Home Business Information

Where Will you be by Age 65?

98% of the populations is either Dead or Dead Broke by age 65

2% are successful in retiring and living comfortably

Find out what Robert Kiyosaki calls the Perfect Business...

Robert Kiyosaki, world renowned speaker, best-seller author, and educator, rose from 'rags to riches' and retired at age 47 as a multi-millionaire business owner.

Kiyosaki outlines 4 Business Types:

E = 'employee'

S = 'self-employed' or 'small business owner'

B = 'business owner'

I = 'investor'

If you want to be rich, you need to be a business owner and investor. Building your own business is the best way to become rich.

But is it hard to do?

Absolutely! Or everybody would be rich.

• Who has thousands or even millions of dollars to start a business?
• Who has the Time?
• Who has the expertise and business know-how?
• And you have to create your own niche by designing a new product or service!

With the right home-based business, you can run it from your home and save thousands of dollars. Plus, you can usually get started for less than a thousand dollars, have others working for you, have a great product, and get free training.

How do the Different Home Businesses Compare?

I know that supplementation is necessary. If you can improve your health and help others improve health, while making an income too, what else could you ask for? But I simply don't believe most of the claims of the various juices, vitamins, superfoods, super antioxidants, formulas, discoveries, and concoctions out there. But don't let skepticism keep you from finding the right home business. Don't get me wrong, I think that all health supplements may do some good, but not enough to justify the price. And you can't share a product with others if you feel like you are selling expensive snake oil.

With so many different home businesses opportunities out there, let me give you my Ten Tips to Know How to Choose a Good Home Business:

1. Growing Industry - First of all, most everyone recommends a business in the health and wellness or anti-aging industry, because this is where large demand is growing, and it is something that you can share with passion, concern, and emotion. It is hard to do that if you are recommending gardening tools or car brakes...unless you could share how the brakes saved your life in a near accident.

2. Direct Selling Association (DSA) members - A reputable and honest network marketing business should be listed with the DSA and the Better Business Bureau (BBB)

3. Product That Works! - Many companies simply have rah-rah training seminars that try to get people excited about the money. Look for a company that focuses on their product.

4. Professional Validation - If the product is backed by third party organizations, certifications, doctors, universities, and/or third-party research groups, then you know you have a product that sells itself.

5. At least 5 years of Debt-Free Success - While "getting your foot in the door early" can be your key to success, if the business has already been established for a few years, then you know that they are a solid company. Most unsuccessful companies fail in their first 3 years.

6. Publicly Owned - Not just any company can be put on the stock exchange. If it is legitimate and big enough, it may qualify. Huge potential and power with the added public finances = rock solid company.

7. Not another "Me Too" Product? - If the product is unique and patented, and not just another copy-cat product, you are set.

8. Great Training available - This goes without saying.

9. A Product Motivated Mentor - Hey, who cares how many dollars per month your mentor is making if he or she isn't excited about the product itself?

10. News - While this may not be necessary, but if the company or product is making it into the news at all, then there is even more potential for massive growth.

# posted by Medical Information : 3:38 AM  0 Comments

Qualifications

You don't need a university degree to start a painting business. What you need is common sense, and the ability to learn quickly. You also need to be pleasant in dealing with customers, and prompt in carrying out work. Painters who accept a contract and don't turn up for work are unlikely to get a job in that neighborhood again.

Equipment

A used truck or van, a couple of ladders, some brushes, empty paint cans and drop cloths are what you need to start a business. If you don't have a van you can use folding ladders that can be pushed into the back of your car. Also, if you are starting with a very low budget then you can even rent this equipment for the first few jobs. Once you have made some money, and can afford to invest in fancy equipment then you can go in for gadgets like sir compressors or electrical paint rollers. This will make your work easier and faster.

How to Start

The best place to get work for a painting business is real estate companies or rental agencies. They have a lot of painting work waiting to be finished. Of course, these agencies are smart, and not the best paymasters. But that should not worry you. Your objective should be to procure work.

Payment Rates

Rental agencies have their own painting formulas. You can use them as a guide to work out your own painting business rates. These can be on per hour basis, on per room basis or on the basis of surface area that is to be painted. You should also take into consideration the condition of the surfaces to be painted. Will minor putty work be enough to surface the cracks or a large plastering work required? Is there any need to spray chlorine to remove mildew before painting? Does the surface need to be sanded or scraped? These should be added to your estimates.

It is good business to use the best quality paint, primer etc., and to let the customer know what you are doing. It is quite possible that the customer may have a small budget. This is especially true of rental agencies. They want a quick and cheap paint job to be done before showing the house to a customer. In this case, give the customer an estimate based on cheaper materials. Also, provide an extra 5 to 10 per cent in your estimates for modifications. This is especially necessary for private homes, where owners change their mind about colors after placing an order or insist on extra coats of paint.

Publicity

You may start with rental agencies or real estate companies. But you surely need to expand your painting business, and get contracts for painting private homes and commercial establishments. For this, you need to print handbills carrying your mobile number for distribution in your immediate neighborhood. You also need to get your name included in yellow pages for painting jobs. But the best way to grow your painting business is to earn good customer testimonials. Every house owner wants a good paint job done with the least amount of fuss. You can be sure that a satisfied customer will recommend your name to his friends. So, make it a policy to do every job well. You will soon have more jobs than you can handle.

