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Why is Mark Joyner Recommending Delavo (TM)?

2009-05-21T19:07:00.000-07:00

If you haven't heard, internet marketing expert and software pioneer John Delavera is about to wrap up a free giveaway of the core of his new e-commerce software, Delavo (TM). The buzz around this event is heating up fast, especially when best-selling author and marketer Mark Joyner weighed in today with a strong recommendation to his list to get in on this while it's free (it won't be after May 24, 2009). To quote from his email...

Whatever else you do, please take him up on his offer to get his "Delavo" software at no charge this week; because, it will have a weighty price tag in the near future and I don't want you to look back on this as an opportunity you
missed.
(As many surely will ...)

The sign-up page for this incredible opportunity is here:

http://qicute.com/?Delavo

and one John Delavera fan has even put up a free 17-product bonus offer for signing up - instructions for the bonus are here:

http://qiicart.com/Delavera-Bonus

You can get it all free now, but none of it after May 24th!

Santa Deal Time 2008 - Early Birds Get Best Deal!

2008-12-07T09:56:00.000-08:00

John Delavera's annual holiday marketing festival - Santa Deal Time - has just gone live today, and it lasts only one week. Take note that the SO underpriced offer goes up daily so that early birds definitely get the best bargain.

If you don't know John and his work, suffice it to say that he has one of the very finest reputations on the web when it comes to internet marketing and teaching others how to do it. You can check out John's Turbo membership training (which is scheduled to increase in price quite soon) here:

http://getwise.info/about/turbo

AND you can check out Santa Deal Time 2008 TODAY here:

http://getwise.info/about/SantaDeal

Enjoy, and Season's Greetings!

Marketing Graphics Fiesta Just Launched!

2008-11-23T13:44:00.000-08:00

Online marketers and webmasters in general can always benefit from great graphics elements for their web pages and especially their sales pages, but finding a useful collection of these at an affordable price is not always easy. With a Google search you can find some small groups of graphics available free for personal use online, but not whole collections. Sometimes competition will bring down the price of graphics packages being sold by resellers. A recent super-collection of marketing graphics has just been launched at a very decent price, especially when it is obtained as a bonus. You can read all the details at the Marketing Graphics Fiesta home page.

New study - workers more likely to lie in emails

2008-09-28T19:59:00.000-07:00

More frequent and calculated abuse of the truth in emails than with traditional pen and paper communications.

Lehigh.edu - A pair of recent studies suggest that e-mail is the most deceptive form of communications in the workplace - even more so than more traditional kinds of written communications, like pen-and-paper.

More surprising is that people actually feel justified when lying using e-mail, the studies show.

"There is a growing concern in the workplace over e-mail communications, and it comes down to trust," says Liuba Belkin, co-author of the studies and an assistant professor of management at Lehigh University. "You're not afforded the luxury of seeing non-verbal and behavioral cues over e-mail. And in an organizational context, that leaves a lot of room for misinterpretation and, as we saw in our study, intentional deception."

The results of the studies are reported in the paper, "Being Honest Online: The Finer Points of Lying in Online Ultimatum Bargaining." Belkin co-authored the paper along with Terri Kurtzberg of Rutgers University and Charles Naquin of DePaul University.

In one study, the researchers handed 48 full-time MBA students 89 dollars to divide between themselves and another fictional party, who only knew the dollar amount fell somewhere between 5 dollars and 100 dollars. There was one pre-condition: the other party had to accept whatever offer was made to them.

Using either e-mail or pen-and-paper communications, the MBA students reported the size of the pot - truthful or not - and how much the other party would get. Students using e-mail lied about the amount of money to be divided over 92 percent of the time, while less then 64 percent lied about the pot size in the pen-and-paper condition. The rate of lying was almost 50% greater between the two groups.

E-mailers also said they felt more justified in awarding the other party just 29 dollars out of a total pot of about 56 dollars. Pen-and-paper students were a little friendlier, however; on average, they passed along almost 34 dollars out of a misrepresented pot of about 67 dollars.

"It's not just that e-mailers were more deceptive," Belkin says. "It's that the magnitude by which they lied was significantly greater."

"Keep in mind that both of these media - e-mail and pen-and-paper - are text only. Neither has greater 'communication bandwidth' than the other," says Naquin. "Yet we still see a dramatic difference."

Looking for an opportunity to explain whether a shared sense of identity reduces an e-mailer's impulse to lie, the researchers set up a second, related study of 69 full-time MBA students. The results of that study indicated the more familiar e-mailers are with each other, the less deceptive their lies would be.

But they would still lie, regardless of how well they identified with each other.

"These findings are consistent with our other work that shows that e-mail communication decreases the amount of trust and cooperation we see in professional group-work, and increases the negativity in performance evaluations, all as opposed to pen-and-paper systems," explains Kurtzberg. "People seem to feel more justified in acting in self-serving ways when typing as opposed to writing." Perhaps most notoriously, emails seem linked to a greater penchant for "flaming" - sending messages that are offensive, embarrassing, or rude.

But in trying to account for the difference between two communication modes that appear similar, the researchers surmise in their report that people may "feel written documents carry stronger legal consequences than do e-mails, which feel fleeting in nature, despite the fact that they are actually harder to erase or contain. Thus, deception may be viewed differently in these two environments."

Most researchers agree that e-mail is a recent phenomenon and was first widely used in workplace communications beginning in 1994. Since then, organizational norms regarding e-mail use have evolved and are still murky.

"The study of industrial psychology and the evolving use of e-mail are presenting some interesting challenges for organizations across the board," says Belkin, who has studied organizational communications over the past few years. "We know it's a socially acceptable way to communicate, but how that translates in the workplace is a different story entirely."

Hiring an Internet Marketing Consultant

2008-08-25T12:02:00.000-07:00

The short answer to the question of when you need to hire an Internet Marketing/SEO Consultant to help you achieve success in the virtual marketplace is anytime you are running a business that you want to see succeed. This may not be feasible when you are in startup mode, but as soon as you have the financial resources you should consider getting some expert help in this area.

Many business owners get used to wearing many hats and doing everything themselves, at least in the beginning. The fact is that you can't possibly do everything yourself; there aren't enough hours in the day. At some point, you will need to bring in other people so you can focus on building the business, as opposed to doing everyday things that are necessary, but that don't generate any income.

What a Consultant Can Do for You

Less than one-quarter of all businesses hire a consultant to help them with their online presence. Those that do tend to have higher search engine rankings, which is key to driving traffic to a web site and increased sales. A ranking in the Top 10 would be ideal, since most Internet users don't go through more than the first couple of pages of search results to find the information they want.

