My collection of articles, blog posts, or videos that I found this past week that might be of  some value to you.  Read, digest, discuss. [Click on the headline to read the full article]

17 Reasons Why Entrepreneurs Shouldn’t Listen to “Experts”:

There will always be naysayers. And some of them may have even been right in the past about an idea, thought or event. Even if they have been right about something in the past, it doesn’t mean that they’re opinion is always correct. Are you willing to risk your business on someone else’s opinion of it?

IRS Agent Didn’t Report $41,842 in EBay Sales

…claimed her EBay sales were not a business, and characterized it as an online garage sale, according to the court document. She said she liked to shop for designer clothes and that this was a way to clean out her closets.

5 Tax Advantages of a Home-Based Business

The perks of a home-based business are many: freedom, independence, tax advantages … yes, tax advantages. Here are some tax advantages that your home based business may qualify for.

Discover Your Inner Entrepreneur

"Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing."-Helen Keller

Tenacity vs Intellect: What Makes an Entrepreneur? [Video] 

3 Things You Must Have When Starting A Online Home Business To Be Successful

Desire, Discipline and Discretion is the answer to your dream to be self-employed without failing.

The other night I was flipping channels and I happened upon the VH1 Behind The Music episode that profiled Lil Wayne, the Grammy award winning hip hop artist. I didn’t intend on watching the whole show but I glad I did. I have a couple of Wayne’s song on my ipod and I think he’s a talented artist. I thought I knew Wayne’s story. I figured it was the typical story of an inner city kid that wassurrounded by drugs and violence and eventually turned to music to make it out the ghetto. While that is certainly part of Wayne’s story there was so much more. As I watched the story unfold I could see that there were clear lessons for anyone chasing their destiny could learn from this 27 year multi-millionaire.

Road To The Top

Born as Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr. on September 27, 1982 in New Orleans, Louisiana to Dwayne Michael Turner and Jacinda Carter, who was then 19 years old, Lil Wayne was forced to bid goodbye to his father who abandoned him and his mother right after he was born. During that time, he and his mother were forced to survive by themselves in the criminal-infested community at Hollygrove division of New Orleans. -www.aceshowbiz.com

During the Behind The Music profile, Wayne described how his father was verbally and physically abusive to his mother before abandoning them.

From www.allmusicguide.com:

[H]e was a straight-A student but never felt his true intelligence was expressed through any kind of report card. He found music was the best way to express himself and after taking the name Gangsta D he began writing rhymes. Combining a strong work ethic with aggressive self-promotion, the 11-year-old convinced the Cash Money label to take him on, even if it was just of odd jobs around the office. A year later, in-house producer Mannie Fresh partnered him with the 14-year-old B.G. and dubbed the duo the B.G.’z. Although only B.G.’s name appeared on the cover, the 1995 album True Story has since been accepted as the B.G.’z debut album both by fans and the Cash Money label.

…rumors began flying about Cash Money’s financial troubles and possible demise. The rest of the Hot Boys had defected and Wayne’s planned 2003 album was scraped, coming out instead as an underground mixtape called Da Drought. Wayne became enamored with the mixtape world after Da Drought drew so much attention from the hip-hop press. He used these underground releases to drum up anticipation for his next official album, the breakthrough effort Tha Carter. Released in 2004, the album seemed familiar on one hand with Mannie Fresh’s production, but the Wayne on the cover was a dreadlocked surprise, and the rhymes he laid on the tracks showed significant growth. His marketing skills had become sharper too…

the number one hit "Lollipop," Tha Carter III arrived in May of 2008, selling more than a million copies in its first week of release. An appearance on Saturday Night Live and four Grammy Awards — including Best Rap Album – spoke to Wayne’s mainstream acceptance. He also performed at that year’s Country Music Awards with Kid Rock, but rather than rap, he played guitar. The guitar playing was part of Wayne’s new involvement with rock music

