No One Did It Better

The best way to celebrate the life and career of such an icon like Michael Jackson is to appreciate what he accomplished.

 Start With The Person In The Mirror

If this blog accomplishes nothing else, I will consider it a success if I can say that I helped my readers to make changes in their lives.  But no amount of information I bring to the table is going to help you reach your goals, if you don’t first commit to making the right changes in your life. The majority of people that say they want to own their own business never follow through because the don’t change their minset or their behaviors. I will delve into this more in a future post. I don’t want to stray too far from the main point of this post… R.I.P. Michael Jackson.

Replay the video and listen closely to the lyrics.

I’m starting with the man in mirror. I’m asking him to change his ways. And no message could’ve any clearer; if you want make the world a better place take a look at yourself and make that change.

Yes, change has come to The Home Business Private Eye.com!

Welcome to the latest verison of my humble little blog. Even though it’s only the 3^rd verison, it’s light years beyond the default word press theme that I started with.  I believe that it was about two and half years ago when I launch my first blog and I remember being impressed with myself when I figured out how to change the default color scheme. Last week I handled the upgrade from Word Press 2.6 to 2.8 (without the benefit of the automatic upgrade function) and I’ve been tweaking the code on this theme to customize it to my needs. So, not only has the blog come a long way, it has dragged me along with it. 

Work in Progress

There is still much work to be done.  As I write this post I’m chatting with the support desk of my hosting company trying to fix some technical issues that are beyond my pay grade.  And there is still some tweaking I have to do on my end; like getting the header that took me a day and half to create to show. But I am doing this upgrade in stages so as not overwhelme myself. So please bear with me.  As it stands now the plan is to resume regular posting on July 6th.  That should give me enough time to complete all the tweaks, work out any bugs, and get the new services up and running. What new services you ask?!? Well its a secret for now but I plan to introduce them very soon.  All I’ll say is that I’m working on reducing the guest work some of you do when trying to find the right business.

Update: Due to the change in themes some of the formatting on some of the older posts is off.  I’m correcting them as I come across them.

Be The First in Line

I encourage you to subscribe  to the the blog.  It’s easy and free. And when I complete the work on the new services I’m developing , I’m going to annouce them to subscriber list first. And, they will be able to get a first come, first serve discount (Shh that’s a suprise so don’t ruin it for them). 

  Now the question you’re probably asking yourself right now is…"Is Shure Pets the right business opportunity for me? Well, Click Here to read my review of the company and discover if it’s right for you.

The review process never ends here at The Home Biz Private-Eye. First, I posted my original review of Xocia which was followed up with the popular, 6 Questions with a Former Xocia Distributor. Today, I bring you another interview with a Xocia distributor who is eager to share her experiences with you. Sherry Cantua made a comment on my interview with a former Xocai distributor and it was clear from her comment that she was actively working with Xocai.  Sherry’s comment also showed she was willing to help out someone try to find a win win solution for themselves. I reached out to Sherry to see if she would be willing to make a greater contribution to the conversation. She graciously accepted. Here is what she has to say about Xocia and working for yourself:

What do you like most about working with Xocai? Least

The great opportunity before me with Xocai is exciting. I’m offered the ability to market a breakthrough product, Healthy Chocolate, backed by a winning business model, with a proven track record, that’s creating millionaires.  Xocai provides me the products that people already need & use..(9 out of 10 people love chocolate).  I don’t have to convince anyone to consume our product, they already do…(A billion people ate chocolate today).  More importantly Xocai offers products of the future, today. Such as their new probiotic healthy chocolate that’s available right now in the U.S.  The beauty of Xocai is they offer to me, as an entrepreneur, the ability to create weekly income by providing these cutting edge products that people need and want, directly to consumers.   Xocai is ahead of the curve.   

The challenge I find, is in the comparing Xocai healthy chocolate to candy.  The cost of Xocai compared to popular chocolate candy you’ll find on the market today can bring objections by a few people.  Candy can be tasty but bad for your health. Xocai is very “Yummy” and great for your health.  You’ll find a comparison of "Xocai Vs CocoaVia –that’s a real knockout", on my Free Report I provide for my owningyourself.com subscribers.

What was your initial investment? How long did it take you to become profitable?

Xocai offers 3 easy ways to get started.  Basic Associate, Business Builder, and Executive Fast Track.   Initially I choose the Business builder option with a total investment of around $700 US.  I was profitable in my first 30 days.

How did you discover your passion {What led you to Xocai}? 

