Opportunities Abound in Home Based Business

Opportunities Abound in Home Based Business
For decades, people have been seeking ways to have it all:
time, money, family, fun, travel, and more. People are
seeking life balance after years of working 10 hour days
and spending their time commuting to jobs they are
disenchanted with while there children are being raised by
strangers. The answer to the dilemma of how to manage
family obligations with personal interests and pursuits,
all while producing an income that enables you to enjoy a
life of luxury and freedom is to build and enjoy a
profitable home-based business. The right home based
business can be the platform for you to reach your dreams
of financial independence and life balance.

While some people think of home based business as a way to
produce a supplemental income, in reality, home based
business has the potential to produce executive level
incomes without the stress, headaches of traditional
business, or high start-up fees that traditional businesses
or franchises require. Operating a home-based business
offers low start-up costs, the ability to be within your
own environment, ultimate flexibility and no or low
overhead. In addition, there are numerous tax incentives,
no commute (except a few feet from your bedroom to your
computer) and the personal fulfillment of knowing you are
in control of your life and your destiny. You can run your
business while you're enjoying time travelling or playing
with your children at the playground. The concept of
home-based business has appealed to many, providing
millions of people the ability to create a life of their
own design and enjoy a fulfilling life of financial freedom
and personal balance.

In 2004, almost 7 million people were self-employed and
working at home and that number is growing exponentially.
With the instability in job security caused by the
expanding global economy, people are finding that being
self-sufficient and self-reliant is the only way to
accomplish the level of financial security and freedom they
desire. People are realizing there is more to life than
punching a clock and are seeking a life that is fulfilling
and rewarding. The advancement of technology has assisted
in the growth of home-based businesses, enabling people to
easily and cost effectively communicate globally. With
VOIP and the advancements in high-speed internet and
cellular telephone technology, people are able to connect
across borders efficiently, making the world your
marketplace. Businesses that are as complex as
international trade can be easily be handled from your
living room couch or with an iPhone as you're snowboarding
down the slopes in Aspen.

Home based business opportunities range from clerical
outsourcing, multi-level marketing businesses and
specialized trade to lucrative direct sales opportunities.
There's a great variety of legitimate opportunities that
provide people with everything they require to establish
and grow a successful and profitable business. Before
starting a business, be sure to evaluate the following
aspects to ensure the business model will meet your goals:
• Business model and structure.
• Marketing system provided (if applicable)
• Income potential and how you receive your income (check,
direct from customers, from company, etc.)
• Time required to produce the income
• Flexibility in the business model
• Flexibility in time and location
• Products and demand for product
• Stability of the marketplace (i.e.: real estate, medical,
etc)
• Ease of start-up, experience or know-how required
• Availability of assistance and leadership
• History of success with existing members, affiliates, etc.
• Stability of the parent company
• International viability
• Cost of start-up
• Cost of overhead

With a little due diligence, a desire to create your life
by your design, a willingness to learn, and an
entrepreneurial spirit, you can find the right opportunity
for you and enjoy a lifestyle that is financially rewarding
and fulfilling working from the comfort of your own home.

----------------------------------------------------
Shannon Lavenia is a premier trainer and business educator
in the field of wealth creation, entrepreneurism, and
internet marketing. She can be contacted at
http://www.ShannonLavenia.com or 1(520)749.7418

7 Ways to Choose a Successful Online Business

7 Ways to Choose a Successful Online Business
Are you searching for the perfect online business? Do you
think choosing the right one is pretty important? Well
your right, picking a good online business is the first
really important decision you have to make after deciding
to start an online business. In this article I'm going to
discuss 7 key factors you should consider before deciding
if you should join an online business.

Company
The company is important because of course you want the
business to be around for a while and you want to feel safe
that you will get paid what you have earned. When
researching different businesses, here are a few things to
consider:

•How long has the business been established?
•Does it look like there is still plenty of room for strong
growth?
•Is the business debt free? This isn't a requirement, but
it is nice to know.
•Who owns/started the business? What kind of background
and experience do they have?
•Does the business have many complaints? Look them up on
www.bbb.org.

If they have complaints, is there a
reasonable amount of them?

Product
The product is the core of your new online business.
Surprisingly, many people start an online business without
giving the product much consideration. I think this is a
big mistake. If you join a business with a good product
and good business plan, you have 2 ways to increase your
paycheck. You can offer the business plan to those
interested in a home based business and the product to
those who aren't interested in starting an online business,
but really like the product you are offering.

Be careful of products that could be labeled as "fads".
You should ask yourself - was the product or something
similar available 2 or 3 years ago? If not, are you
taking a risk that it may not be around for much longer?
You have to remember, even if you are focused on the income
opportunity and aren't particularly interested in the
product, others looking for an income opportunity may
choose highly based on the product.

Initial Investment
Obviously how much money you have to spend to get your new
business started can be a big factor. But don't only
consider the investment you have to spend to get started;
also consider the investment that everyone you recruit has
to make to get started.

Some online businesses charge cheap startup costs and cheap
monthly fees. Generally these companies will rely on
members recruiting lots of members before they start making
the big bucks. With lower startup costs ($50 a month or
so), it is generally easier to get people to join but you
also generally get paid less per person that you recruit.