If you don't know how to use keywords, meta tags, and other strategies to achieve a search engine ranking, hiring someone with the expertise you need makes perfect sense.You may already be working with an accountant, a lawyer,and a business banker, so why don't you bring in an Internet Marketing expert, too? This is another professional who can help you achieve success.

How to Find the Right Consultant for Your Business

The Internet Marketing consultant you work with is going to be acting as a guide and you may need to contact a few of them before you find someone you are interested in working with. In short, you want someone who shares your vision for your business and who you click with. If there isn't a certain amount of chemistry, trust, and mutual respect, you are not going to be able to work effectively as a team.

You will also want to find out about the person's level of experience. Find someone who has worked with companies that are similar to yours in size and focus. A person who has worked for large corporations only may not be the best fit for a startup.

Ask for references and contact each one to find out more about what working with that consultant is like. You will also want to see if you can find other previous customers who are not being given as references to see if they have a different recollection of their experience working with that person.

As always before working with someone new, take the time to check them out with the Better Business Bureau online to see if there are complaints and if they were resolved satisfactorily.

2006-10-24T20:27:00.000-07:00

Success Working at Home

Do you want to start a home based business? Is it your dream to run your own show so that you never again have to listen to your boss? If this sounds like you, you are in a group of thousands of other people. It is safe to say that in some point in everyoneâ€™s life they dream of running their own business. The benefits and advantages of having a home based business are many. If you are lucky enough to ever have this chance you should really revel in it. Remember, not everybody can be so lucky.

But you are probably asking yourself if you can really have success with a home business. The answer to this question is simple, yes. If you know what you are doing and take your time, you can have success running a home business. Unfortunately, it is not always as easy as it may seem. You are going to run into problems from the very beginning, and there are going to be times when you think about giving up.

The first thing that you need to do when setting up a home business is to make a decision on what you want to concentrate on. In other words, WHAT IS YOUR BUSINESS GOING TO DO? This is a question that can sometimes be hard to answer. The majority of people want to do something that they like, but at the same time they do not know how to get started. You need to remember that in order for your home business to be a success YOU HAVE TO LIKE WHAT YOU ARE DOING. If you donâ€™t like your home business idea, why move forward in the process? You will simply end up in the same situation that you are in with your current job.

Also, a successful home business needs time to grow. You should never think that you are going to take off within a couple days of opening up shop. It is going to take you a bit of time to get your bearings and take off. For this reason, patience is very important to the success of your home business. With patience you will be able to wait out the rough times that are bound to show up time and time again. No home business starts making big time money in the first day. But if you take your time you will get to where you want to be.

Overall, you can have a lot of success with a home business. It may not be easy at first, but as time goes by you will become comfortable with what you are doing. Sooner or later you will be making profits on your own.

How and Why to Invest in Gold in this Economy

2006-10-07T20:20:00.000-07:00

Republished from Money and Markets (October 5, 2006 edition):

At the height of the U.S. Civil War, the combined military expenditures of the North and South were running at an estimated $2.5 million per day – $29.5 billion a day in today’s dollars.

By the end of the war in 1865, $8 billion had been spent, the equivalent of $944 billion today.

To cover the staggering costs, taxes, tariffs and duties were raised to new highs. Tidal waves of government bonds were issued. Interest rates soared. Money was printed with reckless abandon, and inflation took off like a bat out of hell.

The result: By the end of the Civil War, both the Confederate and Union currencies had lost so much value that a pair of boots cost $2,361 in today’s dollars. Butter was the equivalent of $177 per pound.

No one wanted to hold paper currency, period. But the stock market, viewed as an inflation hedge, soared during much of the war, with some issues, especially railroads, rising 50%, 60%, 70%, or more.

Even so, some of the biggest gains were being made in the gold trading pit in New York: Between 1861 and 1863, the price of gold shot up from $20.67 to over $35 an ounce, a 75% gain.

In 1864, gold exploded to $53.35, or $800 in today’s dollars. It then went even higher, nearly tripling to $162.50 on September 24, 1869. That’s $2,252 an ounce in today’s dollars!

Prices finally retreated when President Grant broke the back of the bull market and the U.S. Treasury dumped more than $4 million of gold on the market. Still, the price of gold never fell below its pre-Civil War level of $20.67.

Jim Fisk and Jay Gould, who led the gold rally in the 1860s, are history. Twenty-four U.S. presidents have come and gone. The characters have changed, but the song remains the same …

Why Circumstances Today Are Eerily Similar to the Forces Behind the Civil War Gold Boom

The war on terror is costing the U.S. $200 million every 24 hours. To date, the war has cost $332 billion.

Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz estimates the total cost of the war will end up north of $1 trillion, including up to $300 billion in future health costs for wounded troops. That’s nearly 20% of our country’s current gross domestic product.

And in terms of expenditures per soldier, the war on terror is the most expensive war in the history of the U.S.

As in the 1860s, the national debt is now mushrooming out of control. Including government agencies and government-sponsored enterprises, it stands at $11.3 trillion today.

That’s more than $37,000 of debt for every man, woman, and child in the U.S.

The total IOUs the government is now liable for — including unfunded Social Security, Medicare, government pensions, military benefits, and more — is an estimated $54 trillion.

Meanwhile, much like during the Civil War, the U.S. dollar is coming under pressure, creating the equivalent of a financial black hole. In the past four years alone, the dollar has lost an average of 30% of its value against a basket of the world’s currencies.

As you can see from the chart, the U.S. dollar stands on the edge of a precipice, and it looks like it’s about to start plunging anew. This is why I think ...

Gold Remains Your Single Best Protection

To be sure, there are huge differences between the 19th century Civil War and the 21st century War on Terror. But the parallels in the economic environments are not to be underestimated, in my view.

I’ve long thought that gold could easily hit $1,000 an ounce. Today, I’m more certain than ever. Indeed, by the time this gold bull market ends, I’m quite confident we’ll see the yellow metal at more than $2,000.

Food for thought: Gold’s 1980 high of $850 an ounce would be the equivalent of $2,150 in today’s dollars if adjusted for inflation over the last 26 years. That’s unusually close to its peak in 1864.

Strange coincidence? I don’t think so. It’s just another indication that the $2,000 level is not an unrealistic target.

By far, the most important thing to realize is this: Gold is the single best protection against the scenario we see unfolding. And, as an investment to hold for the next several years, I think it’s better than bonds, better than Dow stocks, and better than tech stocks. In fact, gold is a better long-term investment than any other asset out there, in my opinion.

Reason: Gold should hold its value more firmly than nearly all other assets during broad declines, and it should substantially outperform during major advances.

I believe that, long term, it has more upside potential than silver, oil, or copper. Gold is money … real money … real wealth. It has stood the test of time, like no other asset in the world. Its history goes back over 5,000 years. And its history should go on for another 5,000.