# posted by Medical Information : 3:37 AM  0 Comments

Essential Equipment

Now you will need a computer and Internet access, but that really is about the only expense you will be out in order to take online surveys and get paid for your effort. Each survey takes 5-15 minutes to complete, so these are not intense surveys with essay questions or anything! You will also need a checking account or Paypal account in order for the company to transfer money to you but some do offer to send a check for your services. Even if you had to invest in a new computer and pay for some high speed Internet access, it might cost you $500-$1500 to get started, depending on the quality of computer you get.

Skills and Experience

Basically, if you have some Internet experience and know how to use search engines to find the companies offering to pay you for taking these surveys, you have all the training and experience you need! Companies need market research to know what products to make and what improvements to make on existing products and they are willing to pay for this information!

Charges and Earnings

Depending on the complexity of the survey and the fees offered by the company, you can make anywhere from $1-20 per survey. Many companies produce 2 or more surveys per month and you can definitely become a regular online survey taker. The time investment comes in to play because you have to find the companies that are paying for taking the surveys, but once you build a good database of market research companies, the income should be steady. Depending on your dedication and time investment, you can easily make $200 or more per week in the first year. As your database grows, you can weed out the low paying sites and concentrate on more profitable surveys to make even more money.

Marketing

Well, all you really need to do is use a search engine and find these companies. Keep track of the ones that are decent and pay well so you can focus on them in the future. But rest assured, you need no resume and an interview will not be required!

Now you may never get rich taking online surveys, but there are few ways to make real money sitting at home just filling out questionnaires about your favorite hair care products, cars, etc.! Some sites will give you points and you must reach a certain number in order to get paid cash, but this is about the biggest annoyance. Just stay away from companies that want you to pay to search their database of companies offering these paid surveys-you can easily build your own database because all these companies are giving you for that fee is information that is out there for free anyway.

# posted by Medical Information : 3:36 AM  0 Comments

How to start

Select an auction site that has a large number of registered users. The front-runner obviously is E-bay, and a good place to start your online auctions business. All that you need to do is to register yourself as a seller, and the site will provide you a place to sell your products. Obviously, you need products to sell. If you are a manufacturer then you have no problems. Otherwise, you need to cut deals with manufacturers or wholesalers to give you products at rates that are less than the market rates.

Simultaneously, you must set up your own site. For this, you need to register a domain name and buy hosting space. An ideal place to do so is a domain name registrar which provides both the services. This site you should hyperlink to E-bay. This means that you direct all customers who come to your site to the E-bay store when they click on the Bid button. The advantage of doing this is that you will be making use of E-bay tools to sell your products and also build your own e-commerce site.

Description of items

This is the most critical part of any online auctions business. The description must be eye-grabbing, and motivate the customer to place an order. Suppose you are a seller of rare Persian rugs. Now, how do you describe the products? The best way is to search for rugs of the same kind. This will give you a list of keywords that you used to locate the Persian rug. Make sure these keywords are included in your description.

Also remember that the buyer is only seeing an image. To take a decision he needs to know the condition of the rug, size of the rug, the year of manufacture, the place of manufacture, shipping cost etc. Your objective should be to provide all relevant details, even facts that may appear minor to you.

Pricing

The best thing about online auctions business is that you can get a better price than you anticipate. There is therefore no harm in starting with a low price and letting the bidders raise the bar. You must remember that a low starting price will encourage more buyers to enter the bidding fray. Having tasted blood, they are unlikely to move out until the price reaches a stage where a bidder feels that the purchase is no longer worth it. In contrast, a high reserve price will drive away several bidders and defeat the purpose of selling your product on an online auction business site.

Payments

You should give the buyers an option to pay through check, credit card, banker's check, electronic bank transfer, or Pay Pal. However, for check payments make it clear that the product will be shipped only after the payment has been realized. Please remember that the buyer is making a payment before receiving the product. He would therefore like an electronic trail in case the seller does a vanishing act. The payment should include the shipping and handling costs too. Don't surprise the customer by asking him to pay the courier at delivery time. It is a bad business practice and may rebound.

Feedback

Most online auctions business sites encourage buyers and sellers to describe their experience. You, too, should encourage your customer to leave feedback once the transaction is over and the product has been received by the customer. Online feedback is a great positive testimonial. It gives confidence to new buyers.

Investment

Your investment is getting a domain name, which at a low-priced registrar is available for $10 a year. Hosting services can be obtained for 100 to 300 dollars a year. Registration cost on an online auction site is very small to none. The online site charges a listing fee, which depends upon the cost of the product, and a final value fee which is a percentage of the sale value. In other words, you can start an online auctions business for less than $300. You are assured of regular traffic, your store is open 24 hours, seven days a week. Simultaneously, your own site is getting popular. What more do you want? Start your online auctions business today.

