Sometimes when you are looking to setup your home business it's best to look at real world examples of how large businesses are actually run.  I found this video interesting and thought I would share. 

How have you set up your business? Is it working for you?

Newsweek compiled a list of 11 products that on the surface seem silly and highly unlikely to make any money. But each one has gone to generate millions on dollars in revenue.  This goes to show that any idea has the possibility  of being a blockbuster. To make it a reality you just have to believe it's possible….and work night and day to make it happen.

Want to get rich quick? It’s best to have a blockbuster product. But in case there’s no flash of inspiration, don’t worry. There’s still hope. A few lucky inventors, entrepreneurs, and marketers have hit the jackpot with silly ideas that have just the right combination of humor and utility to move tons of units and bring in piles of revenue.

Read the list here.

Internet marketers and those new to Internet marketing are looking for the best Internet marketing programs for the best home business opportunity on the web. The two are inseparable.

That nagging thought of knowing that thousands of people are turning to the Internet and learning how to make money online doesn’t go away. What is it that makes them different than you? Maybe you just haven’t found that perfect home business opportunity.

The truth is, that many of these people who are making 6 figure incomes could make a good living with a number of different systems or businesses because they have learned some very important information, mostly through trial and error, failure after failure. These people pick themselves back up, dust themselves off and get back in the game. They are entrepreneurs and they do not quit – ever. You can do it too by following these people, and without making costly mistakes.

Below is a list that I believe are requirements for the best home business opportunity using the best Internet marketing practices.

It Must Have Integrity

You do not need to spend much time on most Internet marketing sites to learn that it is not something you would be proud of or acquire a deep passion to share with others. Think of it this way, when someone asks you what you do for a living, are you ready and willing to tell them what you are involved with, what you do? I have seen all too many so called "best home business opportunity" company’s that I would not associate myself with. Find a business you can be proud of.

Time Investment

Do you believe that your time is valuable? My time is precious to me! If you would like more time for yourself and your family then you must look for the best business opportunity that will help you use your time wisely. Just writing this article is all about investing my time wisely because I know I can help readers who want more for their lives than the dead end jobs or businesses they are now in.

ROI – Return On Investment

A wise person will spend their time on things that offer the most money for the time spent. If you are not spending the time on your business opportunity doing things that are profitable, you are wasting your time – a big difference. If you are spending time you are purposely setting goals to make money for your business. You are wasting your time if you are never moving in a direction to make a change to your present situation.

Product or Service

You want to find a company or business with the best home business product or service opportunity. Let me ask you this question… Do you really want to sell health products or some health drink? Do you want to sell mobile phones or fat reducing diet pills? Really? When it comes to a product or service, you want to be in business promoting the very thing that Internet marketing is all about. You are reading this because you want the best Internet marketing system, the best home business opportunity available for you and others. Bottom line, you want to make money, so find a business that promotes the education and creation of money. You see, people who are selling health products do not really want to sell health products, oh they will tell you they do, but they want the money it produces. So, why not pursue a business where the very purpose of it’s existence is teaching others how to make money?

Step by Step Mentoring

I have found that more legitimate company’s are realizing that whether things can be automated or not, the company’s that understand the value of mentoring over time, with time tested material and step by step processes are the ones that are making the biggest impact on growing and lasting wealth. When looking for a website that offers a best business opportunity, are they promising complete automation without anyones help – run! (that would be the back button on your browser). The best home business opportunity is one where 6 figure earners are ready and willing to help you become a master marketer.

MLM vs GPT

Many MLM (multi-level marketing) systems will never bring the amount of money that will give the lifestyle that people want for themselves and their families unless you where there at its inception. Using affiliate based MLM systems may be good for bringing in enough money to support advertising costs. However, it is a new concept called GPT (Get Paid Today) that makes more sense, and in fact is more in line with traditional business practices. You want a business that pays you now for your work.

Residual Income

Residual income probably goes back in history a ways, but the Internet has made residual income a reality for many. Our home builder websites for example are one of our income streams, or residual income streams. If your looking for the best home business opportunity, find a company that offers residual income, and the more income steams you can create and manage, the more money you can make, and later invest into wealth building assets.

Important things you must do now to succeed

Building Assets

The wealthy put their money into assets, which in turn make more money for them. Your house is not an asset. Most people think it is, but the maintenance and taxes alone make it a liability. That’s a topic that people write books on. Read "Rich Dad Poor Dad" by Robert Kiyosaki. The best home business opportunity is one that has a focus on wealth education, educating you on wise investment opportunities

Reading

If you are not reading books and articles on Best Internet Marketing practices, how to become successful and others, than you will struggle in any business. With each of my employees I required them to take my home design books home and read them cover to cover so they could become good designers. Years ago when I was a tool-maker, I read a number of books on parts and products to best tool and die practices. This knowledge helped me create a system to reduce a die change from 8 hours, down to 37 minutes. Reading is very important to the understanding required to become creative, and then to practical use. Start reading today.

