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.

Entrepreneur Magazine has released its list of the top 500 franchises for 2011.  If you want to start a business but the home business route isn’t for then this list may help decide where to go. According to the article the franchise landscape has reflected the general economic one which has resulted in some shakeups to this year’s list.  Some of my favorites are Dunkin Donuts, Subway, and 7 Eleven (notice a trend?).  I am surprised at the number one pick.  Check up the full list here and leave me comment and let me know which franchise you would be interested in opening (and why).

From TyroneShum.com:

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! 

First off, let me apologize upfront for my use of profanity. It’s not something that I make a habit of in my professional life. But there is a point where you just have to keep it real. It’s tough to stay motivated when you’re trying to build a business. I haven’t posted a business review in weeks. Posting unbiased business reviews was whole point of this blog. I wanted to help people find legitimate business opportunities. I’m still committed to that goal. So why haven’t I posted in weeks? Because of all the other crap that goes on in life that takes time and focus away from doing what I love to do. Just the back office stuff I do for the blog takes up so much time. Stuff like SEO and marketing work, looking for other blogs to build friendships with, and a host of other things that little to with researching top business opportunities.

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.

• You get the opportunity to own a online retail store selling pet products but they do the heavy lifting.
• Open your online Pet Store with an inventory of over 1,000 pet products.
• You help others profit from the Internet if you recruit them as a PetShop.biz Independent Affiliate.
• You earn income from the sales of your recruits (your downline).  

1. Retail Sales
2. Residual Monthly Income
3. Referral Bonuses
4. Company Matching Bonuses ($5 per when your recruit, recruits someone)
5. Recycled Matrix Commissions

In order to be eligible to receive bonuses and commissions, I must develop and service customers. At least 70% of my “Personal Volume” must be sold to my customers. I will not purchase products solely to qualify for commissions or bonuses

• Custom Website (like theirs)
• Custom Ad Banners
• Training and Support Website
• Support Forums and Affiliate discussion groups
• Sales Tracking System
• Easy Duplicable System
• Toll Free Support
• No Accounting Fees
• No Annual Membership Fees
• Earn $1,000 per Filled Matrix
• Unlimited Matrixes
• Unique "Drop & Roll" Compression Plan

• My first impression of this site is that it is a legitimate business opportunity.
• My ‘Scammy-Senses’ are tingling slightly. I don’t like that there is very little independent information, good or bad, available about this company. And that fact the BBB doesn’t have them listed is concerning.
• I don’t have any pets so I can’t speak to quality of the products but they do appear to have a large selection to support the market.
• The biggest challenge with an opportunity like this is how to make your site stand out from the other people who offer the exact same products on their site.
• I’m not a fan of their website. I think they should showcase their products better. Perhaps a downloadable catalog like Shure Pets offers.
• The Personality Type that matches this opportunity is Enterprising. 
   

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 I’ll 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! 

Let’s face it, starting a company can be intimidating. Very intimidating! Especially if you didn’t grow up around entrepreneurs. I remember being paralyzed  with information overload when I was trying to decide on a business structure for one of my first projects. Every time I thought I decided on the perfect structure I would find some other article that conflicted with the information I had just found.  Now multiple that angst by however many step there are in starting a typical business and you begin to see why it can be so intimadating. And I’m sure I’m not alone in feeling this way. In fact, I know people close to me that have had really great business ideas but did nothing with them because they stated. "I don’t where to begin". I am sure you know people like this yourself.

There’s an App for That

iPhone to the rescue! Actually its the makers Starter Cards App to the rescue. The developers over there have created an application that takes the guesswork out starting a company. The app contains mini deck of 15 slide cards that detail each step in the process. The app is based on a 52 printed card deck that gives more details. The iPhone app is streamlined but offers the the right amount of information would-be entrepreneurs need to help them through this potentially overwhelming process. And it’s priced to move at only .99 cents.