# posted by Medical Information : 3:11 AM  0 Comments

The loan officer for the most part earns from what is called "personal production," which means you are earning from what you are able to personally produce by bringing mortgage business into your employer's office. In some cases you may be paid a base salary and/or draw, but then you will be paid less in commissions by the company (broker) you are working for.

The second - and most potentially lucrative for you - area of involvement is the broker. Most people start out in the mortgage business by working as a loan officer, gaining experience and expertise, and later they consider opening their own shop by becoming a broker. This can be frustrating for the broker who is training loan officers, because they are continually losing their best loan officers and creating their own future competition.

The broker hires, spoon feeds and trains their loan officers and pays them a commission out of the profits they receive from the lenders with whom they work. As the loan officer begins to learn the business they obviously start thinking about leveraging themselves through the efforts of others so that they can earn from the production of others as the broker does. The mortgage business is currently experiencing re-definition by new leaders in the industry who are breaking old traditional earning models.

Within the last few years new leaders in the mortgage industry have been breaking the old traditional earning models, and have created revolutionary new approaches which allow just about anyone to build a business in the mortgage industry with very little knowledge or experience. Beginners are now able to make more money - in less time - with less effort!

In the past you would have started out as a loan officer - generally with a bachelor's degree in finance, economics, or a related field, and earned $30,000 to $50,000 a year. You then worked locally where the broker who hired you was licensed to do business. For the most part your income level would have been limited until you gained enough experience to open your own shop.

The downside of this was that even when you advanced to becoming a broker yourself, you also took on the financial liability of running a business. Opening a local mortgage brokerage can often be very costly, along with the many additional liabilities that go along with hiring, training and running payroll.

New approaches to the mortgage business now allow you to build a mortgage business of your own where you call the shots and your income is not solely dependent on your own personal production. Here are just a few of the new advantages...

* You can now earn on mortgage business on a national level. These new business models now allow you to operate under a "branch license" so you can do business just about anywhere.

* You have the ability to immediately leverage yourself. You can earn commission overrides just like a traditional Mortgage broker can. This means that you can build a national team throughout the United States and earn from their activity.

* No major investment - Instead of investing thousands of dollars in franchise fees you can get started typically for around $200.

* You are able to tap into proven business models that will help you teach and train your unexperienced loan officer recruits.

How much money can you make?

Let's compare the traditional model of earning only from your personal production with the model of introducing this concept to others and being able to leverage yourself: The following will give you an example of what you would earn If you based your earning level on personal production at three different commission earning levels. The following are based on a hypothetical $200,000 mortgage.

One House per month Commission paid out:

* 30% $1,050.00 Earned

* 64% $2.240.00 Earned

* 70% $2,660.00 Earned

Two Houses per month:

* 30% $2,100.00 Earned

* 64% $4,480.00 Earned

* 70% $5,320.00 Earned

Let's look at this a different way that shows the power of leverage where you are not depending entirely on your own personal production. The following example assumes that you are earning 64% from two personal loans a month and are earning from the personal production of five others who are doing just one loan each per month.

Personal Production 64% Earning Level

Your personal earnings - $4,480.00

Loans From 5 Others Who Are At The 30% Level

Your earnings from their production - $5,950.00

Total Earnings For Month - $10,430.00

As you can see, it really is to your advantage to immediately involve others in the business. Your personal efforts along with the combined efforts of others can really produce some exciting numbers, in this example over $125,000 a year in income! The exciting thing about this is that you are not limited to just five people, you have the ability to grow a very large income very quickly.

Positive Points

You don't have to wait until you're experienced, you can start right away. You are not limited to earning from the efforts of just five people, your earnings can come from as many personal recruits that join your business. You can earn from the personal efforts of those you recruit as well as the people they themselves introduce to the mortgage business! Your earnings can be generated from other team members throughout the United States representing every conceivable city you can think of or have never heard of.

Am I beginning to get your attention yet?

By now your mind might be flooded with additional questions. One prevailing question might be... "There are already many people in the Mortgage business, how can we compete?" To be perfectly honest, many people who are approaching the mortgage business with old worn out models are finding it difficult to survive, while companies and individuals who are embracing these revolutionary new concepts are exploding in growth.

In the USA, the housing market has been booming, but now it is leveling out or even shrinking in many areas. Most of those homeowners would love to save on their mortgages now, and their need is likely to increase if the market keeps going down. There are some very creative mortgage services available online, with some research you can make a very good offer to your customers.

If you want a real, tangible business that you can run from home, using the Internet, this is a good one to consider. Spend some time searching the web and reading up on this and I think you will find the information you need, and some good groups who will be happy to help you launch yourself into this business.

It's a win/win. You will be helping others at the same time that you build a long-term income and a business to be proud of, for yourself.