There are many things I could list to provide a detailed answer to this question. Perhaps that should even be it’s own article. Although if I had to boil it down to the core, my discovery came from a recommendation.  First a recommendation to participate in this highly respected business model back in December 1999, followed by a recommendation from one of my top mentors about Xocai via telephone call back in December 2006. 

What skills do you believe someone would need to be successful with this product?  

Be willing to let people in on the secret.  Be willing to share the healthy chocolate solution. Success in Xocai really is about team work.  When I locked in my relationship with my direct team, they helped me, they are were there for me and they worked with me directly. Xocai has tremendous support and training, so take advantage of that. 

How do you maintain your drive/motivation?

I found a part of the process that moves me and get’s under my skin.  For me it’s marketing.  Online marketing especially roots me.  So when those times come, you know the ones that really want to run you over and stop you in your tracks, I turn to my roots and do some form of marketing.  Believe me, there’s nothing that finding 5 new business partners won’t fix. 

What advice would you give others who want to start their own business?

Treat your business like a business.  It’s easy to stay stuck in busy work yet at the end of the day, what’s important is doing the things that keep bringing you income.

What’s a typical day like? If there is such a thing.

That’s what I love best, this business is very versatile.  As I go about my day, I keep the business in my mind and look for ways to

1. talk to people

2. share Xocai business & the healthy chocolate products

3. follow up

4. ask for a decision

5. support and train my Xocai Team Partners.

What steps do you recommend someone who is currently working for a company but wants to start their own business take before leaving their job? 

Great question.  First figure out what type of business do you want to start.  You can select franchising. You can be self employed.  You can link up with a company and promote their products via affiliate marketing or direct sales.  Or you can choose what I’ve chosen, the network marketing business model.  Network marketing is very flexible.  If this is your choice, I recommend keeping your job until you are creating enough income and demand of your time, that working your job is actually starting to cost you, in other words, you can’t afford not to leave your job

What has surprised you the most about working for yourself? What’s the biggest challenge? How did you overcome the challenge?

How much I enjoyed it was my biggest surprise.  You see, I was always one to favor the “employee mentality”.  I loved the ease of clocking in, working hard and then clocking out.  How things have changed. Self limitations was my biggest challenge {Editor’s note: Emphasis mine. This is problem that many us have. Don’t let it stop you}.  This business is more mental than physical.  I tend to think a bit too much and it can cause me to stumble a bit.

What assists me to overcome my stumbles, is simply getting back up and dusting myself off.  It’s a new day, a new minute, a new opportunity to find more business partners and support my team. 

If you could go back in time, what would you do differently to prepare for being an entrepreneur?

Start with a longer term commitment plan 5 to 10 year not just 6 months to 2 years.

Who or what inspires you?

Learning is such an inspiration for me.  What a fantastic word “Library” is.  Spending time investing in my personal library as well visiting my local public

library weekly is great fun. Also I choose to work with real mentors, maintaining my relationship with them.  As well as having instant access via the Internet to fantastic website’s & select forum’s that share the “how to’s” of real success in the home based business arena like yours does Dakim , Thank you for all you do! {your welcome}.  

Sherry Cantua

http://www.owningyourself.com/

What is Medical Billing?

 Medical billing is a complex procedure of billing and collecting professional fees for medical and health care services provided to patients. Doing it right requires a broad range of knowledge and understanding of the medical billing process and health insurance company rules.

This site offers a good overview on the medical billing industry; Medical Billing and Coding.net

This sites offers free courses on how to start your own business: My Own Business.com. Be sure to read this post on eHow.comregarding the steps necessary to start a home based medical billing business.

Click on this link to read an interview posted on Mommymakingmoney.com with Sheila Spieler, who has worked with medical billers for over 11 years. Her answers to some questions put her at odds with what many home based medical billing companies say about how easy it is to get into this field.  

Good Questions That Need Answers

• Are you a quick learner?
• Do you have good common sense?
• Are you self-motivated, organized and willing to work hard?
• Are you a self-confident person?
• Do you feel you can you work with Doctors, and other health care professionals?

There 21 questions in total, read the rest of them here.

EBOOKS

I came across several ebooks on the subject of medical billing.  This book, the 2009 Home Based Medical Billing Start Up Book gives solid information on what it takes to succeed in this industry.  The book contains 108 pages of usable information at a reasonable price. Click Here! To download the book and get instant access.

ABS also has an ebook that’s available on their site. You have give them email address in order to download it. I gave mine so you don’t have give yours.  Here it is. If you have any problems downloading let me know and I’ll send to you directly.  

 American Billing Systems offers entrepreneurs a turnkey system that will help them “start your own medical billing and cash flow services business”.

Is it the right opportunity to help you realize your goal of working from home? Click here and find out for yourself. 

