Home based businesses are becoming a popular way to earn a living from home, especially for stay at home moms or those who are unemployed and unable to find a job. Yet as the number of these businesses has increased, the number of fraud has also increased. There are a large number of businesses out there that are nothing more than a scheme to rip people off. By the same token, these deceptive practices aren’t going to be listed in a good home business directory.If you need to start a business at home, you may not know where to turn to find the business that meets your needs. One of the best ways to find the business for you is by looking at a home based business directory. These directories list the various home based businesses that you can choose from.In such a directory, you won’t find the lies that advertise that you can make $30k in the first month. You won’t find the scams where you pay to get information that you can find anywhere. You won’t find the scams where you’re told you can earn $15 an hour working from home stuffing envelopes.Instead, a good home based business directory should weed out the scams. To be sure that you’re looking at a good home based business directory, you may still want to do some research on the directory. You’ll want to maintain a level of skepticism, even if you’re eager to get started earning your own income.
Don’t throw caution to the wind, do your homework.Even if you have a limited budget, a home based business directory should be able to help you. A good directory will list the businesses you can start on a budget. You will still need to sort through the directory for the business that meets your needs, but you’ll know ahead of time if you can afford such a business.Many home business directories offer a free listing of home businesses you can choose from. You may find that these free directories offer the information you need. Other times you may find that you get better information from a directory that charges a small fee to access their information. Though it will take some research there are valuable resources out there to help you start your business, and a home based business directory is an ideal place to start.
Home Based Business Directory
How To Succeed At Online Product Creation The Easy Way
Product creation could be a frightening subject for a lot of Internet marketers to face. Some folks who get in the game with the intention of making a full time income are completely ignorant as to how an online business operates. One of the most profitable ways to create online cash is by creating a product that others are happy to pay for.
Product creation is legitimate method of generating money through internet marketing but many entrepreneurs get it wrong. They start by imitating their Internet marketing gurus by creating information products on Internet marketing in hopes of getting rich the way their heroes did. The problem is that they usually don’t know what they are doing and enter a highly competitive niche with very little marketing experience or connections.
Here are a few tips for effective product creation that may help you get on the right track:
Start by finding a profitable niche with low to moderate competition. If you conduct some rudimentary market research and keyword research, you’ll find many opportunities in areas that will surprise you. Amazon and eBay are two great places to brainstorm for product ideas.
Developing Your Product does not have to be a difficult project. You can find experts in the right field for your niche and pay them to write the material while an artist designs the packaging and website or blog. You can outsource the entire product creation part of the project after you conduct the research and testing to ensure profitability.
Sales and marketing strategies should be created while developing the product and learning about the market. Some experienced marketers use pay per click to drive traffic to their offer page; some folks outsource the entire marketing campaign to affiliates through ClickBank or other affiliate programs.
Product creation does not need to be hard, particularly when the merchandise is electronic. E-books, videos, audio and multi-media products sell very well. They are distributed immediately to customers electronically. Once you have a good feel for a niche market, try to service your customers with associated products and upgrades. If you want to earn money online through product creation, you must understand supply and demand. The majority of new online marketers fail miserably because they go after highly competitive markets or forget to research their chosen niche properly. You have to create your products according to the needs, wants and desires of the prospective customers.
Five Considerations of Hiring Property Managers
Five Considerations of Hiring Property Managers
1. Management Fee
The property owner needs to understand the purpose of the management fee (typically 10%). The percentage management fee pays for the property manager’s time. The 10% allows someone else to help shoulder the burden of owning the property. The owner is paying for someone else to field 2:00 am calls. It is important to remember that the property manager cannot take all of the responsibility and burden off the owner. In the end, it is the owner’s property and the owner’s responsibility.
2. Interview
When hiring any professional, an interview will be conducted to hire the correct candidate and then the professional is left to alone to do their job. Working with a property manager is no different. During the interview process ask good questions; require forthright answers, hire the right candidate, and then get out of their way. If an owner is a high micromanager then they should hire a certain type property manager (see Property Manager categories below).
3. Personality fit
The owner’s personality has to fit the property manager’s systems and procedures. Sometimes owners will have difficulty with a property managers systems and procedures. If a property management company sets office hours between 9-5 Monday through Friday and owner wants an update on their property @ 6:00pm on a Friday evening they will have to wait until 9:00 am Monday. This may drive some owners crazy who want to be very involved in the day-to-day management. If this is the case they probably should hire a manager who will be more responsive to the owner’s needs.
4. Communication
Communication is a two-way street. It is not only the property manager’s responsibility to communicate effectively. Owners should understand they have to lead the property manager in how they expect the manager to manage the property.
Here’s an example: My wife is a director of marketing for a company. She has to be the leader in guiding and directing the advertising agency as to what she wants for the project. She cannot expect the advertising agency to try to guess what she wants in the project.
If your property manager is slow in returning your phone calls explain to them the level of communication you expect. In return, ask them how much communication they expect from you.
Many property managers would rather only communicate with you on as needed basis. Much more than this level of communication from the owner is overkill.
5. Property Manager Categories
While Property managers fall into three categories, the size of the property management company is neither better nor worse than the others. Choosing the size of property manager has more to do with the level of owner pampering and paperwork provided rather than a property manager being good or bad.
Small 1-50 units
Property managers in the small category are usually unlicensed with no training in property management. These managers will have more time for the property owner. This type of property manager is usually not much more than a handyman who will show and rent apartments. If a property owner wants to be hands on and needs to be updated on every specific action of the property this is the manager they should hire.
Pros:
These property managers have the time to cuddle and coddle the owner. They will provide the owner with receipts for repairs and nothing else in documentation.
Cons:
These managers will have no systems in place to and will not be able to negotiate vendor discounts. No 1099s and no accounting documents prepared for your accountant.
Medium 50-150 units
Pros:
These managers have more of a professional approach with the use of some systems. They have the purchase power to negotiate some vendor discounts.
Cons:
The paperwork may be enough for the owner to understand the numbers, but may not be enough information to submit to an accountant or to the IRS.
Large 150+
Pros:
Large companies have invested a lot of money in their systems procedures. They will have an in-house maintenance staff. Their accounting reports can be submitted to an accountant or the IRS.
Cons:
No time with the owner. Communication is very professional, but impersonal, done mostly through email and voicemail. Large management companies offer very little owner pampering and handholding. The downside: even owners who have been in real estate for many years still need some positive reinforcement once in a while.