# posted by Medical Information : 3:11 AM  0 Comments

Attending Trade Shows Yourself

Trade shows are a very good way to come out with a lot of information about a lot of different companies selling products. Be prepared when you attend a trade show by knowing what your market research has shown you about specific products for your niche. While you are there pick up anything you do not know much about and research it later, you may run into an idea. Trade shows are typically held at a convention center in most major cities throughout the world and the dates of these events can be found at export.gov/tradeevents.html

Buying Information from a Product Sourcing Expert

If you do not have the time or money to attend trade shows you may want to consider sourcing products from a product sourcing expert. This is a very flexible method because you can get immediate information on wholesale suppliers and distributors for certain types of products with specific shipping methods. When searching for a product sourcing expert you want to consider how credible their sources are. How far their reach is and how much information they can offer you. Some product sourcing experts may only have sourced products in certain markets and may have some really good suppliers in mind for that market but fail to support anything else related. From my website is a link labeled product sourcing in the navigation bar which can tell you the top 5 things you need to know about product sourcing.

Contacting Wholesale Suppliers

If you are not used to contacting suppliers and knowing what questions to ask then you may want to practice on some companies you have found at trade shows that you don’t really care to do business with. The two most important questions to ask when contacting a wholesale supplier are:

• What shipping methods are offered?
• What are your products prices?

# posted by Medical Information : 3:10 AM  0 Comments

Internet business scams are growing more numerous and more sophisticated, and they are very hard to recognize from the few legitimate opportunities that are out there. I know this on a very personal level, because I fell for an Internet business scam while I was on break from college.

I am not a particularly gullible person and I actually thought I was taking all the necessary precautions to be safe on the Internet. But the thing we all have to remember is that scam artists do not stick to the same scam over and over again. They are inventing new and more sophisticated scams everyday, so they can try to get your money, credit, and confidential information.

I wanted to make some extra cash, and working from home seemed like the way to do it. I found a job posting that looked legitimate, which I replied to, asking for more information about the position. I sent in my resume and the company sent a quick response, and described the kind of work I would be doing.

The description sounded vague, and then I was surprised to learn that I needed to send money to the company via Pay-Pal in order to cover the cost of training materials. Honestly, this should have set off a red flag, but I was too excited about making some extra money, and the payment they were asking for was a very small amount.

To my horror and dismay, the "training materials" I received was nothing more than a file detailing how to continue the scam, putting up job postings, making the job offers, and collecting money from naive people like myself!

Needless to say, I demanded my money back, and did a quick investigation via an internet search engine to discover the truth of the matter. Turns out it was a well known internet business scam and I should have known better.

But we always think we will know the scam when we are faced with it. Then when we are made an offer that is really too good to be true, we briefly allow ourselves to think it is a scam, before accepting the offer. Instead of falling for scams I have learned to investigate first and agree to offers only after I am satisfied that the company is legitimate. A real company will have no problem with you calling back to place your order at a later date. Don't let yourself fall for the job offer scams or any other scam that will make you loose money.

If you ever decide to look into an Internet business opportunity, investigate thoroughly, and do not invest any money into it unless you are absolutely sure that it is legitimate. If they ask you for money up front, chances are it isn't.

# posted by Medical Information : 3:29 AM  0 Comments

You look at any business and the management of that business so often determines the level of success or failure.

And yet when someone starts a home based business this is one area most people are clueless in, especially when it comes to managing followup.

In the typical home business especially those affiliated with network marketing this one area is the most critical to your success. Lack of followup is the kiss of death in a home based business. Very few people purchase on the first exposure to your product, thus you must followup with those people or you are doomed. Followup to a home based business is equivalent to advertising for a traditional business. Most businesses that don’t advertise don’t stay in business.

Okay now that we realize the need for followup in a home based business we need to have a plan in place for the management of that followup. We’re going to have several types of contacts for which we need to have a plan in place.

There are typically two main types - personal acquaintances or a contact from your cold market.

What you want to have in place are management plans that cover:

1. The intervals between followup contacts.

2. The method for contact (phone, email, etc).

3. The type of message /content of your message.

4. How you will keep track of when you previously followed up and when you should schedule your next contact.

Now that we have established a basic template for our home based business followup plan let’s further detail it.

1. Intervals – After the first contact you’re going to want to set up your followup schedule. The first followup should be about 2 days later, the 2nd seven days later the 3rd about 2 weeks after the 2nd and then every 30 days after that. After 3 months based upon the contacts perceived interest you could go to contacting them once every 3 months.

2. Method of contact – for someone you know the first several contacts should be by a brief phone call followed up by an email. After that continue to followup with them by email with an occasional phone call worked in. For someone who you would consider a cold contact (i.e. -purchased lead) you’re typically going to spend most of your effort with email followups – of course if they respond back to one of your messages you want to get on the phone with them. Preferably with someone else you’re working with (a 3-way call)

3. Type of message – obviously with someone you know your message will be more direct about your product. For someone who you would consider a cold contact (i.e. -purchased lead) I prefer an indirect approach. In an email I mention a great history of a product or great news headlines or benefits without telling the prospect the name of the product. I want them to contact me back out of curiosity as much as anything else.

This next part is key: Whenever you followup with someone always have some new piece of information to present to them about your product, etc. Always keep several pieces of information about your product or business for exposure later. Of course you’re in the cat bird’s seat if you’re fortunate enough to be marketing a product or service that’s hot and consistently in the news. Conversely it’s a little tougher to come up with new information when you’re marketing a non-news making product.

