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Starting a Home-Based Business – Tips for Beginners

When looking into starting a home based business many beginners are faced with challenges they never saw coming, and a few well placed tips can be worth their weight in proverbial gold. If you are looking into getting off on the right foot, or making sure you don’t bite off more than you can chew, take a deep breath, relax, and go over the following tips for creating a successful home business.Home-based Business Tip #1: What industries interest you? The saying goes that a person who loves their job never works a day in their life. The inverse is true as well, the person who either hates or even just merely dislikes their job will grind through hours of work and just be thinking about getting it done and going and doing something else. Especially with jobs that have no boss or schedule defined by management goading you on in your work it is important to do something that interests you and keeps you motivated.

Make a list of industries that interest you, and make a list of companies within those industries.
Simplicity is important when comparing companies. The simpler the marketing plan, the more attainable it is. Cross off any companies that seem overly complicated in the way they do business.
Home-based Business Tip #2: Know what you are able to give. Many companies publish flashy sales videos with the promise of giving the opportunity to make millions, and while this may be true the real opportunity is IN HOW YOU MANAGE YOURSELF AND THE EFFORT THAT YOU CAN INVEST INTO YOUR BUSINESS. Ultimately financial success comes down to effort. When considering any kind of home based business, remember that the you are everything from the CEO to the delivery boy. While most CEO’s are not fitting in business calls between soccer practice and ballet lessons, you are. So measure your ability to put out effort, and know what you are able to give to your business. This will inform what business you choose to become a part of. Find a business model that you can work with. This means that maybe you pass up the higher activity, higher pay models, and go for an approach that is more laid back.

Write out your daily or weekly schedule, and determine how many hours you can devote to growing your business.
Home-based Business Tip #3: Have realistic goals. Lets be honest, the reason most people get involved with home-based businesses is to make money. “My goal is to be a millionaire.” Awesome. That is a fantastic goal, but that isn’t going to happen in one fell swoop. Have monetary short term (1-3 months), medium (1-3 years) and long term (3-5 years) goals that are realistic based of your level of effort. If you have a short term goal of making a million dollars, but can only invest 2 hours a week into your business you are most likely (notice I said most likely) going to fail and end up becoming discouraged. Setting goals that are realistic will keep you motivated and moving forward. Knowing how much money you are looking to make, with how much effort, will begin to eliminate businesses from your list of options.

Write out your short, medium and long term goals.
Cross any companies off your list that do not leverage your time and effort effectively.
Select 2-3 companies that interest you, have simple marketing plans, and don’t break your time/effort budget.
Home-based Business Tip #4: Look for leadership. The number 1 reason for failure in the home-based business world is poor leadership. It is vitally important to have a sponsor who is able to coach, mentor, and guide you towards success. You should feel comfortable that all the information that your sponsor has gathered is at your disposal. Stay away from companies that tend to have lone-wolf representatives, or that give a lot of focus on moving up the marketing plan without developing leadership skills. These companies are more intent on making money themselves than in helping you make money. Talk to various people within each company, as different personality types work better than others. Do not gamble your success or failure on a personal issue that develops between you and your mentor.

Interview several people to “qualify” your sponsor.
Select a sponsor who you are comfortable with, and who will do what it takes to make you successful.

A Great Online Education is at Your Fingertips

Have you ever thought about enhancing your education by going back to school? If so, you probably have wondered whether you should go your local college or university. If you haven’t been to one recently, let me paint you a picture.

There are usually acres of buildings, jammed parking lots, and lots of other students. You might have to commute for miles in terrible traffic, and then find it impossible to park near your classes. You may spend hours traipsing back and forth across campus, lugging 30 pounds of books on your back. You stand in line to register your classes, only to find that they are all full. Or if your class is available, it’s at 7:00 a.m. or 9 p.m. If you have a family to juggle, it gets worse — the kids get sick you get to miss classes. And most of the students closely resemble your youngest child, making you feel like a dinosaur.

Does the above scenario fill you with dread? Could it be the reason you haven’t pursued higher education before now? What if you could achieve your educational goals without leaving the comfort of your own home, and maybe even do it cheaper?

If this is music to your ears, you should consider getting an online education. All you really need is a computer, an internet connection, and the desire to learn. No traffic nightmares, no weather worries. No scheduling conflicts or babysitter problems, and you can even go to school in your pajamas. Wow! That’s my idea of school. You take the classes you need at the times you want, at your own speed, and still achieve your chosen goals.

Online education does not mean that the classes are easier, it just means that they are easier to take. You will still have to study, do homework, write papers, take midterms and final exams. Yes, you do have to work! But the good news is, you can do it in the comfort and convenience of your own home.

The advantages of getting an online education are virtually endless. If you have ever considered getting more education to improve your chances of landing a job, or making more money, or maybe even changing careers completely, now is the time to do it. There really is no excuse for not pursuing the wonderful opportunities available through distance education.

For many people this is all the motivation they need to get going. However, it is important that you know your limitations. If it’s impossible for you to have quiet time on a regular basis, if you find it difficult to focus with all the insanity going on around you, or if you just can’t discipline yourself to do the job, then distance education might not be for you.

However, if you are adept at managing the ins and outs of your personal life while dealing with the demands of going to school, you should be able to juggle the extra balls that an online degree program might toss at you.