That doesn’t mean you should run out and put 100% of your money into gold. Far from it! Keep no more than 10% of your net worth in physical gold or the equivalent, using today’s gold bullion Exchange-Traded Funds, like the StreetTracks Gold Fund (GLD).

You might also consider putting another 10% into gold mining shares, where you get upside leverage on the price of precious yellow metal.

A few rules about gold investments though ...

Rule #1: Never invest in just one mining company. Rather, invest in a minimum of three at a time for diversification.

Rule #2: Stay away from mining companies that hedge more than 50% of their in-ground gold reserves, or their annual gold production. In a rising gold market, those so-called “hedges” could cause serious losses.

Rule #3: For gold mining shares, I like to use a trailing 10% stop loss to help reduce risk. Don’t lower the stop when the market moves against you. But raise it each time the stock gains 3% from your entry price on a closing basis. If you’re stopped out, don’t fret. Assuming there hasn’t been any serious adverse fundamental change in the company, there should be ample opportunity to get back in -- either on the next dip, or when the stock shows renewed strength.

Rule #4: Always keep the big picture in view. The gold strategies I’m talking about here are designed for your core, long-term portfolio. What the price of gold does from one day to the next should not be an issue for you.

You’re riding a major trend. Let it do most of the work for you.

Larry

This investment news is brought to you by Money and Markets. Money and Markets is a free daily investment newsletter from Martin D. Weiss and Weiss Research analysts offering the latest investing news and financial insights for the stock market, including tips and advice on investing in gold, energy and oil. Dr. Weiss is a leader in the fields of investing, interest rates, financial safety and economic forecasting. To view archives or subscribe, visit http://www.MoneyandMarkets.com

The booming work at home industry

2006-10-05T21:32:00.000-07:00

More people leave the office grind behind to work at home.

Whether downsized, outsourced, or sick and tired of cubicle hell, more people are earning their living by working at home. The work at home industry is booming with a diverse lot of income earning opportunities. People of all skill and education levels can find a niche in this market.

Telecommuters

Technology has enabled former office rats to do their work at home. Armed with a computer, fax, and telephone, employees from back office data entry to management staff are able to perform part or all of their jobs at home. The telecommuting option is appreciated by workers as it allows them more freedom and control over the work day and more time to spend with families. Companies find that this set up often improves employee morale and productivity.

Net Work

Earning money via the Internet has become an increasingly popular option in the work at home industry. Chances are you know someone who sells merchandise on eBay. Many online merchants are working out of their homes. The Internet offers a wealth of opportunities for writers to earn a living at the keyboard. People with an Internet-based career often start on a part-time basis while working their regular office gig. Once their "web job" takes off, they escape the office grind for full-time work at home.

Home Work versus Home Base

Another option in the work at home industry is a home-based business where you go out in the field to provide services for customers. This is a wide open opportunity - think of any product or service that people need and, viola, you have a business. The senior population is exploding. Start an elder service that helps seniors with light housekeeping, grooming, and transportation. Two career families and busy folks in general equal a business for you running errands such as shopping, chauffeuring kids, and picking up dry cleaning.

You can strike out on your own with these home-based businesses or buy a franchise. Franchises offer a brand name people know and trust along with marketing support from the headquarters office. Start up costs can be out of reach for a lot of people, however, there are hundreds of franchise options in the work at home industry that will fit with small budgets.

Scam Alert

The Internet and print and broadcast media are full of ads for great-sounding work at home opportunities. Sadly, the work at home industry is full of scam companies that advertise high income home-based jobs. Some ads are specific while others are vague and keep you in the dark about the exact nature of the pie in the sky venture.

Remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Do your research before you plunge into any work at home opportunity. Talk with others who are working at home. Check out franchises or Internet opportunities with the Better Business Bureau. Despite the scam artists, there are thousands of options in the work at home industry and one of them will suit you.

Sources:
funcareers, (funcareers.com)

Avoiding Home Business Scams

2006-10-03T21:05:00.000-07:00

How many times have you heard about a great home business opportunity? Probably more than you care to remember. But to go along with this how many of these home business opportunities ended up being a scam? Again, probably quite a few. Hopefully, you were never the victim of any of these scams. But unfortunately there are others who probably fell for these “opportunities.” The fact of the matter is that these scammers would not be wasting their time if they were not making any money. And as long as people continue to get mixed up in this business, these scammers are going to stick around to trick more and more people.

The best way to avoid a home business scam is to thoroughly research each opportunity before you move forward with it. This means doing much more than simply reading a bit about it online. You may get lucky and end up with a good home business opportunity, but chances are that you will not. Not only will you want to read what is available on the site itself, but you will also want to search for other information as well. Check with third party review sites and on message boards and forums. You may find out soon enough that a certain company has been reported as being nothing more than a scam.

You may also want to check with the Better Business Bureau if you are thinking about getting involved with a home business opportunity that you are not sure of. They will be able to tell you if they have any complaints on file. If they do, you will want to avoid the opportunity at all costs. But if it appears that a company is doing business the right way, you can continue your research.

Before you decide to do anything, attempt to get in touch with the company that you are interested in. Can you get them on the phone? Do they respond to your emails? If you cannot even talk to a company before you start, there is no chance that they will be around when you need them. This is one test that you can run early on in order to ensure that you are dealing with a reputable company. If you do happen to get an employee on the phone ask them questions in order to get some feedback on the company. Anything that will give you better insight into the home business opportunity is a good question.

Overall, home business scams are all over the place. Do your part in putting them out on the street by not falling prey. The best way to do this is through extensive research and questioning.

Selling Information Products for Online Income

2006-10-02T21:39:00.000-07:00

Knowledge is Wealth (if you sell information products)

Selling products or services isn't the only way to make money online. What you know can earn you a nice income. People are always looking for information to help with a problem, to educate them, or to entertain them. There is big money in information products on the Internet. The potential for huge profits are great because you have low startup costs and no inventory.

The most common information product is an eBook. An eBook is simply information in an electronic rather than paper format. Other information products include:

streaming video viewed on a web page
audio files on tape or CD
pod casts
access to web pages where info is stored
printed books, CDs, DVDs sent to buyers.

Computer + Topic = Information Product

Big money in information products happens because the process is very easy to create. Choose an interesting topic, put fingers to keyboard and in a little while you've created an info product. If the topic is really hot, you may start earning income hours later. Internet technology provides 24/7 sales and delivery of product. Automate your site so you can sell the product, process the payment, deliver the item via email, and follow up with the buyer later to check on customer satisfaction (and sell more stuff!).

What makes a good information product?

Practically any subject can net big money in information products. How to start a business, self-improvement techniques, career advice - if you can think of a topic, there are probably people willing to buy the information product you put together.