4. Your system for tracking your followups – This could be in the form of an Index card box where you simply have a card pocket for each day of the month. You create a card for each person and place them in the appropriate days slot you’re due to followup with them. You could also use a spreadsheet or database software for tracking the same thing. Depending upon how many contacts you have to email you could use an autoresponder. However, if there aren’t too many you could keep separate email folders and simply place one email for each person in that email folder. Than at the appropriate time based upon your schedule you would simply resend the new followup email only after copying and pasting the new message you’re sending.

The bottom line is if you continue to followup on a regular basis you should be pleasantly surprised with the numbers of people who eventually decide to try your product.

# posted by Medical Information : 3:28 AM  0 Comments

How do you Start

Information consultant business is a specialized business. You need to know your subject. You can be a good legal consultant if you have a background in law; you can be a good marketing consultant if you have a degree in marketing management; you can be a good media consultant if you have worked in the media. However, you need not limit your expertise to one field. You can branch out to other fields as your knowledge base grows.

Knowledge of your own subject has two advantages. The first is that you know what kind of information the industry needs. Two, you know people in that particular field. This makes it easy to get your first contract.

Tools that you Need

You need to have access to the net and your own personal library. There is no other way to run an information consultant business. You have to know more than your client. Only then you can provide him that extra information that can help him transform his business. Earlier, information consultants depended solely on books, magazines and newspapers. It was tedious, back-breaking work, because considerable time was spent on searching for information. Even the search process was expensive because the consultant needed to buy or acquire sources of information. Today, the net provides a sea of information. The only thing is that this information is scattered over the net. It has to be collected, collated, evaluated and analyzed.

After this, the information needs to be organized. Please remember that all information that is stored in a digital format is searchable. This saves considerable time looking for those nuggets of information that are buried deep inside reports. Earlier, despite extensive indexing the search was a cumbersome process. However, there is always a danger of losing the information if the computer malfunctions or the hard disk crashes. So, every information consultant must have a backup. Ideally, this should be a second computer. Also, all information should be copied on CDs and stored separately.

# posted by Medical Information : 3:28 AM  0 Comments

Merchandise and Goods

There is a variety of merchandise and goods being importing and exported for various reasons. Sometimes goods are imported because it is less expensive to buy them from another country than to produce them. On the other hand, some items can not be made or grown in a particular region; therefore, importation becomes necessary. Also, some goods are considered to be of higher quality if they are imported, such as champagne, beer, and furniture. Items are typically exported as a means to produce an income and to meet the needs of other areas.

Customers

The clients you will have are in a number of arenas. Retailers, manufacturers, suppliers, and distributors are just a few of the sources you may utilize. You should not limit yourself or your possibilities by having a narrow view of your clientele. The sky is the limit. There are numerous clients available to you as well as products and goods to utilize in your import-export business.

Startup costs

One of the drawbacks to starting your own business is the startup funds that may be required. In the import-export business, you may be talking about anywhere from $5,000 to $25,000, depending on whether you want to keep an inventory, want commercial office space, or plan to hire employees.

One advantage of the import-export business is the small amount of equipment necessary to run an effective office. A computer with internet access, telephone, fax machine, and printer will be enough to get your business up and running.

Another major advantage to this type of business is the ability to run an effective operation from a home office. While also providing considerably less expense, a home office also offers several tax deductions and other benefits. The major draw of being self-employed is typically the freedom in scheduling and time as compared to a regular job. A home-based office provides this on an even larger scale.

However, there are disadvantages to a home office. One is lack of motivation. Some people have a hard time getting to work when they are at home. There will always be distractions and other things that need attention. It may also be difficult to escape your family and work when you are in the same house.

Income

As with many self-employment positions, your income as an importer-exporter will depend on you. Depending on how much you want to work, how many projects you want to pursue, and how diligently you perform, your income can vary greatly.

Gross revenue from this industry can range anywhere from $30,000 to $200,000 a year. There are various income structures, from commission to flat retainer fees, depending on the type of products you are dealing with.

Marketing

In the world of an import-export business there are several avenues of marketing you can utilize. Direct mailing, cold calling, attending trade shows, and traveling abroad are all ways you can sell yourself and the services you provide. Because of the incredible size of the market, you may wish to concentrate your efforts to a particular segment to avoid running crazy and not making any progress. Once you get your business going you will find that it tends to take on a life of its own. While this may be less trouble and work for you, you should be prepared to meet this growth.

# posted by Medical Information : 3:05 AM  0 Comments

Training and equipment:

You don't need any special training to start a home cleaning business. What you need is a pleasing personality and a readiness to work. You also need to buy the tools of your trade and cleaning supplies. These include sponges, buckets, spray bottles, towels, SOS pads, mops, disposable rubber gloves, toilet brush, squeegee, etc. You also need cleaning supplies like bath cleaner, toilet bowl cleaner, window cleaner, all purpose cleaner, soft scrub cleanser, furniture polish and wood floor cleaner. You also need dusters and cleaning cloth. These you can create from your old, discarded dresses. All this should not cost you more than $100. The most expensive item on your list is the vacuum cleaner. You can initially rent a vacuum cleaner, and buy one once you have earned enough. The costs can go up sharply if you want to get into carpet, sofa or wall cleaning. You may have to invest up to $10,000 depending upon the equipment you buy.