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Hope it helps…

1. He Likes What He Likes.

My son spends zero time doing what he’s not interested in. He refuses to be bored. Of course with his three year old attention span what he’s interested in changes very rapidly. But when he’s in the moment he’s all in. I’ve also noticed that even when he’s doing menial tasks like getting dressed he finds a way to have fun with it.  Is what you’re doing now holding your interest?

 2. He’s Honest.

In keeping with step 1, if my son doesn’t like something or isn’t interested in it he will tell you. In no uncertain terms. Even if caught doing something wrong, his first thought is not to lie it’s to tell you why he wanted to do whatever it was he was doing.  Like most things in life, honesty get complicated as we grow up but if you could bring back some of that child-like honesty what effect would it have on your life?    

3. He Doesn’t See Obstacles.

When my son started crawling we had to move some things to higher ground because whatever he got his hands on was pretty much toast. The funny thing was it didn’t stop him from trying to get what he wanted.  He just figured out what he had to climb to get to his prize. And that included Mommy and Daddy.  And he may have graduated to walking but he hasn’t outgrown his ability to see past obstacles. I hope he never does. Imagine what you could be doing if you didn’t see any obstacles.

4. He Keeps Getting Up.

I don’t know how many times this child has fallen while playing around. I’m sure its no more than the average boy his age but no matter how many times he goes down, he pops right back up and keeps on playing.  Sometimes he trips and falls and just lays there laughing. I always ask him “are you ok?” and when he can be bother to give me a response it’s almost always “Yes!”. As adults the falls we take can be a bit more serve. But we all have the ability to get up, shake it off, and get back in the game.

5. He Gives It His All.

My son hasn’t learned the concept of slacking off yet.  What ever he’s doing gets his full focus and energy. Again, his three year old attention span allows for rapid changes to what get his focus but he doesn’t half step when he’s in the moment. Your business deserves that type of laser beam focus. Attention grabbers abound when you work from home. Your success will be determined by well you do in fending them off.

I hope it helps. Leave a comment and let me know if it does.

Happy Birthday D

From Biography.com: Writer, actor, producer, director. Born Emmitt Perry Jr. on September 13, 1969, in New Orleans, Louisiana. Tyler Perry has forged his own way in the entertainment industry, building an empire that consists of successful films, plays, and even a best-selling book. One of four children, he had a difficult childhood, suffering years of abuse at the hands of his carpenter father. He once described his father as a man “whose answer to everything was to beat it out of you.” At one point, Perry even attempted suicide in an effort to escape his difficult situation {emphasis mine}. At 16, he changed his first name to Tyler to separate himself from his father. Perry dropped out of high school, but he eventually earned a general equivalency diploma, or GED, later. Trying to find his way professionally, he held a series of unfulfilling jobs before discovering his true passion.

 The Oprah Effect

Watching an episode of Oprah Winfrey’s talk show, Perry was inspired by a comment on the program about how writing about difficult experiences could lead to personal breakthroughs. He started a series of letters to himself, which became the basis for the musical I Know I’ve Been Changed. While the show tackled such tough subjects as child abuse, it also touched on forgiveness, a theme has remained central in many of his works and reflects his deep connection to his Christian faith. After saving up $12,000, Perry debuted the show—which he directed, produced, and starred in—at an Atlanta theater in 1992. The musical’s run lasted only one weekend and drew a measly 30 people to see the show. Disappointed yet determined, Perry continued to work odd jobs while reworking the show. He staged the show in several other cities, but success still eluded him. Broke, Perry was living out of his car for a time {me again}. “Can you imagine a six-foot-five man sleeping in a Geo Metro?” he once told Essence magazine. In 1998, Perry tried one more time to win over theater audiences. He rented out the House of Blues in Atlanta for another production of I Know I’ve Been Changed. Soon Perry was performing to sell out crowds and the musical was moved to a larger theater. After so many years of hard work, he finally earned critical acclaim as well as commercial success.

The Effort Equation

I take inspiration from people like Tyler Perry,  people who find their passion and do whatever it takes to become successful at it. Imagine living in your car if you didn’t have to just to save money to bring your passion to life. I know that is extreme to many of us and I’m not suggesting that you stop paying your rent and invest all of your money in your business. I’m simply saying that output equals input; the more effort you put in to your business the more you get out of it. You have to determine what’s the appropriate amount of effort to input.   

 I hope it helps.  Leave a comment and let me know if it does. Tyler Perry and Chris Gardner stories are great but I’m sure there thousands of stories out there that should be told.  If you or anyone you know is a success in spite of your failures, please email me and perhaps you can be feature on a future Successful Failure post.