Born Into Failure

I decided to profile Wayne for Successful Failures because he was born into failure and refuse to accept it. How many people do you think are born into similar situations everyday and go on to let the drugs, violence, and despair that surround them keep them locked into perpetual poverty? A better question to ask yourself: how many people have been born into a vastly better life and they find themselves in dead end jobs and locked into perpetual just getting by?  Can you count yourself in that group? At the age of 12 Lil Wayne was actively and aggressively pursuing his passion.  At age_____, what are you doing to go after your passion?  At age 14, Wayne shot himself in the chest while he was home alone.  He drag himself into the living room and dial 911, he held on until help arrives and spent two weeks on life support. He worked his way back and by the time he was 17 he has a double platinum album. Are letting obstacles that you face stop your progress towards your goals or are you pushing them aside and continuing to reach for the gold?

5 Lessons That You Can Learn From Lil Wayne’s Story

1. You Can Come Back From Anything. Lil Wayne is proof that you can take a bullet point blank to the chest (strongly not recommended) and go on to win a Grammy. If you’re starting a business and you’ve made mistakes it’s not end of the world, or even the end of your business. Learn the lesson of that mistake, regroup and figure out what you need to do to get back on track, and get up and do it!
2. You Have to Work Harder Than Anyone Else. The scene of Behind The Music episode that caught my attention was when Wayne was detailing how he finished a 3 hour concert, watch a couple hours of Sports Center, and then when to work producing another song–at 3 AM in the morning! He’s a workaholic (in 2007 GQ Magazine gave him the title of  Workaholic of the Year). There’s always going to be someone out there with more talent than you or someone who is more knowledgable on a subject. But a strong work ethic evens the playing field and could even give you the edge.
3. Change the Game. Wayne incorporated the use of mix tapes into marketing hype for his upcoming albums. Others had certainly done the same thing to a degree but Wayne change the game by making it such an intergal part of the promotion process. Conventional business wisdom says you should stick the tried and true methods of doing business because they’ve been proven to work. I don’t disagree with that but keep in mind, we live in a crowded world. And collectively our attention span isn’t what it used to be. Sometimes you have to stick out from the crowd and sometimes that means changing the way the game is played.  
4. Do You. Now, Mr. Carter does have his faults. He has been arrested for drug and weapon charges and he has needed to go to rehab for substance abuse. Wayne freely admits to his faults and makes no apologies for who he is. He accepts himself, flaws and all, and continues to do the things that have made him successful. Are you letting your flaws hold you back? There are 3 things you can do with your shortcomings: You can work to improve them, you can hire somebody to cover those areas (i.e. not good with numbers? hire an accountant), or you can let them keep you from going after what you want in this life and stay miserable.  
5. Never Assume. This is the lesson I learned the most from watching Lil Wayne’s biography. Because I knew a few his songs and seen a few of his videos, I assumed I knew enough about Lil Wayne and I could probably guess at the rest. In truth I knew very little about him. Don’t assume anything, always take a look behind the surface. This goes for your business as well as  your personal relationships and friendships. 

How To Stay Motivated to Reach your Goals

How to Stay Motivated or Inspired to Reach any Goal

How to get Motivated and Stay Motivated

Jonathan Sprinkles-Getting and Staying Motivated Pt.1

What do you like most about working with Avon? Least?

I like the fact that I am my own boss.  I can set my own hours and dedicate as much, or as little, time to the success of my business.  There really isn’t anything that I like least about Avon because I am impressed with every facet of the business.

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

My initial investment was only 10 dollars.  I received a start-up kit which included campaign brochures for two campaigns, an Avon tote bag, some product samples, and basically everything that I needed to jump-start my business.  My Avon business started to become profitable when I started to dedicate time to advertising and getting the word out about it.   

I have used and loved Avon products for years.  I started selling just to have access to their products and to be able to purchase them at a discount.

You definitely have to have people skills to be successful at selling Avon.  It is important to provide personal service to your customers and to show them that you appreciate their business.    