Charges and income:

You have two options in home cleaning business. You can charge by the hour or charge a flat rate. The flat rate is a better option because the client is not concerned with the time that you are taking to clean the house. You can charge a little extra the first time that you clean the house. This is because you would need to spend more time. Your subsequent visits should be cheaper. The cleaning charges vary from neighborhood to neighborhood and from city to city. Generally, the cleaning charges range from $50 to $175 depending upon the area to be cleaned and the condition of the home.

The charges are higher for move-in/move-out cleanings. You can easily charge $150 for such cleanings. You can even add $ 20 extra for refrigerators and ovens. You must make sure that in your eagerness to get business you don't charge small amounts. This will create problems for you later on when your company grows. You must always remember that cleaning homes is back breaking work, and must get the just compensation for it.

At times you may be tempted to take up assignments to clean up newly constructed buildings. In such cases, you must make sure that you have at least a couple of people to assist you because the volume of work is very large. It involves removing stickers from windows, tiles, sanitary fittings, scrubbing floors, cleaning woodwork, removing paint stains etc. In such cases, you need to charge at least 15 to 20 cents per square foot.

Earnings and income:

If you clean two homes and charge $100 per home you can easily make around $5,000 per month. These figures can go up sharply if you hire help for your home cleaning business, and take up more work.

Hiring Help:

Don't hesitate to hire help if you find that your home cleaning business has started growing. Individuals who make the mistake of taking up more work than what they can do end up doing a poor job. It's better to train a helper and let him/her do your work once a week. Raise it to two days a week till the helper reaches a stage where he/she can do the work independently.

Advertising and publicity:

You need to attract customers to your home cleaning business. For this, you need to advertise in the local newspapers. Don't use the display section, which is expensive. But use the classified advertising section. The rates are less here. Put magnetic signs on your vehicle, making sure that your contact number can be read easily. This is a convenient and affordable mode of advertising for magnetic signs can be bought for less $75. The lettering also looks quite professional.

Another useful advertising vehicle is flyers. Use hot colors to print your flyers and display them in saloons, Laundromats, restaurants, bakeries, grocery stores, etc. You can even push some flyers into homes from where you expect to get business. Of course, you have to make sure that you don't invade people's privacy. You can also distribute business cards in marketplaces or shopping malls to spread word about your business. Don't forget referrals. Offer a discount to all those clients who recommend a friend. You will find that your business grows exponentially. Websites are another good place to advertise your services. These don't cost much, and can be used to showcase your products. If you do your work honestly you will find that you have more work than you can handle.

# posted by Medical Information : 3:04 AM  0 Comments

Are you looking for a seroius home-based business opportunity? If yes, then you should read this article if you are looking for an answer to that question. To have a seroius home-based business opportunity, you must be an affiliate marketer. But how do you make affiliate marketing a serious home-based business opportunity? In this article, I am going to provide you with 2 steps that will help you make affiliate marketing a seroius home-based business opportunity.

What is the first step I need to take to make affiliate marketing a seroius home-based business opportunity?

To make affiliate marketing a seroius home-based business opportunity, you will need to make use of blogs. As soon as you signup for an affiliate program, you should create a blog that you will use to promote it. To create a seroius home-based business opportunity with affiliate programs, simply place a link to the product you are promoting along with a short review that recommends the product.

How do I make money after creating a seroius home-based business opportunity blog?

As soon as you have setup your seroius home-based business opportunity blog, the next step to take is to drive traffic to your seroius home-based business opportunity blog. Simply submit your serious home-based business opportunity blog to top blog directories. Just type "top blog directories" into your favourite search engines and begin to submit.

Another way to drive traffic in the direction of your seroius home-based business opportunity blog, is to write articles that are related to the topic of your affiliate product. Submit these articles to article directories, and link back to your affiliate blog in the resource box. And that is how you easily create a serious home-based business opportunity for you.

# posted by Medical Information : 3:02 AM  0 Comments

A new Congress prepares to tackle homebased-business issues.

What issues of concern to homebased entrepreneurs is the 105th Congress, now at the start of its two-year term, likely to undertake? We asked three freshman and two veteran congressional legislators their views.

Representing both sides of the political spectrum, the three newcomers share a common bond: a strong business background. And both veterans have proven records of supporting home-based entrepreneurs.

Republican Christopher Cannon, the newly elected congressman representing Utah's third district, has owned Cannon Industries for six years. This venture capital firm works almost exclusively with start-up businesses, concentrating in the high-tech industry. His business experiences have convinced Cannon that simplification of tax and regulatory codes is what he should advocate during his congressional tenure.

"We have some heinous problems with government regulation. The principle one is taxation," says Cannon, who would like to restructure and simplify the corporate tax code so both companies and the government do not waste so much time and money on the issue.

Ideally, he would like to simplify the entire tax code, which would make the home office deduction unnecessary. Recognizing that this is an extremely complex and time-consuming undertaking, Cannon sees a need for adjustments to the codes regarding home offices.