Dreaming (A Plan)

Without a dream you will go nowhere – fast. Behind every wealthy person was a dream realized. Every entrepreneur needs to start with a dream… a plan. Sit down and write your dream down. Fine tune it over time with every detail you can imagine. Do not worry about how you will make it happen right now, just make sure you know exactly what it is that you want.

For Example, we have drawn thousands of house plans for people wanting the dream of home ownership. How did it happen? We drew a house plan with every detail that made up everything that was required to meet the home owners dream. Without a plan, not a single person could do anything to help make that dream come true.

Most people do not have a dream, no plans. They have a desire to have money and to live free from their bills and credit card dept, but without a focused detailed dream you will lack the desire and the passion to create the means by which you will realize your dream. Once you know exactly what you want, you will begin to find and create ways to see your dreams become a reality. Read "Put Your Dream to the Test" by John Maxwell. This will help you get started.

Never Give Up

The winners are people that never give up. 97% of the people searching for the best home business opportunity will give up. Some only months before they would have seen the fruits of their labor. Frustration is a normal part of anything new that we learn. Internet marketing is a business. There are many things you need to learn. If you keep learning and applying what you learn, and never give up, you will own a profitable home business. Never give up!

Well, you are probably wondering if such a business exists, it sounds to good to be true. I’m no different than you. When I read an article that explained some of the items I covered in the list above, only in much more detail, I had to know more.

No matter what you do in your search for the best home business opportunity you will also need the best Internet marketing system. You owe it to yourself and your family to find something soon, because today’s economy and taxes will crush many of those people who do nothing about their future.

Below is an article I found that describes 3 CRITICAL ingredients needed to make your home business successful. Take a moment, read the article and ask yourself. "Do I have all 3 of these intangibles?" Be honest with yourself. If you answer is "no" or "some of them", don’t worry! It’s entirely possible that you can develop what you’re missing. But the first in the process is to be truthful about where you are.  If you’re having difficulty getting started I have 3 suggestions for you: 1) Start journaling. 2) Talk to a friend/ significant other (or better yet a mentor).  3) Find a Life Coach.  Whichever you choose, be honest, be committed, and get started!

[NOTE: I'm not affiliated with the author of the article.  I do not benefit financially if you choose to do business with website]  

Searching Full Time Home Business Ideas?

Before you can have a successful home based business, you must first possess 3 "intangibles." These are things that must come from WITHIN you.  

Intangible 1

First,you must have a strong WHY.

Why MUST you have a successful home business? What is driving you? What is it that you CAN’T have in your life anymore and/or what is it that you absolutely MUST HAVE now?
For me, I couldn’t stand working 12+ hours a day anymore and missing the experience of my children growing up. I also absolutely HAD TO HAVE the freedom of being able to control my life and finances through a little box (laptop computer) that I could carry with me anywhere in the world and not be tied to anyone’s time pressures or demands but my own. That was my carrot and my stick. I felt a great pain deep in my gut of missing out on my children’s lives and the incredible freedom that succeeding in a home based business would provide for me. I found my why. You MUST find yours.

Intangible 2

You must BELIEVE that it is possible.

If you don’t believe that it’s POSSIBLE for you to have a successful home based business or make your living from home, you won’t. It’s that simple. For me, figuring out that it was possible was just a matter of realizing that many other people were ALREADY making great money working from home. If they could do it, I could too. It would just be a matter of figuring out what those people were doing and then adapting it to my situation.

There is no shortage of undeniable PROOF that people (millions of them) are making money working from home. Just get online and do some research and you’ll find countless testimonials and stories of REAL PEOPLE making real money on the Internet. Or head to your local bookstore and you’ll find the same documented evidence of this fact. Truth is, it’s getting easier and easier to make money with your own home based business.

I’ve always said that "affiliate marketing" (a simple way to make money from home) is the job of the future. In the old days, you had to go to a potential employer, apply for the position and hope for the best. Now you can simply go to any company you want, fill out their affiliate application and start work immediately. Affiliates are the new working class. In fact, making money with affiliate programs or making your living on the Internet is WAY MORE than possible. It is pretty much (or will be soon enough) unavoidable now. Affiliate marketing is the "job" of the future that’s already here TODAY.

Intangible 3

You must be willing to MAKE THE LEAP.