Use your interests and expertise for subject ideas. Search online forums to locate people who might be interested in your information product. Offer to send them a free copy of your info product. This will spark sales and lead to referrals for you.

No writing experience needed.

You don't have to be Pulitzer Prize material to create information products. There are millions of works in the public domain that you can republish and sell. These include non written items such as art, photos, old films, and historical speeches. You can even hook up with a talented writer to help you create an information product and pay him a flat fee or percentage of the profits.

You could make a video of yourself or another person demonstrating a skill (cooking, crafts). Budding musicians can record their songs and sell them as an mp3 download. There's even a guy who records himself reading nursery rhymes and sells the CD to parents with small children.

Product Promotion

A lot of fledgling book authors and musicians sell their books and CDs from the back of their car trunk. For online information products, your web site is your car trunk. Create a site specifically for selling your information products. Participate in affiliate programs to increase site traffic and sales for your items.

Sources

"The Best Product to Sell Online," (entrepreneur.com)
"Selling a Product on the Internet," (2createawebsite.com)
"What is The Perfect eBay Product???," (skipmcgrath.com)

The Retired Persons Guide to Making Money Online

2006-10-01T21:48:00.000-07:00

If you are retired you have a great opportunity to make money online. After all, you will have as much time as you need in order to make sure that you are a success. Unlike other people that try to make money online, you will not have to work another job in order to stay afloat financially. You can make this work to your advantage, and be making money online before you ever thought possible.

Listed below are a few tips that you should follow if you are retired and looking to make money online.

1. The first thing that you will need to do is make sure that you have enough knowledge of the internet to be successful. Some retirees never used the internet in the past. If you do not have experience online there is no reason to give up on your goal. Simply get connected and start dabbling. For assistance you may want to purchase a book or two on getting started online. These will give you basic information on the internet, and what you need to know to get started. You may also want to take a course at a local community college. This is a great way of getting first hand instructions from a professional.

2. When you are ready to go, the next thing that you must do is make a decision as to how you want to make money. Do you want to start an online business? Or do you want to use affiliate programs to make money? Some retirees find that the easiest way to make money online is to bring their past work knowledge into their venture. This way they already have knowledge on the industry. This is a great option that you should consider.

3. After getting your business idea in line, you will need to set up a business and marketing plan. This will help to keep you on track during your quest to make money online. By having a business plan in place you will be able to stay on track no matter what is thrown at you. And a marketing plan is very important so that people know you exist.

4. Stay patient when trying to make money online. Just like anything else you are going to run into problems along the way, and you will probably feel like giving up. But by staying with your plan, you will reach your goals soon enough.

Overall, retired people can make a lot of money online. If you are in this situation, you will want to follow the tips above in order to get started. By doing so you will be on track to making money online, and supplementing your income.

Finding the best affiliate programs for you

2006-09-30T20:38:00.000-07:00

Do your homework to determine the best affiliate programs for your web site.

Affiliate (aka Associate) programs are a win-win situation for everyone involved. Internet-based merchants hook up with affiliates to generate traffic to their web sites. Affiliates get paid if the traffic from their site visits the merchant web page. The smart Internet entrepreneur does some research to determine the best affiliate programs for her business.

Where to Look

Affiliate networks are the middle man between affiliates and web sites with affiliate programs. Look for affiliate networks that provide all the tools needed to set up and maintain an affiliate program. AssociatePrograms.com is a popular directory with information about merchants that pay you to sell their wares.

Commission Junction is a free network that offers access to thousands of the best affiliate programs. Commission Junction combines all your affiliate earnings (product sales, on-line ads, links) into one monthly check. One caveat, however, is not to sign up before you are ready to start promoting products, because some programs will disenroll you if you wait six months after sign up to actually get your sites and promotions up and running (networks do not want to have hundreds or thousands of inactive members cluttering up their affiliate program software and complicating their statistics).

What to Look for

The best affiliate programs will be those that target your customer base. An on-line florist would get little traffic from a pet supply website. You want an affiliate whose business is similar or comparable to your product. Avoid affiliates with low quality products. Ask to speak to existing affiliates to find out if a company is reputable.

Referral traffic may link to the merchant site and not buy initially but return to make a purchase weeks later. Look for affiliate programs that remember your site was responsible for that customer. The best affiliate programs remember you for 60 days by using cookies to tag the customer's computer when he visits the merchant site.

The best affiliate programs offer reliable support such as ads, logos, and sales advice. Good programs also provide timely updates on click through sales and earnings, and, respond to questions or problems within 24 hours.

Getting Paid

There are three common affiliate payment plans. With pay per sale, the merchant pays when the affiliate sends a customer who buys from the merchant's site. The payment could be a set amount or a percentage of the sale.

In a pay per click set up, the affiliate is paid based on the number of people who visit the merchant's web site regardless if a purchase was made.

With pay per lead programs, affiliates are paid based on the number of people who sign up as leads. A lead would be a visitor who filled out an information page on the merchant web site thus becoming a potential customer.

Multi-level payment plans allow affiliates to earn commission on sales, clicks, or leads from their sites as well as commission based on activity generated by affiliate sites they refer to the merchant site. Another form of payment is residual commission. Affiliates continue earning money after the original sale has been made. This is common in situations where customers pay monthly fees for merchant services.

The best affiliate programs pay at least 25% commission with some going as high as 50%. Payments should be made at least once a month although some affiliate programs pay quarterly or twice a year.

Honorable Mentions

There are hundreds of good, reputable affiliate programs. Three that stand out among the best are Neil Shearing's affiliate program which pays some of the highest commissions and conversion rates; Ken Evoy's 5 Pillar Program which offers excellent marketing and educational information; and My TemplatesStorage, a good site for web development merchants. Each of these, however, has its own plan details that may or may not be best for you and your situation, so be sure to read up on how any affiliate program works, and what is required for payment.

Sources

"How Affiliate Programs Work," (howstuffworks.com)
"Best Affiliate Products for Maximum Profits," (bestaffiliateproducts.com)
"Affiliate Programs," (buildwebsite4u.com)

Online Business Strategies for Successful eCommerce

2006-09-27T20:13:00.000-07:00

Internet Tips and Pointers

The goal of any online business is to sell something, be it a product, service, or information. To accomplish this, you need customers, or traffic, to your web site. Follow these key Internet business strategies to generate customers and cash.

Image is Everything

Your web site should reflect how you want customers to feel about your business. The site must be professional looking and easy to navigate and understand. The content provided should be relevant to the needs of the customer.

Marketing is King

What promotional tools are you using to advertise your web site? Search engines are the primary method Net surfers use to locate information. One of the top Internet business strategies is to choose relevant keywords for the most efficient search engine optimization. The word "books" is too generic for a site promoting life/career changing seminars based on motivational books. Surfers who type in "books" probably want to buy one rather than attend a seminar. Use specific terms that closely relate to what you are selling.