"We need to even the playing field for small companies, and the home office deduction is one of the things that can do it," Cannon says. "Where you do business is really in your head and quite often on a cellular phone. If a place is dedicated to business, it should get the deduction."

Susan Collins, recently elected Republican senator from Maine, knows cost was a major stumbling block preventing the passage of home office deduction legislation during the 104th Congress (the Senate Ways and Means committee estimates proposed legislation would cut $1.9 billion in government revenues over 10 years).

"There is a lot of interest in Congress in reducing the tax burden for middle-income taxpayers, and I think a lot of homebased business owners fall into that category. I'm suggesting this should be one of the proposals on the table as we look at tax cuts," says Collins, who served as the executive director of the Center for Family Business at Husson College in Bangor, Maine, before her election. She also was the New England Administrator for the Small Business Administration in 1992. And Collins' family has operated a small lumber and building supplies retail busi-ness - S.W. Collins Co. Inc. - in Caribou, Maine, for five generations.

"Success will depend on homebased business owners making their voices heard in Washington," Collins continues. "There will be a certain amount of money set aside for tax relief as part of the budget resolution, and homebased businesses need to make sure they are heard when decisions on tax relief measures are made."

Collins is planning to establish six state offices to act as information and help centers throughout the state of Maine, as well as a Web site, and encourages homebased entrepreneurs to express their opinions at these locations.

* TAX MATTERS

On the independent contractor issue, Mary Landrieu, a Democrat and the first female senator elected from the state of Louisiana, says she strongly supports tax simplification and regulatory reform. "We should be rewarding people and making it easier for them to start businesses and hire people, not more difficult," says the senator, who also favors repealing estate taxes, particularly for family-owned firms. Landrieu ran a real estate business that specialized in townhouse development for 10 years.

In their business dealings, Cannon and Collins have talked with entrepreneurs who have repeatedly faced the confusing issue of what constitutes an independent contractor for tax purposes. Both see widespread agreement that IRS rules regarding independent contractors are too complicated.

Sen. Christopher "Kit" Bond (R-MO), chairman of the Senate Committee on Small Business, says trying to simplify the test for independent contractors will be one of his top priorities during the 105th Congress. The Small Business Job Protection Act of 1996 offered a slight clarification but did not solve the problem, asserts Bond.

In the 104th Congress, Bond introduced legislation called the Independent Contractor Tax Simplification Act of 1996, which would change the way workers are classified. The bill would require entrepreneurs to answer affirmatively to three questions in order for their employees to be considered independent contractors:

1. Is there a written agreement between the parties involved?

2. Does it appear that the worker has made some investment, such as incurring substantial unreimbursed expenses or being paid primarily on a commission basis?

3. Does the worker appear to have some independence, such as having his or her own place of business?

Bond co-sponsored the legislation jointly with Sen. Don Nickles (R-OK), Assistant Majority Leader. He is hoping to forge a similar alliance in the 105th Congress.

# posted by Medical Information : 4:12 AM  0 Comments

How would you like to skip the commute a day or two a week?

A foghorn announces the ferry's arrival at Vashon Island's north pier after a 25-minute passage across Puget Sound. Vicky Oxley, who has left her city car behind at the pier in Seattle, folds up the laptop that has stolen her attention from the majestic view and braves the crush of commuters scurrying down the ramp. A bus takes her to her island car for the remainder of the 30-minute drive to her home on a bluff on the island's eastern edge. Elapsed time from AT&T Wireless's headquarters, where she is vice-president and general manager of the Washington Cluster Cellular Division: one hour, 20 minutes. It's been a good day, with no rain to snarl traffic. But tomorrow will be even better: It's Oxley's weekly telecommuting day.

Oxley's 12-hour workday will start the same as every other, with a 5:20 A.M. workout. But from there it's a welcome departure. Forget the ferry's Starbucks coffee; she's got a supply of Tazo tea. Forget the ferry's grimy-windowed view; her living-room vista is better, and her home office looks out on delicate purple flowers and an occasional deer. And forget workplace interruptions (well, most of them). Interruptions at home are confined for the most part to her black Lab.

"I don't want to say I'm more productive here," Oxley says of her serenely quiet home office, "but if I need to catch up on e-mail or report writing, this is the ideal way to do it."

Oxley would telecommute more often if her job did not require as much in-office time. That, and she might get in the way of her husband, Phil (AT&T Wireless's director of radio engineering), on one of his telecommuting days.

Not Just for techies

The Oxleys are proof that telecommuting isn't just for techies. They aren't programmers or software designers--the types of jobs usually associated with telecommuting (and still a major force in its expansion). But they do write reports, create spreadsheets and respond to endless streams of e-mail--all tasks that require only a quiet office, a computer and a phone line. They don't need a lot of expensive, high-tech equipment to make telecommuting work. And for them telecommuting isn't an all-or-nothing deal: They work at home a day or two a week, so there's plenty of time in the office to attend meetings, deal face to face with co-workers and collaborate on projects. And on the days they do telecommute--this is key--they concentrate on tasks that are best suited to working alone.