During the past 10 years, distance education has finally come into its own, and now many programs are even eligible for federal financial aid such as grants and loans. So it’s entirely possible for you to attend school without breaking the bank. You can find classes and online education programs in a large variety of topics, starting with getting your GED and going all the way up to masters degrees and Doctoral programs.

Some online schools have brick and mortar campuses and some don’t. Some require occasional meetings with students and teachers, also called limited residence requirements. Many have no such requirements, and your education is simply based upon the classes you complete successfully. Some schools require you to attend online live or prerecorded lectures or interactive classes, while others just give you the class materials online and let you take exams when you are ready.

It is important that you research the options thoroughly and carefully. Whether you’re planning to take trade courses, business classes or any type of higher education, make sure the distance learning program is accredited by the appropriate agency in your state. There’s nothing worse than wasting your time, money and energy to get an education that you won’t get credit for, unless of course you are doing it just for fun.

What you need to do first is decide what career you want to pursue or what subject you want to study or, then look for the online education learning program that’s best suited to meet your needs. Whether you want to learn web design, culinary arts, business management or something else, you’ll be able to find a distance learning program that will give you what you need.

So there you go. A wonderful education is waiting at your fingertips, all you have to do is reach out and grab it.

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Five Tips for Selling at Live Auctions

Ah, the old-fashioned country auction! The idea of a country auction conjures up certain images for people. The image of a fast-talking auctioneer offering up an antique table or chair is a popular example.

People who are buying household goods or collectibles are looking to get their items at the lowest price possible. However, the people who are selling their items at auction are hoping for the highest price!

Unless a person is in the business of buying and selling antiques or other items, not a lot of thought goes into how goods are prepared for sale via the auction process. However, if you are one of the growing number of people using auction venues to sell your collectibles or other inventory, there are a few things to learn first about how to sell at auction before you bring a truckload of stuff over to the next event.

Tip 1: Make sure the things you want to sell are a good “fit” for the auction house you’ll be using.

Never bring a load to an auction house without actually having been to one of the previous auctions. It’s important to get a feel for the type of goods that the house sells. For example, at one very rural country auction it was common for the owners to sell live chickens, pots and pans, car parts, and farm equipment.

After close investigation, this would not be the right venue for selling your daughter’s “Hello Kitty” collection. On the other hand, the spare John Deere parts that you bought at last week’s yard sale might be just the right thing for the buying crowd at this auction.

Tip 2: Be sure you clearly understand the terms and policies of the auction house.

Visit with the auctioneer ahead of time. Call to find out what the best days and times are to visit. One of the worst possible times to drop in for an informational visit with an auctioneer is the day of the auction. Call ahead and ask. While you’re at it, find out what are the best days and times to drop your stuff off.

Once you have a little time with the auctioneer, you’ll be able to find out what type of commission he or she takes from consigners (which is you), and what type of paperwork might be needed. Some auction houses send out Form 1099 tax forms at the end of the year. An auctioneer may need to see your identification and have you fill out a W-9. Be prepared.

Find out what happens to your items if they don’t sell. For example, some auctioneers may have a minimum starting bid. If, for some reason, one of your items does not sell, it may be grouped with another one of your pieces. Know the auctioneer’s strategy beforehand so that you aren’t surprised on pay day.

Tip 3: Make sure the auctioneer knows what you’re selling.

It might be perfectly obvious to you that the signed print you are consigning is a rare and valuable piece of art. However, the auctioneer may not know this particular artist. Make a note of anything particularly special about your items, and leave the note with the piece. Be sure to tell the auctioneer about it as well. He or she might determine that this is something to highlight on the company website or in the newspaper listing.

Tip 4: Present your items neatly.

No one likes to have to dig through a box full of grimy and greasy car parts to see what treasures might be in there. Separate the parts and lay them out on a flat, or use more than one box to de-clutter the lot.

There is no need to buy fancy display boxes. It’s easy enough to go to the local convenience store or supermarket and ask if you can have the emptied boxes or flats that they are discarding.

While it’s good to present clean items, take care not to ruin the value of anything by over cleaning. For example, if you find some old cast iron cookware, clean the obvious dirt and grime, but don’t scrub it to its original finish. For many people, this ruins the value of the item. So, clean and tidy and organized is the key here.

Tip 5: Don’t complain to the auctioneer if your stuff doesn’t sell for as much as you’d like.

The phrase to remember here is, “You win some; you lose some.” That’s just the way it is. There are some days where an auction house is loaded with people who all seem to want what you’re selling. There will be other days where the crowd is sparse, and the bidding is simply not competitive.

Remember that it’s in the auctioneer’s best interest to sell your things for the highest possible hammer price. But sometimes, it’s just not going to be a stellar sale. The auctioneer is only human, and is also disappointed if a sale doesn’t go as well as planned.

If you notice that every time you bring a bunch of goods to sell that you’re not realizing as much as you think you honestly should, try another auction venue and compare apples to apples. That is, bring the same types of items to the new auctioneer and compare the results.

Unless the auctioneer is particularly disagreeable or inconsiderate to you or buyers, there is no reason to confront him or her about a sale. If you find you just don’t care for an auctioneer’s style or methods, find another one. Believe me, there are plenty of them out there!

The primary thing to remember as you learn how to sell at auction is that the business is unpredictable at best. You will have good days, some not-so-good days, some great days. The more you sell, the more experience you will gain, and the more enjoyable the business will be.

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