Links to your web page are another important Internet business strategy. Links increase visitors who often become customers. Relevancy is key; links to your home page should be from sites with topics closely related to your business. Be descriptive with links. "Buy last season's Coach handbags at closeout prices" entices more clicks than "Brand name liquidators."

Consider starting your own affiliate program. It's cost effective because you only pay other sites for the visitors they link to you. You can pay for visitors or pay if the visit results in a sale.

Online businesses do best with online marketing. However, don't discount "old" media. Get a press release or article about your eBusiness in the local paper. Place an ad in the Yellow Pages or industry trade magazines.

Information Content

Don't just sell your product or service. Include articles, news, or interesting facts related to your eBusiness. Many customers will appreciate the information. In addition, reporters often look for information online; a blurb about your web site in their story might bring in more customers.

Customer Friendly

If your eBusiness customers are the general public, go easy on the industry jargon. Use "nose jobs" more than "rhinoplasty" if your cosmetic surgery site is aimed at patients rather than fellow medical personnel. This is important also when choosing keywords for search engines.

Go easy on graphics and other bells and whistles. These things tend to slow down page loads. A easy navigation system is one of the most important Internet business strategies. The average customer doesn't want to sit through mini films or music interludes to get to the information desired. If your web pages take too long to open, customers will surf elsewhere.

Sources

"The Top Seven Strategies for Website Success," (cyberspeaker.com)
"Twelve Things Every Web Site Must Have For Business Success," (netatlantic.com)

How to Buy Wholesale

2006-09-26T22:09:00.000-07:00

Check out the wholesale market for low prices and great deals.

Own a business? Buy for large groups (scouts, students, family)? Allergic to paying retail? Any of these reasons is good enough for you to explore the world of buying wholesale.

Hard Core Buyer or Casual Shopper?

If you always buy large quantities of merchandise, it would be a good idea to obtain a business license and reseller's license. Some wholesalers will not sell to you without these permits.

In addition, the licenses are your ticket to trade shows that are not open to the public. Here, you can find a multitude of items priced below retail. You can also get on the mailing list for major trade shows. These events sell everything from furniture to the latest fashions at wholesale prices.

When applying for a business or reseller's license, make sure you understand what fees, taxes, and bureaucratic red tape are required to keep you out of trouble. Depending on the state, you may be able to get a reseller's license for free. However, you are responsible for collecting sales tax on products sold within the state. Assess the cost verse expected savings from buying wholesale to determine if it's worth the trouble to obtain licenses.

To get a business license, you must be in business or planning to start one. You can legitimize your business status by turning a hobby or talent into a business venture. For example, a weekend furniture maker sells a few pieces to friends and a business is born.

Even the casual shopper may benefit from obtaining business and reseller's licenses. You get access to non-public wholesale events and wholesalers that don't sell to the general public. In addition, you can make a little money off the deals you find. Buying wholesale usually means purchasing large quantities. While you don't need three dozen cashmere sweaters, you can keep a few and sell the rest to friends, or, via online auctions and at flea markets.

No License, No Problem

Although business permits give you more access to buying wholesale, you don't have to have a license to get wholesale prices. Wholesale businesses often have special times they open to the public. Prices will be a little more, but you still pay less than retail. Check the Yellow Pages to find local wholesalers and ask if they have public sale hours.

Consider buying wholesale from liquidators. Liquidators buy huge quantities of product from manufacturers and retailers. These items are usually discontinued, damaged, or from a previous season and prices are often below wholesale. You can find liquidators in the phone book or on the Internet.

The Internet is also a good source for buying wholesale merchandise
especially for those who don't want to bother with permits and buying in bulk. Many Internet wholesalers don't require a minimum purchase.

Another option is to join an association that buys in bulk. The combined purchasing power of a large group lowers the cost of merchandise. Warehouse clubs such as Sam's Club and Costco are another good source for prices that are close to wholesale.

Wholesale Grapevine

Use your network of friends, associates, and family to find wholesale buying opportunities. Your interior decorator neighbor may grant you access to her wholesale contacts. The local florist may be willing to let you in on a sweet deal on dried flowers. Beware though - these folks may require you to engage their professional services in exchange for buying wholesale through them. Weigh the cost of doing business with them against potential savings from buying wholesale.

Sources:

"How to Buy Wholesale," (ehow.com)
"Five Secrets to Buying Wholesale," (majon.com)

Software tracking solutions and affiliate programs

2006-09-25T19:30:00.000-07:00

Affiliate programs are a great way to increase traffic to and sales for your web site. There are several affiliate tracking software solutions that keep track of sales, clicks, and commissions.

Affiliate tracking software solutions come in a variety of packages. Software for a click-based program allows you to pay affiliates a set rate for each visitor to your web site. Look for click-based software with helpful features including click-through tracking, link code generation (keep banners current and linked correctly), referral tracking, and detailed stats.

Other software lets you set up a commission or flat rate pay for each potential customer sent via your affiliate member. You can also customize the commission schedule for individual affiliates. Commission-based programs can be more economical because you only pay affiliates when their referrals generate sales.

You don't have to choose between click-based or commission affiliate tracking software. Programs are available that let you use both pay arrangements.

Many affiliate tracking software solutions now have private affiliate network capability. This feature is helpful for those with multiple web sites. It lets you run one affiliate program for all your web sites on your own private network as opposed to setting up affiliate programs for each site.

How does it work?

The basic premise of affiliate programs is the same for all affiliate tracking software solutions. An affiliate joins your program by logging into the member area on your web page. There the affiliate can get the tools needed for linking to your site such as banner codes, text links, and product images.

When a visitor clicks from the affiliate's web page to yours, the tracking software places a cookie on the visitor's computer to track him as he browses your web site. If the visitor buys a product or service from your web site, the tracking software notes the affiliate responsible for said visitor and records the sale in a database. The Administrator and the affiliate are both notified of the sale via email.

Affiliate software makes its easy to monitor the success of your affiliate programs by tracking the number of times banners or links are displayed, number of visitors who linked to your web site, and how many of these visits resulted in a sale. In addition, the software keeps account of commissions earned by and payouts to affiliates.

Helpful Features

Software packages are easy to install and manage. However, software companies will gladly lend a hand to technically challenged web entrepreneurs. Look for affiliate software tracking solutions that provide reliable tech support and don't charge setup fees or monthly charges. The software should be easy to customize for your specific needs.

Other helpful features include:

Unlimited affiliates categories
Automated fraud protection
Performance rewards for your best affiliates
Lifetime upgrades
Multi-level marketing (affiliate program promotes itself and your web site).