Ready, FIRE, then aim… This is the operating philosophy you MUST adopt to succeed with a home based business.
That’s backwards for most people who like to aim before they fire. The fact is that home based business success is a moving target… The only thing constant about it is change. You need to stop analyzing the game and simply jump into it. You can’t learn from the outside… You have to be *IN THE RING* to truly understand and profit from it. In fact, this is a business where you can truly be earning WHILE you’re still learning…

The lesson here is that you will never really be READY to start a home based business. You simply have to start one. It’s like having children… You’re never really ready, but when it happens you adapt and grow and therefore you succeed. This is what I call: "Making the Leap"!

The good news is that the cost of failure with having your own home based business is very small. In the "brick and mortar" world you need to evaluate things very carefully before you decide to open up a business. It’s almost always necessary to invest thousands of dollars to get an offline business off the ground. However, on the Internet you can often start a successful business for less than 0. The Plug-In Profit Site is a great example of this where you can get your own money-making site setup free within 24 hours:
http://www.PlugInProfitSite.com/main-28425

You simply need get IN THE GAME… Each moment that you stay "out there," you’re wasting valuable time that you could be learning and skills necessary to build a successful home based business. In fact, if you’re not in the game yet, you’re ALREADY behind the times… Make the leap to starting and building a successful home business TODAY!

About Stone Evans, The Home Biz Guy:
"I Was A Washed Up Restaurant Worker Desperately Searching For
A Way To Save My Family When I Discovered The Internet And
Affiliate Marketing… 24 Months Later I Finally Cracked The
Code And Started Earning Over ,000.00 Per Month… Now The
Same System That Saved Me Is Available To You!" Make Money Now!

http://www.PlugInProfitSite.com/main-28425

From TyroneShum.com:

From Home Business magazine

For most people, recessions are times when they tend to cut back on their spending on promotions. Or perhaps they hold off on expanding their operations until ‘better’ times. But there are some who see these slow periods as opportunities to expand their businesses and their revenues. Home Business magazine’s August issue profiles 10 home based millionaires that grew their business in bad economic times as well as good ones. Here’s a list of the people they profiled and the businesses they’re in:

1. Matt Morris- Personal Coaching, Mentor, and Author
2. Melissa Evans- Mentor and Author
3. Frank Mckinney-Real Estate, Author, and Philanthro-Capitalist (??)
4. Leisa and
5.  Mark Bates- Hotel/B&B owners, Entertainment, and Inventors
6. Jordan Wirsz- Serial Entrepreneur, Author, and Motivational Speaker
7. Mario Barth-Celebrity Tattoo Artist, Manufacturer of Tattoo Supplies, E-Commerce
8. Lisa Harrington and
9. Kimberly Martinez-Decorative designs for work apparel, E-commerce
10. Robert Shrob-Publishing, Coaching, and Seminars

Common Bonds

As you read through the profiles of these millionaires you pick up on few common themes.

• Each one of them followed their passions.
• Each one took risks.
• They all decided where they wanted to be, figured out a way to get there, TOOK ACTION, and never looked back.
• They all have multiple streams of income.
• All of them came from humble backgrounds and really worked hard to get where they are today. And they still continue to work hard.
• None of them are really that much different from you or me.

Original article written by Priscilla Y. Huff.

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. 

Historically October is usually a bad month for the stock market. Today is the anniversary of the crash in 1929 the led to the Great Depression. And back in 1987 the Dow took another nose dive in October. This year, the October crash happened to my motivation. Yes this month was a tough one. I still managed to produce quality blog posts, but it took alot to get them out. And I got concerned. This blog and it’s mission is my passion and I never want it to  feel like its a chore to do this work. Fortunately, I decided to write about difficulties and posted an article titled Staying Motivated is Bitch. I got some really positive feedback from that post and it has reignited my engines.I’m back to having fun trying to help people figure what’s the best best opportunity for them. I decided to make another post about being motivated because I’m sure I’m not the only one facing this battle. For this article I thought I would be good to give a boarder perspective on how people can stay motivate to achieve their goals. Here’s a few videos that I think offer solid advice:

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

A few weeks back I posted a review of Avon that gave a good overview of the company, today I want to dig a little deeper into what it means to work with Avon. Last week I connected with an Avon sales rep who blogs about her Avon business.  My Avon Selling Journey chronicles the trials and tribulations of Maria, an Avon entrepreneur that turned her love for the products into a business. When visit her blog it’s immediately plain to see how passionate she is about her business.  But as I read her posts I was impressed by her ability to make the reader feel as though they are a part of her journey. This lady can write! I’m so pleased that Maria agreed to share her insights and experiences with Avon. Hopefully, this insight will help you to determine if Avon is the right business  opportunity for you.  I would also suggest that read Maria’s blog for further perspective.  

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!