it, chances are slim that it will ever come to anything. Much better to do it the other way around.
But it’s not enough to simply have something that you love to do. Let’s say you’re fond of playing the guitar. That’s not enough on its own. But it you study the marketplace, you might see there is a gap in the quality of home guitar courses. Maybe you feel like you could design a website or a video that would explain the basics of guitar playing better than those currently on the market. But even that won’t be enough. Because in order to turn your passion into a cash cow, you have to learn a few basics yourself. The basics of promotion, advertising, and networking. The good thing about all this is: the information is out there. None of those things take any particular amount of skill. It just takes determination and following the path of those who have already been successful. If you can put all three of these things together, you could be the next home business success.
Another reason that its important to create your home business out of something you love is the importance of warding off burnout and boredom. These things can set in quickly if you try to make a home based business out of something you’re not very fond of. If you start with a hobby or a passion and grow your business from there, the chances of growing tired of your new job will be lessened dramatically.
Few people would say they wouldn’t like to make money and have the freedom that a home based business can afford them. The question is, how does one go about doing this? Well, take a look at yourself and decide if you have the intelligence and determination that allows one to succeed in this endeavor. If the answer is yes–if you believe the people making money from a home business aren’t any smarter or more determined than you–than the road to financial independence could soon be your path. If you’ve decided that this is what you want for your life, here are some things you can do to set yourself on the right course.
One of the biggest secrets to home business success is to find something you love to do and then turn it into a way of making money. Do you like to make crafts? Buy things cheap and then sell them for a profit? Make websites? If you have a passion and a talent, chances are you can find some way of turning it into a money making venture. Success rarely comes around the opposite way. Besides, will the money you make be worth it if you’re stuck doing something you hate in order to make it? Life is all about the journey, not the goal. Plus, the more you have a passion for what you’re doing, the more likely it is you can make a success of it. The more likely it will be you’ll want to put the hard work and long hours into it that can turn it into a profitable enterprise. People who make money with their home business tend to be obsessed with making a success of their project. If you start with something you think will be marketable and then try to grow to love it, chances are slim that it will ever come to anything. Much better to do it the other way around.
But it’s not enough to simply have something that you love to do. Let’s say you’re fond of playing the guitar. That’s not enough on its own. But it you study the marketplace, you might see there is a gap in the quality of home guitar courses. Maybe you feel like you could design a website or a video that would explain the basics of guitar playing better than those currently on the market. But even that won’t be enough. Because in order to turn your passion into a cash cow, you have to learn a few basics yourself. The basics of promotion, advertising, and networking. The good thing about all this is: the information is out there. None of those things take any particular amount of skill. It just takes determination and following the path of those who have already been successful. If you can put all three of these things together, you could be the next home business success.
Another reason that its important to create your home business out of something you love is the importance of warding off burnout and boredom. These things can set in quickly if you try to make a home based business out of something you’re not very fond of. If you start with a hobby or a passion and grow your business from there, the chances of growing tired of your new job will be lessened dramatically.
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