Sources

Cosmicperl (cosmicperl.com)
Affiliate Wiz (affiliatewiz.com)
Quality Unit (qualityunit.com)

A Seller's Market on eBay

2006-09-24T20:27:00.000-07:00

There's money to be made on eBay

Garage sales and flea markets are so "20th century." These days, if you have stuff to peddle, sell it on eBay. You'll be joining thousands of other like-minded people looking to make money selling their wares on the popular web site. Since everyone is hip to the online selling gravy train, you'll need to make your items stand out in order to make more money on eBay.

Size up the Competition

Before listing your items for auction, check out eBay's Completed Items listings. Here, you'll see what products are up for sale, their prices, and how they are presented. You might also get a better idea on how to title your product to produce a higher price.

Don't overload the auction site with items. You will make more money on eBay auctions if you sell a few items at the same time rather than overload the auction site.

Describe Your Wares

You have limited space for product information so make your words count. In the auction title, avoid words such as "Look," or "Wow." No one types in these words to do a search; use words that potential buyers will likely use do search for your product.

Be generous with information in the auction description. Include any product details that buyers will find helpful. Remember, a picture is worth a thousand words (or maybe a thousand dollars!). A good, color picture is essential to catch the eye of a buyer.

Shipping News

Don't tack on too high shipping/handling costs for your auctions. While your aim is to make more money on eBay, sky high shipping fees may turn off buyers. There's always another seller who will give them a better deal.

Promote Your Wares

To help make more money on eBay, it helps to advertise your auctions on a personal web page. Or, run an online store with links to your eBay auctions. Send emails to subscribers notifying them of upcoming auctions.

eBay Auction Support

eBay provides sellers with several tools to help them navigate the auction process. Automated listing tools allows sellers to post additional listings without going through the "Sell Your Item" process every time. With eBay's Turbo Lister, you can sell your wares without having to visit the web site - and it's free.

If you are selling a very expensive item, it may be beneficial to purchase an auction upgrade from eBay. These upgrades generate more potential buyers. However, the cost of auction upgrades will eat up the profit on lower priced items.

The Right Stuff

Having unique, high quality items is another way to make more money on eBay. Estate sales are great places to find specialty items such as antiques, vintage clothing, and jewelry. You may also find a few nuggets from liquidators who purchase discontinued or last season's merchandise from manufacturers and retailers.

Sources

"Tips for Ebay Sellers: How to Make More Money Off of Your Auctions," (associatedcontent.com)
"How to Make Money on eBay," (submityourarticle.com)
"How to Make More Money With Ebay's Affiliate Program," (bharatbhasha.com)

Beyond your garage: finding stuff to sell online

2006-09-23T19:26:00.000-07:00

Billions of dollars worth of products are sold on eBay and other online merchants every year. Where are people getting all these items to sell? Surely, they've emptied their closets and garages by now. Even if they have, finding stuff to sell online is still relatively easy. Several sources are available for those who want to make a little or a lot of cash selling online.

Home Stuff

Not all garages have been cleared of junk. Weekend garage sales are still popular places to find items to sell. Sales in higher income areas tend to net more quality items like designer clothes, high end furniture, and antiques. However, don't neglect an average Joe garage sale; one never knows what unique items will be unearthed regardless of the neighborhood. Go to these sales toward the end of the day. Homeowners will be more inclined to sell you merchandise at rock bottom prices rather than having to pack up unsold items.

Look through your own garage and closets to find items to sell online. You may be harboring old clothes, books, Cds, and toys that will bring in a few bucks online. Offer to rid your friends and family of their unwanted junk by selling on consignment. You sell their stuff and keep %25 of the profits. Local retailers may also agree to let you sell their overstocks and returned merchandise on consignment as well.

Buy Online, Sell Online

Finding stuff to sell online is as easy as buying it from the same online source. eBay is an excellent place to find everything from antiques to huge lots of merchandise that you can buy and resell at a profit.

Locate other online sources by using search terms such as wholesale liquidators, closeout dealers, and drop-ship services. These same sources can also be found in print media including the Yellow Pages and classified ads in newspapers, trade magazines, and free weeklies.

Auction Action

Unclaimed, slightly damaged, and repossessed merchandise can be purchased at freight claims and government auctions. Check the Yellow Pages for contact information and newspaper classified section for upcoming sales.

There's a storage unit operation on every corner these days. The storage company auctions off the contents of unpaid rental units. Although the contents are sold sight unseen, there's probably enough sale worthy items inside to let you break even.

Estate auctions are another great source for finding stuff to sell online. Like garage sales, high income estates yield the greatest finds, but gems can be found regardless of the estate's net worth. These sales are advertised in the newspaper.

Drop Shipping

Drop shipping is an easy, hands off way to sell online. You send the order to the manufacturer or distributor and they ship the product to the customer. No inventory or shipping hassles that you have to worry about.

Local Events

Bazaars, flea markets, and festivals are good sources for everything from unique handmade crafts to valuable collectibles. Like garage sales, stop by near closing time for deep discounted deals.

Check with the local convention and visitors' bureau to find out about upcoming trade shows that are open to the public. You'll be able to buy from manufacturers and sale reps selling the latest products on the market.

Offshore Action

Asia is a good source for finding stuff to sell online. However, the red tape and cost of contacting sources there can be a hassle. Your best bet is to hook up with a manufacturer's rep who has overseas connections. There's enough available home grown sources for locating products to sell to make this option unnecessary.

Sources:

"Finding Stuff to Sell," (alsnetbiz.com)
11 Of The Best Places to Find Items to Sell on Ebay," (ezinearticles.com)
"Finding Product Sources for Your Business," (entrepreneur.com)

e-Riches from writing and selling e-Books

2006-09-22T18:31:00.000-07:00

Can you get rich selling e-books? While Bill Gates' type of income isn't guaranteed, you can earn you a very nice income selling e-books online.

E-books are electronic versions of printed material that can contain text, sound, and images. The profit potential from selling them is high because start-up and operating expenses are very low. The biggest expense is purchasing books for sale.

You can earn even more money if you write some of your own e-books. Your writing skills don't have to be stellar. There are online sources that will take your research and craft an e-book for you. Some of these companies even take care of marketing, payments, and shipping.

Buying e-books for Sale

You can purchase e-books from authors online. eBay is another source for e-book buying. Purchase e-books with resell rights. This allows customers to sell the e-books they buy from you themselves thus providing an incentive for them to do business with you.

Make sure the e-books you buy (or write yourself) are full of useful information and resources. Some e-books are nothing more than ads and sales pitches for the writer's products. These "ad books" will turn off customers and decrease repeat business.

Do your research to determine what types of information people are seeking. Getting rich selling e-books will depend on the topics covered, customer base, and marketing campaign.