I maintain my drive/motivation by attending monthly sales meetings at my District office and engaging in networking with my fellow Representatives as well as sharing ideas of best practices.

Don’t be discouraged by others or by your own lack of confidence.  You have to believe in your own ability to be successful.  Also, if you want to become an independent Avon Representative, contact me and I can point you in the right direction.

It is important to maintain contact with your customers to keep them up to date on current product offers and promotions.  Additionally, the goal of every single day is to share Avon with at least three other people.

I wouldn’t recommend that anyone leave their job unless their business is established and turning enough of a profit to address all of their financial needs.  This kind of financial freedom requires a lot of time, work, and dedication.

The thing that has surprised me the most about working for myself is that I am really good at it.  I think we can be our own worst critics sometimes and tend to stand in our own way of being successful.  The biggest challenge is managing having a career and dedicating enough time to running your business.  The way that I have overcome that challenge is by scheduling time to devote to my business daily.

I would have started sooner.

My children inspire me to be the very best that I could be at everything that I do in my life.  They also encourage me to be successful so that I may provide them with the best possible life. 

 Need Help Finding That Perfect Business?

Do you have a business opportunity that you are interested in but not sure if it’s right for you or if it’s legitimate? Let me help you find out. Drop me a line with the name of the company and make it the focus of an upcoming review. What’s the benefit to you?

• You get a second opinion from someone who is dedicated finding true business opportunities.
• You get the benefit of my time and knowledge of researching businesses for free
• BONUS GIFT!! You get to fill out my Business Matching questionnaire and I’ll use it to determine if the business you are interested in is a good match for you.  That’s a $49.95 service available to you for  FREE! 

And then there’s all the offline stuff that goes on around you. Family issues, job issues, personal issues—just issues, issues, issues! Who has the time work on your business and work out, or hang out with friends, or just relax and chill out?  And all of these ‘distractions’ serve to sap your motivation from your project because you may feel, like I do from time to time, that you’re not getting anything accomplished with respect to your business project. From time to time that quite voice of doubt that whispers in the back of your brain gets louder. And unlike other times you actually to start to wonder, “what am I doing this for? I’ll never make big doing this?” Or, “why am I wasting my time?” Sometimes the things you tell yourself to keep motivated just don’t work.

1. Realizing that this is only temporary.
2. Realizing that I can make through if I continue to believe in myself.
3. Finding a way to channel positive energy.

1. Entrepreneurs’ Simple Ideas Can Mean Big Success: Think small, grow big. 
2. Optimistic entrepreneurs offer tips on besting recession:Words of wisdom for surviving a recession from some the country’s top women entrepreneurs.
3. Young entrepreneur opens her second Beauty Loft downtown: At 20 years old the owner of The Beauty Loft, Jessica Lhota , is opening her second retail store. Makes me really regret my mis-spent youth.
4. 10 unordinary tips for entrepreneur women: A great list of tips for every entrepreneur (in my opinion), My favorites: 1,3,6, 7, and10
5. Mint.com Founder Tells Entrepreneurs To Stick To The Basics:When someone can take a company from $0 to $170 million in three years, you should really want to hear what he has to say.
6. Entrepreneur sees future – on his iPhone: I have recommended creating iPhone apps as a good home business before. Its seems like the gentleman featured in this article agrees with me.

 Bonus LoLVideo:

This was the runner up for the Funny Fridays video selected this week. This is YouTube at its best.

Interesting reading that you might have missed this week.  Read, digest, discuss.

Internet Marketing Guide For Newbies.  Internet marketing is one most popular ways to make money online. It even made my list of 10 Business That You Run Out of a Dorm Room. Here’s a good article laying a roadmap for success.

Is Your ‘Scammy’ Sense Tingling? I haven’t come across Liberty League as of yet but someone down under doesn’t like them. Does anyone know anything about this company? Stand up and share with the class.