For the Oxleys and others like them--such as accountants, consultants, marketing professionals and other information-age workers--part-time telecommuting simply makes sense. And their employers are allowing them (encouraging them, even) to try it. Already, about 11 million workers telecommute regularly, and that number is on the upswing.

"People in organizations are demanding it," says George Piskurich, a designer of instructional programs and author of An Organizational Guide to Telecommuting (ASTD Press, $25.95; 800-628-2783). "And companies are recognizing that it costs them practically nothing and there are such a huge number of benefits."

Merrill Lynch started to examine the concept for one of its New York divisions about nine years ago, when federal legislation forced some large employers to reduce the number of cars their employees drove during commuting hours. Environmental concerns have also accelerated the trend in Seattle. But you can't ignore the drive of the bottom line.

"We were adding space every three to six months, and I finally said, `Time out! This is expensive!'" says Barbara Iafrate, facilities manager at ConneXt, a three-year-old software-development firm that claims four floors' worth of magnificent views in Seattle's Rainier Tower. Rather than continue to gobble up square feet, Iafrate worked to develop a telecommuting program, then transformed one floor into space for telecommuters to use on the days they come into the office. About 135 people are assigned to that floor, versus as many as 90 full-timers packed onto each of the others. The company saves more than $500,000 a year by not leasing another floor.

Can I work at home on Fridays?

How can you persuade your boss that telecommuting makes sense for you and your company? "Go in with a proposal, not a request," suggests Gil Gordon of Monmouth Junction, N.J., a telecommuting consultant since 1982. "Don't say, `I want to,' but `I want to, and here's how it's going to work.'" Your goal is to convince management that telecommuting will benefit everyone. "It's very clear why employees want tO telecommute, but they should make it equally clear how their manager's life will get better."

The key benefit for employees is flexibility. "It enables people to do the work when the work needs to be done, and lets us take care of our life business as we go along," says Scott Decker, a trainer at Washington State University's Energy Program who specializes in helping companies develop telecommuting programs.

# posted by Medical Information : 4:11 AM  0 Comments

Changes authorized by the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 have removed many of the payment benefits that motivated past home health agency acquisition activity and temporarily have slowed the rapid pace of acquisitions of home health agencies. The act required that Medicare's cost-based payment system be replaced with a prospective payment system (PPS) and established an interim payment system to provide a framework for home health agencies to make the transition to the PPS.

As a consequence, realistic valuations of home health agencies will be determined primarily by cash flows, with consideration given to operational factors, such as quality of patient care, service territory, and information systems capabilities. The limitations imposed by the change in payment mechanism will cause acquisition interest to shift away from home health agencies with higher utilization and revenue expansion to agencies able to control costs and achieve operating leverage.

These cost considerations and expanded patient eligibility caused the number of Medicare-certified home health agencies to almost double from 1990 through 1996 (see Exhibit 1). During that period, estimated Medicare home care outlays increased from about $3.9 billion to about $18.1 billion.(b) Although the combination of all home care services and products, excluding prescription drugs, represents only about 4 percent of the total national expenditures on personal health care,(c) the perceived cost-effectiveness of home care has caused it to become among the fastest growing sectors of the healthcare industry. National expenditures for home care services grew at a compounded annual growth rate of about 18 percent between 1990 and 1996, compared with growth rates of 6.2 percent for inpatient care, 6.6 percent for physician services, and 7.2 percent for total U.S. healthcare services over the same period.(d)

Until recently, Medicare-certified home health agencies were entitled to payment for reasonable costs incurred in providing patient care, with the primary restriction on payment being a set limit on per visit service costs related to patient care. This system was introduced in 1965, and before 1990, it did not appear to promote excessive utilization of services. From 1990 to 1997, however, the average annual number of home care visits per Medicare beneficiary more than doubled, from 36 to 78.(e) According to HCFA, much of this rapid rise in home care expenditures is attributable to the failure of the cost-based payment system to control home care provider operations and utilization through economic incentives.

As a result, a number of measures were included in the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 to rein in rising home care expenditures. The most significant measure was a change in the mechanism HCFA uses to pay Medicare-certified home health agencies. Specifically, the act required HCFA to establish a home health agency prospective payment system (PPS) by October 1, 1999. The act also called for the establishment of a home health agency interim payment system (IPS) to end cost-based payment and provide a mechanism for home health agencies to transition to a full PPS.

With the passage of the Balanced Budget Act, payment rates for home care services under the IPS were reduced to 2 percent below levels that were in place during the 1993-94 cost-reporting period for most home health agencies. Under the IPS, an annual per beneficiary limit on payment from Medicare also was introduced to control utilization. The per beneficiary limit is computed using a blend of 75 percent of reasonable costs and 25 percent of a regional limit. For most home health agencies, revenue reductions are expected to range from 15 to 22 percent below 1997 limits. f Industry sources estimate that 65 percent of freestanding home health agencies have costs that exceed the payment limits imposed by the IPS.g The impact of the IPS is expected to be far greater on hospital-based agencies because many hospitals routinely allocate overhead costs to their home care businesses.

# posted by Medical Information : 4:10 AM  0 Comments