Some companies have a higher startup cost and higher
monthly fees. Generally these companies will offer a
higher commission for recruiting a new member and you may
not have to recruit as many in order to start making
commissions. However sometimes it's harder to get new
members to make the larger investment to join.

Promotion Strategy
Will your strategy be to promote the product and while
doing so people will also join the business? Or would it
be better to promote this as a business opportunity with a
good product backing it up? Or you could even do both. I
typically look for businesses where either strategy could
work depending on who my audience is. Either way can be
just as good as the other, but it's good to think about
your preference and if the particular business or product
you are considering will work for it. Some people are more
comfortable talking about a product that they know will
benefit people then they are talking about the business
opportunity and visa versa.

Market
It's very important to know who your market would be for
this product/opportunity. You certainly don't want to
start investing your time or money in a market that is
crashing. Will there still be a market for this product 10
years from now? Is it a large market? Is it a growing
market? For example, I currently invest in a couple of
businesses that have products appealing to baby boomers.
Many baby boomers are getting a little older and their
health is very important to them. If I was looking for a
way to market to this group, I might look for a business
that sold nutritional products.

Think about if about 10 years ago, you found a business
opportunity that allowed you to create a "long term"
residual income with a business whose product revolved
around Beenie Babies. That opportunity would have sounded
great at the time, but would your market opportunities have
looked like? Do you think your investigation would have
shown a stable market?

Compensation Plan
The first time you look at a compensation plan it can be
quite confusing. I glance at the compensation plan when I
am just first starting to investigate a business and just
make sure it appears reasonable for the business and
product I will be promoting. Then if I think it looks
promising, I carefully investigate the business to make
sure it looks good in all other factors (like the ones
mentioned above).

After I've decided that this is a good business I really
analyze to compensation plan. Use very conservative
estimates while estimating. Don't just assume you will
recruit 5 members who will recruit 5 members who will
recruit 5 members. I usually "test" the compensation plan
with numbers such as what, if I recruit 2 members who
recruit 2 members who recruit 2 members. Then instead of
assuming that I get 10 levels deep in 30 to 60 days, I
assume I get about 6 or 7 levels deep in about a year or
so. The idea is to be conservative with your estimates so
you don't expect too much from the beginning and then get
disappointed.

You
The last thing I would like to point out is that there are
tons of great online business opportunities available that
many people enjoy and succeed with, but that doesn't mean
they would be a good fit for you personally. With all the
different business opportunities available, it can be
difficult to find one that is perfect for you. You're the
only one that can really decide what works for you when
considering your likes, dislikes, time availability, budget
restrictions, strengths and weaknesses.

----------------------------------------------------
Casey Dunham, owner of GreatOnlineBusinesses.com, is a
successful online business owner and marketer. Casey
prides himself on helping others find the best way to
achieve the financial and time freedom that owning an
online business offers. If you would like to learn to use
the power of the internet to earn a full or part time
residual income from home then visit Casey's site at:
http://www.GreatOnlineBusinesses.com

Technology on Top as Greatest Industry Potential for New Jobs and Income Growth

Technology on Top as Greatest Industry Potential for New Jobs and Income Growth
Many clients, especially young professionals just starting
out, often ask about future trends for employment and
opportunity. My answer is always the same it depends on
current supply and demand. Population and population trends
are the biggest contributors to determining supply and
demand of employment opportunities for the future.

With automation and advancing technology the some
industries have slowed while others have exploded and new
ones are developing daily. Any new industries and the
ancillary careers that emerge from them are a good place to
start. The industry shift tends to be toward more skilled
positions so an education or formal training is a must for
today's young adults.

As our younger generation grows up we will need more
educators to teach the children, and as baby-boomers move
into their retirement years, the need for more healthcare
jobs becomes necessary. These population shifts alter the
demands that will determine future trends in employment.
Although projections show increases of 14% from 2002 to
2012 in the American workforce, the demographics change
considerably.

According to Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) in the next
half dozen years the fastest growing industries will be
Technology at 35.8%, Healthcare at 34.5%, Nursing industry
increasing 27.3%, Human Resources at 26.2%, and Criminal
Justice and Education/Teaching both at 24.7% rounding the
top five growth industries. So, when looking into
industries with largest potential for available jobs the
above industries are the top contenders.

Now if my clients are looking strictly at the income
opportunity then I would suggest looking at a different
index also released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics which
shows the largest salary and wage changes for the next
decade. Occupations listed below are expected to provide
the largest earnings potential increase, starting with
Software Publishing leading with a whopping 68% increase
followed by Computer System Design and Related services,
and Management, Scientific and Technology Consulting
services both increasing earnings by 55%, Employment
service come close at 54% and Social Assistance (except
child day care) at 47% and finally Motion Pictures and
Video increasing by 31%.

While many of the advancing growth industries are
dissimilar from the highest income candidates, the computer
related industries and health care still look most
promising in terms of both opportunity and income
potential. But before my clients run to change their career
goals I try to remind them that it's although income and
opportunity are important if this is their planned career
field for the next 20, 30 or 50 years they should make sure
it is one that will offer them appeal, interest and
enjoyment for many years.

----------------------------------------------------
Kris Plantrich is the owner of ResumeWonders Writing and
Career Coaching Services. She is certified in Resume
Writing and Interview Coaching, experienced and affordable
and is nationally published. Reuse of this article is
encouraged but must include a link to
http://www.resumewonders.com .