Before buying an e-book for resale, do an online search for the title. If lots of web sites are selling the book, it's probably a popular title and will be a good seller. It also helps to sell e-books that cater to a specific market niche. Search online forums and other group sites to locate potential target markets for niche titles. Contact these groups with a short email inviting them to visit your site. Offer an incentive such as 20% off first purchase to increase site traffic.

E-books about current trends or hot topics will generate more income. Your income will really get a boost if you can spot the "next big topic" and write or purchase e-books to sell before the competition saturates the market.

Marketing Extras

You can use a common template for your e-books' web site or sell them on an existing site you already have. However, to stand out from the competition, create you own web site to sell e-books. Always add new titles to your stock to keep old customers coming back and to attract new ones. Use email to notify customers of new titles and special sales. Offer discounts on slow moving titles.

Affiliate programs are another way to get rich selling e-books. The affiliate pays you a commission for his or her e-books you sell. To earn extra cash from e-books you write, start your own affiliate program.

There are plenty of online and print books that will help you learn how to get in on the e-book sales bandwagon. A good place to begin reading is "Make Your Knowledge Sell," by Ken Evoy and Monique Harris.

Sources

"About Making Money with E-Books," (about-the-web.com)

"Make Money Selling Ebooks," (christianet.com)

"Make Money Selling Ebooks," (homebusinessmag.com)

"Is Your Dog Selling eBooks Too?," (marketingsource.com)

eBay for Stay at Home Moms

2006-09-21T19:31:00.000-07:00

If you are a stay at home mom you may be getting the urge to do something more with yourself. You may want to make a bit of money while staying at home with the kids all day. One of the best ways for any stay at home mom to make money is by using eBay. This may sound a bit far fetched, but the fact of the matter is that thousands of people have turned eBay into a full-time job. And to take this a step further, there are many people who have become millionaires by using eBay to buy and sell items. If you work hard at it, you can be next in line for the profits that are being made on eBay everyday of the week.

At this point you may be wondering how eBay can make you money. This is something that a lot of people have on their mind. Using eBay to make money is quite simple. You will list items for sale, and then wait for other people to bid on them, or purchase at a predetermined price.

But in order to get started with this you will need to have items that you can place for sale on eBay. There are a few ways that you can go about getting these items.

1. To find items to sell on eBay you may want to become a regular at garage sales and flea markets in your area. At these events you can buy items for cheap, and then turn around and sell them for a large profit on eBay. This is one option that a lot of stay at home moms opt for when looking for items that they can sell on eBay.

2. Another option to consider is making your own products, and then listing them on eBay. For instance, some people make crafts such as candles and then list them for sale. You may not think that there is a large audience for this type of thing, but there are many people that make a lot of money doing just that.

3. Stay at home moms can get their start on eBay by selling items that they have laying around the house. Chances are that your garage or attic is full of junk that you no longer use. But just because you think that the items you have are junk does not mean that somebody else will. By just selling items that you have in your home you may be able to get your start on eBay. And with the money that you initially make, you can then in turn buy more items. Pretty soon you will notice that your profits are growing.

Tips on how to promote your home business web site

2006-09-20T21:51:00.000-07:00

Traffic on the freeway is bad. Traffic on the Internet is good. With over 60 million web sites on the Net, you need a solid strategy for steering customers to your home business web site.

Search Engines

Search engines are the yellow pages for a home business web site. Over 80% of Internet surfers use search engines to find information on the web. To get the most traffic to your site, list first with the big search engine players Yahoo, Google, and MSN. Smaller search engines also get results from the big three so you'll be covered in case customers visit less popular engines. A smaller search engine network to consider is Exactseek.com, for example.

Looking Good

Your home business web site can be simple or complex but it must be functional and attractive. Make sure your site does what it is supposed to do - provide customers with concise, useful information about your product or service. Be wary of making things too complicated. The site should be easy to navigate or customers will look elsewhere.

Your home business web site should also look professional, not cheap. If you aren't design savvy, spend money on a good web designer. The investment will pay off by attracting more people to your web page.

On-line Ads

The Internet has many sites where you can list your home business web site for free. To guarantee the greatest exposure, place your ad on several (20 or more) sites and repeat the process every month.

Banner advertisements can be as effective as TV spots in increasing customer awareness of your business. A banner ad should be direct, i.e. promote a benefit of rather than just the name of the product or service. Try participating in a banner exchange program such as LinkExchange that connects your home business web site to other company sites that have similar customer bases.

Affiliate programs offer an excellent opportunity to promote your home business web site. Affiliate businesses post links to your web page on their sites. You pay them a commission or set fee based on the amount of traffic sent to your web site. Pay arrangements vary and can be based on the number of people who visit your site or the number of customers who purchase your product.

Bloggin' It

Bloggers are the hot new information medium. Getting them to write about your home business web site is an excellent way to gain exposure to potential customers.

Technorati Blog Directory provides a listing of blogs by industry. Do your research here to determine which blogs might be interested in writing about your business. Send a short, personal email to a few blog writers describing your web site and asking the blogger to write about it. Offer the writer something in return, for example, free product or a link back to his blog on your web site.

Off-line Ads

Cruising Down the Highway

Your car is a moving billboard for a home business web site. Window decals and bumper stickers are inexpensive ways to get the word out about your web site. Spend a few extra dollars for a personalized license plate with your web address.

Old Media Standby

Regardless of what the bloggers say, people still read the printed page. Run ads in the classifieds of large and small papers, trade magazines, and free weeklies. Your choice of print media will depend on the product or service offered and whether you do business locally or nationwide.

Sources

Gaebler Ventures, "Advertising on the Web" (gaebler.com)
Data Synthesis, "Internet Solutions for Today" (ictks.com)
"Top Ten Ways to Promote your Website" (agora-business-center.com)
"Using Blog PR to Promote Your Site" (sitepronews.com)

For Internet Business Newbies - How to Promote Your Web Site

2006-09-19T20:15:00.000-07:00

If you are new to the internet world you are not alone. There are a lot of people who are not too familiar with the internet, but want to join in on the profits that are available. If this sounds like you one of the most important things that you will need to learn is how to promote your web site.

When it comes to promoting your web site there are many options available to you. The good thing is that a lot of them are free of cost, or will only set you back a few dollars. But at the same time there are also a lot of ways that you can promote your web site that will cost you quite a bit of money. But either way, if you learn what you are doing you will be able to get the word out about your web site.

As far as free web site promotion is concerned, one of the best things that you can do is join in on the discussions that are taking place at some of the online forums. For instance, if your new web site is targeted towards the clothing industry, you will want to find forums that discuss this topic. When talking with others you can run ideas past them, and also market your new web site to them. Make sure that you add your web site to your forum signature. This way, every time you make a post anybody that reads it will be able to click on your link. Believe it or not this will drive plenty of traffic to your site.