Good Idea? Bad Idea?  I’ll let you decide. Read the article and leave a comment stating if you think this is a good mony making idea or bad one. I’ll post results in next week’s column.

Heeere’s Tony. As is Tony Robbins the self guru. He posted a video on his blog on where he interviews two millionaires that made their fortunes from Internet marketing. The interview seeks to find out what traits successful people share. The video is 38 minutes long so you might want to get comfortable.

Is That Really Legal? Can someone explain this to me? I’ve seen some "creative" ways to make money but this one takes it to a whole new level.

UPDATE:

More Businesses You Can Run From Your Dorm Room: I came across another list of businesses that a would-be college entepreneur can run the comfort of a dorm room.

1. Tutoring/Coaching: If you are knowledgable about a subject and have the skill to teach others you will find someone willing to pay you.  Services like Crossloop can enable you to get clients off campus as well.
2.  Workout Buddy: Unless you are certified, I would stay away from calling yourself a personal trainer. But you could offer to assist people who need help in the working out area. For a fee of course. 
3. Iphone Apps Developer: If a nine year old can develop an iPhone application so can you. Read this interview for inspiration. 
4. Cleaning / Organizing Service: It is a dirty job but some one got to it. If you have the skills for cleaning and organizing, why not get pay for it.
5. DeeJay: With today’s technology you can be a DJ with an iPod and special portable digital turntables. No more carrying crates and crates of records.  
6. Website Designer: Put all that time you spend on Myspace to use. You can get clients from all over the country without leaving your dorm room. 
7. Ebay: I know everybody with a baseball card collection is on eBay trying to become a millionaire. But if you find the right niche you may be able to crave out enough profit to be worth your while
8.  Affiliate/Information Marketing: This is the latest craze that’s producing a thousand new gurus a day.  Do your research and get some solid information and this can be a decent money maker.  
9. Blogging: This one is my favorite (hmmm, I wonder why?). Blogs are easy to setup and usually require little money to get started. Like eBay,  there are a lot of bloggers but there’s always room for great content. And with great content comes traffic and the opportunity to monetize that traffic. 
10. Geek Services: Upgrades, backups, virus removal, crash recovery all of these things happen to college kids and if you know how to handle these things you can get paid.

There are of course more businesses that can be run out of a dorm room.  I am interested to here what ideas others can come up with. Leave a comment with your idea, let’s see if we can get this list up to 100 businesses!

What do thousands of unemployed Americans have in common? Answer: they need a new resume.  Resume writing services are not new but there is a growing demand for this type of service. I received a press release for a new ebook that maps out what you need to know and do to start a resume writing business. 

From PrLog.com

Are you looking for a new career that will allow you to work from your home? Do you want to take control of your income and work for yourself? Then you need to read The Complete Guide to Starting a Home Based Resume Writing Business. This is not a get rich quick scheme or a multi-level marketing plan. It’s a legitimate way to go into business for yourself. And the timing is perfect! There are millions of people looking for employment right now and if you can write, then you can provide a service that they need–writing their resume! 
Here are just a few of the topics that this comprehensive resource covers: 
• Researching the Competition 
• Detailed Explanation of How to Set Prices 
• Developing & Running an Effective Website 
• How to Manage Your Time to Get the Highest ROI 
• The Legal Issues of Running a Business 
• Understanding Tax Implications (with write-offs!) 
• Tons of Marketing Tips (Specifically for Resume Businesses) 
• The Most Cost Effective Advertising Techniques 
• Getting Your Own Affordable Health Insurance 
• Insider Tips From A Professional Resume Writer 
• Much Much More! 

PLUS 

You also get these valuable checklists — FREE! 
• Business Start Up Checklist 
• Complete Office Supply Checklist 
• Sample Resume Interview Questions for Clients 
• Effective Resume Words & Phrases 
• List of Software to Get You Up and Running Fast 
Each of the above topics was written specifically with a resume writing business in mind by someone who has worked in the business and gives you the Insider Tips that you need to succeed

You can grab the ebook here.