Another low cost way to promote your web site is to submit articles to article directories. This can be done in a matter of minutes. All you have to do is write an article that coincides with your web site, and then submit it to directories. In addition, you will be able to add an author’s resource box after the article. This again will allow readers to click on your link and head straight for your site. Over time different article directories will pick up on your articles. In turn, your links will begin to show up all over the internet, which of course means more traffic directed to your web site.

Overall, web site promotion is something that you will want to learn about early on. But do not let this scare you away. There are many ways that you can promote your new web site to the internet world. With a bit of research, patience, and determination, you will be successfully promoting your web site. And with successful promotion comes traffic and profits! And isn’t this what everybody wants?

Five Work from Home Ideas for Pet Lovers

2006-09-18T22:03:00.000-07:00

If you love pets, why not start a business that will allow you to make money at the same time? Thousands of people from all over the world have started pet based businesses. And out of these people, many of them work at their pet business on a full-time basis. If this is something that is of interest to you, the first thing that you will need to do is determine what niche of the industry you want to focus on. There are many options available, and by finding the right one you will be on the fast track to success in no time at all.

Here are five home business ideas that pet lovers should consider. Of course this is just a start, but these five are among the most popular.

1. A pet sitting service will allow you stay in touch with pets while also making money at the same time. People are always looking for a way to have their pets cared for while they are on vacation or on a business trip. A pet sitting service is a great option for these people. And if you are the only service in your area you may be able to garner a lot of business right off the bat.

2. Being a dog walker is a solid home business idea for pet lovers. You will probably not make a full-time living at this job, but you can definitely make a bit of money as your client base expands. For one reason or the next people do not have the time to walk their dogs. If you can offer this service at an affordable rate you can get a lot of regular clients.

3. Pet photography is becoming very popular. If you have the skills to start a pet photography business you can make a very good living. More so today than ever before pet photography is popular. Offering this service in a well populated area can be quite profitable.

4. Make pet related crafts if you do not want to deal directly with the animals. Crafts are selling great in today’s day and age, and can be anything that you can imagine. Believe it or not selling pet crafts can turn into a profitable full-time business.

5. A lot of owners do not have the skills or patience to train their dog. For this reason pet trainers are always in demand. Offering this service at a good rate will allow you to place yourself at the top of the industry.

Even though these are only five pet related business ideas, there are many others that are do-able. With a bit of research you will find a home business idea that you can incorporate into your love of pets.

New Diet and Nutrition Niche Article Club

2006-09-17T09:20:00.000-07:00

Many of my readers may already own a health-related blog or may be contemplating starting a website related to diet, weight loss, or nutrition information. After all, diet and nutrition are always popular topics, and many home businesses or work at home on the internet situations promote or advertise products having to do with weight loss or nutritional supplements. A new service has become available that provides original private label rights articles in this diet and nutrition niche on a monthly basis at an affordable price. The articles are perfect for blog publishing or other web content uses, and the overall project is overseen by a physician concerned with quality content. If this niche interests you, don't miss checking it out early before the competition catches on. Just go to http://www.diet-nutrition-article-niche.com for more information on these diet and nutrition niche PLR articles.

Pet Photography Business Tips

2006-09-16T17:21:00.000-07:00

If you like pets, starting a pet photography small business is a great way to make money. Not only will you get to make money, but you will also get to do so while enjoying your job. And isn’t this something that everybody is looking for in a career?

But before you start a pet photography business there are a few things that you will need to keep in mind. Remember, you cannot simply start a pet photography business because you like animals. There is much more to it than that. And if you want to be successful at what you are doing you will need to be the best of the best (or at least one of the very best).

Before you start your pet photography business look into the market that you live in. There are two things in particular that you should look at. First off, are there enough people in your area that will want to use your service? Obviously, the bigger the city you live in the better your chances are of garnering a lot of business. You will also want to make sure that you do not have a lot of competition in this industry. If there is already an established pet photography business in your area you may want to reconsider where you open up shop. This is a specialized niche, and if somebody has already tapped into it you may have a hard time grabbing a share of the market.

To have a successful pet photography business you need to be good at taking pictures. That is the bottom line. If you do not have the skills to take top notch photos nobody is going to pay for your services. In addition, you will need to have the necessary equipment in order to be a success in the pet photography industry. This can cost a lot of money, but it is something that you need to have to move to the top of the industry.

And speaking of expenses, a good pet photography business has a professional atmosphere in which clients can bring their pets. You will need to have a space to do this, as well as different props and backdrops. Plus, keeping the area clean is an absolute must if you are going to be having pets in and out all day long. Giving off a good sense of professionalism is a great way to garner repeat and referral clients.

Overall, a pet photography business is a great way to make money. If you love pets, and have a knack for photography, you should look into this industry right away. Who knows, you may carve out a niche in your area and garner more clients than you ever thought possible.

Picture This Home Business

2006-09-15T21:35:00.000-07:00

A home photography business doesn’t necessarily require formal photography training. What it does require is a passion for photographic art, an artistic flair, the technical skills to operate the equipment and the ability to market the business.

Someone who is still in high school or college can start out preparing for a home photography business by taking photos for the yearbook or the student newspaper. A basic photography course would be very helpful as well. Nowadays it’s good to know how to operate both a 33 mm and a digital camera. Local community colleges often have very reasonably priced community education courses, many that involve just one class in the evening or on the weekend. Colleges that offer Lifelong Learning Centers for folks 50+ have courses as well, and some of these are taught by very experienced retired home photography business professionals at little or no cost.

There are many types of photography and the home photography business entrepreneur may want to specialize, perhaps in photography for news organizations such as the local daily or weekly paper, or in advertising photography for local magazines and local firms that need to market their products. One of the most common forms of home photography business is for events and celebrations such as weddings, bar mitzvahs, anniversaries, and other events. These can be especially lucrative as repeat business and excellent multiple referrals.

Travel photographers have exciting home photography business lives, although it takes a lot of skill and a lot of travel expense and practice photography before that first paid vacation is finely paid for.

Some folks create a home photography business working as photojournalists or specializing in medical or science photographers. While quite lucrative, these almost require a four year degree with extensive photography and communication training. A college photography internship is a wonderful foot in the door for a home photography business as well.

A portfolio is a must for building clientele for a home photography business. This means taking lots and lots of unpaid photo shots to show off exceptional talent to potential clients.

Helpful ways to learn the ins and outs of home photography and a home photography business are by working as an assistant to a photographer, by joining associations and organizations of fellow photographers and by attending seminars and workshops on home business and photography.

Source:
http://www.ehow.com/how_12361_become-photographer.html